My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As Expected

So she and that Mizuno-senpai definitely had something going on!

Or maybe it was Iroha Isshiki, the first-year girl? But... uh, who came up with that theory? There was absolutely nothing connecting them!

But no matter what, nobody ever suspected Yumiko Miura.

"I can kind of understand where they're coming from. From an outsider's perspective, Yukino's basically a walking 'do not approach' sign right now."

Onozawa Kaho giggled as she whispered, "Of course, that doesn't apply to Yumiko~"

In Japan, a country with some rather unique customs, reading the room was an essential skill, from school all the way to the workplace. People who couldn't read the room were called "KY," and in severe cases, they could be ostracized or even bullied by the entire group.

Once bullying became part of the group's atmosphere, even refusing to join in could be seen as being "KY." So hardly anyone dared to stand alone against the crowd.

Everyone went along with things, living meekly from one day to the next. They even shaved off every sharp edge and rough corner of themselves just to fit in. But Yukino had never done that.

Even alone, she always carried herself with strength and composure.

And that was exactly what made people even more curious about her.

Onozawa Kaho made sure to keep her voice low, occasionally exchanging glances and gestures, because although they were gathered in the classroom near Yui's seat—the farthest one from Yukino's—they were still talking about something incredibly embarrassing.

Faced with this topic, Yui, usually so lively, seemed distracted instead, lost in her own thoughts.

Miura gave a light cough.

She folded her arms, doing her best to contain the smug, delighted expression she could barely keep off her face. She tried to look as if she didn't care. "Isn't it only natural that someone would like me? There are tons of people at Sobu High School who like me~"

Miura tried to ignore the awkward feelings in her heart.

After all, being liked by a girl like Yukino was definitely something to be happy about.

Onozawa Kaho smiled mischievously. "So you're saying you don't like Yukino at all, Yumiko?"

Miura immediately flushed with anger and embarrassment. "Get lost, get lost, get lost! Who would like her?"

Junko Kamizawa cut in bluntly. "Yukino's way too icy now. If we hadn't been clever enough to figure out the right answer, we'd be just like everyone else and wouldn't have noticed she was special to anyone."

"Calling yourself clever is a bit much. You're almost as self-absorbed as Yumiko, hahaha!"

"Hey, who are you calling self-absorbed?"

Onozawa Kaho suddenly asked, "So what exactly is Yukino's relationship with that Mizuno-senpai from the third year?"

Junko Kamizawa smiled. "I heard lots of people saw them. Yesterday morning, when Yukino arrived at school, she politely nodded and greeted Mizuno-senpai."

She looked at Miura with a mischievous glint. "Did you know about that, Yumiko?"

Yumiko Miura gave an awkward "tch." "How would I know something like that? It's not like Yukino's anything to me."

"Really? I've heard there's gossip about Yukino and Mizuno-senpai on the Campus Forum, though. I just don't know if it's true~"

Miura gave a soft "Huh?" Her brows unconsciously rose a little. "...What gossip?"

"Weren't you not interested, Yumiko? Hehe~"

"Junko!"

"Okay, Junko, stop teasing Yumiko."

Yui smiled. "Yukino and Mizuno-senpai don't have any relationship at all. That post on the forum was made up."

Before anyone else could ask, she added with a smile, "I did know Yukino for a while, after all. It's not strange that I'd know that."

"What about the nodding greeting?"

Yui smiled and sighed. "That was probably just a misunderstanding. Yukino had hay fever that day and happened to bow her head to stifle a sneeze."

She had such a strong sense of decorum that she'd forced herself to bow her head and hold it in, making it look like she was greeting someone.

Onozawa Kaho laughed, then asked curiously, "How did you know about that, Yui?"

Yui's smile faltered for a moment. "Oh, I just happened to see it that day."

In another corner of the classroom, the Social Butterflies' conversation rose and fell in volume. Yukino frowned and turned her Bluetooth earbuds back up to a normal volume.

Social Butterflies were such a pain.

