My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 167

In short, we must create an opportunity for Ebina to become obsessed with Tobu within a very limited timeframe. What an impossible task…

"In that case, the first step is to put Tobe and Ebina in the same group."

Yukino poured black tea for everyone. Yui took the mug, took a sip, and looked up.

"The first day is a class-wide activity, so there shouldn't be any problems. For the group activities afterwards, I'm pretty sure I'll be in the same group as Hina and Yumiko."

It's safe to assume that their original trio is unlikely to change, but since the graduation trip will be grouped into fours, another person will be joining. However, whoever joins won't cause any problems, so it doesn't need to be considered.

So, is the problem with the Ministry of Revenue...? I was halfway through my thought when Yuihama's words interrupted me.

"Then for the boys, you can be in the same group as the Ministry of Revenue, and choose the same place as us, so that you can be together the next day."

"...Huh? Wait a minute, I've already agreed with Totsuka that we'd be in the same group."

I waved my hand to indicate that there was nothing I could do, and Yukinoshita also spoke up for me.

"Those four, including Tobe, should have already decided on their groups. Besides, there's no benefit in having Hikigaya join them; it'll just make everyone unhappy."

Logically, I should thank Yukino for speaking up for me, but I feel no gratitude towards her whatsoever. Why is that...?

"That's right, but the two of us should decide the itinerary so they can be together the next day. Plus, having us there will make it easier to provide assistance."

Yuihama actually understands logical thinking... This is such a rare sight that I couldn't help but widen my eyes, but in doing so, I missed my chance to object. Seeing that I didn't express any opinion, Yukinoshita nodded with an "Mm".

"That makes sense. Well then, since Ooka-kun and Yamato-kun accompanied him here, I'll explain it to them, and they'll probably understand."

"Yes, I'll talk to them when it's time to decide on the groups."

Oh no, Yuihama's plan is progressing very smoothly. If things continue like this, I'll really be stuck in Hayama's group. I have to avoid that situation no matter what!

"Wait a minute, I have something to say..."

I had only said a few words when Yuihama suddenly remembered something and clapped her hands.

"So, we'll split those four people into two groups, and then put you and Xiaocai into one of those groups, right?"

...Hey, this is a great method. Great, great, let's do it this way!

× × ×

Class 2-F was known for being particularly noisy. The main reason for this was the group formed by two prominent figures at the top of the school's hierarchy—Hayama Hayato and Miura Yumiko—who were the core of the class. Their energy seemed inexhaustible; once they gathered together, they would naturally erupt in endless laughter and burst into a sea of ​​bright smiles.

Today, this class was noisier than ever before.

This is because this day is for deciding on the group assignments for the graduation trip. We have an hour-long class meeting available, although it doesn't actually need to be that long.

Close friends will immediately form groups. So why take a full hour? This is both a gesture of goodwill towards the loners and a form of interrogation. The loners will spend an hour looking around, searching for a group willing to take them in.

However, this time I'm different because I've already decided who I'll be paired with.

After Yuihama explained the situation to Ooka and Yamato, their original group of four split in two. I and Totsuka joined Hayama and Tobe's group, recreating the lineup of sleeping in the same cabin during summer vacation.

After many groups made their decisions, they entered a happy chatting time.

Yuihama's group conducted final coordination nearby.

"We're still one person short."

Yuihama spoke first, and Miura, pulling his long, drill-like hair, replied:

"Can't one person do it?"

The rule is that you have to be in a group of four... Just as Miura was about to break the rule, Ebina appeared at the right time and patted her on the shoulder from behind.

"Sorry to keep you waiting~♪"

"Ah, Hina, about the number of group members..."

Upon hearing Ebina's voice, Yuihama and I turned around together.

Then she appeared with an unexpected person.

"How about we let Sasha join our group?"

What kind of nickname is that? It sounds like someone who's really good at mahjong. (Note 21: The original pronunciation of "Shasha" is "sakisaki," which is the same as the "saki" in the name of the character Miyanaga Saki from the anime "Saki.") Kawasaki was embarrassed and fidgeted a little when Ebina called him that.

