My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 70

"Okay... we absolutely have to win this one..."

I instinctively tensed up, my whole body brimming with energy.

"Wow~~ Someone wearing only underwear is talking so cool!"

Zaimokuza burst out laughing. I looked around and saw that the game club members and Yuihama were also trying their best to hold back their laughter, and even Yukinoshita's shoulders were shaking.

Everyone is so mean.

"Hey, lumberjack..."

I did feel a surge of anger, and I called his name with a trembling mouth.

The woodworker sensed my anger and deliberately coughed a few times.

"Okay, calm down. Games are meant to be enjoyed, so relax a bit."

"I'm talking to you..."

He actually spoke with such conviction... Just as I was about to retort with one sentence, no, five sentences, I heard a sigh from the side.

"I see, so that's your perspective."

It took me a while to realize that it was Qin Ye's voice. The sentence was aggressive, a stark contrast to his previous calm and somewhat timid tone.

"How should I put it? It's what you call 'user perspective.' While it's not necessarily a bad thing, holding onto that perspective from the very beginning is really..."

Sagami chimed in from the side. He spoke indirectly, but his tone suggested he looked down on the other person.

"Well……"

Timber was about to speak, but stopped abruptly upon seeing their expressions. Their faces clearly displayed contempt.

Qin Ye chuckled.

"It's alright, it'll all be over soon anyway."

"Let's get to the final round quickly."

"Ah, okay."

Following Sagami's instructions, we took our respective battlefields.

Our group, led by the woodworker, went first, exchanging cards with the game's social player.

As Qin Ye selected the playing cards, he seemed to be pondering what to say. He tossed two cards over and spoke as the woodcutter reached for them:

"...Mr. Swordsman, why do you want to make games?"

I heard that "Kengo-san" is the name that Zaimokuza uses at the amusement park, but it sounds exactly like "Kengo-san" to me (laughs).

The woodworker pulled out two cards from his hand and slid them away, forgetting to take the cards given to him by his opponent.

"Hmph, because I like it. It's only natural to want to turn what you love into your job. Besides, becoming a full-time employee at a game company will give me a stable life."

He calmly answered the other person's questions, but in the end, he still revealed his true feelings.

"Ha! Because you like it, huh? There are a lot of people like that lately, thinking that this is all it takes to succeed. I think Mr. Sword Master is one of them."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Enraged by those words, Cai Muzuo slammed the first two cards on the table in a fit of anger, stood up rudely, and handed the cards to me.

Next, Yukinoshita also played two cards.

"I'm just saying that you're using dreams as an excuse to escape reality."

"What evidence do you have...?"

Zai Muza suddenly fell silent at this point, and Sagami seized the opportunity to play his card and fill the silence in the room.

Everyone's playing two cards at a time now, which is a good opportunity to reduce the number of cards in your hand. I spread out my fourteen cards and examined them carefully... Huh? Fourteen cards?

I noticed that the number of cards was missing, so I looked down to check if any cards had fallen under the table. Sure enough, I found two cards there. It's likely that the person in charge forgot to put the cards the other person gave him back into the deck earlier, and when he rudely got up, he bumped into the table, causing the two cards to fall out.

I picked it up and put it into the deck; one of the cards was the 4 of diamonds.

The other one is the fourth 6... which could trigger a revolution.

However, it's best to keep it for now.

If we want to start a revolution, we can only do so when it's our turn to be the dealer in the middle of the game.

After roughly calculating in my mind, I drew out the two cards with higher numbers and placed them on the table.

Yuihama and Hatano continued to play, and now they had two Aces, making it difficult to play a higher card. After everyone called "Pass," it was Sagami's turn to play.

"You're so shallow, Mr. Swordsman. I'm not repeating what I just said, but that's called a 'user's perspective,' just the thoughts of a mere player. You're only seeing the surface, immersed in your own world."

Wow, that's a sharp critique! Say more!

I couldn't help but want to support Sagami, and Yukinoshita seemed to share the same view, nodding silently.

"Gurgle..."

Zaimokuza, suppressing his anger, handed the deck to me. I took the cards, said nothing, and played them in order. Zaimokuza was deeply traumatized, even stopping the dueling game he had been enjoying.

Next, it's Snowfall's turn to play.

Qin Ye glanced at the cards she had placed on the table and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"It's ridiculous to want to make games when you don't even understand what games are. Recently, there have been a lot of young game developers like this, who have only played video games and are now claiming they want to make games. They only have a thousand and one ideas, lack innovation, and haven't properly cultivated the environment for new concepts. You can't make games just because you like them."

He slammed the cards onto the table with a "bang" to amplify his imposing manner.

"Gurgle~~"

The timber support began to groan.

In the following rounds, the situation favored the game company.

Now it's Zaimokuza's turn. Just as he was racking his brains about what to do, Sagami spoke up again:

"Sword Master, I suppose you don't have anything to brag about? You just rely on games for everything."

Timber was completely unprepared for this taunt. He regretfully handed me his cards, implying that he wouldn't play any more cards this round.

It was my turn to sit down in the chair.

The words Sagami just said keep echoing in my ears.

Actually, it was only because he took pleasure in mocking adolescent delusions that I wanted to applaud and cheer. His expression was like a weary adult panting, warning a dreamy teenager how harsh reality can be.

No one has played a card yet, so the game company is currently the dealer.

Qin Ye leisurely took out one, two, three Kings. Needless to say, we had no way to match the hand, and Yukinoshita also called Pass.

