My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 781

Happy Birthday!

We all wished her well. Xue Shita twisted her body, looking very uncomfortable, probably because she was shy.

"Th-thank you... Um, is it better to eat it with tea?"

She had barely finished speaking when she quickly got up and hurriedly began preparing to brew black tea.

002

Exclamations of surprise mingled with the clinking of teaware and came from the side.

"Oh—Yukinoshita-senpai's birthday is January 3rd. By the way, I was born on April 16th, senpai."

"Nobody asked you..."

Why is this guy here too...?

I squinted at her. She tilted her head, feigning ignorance, her flaxen hair swaying in the air. Underneath her slightly disheveled uniform was a wool sweater. She tucked her hands into her sleeves and pressed the fork in her small hand against her moist lips.

Isshiki Iroha, as if it were only natural, stayed in the office of the Service Society.

She took a quarter of a cake and even drank hot tea from a paper cup. This person's adaptability is incredible! Are you a member of TOKIO? This guy could probably survive on a deserted island...

Note: "Tekiou" sounds similar to the Japanese idol group TOKIO.

"So, why are you here too?"

"Huh—because the student council has nothing to do at this time of year."

"There are plenty of things you can do, though I'm not sure. If you're free, you could join a club. You could be the soccer club manager."

After hearing this, Isshiki gently patted my shoulder.

"Oh, it's nothing—oh, right. I'm here to pick up the things I left here for Christmas."

"It was obviously something I came up with on the spur of the moment."

That excuse is so flimsy, even a fool wouldn't believe it.

"well……"

Yukino sighed, while Yuihama beside her wore a wry smile. "Iroha, really..." Everyone was exasperated, but Isshiki remained unfazed. Her expression was so unchanging; one really wanted to turn her into a statue and display her in a museum.

Isshiki probably felt too embarrassed to be stared at by me, so she blew on the black tea that didn't look very hot and pretended nothing was wrong.

"Oh, that's right."

She suddenly spoke, laughing as she posed a surprising question.

"Which one of Yukinoshita-senpai or Yui-senpai is dating Hayama-senpai?!"

“Eh!?”

"……What did you say?"

Yuihama cried out in surprise, and Yukinoshita immediately stopped moving.

Wow—how can this girl so casually step on someone's landmine... Is this some kind of "Countdown to Crisis" note...? And she asked so directly, without any warning. I can't help but think of that late ace pitcher who used the giant axe pitch to throw an unexpected super-fastball.

Note: An American war film featuring members of a bomb disposal unit.

Note: This refers to Japanese professional baseball player Choji Murata.

However, given Isshiki's personality, she definitely asked this question on purpose. She probably came to this office to verify the truth of the rumors.

"I...I said, Iroha, about this matter..."

"Isshiki-kun..."

Yuihama tried to explain with a wry smile, but was interrupted by a voice as cold as ice.

I looked at the owner of the voice, Yukinoshita. The smile on her face seemed to be shrouded in a faint aurora; her cold eyes below seemed to be carved from Arctic ice.

Isshiki seemed to have accidentally caught a glimpse of her expression, and his body and voice were trembling.

"Yes, yes!"

She responded softly, leaning back behind me. Hey, you can't use someone else as a shield.

Isshiki peeked out from behind my shoulder, and Yukinoshita shot her a sharp look.

"...How could that be?"

Hearing her resolute assertion, Isshiki nodded repeatedly in response.

"That's true! Hmm, I also think it's impossible!"

"Yes, yes! How could that be!"

Yuihama got excited and wholeheartedly agreed, while Isshiki waved his hand dismissively and dropped a bombshell.

"No, no, no, it's highly likely that it's Yui-senpai."

"Why!?"

I heard Yuihama's piercing scream... well, how should I put it... if I had to say, it was her appearance... her appearance was truly terrifying! ... It was really terrifying.

I thought to myself with a sigh, Yuihama was depressed, Yukinoshita was still angry, and Isshiki ignored us and kept chattering away.

"Whether it's Yui-senpai or Yukinoshita-senpai, I knew from the beginning that such a thing couldn't happen, so it doesn't matter. But, hearing the rumors still makes me curious, doesn't it?"

"rumor?"

Yukino caught the word and her gaze fell on me and Yui. Things had come to this point; it was difficult to hide it from her any longer. I carefully chose my words and began:

"Oh, um, it seems some people are talking about that..."

"Oh dear—I was startled too. Weren't we meeting outside? It seems someone saw us and there was a misunderstanding."

Yukino sighed deeply upon hearing this, appearing genuinely impatient.

"I see. So those vulgar people just made wild guesses..."

For high school students, there's no more interesting topic than romantic relationships. And since it involves three famous figures—Hayama, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama—it's natural to want to gossip about it.

It's not surprising that Isshiki, who likes Hayama, would want to verify the truth of the rumors. I looked at Isshiki; she was tilting her head, deep in thought.

"But this situation isn't good, is it?"

"Yes, as someone directly involved, I feel very troubled."

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant."

Isshiki expressed his denial somewhat tactfully, while Yukino looked puzzled.

"So what do you mean?"

"What's amazing is that Hayama-senpai has never been involved in such a specific rumor before."

"Ah—really..."

