My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 158

"What should we do next?"

"I have no plans."

"Ah... so, are we disbanding?"

"Hmm—that seems a bit of a waste... Anyway, the timing is perfect, how about we go grab a bite to eat?"

"Huh! Is that okay?!"

"There's nothing wrong with that. Oh, remember to tell your family."

"As you command!"

Dongtou suddenly took out his phone with renewed enthusiasm.

Just then, Mizuto said:

"Okay, I'm going to the restroom."

"Okay, sure. Dongtou, you don't need anything?"

"No need—"

Shuidou quickly disappeared into the toilet.

I noticed that Dongtou was holding his phone and staring blankly at his back.

"...East-head classmate? What's wrong?"

"No, it's just... I might be too slow to react..."

A soft, blissful smile appeared on Dongtou's face as he said:

"Looking at Mizuto's profile in the dimly lit theater... it felt like we were on a date..."

“Ouch!”

It's been a long time since I've been hit with a setback.

Her innocent, budding romance made my worldly heart flutter like a vampire exposed to sunlight.

Compared to Dongtou, who was moved by such a small thing, I, who sneaked away and used such low-class tricks to seduce men, was truly insatiable...

Just as I was squinting at the precious things I had lost, "Ah!" Dongtou suddenly exclaimed and looked in my direction.

"You told me 'Keep going' on LINE, that's not what you meant, is it?!"

"...Your reaction time is really slow."

"Ah, oh, oh—! I'm so sorry, so sorry! All your good intentions were wasted…!"

"No, it's okay, it's okay. It's my fault for not explaining it to you clearly."

A pang of guilt pierced my chest. How could I have taken advantage of such an innocent girl...?

Unlike my mood, which had plummeted to rock bottom, Dongtou's classmate wore a shy, happy smile.

"When I confessed and failed, I was thinking, 'Ah—I'll never have a chance to go on a date with Mizuto-kun—'... But I still managed to do it."

"...Exactly. When you think about it like that, you start to doubt the meaning of a romantic relationship."

Does she have the right to forbid her boyfriend from doing this kind of thing with other girls? ...If that's the case, then that kind of relationship is too petty.

Dongtou said with a serious expression:

"If I had to say, I'd say those who will go to a hotel room later are couples, and those who won't are friends."

"...Dongtou student, you got one point for the low-level test."

"Huh? What are those scores for? What happens if you accumulate a lot?"

If Dongtou is right... then I think it might not matter if we're not a couple.

◆ Irito Mizuto ◆

"Three people—?"

We were shown to a table by the restaurant staff, and sat down at a semi-open seating area. "Please let me know when you want to order," the staff member said before leaving. "Okay—" Yui replied.

I picked up the menu that was on the table.

What would you like to eat?

"Ordering something else to share might be a good idea."

"Then pizza or fries, please."

"Pizza..."

"You don't mind eating pizza, do you?"

"It's not that I'm against it..."

"Finally starting to worry about calories?"

"N-no, I don't... anyway, they're all on my chest..."

"Soon you won't be able to use growth as an excuse for weight gain anymore."

"You're so annoying! How can someone as skinny as you be so thick-skinned and oblivious!"

While I was discussing the menu with the girl sitting across from me, Dongtou next to me seemed a little distracted.

"Dongtou, what's wrong?"

"No, it's just..."

She swayed gently from side to side and said:

"This is the first time I've eaten out with friends at night... I'm a little touched..."

"Ah—I get it! Having dinner outside with people other than your family gives you that unusual feeling, right!"

"That's right! That's exactly it! It's a little different from taking a slightly different route home from school!"

The two marginalized individuals seemed to deeply empathize, chatting and laughing together. I'm so glad you two are so easily happy.

Later, we skipped the pizza and ordered fries for everyone. I ordered baked rice, Jie ordered garlic chili spaghetti, and Dongtou ordered hamburger steak. Of course, we also ordered drinks.

We left our seats for a moment and went to the drinks bar. I got black tea, Jie got orange juice, and Dongtou got cola.

"Dongtou-kun, you...you wouldn't actually be the type whose breasts are all the rage, would you?"

Seeing that Dongtou had poured a full glass of cola, Jie Nu said.

"I don't know? I weighed myself during a physical exam last time, so I don't know."

"You never even look at the scale!"

"Even if I looked, I wouldn't remember how many kilograms it was last time."

"...It seems we need to teach you not just superficial skills like makeup, but something more fundamental—the way of thinking that women should have..."

If you're willing to do that, it would be a huge help to me.

"Actually, this is the first time I've watched a movie with someone else, and I was surprised that it was quite enjoyable. It's great to have someone to share my thoughts with right away."

Dongtou ate the fries that had been delivered earlier, speaking in a relaxed tone.

As if afraid of hurting her feelings, Jie smiled and said:

"It seems like Dongtou wouldn't mind watching a movie alone..."

"Isn't it usually watched by one person?"

"Yes, people usually go see it themselves."

"Uh, yeah, that's true. Maybe it's not surprising anymore."

Look how vaguely she's explaining it. Going to the movies with someone means having to coordinate what you want to watch and the time with them—it's such a hassle, isn't it? If it weren't for Dongtou inviting me, I wouldn't have come at all.

"If there's another good movie coming out, let's go see it together next time."

"Sure. I don't pay much attention to this kind of information. Are there any other good movies?"

"I only pay attention to animated movies... and summer vacation is almost over, so there probably won't be any new movies being released."

"Then let's watch a live-action movie next time. It's nice to watch one once in a while."

"That's true—anything but a romance movie will do."

"You hate romance movies?"

"I feel a bit angry after seeing it."

"I understand."

"You understand now?"

I wonder if there are any interesting movies out there lately... I take out my phone.

Oh, I forgot to turn my phone back on after I turned it off in the movie theater. I'm waiting for it to turn on.

When the homepage appeared on the screen, Dongtou next to me peeked over to look.

"Mizuto, are you using a preset wallpaper?"

"Don't peek too much."

"Um...can I borrow it for a moment?"

"Hey! Hey..."

Dongtou snatched my phone and then turned on the camera.

What was she going to do with someone else's phone? Just as I was wondering, she set it to the front camera and leaned over to rest her head on my shoulder.

The woman sitting opposite her was so shocked she almost rolled her eyes.

"wait……!"

Come on, make a V sign.

She let me and her face be in the frame, and then snapped a picture.

The couple's photo was thus completed.

Dongtou gave my phone back.

"Here, take it."

"What's this?"

"Tablecloth background image".

"Are you my girlfriend?"

Looking at the photo of Dongtou with a blank expression and a V-sign, and me with a surprised look, I couldn't help but complain.

Although the expressions don't convey any sweetness, if someone sets a photo of the two of them as their desktop background and insists they're not dating, probably no one would believe them.

"Hmm... since that's the case..."

"ah."

Dongtou snatched the phone from my hand again, moved to the opposite seat, and sat shoulder to shoulder with Jienu.

"Ah! Don't—"

Make a V sign.

Click.

After she took the photo of herself and Jie, she came back to me and gave my phone back.

"How about this one?"

"It's not much better; I don't even know who I am anymore."

"If I had to say, maybe it would be my father...?"

"Looking for a sugar daddy!"

"That's enough."

"Two points for a low score," the girl announced, adding a mysterious score.

"Hmm..." Dongtou stared at the photo, lost in thought, then said: