My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 688

"Um, um, I'll be going now..."

"goodbye!"

Before leaving, the two women looked in my direction, and I nodded in response. They nodded back, and the door slowly closed.

"They brought us food, so let's eat and continue working."

Isshiki came back and started dividing the peach pie, while Komachi quickly started making coffee.

Oh, is that so? Instead of taking a break, you're continuing to work... Normally, you would suggest taking a short break, right...? I glanced to the side, where Isshiki was humming a song as he flipped through documents.

"Next up is... the student assembly, right?"

The moment she opened the documents while eating her peach pie, the door to the student council office rang again.

"Um--!"

With his mouth full of peach pie, Ise answered in a muffled voice.

The door opened, and Yukinoshita and Yuihama, who should have already left, peeked out from behind.

"...Um, if you don't mind, would you like to help out?"

Yukinoshita politely suggested it, and Yuihama nodded repeatedly from behind.

Isshiki hurriedly made tea, swallowed the pie, stood up, rushed to the two of them, bowed deeply, and was extremely terrified.

"No, no, no! This won't do! We can't let the test takers do this!"

That's strange, I'm a test taker too...wait, did you just say "that kind of thing"?

I looked at Isshiki with suspicion. She was just putting her hands together in prayer, worshipping the two people.

"I'd rather wait until I have more difficult work to handle before asking you both for help, so it's really not necessary today. I'll definitely ask you for help when I'm truly overwhelmed."

I don't think your point is quite right either, but after some back and forth, the two of them reluctantly gave in, and the door closed again.

Exhausted, Isshiki sighed, wiped the sweat from his forehead, walked back to his original seat, adjusted the cushion, and then gently sat down.

Then, this time the door wasn't knocked on, but suddenly opened.

"I'm sorry to keep bothering you."

The two who walked out from behind the door with a guilty look on their faces were none other than the familiar Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama.

"If Komachi comes home late, I'll take the key to return it."

"Do you need me to bring your things over?"

Unable to stand up, he helplessly stared at the ceiling.

"You can just say that on LINE..."

Her weary voice echoed in the air. Then, she glared at me fiercely. It seemed she was demanding I come up with a solution. Uh, telling me wouldn't help…

However, I find it difficult to work in this restless state. Yet, I feel bad for bothering Yukinoshita and Yuihama with these chores. In that case, finishing the work as quickly as possible and going home is the right thing to do.

I cleared my throat a couple of times and said to Yukinoshita and Yui:

"Um, we'll finish our work and head back to the service club right away... okay?"

"Yes! Solved in the blink of an eye!"

Komachi agreed energetically, and the two people standing in front of the door smiled.

"I see. We'll wait for you to come back."

"I'll come pick you up if it gets too late."

They each wore a gentle smile and a bright smile. Yukinoshita reluctantly and slowly closed the door. Yuihama waved until the very last moment before the door was completely shut.

After the two left the student council office, Isshiki finally sat up.

"So people who are obsessed with romance are really..."

She sighed deeply and cast a stern glance at the corner. I looked over and saw the vice president and the secretary. "You've been sitting there the whole time..."

It seems they witnessed the whole thing; they were stunned, their expressions a mix of disbelief and confusion. Ugh, they were seen! How embarrassing…

"Do those two over there know how you are perceived by others?"

The vice president and secretary who were named trembled.

"...I...I don't quite understand what you mean."

"We'll be careful..."

The vice president is still playing dumb, but the secretary readily admitted her mistake. I don't quite understand what she means either, but I'll be more careful.

Okay, okay! Cheer up and get back to work! Right? The vice president and secretary seem to be reflecting on their actions too! Let's stop blaming them!

I regained my enthusiasm and efficiently checked the documents, but Iroha was still a little unhappy...

"You don't need to come so many times."

"Telling them not to come only makes them want to come more. That's the so-called Caligula effect."

Although Issei didn't directly tell them not to come, a solemn refusal sometimes carries a strong sense of prohibition. Many people would probably interpret it that way.

I shared some half-baked knowledge, and Komachi clapped her hands.

"Oh, that! Now that you mention it, Komachi has heard of it too..."

"Xiaomi, so you knew about this."

Isshiki asked in surprise, and Komachi replied with a serious expression:

"Yes. The effect of wanting to eat pancakes just by looking at that picture book..."

"You mean 'Guri and Gura' (Note 28)? It's definitely a great picture book..."

What? I thought you really knew. Why did this guy cause such a misunderstanding... I slumped my shoulders helplessly, and Komachi pouted.

"Then, what kind of effect is that?"

"Simply put, the Caligula effect is the psychology of wanting to do something more when it's forbidden. A warning sign on an alarm clock says 'Don't press it,' but it still makes people want to press it, right? Movie trailers using 'Don't watch this...' as taglines to attract viewers works on the same principle."

"Oh, I see."

Komachi nodded, giving a "I understand" look.

Isshiki, however, crossed her arms and fell into deep thought. A moment later, she gently touched her lips and whispered:

"Yeah...the more you forbid it, the more people want to do it...the more they want what belongs to others, and so on?"

