My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 735

Isshiki and Komachi had only met once, at a joint dance, and hadn't known each other for long. Using people they both knew as topics of conversation was the quickest way to build rapport. Gossiping about others together, creating a sense of shared guilt, was the secret to cultivating a relationship!

However, given Komachi's personality, she should be able to handle this part very well.

As my younger sister, Komachi possesses exceptional social skills. Even on the first meeting, regardless of whether the person is older or younger than her, she can effortlessly find numerous opportunities to strike up a conversation. One summer when we visited Chiba Village, everyone around her was older than her, yet Komachi still managed to connect with everyone, even getting along well with Kawasaki Kyoka, the younger sister of a classmate named Kawasaki. She can connect with anyone, regardless of their age; truly, she deserves the title of "world's best sister."

Now Komachi is leaving me aside, focusing on chatting with Yuihama and the others.

"I'm so glad I was able to meet up with Komachi!"

"No, no, no, Komachi should be happy that everyone invited her!"

Yuihama waved with a smile, and Komachi clapped her hands as well. The two chatted and laughed.

Oh, I see. I was thinking it was a terrible coincidence to run into them in such a large place, but judging from their tone, it seemed quite normal. Now that I think about it, it was Komachi who suggested going outside to rest, and I think that was just an excuse to meet up with them... I was just about to draw my conclusion when I suddenly realized something.

"Huh, nobody asked me out."

Why? Why skip the autistic guy and go on to meet Komachi?

Faced with my question, Yui answered somewhat nervously:

"Because you'll refuse..."

"That's right..."

If she invites me, I'll definitely use my ultimate weapon: "I'll go if I'm free." And even if I want to go at the moment of the invitation, as the day gets closer, I gradually lose the desire to go—that's the kind of thinking that's common among lousy people. What's that phenomenon where making plans in advance becomes increasingly inconvenient?

However, my younger sister Komachi completely mastered my personality.

"That's why they came to find Komachi."

Komachi beamed smugly, flashing a victory sign. Impressive… Whenever she suddenly asks me out on a particular day under the pretext of “my sister’s wish,” I can’t refuse most things. She knows this about me perfectly. No, not just Komachi, Yui probably knows it too. That’s why she used Komachi as a way to ask me out.

Ugh, this is so embarrassing... My life is so thoroughly understood, it feels weird. It's a bit shameful that I took the bait so easily.

I cleared my throat to hide my embarrassment and changed the subject to others.

"Huh, if that's the case, isn't Yukinoshita the same? I don't think she'd come to a place like this..."

Turning my head, I saw that beneath the exhausted snow, an elegant air seemed out of place at this festival, as if to prove my point. At the same time, this unusual appearance also truly conveyed the feeling that "I am not used to this kind of occasion."

A weak smile appeared on Yukinoshita's face as she gently touched her forehead with her hand.

"Yeah, yeah. This is my first time here too... It's an amazing festival, wait a minute, I'm going to die..."

"Yukino-neechan! What you said sounds just like what an otaku tweeted after watching a concert!"

Komachi excitedly complained. That's right, she was just like an irrational otaku girl who was watching anime and tweeting, "Wait, I'm about to die, Goyu is definitely dating..."

"In short, I'm so tired..."

Her deep sigh beneath the snow reflected how exhausted she was.

Sigh, her physical strength wasn't exactly great to begin with. And in an unfamiliar festival venue, it was even worse. Suddenly exposed to the heat of the venue, it's no wonder she was so exhausted. Standing still in the crowded throng was even more tiring than she'd imagined. The excited audience jostling and pushing each other was as terrifying as riding a packed train.

"Are you alright? Would you like some drinks...?"

I asked a question, but my voice was drowned out by Yise.

"Oh, it's alright. It'll be delivered soon."

"Delivered?"

What? Why is the subject omitted? Did you call Uber? It's been so convenient lately...

Just then, someone I knew came walking towards me laboriously from the distant rest area.

"Wow! There are so many vendors! I can't buy any drinks at all! The festival is terrifying!"

With drinks in his arms, Tobe makes a lively entrance with a smug look on his face.

"Huh—? Isn't this a penguin competition?!"

