My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 655

"You have to show me your drawing after you're done, I'm really looking forward to it."

"Okay, but don't get your hopes up too high."

Totsuka waved to me and left the classroom. "President, do your best today too!"

Hmm, I'm getting motivated... but I don't dislike my simple self.

I looked towards the back of the classroom and saw Yuihama and Ebina chatting.

"No way! Hachiman-kun... Chiba-kun... and then... because of love... with Chiba-kun's tongue..."

It seems that Yuihama is also discussing mascot design with Ebina.

Because the chatter of other students in the classroom drowned out their voices, I could only hear snippets, but the content of the conversation was rather terrifying.

"Perhaps you could say he's ambitious... If it only happened once, cheating might even add some spice! But Hayama and Chiba are from completely different worlds! Ebina pushed up his glasses, deep in thought...‼"

It was no longer just a fragment; I could hear the excited voice clearly.

There's a female teacher who wants to marry Funassyi, and a male student who cheated on Chiba with her. Soubu High School is hopeless.

Since I'm designing a mascot, I'd also like to set up a character design for it.

There's no other way but to ask about timber pedestals in times like these.

I arranged to meet Zai Muza behind the school building and asked him if he had any good ideas to add to the mascot.

"Hmm, you have good taste, beautiful girl. To actually ask me for advice on character design, you certainly have a discerning eye!"

He immediately lifted the hem of the coat he always wore, rushed over to me, and grabbed my arm tightly.

"I'll disregard what I said about the timber base."

"Let me bestow this treasured character design upon you, who have a unique understanding of Chiba Ai!"

He spewed air like a steam train, his fingerless leather gloves creaking.

"Her name is 'Destroyer Goddess Chiba,' the most ruthless of the three gods of death who only appears in Chiba once every ten thousand years. She has a youthful and beautiful appearance, but is as cold as ice, with twin ponytails that flutter in the wind. She possesses superhuman power that can turn a city back into atoms with just a glance, but she is attracted to otaku culture and only clings to the male protagonist. In addition, she has lived alone for hundreds of millions of years, which has led to her actually—"

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"Waaaaah, waaaah..."

I staggered toward the community office, crying.

In my mental image, I was wearing a torn uniform. I was exposed to destructive sound waves for several tens of minutes, leaving me completely exhausted.

That person is so annoying! I told him to stop, but he still wouldn't let go...

I personally experienced how terrifying it is to accidentally turn on the switch for the "Settings Kitchen" feature.

What the heck is this "Destroyer Goddess"? That guy's stuck in a writing rut, so he actually decided to create such a terrifying monster. Ironically, I find it kind of cool.

I dragged my battered and bruised body to the office of the Service Society.

"You're so slow... Today, not only your eyes, but your expression is completely lifeless."

"How's the autistic guy? What happened?"

Yukinoshita and Yuihama seemed to sense how tired I was and both expressed their concern for me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I should be grateful just to be alive."

I slumped back in my chair. There was a notebook and papers on the table; it seemed Yukinoshita and Yuihama were already discussing it, along with a few trial drawings.

We took out our respective design drafts and exchanged ideas.

First, Yuihama placed her sketchbook on the table.

"I wanted to include Chiba-kun, an element that autistic guys like. Because drawing a mascot that the autistic guy who came up with this idea would like is the best. So, I asked Himeko for her opinion!"

The first half of the sentence is quite touching, but it doesn't connect at all with the second half. Is there a binding error in this book?

"Ta-da!"

Yuihama opened her sketchbook with an innocent and carefree smile.

Yukino and I simultaneously leaned our faces in.

The handsome Chiba, whose head-to-body ratio had inexplicably increased, grabbed my tie as I was cornered against the wall and whispered, "I've always felt you watching me...?" I turned my head away with an expression that was a mixture of guilt and shame.

Really? Chiba-kun, so you noticed my passionate gaze...

No, no, no, no.

This is Ebina's work, right? How should I put it, the art style exudes a strong dark aura... no, it's more like a BL (Boys' Love) aura.

"Um, Yuigahama-kun. Isn't that just Chiba-kun?"

Yukinoshita asked, puzzled.

Despite his unusual appearance and behavior, he is indeed Chiba-kun. We can't use him as the mascot of the Service Club, can we?

Yuihama clicked her tongue triumphantly and shook her finger. That clicking sound wasn't just for show; it was almost a real sound.

"Hime's suggestion was to combine the autistic man and Chiba-kun!

Ebina's suggestion was the kind of fusion battles seen in shonen manga, right? The kind of pure fusion battles where "Let's fight together," right?

"Even if someone like me merges with Chiba-kun, it will only turn Chiba-kun, who has a power level of one thousand—because it's called Chiba Prefecture, so he has a power level of one thousand—into a power level of one thousand and one... No, he might become even less charming than he is now."

I don't think I have any value as material for a fusion project.

"No way! I've already thought of a name, you know? Autistic guy... Hachiman and Chiba-kun, so it's Hachiba-kun! It's a good name, isn't it?"

