My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 379

The tea, tables, and chairs were different from before. Even the classrooms weren't the same.

I am currently being held captive in the student council office, with someone watching me closely, forcing me to produce this column. It is because the club office's electric heater has not yet been repaired that Isshiki "provided" this student council office as a place of confinement.

I glanced out the window; it was already sunset. Since my phone, which I usually used as a watch, had been confiscated, I couldn't even check the time. My gaze swept across the office, and I noticed the desk clock pointing to a grim number.

Since the deadline is tomorrow, I haven't stepped out of the student council office since I was taken there immediately after school.

Oh no, this is terrible... I can't write anything... I have absolutely no hope of being able to submit my work on time...

Even if I frantically type on the keyboard, trying to squeeze out two or three paragraphs, I end up deleting the whole thing halfway through because I'm not satisfied. This has happened repeatedly. Oh no, oh no, I'm really going to be late!

I was hunched over the table, struggling desperately, while Isshiki watched with disgust. She shook her head, her expression as if she had accidentally seen something she shouldn't have. Just then, she suddenly realized something and reached into her coat pocket to rummage around.

"Senior, here's your phone."

She took out my phone and handed it to me.

However, a phone call on the eve of the deadline is definitely not a good thing. Ultimately, if things could be produced simply by urging, then anime wouldn't need recap episodes, and release dates wouldn't be delayed because of the author.

So, when a call comes in this situation, you need to confirm who is calling and then put it away. Otherwise, what's the point?

"...Who is the other party? An editor?"

When Isshiki heard what I said, he sighed helplessly.

"He even asked if it was the editor calling. I think the senior is really pushed to the limit... Let me see... The screen shows 'Mom,' so it must be his mother calling."

"...The editor's mother? She actually mobilized the whole family to monitor me..."

"No, why did it turn out like that? It's probably because of my senior's mother."

"Oh, I see. I'll call back later. It's fine to leave it."

"Oh, really?"

Yise gave a brief reply, put my phone back in her pocket, and began flipping through what appeared to be settlement documents, occasionally picking up a stamp to stamp them.

She started doing her work, which made me realize that I had to get back to work... so I had no choice but to start typing on the keyboard again.

And so some time passed.

Finally, it was time to leave school, and it was already dark outside the window. Before I knew it, Issei seemed to have finished all her work, and the sound of stamping stopped. I glanced at Issei and saw her staring intently at her phone.

I think I'll stop here for today... there's always tomorrow. If I'm just a little more diligent tomorrow, I should be able to finish it smoothly...

The moment this thought crossed my mind, my concentration was immediately interrupted.

"No, I really can't write anything today. Once I get anxious, everything I write becomes unreadable. I think I just need to change my mood, go home and get some sleep."

I made a loud declaration, and Yise looked up from her phone, glancing up at me. She gave me a gentle look that said, "I really can't do anything with you," and sighed softly.

"Well, it's not like it's impossible~"

"Yeah, it's okay if we're a little late~"

Should this be called "the author's pleasure" (Note 31 comes from the technical term "runner's high," which refers to the feeling of pleasure that arises when the pituitary gland begins to secrete endorphins after more than 30 minutes of aerobic exercise)? The excessive pressure of the deadline, the fatigue caused by continuous work, and the mysterious excitement of escaping reality made me laugh out loud.

The next second, Ise's face darkened.

"...Huh, is it too late?"

"No, no, it's better to say..."

Actually, this is just a column of a few thousand words, and with a little effort today and tomorrow, I feel it's not impossible. However, considering that even spending several hours today would only yield a few hundred words, finishing it will likely be difficult.

I was about to explain to Isshiki, but before I could even open my mouth, Isshiki had already covered his head.

"This is troublesome... Wait—'Don't know yet'? The situation is definitely not good, is it?"

Isshiki, who was lying on the table and sobbing softly, slowly looked over, her eyes seemingly glistening with tears. She murmured to herself, "Funding... early bird... extra expenses... budget overrun... income and expenditure settlement..." Her body trembled incessantly.

Seeing her reaction, I finally understood what was going on. The estimated budget amount was based on the premise that we could catch the early bird plan, and it was already written in the settlement report.

Of course, the content of the report should be able to be modified.

Ultimately, however, it all stems from a guy named Hachiman Hikigaya who confidently agreed to write a column, thinking he could solve it in no time, saying things like, "It'll be finished in no time, don't worry," and then dragged it out until now. One really shouldn't be too arrogant…

"...Hmm, that's not good... Hmm. I... I'll try again."