Yuihama looked at the ceiling and answered, perhaps sharing the same feeling.

So, I've never heard anyone talk about Hayato Hayama's romantic relationships. Although I haven't heard about anyone else's either. Because nobody talks to me about these things...

"So it seems like girls are really concerned about that rumor—"

Isshiki crossed his arms and pondered.

The possibility of Hayama Hayato, who has never been romantically linked to anyone, dating someone.

It's normal for Hayama to have a girlfriend, given his popularity. Women who like Hayama probably worry about the potential crisis that might arise.

Their fears surfaced all at once because of this rumor. How will this change the relationships around Hayama?

"...Rumors? How unfortunate."

She murmured softly beneath the snow. Her tone didn't sound like she was speaking to a specific person, and the black tea in front of her rippled slightly.

"Oh, oh! Don't take it to heart, it'll all die down in a while! Isn't there a saying that rumors only last forty-nine days?"

"It's seventy-five days."

Who passed away? What's wrong? Is anyone having a seven-day mourning period recently?

Anyway! Don't worry about it.

Yuihama kindly comforted Yukinoshita.

Indeed, all we can do now is remain silent. Explaining to those who gossip about others out of amusement is pointless. We can only keep our mouths shut like seashells. Faced with malicious misunderstandings and the trend of making fun of them, silence is the only solution.

If you get so angry that you blush and try to refute them, people will laugh at you, saying that you're only getting angry because someone hit the nail on the head, and that you're just trying to find fault with them and nitpick their words.

They're just looking for fun, so any reaction could make you a target for them to attack.

Moreover, if you speak up for the person being attacked, that person will be the next victim. In this rock-paper-scissors game of knocking and blocking, you'll be the sole loser no matter what you do. Even doing nothing could lead to criticism, but that's the way to minimize the damage.

Yukinoshita understood this as well and nodded gently.

"...I hope so."

"Hopefully—"

They were saying similar things, but when said by Isshiki, they sounded completely different... I started to feel uneasy. Please don't say those kinds of things.

Isshiki sipped her tea like an old lady sitting on the veranda, and noticing my reproachful look, smiled and said:

"There's no need to make such a big deal out of this, although I don't know the details."

"You're so casual..."

Iroha puffed out her cheeks, as if to rebuke me for speaking to her like that.

"Valentine's Day is coming soon, and everyone loves to talk about this kind of topic. If it's one-on-one gossip like 'Hayama-senpai and Yukinoshita-senpai are dating,' then it actually becomes quite believable..."

"Oh……"

I see. Perhaps that makes sense.

Currently, Hayama isn't the only one being talked about; there's also Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and a boy from another school—quite a diverse group, perfect for casual conversation. However, the person being gossiped about might find it quite annoying.

In fact, both Yukinoshita and Yuigahama looked worried. I also felt uncomfortable being mistaken for a "boy from another school" because of some people's sources.

The three of us picked up our cups and drank tea, as if trying to wash away the bitterness in our mouths. The mugs and teacups were emptied at the same time.

When Isshiki was pouring tea for everyone under the snow, he clapped his hands.

"Ah, speaking of which, I just remembered, do you know any restaurants suitable for hosting a victory celebration banquet?"

"A victory celebration banquet?"

Yukinoshita poured black tea into a uniform paper cup and asked in confusion.

"Yes, there's going to be a marathon later, right? The student council has also helped with the event planning. So after the race, we'd like to have a celebration party."

"Oh—the student council has a lot of work to do."

Isshiki always hangs out in the Service Club office, drinking tea and eating snacks. I thought she wasn't very busy, but it seems she's been working diligently. I felt a surge of admiration for her, and Isshiki proudly puffed out her chest.

"Yes, yes. That's exactly what I came here to discuss with you today—"

"Huh... Iroha, that's not what you said just now..."

"Didn't you say you were coming to pick up the things you left here for Christmas...?"

Yuihama was completely dumbfounded, while Yukinoshita helplessly pressed her temples, looking like she had a headache.

Ignoring their cold stares, Isshiki playfully stuck out her tongue and gave them a wink.

"Yeah?"

She brushed it off and continued:

"Ideally, we'd like to find some convenient and comfortable shops, and also, I hope they'll be a bit cheaper."

That's asking for too much... For a high schoolers' victory celebration, all-you-can-eat yakiniku or shabu-shabu would be fine... Anyway, those guys just need to fill their stomachs... Or maybe we should just go to Saria. Every Saria location has a party set menu, and it'll only cost 1000 yen per person. Saria is the best! Saria is the best! -- Soubu High School Service Club is taking the liberty of supporting Saria.

Perhaps it was because I was thinking that way, Isshiki turned to look at Yuihama alone.

"Yui-senpai, do you have any restaurant recommendations?"

"Hey? Could you please not exclude me and Yukinoshita from the fighting force?"

Forget about me, Yukinoshita probably has a lot of names on her shortlist. Right, Yukinoshita-kun? I looked at Yukinoshita.

"Victory celebration banquet... victory celebration banquet... what do we do at a victory celebration banquet...?"

However, Yukinoshita was muttering to herself, deep in thought. Her eyes and brain were constantly working, diligently processing the information. There was no way around it; Yukinoshita sometimes needed a long time to study. It was her personality that made her seem rather heavy.