My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 723

Yuki, sitting on the far left of the seating area, let out a satisfied sigh and said softly. I, sitting next to her, also felt quite full and nodded in agreement.

Although the sun was already setting, the bright sunlight of the day still seemed to fill the air, and the rhythmic swaying of the tram made people feel comfortable. As soon as they relaxed, they started to shake their heads and wanted to doze off.

Just as I was comfortably drifting off to sleep, there was a loud bang, and the tram shook violently, causing my upper body to tilt.

With the momentum, my left arm bumped into her right shoulder beneath the snow. Her body stiffened, and she peered at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No……"

After I apologized, Yukinoshita shook her head, her gaze immediately shifting back to her hands resting on her knees.

Then, the tram gradually picked up speed, making a clanging sound. Yukinoshita's soft whispers mingled with this sound.

"Would it be useful in a situation like this?"

"What?"

Although I asked her that, Yukino shook her head slightly to indicate that it was nothing, and smiled as if she wanted to keep it a secret.

It's possible that the tram started to slow down as it approached the station, causing it to accelerate.

My body unconsciously took a balancing action, which brought my shoulders and Yukinoshita's shoulders closer together, and we bumped into each other again... I prepared to pull my arm back.

At that moment, Yukinoshita restrained herself and raised her right hand.

"Yeah, yeah—..."

The sounds beneath the snow were so faint they were almost inaudible.

oh oh……

Although I nodded in a muffled voice, I had no idea what Yukinoshita was trying to do.

What's going on all of a sudden...? I just remembered. Is this guy...? Is he practicing the dodging method Yuihama mentioned...? He's already taken notes, does he really want to do it in practice...?

Like a kitten that has given up its punch, Yukinoshita's hand listlessly began to fall. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that Yukinoshita was shy, and tears were welling up in her eyes as she shook them.

"...Yeah, yeah—"

I felt really sorry for her, and I answered in a low voice, feeling somewhat powerless, and gave her a small high-five with my left hand slightly raised. My hand was positioned too low; that might be considered a low-five. (Note)

Translator's note: The English word for a high five is "high-five".

Let's just say we high-fived, but since neither of us was used to it, we had no idea what to do with our hands, so we just left them like that.

"It's too embarrassing, let's just forget about it."

"it is good."

As he said this, he lowered his hand, which had been in contact with the object.

Was Yukinoshita reflecting on her actions, or perhaps restraining herself? She lowered her head, becoming somewhat dejected. No… it seems she thinks so herself.

Well, I'm not in a position to judge others.

Isn't that how it is...? My heart is pounding right now, and I'm really thinking. I guess I'll just respond to her high-five, is that alright? Should I just put my hands down like that, even now? Is my sweaty hand okay? My mind is filled with these questions and anxieties.

The biggest question now is when should these overlapping hands be separated?

Is it time to reach the next station?

Is it time to leave the tram?

Is it when you exit through the ticket gate?

Or is it delivered to your door?

The streetlights outside the window flashed past one after another. With each creak of wheels grinding against the tracks, each time someone got off to go home, little by little, slender fingers, like a kitten's gentle nibble, tightened their grip with barely a touch. I gripped back with the same force.

Yukinoshita rested her head against the edge of the train seat partition and began to doze off. But even with her eyes closed, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

There are still several stops to go before the finish line.

The longer they overlap, the harder it feels to separate them.

DB Bonus Chapter 3 (New 5 4): Amidst the mockery and clamor, the box was finally opened.

That's a ridiculous notion; it doesn't matter who organizes a class reunion.

Generally speaking, high school students have a limited budget for class gatherings, which also helps them decide what activities they can do. The main point of contention is usually the quality of the chosen vendors; if you switch to vendors in the same price range, the difference won't be significant.

Of course, it's not just a simple dinner party; unique activities like bowling or a masquerade ball can also affect participant satisfaction. If the content is the same, then the organizer doesn't really matter when evaluating it.

The reason it's called a class reunion is that classmates get together to do something. In fact, as long as that condition is met, it doesn't matter whether it's playing Eagle Catches Chicks in the park or taking a walk by the river.

My home may be small, but it's full of joy—that's a statement that commands respect. Even a cramped, unclean, and rain-soaked old house is better than any mansion or luxury hotel if you have loving family.

If you change the scene to a class reunion, even if you're eating bad food at a shabby restaurant and feel like you're about to get poisoned, you can forgive it all as long as you're with your good friends.

After all, the key to a class reunion is simply how many key figures from the class are present, nothing more.

From this perspective, the class reunion can be considered a basic success.

Sergeant Koyuki, who was earnestly leading the charge, waved the flag, and Ye Shan went to gather the others. Many people, led by Ebi, joined in one after another.

That should satisfy you all, right?

In addition, delicious food and scones, and stylish restaurant decor, a successful restaurant you've already visited is a guarantee of success.

Long live our class reunion! Glory gathers for our class!

As I muttered to myself, I occupied a four-person table in a corner of the venue and munched on a flatbread.

Several days after Tomioka knocked on the door of the service department, the class reunion was successfully held with an astonishingly high attendance rate, and it is now at its climax.

I ordered another drink and occasionally fiddled with the host's sound equipment, showing off my skills and solidifying my position at this class reunion. Oh dear—when I'm busy working, I hardly have time to talk to anyone!

After finally finishing one part, it was a little late for lunch, and that's the current situation.

