My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 230

"Hachiman, I've never believed in Santa Claus from the beginning! There's no such thing as Buddha, Santa Claus, or girlfriend in this world!"

The wood-carrying man raised his clenched fist high.

"Okay, okay, I understand how you feel, but why tell only me... Shouldn't such an important discovery be shared with everyone?"

We cannot deny that the existence of a "girlfriend" is so ambiguous, not much different from that of gods, Buddhas, or Santa Claus. For this reason alone, what Zai Mu Zuo says is worth listening to.

Most of the people present had never believed in Santa Claus since childhood, and Yuihama laughed a little embarrassedly.

"Haha... Everyone figured it out a long time ago. I believed it until I was in third grade!"

Komachi then laughed.

"Yui-neechan, really!"

"Haha, that's right~ when I was little, I was probably a bit slow-witted..."

Actually, it's not just when you were a child, you're still a bit dim-witted even now—just as she was about to say that, Komachi's eyes lit up and she put on an endearing smile.

"No, no, no, Santa Claus really exists! That's a bonus for Komachi."

"Here it comes again—that dark smile!"

Komachi remained unaffected, her eyes still sparkling.

"Forget it, I've seen that smile of hers hundreds of times... As for you guys, you should hurry up and end this topic. Maybe some of you still believe in Santa Claus... like Totsuka."

"That's right! Xiao Cai has a very good chance!"

I glanced in the direction of Totsuka, and he quickly waved his hand in denial.

"N-No, I don't believe in Santa Claus anymore. But... I really wish he really existed. Hehe..."

Komachi inadvertently met Totsuka's shy smile and leaned back involuntarily.

"Wow, so bright! Totsuka-nii is so dazzling!"

"I'm going to become light! ~~ ...

Even the woodwork stand that caught a glimpse of Totsuka was in agony. Honestly, it's clear you weren't prepared at all. This level of light is nothing out of the ordinary for Totsuka.

"Forget it, I'm not going to become any kind of light. I can't become light, so I'll just become Santa Claus in Totsuka."

“What are you talking about…”

Yukinoshita tossed her hair, exclaiming in disbelief, "Ah! Oh no! I tried to appear calm, but before I knew it, I had completely turned into light..."

"Back to the main point. With a space this spacious, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and not know where to begin."

Yukinoshita said, looking around. "Indeed, you're terrible with directions..."

Komachi also fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

"Hmm... I wonder what kind of gifts everyone would like to buy?"

"I'd like to buy some small items, or household goods... What about you?"

The timber support unexpectedly responded, proposing the following:

"When it comes to Christmas, of course you have to buy toys. And when it comes to toys, it's definitely 'R' Us!'!"

"Wow. Their advertising lyrics are great, they really resonate with me."

"How is it sung?"

Since Totsuka asked, I'll try humming a few lines. Hmm... I vaguely remember it going like this...

"I really want to be a little kid, hmph hmph hmph hmph, hmph hmph hmph? Wait, something doesn't seem right. Is it meow? Meow meow meow~ I don't want to be an adult~ I really don't want to work..."

After only a few lines, the atmosphere seemed to turn somber. "Huh, that's strange, is their advertising jingle really that gloomy?" Totsuka shared the same question, his smile froze.

"Is that how it's sung...? He barely sang any lines, but he remembered the last few lines very clearly, which is pretty impressive... Ah, there's a Toys "R" Us over there by chance."

"Hmm, let's go in then."

"Oh, great! I'm starting to get excited."

The boys seemed very interested, while Bin made no attempt to hide his disgust.

"Huh? Are you serious?"

Komachi took her hand and comforted her:

"Okay, okay~ Maybe there are party props inside, it wouldn't hurt to take a look!"

"Hmm, what you said makes a lot of sense. I wonder if there are any firecrackers here."

Yukinoshita thought for a moment and nodded. Totsuka followed suit.

"Hmm, let's go in and take a look."

So, the group followed Totsuka into Toys "R" Us.

...Speaking of which, the fact that Yukinoshita actually thought of buying firecrackers shows how much she's looking forward to the upcoming Christmas party...Well, that's a good thing too.

× × ×

The interior of Toys "R" Us was specially decorated, exuding a strong Christmas atmosphere; coupled with the dreamlike feel unique to toy stores, it had become a miniature kingdom of dreams and magic. Yui, who had previously seemed uninterested, cheered with delight upon seeing the scene before her.

Toy stores really do bring back a childlike heart. I sincerely think: I really don't want to be an adult, I really don't want to work…

The group strolled through the cheerful space and spotted a familiar figure. The person was squatting in front of the plastic model merchandise shelf.

It's Hiratsuka-sensei.

I couldn't help but let out a mournful "woof". Hiratsuka-sensei noticed the noise and turned around to speak.

"Huh? Hikigaya..."

"Hiratsuka-sensei..."

"Ah, it's the teacher."

"Oh, are you together?"

Yuihama and the others who were following behind also noticed Hiratsuka-sensei.

"Teacher, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well, this... it's work."

No, no, no, it's obvious you're lying... Not only did you stammer, but you were also sweating profusely despite the weak heating in the shop. Despite this, Yui looked at her with childlike innocence and said:

"Oh, really—teachers work so hard. And it's a rare Christmas holiday..."

"Ugh! Hmm... Yes, yes. Anyway, it's work... This is also part of student tutoring. If some students go too far during winter break and cause any problems, we'll be in a lot of trouble. Ugh—it's unbearable—it's all because of work, I don't even have time for myself anymore~ It seems that soon, even dinner conversations will be tainted by work~ Ah, ha, ha, ha..."

"The teacher's eyes weren't smiling at all..."