She still couldn't get along with her new classmates, but at least they weren't going out of their way to pick on her. She had already drawn up a plan to get her studies back on track, including how much she wanted to improve on the next regular schoolwide test at Sobu High School. Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

As for the fact that she'd opened her eyes and found herself more than a year in the future, it no longer made her feel like "I'm so done" or "I'm falling apart."

Yukino thought her life would continue on peacefully like this.

Then, right after Japanese class ended that day, she was called outside—and a cup of cold water was dumped over her head.

Yukino thought someone had thrown acid on her and nearly died of fright.

But the icy sensation brought her back to her senses.

Just ordinary bottled water. [Thrilled]

"Yukino, do you have no shame?!"

Why were you shouting so loudly?

If you had the guts, go take it up with the system!

If it weren't for the Unscrupulous System, would I be this shameless?

But come to think of it, who are you, water-thrower?

Finally coming back to her senses, Yukino calmly wiped the water from her face. She was just about to speak when someone draped a jacket over her shoulders, then stepped in front of her in a protective stance. It was the blonde girl.

Everyone in the class who had heard the commotion turned to look. Then Hayato Hayama stood up and walked over with a few of his friends.

Even Hachiman Hikigaya, who always looked like he was about to fall asleep, was now looking over.

Yui stood beside Yukino. The girl rumored to have had her crush stolen by Blonde Yukino now seemed perfectly calm. She even smiled and said she had a spare shirt Yukino could change into later.

Yukino wasn't sure what her relationship with Yui had been like over the past year and three months. Hesitantly, she declined. "Thanks, but I brought my gym shirt."

Yui didn't say anything about her offer being turned down. She turned to look at the scene unfolding in front of them.

Hayama, the prince who always wore a gentle smile, had a grave look on his face. "What happened?"

Miura, meanwhile, was far less courteous. She stormed out, furious, looking as if she wanted to dump a whole bucket of ice water right back on the girl!

The tall blonde girl let her full presence show. When she looked down at someone, she was especially intimidating.

"Who are you, barging in here to bully my—our Class 2-F?!"

Onozawa Kaho and Junko Kamizawa stood beside Miura, their postures arrogant. The group looked like the vicious female antagonist and her cronies from a TV drama.

"You've got some nerve causing trouble in our class!"

Yukino lowered her head and saw the name tag bearing Yumiko Miura's name on the Sobu High School uniform jacket draped over her shoulders.

The water had made Yukino's shirt somewhat transparent. Without the jacket, she might have exposed herself today.

Yukino was genuinely confused now.

Were she and Miura really that close?

Wasn't Miura supposed to hate her guts after Yukino stole Hayama from her, with the two of them at each other's throats?

So why, when she got into trouble, had Miura been the first to stand up for her—and moved even faster than Hayama?

In the face of the famed Queen of Sobu, Yumiko Miura, the girl who'd thrown the water immediately lost her aggressive edge. She took a step back, then snapped in embarrassment, "Yukino stole my boyfriend! Am I not even allowed to get angry?!"

Everyone turned their reproachful eyes on Yukino.

How many other people's boyfriends had she stolen now?

Or had she developed some awful hobby of going after both men and women?

Everyone who had stepped forward to defend Yukino now looked a little awkward. What should they do? They'd jumped in without thinking and ended up drawing the hostility in the wrong direction.

Yukino gave a light cough and stepped out from behind her protective group. "Who's your boyfriend?"

The girl who'd thrown the water glared at Yukino with hatred. "Hideki Kobayashi!"

Yukino thought carefully for a moment. "...Who's that?"

Her utterly unconcerned manner only made the girl even more furious. She dragged out the boy who had been hiding behind her the whole time. "Kobayashi-kun uses your photo as his phone wallpaper! What else do you have to say for yourself, Yukino?"

The boy had been there the whole time, but he'd kept glancing away and hadn't said a word. Everyone present had assumed he was just some uninvolved bystander watching the show. No one had expected him to be the male lead in this little drama.

