My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 16

"Your memory really does come and go so easily..."

Can't stand it.

"Then I'll go cook dinner... I'll grant you one more request."

The girl peeked out from under the covers and whispered in a barely audible voice:

"...You can't just run away without saying a word."

...I'm asking you what you want to eat for dinner.

Fine, whatever.

"It's a small matter."

After all, it's different from the year before last...

This is your home, and it's my home too.

Volume One: Past Romance Remains Unresolved; Ex-Girlfriend Hou Ru Appears in My Dreams: "What did I just do...!"

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.

As for why I did something so crazy, the main reason is that at the time I was an extremely gloomy girl who wouldn't even dare to cry when a child saw me. After all, a normal girl wouldn't find that kind of man handsome.

To illustrate just how gloomy I was at the time, the following examples can serve as evidence.

I remember it was in the second semester of my second year of junior high school, probably just before the midterms. What's truly despicable is that at that time, the guy and I were in the library, just the two of us, busy trying to prepare for the exam while simultaneously flirting and being affectionate—for someone who had survived the hell of exam preparation and been reborn, that couldn't be called studying at all. It was merely using the guise of studying to indulge in lust, no different from the chirping of cicadas in summer.

At that time, I had only been dating that guy for a month. Although I didn't make any noise, my heart was pounding non-stop.

Not just in this library, but we've been like this all along—what's called estrus. Perhaps because of this, I made a mistake at this time.

Ah...

My arm brushed against the eraser next to my notebook, and I don't know where it went. Erasers always bounce around without any rhyme or reason—rolling erratically like a prankster, escaping the clutches of their pursuers.

I searched under the desk, but couldn't find it at all. Plus, the eraser had already been worn down to a tiny bit, so the search inevitably came to an end.

Although there was no real loss, I couldn't help but sigh.

...Just then, as if someone had calculated the timing perfectly, someone handed me an eraser from the side.

—I have two, one for you.

At the time, I was the most gullible person in the world. When I heard those not-so-gentle words, I blushed, nodded, and timidly accepted the eraser.

...Let's get to the important part.

If things had ended there, it would have been just an ordinary, uneventful episode that would have left a strange memory. But at that moment, I revealed my gloomy nature.

The day.

After I got home...

Take the eraser you got...

It was put into a small locked box!

That's right—this indescribably gloomy woman took that eraser as "the first gift her boyfriend gave her"!

No, no, no, no. Even if that guy is outrageous, he's not so stupid as to give his girlfriend an eraser as a gift. It's not like it's a prize from a morning radio exercise; it's just a sponsored item, and it has absolutely nothing to do with being boyfriend and girlfriend.

This kind of common sense didn't apply to me at the time.

Every night I would treat that eraser like a sacred object, offering it up with a smile and performing cult-like rituals repeatedly.

Although I suspect that guy's thought process wasn't quite right at the time, he would have been terrified if he'd seen me like this. My level of madness was off the charts. I'd even consider myself the epitome of a "landmine woman" at that moment.

What's terrifying is that afterwards, whenever I got hold of that man's belongings, I would put them into the same small box. Doing so made me feel that even when I was at home, that man was still with me.

If I had heard that in a year and a half I would be living in a place just a wall away, I probably would have died of sheer terror. I would have died of excitement, not fear. That's how dark and insane I was back then.

This blasphemous habit of collecting was sealed away along with the small box when we moved.

However, I didn't realize something at the time.

A seal is ultimately just a seal.

Things that are merely sealed away may awaken under certain circumstances.

—The gloomy woman who sleeps forever awaits your presence in my dreams.

◆

That night, I was forced to remain absolutely silent about the most terrifying event of my life. However, the indescribable fear that swelled with each tick of the clock threatened to overflow me at any moment, and it was easy to imagine that I would eventually reach my limit. I am recording this event here in the hope that by observing the madness that enveloped me that night from an objective perspective, I can dispel this unease.

There is a pair of underwear.

...Wait, don't jump to conclusions. They're not mine, they're men's boxer shorts!

As I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth before bed, that thing automatically came into my view. The cuffs of my boxer shorts, like tentacles, were sticking out from the pile of clothes in the laundry basket—judging from the order in which they came into the bath, they must be my stepson Mizuto's underwear.

"...Fine, so what?"

What's so strange about someone who's just showered putting their underwear in the laundry basket? It's not even worth paying attention to; it's just a common, ubiquitous phenomenon.

I calmly walked into the locker room, then calmly walked to the sink and calmly brushed my teeth.

That's what I think.

—But by this time, my mind had already been eroded by an extraordinary frenzy.

I unconsciously walked towards the laundry basket.

Unconsciously, he pulled out his boxer shorts.

I stared at its pattern unconsciously.

...Irito-san wore her underwear all day today...

"Ah!"

What did I just do...?! How could I be holding my stepson's boxer shorts so tightly?! I don't remember anything that happened in those last few seconds! Oh God!

