My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 156

"At least show some appreciation."

As she spoke, Jie Nu gently nudged Dong Tou's back.

Dongtou blinked at me in surprise, looking confused. I felt the same way.

Although I have a general idea of ​​what to say, but...

"I think I already shared my thoughts on this outfit last time."

"Yes, that's right. I've already heard him say that."

"Today! Tell us your thoughts on the students from Dongtou today!"

Today's...?

It's not like it's the weather or the temperature; how could a person's appearance possibly change every day?

But I was afraid the girl wouldn't accept it, so I had no choice but to find something to praise Dongtou.

"I think it looks better than a regular hoodie."

"Isn't there a better way to say it?"

"……hey-hey."

"Dongtou, don't be shy about being praised like that! You're too easy to please!"

Why is this guy being so difficult today?

Just as I was thinking this, Jie sighed with a look of deep regret, and then glanced at me sideways.

"What about me?"

"what?"

"What about me?"

Oh no. So that's why she wanted me to praise Dongtou – it was part of her plan.

We've already praised Dongtou, now we can't ignore Jienu... Damn it, resorting to such petty tricks...

I looked up at Yui, whose outfit had a slightly mature style, and thought about what I could say.

"……hairstyle."

"what?"

"It's rare to see you with your hair in a ponytail."

Jie gently touched the hair tied at the back of her head and said:

"Oh...yes. I usually tie my hair in a ponytail that's the same as Xiaoyue's."

"I see."

"...Do you like ponytails?"

When she asked me this question so subtly, I couldn't answer for a moment.

On the one hand, they can't answer, and on the other hand, how should they put it? This dialogue is somewhat like—

Dongtou tilted his head slightly and said:

"The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya?"

"...Hmph."

I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Huh? What's going on? What's so funny!"

"I suggest you take a look at some classic works from the 2000s. Hmph... Hmph."

"Pfft! I love ponytails too. Showing the back of my neck is the sexiest thing ever—pfft!"

"Please! Stop with just the two of you showing off your little secrets!"

However, it really is foul-level – maybe not that exaggerated, but it definitely suits her very well.

I just will never tell her directly.

The bus arrived, and we boarded in order.

"Oh, there are seats in the back."

"Let's go sit down."

I followed the two people who boarded the bus first and walked to the very back of the bus.

In the empty row of seats, the person at the east end sat down first and moved to the very end. They assumed that the girl next to them would sit down, but unexpectedly—

"Come here."

She sat down at the east end, leaving a space about the size of one person, and told me to sit in that empty seat.

Why did she deliberately put me in the middle...? Although I was puzzled, she patted the chair a few times to urge me on, so I couldn't ignore it. Thus, I was sandwiched between Jie Nu and Dong Tou and sat down in the seat.

"Oh, you're holding flowers in both hands."

"Hehe, are you happy?"

"I think a real flower wouldn't call itself a flower."

"Mizuto, why don't you cross your legs and swagger around a bit? Then I'll lean on your shoulder."

"Stop using the same old jokes from isekai harem light novel covers."

"I really admire how well you understood that..."

The bus doors slammed shut, and the bus started moving.

As the bus swayed and thumped, I peered over the shoulder at the east end and saw the girl.

"Speaking of which, how much do you know about otaku, Yui-kun? I know you rarely read light novels, so do you not read any manga either?"

"I could say I barely watched it. I only learned a little from Tenma Satoshi's lines."

"Ura-dyed Pegasus?"

"It's the name of a detective from a mystery series. He's a high school detective who solves murder cases through deduction in order to earn money to buy Blu-ray and other anime merchandise."

After hearing my explanation, Dongtou said, "Oh—".

"I didn't know there were works like this. It seems quite interesting."

"Those kinds of works just don't have illustrations, but they read almost like light novels."

"Want to see it? I really like that series."

"You'd like to lend it to me? I rarely read mystery novels."

As Jie and Dongtou talked, they leaned closer and closer to each other, which resulted in them pushing my shoulders from both sides.

In order to avoid touching the east head on my right shoulder and the knot on my left shoulder, I naturally shrank my body.

