My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 692

Hayama and Ebina were also somewhat intimidated by her overwhelming aura.

As long as Hayama politely declines with a dashing smile, most people will give up. As far as I know, this tactic only fails to work on Yukinoshita Haruno.

"Little Fu Fu, you're really interested! You'll be able to go after the club activities end!"

Keibu seemed to admire Tomioka's straightforward personality; he whistled awkwardly and cast his vote of approval. Wait, you're not in this class, are you...?

"I'm free today too."

Ebina raised his hand slightly in agreement, and Hayama nodded in agreement as well.

"After the club activities ended..."

Then he glanced at me and asked what I planned to do.

"Oh, I'm not feeling well today..."

I blurted out this reflex almost instinctively. Ye Shan seemed momentarily confused, but then quickly understood and nodded, saying:

"Oh, right. Then there's really no way to go."

"ha?"

Because Hayama inexplicably acted as if he knew something, I couldn't help but cast a surprised glance at him. Just then, Tomioka hurriedly interrupted.

"Ah, anytime is fine! We're just going to have fun, going at night is perfectly fine too! ...

"No... how should I put it, well, it's just a little inconvenient..."

Because she was so assertive, I didn't know how to respond for a moment. Ye Shan was suppressing a laugh, his shoulders shaking. Then he suddenly looked up and gave me his friendly and dashing smile.

"Or rather, it's only not possible at night."

"Yes...that's right, but why are you saying this...and how do you know...?"

What's wrong with this guy? He's been grinning like that ever since... Wait a minute. Could he actually know something? Wait, wait, no way, really? Wait, what's wrong with him? God, he's way too interested in my affairs! This is terrifying.

I stared intently at Hayama, trying to read his true intentions from his extremely pleased yet annoyingly smug smile, but in the corner of my vision, Tomioka kept raising his hand, his movements reminiscent of Bambi bouncing back and forth.

"In that case, let's reschedule for next time! Let's reschedule for a day when Hachiman can participate too!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry... but you really don't need to worry about me... I'll go to class gatherings whenever I can, just have fun, don't worry about me..."

If someone knew me, they would immediately understand that I didn't want to go, but it seems like I couldn't convey my meaning to someone I was speaking to for the first time.

Tomioka stared intently into my eyes, then shook his head from side to side.

"No, I don't think that's right!"

"Oh, really...?"

This kid is taking this way way too seriously...?

When my usual perfunctory words and actions no longer work, what do I say to brush it off? Just as I was fretting over this problem, the Ministry of Revenue seemed to have had enough and stepped in to smooth things over for me.

"Let's see what each other's plans are like next week or the week after!"

"yes."

Hayama nodded in agreement, and Tomioka nodded in agreement as well. "Thank you, Tobe. Although we're not in the same class, and you won't be invited to the class reunion, thank you anyway."

The matter here was finally settled, but club activities were about to begin. Hayama grabbed his bag, and Ebina, seeing this, said to Tomioka:

"Could I go out for a meal with you guys later? Since we're having a class reunion, let's discuss it."

"Ah, yeah! Okay! Please make sure we have a meal together!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

It was clearly a group of girls going out to eat together, but the Ministry of Revenue got involved, so Hayama said with a smile:

"Oh, that sounds interesting. Go ahead and have fun."

"Hey, really, don't do that, Hayato."

The way Hobe playfully leaned against Hayama caught Tomioka off guard, but once she understood it was just their way of joking, a gentle smile appeared on her face. Meanwhile, on the other side, Ebina, with a somber expression, said with a puzzled look, "Hmm, that's not what I wanted~".

Really? Hobu x Hayato, I think that's pretty good... wait, it's Hayato x Hobu...

With these thoughts in my mind, I picked up my bag and stood up from my seat.

This seemed to be a signal, and Hayama also stood up. We left the classroom and went into the corridor one after another. Tobe, Ebina, and Tomioka followed suit.

"Let's go."

As I left the classroom, I muttered something that hardly counted as a greeting, and then turned into the corridor leading to the special building, just then.

"Hikigaya."

Ye Shan suddenly called out to me, and I turned around.

Then he closed one eye and gave a sarcastic smile.

"Keep it up!"

"...Don't talk nonsense."

What are you talking about? — I couldn't bring myself to say it, after all, I didn't want to ask back. Most importantly, I know what I need to do today.

And even if I pretend to be stupid, Hayama will definitely give me a wry smile that's empty but impossible to ignore, like saying, "If you think that's okay, then it's fine."

So all I could do was lift one cheek, twist the corner of my mouth, sigh, and utter a harsh remark.

I don't know if Hayama heard it or not, since we left in different directions and it's impossible to confirm now.

I heard Ebina laughing loudly, saying, "This is exactly what I wanted, fufufu," so he must have heard me. But I was too scared to turn around, so I walked away as fast as I could.

I walked briskly along the covered walkway, and from the window I could see the cherry blossoms in the courtyard.

A gust of wind blew by, scattering white petals everywhere. When the wind died down, only vibrant green leaves remained on the trees.

This scene, which I will never see again, made me stop and stare.

This is the last spring of my high school life.

Early summer is just around the corner. Even though new leaves are sprouting, spring is not over yet; instead, it adds a touch of green.

Therefore, adolescence will not end, and youth will continue.

