My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 98

"OK."

I handed the bowl out, but Yuihama took it.

"Ah, I'll help!"

Yuihama, seemingly pleased with herself, hummed a song as she ladled out handfuls of rice.

"Come!"

The rice in the bowl was piled up like a mountain, just like the white rice I saw in "Japanese Anecdotes." That's fine, I'm planning on having another bowl anyway, so there's nothing to complain about.

"Thanks……"

I took the heavy bowl of rice and buried myself in breakfast again.

Free breakfasts taste so good!

After everyone had breakfast, they started drinking tea. Totsuka, who finished eating later, put his hands together and said, "I'm full," before reaching for his tea.

Let's briefly discuss yesterday's events and today's plans. Hiratsuka-sensei folded up the newspaper.

"It seems everyone has finished breakfast, so I will now announce today's schedule."

The teacher took a sip of tea and continued.

"Today is free time for students. In the evening, there will be a test of courage and a campfire party. You will be responsible for preparing for the evening's activities."

"What? A campfire party?"

Upon hearing the unpleasant phrase "campfire party," I immediately frowned. Yuihama, however, suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Ah, it's an event where everyone dances folk dances together!"

Upon hearing this, Komachi immediately had a flash of inspiration:

"Oh! Komachi knows! It's a dance like 'Pandora Pandora' (Note 37 refers to Ryoma Nomura's manga 'Alien Security Division'). Right!"

"Are you going to say 'Oklahoma Mixed Dance'... just one word..."

Under the snow, an expression that seemed to be a mix of helplessness and bewilderment appeared on her face. Speaking of "Alien Security Section," it's the manga about a group of people who gather in a park late at night to communicate with aliens.

"Anyway, it's not any different; it really feels like we're dancing with aliens."

"Hachiman, that's going too far."

Totsuka scolded me, but you misunderstood. I had my reasons!

"No, I really think so... It wasn't a problem at first, but by the fourth girl, she would say, 'Actually, you don't need to hold hands.' Then the girls after that started doing the same thing, and I ended up dancing a folk dance with thin air..."

"Hachiman, you're giving me those dead fish eyes again... But that look is perfect for playing a ghost, so I'll have to trouble you with the test of courage."

"Are we going to scare those children?"

That makes sense. Come to think of it, isn't this a standard part of camping trips? However, the person playing the ghost has to stay in the dark woods the whole time, which is actually even scarier.

"That's right, but the route has already been planned, and the props for the costumes are ready. You just need to get dressed before we begin. So let's go. I'll explain how to prepare."

Ms. Hiratsuka stood up, and we put away the bowls, plates, and cutlery and followed her.

× × ×

We met up with Yeshan and the others on the way and arrived at a large square.

The open space was surrounded by trees, with a warehouse in one corner for storing goods.

The boys are listening to Mr. Hiratsuka's explanation as they prepare to set up a campfire.

Totsuka and Tobe were in charge of chopping and carrying firewood, Hayama was in charge of stacking the timber, and I was in charge of arranging the timber in a grid pattern.

"Piling up wood alone feels like playing Jenga."

"Huh? Can one person play Jenga?"

"That's strange, isn't it? I always thought Jenga and building towers with playing cards were the same type of game." Hayama asked me very seriously.

The girls' group drew a large white circle centered on the campfire. That was probably a reference line used when dancing the folk dance.

We continued to repeat the steps of chopping wood, stacking it, and assembling it.

The preparations didn't take long, but working under the blazing sun was still torture, and I wiped away the sweat that gushed out like a fountain.

"...It's so hot."

"Yeah, it's unbearable..."

Hayama and I were both getting impatient.

"You must be tired from work."

Mr. Hiratsuka, who came to inspect the progress of our work, handed us two cans of drinks, which we gratefully accepted.

"Everyone else has finished their work. Now we just need to wait for the test of courage in the evening. Until then, you are free to do as you please."

Everyone seemed to have left in order, leaving only Hayama and me. However, we had finished our final tasks, so we were now free.

I retraced my steps, pondering what to do next.

"I'll probably go back to my room first. How about we compare to the penguins?"

"Oh, me too..."

Halfway through the conversation, I suddenly realized that going back to my room like this would mean walking with Hayama. Although it wasn't a big deal, I felt a strange sense of unease. To put it another way, it was like walking home with someone you barely know after a class reunion, forced to make small talk. In situations like this, the best strategy is avoidance, and the only excuse for that is:

"No, I have some things to take care of first."

Actually, I didn't have anything really to deal with; I just told a little lie to slightly delay their return times. Although occasionally I'd encounter clueless people who'd reply, "Hey, where are you going? I'm going too," those with good manners know not to delve too deeply. I believe Hayama belongs to the latter category.

"Oh, I'll be going now."

Yeshan raised a hand to me and started his journey home alone.

I responded to Ye Shan with an ambiguous attitude and watched him leave.

So, what's next...?

If I go back to my room right now, I'll run into Ye Shan. So why should I deliberately separate from him here? Finding somewhere to kill some time before going back is the right thing to do.

I decided to walk and think, so I randomly chose a direction and took a step.

Just then, I heard the sound of flowing water.

Oh yeah, I'm all sweaty. The streams around here are very clear, and there are no houses upstream, so it should be fine to use them for washing my face.

I followed the sound around a bend, and a small stream came into view. This stream was shallow and narrow, like a small ditch, probably just a tributary of some river. In other words, if I followed this stream upstream, I should be able to find a larger stream, more suitable for washing my face.

The dense, green forest gradually thinned out along the way.

