My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 739

Using this as a signal, we left the rest area and headed towards the rock zone.

Whether it was because they had had plenty of rest or because they were looking forward to the climax of the event, their steps were quite light.

The figure walking a few steps ahead of me overlapped with the light emanating from the audience seats, so dazzling that I subconsciously squinted.

The elongated shadows do not stay in one place; they sway slowly, becoming fainter and more blurred, yet they still overlap.

The moment I saw that scene, I couldn't help but stop in my tracks. Because I actually had a thought that was out of character for me: "I want to watch it a little longer."

"Hachiman, what are you doing standing there? I'm going to leave you behind."

"Hey, you autistic guy, hurry up!"

Yukinoshita turned back to look at me, who was standing there. Yuihama waved vigorously beside her.

"Senior, you're so slow—"

"Brother, let's go, let's go!"

Isshiki squinted at me angrily, while Komachi jumped and waved at me.

How many more times can I see them all together?

Time is running out. When the seasons change and a new spring arrives, we will be greeted with a poignant farewell.

The festival will eventually come to an end.

It is precisely because a festival will eventually come to an end that it is called a festival.

Conversely, anything that will eventually come to an end can be called a festival.

Even the most ordinary and mundane daily life is a festival.

Our festival has nothing else.

It's probably, definitely, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, best described as a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, a unique and unparalleled experience.

Someone once said that...

Chiba's famous attractions are festivals and dances. The dancing fools and the watching fools—since they're all fools, if they're not going to dance, they might as well sing a song.

That's a truly wise saying.

I chuckled softly.

"Okay, let's go now."

I went to greet the headlining singer who was waiting for me at the end of the festival.

I walked towards the audience seats where they were waiting for me, to witness the most exciting climax.

Volume 14.5, Part 4: Isshiki Iroha subtly and imperceptibly paves the way for the future.

Cherry blossom petals are clustered in a corner of the courtyard.

April is just halfway over.

As time passes, the sunlight filtering through the leaves gradually changes color. Whenever the trees sway in the pleasant breeze, their dazzling green waves goodbye to the passing season.

I looked at the branches that were already sprouting tender leaves and pressed the button on the vending machine.

Without even looking at the button next to me, my finger would naturally press the same brand of canned coffee. I picked up the coffee that had fallen with a thud and walked towards the bench in the school courtyard.

No one would go outside just for a short ten-minute break between two classes.

At this moment, the courtyard is my private space, belonging only to Hachiman Hikigaya. It's so private that I might be taxed on my property in his name. The tax is ridiculously high, I'm serious… Couldn't they at least lower the consumption tax?

By demonstrating my interest in politics and economics, I am slowly moving towards the position of Governor of Chiba Prefecture, holding onto MAX Coffee tightly.

Life is bitter, but at least you should drink sweet coffee...

I was deeply moved that Dengdeng could fully enjoy the sweet taste. As I sat in the middle of the bench, immersed in my joy, the sounds of laughter and chatter slowly approached.

It seems someone has trespassed into my private space. Hey, are you kidding me? Who's going to pay my property tax? I looked over in confusion.

Several female students were walking down the corridor. Presumably, they had been having a class in another classroom and were chatting happily as they headed towards the main school building.

Among those people, the flaxen hair caught my eye.

The soft, fine hair shimmered in the sunlight, and her round, large eyes were as adorable as a small animal's. Even though her uniform was worn a little loosely, the way she slightly pinched the cuffs of her loose sweater was still undeniably cute, even though we'd gotten used to it.

Okay, not just her actions, she's just cute in general.

The girl is Isshiki Iroha.

I had become so used to her casual attitude in the student council and club offices that it was easy for me to forget it. However, seeing how she interacted with her friends made me realize this fact again.

It seems she's doing well in her new class. That's wonderful!

Perhaps because I was viewing her relationship from the perspective of a relative or uncle, I seemed to have taken it too seriously. The other person also noticed my presence, and our eyes met.