DB Bonus: Senior Three Chapters, Part 1 & 2. Even so, their daily lives will continue.

No matter how the seasons change, some things will never change.

Conversely, this means that some things will change.

For example, there have been some minor changes in the activity room of the service society where I am now.

A while passed after parting ways with Hayama.

As soon as I entered the club activity room of the special building, something immediately caught my eye.

"Oh, brother, it's so slow."

The biggest change is that there's now a beautiful girl like this who comes to greet me with a smile.

The sight of Komachi Hikigaya, dressed in her Soubu High School uniform, in the Service Club activity room, is something that would have been absolutely unthinkable before.

I'd seen her in her school uniform a few times at home during spring break, but seeing her actually at school was even more breathtaking. She was so regal that I didn't dare speak to her when I bumped into her in the hallway. To be precise, Komachi usually ignored me at school, but she was willing to talk to me normally in the Service Club room. My brother was so happy…

Perhaps because she wasn't used to wearing it, she slightly rolled up the sleeves of her school uniform jacket, used a new hair clip to hold her bangs up, and then applied Sock Touch anti-slip adhesive without any hesitation, just like she was at home.

Note: Sock Touch is a type of adhesive used to prevent thigh-high stockings, over-the-knee stockings, etc., from slipping down.

When she first joined the club, she was like a kitten that had just moved into a new home, looking around cautiously. Now, only a few days later, she's completely used to it, revealing her unguarded side. Please, please don't do this in front of guys, okay? You're so cute, I'm afraid many guys will develop twisted fetishes like being a Sock Touch fetishist because of you.

Sock Touch... seems pretty good...

Of course, the so-called change doesn't just refer to the emergence of new hobbies; other things have also changed.

"Oh, senior, you're so slow."

Iroha Isshiki puffed out her cheeks in a cute way, busy doing her nails... She's exactly the same as before. Or rather, why is she here...? You're not a club member, are you?

But Yui Yuigahama, who was sitting next to Isshiki, had changed somewhat.

"Stay home, ya hello."

She smiled and waved to me cheerfully, her manner unchanged, and her greeting was as light and strange as ever.

But the seat she was sitting in was different from usual; she was now sitting on the other side of the table, next to Isshiki.

"...Oh, thank you for your hard work."

This unfamiliar sense of distance confused me, so I was a beat slow in responding. To cover it up, I quickly walked to my seat.

But even this seat is different from before.

"good afternoon."

Just as I was about to sit down, a soft voice came from the window. As before, the voice was tranquil, calm, and quiet. Only it sounded closer than before, so I responded in a softer voice than usual:

"...Yes, thank you for your hard work."

This is probably the smallest change.

With her back to the sunlight streaming in through the window, Yukino Yukinoshita gently combed her hair with her hand, revealing a quiet smile.

The distance between us was slightly closer than before, a few centimeters closer.

My seat and Yukinoshita's seat used to be diagonally opposite each other, but now we're on the same line.

In the past, knowing full well that I would never reach out no matter how hard I tried, I never even extended my hand. The distance between us used to be that vast.

But now, the distance is such that if each of us takes a step forward and desperately reaches out, we might be able to reach each other.

That being said, it's still out of reach at this distance, just like before.

Even so, it was still a few points shorter than before.

Although the difference is almost negligible, a real change has occurred.

× × ×

A faint murmur and the aroma of black tea gradually filled the activity room.

My attention was distracted by the fragrant aroma. I looked up from the half-read book and gazed in the direction from which the scent was coming.

Before a wisp of rising steam, Yukino Yukinoshita was elegantly brewing black tea. The sunlight streaming in from outside, reflected by the steam, cast a veil of light on her face.

I squinted at the dazzling sight, when suddenly Xuexia's gaze met mine.

Is there a problem?

Yuki tilted her head and asked me silently.

I shook my head to indicate it was nothing, then lowered my gaze back to the paperback book in my hands. At that moment, I saw a slight smile appear on her lips.

This exchange was nothing special, but it made me feel very embarrassed, so I decided to focus my attention on reading.

That's what I was thinking... but I just couldn't concentrate at all...

Subtle changes in relationships, shifts in positions, and an unfamiliar sense of distance. Adapting to a new environment takes time; there's no way around it.

Besides that, there's something else that's bothering me.

Hayama's words lingered in my mind, and they really worried me to death...

Thinking about what would happen after that, or rather, what would happen that night, I couldn't concentrate on reading at all; I just scanned the lines of text with my eyes.

In this way, only the ears are working hard, and naturally, they will be attracted to some trivial conversations.

Did you know a new coffee shop just opened?

The person who said this was Isshiki. She tapped her phone a few times, then showed it to Yui, who was sitting next to her. Yui looked at it and exclaimed in admiration.

"Wow, really. It's quite close."

"Yes, yes, it feels like I can go there on my way after school. It seems to have originally been a shop in Kobe, and the interior is really stylish. They also have a wide variety of drinks."

The two sat shoulder to shoulder, chattering away as they fiddled with their phones. Then, Komachi moved her chair right next to Yui and peered at the phone.

"Oh, bubble tea."

"Nobody drinks this stuff anymore; only older men would drink it."

Hearing Isshiki's harsh words, Komachi was deeply hurt. Perhaps because of the shock, even though she was sitting in a chair, her upper body swayed to one side.

Then, in a trembling voice, she mumbled: