My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 785

It reminds me of that Christmas season, the scene at Disneyland where Iroha Isshiki and Hayato Hayama were.

They exchanged two or three more words, probably saying goodbye. The girl waved weakly to Ye Shan and turned to leave.

Ye Shan watched her walk away, his shoulders drooping slightly. Then he let out a long sigh, as if he had noticed me.

Hayama smiled. It wasn't a smile of embarrassment, shame, or joy; it was purely a smile of utter despair.

"You witnessed something strange."

"Ah—no, well… I'm sorry."

He spoke first, catching me completely off guard and leaving me speechless. No, even if he hadn't initiated the conversation, I probably wouldn't have known what to say. If I were the one being dumped, I could manage a few words of comfort, but for the one who dumped me, I'm utterly speechless.

Ye Shan chuckled softly, as if he could see through my confusion.

Don't worry about it.

"...You've really worked hard too."

Honestly, that's all I could manage to say. I have absolutely no interest in Hayama Hayato's romantic relationships, and besides, he's just too perfect for me, so I wouldn't be jealous. Making a few teasing remarks might be a kind gesture, but unfortunately, we're not that close.

Upon hearing this, Ye Shan's expression twisted for a moment, as if he couldn't breathe or was enduring pain.

But he immediately shook his head, gave his usual smile, and raised his chin, suggesting we move to the parking lot. I followed him out.

Are you on your way home?

"No... I have something I'd like to talk to you about..."

Hayama was a little surprised.

"Looking for me?"

I tossed him a Max coffee instead of answering.

In this dim light, I tossed it a little off-target, but Hayama caught it easily. Seeing the MAX coffee in his hand, his face soured. "What? You hate MAX coffee? Give it to me, it's so good you'll fly to heaven!"

I lifted my chin and told him to shut up and drink it. Hayama shrugged and put the MAX coffee into his bag.

However, he seemed willing to listen to me, turning his gaze back to me and urging me to continue.

I struggled with how to explain, and finally said:

"...What are your plans to do about that rumor?"

I went straight to the point, and Hayama sighed wearily.

"That matter... we can only leave it for now. Acting rashly will only complicate the situation further."

Judging from his tone, Hayama seemed to have had the same experience.

No, not just seemingly. Similar things have happened before, and he probably made a fatal mistake back then.

That's why Hayama Hayato didn't take any action.

I can understand Hayama's choice. I myself believe that when faced with this kind of problem, leaving it alone is the best approach; actively intervening is not the way of a smart person. More accurately, it's a matter of having no other options.

Nevertheless, there was still something that could be done—perhaps this thought was reflected on my face, as Hayama looked at me with surprise.

"You want to solve this problem?"

"...If possible...after all, this is part of my job."

I didn't know how to answer, so I used work as an excuse. Hayama raised the corners of his mouth, as if he could see through my thoughts.

"As a male student from another school, can't you bear to ignore this?"

"Who's that guy? Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm a student at this school!"

I casually retorted, and Hayama laughed even more heartily. While not as outrageous as this morning's laughter, the malice it contained was on a completely different level. This guy is truly—so wicked…

Ye Shan laughed for a while, and finally finished laughing. He cleared his throat to force a switch to a serious expression.

"I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm when you're so motivated, but there's not much I can do... I'm sorry, I can't help you."

Although his words sounded sarcastic, Ye Shan's gaze was melancholic. Perhaps it was out of guilt. He apologized to me in such a powerless tone, and naturally, I didn't want to respond with sarcasm.

"It's okay. It's enough that we all agree that you don't need to do anything special."

"Is that so..."

We didn't talk anymore and went to the parking lot. Hayama stopped there and pointed towards the side door.

"I'll take the tram back."

"Oh, really... Bye then..."

I said goodbye to him, but Hayama was still standing there.

He silently gazed up at the sky.

I looked up too, curious about what he saw.

However, all that could be seen were the school buildings with their lights off and the reflections of streetlights through the glass windows. The moon and stars were nowhere to be seen, only the reflections of artificial lights.

Ye Shan suddenly spoke.

"If only we could find a way to calm things down..."

He left those words behind and turned to leave.

He walked into the shadows where the streetlights couldn't reach. I knew perfectly well that the road led to the side gate, but for a moment I didn't know where he was going.

That sentence was probably meant for someone who wasn't present.

But incredibly, I also felt that it wasn't being said to that person.

End 2 Yui's story 4 No matter when, where or what the occasion, Hubu Sho is always Hubu Sho.

A few days passed after the rumor spread.

The initial excitement of the new semester has faded considerably, and students are gradually returning to their previous campus life.

Amidst all that, gossip centered around Hayato Hayama continued to circulate, with people discussing it privately everywhere.

There couldn't be a more difficult situation.

What makes the situation even more complicated is the marathon. The race itself goes without saying, but changing every physical education class to practice long-distance running is also incredibly troublesome and exhausting.

But I couldn't just skip class, so I had to walk step by step to the playground where the cold wind was howling.

Students from three classes were gathered on the playground. Unlike other sports, long-distance running wasn't grouped by gender. Although the routes for boys and girls differed, it was still just running.

Above us was a vast, boundless blue sky... a wide-open sky! The sky itself looked quite pleasant, bathed in sunshine and beautiful, in short, a beautiful sky.

Note: This is the twentieth installment in the Pretty Cure anime series.