"Mystery novels have always had many well-developed characters, so I think Dongtou should be able to enjoy reading them, right?"

"But people will die."

"You hate stories where someone dies?"

"No, it's not that I hate it—it's just that I prefer happy endings. Basically, if someone dies, it doesn't seem like it can be considered a truly happy ending."

"That's true... But there are also some mystery novels where no one dies."

"However, even in everyday puzzle-solving, the ending is often just as bittersweet."

"I wonder if there's a way to make the victim resurrected if the puzzle is solved successfully?"

"Is this even possible...? But if I look around, it seems like I might find it."

It's like seizing the opportunity to speak.

The girl sitting to my left quietly reached out her right hand and pulled my elbow over to hug me.

What's this guy trying to do?

If it were Dongtou, I wouldn't care much, but this guy wouldn't make physical contact with me in front of outsiders without a reason.

I pretended not to notice at all and continued chatting.

"If it's a fake death plot, there should be one, or something like going back in time to resolve the incident beforehand."

"Time travel themes, right? I like most of them!"

"Ah, I like that kind too."

"When you think about it, the most enjoyable reads are those where the characters have a happy ending. That applies to both light novels and fine literature."

The woman on the left has now taken a position where she's holding my hand.

She slowly moved closer and closer to me from where I couldn't see her from the east end of the opposite side, gradually merging into the position she had jokingly tried to strike earlier. Only her chest remained almost touching my upper arm; I really admire her sense of balance… She seemed to have a sweet scent. It didn't seem to be the usual shampoo scent; was she wearing perfume?

I thought I heard a faint giggle. I glanced to the side and saw Jie give me a meaningful look... What game are we playing?

I decided to try to ignore Yui's behavior.

◆ Irito Yume ◆

Hehehe... It worked, it worked this time.

Mizuto previously said he's better at hiding his feelings now, but judging from that, it's clear he's very concerned about my every move. The way he looks at me or his unnecessarily stiff expression speaks volumes about Mizuto's state of mind.

The three of them going out together was the right thing to do, judging from the outcome.

After all, I had just failed to seduce him last time, and if it were just the two of us, the atmosphere might be a bit awkward. In that respect, as long as Dongtou is there, there's no need to worry, and I can cooperate with Dongtou's uninhibited behavior, or take advantage of Shuidou's vulnerability.

Although I feel a little guilty for taking advantage of Dongtou, she was the one who asked me out, and Dongtou seemed to be having a lot of fun, so I'll just consider it a win-win situation.

"What kind of movie are we watching today? I think it's an animated film, right?"

"It's a youth-oriented film with a touch of sci-fi. Everyone recommends it, and I've been wanting to see it for a long time—"

While chatting with them about mundane topics, I gently touched Shuidou's side to tease him. I felt bad about being too clingy with him, so this was the most I could do, but the thought of him trying so hard not to react made it all the more amusing.

If it were just the two of us, this guy could openly talk about me, but I doubt he would dare to do so in front of the classmate from the east end.

Okay, let's see how I tease him now—just as I was thinking this…

The bus turned.

My body slumped to the side.

As a result, the chest, which was positioned only a fraction of a second from the water bucket, softly pressed against the water bucket's upper arm.

"~~~~~!"

No… this is really going too far… I, I didn’t intend to go this far!

Even after I had turned the corner, I was still unable to move for a moment.

If I let him go now... it feels like I've lost...!

I stole a glance at Shuidou's face.

"I've seen this director's other works. Judging from his style, I think Mizuto would like it."

"I'm not very familiar with animation directing, thank you for the recommendation."

He chatted calmly with his classmate from the east end.

...I have a feeling that I've lost...!

As a result, I kept my chest pressed against his arm until the bus arrived at its destination station.

◆ Irito Mizuto ◆

...I was just taking the bus to my destination, but it made me so tired.

"There's a tiger's den over there, and Melonbooks is on the other side."

"There are so many otaku-related shops around here."

"If you walk further across, there's an arcade that feels like a gathering place for powerful individuals."

"Is Dongtou good at video games?"

"I was trained by my mother. Our family motto is 'Anyone who gives up on Sekiro halfway through has given up on life.'"