My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 250

Actually, this isn't surprising. When physical education classes involve teaching specific sports, the relevant clubs are bound to suffer. They have to demonstrate the movements in class and are also expected to prepare equipment and clean up afterward. The phenomenon of having to work outside of scheduled time has become the norm, which is the dark side of these sports clubs. No wonder I often hear the saying that "sports clubs are training grounds for corporate slaves"—mainly in my mind.

So it seems the judo club members were forced to become our babysitters...is that why they looked so gloomy? I'm so sorry~

However, even if I were here to worry about them, I couldn't change this bad habit. I certainly wouldn't skip PE out of pointless sympathy. No one will cover for the Lone Ranger, so he has to attend all classes.

I feel bad for the judo club, but please allow me to cause them some more trouble.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break. I stood up and brushed the sand off my bottom.

"Well then, I'm going back to the classroom."

I turned to leave, and immediately heard the familiar sound of footsteps behind me.

"Hmm, let's go."

Huh, you're coming back with me? When I said "I'm going back to the classroom," didn't that clearly mean "I'm going back to the classroom alone"?

But the wood saddle ignored my questioning look and started to laugh loudly.

"What are you standing there for? Move faster! Move faster, like you're flying! No, that's too slow! I'm going to leave you behind!"

He pointed forcefully to the location of the school building. If translated into plain language, it would roughly be something like this: "What's wrong? Let's go back quickly... Ah, but what if word gets around that we're going back together... It would be so embarrassing..." Thinking this, my anger instantly dissipated. However, I still felt incredibly disgusted.

× × ×

After the afternoon classes, I went to the Service Society office.

Thanks to the progress of the times, Soubu High School has excellent air conditioning and heating systems, so even in the hot summer, students can still attend classes comfortably. However, stepping out of the classroom is a completely different story, not to mention after school.

I walked along the corridor of the special building, my indoor shoes clicking and clattering.

Although it was a sweltering day outside, the deeper I went into the building and the closer I got to the Service Society's office, the cooler I felt. I wondered if it was because the office was located in a shady, well-ventilated area, or perhaps it was the chill emanating from the office's owner? The chill made my back tremble slightly, so it was probably the latter—yes, even my chest felt icy cold! Thinking these completely unimportant thoughts, I opened the office door, and instantly, an even colder gaze shot towards me.

"...Thank you for your hard work."

Faced with Yukino Yukinoshita's intense gaze, I unconsciously panicked for a moment. Strange, why was she angry? Could it be that she received my thoughts from the entire journey? If so, it would ignite a century-long debate about whether Yukinoshita could read minds, or whether I was a SATORARE (Note 36 refers to the manga series *Telepathy*. SATORARE is a fictional disease in the book where all the thoughts of the sufferer are transformed into "thought waves" and transmitted to those around them).

"...Oh, it's Hachiman. Seeing such a lifeless face, I thought an amphibian had wandered in."

"There's nothing I can do, I'm still young and fresh. Just don't tell Hiratsuka-sensei that, she'll definitely mind."

After exchanging greetings as usual, I sat down in my usual seat, which was diagonally opposite Yukinoshita.

Yukinoshita still seemed unhappy, but she didn't say anything more and continued to look down at her paperback.

I knew she was in a bad mood, and it didn't seem to stem from resentment, hatred, or disgust towards me. I could tell because Yukino usually adds a couple of sarcastic remarks, but today she remained completely silent. Come to think of it, haven't I been subjected to far too many of her sharp tongues?

If Yukinoshita isn't unhappy with me, then what is she upset about? Please don't make the atmosphere so tense, okay? Are you some kind of person whose mood is so unpredictable that people in the office are afraid to talk to you?

I had nothing to do today, so I took out a paperback from my bag and browsed through the pages at random, occasionally glancing at Yukinoshita.

"……well."

She was clearly just reading, yet she suddenly sighed. It seemed the book was slowly building up her stress. Strange, was it really that boring? You could choose not to read it…

However, no matter what you say to someone experiencing self-intoxication and stress, they won't listen. Only they can resolve the stress they themselves generate.

I decided to ignore it and continue reading my book. Just as my gaze returned to the book in my hands, the annoying door creaked open again.

"Hi-lo~"

With a greeting as unbearable as midsummer, Yui Yuigahama pattered towards her usual seat.