The sound of the flowing water grew louder and louder until I finally arrived at a wide open riverbank.

"Wow, this place feels really nice!"

I couldn't help but say to myself. The stream here is about two meters wide and only up to my thighs deep, with a very calm current. It would be perfect for a quick rinse.

I watched the shimmering light on the water's surface and walked towards the riverbank—

"It feels so refreshing!"

"So comfortable~"

From within the quiet woods came the sound of a group of people laughing and joking.

I looked in the direction of the sound and saw Yui and Komachi playing in the stream. Even from where I was, I could clearly see that they were both wearing swimsuits. What were they doing?

"Ah, it's my brother! Hey~~ over here!"

"...Huh? An autistic guy?"

Just as I was hesitating whether to turn away, Komachi noticed me first. She called to me so clearly, so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and go over. Ugh! Actually, I really didn't want to go over at all, and what kind of gentleman as me would so rashly approach a girl in a swimsuit? I only did it because she called me… Oh right, and I need to wash my face! Tsk, well, I guess I'll just have to sprint!

"What are you all doing here? And you're all wearing swimsuits."

I ran over to them without being out of breath and asked them.

"Take this!"

Komachi splashed water at me with a "whoosh," soaking my head completely. Large water droplets dripped down my hair... It's so cold!

My initial excitement instantly cooled. Hey, even when I locked myself in a toilet stall, I was never bullied like this by my classmates…

I glared at Komachi with a dark look, but she showed no remorse and answered my question with ease.

"It was so hot during the preparations, so we came to play in the water."

"Ms. Hiratsuka said we could play in the stream, so we changed into our swimsuits... But what are you doing here, you introverted guy?"

Yui answered from behind Komachi, seemingly feeling embarrassed about wearing a swimsuit.

"I came here to wash my face..."

"Stop saying that!"

I was halfway through my sentence when Komachi suddenly interrupted me.

"Look, brother, this is Komachi's new swimsuit!"

Komachi struck a pose that seemed to make no sense to me, showing off her pose.

Her pale yellow, ruffled swimsuit had a tropical, southern feel, and it shimmered as she excitedly splashed the water. Was I watching Pretty Cure Splash Star? After striking a series of poses, she looked me straight in the eye and asked, "What do you think, brother?"

"Well, this one... is the cutest in the world."

"Sigh... such casual thoughts..."

Komachi made no attempt to hide her disappointment, but I couldn't blame her; after all, she always dressed like that at home. She was quite unhappy with my reaction, but her eyes lit up again the next second as she reached behind her back.

"So... what about Yui-neechan?"

"Wow! Komachi, no!"

She pulled Yuihama, who was hiding behind, forward. Caught off guard, Yuihama didn't know what to do and hurriedly stood in front of me.

Yuihama wore a bright blue bikini, and whenever she awkwardly twisted her waist, the hem of her skirt swayed. Against her smooth, silky skin, the vibrant color of her bikini looked exceptionally beautiful.

Komachi had previously mentioned that they were there to play in the water. Yuihama's skin was glowing, and water droplets kept sliding down her body, past her beautifully curved neck, briefly pausing at the hollow of her collarbone, and then reaching her full breasts.

I surrender. To be honest, my eyes were completely captivated, and it took a tremendous amount of willpower to look away. I even had to constantly remind myself to look upwards, otherwise I'd be drawn back in again. Is this what they call gravitational pull...? Newton was truly amazing.

"Um...this..."

Yuihama blushed and stammered, looking away. But when she saw that I hadn't said anything, she glanced back at me with a hint of uncertainty.

It seems she wants to know how I feel, but I'm in a real bind. What's going on? Suddenly I feel like dying.

To avoid an awkward atmosphere, I carefully chose safe words in my mind before speaking:

"Well, how should I put it... it looks really good, and it suits you perfectly."

"Oh, I see... Thank you."

Yui smiled shyly, and I couldn't bear to look her in the eye. I noticed my face turning red, and I quickly knelt down by the stream to scoop up water. The stream water was clear and cool, which felt wonderfully refreshing against my sunburnt body.

I washed my face several times when suddenly a familiar voice came from inside.

"Oh dear, are you kneeling down to apologize to this stream?"

"How could that be? Because the holy site is in that direction, and I go there to worship five times a day..."

Faced with such provocative words, I reflexively looked up.

But in that instant, my breathing stopped completely.

Yukino Yukinoshita, just like her name suggests, is the embodiment of snow.

Her skin was fair and translucent, her calves were perfectly shaped, and the lines extending upwards to her waist created an aesthetic; her waist was incredibly thin, and although her chest wasn't particularly large, it was still quite well-endowed.

Unfortunately, this sight was only fleeting, disappearing beneath her beach towel in the next second. What a close call! I almost suffocated.

"Don't you usually say you're a Buddhist?"

"Ah, right..."

I almost forgot I'm a Buddhist. That's precisely why I can't succumb to temptations of this magnitude. Never underestimate a monk! But didn't Shakyamuni have children? So how did that happen?

"Oh, Hachiman is here too?"

Someone patted me on the shoulder from behind. I turned around and saw that it was Ms. Hiratsuka, with Miura and Ebina following behind her.

Ms. Hiratsuka, wearing a white bikini, didn't hesitate to show off her long, beautiful legs and full breasts, making her look stunning. Combined with her toned limbs and beautifully shaped navel, she not only gave off a healthy impression but also exuded a wild charm.

"Mr. Hiratsuka, if you're determined, you can do it too, right? Even if you said you were only around thirty years old, everyone would believe you!"