Hiratsuka-sensei let out a hollow, dry laugh, and Totsuka gave her a timid look. After the laughter continued for a while, the teacher seemed to have an epiphany and suddenly regained her composure.

"...Anyway, I'm here to work. What about you?"

"We're having a Christmas party later, so we came here to buy some things first. Oh, by the way, if it's convenient for Hiratsuka-sensei, would you like to come?"

Faced with Yuihama's invitation, the teacher crossed her arms and closed her eyes to think.

"Hmm... it wouldn't be good if you guys went too wild, so I'll just be an uninvited guest. Anyway, I don't have any plans for today..."

Komachi looked puzzled when she heard the last muttered remark.

"What happened to the job you promised...?"

"Komachi, don't ask questions, be sensible."

I gently put my arm around Komachi's shoulder to stop her. Fortunately, Ms. Hiratsuka didn't hear me and happily started looking at the nearby shelves.

"I feel so much better now that I've made the decision! Hachiman, look! There are so many fun toys here!"

Yukino looked at Hiratsuka-sensei and murmured to herself:

"He suddenly became so energetic..."

"I guess I've completely come to terms with it..."

Well, it's good to be able to adjust my mood quickly, right? I've decided to look at Hiratsuka-sensei positively. She herself took one item after another from the shelf, happily saying to me:

"Hachiman, how about mini 4WD cars? You'll get hooked on them when you're older! There's also BJ45, HYPER YO-YO, Beyblade... But I'm still a Transformers fan—no, I can't give up the Beastmaster series either... Oh, and card games too. How could I forget that?"

The long list of names provided by the teacher resonated with us boys, so Cai Muzuo quickly took the bait.

"Hmm. The Precious Memories card series, released by Movic, features a large number of gold-foil autographed cards and brand-new illustrations, and is currently on sale!"

"Why are you suddenly helping me advertise...?"

Since the woodwork stand was performed so skillfully, I was at a loss for words. Totsuka, however, nodded in agreement.

"However, the cards are really fun, I used to play them all the time... Everyone should follow the rules and have fun dueling!"

"You're not thirsty enough! (Note 74: A catchphrase of Sasaki Kojiro from the card game *Duel Master*. The voice actor for Sasaki Kojiro is the same as Yoshiteru Zaimoto in the anime.) But boys should play with Chogokin! Become light! (Note 75: A line from Shishio Kaito in the robot anime *Chōgokin Soul* series. The voice actor for Shishio Kaito is the same as Yoshiteru Zaimoto.)"

"Hey, stop messing around. Hearing you yell like that makes even me want it..."

Because the wooden stand looked so cool, I couldn't help but lean forward and examine the toys on the shelf.

As for the girls, they simply stood a few steps away, watching coldly.

"Sigh...boys just like those kinds of things."

"Because boys are all like children who never grow up."

Yuihama murmured helplessly, while Komachi tried to comfort her.

"Why is Hiratsuka-sensei with them too...?"

Although Yukinoshita was puzzled, it wasn't surprising. After all, she was Hiratsuka-sensei. There's nothing surprising about this world.

A few of us boys, along with Mr. Hiratsuka, continued browsing the items on the shelf. Just then, Hiratsuka tugged at the sleeve of my coat (so cute).

"Hey, Hachiman, look! There are so many Gunpla over here!"

The area Totsuka was looking at was filled with Gundam model toys.

"Oh, really. You like Gunpla?"

I feel like this is somewhat different from my usual impression of him. I don't need to elaborate on Totsuka's appearance, and given that he's in a sports club, he shouldn't be interested in this kind of thing.

When he heard me ask that, he lowered his gaze to the ground and whispered shyly:

"...Yes, I like it."

"...I love it too!"

"what?"

He was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at me. Oh dear, my hormones have gotten out of control. I need to correct myself quickly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I didn't hear you clearly, so I blurted out something strange. Excuse me, could you please say it five more times?"

"Hachiman! Wait a minute!"

Fortunately, the woodworker grabbed my shoulder in time to stop me, and I came back to my senses.

That was too dangerous! It was one thing for Totsuka to blush slightly and look away shyly, too embarrassed to speak, but now, with his head tilted to one side, his wide-eyed, innocent face a mixture of confusion and surprise, he was just too adorable. As a result, he accidentally blurted out something strange. I gave Zaimokuza a look of thanks, only to see him fiddling with his phone, adjusting his glasses, and saying:

"I'll prepare the recording equipment immediately; you're in charge of buying time!"

"Oh, leave it to me!"

Zaimokuza is so reliable! If it were me, I would never have thought to record Totsuka's voice and listen to it morning and night, every day, even setting it as an alarm! This guy is just too disgusting. But I like it! But it absolutely cannot be distributed! I can only keep it to myself!

As I tried to find a topic to talk about to buy time, I was interrupted by Komachi's sigh. Tsk, operation failed!

"Oh my god, those two are terrible—but my brother used to play these things all the time."

She picked up a box of Gunpla models and said this.

"Yes, and you often break them... Oh well, it's the eldest son's fate."

I'm not exaggerating, but almost everyone with younger siblings has experienced the pain of having their painstakingly crafted models ruined. Besides that, game saves are easily corrupted. Accidentally kicking the console and losing the Adventure Book is commonplace. Sometimes, save files saved specifically to revisit a scene also suffer the fate of "someone wanted to start over, and it accidentally disappeared!" It makes me silently shed a few tears.

The painful memories were still vivid in my mind, but thankfully Totsuka's sweet voice brought me back to reality.

"Has Hachiman ever played with model kits? I have too. My dad likes model kits too."

"Oh, that's a bit unexpected."

I had assumed that he must have been raised to be both dignified and elegant, which is why I was somewhat surprised to learn that he was influenced by his father-in-law—or rather, his father.