However, the whispers of the students on the playground didn't sound very pleasant.

"I wonder how much of that gossip is true—"

"Yeah, I'm so curious. They really are dating, don't you think?"

"But the girls in Class E asked, and they said no."

"He deliberately didn't tell the truth, so as not to add insult to injury for someone who's just been dumped. How kind of him!"

"Where is the gentleness?! That's hilarious."

Although they didn't name names, they were probably gossiping about Yeshan.

Unfounded gossip arises out of thin air. What's troubling is that it sounds incredibly plausible. That's why people become interested and use it as a topic of conversation.

The 17-year-old girl is a chatty gossip, and since her conversation partners are celebrities around her on campus, she is naturally a prime target for gossip.

Note: The joke comes from the radio program "Kikuko Inoue's Enchanting Chatter with Honeydew Melon" by Japanese female voice actress Kikuko Inoue.

The female students, whose names they didn't even know, were still whispering to each other.

"I never would have guessed—Yukinoshita-san seems so aloof, but she's actually quite superficial."

"Ah—I can understand. If you're together without much contact, wouldn't it seem like you're only after their looks?"

"Huh, according to your logic, isn't Hayama-kun also a member of the 'looks-matter' club?"

"Isn't that right—?"

Their soft laughter was barely audible.

That is precisely why it sounds extremely jarring.

It's so annoying. The unpleasant noise is like the buzzing of mosquitoes when you're trying to fall asleep in bed, or the ticking of a second hand in the middle of the night. Just standing next to it makes me want to click my tongue.

Even I, who have almost no connection to this matter, am getting impatient, let alone the parties involved who are being used for gossip.

Complete strangers freely expressed their conjectures, speculations, desires, and jealousy, causing the conversation to veer in strange directions due to the atmosphere.

Most people probably don't mean any harm; they just find it fun. If you seriously deny or refuse, they'll just say, "It's just for fun, why are you being so serious?"

I witnessed this firsthand—no, that's not right. I only found out after I got to know them.

Yukino Yukinoshita and Hayato Hayama have always lived in this environment. Their outstanding appearance and abilities have attracted a lot of expectations and attention, but disappointment and jealousy have also been focused on them.

In a surveillance-driven society during adolescence, schools are practically prisons. Popular students are constantly under scrutiny, and a bunch of random people, out of good intentions or curiosity, will start monitoring them without permission. Sometimes they'll even condemn them. It's like being in a Stanford prison experiment all day long. No one tells them to do this, yet they gradually become aggressive because of a sense of mission.

Yui Yuigahama has always lived in such a society.

The nameless guards were still chatting about trivial things near me.

However, the conversation abruptly stopped.

I turned to check on her, and Miura Yumiko strode over, clearing a path through the crowd. She glanced at the two female students who had been gossiping as she passed them.

Even being stared at head-on by the glamorous and beautiful Miura was intimidating; her sidelong glare only accentuated the ferocity of her gaze, making her seem even more formidable. In fact, it was terrifying, three times more terrifying than usual. Even though she wasn't glaring at me, I reflexively looked away in fright.

The two girls hurriedly ran in the direction I was looking.

"What should we do? Did she hear us?"

"I don't know... but I wonder what Miura-san thinks. Are she friends with Yui-hama-san?"

"Hey—please don't let this chaos unfold in the classroom—"

"You're laughing so hard, saying that but you're actually laughing like a madman."

I pretended not to hear their conversation as they left, quickened my pace, and headed to the meeting point.

Unfortunately, in this despicable society, there will be no heroic young girls under the open blue sky... I thought to myself as I looked ahead.

Hayato Hayama is just ahead.

He was chatting and laughing with the Ministry of Revenue officials, unaware of my gaze.

It's also possible that he sensed it but deliberately pretended not to know, just like he does with many other things.

While I was standing there in a daze, the PE teacher, Atsugi, had already finished taking attendance.

"Okay, then you can each find a group of people you like to do warm-up exercises with."

Atsugi forcefully gave the order, and it was time for warm-up exercises in pairs.

"Alright, let's go find Totsuka to do some warm-up exercises"—I looked around excitedly, and heard someone calling me.

"Hachiman──!"

I immediately turned my head away instinctively.

Then their eyes met.

The lumberjack thudded on the ground, waving and laughing at me. What's he so happy about...?

"Hachiman, let's do some warm-up exercises!"

"Oh...why are you talking like you're dragging someone into a baseball game...I'm looking for someone else today..."

I wanted to refuse, but the woodworker wasn't listening to me. Not only that, he was talking to himself, enjoying himself immensely.

"Oh, although the teacher told us to find someone we like to be in a group, that's not why I came to you. Don't get the wrong idea, okay?"

"Don't turn your head away with a blush, it's disgusting..."

I shifted my gaze from the timber slab, looking around. Ah! Totsuka is already in a group with the others! I was thinking of using warm-up exercises as an excuse to help Totsuka loosen up his joints...

"no way……"

I gave up struggling and joined the group with the woodworker, starting to do warm-up exercises, stretching and relaxing our muscles. After we finished, I had the woodworker sit on the floor and helped him press his back.

I pressed down hard, but the lumber carrier couldn't bend over, perhaps because of the fat on his belly. Thanks to it, my face was very close to the lumber carrier's, and I could hear his impatient breathing from beside me.