My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 217

"but……"

Sagami frowned slightly upon hearing Yukinoshita's words. Having just expressed his resolve, Sagami hesitated to say anything. Senior Meguri continued, picking up where Yukinoshita left off.

How can we get the other party to make concessions?

That's the key point. Neither Yukinoshita nor I have decided on a specific approach yet. I pondered for a moment, when Yuihama timidly raised her hand, so I nodded slightly and urged her to explain.

"Speaking, persuading the other party... or something like that?"

Yuihama said, sounding somewhat unsure. "To be honest, this is indeed the most basic method. However, given the current situation, I don't think this approach will be effective."

"We've talked enough, but the other side still isn't like that..."

We've gone through this countless times, created work schedules, and even adjusted them to accommodate the on-site team.

We made concessions and compromises, but this is the result. The senior student who witnessed everything agreed with me and nodded vigorously.

"Yes. And there's also the issue of everyone's motivation... If we keep nagging, people might lose even more motivation, which would be even more of a problem for us."

When Senior Xun said that, Yui Hama seemed to understand, and then she hummed in agreement, crossed her arms, and looked puzzled.

The word "motivation" really bothers me. Where exactly does their motivation come from?

I have no intention of favoring Sagami, nor do I want to consider Haruka and Yui as companions.

Since neither side is correct, it is necessary to start all over again.

"...Let's just disband the entire production team. Then recruit a new batch of members."

I said that half-jokingly. In other words, I was half serious.

Once things get complicated, nothing we do will make a difference. If we don't intend to give up, then it's best if the other side does. It's an extremely simple theory. Moreover, rather than leaving behind a legacy of trouble, I think starting from scratch is a viable option.

"...Hmm. There might not be enough time."

Senior Sister Xun's forehead wrinkled, and her brows furrowed. Although we still had some time left, we didn't work on Saturdays and Sundays, and as Senior Sister Xun said, recruiting members from scratch might not be enough time. I knew this approach wasn't realistic. However, with the current members, we still wouldn't be able to finish all the work before the sports meet.

Yukinoshita suddenly spoke.

"It seems necessary to replenish our forces. However, we can't increase manpower for every project. It's not practical to narrow it down to a few specific projects and carry them out in a purely supportive manner."

"So, this is about replenishing our own combat strength?"

As soon as I spoke, Yukinoshita nodded, then, as if gathering her thoughts, rested her hand on her chin.

"Yes. You can think of it as catching up on the work that was delayed because of the support team on site."

If that's the case, then even if new combat forces can be recruited, the utilization of existing combat forces will still be a problem.

Yuihama, who was listening nearby, seemed to have thought of something and suddenly stretched out her finger.

"In any case, we must think about how to utilize our existing manpower."

"But I don't think they'll cooperate..."

Sagami said this as if he felt apologetic.

"We've also been exploited by the other side because of our biggest weakness: a shortage of manpower."

Yukino sighed, pressing her temples as if in distress.

...A weakness, huh?

That's absolutely true. If we can't replace the entire fighting force, then the cooperation of the on-site team becomes an absolute necessity. If that condition can't be met, we can't exert any effort at all.

In other words, the key to the success of the Games lies in their hands.

That's why the other party's attitude was so tough.

They knew that the whole thing couldn't proceed without their help, so they threatened us with phrases like, "How about I quit?" And this wasn't just the work of one or two people. Those two had aligned their ideas with those closer to them and spread this atmosphere throughout the entire team.

If they flaunt their position of absolute superiority and flaunt their numerical advantage...

Then they are my enemies.

They wouldn't cooperate if we didn't compromise. Their attitude was so arrogant. Who did they think they were? I'm working my butt off like a slave, so why can they just talk back and do whatever they want? Are they looking down on me? Don't underestimate mid-level managers.

I hate when justice goes unpunished, and I despise unreasonable people. I also hate making excuses for these behaviors and compromising with them.

