My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 88

So, Hayama took a step forward.

"We will provide assistance over the next three days. Please feel free to let us know if you need anything. We hope everyone will have many wonderful memories of this camping trip. We look forward to hearing from you all."

After Ye Shan finished speaking, a round of applause erupted from the audience, and the little girls screamed excitedly. The teachers also responded with enthusiastic applause.

Wow, Hayama is really impressive. He seems quite used to this kind of situation. Nowadays, almost no one can speak to a large group of people without prior practice, let alone cater to children.

Just on this point alone, Yukino should be able to do it too...

"You're supposed to be the president of the company that serves Du, shouldn't you at least say hello first?"

"I don't really like standing in front of so many people."

It's not surprising that Yukinoshita would say that. After all, she's conspicuous without having to do anything, and she's suffered quite a bit because of it. I guess she doesn't like being on the front lines, directly facing the crowd.

"However, I like to step on other people's heads."

……oh.

"Alright, the orienteering activity is now officially starting!"

As soon as the teacher gave the signal, the students quickly divided into groups of five or six. It seems the groups had been decided beforehand, allowing for such a rapid response. For the next few days of camping, everyone will likely be active in small groups.

The elementary school students' grouping shouldn't have any dark side yet; everyone's expression was very cheerful.

It seems the concept of school hierarchy hasn't yet taken shape at this stage. However, once they enter junior high and high school, they'll experience the brutal reality of group activities. Elementary school is practically like a blissful miniature garden (Note 25: creating a miniature garden by filling a small container with sand). Seriously, elementary school students are amazing!

We had nothing to do for the time being, so we decided to get together. The Minister of Revenue looked at the group of elementary school students, tossed his hair, and said:

"Wow, elementary school students are so young! We high school students all seem like old men now!"

"Hey, don't say that, okay? It makes me sound like an old woman!"

"No, I didn't mean that at all, you've misunderstood!"

Under Miura's intimidation, he quickly changed his tune. For a moment, I thought I felt Hiratsuka-sensei's gaze, but it was probably just my imagination? Hmm, I hope it was just my imagination.

"However, even when I was in elementary school, I felt that high school students were like adults."

Totsuka continued the conversation with Tobe, speaking with a nostalgic tone. Komachi, hearing this, touched her chin with her index finger, tilted her head to one side, and said:

"From Komachi's perspective, high school students do seem like adults, except for her older brother."

"Hey, don't I seem more like an adult if I complain all the time, lie a lot, and do dirty things?"

"Brother, adults don't have that kind of thinking pattern like 'The Night of My Fifteenth Year' (Note 26: a song by Yutaka Ozaki, the lyrics of which are based on his experience of running away from home with friends when he was young)..."

"You autistic boy, just how pathetic do you imagine adults to be?"

Komachi and Yuihama completely ignored me, but Totsuka chuckled and tapped me on the back.

"Although I've never seen Hachiman at home, you always seem calm and composed at school, just like an adult!"

"Toto-tsuka..."

I was almost moved to tears when a cold laugh came from beside me.

"That's because no one talks to him, which creates that illusion. To be more precise, it's about loneliness and gloom."

I turned my head and saw a chilling smile on Yukino's lips, so I returned her a similar cold smile.

"...How do you know what I look like in the classroom? Are you a peeping tom? Don't you understand social order laws? Don't you want to live in this society anymore?"

"The imitation is even more accurate than last time..."

Yuihama said with a silly grin. Then, the sound of a dry twig snapping underfoot came from beside her.

"...Who are you imitating?"

It's summer now, but it feels like a blizzard is brewing beneath the snow.

That forced smile was terrifying! I'm so sorry!

Ye Shan, on the other side, looked at us and nodded understandingly.

"Oh, so that girl is Bi Penguin's sister. I was thinking, if she were Totsuka's sister, it doesn't really look like her."

As Hayama spoke, he walked up to Komachi. "Hey, don't come near her!"