He looked incredibly uncomfortable. "Asano, let's just go..."

Asano yanked her hand away. "Why should I leave? I'm not the one who shamelessly stole someone else's boyfriend!"

Faced with the chaos, Yukino kept her head clear and went straight to the heart of the matter. "When did you find out your boyfriend had changed his wallpaper?"

"Yesterday, of course! He added a passcode to his phone yesterday, so I knew something was wrong!"

Miura quickly caught on, too. Her voice rang out with conviction, and she looked utterly persuasive. "That's nonsense. For the past two days, Yukino hasn't left the classroom once while she's been at school, except when it was time to go home. How could she have had time to hook up with your Hideki-kun?"

The girl immediately retorted, "How do you know she hasn't left the classroom? Are you watching her every second?"

"Of course I'm watching Yukino every second!"

Everyone looked at Miura and let out a confused "Huh?"

Only after she'd said it did Miura realize how strange it sounded. Her face instantly turned bright red. "I mean, as the class's disciplinary committee member, of course I'd pay extra attention to Yukino after she transferred into our class!"

Huh, you were the disciplinary committee member?

Aren't you the one who breaks school rules the most, Classmate Miura?

Dyed hair, makeup, a shortened uniform skirt—what haven't you done?

"Anyway, the whole class can back me up. Yukino just transferred into our class. We have no reason to lie for her."

Miura quickly looked at Hayama. "Right, Hayama?"

Hayama froze for a moment.

As a gentle, reserved, and modest Campus Prince, Hayama was aware of the feelings other people had for him. Likewise, he'd noticed that Yumiko used to have a vague crush on him.

Whenever he was around, Yumiko always kept her eyes on him.

But now, her anxious, protective gaze was focused on someone else—on Yukino, the very person she supposedly wasn't even close to.

Although he was puzzled, Hayama still smiled and nodded. "That's right."

With the most influential boy and girl at the school both confirming what had happened, the girl who'd thrown the water immediately lost her confidence.

Yukino thought it over. "What kind of photo of me was on his phone?"

The girl grumbled, still unconvinced. "What kind do you think? It was just a picture of your back..."

She hadn't even finished speaking before she realized.

If Yukino had really been involved with her boyfriend, the picture on his phone definitely wouldn't have been one of her back.

It was obvious: Kobayashi-kun had simply developed a one-sided crush. Yukino didn't even know who he was.

The boy who'd been nervously avoiding everyone's eyes only muttered, "I already told you it wasn't Yukino's fault..."

Miura looked even more pleased with herself now. "I told you she hadn't done it. If some random person at school can say they like me, does that mean the people around them can just dump water on me whenever they want?"

"Today it's only cold water. What about tomorrow, or later on? Could it be boiling water or acid next time?"

"Are you trying to use jealousy as an excuse to commit crimes like it's perfectly reasonable?!"

Onozawa Kaho stepped forward and said sarcastically, "What are you waiting for? Apologize!"

Junko Kamizawa scoffed. "Don't tell me you're planning to just run off like this?!"

With everyone's eyes fixed on them, Hideki Kobayashi felt his face burning. He hurriedly nudged his girlfriend. "Just apologize, Asano..."

She'd come to stand up for herself because of her boyfriend, only to be betrayed by him first.

In the silence, Asano bowed deeply to Yukino. "...I came here and hurt you without getting the facts straight. I'm very sorry."

Yukino wiped the dripping water from her face and hair. Her expression was cold, her tone cutting. "Honestly, your suspicion was utterly ridiculous and made no sense at all."

Asano kept her head bowed, silently prepared to accept every bit of abuse Yukino threw at her. After all, she really was entirely in the wrong this time—impulsive, hot-tempered, and thoughtless about the consequences.

"Because if the world were ending and you and your boyfriend were the only humans left, and I had to choose one of you, I'd be far more likely to choose you than him."

Asano abruptly lifted her head, her face full of shock.