If the other party is unreasonable, we will be even less reasonable. If unreasonable things can be accepted by everyone, then who will bother to reason?

They've taken the Games hostage. They're not just talking; they're demonstrating through their actions that they'll halt preparations if people don't listen to them. Whether they understand what they're doing or not, the situation is what it is.

Therefore, there is only one approach that must be taken.

"Let's use the same method."

"What's the meaning?"

Yuihama tilted her head slightly and looked at me.

"Simply put, this is a war between us and the on-site team for control. They are threatening us with strikes, or rather, sabotage, to get us to agree to their demands, essentially taking the Games hostage."

"...potage."

For some reason, Yui only repeated the second half of the word. Although she put on a pained expression to make herself look like she was thinking, she definitely didn't understand... Sabotage has nothing to do with corn or potatoes, and incidentally, it has nothing to do with homesickness either. Although the pronunciation is similar, the meaning is completely different.

Yuihama froze on the spot, while Yukinoshita frowned as she looked at me. What's wrong? Do you hate it when people beat around the bush?

"Specifically?"

I answered her question with a noun that suddenly came to mind.

"It's something called mutual guarantee of destruction."

Yukinoshita seemed to see through my intentions with just those words, staring at me with wide eyes, and then let out a long sigh.

"Hopeless... I can't believe you came up with this idea. Should I call you a righteously despicable person, or someone whose wickedness is admirable...?"

"Is this a compliment?"

Without thinking, I asked, and Yukinoshita was even more dumbfounded, blinking her eyes repeatedly.

"Hmm, does that sound different?"

"That's totally unlike..."

As soon as I retorted, Yukinoshita changed her attitude and put on a happy expression.

"I think so too. Because I certainly wasn't praising you."

As expected. I thought she was just like always, not good at praising people. Habits really are a terrible thing. However, pretending to praise someone while secretly putting them down—this child's skills in insulting others have certainly improved a lot. If only this improvement could be used in other areas… I would never say that out loud, but I still cursed her in my heart before Yukinoshita chuckled softly.

"However... it's a pretty good trick."

A competitive smile appeared on Yukinoshita's face. Indeed, offense suited her personality better than defense.

"If that's the decision, then there are some preparations we need to make beforehand..."

Muttering to herself, Yukinoshita placed her hand on her chin again, focusing her attention on deep thought. I almost fell for her smile; this girl is truly terrifying…

It was frightening that she was happily plotting her scheme, but it was even more frightening that she could deduce my thoughts from just one word. In fact, everyone else seemed to be confused about the situation, looking bewildered by my interaction with Yukinoshita.

"Hachiman, could you please explain?"

When the senior student asked me a question, I turned to face her.

"What I mean is, we're also taking their sporting events hostage."

"what?"

Sagami seemed to look down on me, staring at me with a surprised expression. This guy is really annoying… your tone is so irritating.

Even so, I can't just whisper in my senior's ear and then say to Sagami, "I won't tell you, Sakae~" That's something only elementary school kids do. That's incredibly annoying and hurtful... If you don't want me to hear, don't deliberately whisper in front of me. Elementary school kids do things that are so monstrous they're unbearable.

I'm not a primary school student anymore. I'm a proper high school student now. So, I put on a show of cleverness and deliberately explained things in a complicated way. I'm not going to honestly tell her everything.

"We made it clear to them that 'we will take away and ruin the sports meet you've been waiting for, and if you don't care, then bring it on.'"

However, my words seemed too roundabout and didn't fully convey the message to the other party. Not only Sagami, but even Senior Megurine was stunned. Incidentally, Yuihama was also stunned to the side.

Senior student and Sagami exchanged glances, their expressions asking each other, "Do you know what he's talking about?" Senior student looked puzzled, while Sagami, perhaps out of pride, was unwilling to ask.

Then, only one person took a step forward.

"...So, what exactly does that mean?"