"Hello, Komachi. I'm Hayato Hayama, a classmate of Penguin. Nice to meet you."

"Ah, brother, I am very grateful for your care. Please continue to guide me."

Komachi was a little startled and took a step back, hiding slightly behind Yuihama to observe Hayama.

"She can't possibly be Aya's sister, Hayato. It'd be more like she'd be Yukino's sister."

That's just because they have the same hair color...

But Ye Shan shook his head.

"Impossible, because Yukinoshita doesn't have a younger sister."

"Oh, I see... Hmm, how did you know?"

“Well…”

Hayama glanced at Yukinoshita, but Yukinoshita continued to look at the elementary school student and ignored him.

"What should we do now...?"

"Ah, right, I'll go ask Hiratsuka-sensei."

Hayama sensed something was wrong and immediately left the scene.

Yukinoshita definitely has some kind of grudge against Hayama. Although she's never been kind to me, that's more of an "aggression," different from the "rejection" she feels towards Hayama. Could it be an allergy to reality? No, I'm allergic to reality myself. Would taking antihistamines be effective?

After Hayama left, Komachi quietly moved closer to me.

"Brother, something terrible has happened!"

"What's up?"

"If my brother were to face that handsome guy, he wouldn't stand a chance! This is dangerous!"

"Stop making so much noise, mind your own business."

Stupid little sister, coming all this way to report something like this. I never intended to compete with Hayama from the start. As long as he doesn't make any rash moves, I won't have any objections.

However, an unexpected character appeared to finish the job.

"Things might be really serious... Penguin-kun is radiating a submissive aura, and a very weak one at that. If Hayama takes the initiative, you might be completely overwhelmed in no time."

"Oh, I see... I'll be more careful."

Looking back, this was my first conversation with Ebina, but I sincerely hope it never happens again. What do you mean by me radiating light? That's not it at all!

At this moment, Hayama and Hiratsuka-sensei appeared together, and the teacher began to explain the next steps.

"During the orienteering activity, you will need to help prepare lunch and distribute it to the children at the finish line. I will drive there with the lunches and drinks beforehand."

"Can we take a car there too?"

"The car doesn't have that much space, so you'll have to walk there yourselves. Also, remember to arrive before the children."

Since we need to prepare lunch for the children, we definitely need to arrive before them. They've already set off, so we'd better hurry.

× × ×

Orienteering is a sport where participants must pass through checkpoints in a prescribed order, and the competition is to see who can do it in the shortest time. Yes, it is a sport.

This was supposed to be a very exciting competition, with participants carrying maps and compasses and sprinting at full speed.

However, these elementary school students weren't experiencing fierce competition, but rather a more relaxed orienteering activity. They split into groups and entered the mountains, answering questions at various checkpoints marked on a map, competing to see who could answer the most questions correctly and who could finish in the shortest time.

Thinking about it carefully, I realized I've actually participated in a game like this before, but my group was full of idiots who barely answered any questions correctly. Even though I knew the correct answers and tried to tell them, they didn't believe me, so we kept getting them wrong, creating a tense atmosphere in the whole group.

Even during the hottest part of summer, the plateau remains cool. A breeze rustles the leaves.

We didn't need to participate in the race, so we headed straight for the finish line. Along the way, we frequently saw children searching for signs or huddled together trying to solve puzzles on paper.

Everyone looks like they're having a great time, and that's the most important thing.

"come on!"

"Big sister is waiting for you at the finish line!"

As soon as Hayama and Miura spotted the children, they would cheer them on loudly, earnestly playing the role of the camp's older brothers and sisters. Hayama's performance was quite natural, and I was rather surprised that Miura also had this side to him.

"Hayato! Hayato~~ I never thought I'd love kids so much~~ Don't you think they're super cute?"

...It turns out she was just using "cute" as a way to highlight how cute she was.

I also had the idea of ​​pretending to be cute, but if a guy says that, it will just sound like a declaration of being a lolicon, so I gave up on it in the end.