"Well done—"

I almost blurted out "What a load of rubbish!", but halfway through, I couldn't help but think, "Huh? It's actually not bad?" I really have very low standards for Chiba-kun...

"Ta-da! Look!"

Yuihama completely transforms into a comic book performer, turning to the next page of her sketchbook, where a perfect image of me and Chiba-kun is displayed.

...Chiba-kun's once round eyes turned into dull, lifeless fish eyes...

"Except for the eyes, everything else is the original Chiba-kun, right?"

The brushstrokes are different from the previous picture; this one was probably drawn by Hihama herself. It's closer to chibi style than the original Chiba-kun, with the outlines simplified.

This guy's eyes are practically dead, why is he sticking his tongue out?

"But you can tell at a glance that it's a combination of an autistic guy and Chiba-kun, right?"

Yui looked at me with great confidence.

"Yes, at least people who know him can recognize him at a glance. I think you're amazing to be able to draw Hikigaya-kun and Yuigahama-kun so accurately."

Yukino praised her with a gentle smile.

"Hehe... yeah, after all, I've memorized the eyes of the autistic guy..."

Hearing her praise, Yui blushed and touched the back of her head, probably feeling confident. She kept glancing at me, then smiled shyly again.

Judging from the atmosphere, we can't just back out like that...

At least add my hair, or even part of my uniform. Hachiyo-kun is not only completely naked, but also bright red!

No, perhaps it's more accurate to say that in this survival competition of fusion, only my eyes survived?

"I see. If we combine, I'll be completely dominated by Chiba-kun..."

I felt a sense of self-abandonment and said dismissively.

"You still lack ambition. Can't you just suppress Chiba-kun's will and take control of him instead?"

The stern gaze beneath the snow condemned my spinelessness.

"That's right! If there's too little of an introverted guy, it's good to start showing more of himself now!"

"Is that the problem...?⁉"

I do like Chiba-kun, that's true, but I wouldn't want to become Chiba-kun because of that, would I?

Just like no one would want to actually wear pigtails just because they like the pigtail hairstyle.

...No, maybe it will happen, but at least I don't want to be assimilated by Chiba-kun.

"Let's take this as our first option and make our comments."

It's not being considered an option, it's a scrapped proposal, so why take it for granted that it should be included in the consideration?

If you treat him as the mascot of the service club, you'll never get any more requests.

Yukino cleared her throat, straightened her back, and handed the paper to us.

"This is the mascot I envisioned for the Service Club. Its name is 'Effort Cat'."

The paper depicts a cat painfully holding a dumbbell.

"Wow—so cute—!!"

Yuihama responded with a sharp, girlish voice. Cute... isn't she?

"Where are the elements of a service society?"

I couldn't help but ask.

The illustration itself is quite well drawn, but in some ways, it feels even less like a Service Club character than Chiba-kun. This one looks more like a sports club mascot.

"Serving means doing one's best. It means striving. That's why it's called the 'Striving Cat'."

Yukinoshita triumphantly tossed her hair.

No, what I care about isn't the name, it's the appearance... Seeing her clear eyes, devoid of any confusion, I could only remain speechless.

Oh right, Yukinoshita's favorite panda, Johnny, is also a very fierce-looking animal. Totsuka's mascots also carry weapons.

Is it just that I have a bad sense of aesthetics? Do mascots these days have to be infused with violent attributes?

"What about the autistic guy?"

Yui squinted at me. Hmm, I did have a lot of complaints about their designs, but as for whether my mascot design was perfect—

"This...this...'Serving Mushrooms'..."

The paper I took out had a mushroom-shaped, cartoon-style mascot drawn on it.

My goal is to keep the accessories to a minimum and the design simple, with the only distinctive feature being the tie from the Soubu High School boys' uniform.

"Why mushrooms?"

Yuihama, who praised my drawing of Chiba-kun so highly yesterday, is also confused after taking a look at it today.

"Because 'serve' and 'spore' are homophones."

How embarrassing. It felt like explaining a joke that wasn't funny at all.

When you serve the mushroom, it often sprays out a yellow powder from its head. Those spores are its most distinctive feature.

"That's a lame joke, isn't it..."

"It feels more like an enemy in a game, not a mascot."

Yukinoshita and Yuihama unleashed a swift double attack.

Hmm, the response wasn't very good after all.

"Just go for the dry humor style. Didn't I say that yesterday? This kind of simple concept is very important for a mascot. It's difficult to express the concept of 'serving' with images, but spores can convey the meaning immediately."

I say this, but deep down I'm becoming increasingly insecure. It's very common to start drawing with confidence, only to wonder, "Is this really okay?"

It's my fault. Both Hachiyo-kun and Ninjaku-neko are very charming.

"To be honest, I think either option is fine."

"Ew—this is so hard to decide!"

Yuihama stared at the three pictures on the table, lost in thought.

"Yes... then let's seek the most honest opinion from a third party."

Yukinoshita glanced at me and took her phone out of her bag.

Less than an hour later, the third party showed up at the club office, a scene that felt very familiar. A petite girl walked in, full of energy.