"Could I order the flatbread separately?" I thought to myself as I ate. Just moments ago, Hayama, who had been in the center of the crowd, had somehow slipped out and was walking towards me.

Hayama pulled out the chair opposite me, sat down without a word, and sighed. He looked a little tired, probably because he had been surrounded by people the whole time.

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

"Ah, you've worked hard too. Doing chores."

Ye Shan responded to my words of comfort with a useless, cheerful smile and sarcasm. "What do you mean 'thank you for your hard work'? Go get a scolding from the etiquette teacher."

"This is the membership fee we collected."

Thanks.

Looks like they managed to sneak out by using the excuse of paying membership fees. Good tactic. I'll use that too.

I aligned the cash I received on the table and started counting it, organizing it into groups of 10.

Now, payments can be made online, or with a smartphone, a cashless lifestyle can be achieved, but this still needs to be adapted to different people in different environments. We, who are out of touch with the times, are truly grateful that a cash culture still exists.

This is wonderful! Counting money bill by bill makes me feel so happy. Wow, cash is great... (note)

Translator's note: The original text here is "ふふふ、Now ナマはええのう...", which is to imitate the tone of the old man

"Your expression isn't very nice~"

Hearing the voice, I looked up and saw Ebina holding three glasses in both hands. She handed the glasses to me and Hayama respectively, and sat down next to Hayama.

"Okay—well, thanks for your hard work! Cheers!"

She raised her glass high and started organizing a toast without my permission, while Hayama and I silently clinked glasses. Clearly, this was a silent protest of "You bastard—you really dared to dump this trouble on me!" Ebina noticed this and started to comfort her, saying "Oh well, oh well, oh well!" before shouting "Cheers!" again at a volume loud enough for three people, and we toasted once more.

Then, she tilted her cup slightly and squinted behind her glasses.

"...Thank you, Hayato and Penguin."

The voice was much calmer than before, and perhaps because of this difference, Hayama and I naturally began to listen.

"If you don't do this kind of thing once, won't it become something you can skip? Especially with the excuse of preparing for exams, it's easy to just not come."

"I think I understand that too."

I nodded in agreement with Hayamachi's statement. This was probably not understanding, but rather a resonance; it was something I might indeed do.

"But there are still people like Oofumi who are willing to do things seriously. So I don't think we should interfere with them."

Ebina spoke quietly without addressing anyone, her gaze suddenly shifting to the center of the room. There stood Tomioka, chatting with her classmates. Had she noticed our gaze? Tomioka suddenly turned to look at us.

He then picked up the cup and walked over quickly.

"Thank you all for your hard work."

"Oh, Xiaoxufu, you've worked hard."

"You must be working very hard as an officer, right?"

"Ah, I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I should say we're all very grateful for your help in making the atmosphere so lively."

Tomioka held out her glass, and Ebina and Hayama clinked glasses with her while offering words of encouragement. She wanted to clink glasses with me too, but since I was the only one sitting inside, she made a special trip around to sit next to me.

Then he bowed again in greeting.

"Hachiman, thank you very much."

"No, I didn't do anything..."

I think it's more accurate to say that the Service Department went to help out than to say it was just me, so let's toast as a representative.

"Cheers!"

We clinked glasses in response to Tomioka's voice.

The conversation suddenly stopped there.

Because Tomioka's body was facing me, it became difficult for Hayama and Ebina to start a conversation.

Is it alright if I say something now? But I'm not good at small talk in this area. I just keep saying "You've worked hard," or "Ah... really... right...?" or sighing to cover up the silence.

It seems Tomioka isn't the type to engage in small talk; she let out an "Ah—..." and couldn't continue. Perhaps searching for a topic, she kept glancing at me, and finally seemed to have thought of something.

"Ah, speaking of which, there's something I'd like to ask Hikigaya-kun."

"Oh?"

Okay, go ahead and ask.

Perhaps it's not a good idea to be prepared like this.

Tomioka took a deep breath and immediately went straight to the point.

Are you dating Yukinoshita?

For a split second, Hayama choked. I thought he was going to cough it out, but to my surprise, he burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he couldn't hold it in at all.

"Oh~ Osato~ That's a straight shot~"

Ebina clapped enthusiastically at the direct question. Although I'd been asked similar questions before, those were by people who knew our situation well, so I always had a way to answer. But I didn't think I could explain it correctly to someone I didn't know well.

"Ah, rather than saying we're dating... I'd say something like companions? You know, that kind of relationship, something like that."

"So, what is their relationship?"

Tomioka still didn't understand and tilted his head to ask.

I was overwhelmed by her straightforward gaze. Ye Shan finally suppressed his smile and, seemingly to my defense, whispered something.

"I heard it's a common-law marriage."

"Who is it? So annoying! Who is it anyway?"

"There can only be one person."

Yeah, that's the person! No wonder Hayama shrugged helplessly! Seriously, can you please stop using what you heard from that person as a way of speaking up for me? I was really looking forward to the "Ventriloquist Boss" note operation, but Hayama's ventriloquist skills are completely useless.

Translator's note: Please search for "Sachiko Yuki".

Well, it's wrong to borrow teachings from others.

This is something that should be explained by oneself.

I cleared my throat, gathered my thoughts, and began to speak.

"...Is the next field trip planned to be organized by class?"

"Hey, I don't think so..."

Tomioka seemed confused, feeling the topic had been veered off course. She remained determined to press for more information. So, before that, I'll explain it in my own way.