My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 319

She was relieved after hearing what I said. I said, "Teacher, please don't be so ambiguous; it might cause misunderstandings."

"Phew, that's great. You gave me quite a fright."

Ms. Hiratsuka smiled happily and turned her chair around to face us.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Isshiki-kun, please explain."

"Huh? Shall I explain?"

Isshiki was completely taken aback when he was called out.

"Aren't you in charge?"

"Well……"

Under Yukino's sharp gaze, she immediately let out a groan. I began to consider whether I should help, but Isshiki stepped forward first and spoke:

"Actually, we have something we'd like to discuss with the teacher..."

"Well, go ahead."

She explained the entire preparation process, the current project proposal, and the current funding issues. Any omissions or unclear points were filled in by me and Yukinoshita.

After explaining most of it, Hiratsuka-sensei leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg.

"So, you think the budget is the top priority...?"

"Yes."

After I responded, the teacher nodded and told us:

"It seems you don't really understand what Christmas is."

"what?"

I looked puzzled. At that moment, Hiratsuka-sensei seemed to have thought of something and tapped her palm.

"I'll show you what I'm made of."

She grabbed the handbag that was on the table, rummaged through it for a while, and then took out something.

"Clang clang—"

It turned out to be several pieces of paper I'd never seen before. The pieces of paper were covered in creases and folds; upon closer inspection, they looked like admission tickets for some kind of place.

"Texas Disneyland ticket voucher..."

Yukino recognized it at a glance. After she said that, I looked at it more closely and found that there was indeed a small Johnny the panda printed on it.

Oh, I see. This is what the Disneyland ticket voucher looks like... By the way, Disneyland is known as a "dreamland," so their tickets aren't called tickets, but rather "passports." Such attention to detail!

"Wow……"

Yuihama let out a soft gasp as she looked at the voucher the teacher held up high.

"Excuse me, what does this mean? And there are four more..."

Upon hearing her question, the teacher abruptly dropped the voucher in her hand and chuckled. I had a bad feeling.

"Oh, I won this at a wedding banquet, and I won it twice... So the MC told me twice, 'If one round isn't enough, you can go a second round!'"

I almost couldn't hold back my tears.

Wait a minute! What does this mean? Since it's Ms. Hiratsuka, she'll definitely go four times herself, then realize that Disneyland is actually quite fun, and then pay for a fifth trip, right? Who knows, maybe by the sixth time, I'll even go with her. I'm serious, please, someone marry her quickly, or things will really get very bad.

I held back my tears as I looked at Ms. Hiratsuka, but somehow, a cigarette appeared in her mouth, and she kept biting the filter.

"These tickets are for you to go and observe. The Christmas atmosphere there is really great, and it should be helpful. Plus... you can relax a bit."

The teacher smiled at us.

That makes sense. We have nothing to do anyway, so going to Disneyland for research and relaxation isn't entirely a waste of time.

But to be honest, wouldn't it be more practical to sell these vouchers for cash? — Just as I thought this, Yui and Isshiki next to me immediately cheered "Whoa!" Seeing their reaction, I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"Really? Thank you, teacher!"

Although Isshiki was quite excited, I couldn't feel happy and accidentally blurted out the reason why I didn't want to go.

"Why choose such a crowded time...?"

"Indeed, I don't really like it either..."

Yukinoshita also dislikes crowded and noisy places, and nodded in agreement with my opinion.

Conversely, some people present enjoyed the lively atmosphere. For example, Yuihama was quite dissatisfied with our reaction.

"Huh—what's the big deal? Let's go together!"

"Don't underestimate Disneyland in winter; the wind in the coastal area is freezing cold."

"There are so many people, and you have to wait in line for a long time."

I explained my reasons for opposing the agreement to Yukino, but Yuihama still refused to give in.

"Hmm... Ah! Johnny the Panda is in it! 'Johnny the Panda's Bamboo Hunt'! Didn't you say we could go when we watched the DVD?"

Yukinoshita reacted to the keyword "Johnny the Panda" by turning her face away with an extremely unnatural, rusty-looking movement.

"...You can go there anytime; there's no need to choose the busiest time."

Yui seized the opportunity and pressed on to persuade her.

"Don't say that! Doesn't it become a Christmas-themed show during Christmas? Like 'Ghost School,' isn't that one?"

"No, this year's 'Johnny the Panda Bamboo Hunt' maintains the same design, and it hasn't changed much in any previous year. It's a ride that has always focused on its world-building."

Yukinoshita's eyes suddenly lit up, and she retorted in a tone more stern than usual. She definitely couldn't tolerate Yui's half-baked understanding of Johnny the panda...

Yuihama was so intimidated by her imposing presence that she couldn't speak. Isshiki took a few steps back, while Hiratsuka-sensei watched with great interest. Although I knew Yukinoshita liked Johnny the panda, I was still a little frightened by her and subconsciously murmured:

"You really know that much..."

"This is just basic common sense."

Despite saying this, Yukinoshita turned her face away. She was probably embarrassed by her excitement, her cheeks gradually flushing red. Come to think of it, what country is that basic common sense from? The Land of Dreams?

Despite being completely refuted, Yuihama was still undeterred and tugged at Yukinoshita's sleeve, pleading:

"Go ahead—"

"Absolutely not."

Because Johnny the panda had made things worse, Yukinoshita's attitude hardened, and Yuihama's voice grew weaker. She gripped her sleeves even tighter.

"...I wanted to go with Yukino. I haven't had a chance lately, and now it's finally..."

Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita suddenly lowered her head.

