My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 159

"...Then..."

Dongtou kept glancing at our faces, then timidly said:

"...Could the three of us take a picture together...?"

Jie and I tilted our heads and looked at Dongtou's face.

Dongtou waved his hands frantically.

"Ah, no, that's all! I just wanted to say that, come to think of it, this is the first time the three of us have gone out together! Even though we usually stay at home together! So, um, I was thinking of keeping this as a memento... like this..."

commemorate.

Upon hearing this, Jie Nu and I naturally looked at each other.

—They exchanged awkward glances, not because they thought they were hiding something from Dongtou.

We were both surprised at the same time, and then it dawned on us.

There must still be some unresolved issues between me and Jie Nu in some corner of our hearts.

August 27th. In front of Dongtou, we all deliberately avoided showing the complex feelings we had about this date.

Although we are with Dongtou, on this day that should be a memorial, there must be a corner of our hearts filled with some sorrow.

The year before last was an anniversary, and last year was the anniversary of death.

In that case, it wouldn't be bad to turn it into another kind of anniversary starting this year.

In this way... perhaps we can rewrite that bitter memory.

Faced with our silence, the man on the east side looked at us uneasily.

"Is...is it not allowed?"

"sure."

I immediately asserted.

"It's just that you weren't shy at all when taking photos of the two of you, but now you've suddenly become timid, which surprised me a little."

"Yes."

Jie Nu chuckled softly, as if trying to pull Dong Tou into joining in, and said:

"Let's take a picture together—as a keepsake."

And so, the three of us squeezed into two seats and took a commemorative photo.

(Illustration 010)

Looking at this photo of me squeezed in the middle again, I thought to myself:

I made a mistake the year before last.

I made the same mistake last year.

But this year, perhaps I didn't make any mistakes.

It's as if having this photo is enough to keep me hoping.

Then, Dongtou said:

"This photo...it feels like someone is going to die."

"...Pfft!"

I chuckled slightly.

"Eastern guy! Look at the atmosphere, look at the atmosphere!"

"Huh? But you see, isn't there often that kind of joke? It's like a man who has lost a family member looking at a family photo."

"Hehe, the kind that's placed in a photo pendant, right?"

"Yes, that's it!"

"I understand! But don't jinx it like that!"

Later, while we ate the food that was delivered, we debated the claim that "the photo pendant only contained photos of dead people."

◆ Irito Yume ◆

"I'm so happy today!"

"Yeah, me too."

"I'll contact you again if I find any good movies."

"Okay! Thank you for your help! Goodbye then!"

Dongtou waved happily and disappeared into the entrance of the apartment building.

We chatted for so long at the family restaurant that the sun had long since set. Since it seemed a little pitiful to leave Dongtou walking home alone in the dark, we decided to take her home.

Only after we could no longer see Dongtou's back did we turn around and start our journey home.

We walked side by side on the sidewalk at night, illuminated by streetlights, house lights, and car headlights.

"........."

"........."

"........."

"........."

"...Now you're not leaning on me anymore?"

"...!"

When I heard the words that Mizuta threw at me as he glanced at me sideways, I shuddered.

"I...I've changed my mind."

"Right."

After finishing his speech with little interest, Mizuto turned his gaze away and stopped looking at me.

If I start my offensive as soon as I say goodbye to Dongtou, wouldn't that be like excluding her? I don't like that.

Indeed, I initially intended to take advantage of Dongtou. But that was because at the time I considered today as "the anniversary of my successful relationship with Irito."

However, that's no longer the case.

Today is the first time that the three of us—Shuidou, Dongtou, and I—have gone out together.

Therefore, I won't do anything extra—just consider it as watching a good movie today, and that's enough.

"Let me tell you."

I looked ahead and called to him...

"what?"

Shuidou looked ahead and answered me.

"...If you make Dongtou cry, I'll be angry!"

"As long as you don't do anything unnecessary, you'll be fine."

"I can't guarantee that."

"……Hello."

Mizuto stared at me with half-open eyes, and I swayed my shoulders and chuckled softly.

On one possibility...

I may not be able to make him as infatuated with me as I used to be.

However, this does not mean that the bond between us will disappear—I feel that Dongtou taught me this.

Therefore, I should be able to think this way without any reservations now:

I hope that Shuidou and Dongtou will always be good friends and never be separated.

"...Hmm? It's Kawanami."

Mizuto took out his phone and said, "Hello?" to his ear.

Almost at the same time, my phone also received a notification from LINE.

It was sent by Xiaoyue.

I received the following message:

"Even among classmates at school, people are saying that Irito and Touto are a couple."

Volume 5: You Are One of a Kind in the World

◆ Higashito Isana ◆

To everyone else, I've always been a "strange girl".

When I was drawing in kindergarten, I drew a moving company logo instead of my mother; when I was writing an essay in elementary school about my future dreams, I used the whole sheet of paper to write, "I've thought about it for a long time but I don't have any ideas about what to do right now"; whenever this happened, everyone said I was a "strange girl".

It seems that everyone secretly looks at other children's drawings or compositions, naturally guesses their ideas, and then creates their own works in conjunction with other children's works.

Is it really?

The kindergarten teacher said, "Everyone can draw whatever they like." The elementary school teacher said, "Write down your thoughts honestly." They clearly didn't say, "Write down what everyone else might write." Did they all already have this unspoken understanding all along?

I don't quite understand.

Even now, I still don't quite understand.

My mother said to me, who was completely confused:

--A strange girl? I'd love to have one.

—Izana, you are unique in this world. If that's the case, isn't it natural for you to be different from others?

I asked my mom: Then why aren't other kids called weird?

—Let me tell you, it's because no one dares to be themselves.

Mom doesn't understand.

My mother is fearless, so she doesn't understand my heart.

Because, actually, I'm also afraid.

Actually, I don't dare to be myself, and I'm afraid that if I express myself without any concealment, my naked heart will be hurt.

I just don't know how to hide it.

They just don't know how to follow the rules.

I just don't know what to do.

That's all.

◆ Irito Yume ◆

"Long time no see—!" "Long time—wow! You're so tanned!" "Have you finished your homework—?" "Barely—…I'm dying from writing—"

The classroom, which I haven't seen in a long time, looks quite fresh and new.

The students, scattered throughout the classroom, each had a face that appeared half changed and half unchanged, transforming the classroom into a space that was both familiar and strange. Although LINE continued to operate as usual during the summer vacation, the impression left by not meeting in person was still different.

"Irito-san, it's been a long time—!"

"Long time no see, Eri-chan."

"Maki-san, Nasu-san, it's been a long time—that's what I say, but didn't we just meet last week?"

As I talked to my friends—the tall, short-haired Maki Sakamizu (a member of the basketball club) and the always sleepy-eyed Nasuka Kanai (a member of the competitive karuta club) with her bob haircut—I put my schoolbag on my seat. Today was just the opening ceremony, so my schoolbag was light.

Maki sat down in the seat in front of me without any hesitation, while Nasu Hana sat on the edge of the chair next to her.

Just then, a familiar ponytail came into my view and joined us.

"Yui! Long time no see~~! I'm so lonely──!"

"Wow! Watch out! ...Didn't we just meet Xiaoyue yesterday, let alone last week?"