My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 786

"Hachiman, the winter anime season is starting! Which one are you most excited for this season?"

"...I haven't finished watching the fall anime yet. I want to finish watching it first."

I've been busy with a lot lately, and Komachi is preparing for her big exams. To avoid disturbing her, I can't watch anime in the living room, so I've accumulated a bunch of unwatched anime, which has filled my cute little hard drive to the brim.

However, the timber maker seemed to be keeping up with the progress, and for some reason, he was quite pleased with himself.

"Pfft! Hachiman, you're so outdated! Still talking about the Autumn Festival? That was so long ago, Maro Note has long forgotten it. What era are you from, Hachiman? Are you a caveman?"

Note: This is a self-reference commonly used by court nobles in ancient Japan.

Ugh, so annoying... I lost my temper and pressed down hard on the back of the wood base.

"It hurts so much!"

"Shut up, I don't mind. I can enjoy anime and games on my own, it's nobody else's business. By the way, didn't you say you started playing guitar?"

"Ha, times change... How can we be bound by the past forever... Now it's the era of tomorrow's note... Our Diomedea... is sure to win, hahaha!"

Note: The anime "The Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Heiress's Magical Revolution" was produced by Diomedea.

You talk so cool, but you're just a bandwagoner...

However, what Zaimokuza said makes sense. Human interests shift quickly. Favorite characters change every season, and people consume trends without restraint. Once their function as a means of communication is fulfilled, they are quickly forgotten.

"That's how it is..."

Rumors can only last for forty-nine days... If being forgotten is synonymous with death, that is indeed a famous saying.

Timber and I quickly finished the rest of our stretching exercises, then stood up and headed to the starting line for the long-distance run. The other boys were already gathered there, and we were quite far back in the line.

I spotted Totsuka among that group of people.

Totsuka was blowing air into his palm, stretching his body. I dropped the wooden stand, slipped through the crowd, and stealthily approached Totsuka.

"You're really motivated."

I struck up a conversation with him, and Totsuka suddenly turned around. As soon as he saw it was me, he smiled.

"Ah, Hachiman! Well, I'm the club president, after all. My ranking can't be too low!"

Totsuka clenched his fists in front of his chest, striking a pose of bracing himself.

"I see, the sports club must be really tough."

"Yeah, but not as tiring as Hayama-kun."

Totsuka looked towards Hayama, who was leisurely swinging his limbs in the distance, waiting to start running.

"Oh, Hayama..."

What does Hayama have to do with what we're talking about? I found it strange, but I still answered. Perhaps I showed that I was confused, because Totsuka looked puzzled.

"Didn't you know? Hayama-kun was the champion last year."

"Huh? Really...?"

That guy's crazy... How terrifying!

Our school's marathon is only divided into gender groups, meaning last year's winner, Hayama, even beat some upperclassmen. Everyone's probably hoping he'll win this year too. By the way, I didn't place; I was just an ordinary participant.

"He's amazing. He was in first place from start to finish. I couldn't catch up with him at all..."

Totsuka gave an awkward smile, scratching his cheek shyly. There's no need to be ashamed. In my heart, Totsuka has always been number one.

I was just about to offer some disgusting encouragement, but Totsuka was quite positive, so I didn't need to do that.

"But my physical condition is better than last year... I want to catch up with the top students this year."

Totsuka stretched his hamstrings forcefully to finish the stretching exercise. His tone was humble, but his eyes were fixed straight ahead.

His expression was serious, just like a soldier. His adorable expression surprised and moved me; I was momentarily stunned.

I stared at him silently, when Totsuka suddenly turned around.

"It's all thanks to Hachiman."

"...Huh? Oh, what did I do?"

It took me a beat to realize what was happening, and Totsuka chuckled softly.

"Because you gave me advice before."

"Oh, oh... uh, these two things aren't really related, are they?"

Totsuka did come to the Service Club for help, but we didn't offer any significant assistance at the time, so it's hard to say we were of any help to him. The Totsuka we know today is the result of his own hard work.

Totsuka listened silently, closed his eyes, and slowly shook his head. Then he took half a step forward and stood directly in front of me.

"No...because, didn't you tell me that back then?"

Totsuka stared directly into my eyes.

Did I say something back then...? I tried to recall, and Totsuka said those words with a smile.

"Tell me to practice until I'm about to die."

"Oh, oh...wait, did I say something like that?"

Really? I have absolutely no recollection of it... Did I take sleeping pills...? Seeing my head full of question marks, Totsuka announced the correct answer with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes, Yukinoshita-san said it."

"what……"

She did say that... She herself is obviously in very poor physical condition... Even after so long, I am still horrified by the good things Yukinoshita did.

"That's why I practiced running for a long time."

Totsuka's eyes lit up, and he thanked her instead. Ugh, Totsuka's personality is too serious; he exudes a dangerous aura…

"Don't listen to those kinds of harassing remarks. You'll get killed by your company when you enter the workforce. Although I shouldn't be saying this..."

"But it was because you talked to me that Yukinoshita-san was willing to help... So, it really is all thanks to Hachiman."

"I see... Is that so?... Okay, let's just say that."

"Okay! Let's just leave it at that!"

As they chatted, the physical education teachers, including Atsugi, also got ready and came over. Some teachers even rode bicycles to keep a close eye on the students.

Looks like I can't slack off anymore... Just as I was thinking this, Totsuka exclaimed, as if he had thought of something.

"Ah, the tennis club needs to get a good ranking!"