"I...I can do anything...And please don't call me 'Shasha'."

"Kawasaki-kun, would you like to join our group if you'd like? Oh, right, we'll be touring with the boys' group over there, if you're okay with that—"

As Yuihama explained, she glanced in our direction.

"Oh, I see."

It wasn't Kawasaki who spoke first, but Ebina. Her sharp gaze swept over us, observing us carefully, not missing a single detail.

"Are you really planning to go out with guys?"

Kawasaki's question made Ebina turn away from her previous gaze and excitedly let out a "Ugh!" sound.

"Great! Great! This is fantastic! I can see Hayama x Penguin up close and have my fill! To see Hayama and Hachi together in Kyoto, oh my god!"

So that's why she was observing us so closely earlier...

"What are you talking about? How could something like a penguin be...?"

Kawasaki spoke up, sounding like she couldn't take it anymore, while glancing at me. But the next second, she turned her head back at lightning speed and excitedly grabbed Ebina.

"You...you said it's 'that' compared to a penguin? No, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible!"

"Oh, don't worry. At first, it's true that you might think this pairing is impossible, but if you observe for a while, you'll find that this pairing is all you can think about. In fact, Hayama understands this very well, and he often shows a melancholy look in his eyes—"

"I don't care what happens to Hayama!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a clattering sound came from behind Kawasaki.

"Huh? What did you just say?"

Kawasaki seemed to have angered Miura, who kept tapping the table with her fingernails, revealing her belligerent attitude, and the atmosphere became tense.

However, Kawasaki was not to be outdone. She flicked her long ponytail, turned her head to glare at Miura, and went into battle mode. Kawasaki was truly formidable; no wonder she was a woman with the courage to confront the legendary Yukinoshita head-on.

"I said I don't care what Hayama does, shouldn't you clean your ears?"

"What?"

"what?"

The final battle! The final battle! The ultimate final battle! It's terrifying, I mean it...

"Okay, okay... Anyway, our team members have decided..."

Yui intervened between the two, trying her best to prevent them from having a direct confrontation.

Ah, I get it. I finally understand why Kawasaki, despite being quite cute, didn't join the Miura Group—because her role overlapped somewhat with Miura's.

I really don't want to go on the graduation trip with these people...

Volume 7, Part 4: In the end, is Ebina Hime really just a fujoshi (a female fan of BL)?

Finally, tomorrow is the day of our graduation trip.

A few of us gathered in the office of the Service Society to conduct a final simulation exercise before departure.

Thanks to the smooth grouping process in the past few days, we have at least achieved our original goal of having Ebina and Tobe travel together.

Although this outcome would naturally occur even if we didn't do anything special, the only difference would be whether I'm in their group or not, but even if I joined, it wouldn't make any difference.

Next, the second plan is to figure out how to showcase Hubu's charm. We'll act as producers, bringing Hubu to the forefront. See? We're the producers!

Therefore, we prepared magazines such as "Jalan" and "Rurubu" (Note 22: travel magazines published by JTB in Japan), as well as food information platforms such as TABELOG and GURUNAVI, and carefully selected suitable tourist spots.

"Then, let's all think about it together!"

Yuihama spread out a whole row of tourist guides and travel magazines on the table.

"Where did you get so much stuff...?"

"Hmm? Some of them belong to Yukino, some I borrowed from the library, and some belong to Hiratsuka-sensei."

The first two pipes are fine, but what's with Ms. Hiratsuka at the end? Could she also be so excited about the graduation trip that she can't sleep... Oh well, whatever.

To be honest, I was really looking forward to this trip to Kyoto. I would have been even happier if it weren't a graduation trip with a bunch of students.

Anyway, I picked up a magazine and flipped through it... Strange, why do these kinds of travel magazines especially like to go for a feminine style, with either red or pink tones? Aren't there any travel magazines with a darker color scheme, with covers that boldly proclaim "A Man's Solo Trip ~Kyoto~" or "The Ten Braves' Conspiracy" or "Reminiscence"—something a bit more stylish?