Seeing Hayama and Miura encouraging the children, Tobe, Ebina, Totsuka, and Yuihama joined in and gradually warmed up to everyone.

If we act like friendly older brothers and sisters and show our best side, these children will quickly become friends with us.

We saw groups of elementary school students from time to time, and some groups even appeared two or three times. I didn't look closely at their faces or strike up a conversation, so I don't remember them very clearly. To be honest, I couldn't tell the difference between those elementary school students; they were all equally noisy, restless, and jumping around everywhere.

We encountered a team of five girls on a winding road.

They were lively and energetic, and starting to dress up; their conversations were so loud they almost hurt my ears. I could tell that once they entered junior high, they would become the center of attention for the entire school year. To put it simply, they were the future reality.

For these children, high school students are their idols, especially those who are glamorous like Hayama and Miura.

These elementary school students were quite proactive, chatting with our group almost one-on-one. Of course, not a single child came near me or Yukinoshita. That's right.

They greeted each other first, then moved on to topics like fashion, sports, and junior high school. As they chatted, they even agreed to look for the nearby checkpoint together.

"Okay, we'll only help out a little here, and we need to keep it a secret from the other students!"

As soon as Ye Shan said that, the elementary school students immediately agreed with great enthusiasm.

Having shared secrets is one of the skills for getting along well with others, and I can't help but admire Hayama for it.

These elementary school students were all cheerful and lively, but there was one thing about them that caught my attention.

Most squads consist of five people working together, or split into two smaller groups loosely connected, generally forming a cohesive unit. However, this squad was very unbalanced.

Among these five primary school students, only one was two steps behind the others.

Her limbs were healthy and long, and her straight black hair had a slight purple tinge, giving her a more mature air compared to other children. Her clothing was also very feminine, making her stand out elegantly among the crowd. To be honest, she was really very cute and easily attracted attention.

Despite this, no one else paid any attention to the team member who had left the group.

—No, they all knew. The other four would occasionally turn back to look at her, secretly mocking the girl in whispers only they could hear.

They were less than a meter away from the lone team member, and from an outsider's perspective, it wouldn't be surprising to think they were from the same team.

However, those people were clearly separated by an invisible membrane, forming an invisible high wall.

The little girl had a digital camera hanging around her neck, and she would occasionally fiddle with it with her idle little hand, but she had no intention of picking up the camera to take pictures.

Cameras... When I was in elementary school, digital cameras weren't common. Everyone used disposable or Fujifilm instant cameras. Although I would buy one every time I went on a trip, I didn't have many friends and didn't know how to take group photos. I couldn't even use up all twenty-four film. When I got back, in order to use up the extra film, I would take pictures of Komachi and the dog we had at the time. As a result, I had more of those two kinds of photos than the photos from the trip.

On the other hand, the fact that digital cameras are not limited by the number of film negatives is a really good invention.

The little girl at the back of the group was looking in a different direction than the other team members.

Just as Stand users (Note 27, characters with special abilities appearing in Part 3 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) are attracted to each other, Lone Rangers are keenly aware of the presence of other Lone Rangers.

“…………”

She let out a soft sigh under the snow.

She probably noticed the little girl who didn't fit in either.

However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Everyone faces moments of solitude—or rather, has to endure solitude—in their lifetime. It's problematic to always be with others, to always have someone around; it just feels uncomfortable. I believe there are certain things that can only be learned and felt in solitude.

If you can learn something when you're with friends, you can also learn something when you're alone. These two things are complementary and have the same value.

Therefore, this moment must have been meaningful for that girl.

Holding onto this belief, I decided to pretend I hadn't noticed her. Ignore her, ignore her!

However, many people in the world do not think so.

"Have you found the checkpoint?"

Ye Shan took the initiative to speak to the girl.

"……not yet."

The little girl smiled as if she were troubled, and Ye Shan smiled back.

"Oh, okay, let's look for it together then. What's your name?"