My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 175

Oh? This is the best response so far. Although he didn't agree immediately, Mizuto probably felt he had found the right answer.

"Okay, let's try them on first! My cousin Shuidou wants some too!"

what!

Yes...yes...we need to take pictures as examples...we need to make...we need to make Shuidou wear this elegant, scholarly attire...

I immediately tensed up and went to the next room to change. The clothes were more like a kimono than a real kimono, and they were easy to put on. The size also seemed quite loose.

I tapped the ground lightly with my toes a few times to check how comfortable the boots were...

"Let me tie your hair up a little."

My cousin Yuanxiang helped me gather a bit of my hair and tie it at the back of my head, then inserted a hairpin that looked like a prop, giving me the same princess hairstyle as her. With this hairstyle, I looked even more like a respectable young lady from the Taisho era in the dressing mirror.

"Wonderful! A graceful lady indeed!"

My cousin Yuanxiang praised me to the skies, and I started to feel very happy.

I turned my body from side to side, trying to shake my hair, sleeves, and the hem of my hakama. The resulting surreal silhouette seemed not to belong to me, gradually giving me the illusion that I was playing with a doll.

This one isn't as embarrassing as the previous outfits, and perhaps because it's a theatrical costume, it doesn't feel as tight as it looks. Besides... most importantly, the outfit is adorable.

"...Cousin Yuanxiang, how many of these are there?"

"How do you like it?"

"Hmm, I quite... like it..."

"There are probably four or five pieces. Adding the men's portions, I think there are more than enough for the staff outside."

So as long as it looks good on a guy... no, I'm almost certain it'll look absolutely good. After all, in the past six months, I've been looking at this guy the most in the world. I can predict about 80% of what clothes suit him and what don't without even seeing him in person.

We knocked on the door first, then went back to the clubhouse where we changed clothes in the sink—and then…

"!────"

"Whoa!"

I was just about to cheer when my cousin Madoka yelled like someone in a battle manga would when they get knocked away.

Cousin Yuanxiang's eyes lit up as she ran toward Shuidou, who had turned his head away nonchalantly.

"Water, water... Cousin Water Fighter! Huh! Are you really Cousin Water Fighter?! You mean that petite and adorable Cousin Water Fighter?"

"What's wrong with how you perceive me? Are you stuck in the past?"

Mizuto looked completely dumbfounded, just like I saw in the photo earlier, dressed in a kimono and hakama, with a school cap on his head, looking every bit the scholar.

So handsome...

So handsome...

My judgment was spot on. This outfit perfectly complements Mizuto's delicate features and intellectual air... I... I don't even know what to say anymore...

"A book, give me a book! Cousin Mizuto, take a book and tuck it under your arm! It has to be a thread-bound one! There should be some in the gadget box! ...Yes, yes, yes! That one, that one! ...Hmm—but it seems like something's missing..."

"Y-it's glasses...! Cousin Yuanxiang, glasses...!"

"That's it—!"

My cousin Yuanxiang and I were so excited that we put the non-prescription glasses from the props on Shuidou. As a result, Yuanxiang screamed "Whoaaaaah!" and was thrown off balance. Although I didn't scream, I felt the same way.

Cousin Yuanxiang covered her mouth with both hands, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"So-so cute...so handsome...absolutely adorable...absolutely handsome...I can't contain my excitement at discovering such a heartthrob among my family, my cousin Mizuto..."

"That's an exaggeration... It's nothing."

"Ah—! Using honorifics also goes well!"

They match perfectly! I nodded vigorously in my mind.

The previous "handsome tutor" look was already great, but this one is just as handsome...! Super handsome, unbelievably handsome...! Ah, I'm at a loss for words...! I can't find the right words to describe it!

"You two, come here and stand side by side! Hurry up!"

"Huh...!"

My cousin, Yuanxiang, shoved me forcefully by the shoulder, forcing me to stand next to Mizuto. Ah, no… no, don't let me near him! I'll die! I'll die!

"Wow, this is incredible... Taisho era! This very moment is the Taisho era! Closer, closer!"

Cousin Yuanxiang excitedly snapped photos.

I froze, stealing glances at Mizuto, whose shoulders were practically touching mine. The brim of his school cap cast a shadow on his slightly boyish face, lending him a melancholic air…

Eeeeeee! My mouth, the corners of my mouth...! I can't stop the corners of my mouth from turning up...!

"Wow—it's settled now! The Luo Lou Cultural Festival will be open to the general public, right? I'm going! I'm definitely going!"

After my cousin Yuanxiang's photoshoot ended, I finally managed to escape from Mizuto's side. I almost thought my heart was going to stop...

Just as I was feeling relieved and letting out a sigh of relief, my cousin Yuanxiang quickly waved to me several times. What was wrong? I went over to take a look…

"Look, look, this is the best one."

She wanted me to see the photos she had just taken.

The image shows a slender young woman blushing and glancing sideways at the scholar beside her—I... I'm so bad at hiding my expressions...!

I was so caught up in my own shock at being caught off guard that I didn't realize what had happened until my cousin Yuanxiang pointed it out to me.

I realized it wasn't just me—Mizuto was also glancing at me sideways.

"Hehehe. Although you didn't say it out loud, you seem quite satisfied?"

