My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 87

After exiting the highway, the car continued along a regular road into the mountains, nimbly navigating the somewhat winding mountain roads.

× × ×

As soon as I got out of the car, the rich scent of fresh grass filled the air. Surrounded by lush green forests, it felt like the air here was incredibly fresh.

The parking lot in Chiba Village was located in an open area, where several buses were already parked. Hiratsuka-sensei also parked her car there.

"Mmm...that feels so good..."

After getting off the train, Yuihama immediately stretched out a big yawn.

"...You use someone else's shoulder as a pillow and sleep so soundly, of course it's comfortable."

"Hmm...yes, yes, it's not too much!"

Yukinoshita's words were barbed, and Yui immediately clasped her hands together in apology.

"Wow, we've really come to the mountains!"

Afterwards, Totsuka was also immersed in the emotion of being in the mountains. He was indeed a Chiba native, long accustomed to life on the plains, which was why he held such admiration for the mountains.

"But Komachi was here just last year."

Despite saying that, Komachi took a few deep breaths and seemed to be enjoying herself.

I'm not trying to repeat Yuihama's words, but the sunlight filtering through the leaves and the cool breeze blowing across the plateau were truly wonderful. I hope to one day retreat to a place like this, a place where I can simply buy whatever I need online.

"Mmm, the air is so fresh."

After Hiratsuka-sensei finished speaking, she started smoking. Is that how you enjoy the air...?

"We'll be walking from here, so please take your luggage off the bus first."

She exhaled a large puff of smoke, as if to say that the air here was really fresh.

Following the instructions, we unloaded our luggage from the vehicle. At the same time, another van pulled up. Strange, there are clearly many campsites nearby. Do tourists usually come to places like this? However, this is a public facility with very low usage fees; it might unexpectedly turn out to be a nice private campsite.

After dropping off the passengers, the van drove back the same way, presumably providing a simple pick-up and drop-off service.

Four young men and women got out of the car.

No matter how I look at it, those four people seem like the protagonists of a love story, as if they're about to devour the fruits of summer. If they went to the sandbar in the river for a barbecue, they'd probably be trapped there waiting for rescue; or they might have gone hiking in casual clothes with the intention of a picnic, only to encounter a mountain accident.

As I was thinking about these random things, one of them raised his hand to signal me.

"Hey, penguin."

"...Hayama?"

Unexpectedly, Hayama is here. No, not only Hayama, but upon closer inspection, there's also Miura, the smug blonde Tobe, and the super-enthusiastic fujoshi Ebina—the entire Hayama Group is here… wait, where's the opportunistic virgin Ooka?

"What are you doing here... Are you here for a barbecue? If you want to have barbecue, I'd recommend going to the sandbar in the river."

"We didn't come here for a barbecue. If we just wanted to have a barbecue, I wouldn't have needed my family to drive us here," Ye Shan said with a wry smile.

So you're not going to have a barbecue? Then should I suggest they wear light clothing for the hike?

At this moment, Mr. Hiratsuka stubbed out his cigarette and said:

"Hmm, it seems everyone's here."

Everyone? So, Hayama and the others were on the participant list from the beginning?

"So, do you all know why I called you here?"

Upon hearing this question, we looked at each other in bewilderment.

"I heard it's going to be a volunteer activity."

"Yes, that's why we're here to help."

Yukinoshita answered first, and Totsuka nodded in agreement. Yuihama, standing nearby, asked in confusion:

"Huh? Isn't this club training camp?"

"What Komachi heard was 'camping'."

"I had absolutely no idea..."

Hey, who heard the correct answer? You guys are so bad at playing telephone!

"I heard that participating in volunteer activities can give you an advantage when applying to universities..."

Hayama gave another wry smile.

"I came because I heard there was a free camping trip."

"Right? Free events are awesome!"

Miura fiddled with her curls, while Tobe lifted the hairline at his neck.