Yui tugged at my sleeve. "No, your touching my sleeve makes me inexplicably shy. Could you please stop doing that?" I felt a wave of embarrassment and gently shook off her hand as I explained.

"If they secretly demand that we replace Sagami, then we will also demand that they withdraw. If they rely on their numbers and power, then we will simply demonstrate that we have an even stronger backer than them."

If they wield the sword of overwhelming power, we'll wield the same sword too. If they attack with numerical superiority, we'll take up the same blade and strike back.

To put it more clearly...

"If someone offends me, I will retaliate in kind. It couldn't be simpler."

As I added the last sentence, Yuihama tapped her hand.

"I see... I understand now! It seems..."

As Yuihama continued speaking, her voice grew weaker and weaker.

Well, you probably won't understand this kind of thing unless you actually do it once. I called Yukinoshita, who had already sorted out her thoughts, and asked her to confirm the actual battle plan.

After calmly confirming the tasks to be done, I explained the basic principles of the meeting to everyone and discussed the necessary countermeasures with them. Although it wasn't a huge undertaking, preparing small props and such was still essential.

After I finished explaining, Senior Xun exclaimed "Wow—" to express her admiration. Then she stared at me with wide eyes.

"...Huh, what's wrong?"

Because the other person was staring at me, I asked the senior student, but she just shook her head.

"No, it's okay... Hachiman, you really are terrible."

Then, she gave a mischievous smile.

× × ×

While preparing for the next meeting, we also have to juggle other tasks. Regardless of the internal divisions within the committee, the sports meet cannot proceed smoothly unless the decision-making group simultaneously conducts the work of the on-site team.

The following day, we had a long-awaited discussion about the final match.

There are two main topics.

The first is the costumes for the thousand-horse battle. We must come up with ways to cut costs and reduce the workload.

I had a general idea about this after exchanging text messages with Caimuzu a few days ago.

After school, I quickly took action before the meeting began.

If I didn't do that, the target would go home. I moved toward where she was to strike up a conversation, and just then, she finished packing her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

She took a lazy step, and her long, straight black hair, tinged with blue, began to sway. Surprisingly, the thing tied to her head was a handmade hair tie.

As usual, Kawasaki Saki exuded a lazy aura. Her eyes, narrowed as if she were the eldest daughter-in-law in displeasure, were already fixed on the classroom entrance.

I quietly moved closer to Kawasaki, but suddenly didn't know how to start the conversation.

"..."

How should I greet her? "Hi?" sounds a bit too cheerful… I'm not close enough to use "yo" with her. "Um" or "Eh" seems okay, but that might give the impression that I've forgotten her name. Calling her "Kawasaki" directly is a bit risky. I'm not really sure if her last name is actually Kawasaki. Besides, the "saki" in Kawasaki is sometimes pronounced "saki" and sometimes "zaki." It's really easy to get confused. Please, Ministry of Education, standardize the pronunciation!

While deep in thought, I inadvertently uttered a soft "hmm—", which alerted Kawasaki to my presence.

"……ah!"

Kawasaki and I locked eyes, and he let out a scream as if he'd been startled, taking several steps back, his jaw dropping as if he'd encountered a ninja, almost shouting, "Ninja? What ninja?!" No, you're exaggerating...

Seemingly embarrassed by his own reaction, Kawasaki blushed and glared at me fiercely.

"...What?"

"Ah, that."

Being stared at like that, I suddenly found myself speechless. This child is so scary… But judging from her reaction just now, I know she's actually a kind-hearted girl, hmm. I tried to convince myself of this while searching for a useful topic.

"Are you going home?"

When I asked the question, Kawasaki was stunned. Then, she turned her face away and answered softly.

"...Yes, that's right."

"Yeah?"

"……Um."

After Kawasaki finished answering, she silently fiddled with her sleeves, unwilling to look at me. Even so, she didn't seem to intend to end the conversation, quietly remaining where she was.