My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 122

"Are you alright? Is the air conditioning too cold?"

"No...it can't be..."

After speaking in a voice that sounded like a mosquito's buzz, Zhu Zhen covered his face with the game console.

Oh dear, it seems he's wary of me. Every time I talk to Takema, he blushes and turns his face away...

Let me think... I remember that speaking to someone from your side can help close the distance between you?

As I recalled the contents of books I had read before, I sat down next to Takema.

Takema's shoulders twitched, but thankfully he didn't back away from me. That's good.

"Takema, is playing video games your hobby?"

"No... I don't like you that much..."

"My hobby is reading novels. Do you read books?"

"...strategy guides, etc."

"Huh? What's that?"

"Game books... they might contain instructions on how to beat the game, or some other information..."

"Does it look good?"

"...Not bad..."

"Is that so..."

...The topic has ended.

What should I do...? I don't know what to talk to a primary school boy about...

Because of generational and gender differences, it's really hard to find common ground... Although I've made some progress, I haven't developed the powerful eloquence of a hairdresser.

The topic...the topic...it has nothing to do with generation or gender, it's a common topic...

"Um...do you have a girl you like?"

I have to admit, I really did choose an outdated theme.

They seem to be typical "relatives you don't see often".

Just when I thought his reaction would be as indifferent as ever...

"Whoa!"

Takema raised his head from the game console with a voice louder than I had ever heard before.

"I...I like it...?"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah. Do you have a girl you like? At school or somewhere?"

"Study... at school..."

Takema's voice suddenly dropped eight octaves, and he turned his gaze back to the game console.

"There isn't one at school."

"I see. Aren't there any cute girls at school?"

"No... I'm not quite sure. I don't really remember what they looked like..."

"Ah—I understand, I understand. To be honest, if you're shy, you won't even dare to look the other person in the face."

Nodding vigorously, Zhu Zhen expressed his full agreement.

Ah, we've found something in common.

"It's like when I forget to bring chopsticks on a day when I bring my own lunch, and I'm too scared to ask the teacher for them, so I don't know what to do."

(Nodding, nodding, nodding!)

"When hiking during off-campus training, there are no friends to talk to, so I just have to focus on appreciating nature."

(Nodding, nodding, nodding!)

"In PE class, it's obvious that no one can be in a group, so I first try to find someone else who might be alone, but after a while, I don't dare to ask them directly, so I can only wait for them to ask me..."

(Nodding repeatedly)

The reaction was huge.

Their eyes were shining.

It seems this is the first time in his life that he has met someone who understands him.

There's nothing I can do; my cousin Yuanxiang is all talk and no action, she's just pretending to be introverted... she probably doesn't understand the feelings of shy people.

"Going to school must be tough, right... especially for shy people..."

"……Um……"

"If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to tell me. I'm probably able to offer some advice. Uh, as for contact information... do you have a cell phone?"

Takema frantically rummaged through his pockets and pulled out his brand-new smartphone. Wow, modern young people these days.

"LINE...you probably don't know how to add each other as friends. Let me teach you."

Zhu Zhen nodded happily and handed me the phone. It seemed that he was truly pleased that I didn't need to explain his shyness.

...I used to be like that too.

When I first started interacting with Mizuto, I didn't need to say anything; he could guess all my thoughts...

It made me feel like this was the first time I had a normal interaction with someone.

And it was with a guy, something I couldn't even imagine before...

...At that time, did he still have feelings for his cousin Yuanxiang?

When I confessed my feelings to him, perhaps actually...

"...Okay, all done. Do you know how to use it?"

I returned the phone to Zhuzhen to rid myself of the useless paranoia. Zhuzhen hugged it to his chest and said in a soft voice—but the clearest I'd ever heard from him:

"Can...can I contact you?"

I chuckled softly.

"Will you be afraid to contact me first?"

"...Waaaaah..."

"Haha! I'm also not very good at initiating contact with others!"

Takema shrugged. Ah—so cute. If only that grumpy guy could learn this adorable personality—

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation."

First, we heard a sharp, piercing sound, and then a figure stood in front of us as we sat by the wall.

I looked up.

Mizuto looked down at me with a cold, uninterested gaze.

"...You two have really become close."

The barbed tone in his voice made me instinctively raise my defenses, and I replied in an equally barbed tone:

"What? Is it not allowed?"

"No...it's just that you treat younger people differently."

"Huh? Where did this other set come from?"

"It's fine if you don't realize it."

...What? What's wrong with this guy?

If you have something to say, just say it.

That's just how you are, always thinking you know everything...!

"...What are you trying to do? Are you just here to be sarcastic?"

"Nothing in particular. Just—"

Water Shot snorted through his nose and said unhappily:

"—My cousin Yuanxiang asked me to come and see you, so I came."

That one sentence crossed my bottom line.

"...You do whatever your cousin Yuanxiang asks you to do, right?"

"...Huh?"

Why is it that whenever I say something, you always immediately respond with sarcastic remarks?

Why do you never honestly agree to do the things I ask you to do?

Why……

Why did you so easily dismiss what Cousin Yuanxiang said?

"…If there's nothing else, please leave."

I barely managed to control my temper and stop myself from swearing.

"Why bother with me? Just go talk to your favorite cousin, Yuanxiang."

Mizuto remained silent for a long while, then looked down at me.

Then, he let out a soft sigh.

It's like they've had enough of me.

"Then I'll be going."

After saying this indifferently, Mizuto left.

I couldn't do anything except stare at my knees.

"........."

I sensed someone holding their breath next to me, and that's when I remembered that Takema was also there.

Zhu Zhen seemed a little scared, and kept stealing glances at my face.

"Ah...! I'm so sorry, I scared you..."

I quickly put on a smile.

Oh dear, how could I do that in front of a child...!

"That wasn't an argument, really. We're always like this."

After making some excuses, my mood gradually calmed down.

Yes—it's just a small matter, nothing special, just like any other day.

"So... don't tell Mom and Dad, okay? This is our secret!"

I held up my index finger in front of my lips and said, "Shh—" Takema nodded several times.

Then, for some reason, he lowered his head slightly, as if avoiding my gaze, and pressed his hands tightly against his ears.

"Hello—is this Yui-chan?"

Hearing her cheerful voice through the phone made me feel inexplicably at ease.

"Sorry for calling you so suddenly, Dongtou. Is now a good time?"

"Convenient... Hmm! No problem... Okay!"

"...Is it really convenient?"

Strange noises would occasionally be mixed in, and the sounds would appear to be near or far.

"No problem... Hah! But right now, I'm being forced to do some exercise..."

"Fitness? It feels like that's the most irrelevant thing to students from Dongtou in the whole world..."

"My mom said that if I laze around at home during the holidays, my super-bright headlights, a gift from God, will droop... She said that's all I have to look at, so I need to take good care of them... otherwise she won't let me eat..."