"I heard that Hayama and Tobe are coming camping, so I just...hah...hiss...hah...hiss..."

Ebina's reason was particularly strange, and what sound did she make at the end?

Hiratsuka-sensei sighed helplessly.

"Well, okay, at least it's mostly correct. I need your help with a volunteer activity over the next few days."

"Excuse me, what are the details of the event...?"

"The principal inexplicably assigned me the task of supervising the service activities in this area, so I brought you all here to serve as staff for the elementary school camping activities, helping the staff, teachers, and children of Chiba Village. To put it simply, you're doing odd jobs; to put it bluntly, you're slaves."

I really want to go home... Even unscrupulous companies give their employees some incentives at the beginning... That's precisely why they're called unscrupulous companies.

"This also counts as a training camp for the Service Club. In addition, as Hayama said, based on your performance, I will not hesitate to add points to your application materials for college entrance examinations; and during your free time, you are free to travel around as you please."

Oh, I see. Actually, everyone already knows the content; they just pick out what interests them.

"Alright, let's get going. After we put our luggage in the main building, let's get to work immediately."

Hiratsuka-sensei walked at the front of the group, and we followed behind.

That being said, we didn't really look like a complete group. Behind the teacher were me and Yukinoshita, behind us were Komachi and Totsuka, then Yuihama, and Hayama's group was further back. It was only because Yuihama was right in the middle of the group that we barely looked like a group.

We were walking on the paved road leading to the main building. At that moment, Yukinoshita asked, slightly annoyed:

"Excuse me... why are Hayama and the others here too?"

"Hmm? Oh, you're asking me a question."

Hiratsuka-sensei turned around.

"She spoke in honorifics, so she was obviously asking the teacher."

Of everyone present, only the teacher instructed Yukino to use honorifics. After I shared my thoughts, Yukino smiled, seemingly feeling a little better.

"Oh, not entirely. Besides when dealing with people of higher status, you can also use honorifics if you want to maintain distance. Do you have any insights, Mr. Hachiman?"

"You are absolutely right, Miss Yukinoshita."

I gave Yukino a polite, dry laugh, which was immediately interrupted by Hiratsuka-sensei.

"You guys really haven't changed at all. The reason I contacted Hayama and the others was because I posted a recruitment notice on the school bulletin board to fill the manpower gap. You probably didn't see the notice, but I didn't expect anyone to actually sign up..."

"If that's the case, why bother posting the message?"

"It's just a formality. If others think I only care about a few of you, that's not a good thing, so I have to put on a show. I'm not good at dealing with the outward appearance of a student pretending to be a student; just looking at it makes my heart ache."

The teacher's words broke my heart even more. Please, someone, hurry up and marry her!

"But I am, after all, a teacher, and I must treat all students as fairly as possible."

"Yes, being a teacher is hard work."

Showing special favor to anyone or giving them special treatment can lead to criticism.

"It's more accurate to call them 'adults' than 'teachers.' This kind of situation happens all the time in this society."

Her expression was somewhat gloomy when she said this.

Being in an organization means also having to bear its dark side; and if you want to stay in that organization long-term, it goes without saying. We have to think about our future, and even if we don't want to, we have to learn to bow our heads, go drinking with everyone, and force ourselves to listen to things we don't want to hear. It's not just about meeting people we hate every day, but also working with them.

If you don't want to fall into this situation, there are only two options: become a stay-at-home dad or a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).

Having to work and then also cultivate interpersonal relationships—what kind of punishment game is this? Can you get a "relationship allowance" for doing this? If there's no extra pay, it's just too unreasonable. I've realized once again that I'm definitely not suited for the workplace.

Hiratsuka-sensei looked at me and Yukinoshita with a gentle smile.

"This is also a great opportunity for you to learn how to get along well with other groups."

"To become good friends with that group of people? I think it's impossible."