When he saw me, he held up his drink with both hands and ran towards me shouting "Hey—"

"Oh, oh... I didn't expect it to be the Ministry of Revenue's Eats..."

"You're using the latest delivery service, right?" I glanced at Issei, who replied without changing her expression:

"Now, including delivery fees, it's practically free."

"I've paid them..."

He's a senior, after all. It's pitiful for a senior to be forced to buy drinks from a crowded stall. Not even paying is exploitation. That sentence even contained the unspoken implication of "Since it's basically free, just use it..." It goes beyond cruelty.

Ichiro carried out his cruel exploitative practices without a care in the world, which made me sigh in despair, but the person involved didn't seem to care.

"Okay, okay, it's alright. Here, take your drink."

The Ministry of Revenue began distributing the drinks he had just bought, appearing very adept at it.

"Thanks--"

"Thanks……"

Yuihama's tone was the same as usual, but Yukinoshita sounded slightly tired.

"Thanks!"

Komachi also hitched a ride and got a drink. By the way, Isshiki said to him in a very soft voice, "Thanks—", okay.

And just like that, the four drinks that Hubu was carrying were sold out. Hmm... not even one for Hubu himself...

"Sorry, I'll pay for Komachi's drink..."

Although Eats is essentially a free delivery service, Komachi, who suddenly joined, doesn't count as one of them.

"No need. Free of charge..."

I whispered to myself, and the Minister of Revenue didn't seem to mind. He casually replied in a dialect I couldn't identify, waving his hand and grinning.

"What? This guy's really nice..." Just as he thought that, Tobe seemed to finally realize that Komachi was there. He exclaimed "Whoa!" in exaggerated surprise, snapped his fingers, pointed at Komachi with that finger, and began to ramble on:

"I mean, aren't you Penguin's sister?! Wow—! Should I call you Penguin Girl now?! Long time no see! What class are you in? What class? I think you're something special. Oh dear, I miss you so much~ I have so much to talk to you about—"

"Ah—! Long time no see—! It's been such a long time, we really have to have a good chat sometime, we absolutely have to!"

Although Komachi showed a bright smile, she quickly took a step back as Tobe took a step closer. Not only that, she also answered him with the lines she would say when the meal party was about to end.

"Is this how you create distance when you don't intend to chat with someone...?"

"The kind of thing a girl you don't get along with would do!"

That masterful handling left Yuihama and me speechless.

Next time, definitely, afterward. But in this situation, "next time" and "afterward" will absolutely not come. I know that very well.

"Speaking of which, why is the Ministry of Revenue here?"

I can understand putting Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and Isshiki together. But I don't quite understand why the Ministry of Revenue was included.

"I made an appointment with Hayama-senpai, but this guy came and stood in for me without my permission."

"Yes, I don't know why they came here on their own."

Isshiki answered in a flat, emotionless tone, and Yukinoshita followed with an equally flat tone. Oh, Yukinoshita, you're perking up! Your sour-tongued skills are back! Awesome, so sour!

It wouldn't be surprising if someone got angry on the spot after being talked about like that, but the Minister of Revenue wasn't angry at all. He adopted a calm attitude of "you're something else if you can make me angry," and gave a wry smile.

"No, no, no, I came because Hayato said he was worried about only girls participating."

"Right……"

"Um? Me too? I can't accept? Relentless, clingy flirting?"

No one asked any questions, but the Minister of Revenue started fiddling with his hair, inexplicably trying to portray himself as a good person. If left unchecked, he might end up tweeting to the world, "Even though I look like a thug, I can't help but pick up empty cans from young guys littering and throw them in the nearest trash can," leaving people unsure how to react. Okay, fine, the Minister of Revenue is indeed a good person…

We were all at a loss and let out a collective sigh.

"Uh, your self-promotion is so obvious... I should have asked via LINE instead of when I went to the soccer club..."

Isshiki stared at Hobe with an extremely cold gaze.

"You don't need to pretend to be a good person. Seriously, I advise you not to do that."

"Oh, oh... wow... this person is seriously lecturing me..."