Totsuka put his hands to his mouth and shouted. The person who heard this trembled and turned around. They must be a member of the tennis club.

Oh, it's the strict club president... I was just thinking the members must be afraid of Totsuka, and then the tennis club members waved to him with smiles. He's a pampered club president...

However, seeing their reaction, Totsuka puffed out his cheeks and angrily put his hands on his hips.

"Did anyone listen to that?"

I stared blankly at this interaction. How should I put it, I don't often see Totsuka so lively and enthusiastic.

"...Does it not suit my image?"

Totsuka seemed a little shy, observing my reaction.

"No way..."

My stammering wasn't just due to surprise; I was completely mesmerized. It was probably more moving than any other action I'd ever seen before.

"I just felt that he had the demeanor of a company president."

Totsuka laughed. He tidied his wind-blown hair and straightened his back.

"I've been a very diligent president, haven't I?... Maybe I'm a little unreliable."

He smiled shyly and added the next sentence, to which I gently shook my head.

"No way, you seem super reliable."

"Really?... Then I hope you'll come to me for help when you encounter difficulties!"

Totsuka patted his chest jokingly.

"Yes, I'll need your help when I need it."

Totsuka blinked in surprise. "Uh, I was a little startled myself. I really did just blurt out a very frank answer. But I don't intend to take back what I said, nor do I intend to add any further explanation."

Totsuka stared at me in surprise for a while, then nodded vigorously.

× × ×

"Hachiman—! Let's run together♪"

I shook off the timber stand that was chasing me from behind and ran lightly.

That's a lie. If you leave a timber support unattended, it will fall behind. There's no need to specifically shake it off. Besides, I'm running at a slow, low-key pace.

I ran alone on the road, covering half the distance the teacher had set. Heke! No, that's Hamtaro's cry...

The long-distance run in PE class is four kilometers. We have to run laps around the school grounds. Ugh... running so many laps will make me melt into butter like a tiger...

As I ran, I was thinking about incredibly boring trivial things, and soon I caught up with the group that had reached the middle of the race. It seems my stamina is at least average, probably from riding my bicycle to school every day.

Although they had reached the middle, apart from the leading group and those who wanted to finish quickly and rest, the others were not very motivated. So, generally speaking, these people should also be included in the lower group.

At that moment, I discovered the Ministry of Revenue and its subordinates.

How could members of the sports club run so slowly if they were running normally? It's obvious without even needing to confirm that they weren't giving it their all either.

Those guys were chatting as they ran, occasionally patting each other on the shoulder or poking each other's heads, inexplicably competing in sprinting speed, playfully joking around. If I were the class monitor with braided pigtails, I'd definitely yell at them, "Hey, you guys, run properly!" only to be yelled back, "Shut up, ugly girl!" and burst into tears, then drag them out and whip them during assembly. Thank goodness I'm not the pretty braided pigtail class monitor.

However, only the familiar trio of Hobe, Yamato, and Ooka were fooling around; Hayama was nowhere to be seen.

The timing is perfect. I need to confirm something with the Ministry of Revenue regarding that rumor.

I was running behind those three idiots from Samba Carnival Note who were constantly acting like goofballs. But, while running, I couldn't find a single opportunity to talk to anyone. Just kidding! Hachiman was lying to himself! Even when I wasn't running, I couldn't find a single opportunity to talk to anyone!

Note: "Sanbaka" and "Sanbakaanibaru" are pronounced the same.

There were no traffic lights on the road, making it really hard to time things... Just like Bomb Rock Note, I kept observing the situation when Hubu suddenly stopped.

Note: A monster from Dragon Quest. It does nothing, but when its health drops to a certain level, it will use a powerful self-destruct spell.

"You guys go first—"

He yelled at Ooka and the others, then squatted down, seemingly to tie his shoelaces.

Wow, how lucky! Let's strike up a conversation with the Ministry of Revenue at this opportune moment!

"Hello."

“Ouch!”

I called out to him from behind, and the Minister of Revenue rolled around on the ground and turned around, as if to lessen the impact.

"Oh, it's a penguin contest. If you were there, you could have let me know. You scared me to death."

Uh, your reaction to being startled is a bit too quick... Ignore the Ministry of Revenue's nagging and do what I have to do.

I raised my chin and pointed forward, urging Hubu to keep running and pushing my legs forward. Standing there motionless was strange; the teacher might come to patrol. Seeing this, Hubu obediently ran alongside me.

Not long after, the Minister of Revenue tilted his head, probably wondering why he was running with me. I also wanted to get to the point quickly.

Unexpectedly, the Ministry of Revenue spoke up before I did. He breathed a sigh of relief and gave me a silly smile.

"I mean, when I heard that rumor, I was so scared I broke out in a cold sweat—it's a secret that can't be told—"

"What?"

What are you talking about? I squinted at you as the Minister of Revenue wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Because, didn't Hayato say the first letter was Y? Almost nobody knows that, right?"

“…………”

He suddenly brought up this topic, catching me off guard. However, as the various elements gradually connected, they formed a clear picture.

The incident occurred on a summer night.

In the darkness, unable to bear the person who kept demanding an answer, Hayama forced out the first letter of his name.

The memory of that night spent with Hayama and his group in Chiba Village flashed through my mind. Hayama did indeed say at the time that the name of the person he liked started with Y.

In those brief few seconds, I ran forward purely on instinct, while the head of the Ministry of Revenue peered out to observe my complexion.