"Hachiman, you've got it wrong. You don't need to be friends with them. I want you to 'get along well' with them, learn how not to be enemies, not to ignore each other, and to maintain a professional attitude so that you can live in peace. This is how to adapt to society."

"Even though the teacher said that..."

Once the art of ignoring is sealed, I am helpless.

“…………”

Yukinoshita remained silent, neither responding nor refuting, but making no promises.

Hiratsuka-sensei responded with a wry smile.

"I don't expect you to figure it out immediately, just keep it in mind at all times these next few days."

After the teacher finished speaking, we continued walking forward silently.

How to get along well with the other person...

This shouldn't be too difficult. Whether or not you can become good friends involves emotional factors; simply getting along well with someone is a matter of skill.

Bring up a topic, talk in a way that resonates with the other person's interests, and show that you agree with what they say. In the process, find out where the other person is good at, and intentionally or unintentionally reveal your own defensive range. This way, the two of you can get along well.

It might not go smoothly at first; the conversation might be disjointed, and you might even say things that don't suit the other person's taste.

However, just like learning any skill, you will become more and more proficient with repeated practice.

No matter what, trying to get along well with the other person is essentially deceiving yourself and the other person; it's a series of processes in which both parties are fully aware that they are being deceived.

In the end, this is exactly what those men and women learn and practice in school.

This is an essential skill for joining an organization or group, and it applies to both adults and students; the only difference lies in the size of the organization.

Therefore, this is nothing but hypocrisy, suspicion, and deception.

× × ×

After we put our luggage away at the main building, we were taken to the assembly area, where nearly a hundred primary school students were already waiting for us.

They all looked like sixth graders, but their physiques varied considerably. If they were a large group of high school students in uniforms or office workers in suits, at least they would maintain a sense of uniformity and not feel chaotic; but the children present were all wearing their own clothes, and all the colors together made it even more dazzling.

Most importantly, everyone was talking, making the scene extremely noisy.

Wow, that's awesome! Shut up!

We were all stunned by the noise of the children.

Since entering high school, I haven't been in such close proximity to a large group of elementary school students. Their boundless energy (that's a nice way of putting it) truly took me by surprise. Was this a zoo?

I looked to the side and saw that Yuihama seemed at a loss, and Yukinoshita's face was also a little pale.

A teacher stood in front of the group of students, but he just kept staring at his watch, showing no sign that the activity was about to begin.

After a few minutes, the students finally realized something was wrong and quieted down. Chirp, chirp... chirp... quiet...

"Okay, it took everyone a total of three minutes to quiet down."

"Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!!" This is a line that teachers always say before they start their lecture during school assemblies or class meetings! I can't believe I'm still hearing it again after all these years...

As I expected, the teacher began to lecture the students. To manage these excited children, teachers always start a camping trip by giving them a stern warning. I went through this phase myself when I was in elementary school.

After giving his instructions, the teacher then announced the schedule for the next few days.

The first activity on the first day was orienteering, which could also be called orienteering (Note 24: a sport in which one uses a map and compass to complete a course in different ways in the wild and marks a record card at a checkpoint).

Everyone opened the "Camping Activity Handbook" together and listened to the teacher's explanation.

The cover of this booklet has a very anime-style design, and judging from the style, I guess it was drawn by a girl. It must have been someone in the organizing committee who's good at drawing, and after saying, "I can draw it too...", submitted this piece. Hopefully, this drawing won't become a black mark on her future record.

"Finally, the teacher would like to introduce the older brothers and sisters who have been with you these past few days. Please say hello to them and ask for their guidance."

Please give me lots of guidance!

The children stretched out the sounds, creating a multi-part harmony by chanting "Open~~Move~~" together during lunchtime, much like the phrases "Unforgettable" and "Graduation Trip" recited at graduation ceremonies. I joined in the recitation at the time; those unpleasant memories were indeed unforgettable for me.

The elementary school students all looked at them with curiosity.