"R-Really? Please, senpai..."

Iroha, her eyes brimming with tears, looked up at me. The Iroha before me no longer wore her usual carefully crafted facade; instead, she revealed a more childlike face beneath the mask. Since I'd seen her like this, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it…

The deadline that absolutely cannot be broken is fast approaching.

× × ×

Honestly, I'm not good enough anymore. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that to scare people, but I mean it.

A few hours later, a very ordinary bell will ring.

That will be the bell that announces the deadline.

An editor with extremely small breasts will be coming over, so please be careful.

After she arrives, there will be a period of peace, after which my demise will come. (Note 32 is from the last letter written by Chise, the female protagonist of "Final Weapon Girl," to Shuuji, the male protagonist, which sparked a wave of adaptations on Twitter.)

I let my mind wander, and those scenes started popping into my head.

The deadline that I absolutely could not break had left me completely exhausted. The next day after school, I still borrowed the student council office and locked myself inside to continue working.

After promising to write to Isshiki yesterday, I mustered my energy and tried again for a while, but my stamina was already like a toad in the wind, so I decided to go home. Back home, I continued writing, and even managed to squeeze out a few things on my phone during class, but I still couldn't see the end.

And so, I sat alone in the student council office, gazing at the setting sun outside the window. Unsurprisingly, my writing assignment remained stagnant.

This is terrible... I sat in front of the computer but couldn't type a single word; I could only tremble violently. Just then, someone knocked on the office door.

"Hey, how's the manuscript coming along?"

Yuihama walked in, speaking as she did so. It seemed she was there to check on the progress.

"...If I were to make a conservative estimate, it would be around 70%."

"Oh, really, that'll be quick!"

"...the unfinished parts."

Upon hearing me whisper my addition, Yui immediately let out a wail of "Eek—". (Note 33 is a catchphrase of the character "Hiei" from the game *Kantai Collection*, whose voice actress is the same as Yui's.) Seeing myself in such a sorry state, I was about to wail too…

Seeing my dejected look, Yuihama came over and patted me on the shoulder.

"Keep it up! You'll make it! I'll be here with you, working alongside you!"

Given the current situation, I can only interpret it as "I need to keep a close watch on you"...

Normally I would refuse any work that involves being monitored, but today is different. If I can't maintain this level of focus, I might just quit altogether. Of course, if this were a part-time job, I would have already quit, but with Isshiki and Yui watching my every move, I can't just quit. I have the pride of a man, you know…

I rallied my spirits and continued working on the half-finished manuscript. I moved the cursor to the last edited section and squeezed out a few lines, only to be met with another wave of despair. Every time I saw the blank spaces in the text, it reminded me of reality: compared to the time I spent writing, the amount of words I produced was far too little.

Less than 20% has been completed in a day. Completing the remaining 80% within the remaining time is, from a physics perspective, impossible; if it were possible, the laws of the universe would surely be thrown into chaos! (Note 34: From the message delivered by the Demon King at the end of the game *Sky Warrior V*.)

Ugh... My heart can't take the blow of reality. Just then, I heard a sound completely different from my typing. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw Yui holding a red ballpoint pen in one hand and typing on a computer with the other.

"……What are you doing?"

I asked a question, and Yuihama tucked the red pen behind her ear and turned to look at me.

"Hmm? Well, I'm calculating the total cost. This statistic looks a bit haphazard."

"Isshiki is definitely not someone who keeps careful accounts..."

"Ah, that's true... It's alright, Yukino and I will make sure to handle this part well!"

Yuihama said with a wry smile, a smile that gave off an older sister vibe. She was also taking care of Isshiki, her junior, in her own way.

The problem is, that cute junior only brings trouble into the club office. Speaking of which, her first visit to the Service Club was a real nightmare…

However, that's probably just how work is.

Someone told a colossal lie and turned it into reality, creating numerous jobs for everyone. Society calls this liar a "producer." In this analogy, Isshiki possesses many producer-like qualities. So, regarding this particular commission, Yukinoshita is the director, and Yuigahama is the assistant director. As for me, not only this time, but always before, I've been a loser office worker, barely scraping by on low-level assignments.

I decided to accept my fate and become a junior employee, returning to the computer. However, I just kept typing and deleting, without making any progress whatsoever.

In the end, I spent more time gazing at the sunset outside the window or watching the clock than staring at the computer screen.

As time went by, my spirits were gradually pushed to the brink, and coupled with the fatigue from sitting in front of the computer for long periods, I couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.