She's been wearing shorter skirts lately, and her navy blue stockings have gradually been replaced by invisible stockings. Combined with her short-sleeved tops that she insists on rolling up, her summery attire has increased the amount of her exposed limbs—wait, I wasn't staring at her intently. We see each other every day, so of course I could spot this slight change at a glance, that's all. Never underestimate a lone wolf's observational skills.

"It's so hot!"

After Yuigahama sat down, she immediately started fanning herself by pulling at her chest. Hey, hey, hey, can you stop right now? I might accidentally see!

So, despite Yuihama constantly complaining about the heat, she never wears cardigan shirts or polo shirts. It's a bit surprising, really, that she has a soft spot for bow ties.

I tried to look away and refocus on the paperback, but I accidentally pressed too hard and left a crease on the pages that had become soft due to the damp weather.

Oh no, I'll have to use something heavy to flatten the creases afterwards... It's a real pain for a book lover. That's what's so awful about this season.

However, this isn't Yui's fault; I have to bear all the consequences myself. How should I put it… I seem to have seen something I shouldn't have, I'm so sorry~ But since she's one of the reasons I folded the book, even if I'm being unreasonable, I can't help but glare at her resentfully… No, no, no, please don't misunderstand, I definitely didn't want to see Yui fanning herself with her chest out, or discover that her legs were unexpectedly long; it's purely resentment towards her. But anyway, these reasons are utterly terrible.

However, these were all my unfounded worries. Yuihama's attention was entirely focused on Yukinoshita, and she didn't notice my gaze at all.

"Yukino, what's wrong?"

If it were an unrelated person, seeing Yukino's stern face, they certainly wouldn't dare to speak to her; even if we take a step back, it would still be quite difficult to strike up a conversation with Yukino in her normal state.

However, Yuihama is now able to overcome this obstacle.

If it were a while ago, Yuihama would never have asked so many questions, at most she would have said some irrelevant things. Now, she has a way of getting straight to the point, which means that the distance between the two of them has shortened a lot.

Since Yuihama's birthday party, she seems to have kept her distance from Yukinoshita and been less considerate of each other.

When Yui heard Yuihama's question, a slight hesitation flashed across her face as she considered whether to answer, but in the end she decided to speak frankly.

"The humidity has been so high lately that the paper has turned like this..."

"Ugh, the humidity. My hair is all tangled up, it's such a hassle."

Yukinoshita gently stroked her book and sighed, while Yuihama haphazardly combed her hair a few times.

"Tangled together? Mine is the opposite. But the moisture makes the paper curl and stick together so tightly that it's uncomfortable to look at."

"Huh? No way!"

As soon as Yui finished speaking, she immediately got up and walked behind Yukinoshita, ignoring her surprise, and gently stroked her long hair.

"Wow, it's so smooth. But it seems a bit hot."

"...Yuihama-san, what are you doing?"

"Hmm...Found it."

Yuihama took a hair tie out of her pocket and twirled it around her finger.

Next, she took out a comb from her bag and carefully combed Yukinoshita's hair. Then she tidied up her waterfall of black hair and tied it on top of her head.

"Wearing long hair in the summer makes it feel stuffy and hot, doesn't this make you feel much cooler?"

"Huh? Hmm, yeah..."

Yukino hesitated for a moment before answering. She seemed a little flustered, probably unaccustomed to having someone fix her hair. It was quite a rare sight.

"Um... so, why are you doing my hair... Yuihama-san, are you even listening?"

Needless to say, Yuihama didn't listen at all.

Humming a song, she tied Yukinoshita's long hair up on her head, and once it was secured, she was done. However, the way the black hair was piled up looked rather strange, so Yuihama used a hair clip from her breast pocket to tie Yukinoshita's hair into a bun.

"Done! Hehe~ We're a couple now."

She looked at her work and smiled with satisfaction. If you were simply comparing hairstyles, they could indeed be said to be similar.

"Really? To me it looks like a cheap, knock-off bun."

"Hey! Watch your description!"

Yuihama scolded me loudly. She seemed genuinely pleased with her masterpiece.

But even if you want me to pay attention... I can't think of any other way to put it. Isn't this the same logic as how, after the invention of the Tamagotchi, a bunch of other electronic dinosaurs, ducks, cats, and other similar gadgets popped up? Besides that, I really can't think of any other way to describe it.

"...Shouldn't it be acceptable to call it a 'counterfeit'?"

"It's still the same!"

I'm somewhat careful with my word choice, selecting precise and unambiguous terms. But honestly, I really don't know how to put it. They don't need to be distinguished by different color schemes like video game characters (Note 37: When two or more players choose the same character, subsequent characters will have different color schemes for easy differentiation). And their appearance is clearly unlike the originals, yet they insist on imitating them, making them look even more like counterfeits.

