My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 10

Jie left a final, unanswered question to the completely stunned boys, then pulled me away.

It wasn't until we entered the school building and Jie naturally let go of her arm that I snapped out of my daze.

"You...you...how could you do something so terrible!"

"How about that? Now those guys won't come near you anymore."

"Do you even need to tell me that?!"

Because your true target has already announced to everyone that you are only interested in your stepbrother!

"Don't worry, I'll explain it to my close friends."

"That's not the problem! You've worked so hard to build up this image...!"

"...Because, you're still my family, after all."

Jie quickly looked away and murmured softly.

"I can't stand by and watch my family be looked down upon. That's all, nothing more."

...This guy...

Ugh, this is awful—I can't stand it. How am I supposed to brush it off with a joke when you answer me like that?

I suppressed a little hesitation and expressed my feelings as frankly as possible.

"Thank you, you've done me a huge favor."

Just that one sentence made Jie Nu's shoulders tremble with fright.

This isn't how someone who's receiving thanks should react.

"How is it? I thanked you honestly."

"...It's nothing!"

Jie turned her face away, intending to walk to the classroom alone... but she suddenly turned back and stared intently at my arm.

"...That one just now..."

"Huh?"

"You must erase the feeling of... me... touching your arm from your memory!"

"oh……"

I reflexively touched the spot where the woman had just pressed her breast against.

"~~~~ Ugh!"

In an instant, the girl's face turned as red as a warning light, and she covered her chest. Huh? What happened?

"...Ugh! You...repressed pervert!"

After hurling a baseless and malicious insult, Jie Nu ran away.

Why are you suddenly swearing? I was completely confused, and without thinking much about it, I rubbed my arm.

Ah.

"So does this count as indirect contact?"

I never expected this.

◆

After a tumultuous morning and a peaceful morning of classes, a boy came to chat with me during lunch break.

"Hi, good afternoon, Mizuto Irito. Want to have lunch together?"

I never expected that someone could withstand that declaration of brother-complex. I looked up impatiently.

This male student gives off a frivolous impression. He attends a prestigious school with strict rules, yet he pushes the boundaries by perming his brightly colored hair into soft curls. He's quite tall, with the physique of someone who'd play basketball. His deliberately sly smile is a little annoying, but he exudes a wonderful balance between frivolity and seriousness, leaning slightly towards frivolity—a captivating charm that I'd definitely find attractive to girls.

...Among those persistent guys yesterday, was there such a person? But he seems a bit familiar, maybe he's a classmate.

In short, whatever I say, it's the same.

"...I'm sorry, I have to give you two answers."

Tell me about it.

"First of all, I've already had lunch."

That's a real shame.

"Secondly—I will never let a frivolous fellow like you get close to Yume."

The frivolous male classmate, whom I had completely rejected, inexplicably grinned and revealed an unpleasant smile.

What is it?

"In response, I'll also tell you two good things."

"…………?"

"First of all, I'm not talking to you because I'm trying to get closer to Irito-san."

“…………!”

"Secondly—I think I heard what you just said?"

The male student pointed his finger deftly to the side.

The girl seemed to have just returned from lunch and was standing next to us.

...uh...uh.

I take a look at the words that just came out of my mouth.

—I will never let a frivolous guy like you get close to Yume.

...He's her boyfriend!

I wanted to assume that Yui's face looked redder than usual because of the lighting, but the fact that her gaze was wandering around was undeniable.

With a furtive movement that I fondly remember, her hands aimlessly groping at the air before she sat down in the seat behind me with an unnatural, robotic motion. And then…

—Bang! Bang! Bang!

She kicked my chair, and several times.

"Pfft, hahaha!"

An unnamed, frivolous male classmate suddenly burst into laughter. Is my experience of domestic violence really that funny?

"Oh my gosh! Just as I thought. My sense of smell was right after all!"

"Huh? Sense of smell?"

"It's nothing, it's none of your business."

The male classmate wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes (his laughter was too exaggerated) and reached out his hand to me.

"My name is Kawanami Kogure, and I'm the first man to come up with the idea of ​​simply being friends with you."

"...Frankly, I find you incredibly suspicious."

"Don't say that, bro."