Previously, she had never been able to resist Yuihama's requests, but today she just hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

...Things were not that simple after all.

I deeply feel that what is lost can never be regained.

Yukinoshita, Yuihama, and I were all unable to gauge the appropriate distance between each other.

Good heavens, these people are so difficult to deal with—okay, I admit the most difficult one is myself. Since I was the one who made things this way in the first place, I should now take responsibility for cleaning up the mess.

I scratched my head and rattled off all my knowledge about Disneyland.

Don't underestimate my knowledge of Chiba. I'm the kind of guy whose mind races the moment Chiba is mentioned, and the same goes for Tokyo Disneyland. Once you're in my shoes, when asked "Is Disneyland in Tokyo or Chiba?", you'll answer without hesitation, raising your voice an octave higher: "Of course it's the Land of Dreams, HAHA♪" By the way, the standard answer to that question is Chiba.

After racking my brains for a while, I came up with a great idea.

"souvenir."

"what?"

Yukinoshita didn't quite understand what I meant.

"They'll probably release some Johnny the Panda themed merchandise, right? I'm thinking of going over there and picking something out as a gift for Komachi..."

If it were just regular merchandise, I dare say Yukino already has it all; using the excuse of seasonal limited editions and choosing a gift should be able to convince her to some extent.

Yuihama understood my intention and immediately showed a happy expression.

"Ah, that sounds great! Let's all go and choose!"

She grasped Yukinoshita with both hands, and Yukinoshita finally gave up resisting, helplessly drooping her shoulders.

"...Since you put it that way, I have no choice but to play along."

"Um!"

Yukinoshita's lips curled slightly as she looked at Yuihama's innocent smile. Then, she turned her face away, her expression turning serious as she asked:

"Does Komachi like Johnny the panda?"

"Huh? Hmm... Hmm."

"I had no idea. Well, it might not be so easy to pick out a gift for her..."

She seemed to have found someone who liked Johnny the panda, and appeared quite happy.

Oh no! Helping Komachi pick out a gift was just a made-up excuse… When I get home today, I'd better make Komachi brush up on her knowledge of Johnny the Panda. No, there won't be a problem. Since it's Komachi, she'll definitely find a way to handle things! I believe in you! Even though if Yukinoshita gives you a quiz, you might get it wrong and have to listen to a lecture for half a day, you can definitely do it!

I silently apologized to Komachi in my heart. Just then, I heard someone murmur beside me. I looked over and saw Isshiki pouting and squinting at us.

What do you want?

"Nothing at all."

She turned her face away with a bored expression, but then immediately remembered something and turned her face back.

"So, are you saying the four of us should go?"

Then it dawned on me that the teacher had given us four tickets, meaning the four of us would go together. Thinking about it, I was the only boy, which would probably be very difficult… I'd better get out of there as soon as possible. I gestured to Ms. Hiratsuka with my eyes, but she just grinned.

"That's good, it gives you a good opportunity to gather material."

"Wait a minute, but..."

Just as I was about to continue, Yukinoshita crossed her arms and asked another question.

"I have a passport valid for all years, so you should count one less passport for me."

A year-round pass? Are you serious? Just how often does this person go to Disneyland... a leisurely Disneyland day? Mian~

Upon hearing this news, Isshiki immediately perked up.

"Ah, well then! Should we find one more person? That way we can balance the number of men and women~"

Seeing her smile, I instantly had a bad feeling.

"Who are you planning to contact...?"

"secret."

She raised her index finger and winked at me mysteriously. That look was almost unbearable. But thanks to that, I became even more certain of who she was thinking of.

× × ×

The following Saturday, I left home early in the morning.

Today, our group is going to Tekkaman Disneyland for research. We've agreed to meet at Maihama Station, from where we'll take the train, which takes about twenty minutes. This is the only time Chiba residents are particularly welcome. Also, people from other places often envy us, saying, "Chiba residents all hold their coming-of-age ceremonies at Tekkaman Disneyland, right?" I must say, this only applies to Urayasu City, where Tekkaman Disneyland is located, and has nothing to do with the vast majority of residents in Chiba Prefecture.

As I was thinking, I began to see the Disneyland campus through the swaying tram window.

I couldn't help but let out a soft "Oh..." Although I wasn't particularly interested, seeing the pink and white castle and the amusement park rides shaped like a smoking active volcano still lifted my spirits.

When the train arrived at Maihama Station, I stepped off with excited steps. This station uses the music from Tesco as its departure announcement, and the clock is also uniquely designed. Even before leaving the station, I was already infected by the joyful atmosphere, and no matter how unwilling I was, I couldn't help but feel like I was about to go to Tesco the park.

With a joyful heart, I passed through the ticket gate and quickly arrived at the meeting point, looking around for the others.

"Hey there, you autistic guy—"

Please don't call me that outside of school... I don't even need to look to know it's Yuihama who's speaking. She's wearing a knitted hat with pom-poms and waving big in this direction.

Yuihama was probably so excited that she forgot about the cold. She took off her beige coat and held it in her hand. She was wearing a long knitted sweater, a long scarf, and mittens on her upper body, which looked quite warm. On her lower body, she wore a mini skirt with leggings. She still felt a little chilly, but it seemed to be balanced by the thick ankle boots on her feet.

As for Yukina standing to the side, she was wearing a white coat with the collar turned up to keep warm, black fur gloves, and a tweed scarf around her neck that also looked very warm; her pleated skirt was a bit short, but with the help of black skinny jeans and long boots, she didn't seem to be too cold.

"Oh, you're here so early."

I walked towards the guide map where they were.