Hubu kept pulling at the hair at the back of his neck, yelling and screaming. Although Isshiki's choice of words was rather... inappropriate, I think she was quite gentle, considering that she didn't ignore Hubu but reacted to him.

But I see. Now I understand the gist of what happened. It seems that when Isshiki went to the soccer club, he invited Hayama to the music festival, saying something like, "It'll just be a few girls, I'll be scared..." And Hayama must have used that to his advantage, casually saying with a sunny smile, "Koube is very reliable in situations like this." That guy is really good at that. As a result, Koube's pride and sense of justice were hurt, leading to the current situation... In this world, the better the person, the easier they are to be taken advantage of...

I have many feelings. Yuihama probably felt sorry for the Ministry of Revenue and stepped in to smooth things over.

"Oh, oh dear. He really did help..."

"That's right..."

She tried to appease her with very subtle words, and Isshiki nodded reluctantly. Hmm—Hihama-chan, your way of putting it is a bit too subtle!☆

"Yeah! That helped! Hey! Reliable man! Thanks for the drink!"

However, Komachi immediately flattered him. She even considered implying that the drink from earlier was paid for by Tobu. "No, brother will pay? That's too much of a favor!"

I felt guilty, and at that moment, as if Yukinoshita had been waiting for this opportunity, she revealed a helpless smile.

"If someone had just obediently accepted the invitation from the start, Tobe-kun wouldn't have gotten hurt for nothing."

"You hurt him too?"

Have you forgotten? You mistook him for someone who had wandered in without permission, didn't you? Thanks to you, I inexplicably feel I have to apologize to you as well.

I'm sorry, my child is so rude... With these thoughts in mind, I bowed slightly to the Ministry of Revenue.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip."

"No, no, don't mention it! ...I love listening to music!"

His expression was incredibly arrogant.

"Oh, really...that's good..."

Although it feels like an apology was pointless, let's forgive that arrogant face and pretentious behavior for now. In fact, he had a lot of fun at the dance, so he probably genuinely enjoys this type of activity.

"Hmm, the Ministry of Revenue seems interested in this kind of activity..."

I implied, "But the others don't seem to be like that, do they?" Ishiki understood my implication and quickly replied:

"No, I just wanted to use it as a reference for future events. Even though the scale is different, you can always find some inspiration. You see, festivals are incredibly popular in Chiba, aren't they?"

"Ah—indeed. They'll be organizing a super-large event."

Yuihama nodded repeatedly. She was right; Chiba Mitsuru did indeed frequently hold concerts of a certain scale.

"Ah... I think it's that one, like that concert."

I nodded and named the most famous "mega-event" in Chiba's music history.

"...GLAY's 200,000-person concert."

"Feeling the generation gap!? How old are you, you autistic guy...?" (Note: This concert was held in 1999 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture.)

Yuihama was terrified. Foolish me, legends transcend time. The people of Chiba Prefecture began to realize the existence of large-scale music events precisely because of that concert (according to my research).

I wanted to say a few more words, but before I could even open my mouth, Yuihama shrugged helplessly.

"When you talk about music festivals in Chiba, you usually think of Summer Sonic, right? And CDJ?"

"I'm not interested in those things, so I don't know..."

"Huh... I've never heard of such a famous event before..."

Isshiki was a little stunned, or rather, completely dumbfounded. Her surprised look even carried a hint of pity, and I quickly retorted.

"No, I've heard of it. I've heard of it... but that's all I've ever been. Living nearby makes it hard to know when to go. It's like how people who live in Tokyo don't go to Tokyo Tower."

"Hey, I get it."

I made up a few things offhand, and only the Ministry of Revenue crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. Everyone else looked at me with extreme suspicion. Yukinoshita, as if to represent me, asked with a puzzled expression:

"Speaking of which, do you go to festivals?"

"It depends on the definition of the festival..."

As I spoke, I pondered. Of all the events I'd attended, only the Bandai Namco Carnival could truly be considered a festival. Does singing anime songs count as a festival? Broadly speaking, yes… does the Lantis Festival include that? I guess so. Fine. I concluded, nodding vigorously.

"I go there quite often."

Yuihama looked slightly surprised.