"I don't remember ever becoming brothers with you."

"That's strange, isn't it? Aren't you usually good at being brothers and sisters with strangers?"

"On the contrary, I should belong to the category of those who are not good at it."

"I see. Then let's compromise and be friends. Please take care of me!"

A male classmate who called himself Kawanami Kogure grabbed my hand in a very forceful manner... It seems that I have become friends with a rather troublesome guy.

"Speaking of which, my old friend."

"You're acting all familiar way too quickly."

"To commemorate our friendship, I'm going to tell you something else interesting."

"Something interesting?"

Kawanami grinned, revealing that unpleasant smile once again.

"Turn around and look behind you now, you'll see an amazing sight!"

Behind me? I turned my head as he instructed.

"........."

What appeared before me was a somewhat sullen expression on Jie Nu's face.

She pursed her lips slightly and looked out the window into the distance.

...Oh?

In a split second, my brilliant mind calculated the lines I needed to say.

"Aren't you lonely, you brother-obsessed older sister?"

Bang! My chair was kicked.

This was the heaviest kick to date.

Volume 1: Unwilling to End Past Relationships; Ex-Girlfriend Undergoes Medical Checkup; "...She Smells of Sweat."

Looking back, I can only say it was a mistake I made when I was young. However, I had what is commonly known as a boyfriend between my second and third years of junior high school.

Although I still remember him as "cool, intelligent, gentle, and handsome, like a detective in a mystery novel," I think that's probably some kind of narrative trick. The only thing that might make him resemble a detective is that scratching his scalp might cause dandruff to fly out; no matter how lucky he is, he couldn't possibly miraculously survive the Reichenbach Falls.

There's an anecdote that proves how hopeless that guy is.

Back then, I—the unparalleled, marginalized girl Ayai Yui—would inevitably endure several rounds of mental torture every week. Yes, it was during gym class.

"Okay—two people per group—" Whenever this devilish instruction resounded like a doomsday horn, I would always wander around like a zombie, embarrassed and panicked, until the teacher would assign me someone who couldn't be paired with a friend. That was the kind of time I spent. Just thinking about it makes me furious.

When I was in the second year of junior high, I was in the same class as that guy. PE classes were usually separate for boys and girls, so before we became boyfriend and girlfriend, I never paid much attention to how he did PE. Although I had been observing him in class or after class for a long time—ah, never mind.

...In short, during my first PE class after we started dating, I became curious.

Someone as intelligent, gentle, and reliable as him (I was fooled) must have incredible athletic ability.

After all, there's nothing he can't do, so I think he must be very good at sports.

want to see.

I really want to see my boyfriend's athletic prowess.

And so, what was in the sky was a football.

The boys were divided into two teams to play a red-white game. As for the girls, their schedule listed tennis, but they all used the excuse of "waiting for the court to be empty" to form small groups to watch the boys play soccer. They even acted like team managers, shouting encouragement, behaving just like they were in heat.

And what's with all the "One, two...Go for it—!" chanting? What are they supposed to cheer them on for? It's just PE class. He's not their boyfriend, why are they screaming like that?

No need to hide it, the most vain woman among them is me.

After all, I was secretly cheering on my boyfriend, whom I was secretly dating, and my vanity was incomparable to that of other girls. My fantasies of handing him a white towel went on and on, even escalating to the point of him, covered in sweat, pinning me against a wall in a secluded spot in the school dormitory. Where did that old, clichéd youthful trope I used to hate go?

however……

Unfortunately—no, fortunately—those fantasies did not come true.

Because that guy, my boyfriend...

...not even a moment of activity.

After the match, the man's face wasn't even damp with sweat—which was to be expected. He had remained motionless on the far right of the field, achieving a defensive effect solely through his aura of "don't come near me," demonstrating a technique that revolutionized the world of football.

As he casually strode out of the crowd and plopped down in the shade of a tree next to the playground, I quietly walked towards him.

--Don't tell me, Irito-san, you're not good at sports either?

He jumped in fright... then slowly turned towards me.

--...You saw it all?

--...You don't want me to see it?

──…………If possible.

I saw shyness in his expression as he looked away, and the corners of my mouth couldn't help but turn up.