"Are you okay?"

Yuihama probably heard the sigh, got up and came to my side, peeking at me with a worried look on her face.

Her face was so close, as if I could reach out and touch it, and I could hear her breath clearly. I accidentally made eye contact with her, and without thinking, I pretended to stretch my neck and shoulders, turning my face to the side.

"In terms of progress, it's not going very well..."

I mumbled a few words to try and distract myself. Suddenly, a weight pressed down on my shoulders.

"If it's really too late, we'll deal with it when the time comes."

I turned around and saw Yuihama's delicate hand on my shoulder, her slender fingers gripping the cuff of her coat tightly.

"I will also apologize, and I think Isshiki will understand. After all, this whole thing was a mess from the start."

"To be honest, it was a bit reckless."

As I spoke, I twisted my body, trying to distance myself from Yui, but she didn't remove her hands; instead, she gently patted my shoulder.

"The autistic man hasn't done anything wrong. Even if you just leave him here and do nothing, no one can blame you. Besides, it's not like he absolutely has to do it."

Yuihama's words surprised me somewhat. Because, in all the commissions the Service Society has ever accepted, Yuihama has never approached them with a negative attitude.

I couldn't help but turn back to look at Yuihama and saw a gentle smile on her face.

"I don't really like things that make you work so hard."

"You, that's a bit cunning of you to say."

I blurted out those words without thinking, the sound so gentle that even I knew it clearly. I guess I was just too weak. If someone were to pat my shoulder while speaking in such a soft tone in my ear, anyone would feel their shoulders go limp.

At the same time, I also felt a surge of power.

I haven't yet had the optimism to hear such words from a wonderful girl before giving up everything I've already shouldered. The more gentle and sweet words are bestowed upon me, the less I can rely on them. Therefore, no matter how foolish the matter or how unreasonable the request, I cannot easily give up.

"Cunning, huh...?"

Yui stopped tapping her shoulders and slowly slid her hands down.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant."

Using "cunning" to describe someone willing to worry about me seems somewhat inappropriate. I turned my chair around to face Yui, frantically trying to figure out the best way to explain, but before I could speak, she nodded vigorously and said:

"...Hmm! Maybe I really am cunning!"

Yuihama seemed to have figured something out, and said with a cheerful smile. I didn't understand what her answer meant at first, so to avoid making her misunderstand, I slowly opened my mouth:

"That's not what I meant. 'Cunning' here refers to a positive aspect..."

Then, Yuihama gently shook her head, interrupting me as I was speaking.

"I'm probably really cunning... I've never been able to stop you properly, nor have I been able to help you properly. And... there's so much more."

Perhaps because she was thinking as she spoke, she stammered a little. However, those were truly her heartfelt words. Maybe she also had emotions she wanted to hide, just as she turned her head away, concealing her true thoughts with a shy smile.

Even so, Yuihama still intended to convey that feeling. She looked directly at me.

"So... next time I encounter something like this, I'll definitely face it properly."

Her expression was sincere, each word uttered slowly, carrying a vague ambiguity yet a genuine feeling. One day, everyone will face this seriously—or rather, must face it seriously. Although I don't know exactly what constitutes "facing it seriously." I believe everyone is vaguely pondering this matter.

Of course, I'm no exception. So, I should focus on finishing what's in front of me first. I turned back into my chair and continued facing the computer.

"It's not your fault. It's all been my own doing that led to this. You weren't wrong for not stopping it. If anyone's really at fault, it's the guy who made promises without thinking, right? So, um... I'll figure something out."

"...I see. Well then, good luck!"

After Yui finished speaking in a lively voice, she gave my back a hard push.

× × ×

Ugh! I want to go home! I don't care anymore! I don't care about writing or proofreading! I can't stand being chased by deadlines and locked up writing anymore! I'm quitting all work and writing! (Note 35 is a line from the character "Alyssa" in the game "Tales of Zestiria".)

I screamed "Waaah!" and slumped onto the table. I was the only one in the student council office now, so I could yell and scream all I wanted.

After I handed the semi-finished product to Yuihama for printing and asked her to take it to Yukinoshita, my concentration completely failed.

Sigh, I've finally managed to get about 80% of the work done, even though it was a lot of encouragement from Yui. I think I've done my best.

However, I still had no idea what to write for the remaining 20%, and just slumped back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. Ugh—why isn't inspiration coming soon—I want to get rid of this job permanently as soon as possible—