My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 748

"Don't worry about it. Let me think about it. Then, please prepare it next time."

"Next time... oh, um, next time, right, next time..."

I muttered to myself, "Next time, next time..." as if I were talking in my sleep, when I suddenly realized what was happening.

"When is the next one in a month? And at what time should we celebrate?"

I'm totally confused... Can I even find it on Google? Or is it faster to search for hashtags related to anniversaries on Instagram? But I feel like I'll only find posts about treating every day as a special salad anniversary.

While I was racking my brains, Yukinoshita also seemed to be having a bit of a headache.

"I'm not sure... I think any time is fine... but if we're going to celebrate, how about an anniversary that's easy to remember?"

"One year..."

Hey, I can't even imagine it. Even if I said it out loud, it still wouldn't feel real.

A year from now, I'll have graduated high school and should be living a completely new life, but my mind is a blank. Or rather, shouldn't I be in college by then? What if I fail? My future self will come and kill my present self.

The distant future left me speechless. Yukinoshita seemed to take this silence as confusion or rejection, and quickly added:

"Is it too short? Then... the tenth anniversary."

"ten……"

I followed the stutterer in the place where the snow fell and he stammered for a moment.

Uh, ten years... that's a huge contract that even professional baseball players don't usually sign.

As she spoke, Yukinoshita probably realized that she had gone too far ahead and immediately changed her mind.

"Really, anytime is fine... Don't worry about it..."

Then she covered her rapidly reddening cheeks, peeking out her watery eyes through her fingers.

The moment our eyes met, I couldn't help but cover my face with my hands.

Seriously, I mean... is this guy for real?... Please, have mercy on me... I won't forget this memory, not even for ten years, not even for decades... Are you okay? Is your rationality still alive? Hey, hey, hey? Rationality? Please answer.

× × ×

This is not something I should be concerned about...

I'm not a member of the cooperative, and I know that making this trip today won't solve yesterday's problem.

Nevertheless, seeing that there were only the senior student and Xiaomi in the spacious club room, the feeling of "I can't go sit there" arose spontaneously.

I originally wanted to show my face as much as possible while the seniors were still on campus, so it didn't matter to me.

So today I also came to the office of the Service Society.

Me, Yui-senpai, and Xiaomi.

The office, which only had the three of us, felt a bit empty, just like yesterday.

If possible, I'd like to get things sorted out from yesterday as soon as possible, but... I don't know if you guys are going to a cram school for a trial lesson or running a date that might turn into a disaster. I'm also very busy before summer vacation. As I thought this, I glared at one of the two empty chairs placed together.

Seeing that empty chair, I couldn't help but feel curious.

"By the way, doesn't Yui-senpai need to attend a trial class at the cram school?"

"what?"

When I asked, Yui-senpai, who was drinking tea and eating snacks as usual, shuddered and then started eating voraciously again.

"Well……"

She ate while thinking, swallowing her snacks with tea, then touched her bun and gave a wry smile.

"Oh dear—I have thought about whether or not to go..."

Yui-senpai laughed and dodged the question, while I whispered in Xiao Mi's ear beside me:

"This person has decided to adopt a defensive stance."

"Could it be a deliberate tactic of backing down...? Komachi heard that in horse racing, there aren't just those who lead or are in the front row; there are also those who are in the middle or those who are chasing." (Note: These are horse racing terms. Leading: Leading from the start to the end of the race. Front row: Following closely behind the leading horse and then accelerating to the front at the end. Middle row: Running in the middle of the herd and then accelerating to the front at the end. Chasing: Overtaking from the back in one go.)

Xiaomi nodded, speaking in strange technical terms, looking knowledgeable.

What is this guy talking about...? I glanced at her sideways, and Yui-senpai stretched out her hand forcefully, firmly denying it.

"Uh, no. I meant to ask the autistic guy later, and just tell him we should go to the same place."

(Illustration 013)

This time, Xiaomi leaned closer and whispered.

"Is this an attack?"

"Indeed... the one who goes slower in rock-paper-scissors is the strongest..."

...That's true. If someone asks him to "tell me," "help me," or "save me," even if he complains, he'll still try to help in the end. No wonder she's Yui-senpai; she understands so well because we've known each other for so long. I admired her inwardly, but Yui-senpai quickly waved her hand to explain.

"Misunderstanding! This is a huge misunderstanding! I was applying to a similar school to him, and I wanted to use him as a reference!"

"Yeah?"

"Hmm. We're both from a private humanities department, so we're probably mostly the same, right?"

Xiaomi opened her mouth wide and tilted her head. Although Yui-senpai nodded when she answered, she sounded doubtful for some reason when she mentioned her own college application.

I tilted my head and thought about it too.

"Oh right. Yui-senpai also has to take an exam."

"Of course I want to!"

The words I blurted out made Yui-senpai turn to look at me excitedly, and then she looked like she was about to cry.

"Huh... Iroha, do you think I'm stupid?"

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant. I know Yui-senpai has exams, I know. It's just that I've come to realize..."

I quickly added, stealing my gaze away. No, it wasn't because of guilt. I just really thought Yui-senpai's head was a little... well, just a little bit...

Ahead, in my line of sight, were those two empty seats.