"But don't you mind having the same hairstyle as her?"

When it comes to high school students, everyone likes to emphasize "individuality"; and when it comes to fashion trends, girls are especially perceptive. Is this really okay? Or is it that if you level up your ability to read the room to the same level as Yuihama, you'll get the special equipment to fight against Kaneko Misuzu (Note 38: a female children's song poet active from the late Taisho to early Showa period, whose famous line is "Everyone is different, everyone is great").

After thinking for a long time, Bin finally gave an extremely concise answer.

"Well, if the relationship is good, then it won't matter."

Oh, I see... You two have such a good relationship...

Her answer was so simple and honest that it completely dispelled my malice. I sighed softly, stunned, and turned back to look at my book.

At this moment, Xue Shita, who had been left out in the cold, finally had a chance to speak.

"Excuse me... what does my hair look like now?"

Almost forgot, Yukinoshita herself couldn't possibly see Yui's masterpiece. So Yui took a small, square, pink mirror out of her bag and handed it to Yukinoshita.

"Come!"

"Thanks."

Yukino placed the paperback on the table and opened the mirror to check her appearance.

She squinted, an expression of disbelief on her face. After a moment, she silently closed the mirror, maintaining that expression as she looked at Yuihama.

"...Yuihama-san, could you please explain?"

Yuihama blinked in confusion after hearing this.

"Hey, didn't you say you were annoyed by your hair?"

"I'm not referring to the hair, I'm referring to this."

Yukinoshita pointed to the paperback on the table.

"Moisture will make the books damp, and drying them afterwards is a lot of trouble... that's why I find it a bit annoying."

"Ah, I see... I thought it must be hair. Hahaha..."

Yuihama scratched her head and laughed.

The Japanese pronunciation of "paper" and "hair" is the same, no wonder these two are talking at cross purposes. I get it... God, why did you have to make me think of this lame joke? (Note 39: The original text here is "紙と发だけに噛み合つてなかつたんですね". The Japanese pronunciations of "paper", "hair", "噛み" and the "god" in the next sentence are all the same.)

Thinking about it calmly, it actually makes sense. Yuihama hardly ever reads, so when she first heard Yukishita's words, her first thought naturally turned to hair. This is due to their different interests.

On the other hand, while Yukinoshita couldn't be said to be completely uninhibited by trends, she ultimately preferred reading. For book lovers, the summer humidity was truly a disaster. Then there was the sweaty hands, which would crease the paper. Just one drop of sweat on the paper was enough to make one cry out in agony and feel miserable for quite some time.

Yuihama laughed awkwardly for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and quickly stood up.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I'll get it back for you right away!"

"It's alright."

Yukinoshita looked away, but she was actually quite curious about her new hairstyle. She opened the mirror again, looked at herself from left to right, and carefully adjusted the bun on her head.

"...It's cooler this way too."

Unfortunately, as she said that, her face grew increasingly red, and I really couldn't see where she felt cool. However, she seemed quite pleased with the bun hairstyle that matched Yui's.

Yuihama smiled happily and hugged Yukinoshita.

"That's right~"

"So boring..."

Yukinoshita wore an unhappy expression, but it was clearly to hide her shyness. It was I who, upon seeing that scene, felt a complete chill run down my spine…

Now that Yukinoshita has recovered her spirits, I can hand over the club to these two young people, pack my bag, and go home. Alright, let's go!

I put the paperback back into my bag, tiptoed to my feet, and took my first step toward the door...

Knock, knock—what bad timing, someone had to knock on the door at this exact moment.

"Please come in."

Upon hearing the knock, Yukinoshita immediately responded.

"Excuse me……"

After a muffled greeting, the last word barely audible, three imposing boys entered the student union office. One looked like a potato, one like a sweet potato, and one like a taro.

The weather was already hot enough, but they made it even hotter, and my perceived temperature instantly jumped three degrees.

× × ×

Although the three men, standing motionless like large trees, had different appearances, they gave off a similar feeling.

I recognized one of the people who looked like a potato. The other person seemed to recognize me too and asked:

"Ah, uh... you're in PE class..."

"Um……"

I raised a hand in a simple greeting. Yes, he was the kind man who had been my babysitter in judo class. Although he wouldn't change sides like some people do, he was indeed a good person, but unfortunately, I don't remember his name.