"By the way, Mr. Swordsman, what kind of movies do you like?"

"Let me think... 'Magic—'"

"Ah, not including animation."

“Ouch!”

The moment the other person forbade listing anime, Zaimokuza immediately shut his mouth. Heh, they'd hit a nerve. But if I were answering this question, and also couldn't mention anime, I probably wouldn't think of anything either. If I had to say something, it would be "The Ultimate Killer," because I wanted to take in a little girl.

Sagami mockingly pushed the pile of Kings aside and started playing his cards again.

"See, you really couldn't say, right? Do you have a favorite novel?"

"...Yeah, lately I've been enjoying 'My Girlfriend—'"

"Light novels are excluded."

“Woo-gu!”

Timber's mouth was gagged again, and he bit his tongue beautifully. He tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling, not turning back for a long time, looking like he had just taken an uppercut.

He struggled to his feet, swaying unsteadily, his face gaunt. Are you the kind of young person who recently breaks down over the smallest things?

The two people from the gaming club looked at him with disdain.

"In the end, you're just a fake. You don't even understand the essence of entertainment culture. We've been studying it since the origins of games and entertainment culture. It's embarrassing for us to see someone like you, a half-baked amateur, talking about making games."

As Qin Ye said, this office is filled with all kinds of games.

Boxes overflowing with paper plate games were stacked high, with dice resembling those used in tabletop RPGs scattered around. I could easily imagine how serious they were about the games.

In contrast, Zaimokuza would never play those kinds of games; he'd just giggle like an idiot at cute characters...

Someone like him has absolutely no chance of winning. Losing the game and getting a severe scolding from the other side is only to be expected.

However, I was still a little unhappy.

I don't mind them treating Timber Base like an idiot, nor do I object to their dismissive attitude towards Timber Base. However, there's definitely something wrong with what they said.

But I can't figure out exactly what's making me unhappy.

The game is nearing its end. The game club has five cards left, Yukinoshita's team has six, and we have eight. Although the number of cards is similar, the cards we have left are quite different. The game club holds the Joker card they traded with us. The closer we get to the end, the stronger the cards we get in the early stages will be, and the more they will affect our tactics.

Yuihama believed the time was ripe, gave Yukino a wink, and then played three cards. At this crucial moment, naturally no one followed suit.

Yukino took the remaining cards and sat down.

"After listening to both sides' conversation, I think the game club is more reasonable. Hachiman, if you really care about Saitama... Saitama, you should guide him onto the right path."

She gave me a tentative smile, then played her card. The game club members followed suit.

Yukinoshita is right. If Zaimokuza truly wants to become a game scriptwriter or light novel author, he must work hard.

It's not enough to simply write down all your fantasies and proudly call them "the best ideas I've come up with." There are many ways for him to improve his abilities, such as studying Hollywood screenwriting methods and referencing excellent works.

We should not hesitate to praise Qin Ye and Sagami's efforts, but we should also condemn Zaimokuza's laziness.

However, that alone is not entirely correct.

Thinking that the right way is great is true laziness.

Simply following the textbook, conforming to the course schedule, and achieving the required goals... that's nothing more than adhering to inherited traditions and using the most orthodox methods. It's relying on past assets and the authority of experts, allowing one's immature self to gradually become rigid.

How is it right to use other things to prove whether you are right?

"I don't think only the game company's approach is correct. Ah, but Zaimokuza's approach is obviously wrong without even thinking about it."

"Oh? Since you say so as a friend, let's just accept it that way."

"We're not friends."

If we were friends, I would probably speak up for him in this situation.

However, when you encounter an idiot of this caliber, you can only let him figure out his own path; no matter what I say, it's useless. A moron of this caliber doesn't even need to ask for a reason to give up. This guy should be punched so hard he can't get up, making him completely give up.

"that……"

Yuihama spoke somewhat timidly.

"Although I don't play games very often, and I don't know much about games..."

Everyone else present remained silent, gradually drawn in by her earnest expression.

I waited quietly for her to continue. At that moment, Yuihama, who had been looking down at her cards, suddenly looked up.

She looked straight at me and said:

"Even if you start in the wrong way, or give up halfway, it still doesn't count as deception or falsehood... because the feeling of 'liking' is absolutely correct... that's my opinion."

I really don't know who this was said to.

I was halfway through my thought when I heard someone regain their footing.

"...Yes, that's right...I really...have nothing to be proud of..."

Timber's voice was completely unpretentious, trembling awkwardly, and he spoke in fits and starts, but he didn't stop and continued to finish what he was saying.

"That's why I've become so engrossed in the game! What's so strange about that? You've got it all wrong!"

Timber was sniffling and sobbing, his shoulders shaking. He kept wailing, staring at the other man with tears in his eyes, looking every bit like a defeated man.

He looked extremely embarrassed, and Qin Ye and Sagami's faces were filled with disgust. No, perhaps what they saw was not Zaimokuza, but their own embarrassing past.

—They must also love games and once had dreams.

However, it is far too heavy for a person to carry their dreams alone.

As we grow older, we gradually see the reality of the future more clearly and no longer have the ability to pursue our dreams.

Salaries of less than 200,000 yen, dismal employment rates for graduates of top universities, a yearly suicide rate, tax increases, and pensions that can never be recovered no matter how much you pay... these are the realities we face. Slightly more mature high school students might recognize these things earlier.