Isshiki didn't speak, but opened her mouth to make an "ah" shape. No, it might be an "uh".

However, the surprise on her face lasted only a moment. As if to hide her surprise, she smiled slightly, raised her hand, which was covered by an oversized sweater and only a little bit of her fingertips were showing, and gently waved to me in front of her chest.

That furtive, secretive gesture and smile, as if trying to avoid being seen by others, felt like a secret code for a rendezvous, making me suddenly incredibly shy.

I didn't know how to react, so I could only offer a half-hearted stare that was neither a nod nor a greeting. While I was still bewildered, Isshiki turned back to continue chatting with her friend and disappeared into the main school building.

I watched her leave, let out a heavy, melancholy sigh, and looked up at the sky.

What should I have done? Did I seem to be ignoring her? Should I have waved back? No, that would have been disgusting too.

Nod? A nod in greeting?

If only Issai is present, it's fine, but if there are other people nearby, the behavior pattern will change slightly. Should I just yawn and pretend I didn't see them? Either way, just worrying about this is disgusting enough! No way! There's no turning back from the start!

I closed my eyes in the atrium, which had become my private space again, and held a series of solitary reflection sessions.

As the MAX coffee, still unopened and held in my hand, seemed to begin to cool, I heard the sound of my feet stepping on the sand.

"Senior—!"

A sweet voice called to me cheerfully, and I turned to look at the source of the voice.

A cool, soft touch instantly landed on my face. I was startled and leaned back. Iroha Isshiki, who should have already left, was standing next to me. She had a mischievous smile on her face, holding a plastic bottle with the words "Iroha Water" printed on it. She was so cute that I thought, "I know, this girl is a PR person, right?" How come she's so cute?

"Oh, oh...what? What's wrong?"

I suppressed my panic and asked her indirectly, "Didn't you go back to the classroom?" Iroha sat down on the bench and said nonchalantly:

I used the excuse of going to the student council office to slip away.

"Oh……"

Despite saying that, Isshiki showed no sign of going to the student council office. Instead, she pressed the plastic bottle in her hand to her forehead and sighed wearily.

"As soon as I say I need to go to the restroom or buy a drink, a bunch of people will follow me."

She shook the plastic bottle as she spoke. It seemed that the "I-Lu-Bo Water" was bought so that she could split up with her friends.

"Sigh, that's how it is at the start of a new semester. Everyone ends up doing things in groups."

I echoed his agreement, and Isshiki nodded as well, closing the distance between us by about a fist's width.

"Yeah—so it's very convenient to use the student council as an excuse at times like this."

"That's definitely an excuse you can use in those situations, I know, I know."

In this school, being the student council president is an attribute possessed only by Iroha Isshiki. Therefore, if she wants to be alone, she can simply use this as an excuse. I see, that's really convenient.

I nodded repeatedly, while Yise cast a cold glance my way.

Do you really know what I'm talking about?

"I know, I know. When we're discussing things outside, if we're walking home in the same direction as someone we're meeting for the first time, it's so awkward that we have to lie and say, 'Oh, I have something to do later, I have to go now...' in an attempt to shake them off."

"Sigh, it's completely different..."

She looked genuinely stunned, and sighed softly. She gently placed her hands on her chest, leaned slightly to the side, and gazed at my face.

"I did not mean that……"

After a brief pause, Isshiki brought her lips close to my ear, as if to whisper something to me.

"...It's 'this kind of time'."

Even though there was no one else around, she deliberately whispered a secret and gently nipped my ear in a cute voice.

"Oh, I see. So that's what it is. At times like this. Okay, so what brings you here? What's wrong? Is there something you need?"

I leaned back to escape the floral scent and my embarrassment, and quickly rattled off a string of random words. Iroha also left in a hurry.

"It's nothing... Weren't you looking at me? I thought you were calling me over. I waved to you but you ignored me."