I probably looked over there subconsciously, not just because I wanted to avoid her gaze.

These past two days, I visited the community office where some people were absent. Seeing that Xiaomi was even more well-behaved than usual, and hearing people talk about tutoring classes, college entrance exams, and other specific aspects of the future, I once again felt a sense of responsibility.

It's really time to leave.

"Ah, um... so, until summer."

Yui-senpai's gentle voice might not have been a response to the reason I hurriedly gave, but rather a message directed at the club office where she was slowly looking around.

Tables stacked together, curtains swaying in the wind, a slightly slow wall clock, Christmas debris in the corner, a blackboard with faint writing on it, a table with tea sets, and empty chairs lined up together.

Yui-senpai narrowed her eyes slightly, taking in each one with great care. A faint smile curved her glossy lips.

Seeing that mature smile, I unconsciously exhaled a breath of melancholy.

Oh no. I might cry.

She hasn't graduated yet, nor has she left the company, yet I've switched on some strange switch. It would be such a waste to cry at this inexplicable time, so I sighed loudly as a substitute, creating an impression of impatience, lethargy, and exhaustion.

"It's summer~ then I might miss the school information session~"

Then they abruptly changed the subject.

Yui tilted her head in confusion, widened her eyes, and asked, "Is something the matter?"

"No, there's an information session later for junior high school students who want to apply to our school. We'll give them a tour of the school and introduce them to the clubs."

"oh--"

Not long ago, Yui-senpai had such a beautiful and mature smile, but now she was nodding with her mouth wide open. Thanks to her, my tears dried up in an instant.

I'll ask her while I'm at it.

This is a problem that absolutely must be solved now, while the older students are still around. Otherwise, this child and I will be bound by the present, and then by the past, and we won't be able to go anywhere.

I crossed my arms and thought for a moment, then said:

"Then we need to prepare the information for that club's introduction. We were discussing yesterday whether or not to publish the Service Club's information, right?"

I passed the topic to the person next to me, and Xiaomi, like me, crossed her arms and pondered.

"Yeah—what should we do?"

She gave a meaningless answer. Well, I never expected Xiaomi's answer to change after just one day, so it's okay. I looked at Yui-senpai and asked her what she thought, and she answered immediately.

"Great! Publish it. Get a bunch of new members to join."

Yui-senpai bluntly said what her senior hadn't been able to say back then.

I knew Yui-senpai would say that.

She is someone who, even knowing what her senior and Yukino are worried about and concerned about, will still pretend to be out of her mind and say things that they deliberately avoid mentioning.

Xiaomi pondered in annoyance, then gave a wry smile and tried to evade the question.

"Komachi doesn't think it's necessary for now... She's busy enough just taking care of her older brother."

"Ah—yes, an autistic man."

Yui-senpai gently cooperated with her, revealing a helpless bitter smile, but I couldn't smile.

Yeah, I'd been thinking Xiaomi would probably do that. She said it like it was a joke, but she's probably serious. She's really busy with her senior's affairs right now and doesn't have time to think about recruiting new members.

Therefore, what Xiaomi probably cherishes is not the Service Club itself, but the Service Club as a whole. What this child wants to protect is simply the place and time where the senior students are. This is somewhat similar to the thought that suddenly occurred to me: "If the Service Club were to be abolished, could it be moved to the Student Council?"

...No, I don't know Xiaomi's real thoughts.

I only understand myself. Therefore, I can only imagine things based on myself.

At least that's what I used to think. I didn't want outsiders like myself to join them. Now, I don't have that thought at all; in fact, I feel it's none of my business.

A sentence that Yui-senpai uttered softly made me react involuntarily.

"Hmm—but then again, other people will join eventually..."

"Oh, really?"

"Who is it?"

"Uh, sorry, I don't know, I was just saying."

Xiaomi and I immediately asked back, and Yui-senpai quickly apologized, seeming a little startled. What?! It turned out she was just talking nonsense! She made me react so strongly… I looked at Yui-senpai sullenly. She clapped her hands, defending herself.

"Ah, but nobody can predict the future, right? It's not just new students; maybe current students will join too. I joined around the time I was a sophomore. The introverted guy is pretty much the same."

"That's true..."

Xiaomi agreed, but I didn't know about the past, so my only thought was, "Oh, I see." I'd never heard of it before. When I joined the service club, there were already these three members, so I assumed it had always been that way.

"Right, right?"

Yui-senpai nodded vigorously, revealing a carefree smile.

"That's why I thought it would probably be like this... just like us."

She said it casually, however.

"No, no, no, using you guys as an example is honestly too difficult."

"Komachi also seems a bit insecure..."

I waved my hand in front of my chest with a solemn expression, while Xiaomi smiled bitterly and slumped her shoulders.

"Huh... I even thought I said something really great..."

Yui-senpai tilted her head, puzzled. Did that even need to be said?

A relationship as difficult, complicated, and flawed as yours can't be easily built. Or rather, I don't want to. No matter how deliberately I try to go around in circles, I'll cleverly construct a more normal relationship than my seniors.

However, they probably made a mistake somewhere.

Someday, I might end up having that kind of relationship with this child.

I glanced to the side and accidentally made eye contact with her.

We shrugged, sighed, and chuckled softly.

× × ×

The next day after school.