I quickly covered my mouth with the cuffs of my kimono.

I can no longer suppress my emotions. Seeing this... my expression is destined to crumble.

"Um...this photo..."

"Okay. I'll send it to you."

I thanked them in a soft voice.

Later, I looked at Shuidou, who was pretending to be stupid.

It was the same when they stopped me from wearing revealing clothes, and it's still the same now...

This guy... actually likes me, right?

After changing back into our original clothes and tidying up the clubroom, my cousin Yuanxiang said, "Since you've come all this way, how about we take a stroll around the university?" She invited us to walk around.

This was a rare opportunity, and I decided to accept it without hesitation. Even though Mizuto kept saying he was in a hurry to go home, he ended up joining us for a stroll.

After visiting the gymnasium, restaurants, research labs, and library, we went to rest at the café in the central square. I don't go to cafés often, and university cafés felt especially novel. Until the waiter showed me to a seat opposite my cousin Yuanxiang, I acted like a country bumpkin.

"Move over a little."

But the moment Mizuto sat down next to me, he instantly pulled me out of my thoughts.

She specially sat next to me! The seat next to my cousin Yuanxiang was clearly empty...!

No, no, let me calm down. It's just that he's more used to being with me, his stepsister, than with his cousin Yuanxiang. That must be it... Ah! But it bothers me so much!

Cousin Yuanxiang picked up the menu and said:

"What would you like to order? We also have cakes and other treats, and the prices are very reasonable! Please feel free to order!"

Hmm... what should I order? We still need to eat dinner, so a small snack would be best, but...

"The cake and parfait look so delicious..."

"I'll just order a coffee. Where's my cousin Shuidou?"

"I'll order black tea—and this cake."

"what?"

Mizuto pointed at me, hesitating between ordering the parfait or this chocolate cake.

Mizuto said calmly:

"I'll order this, and you order the parfait. Then we can share it, so you can have both."

"Ah... uh, um. You're right..."

Why are you being so gentle?! W-what's going on? Have you started dating me?! Could we already be dating?!

"Oh—?"

Seeing Mizuto's action, Cousin Madoka's eyes lit up meaningfully. Cousin, you think so too, right? Am I misunderstanding? It's attraction! There's attraction involved, isn't there?

No, no, no, calm down. Judging from this man's personality, maybe he just doesn't have much of a preference for what he eats. That's it, that must be it... right?

Not long after, the parfait was served in front of me, placed in front of the sink. The parfait was a small cup, perfect as a snack. The ice cream on top wasn't too sweet, with a slightly tangy flavor. Hmm… I might prefer it a little sweeter.

"How was yours?"

Shuidou expressionlessly ate the chocolate cake bite by bite, then put down his fork and silently pushed the whole plate of cake towards me. In exchange, I pushed my parfait towards Shuidou.

"Oh dear? Why aren't you feeding the other person?!"

Cousin Yuanxiang said it with a forced smile.

...Indeed, when it comes to sharing food...that's all true. However, given this man's personality, there's absolutely no way he would do something so flirtatious in front of others, especially in front of relatives...but, judging from the way he acted today, maybe—

"don't want."

Shuidou spoke without holding back.

...I knew it. I really don't know what I was expecting—

"That's not the kind of behavior you should do in public."

But his next sentence made my mind go blank for a moment, while my cousin Yuanxiang looked stunned.

"...That's strange. It sounds like you do this whenever it's not in public?"

"Think what you want."

Strange? Why? Why didn't he just deny it outright? Normally, he would have denied it so thoroughly that it would make people angry—

"What's wrong, Yume? You seem to be spacing out."

"Huh? Oh, no, I was just thinking about something... You see, when you eat this kind of thing, you're always worried about the calories!"

He leaned closer to look at my face, and I quickly made up an excuse to cover it up.

He... he actually cares about me... He's so much gentler than usual!

"Oh, really. So you care about that too."

"Huh?...W-What do you mean I care too?!"

"I thought you weren't worried at all, since I saw you being lazy and eating snacks all day long."

"I...I didn't eat anything...Okay, I did, but I wasn't being lazy!"

One minute she's nice to me, the next she's sarcastic. What does she want? Ugh!

After touring the university campus, the sun was about to set.

We should go home now. Cousin Yuanxiang also had something to do later, so we all parted ways.

We walked out of the campus through the gate near the station. My cousin Yuanxiang said, checking the time on her phone:

"I have a drinking party in Kiyamachi later—my boyfriend said he'd pick me up... Ah, he's here."

A car pulled up and stopped a short distance away. Yuanxiang waved to the boy in the driver's seat. That was Yuanxiang's boyfriend… he was too far away to see clearly, but strangely enough, he seemed exhausted…

"I'm off then! Looking forward to the cultural festival!"

My cousin Yuanxiang jogged to the car, said "Thank you~" to the driver's side window, then went around to the passenger side and got in, waving to us from inside the car.

The car drove forward and disappeared across the road in the blink of an eye. The way she and her boyfriend drove away together looked inexplicably mature. I watched the car drive away, quietly immersed in the emotion.

however……

Mizuto said in a surprised tone:

"...They're going to a drinking party, right?"

"Huh? Isn't that what she said?"

"In that case, her boyfriend can't drink it?"