Despite being overwhelmed by a nauseating fear, I still tried to put the horrible boxer shorts back in the laundry basket. What if someone saw this, especially if that man caught us—

"--Hmm?"

"what!"

I felt myself become pale.

The door leading to the corridor opened a crack, and a sink appeared.

I used my extraordinary reflexes to successfully hide the terrifying pair of boxer shorts I was clutching behind my back. What a close call!

"You were inside. I didn't feel anything at all; I thought no one was there."

"...Is that so? Have your senses become dulled?"

It seems the skill I cultivated during my darker times activated automatically, unconsciously erasing my presence. What a waste! If he had sensed my presence, he probably would have left already!

Mizuto frowned and looked at me in surprise.

"What are you doing there?"

Oh no!

I'm currently in front of the laundry basket, away from the sink. I need to come up with a plausible excuse...!

"...My hand, my phone...yes, my phone! I forgot it in my clothes that I took off!"

"oh……?"

Well done! That was a brilliant move!

Shuidou seemed to have no questions about my perfect and logical explanation. He walked to the sink and picked up his toothbrush.

I thought I could finally put those awful boxer shorts back in their place, but to my despair, I could see the laundry basket clearly in the mirror. And for some reason, this man kept staring at my reflection. God, why are you testing me like this?

"...What are you looking at? Are you excited about how I look in my pajamas?"

As soon as I said it, I started to worry about what would happen if he answered "yes". Fortunately, Mizuto's answer was indifferent.

"It's nothing, it's just that you kept staring at me. I thought you had a fetish for getting excited watching people brush their teeth."

When he mentioned sexual fetishes, it made my heart skip a beat, as I pictured those horrifying boxer shorts hidden behind my back. But I managed to control myself and didn't show it on my face.

"...Even if I had that kind of fetish, I would never get excited if you were my partner."

"Then I'm relieved."

The sink started scrubbing his teeth. I wasn't excited, but seeing this guy brushing his teeth in his pajamas every day, which I took for granted, still felt unbelievable to me.

"...I'm saying..."

After brushing my teeth, the sink turned towards me.

"Still haven't found your phone? I can help if you need it—"

"Huh? Oh, no, no need, it's okay! It's alright! We've already found it!"

Because Mizuta was deliberately walking over, I quickly pulled out my phone from my pocket to show him. If he discovered this terrifying object I was holding in my other hand, my life would be over!

"...Really? Well then, you should go to sleep early too. I'm going to sleep now."

"Okay, okay. You're right. I've heard that lack of sleep is the worst thing for the skin."

Ugh...! We have no choice but to retreat for now.

Left with no other choice, I stuffed the horrible rags into my pocket and left the changing room with Mizuto, hiding in my room as if fleeing something invisible to the naked eye.

……what to do?

I spread out my ugly yet ominous boxer shorts on my bed, unsure of what to do.

No, just put it back. Put it back in the laundry basket. As long as you time it right when everyone in the house is asleep, you don't have to worry about getting caught by anyone. The only problem is—

I looked at the wall facing the next room.

That guy was a serious night owl. I really admire his lifestyle; he never missed a morning appointment with me... Maybe he was trying.

In other words—I don't know when the opportunity to return it will come. Maybe it will be midnight, 1 a.m., or maybe 2 a.m.

Honestly, I still need to sleep!

But I always felt that sleeping with my stepson's boxer shorts crossed not only the line between siblings, but also the line of being a human being, so I really didn't want to put it off until tomorrow.

...We can only wait.

As I flipped through the book I was halfway through, I eavesdropped on the sounds coming from the next room. Every now and then I could hear him pacing anxiously. I really didn't know what could be making him pace like that.

I couldn't concentrate at all—not only because I was distracted by the smell in the next room, but also because the man's underwear was in my room, which was seriously interfering with my concentration.

Without thinking, I looked down at the horrible boxer shorts lying beside me.

...This is my room...

...There was no one else but me...

What I did...will not be seen by anyone...

"........."

At that moment, the terrifying demonic hand gripped my heart.

I flopped onto the bed. I was just a little tired, that's why I lay down, nothing more. It was just a coincidence that the man's boxer shorts were right next to my face. So, in other words, my nose being so close to it was—ah, my heart is racing. Is it an arrhythmia? There's nothing to be excited about. This frantic heartbeat definitely sounds like I'm sick. Oh well, it should be fine in a bit. Yes, I just need to take a deep breath and calm down—

Sniff.

"──────── Ah!"

After fully exhaling and filling my lungs with the air I had inhaled, I regained my senses.

The memory... it's all gone. Gone completely! Not even a single fragment remains!

"…………Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh…………"

I crawled into bed and curled up like a fetus.

I covered my head.

I really want to die.

Does this make me look like a frustrated single dog...? I should have graduated from the gloomy type long ago! I should be the most popular and super cute campus sweetheart in my grade now!

It's all that guy's fault for leaving his underwear there, causing me to accidentally come back to life a year ago. That despicable cultist who so reverently worships an ordinary eraser!