She said it with a touch of playfulness. Her smile was undeniably cute, yet it looked strangely alluring, sending a chill down my spine.

"No, no, it's a little different..."

I quickly looked away and focused my attention on my work.

"Yeah--?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Isshiki Iroha muttering happily beside me.

After hurriedly finishing the paperwork, carefully investigating the annual activities that had a lot to discuss, and uncovering the landmine case, perhaps because I was just too busy that day, I was incredibly relaxed the next day.

The office, as always, was filled with the aroma of black tea, a familiar scene.

However, Isshiki, who used to be a regular there, wasn't there. Well, that makes sense. The reason she didn't want to stay in the student council office was because the vice president and secretary were probably busy with their work, and the student council was likely going to be busy too. She probably wouldn't be coming over for a while.

That guy has become an excellent student council president...

I was sitting on the veranda, sipping red tea, when suddenly the door to the community office was flung open.

"Thanks for your hard work--"

A light and sweet voice reached my ears. Without even looking over there, I knew it was Isshiki Iroha.

Isshiki walked in as if she owned the place, and sat down in the seat that had become her regular spot—the seat between me and Komachi.

"What's for dessert today?"

"This office is not a coffee shop..."

Although Yukinoshita felt awkward, she still served her a cup of tea, while Yuihama searched her schoolbag.

"It was bought today."

"Oh, I see. That's perfect then."

This sentence simultaneously raised a question mark above our heads. What is just right...? I glanced at her, and Yise placed the paper bag in her hand on the table.

"I'm always eating Yukino-senpai and Yui-senpai's food..."

She took out a gift box of pastries. Financiers, madeleines, Florentine cookies—the aroma of cream wafted out as soon as she opened the lovely packaging.

"This is my return gift♪"

Isshiki took a paper plate, arranged the desserts beautifully, and pushed it to the center of the table.

Yukinoshita squinted instantly, and Yuihama's entire face froze. This contrasted sharply with Isshiki's smiling expression.

"Oh, I see... Thank you."

"Oh...it looks delicious."

They were both laughing, but their tone was very sharp and stiff.

Ugh, I feel a chill... Is this a cold summer? I feel a bit cold, so I pretend I don't know anything and look out the window.

The long silence, as if all other sounds had vanished, was so piercing it hurt my ears.

At that moment, a voice utterly devoid of any sense of urgency broke the silence.

"Oh, Iroha-senpai is so good at making sweets. They're really good, Komachi is a little surprised."

"It's alright... Was your reaction even more subdued than Yui-senpai's back then?"

Isshiki puffed out his chest proudly, but he was a little unhappy because Komachi's reaction was so insincere. However, even though Komachi said that, her hands kept reaching for the sweets.

Hmm~ Their relationship is really good, so heartwarming.

Like an old man sitting on the veranda, I watched Komachi and Isshiki drink tea, when a paper plate was placed in front of me.

I glanced to the side; Isshiki was giving me a silent smile, implying I should give my opinion. She'd made it so obvious, I couldn't refuse. I said, "Ah, then I'll start," politely nodded my thanks, and picked up my financier.

The moment you bite into it, the creamy aroma bursts in your mouth, along with a delightful, sweet fragrance. It has a moist texture, and you can feel its softness even when swallowing. It also pairs well with black tea.

"Ah, delicious."

No wonder Komachi praised her. She didn't need to try; the feeling just came out naturally. Isshiki, hearing this, covered her mouth with her finger and smiled, saying:

"Didn't I say I'm good at cooking?"

"I know."

I had seen Isshiki make desserts before, and even tried them myself, so I thought I knew her cooking skills quite well.

That's why I gave such a concise and powerful answer, but Isshiki didn't seem very satisfied and shrugged his shoulders with a bit of helplessness.

She reached out from the side, grabbed my sleeve tightly, and pulled me close. She whispered in my ear as my upper body leaned towards her:

"Senior, do you want me to translate that sentence for you?"

A mischievous whisper, audible only to me, gently nibbled my ear before quickly moving away. It left me with a feeling of embarrassment, a mix of guilt and shame.

I gently shook my head to dispel the feeling.

No, there's no need.

No matter how you try to decipher her hidden meaning, even the conclusions you reach always have a deeper implication. That's just how girls talk. Especially since the person in question is Iroha Isshiki, the strongest little devil of the modern era. There's no way I, at my level, could possibly be a match for her.

Seeing that I could only manage a wry smile and no other reaction, only Isshiki smiled and raised the corners of his mouth.

That's right, it was just Isshiki alone...

Finish

Note 17 is a parody of the American movie "We Have No Tomorrow".

Note 18 is a parody of a line spoken by Kyogoku Mantaro in the manga "Delicious Challenge" when he eats Yuzan Kaihara's sweetfish dish.

In the period drama "The General of the Vampire," each episode ends with the narration, "This is what Yoshimune thinks."

20 notes of the lyrics to Ouyang Feifei's "The Love That Has Passed Away".

Note 21 is a parody of the dialogue between Luffy and Nami in One Piece.