"It would be too difficult to react in that situation... If my friends saw me acting strangely and said we had some kind of relationship, I would be embarrassed..."

"What?"

I put on a cute, shy, and bashful act, on par with the heroine of a famous old game, but Iroha had a serious expression on her face.

Hmm—is it because of generational differences that she can't understand? She didn't reply with "Senior, you don't have any friends," and her expression was really serious.

We've had similar conversations before—a feeling of nostalgia welled up within me, and I exhaled a breath of air with a smile, while Isshiki sighed helplessly.

"But there really are those kinds of guys. Guys who won't talk unless there's something to say. On the other hand, there are also guys who just make a fuss and try to find something to talk about just to strike up a conversation."

"Hey, stop talking. There are also people who can work hard if given a chance. Stop talking about it."

I tried to stop her, but Isshiki wouldn't listen.

"Why ask me about the exam scope? Just ask a friend. And if you want to keep talking to me indefinitely after asking, of course I'll pretend to be asleep immediately—?"

"Shut up, shut up, stop talking. Stop poking at the sore spots of high school boys, including me. Sometimes small actions can change the world... I really believe that..."

That's true of everything. A single tweet can change the world. Please let me change the world... I want to create miracles with you. (Note: A song by the Japanese rock band Sambomaster.)

I gazed into the distance, silently praying to the heavens. Ishiki watched me silently, then gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"Is the senior like this in the classroom too? We just got into different classes."

"Yeah. Or rather, it's not just me. After entering my senior year of high school, I basically only know people. There's no atmosphere where I need to actively build new relationships, so I don't need to talk to people in particular."

This is just my observation. After hearing my opinion, Isshiki nodded.

"I see... Well, after all, they're in their final year of high school."

"Yeah, it's senior year of high school... so, other problems are taking their place."

I added very seriously, and Isshiki tilted her head slightly. As her neck tilted to the side, strands of her flaxen hair slid down to her snow-white throat. She brushed the hair that had fallen onto her lips, which were covered with tinted lip balm, with her fingers, silently urging me to continue.

I slowly raised my hands, crossed my arms, and continued in a very heavy tone:

"There are people who always say 'This is the last time in high school,' no matter what happens. It's a bit annoying..."

The problem is that this statement may not be wrong. Indeed, even this moment could be considered the last of my high school life.

I can understand the feeling of wanting to label everything as "the last time in high school," but if we apply that logic, every day would be an anniversary. You're Tawara Machi (Note: a Japanese waka poet. Her first collection of tanka poems is titled "Salad Anniversary"), right?

My tone seemed to unconsciously convey a very impatient emotion, and Isshiki, who was listening nearby, also twitched his cheek.

"Ah—newly dating couples always want to commemorate everything—like that…"

"Yes, yes, yes."

"It's really annoying... What can you do besides liking posts like that on social media while thinking, 'Ugh, so annoying, what's it to me?'"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes..."

I, who had responded so readily, was suddenly speechless. Oh, I see. Is Iroha feeling annoyed, or is she just a child who obediently likes the post? So gentle… Although I had absolutely no intention of posting about our anniversary on social media, I still need to be careful not to upset anyone.

But I'm human too. It's not that I can't understand the feeling of valuing anniversaries.

Everyone has one or two days they want to remember. Even the most insignificant, ordinary days can be irreplaceable anniversaries for others.

For example, birthdays are the best example.

Thinking of this, I picked up the MAX coffee can that had been sitting on the bench and handed it to Isshiki.

"Would you like some?"

"What? Uh, it's a crime to suddenly give someone a used drink."

Isshiki quickly slid to the edge of the bench, raised his hands to his chest, and assumed a completely defensive posture.

"I haven't even had a drink yet... Look? This is a brand new pull tab. Isn't it beautiful? It's never been opened before!"

I shook the tin can to prove my innocence. Isshiki seemed to believe me and slowly moved back to her original position. Then, hesitantly, she reached out to take the MAX coffee from my hand.