Back to the main point, I quickly browsed through popular tourist attractions and food listings that seemed to appear repeatedly. I'm going to bravely forge ahead! (Note 23: Yuma Tsukumo's catchphrase from *Yu-Gi-Oh! NEXAL*!)

Normally, when discussing travel itineraries, all group members should gather together to make the decision. However, this time, the girls' group is being planned by Hibin, while I volunteered to take on the task for the boys' group. This will inevitably lead to a fateful scene where "What a coincidence, we chose the same route!" But I don't think anyone will believe it's really that much of a coincidence…

"Their chance encounter in Kyoto sounds like destiny!"

Despite what Yuihama says, where is the destiny in this? You're being far too self-righteous. Stop it! No more romantic gestures! And normally, when the boys happen to run into the girls during their free time, they'll think, "Oh no, we can't let them think we've been following them," so they'll deliberately walk ahead of them or go into alleys that weren't originally on their itinerary. Never underestimate a guy's self-awareness.

However, Yuihama, oblivious to the innocent feelings of a third of the high school boys, continued flipping through the magazine.

"What kind of tourist attractions are good...?"

She muttered to herself, but didn't really study the content carefully, just kept turning to the next page. I've seen that reading method before, it's called speed reading, right?

Yuihama's way of reading travel magazines is entirely based on feeling, which is quite in line with her style, the complete opposite of Yukinoshita, who reads every word carefully, as if reading a book of text.

"Hmm... It's still the season for autumn leaves to turn red, so Arashiyama and Tofukuji Temple should be ideal. If we go to Tofukuji Temple, Fushimi Inari Shrine isn't far away either."

"You even know the location so clearly... Have you been there before?"

Hearing my question, Xue Zhixia looked puzzled.

"no."

"Otherwise, did you specifically check?"

"It's my first time going to a place, so of course I need to do my research first. Besides, it's a rare opportunity to go with everyone, so wouldn't it be even better if we could have a great time?"

She said with a smile beneath the snow.

This statement was so positive that I was secretly surprised. Aside from a noncommittal "hmm," I couldn't think of any other reaction.

Yukinoshita has probably been influenced by Yuigahama quite a bit, becoming gentler than before. This change isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if possible, I hope she can always be this gentle, and not so enigmatic. Even now, her words can still sometimes be sharp.

"Ah, look, look! This looks like an energy spot (Note 24: derived from the English word 'power spot,' referring to a special place where energy is concentrated. It is said that visiting energy spots and absorbing the local spiritual energy can heal the body and mind or bring good luck)!"

"I think it's your own idea to go..."

The three of them were flipping through magazines, occasionally interspersed with trivial chatter. Suddenly, someone knocked on the office door, but because the person knocked so softly, we missed hearing it several times.

Knock, knock—the knocking sounded again.

"Please come in."

The owner of the club office—Yukinoshita—responded.

"Excuse me." The other person accidentally bit their tongue.

The office door slowly opened, and a young girl walked in.

She had shoulder-length black hair and wore red-rimmed glasses. Behind the thin lenses were a pair of clear eyes, and her features and body were rather petite. If she were sitting at the library counter, she would surely be a pleasing sight.

"Huh, hibiscus?"

With a click, Yuihama stood up from her seat, and Ebina noticed her presence.

"Ah, Yui. Hello, hello~"

"Hi-lo~"

...Hmm? Is this how some tribe greets people? Miura probably has to greet them this way too. I didn't know her life was so hard.

"Hello, Yukinoshita-san and Penguin-san~"

"Hello there."

I responded in the tone of an NHK program guest, and Yukinoshita remained calm.

"Long time no see. Come, please make yourself at home."

At Yukinoshita's invitation, Ebina picked a chair nearby and sat down, curiously looking around the office.

During the summer club training camp, she worked with us to help resolve Rumi Tsurumi's problems, so she should have some understanding of the activities of the Service Club.

"Oh, so this is the Service Club~"

After she murmured this, she turned back to face the snow directly in front of her.

"I'm here...because I have something I'd like to ask..."

So she had a request. I couldn't help but wonder what Ebina wanted to consult. After all, I never thought she was the kind of person who would have worries or even seek help for them; I just found her personality unexpectedly unpredictable.