My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 178

After school, I met up with Isana (I haven't gotten used to calling her that yet) at our usual spot in the library and asked her about her methods.

Isana looked up from her book, her eyes wide with a silly grin, and said:

"Huh? A pickup line? What's that? Can I eat it?"

"It seems you live in a peaceful world, which puts my mind at ease."

"That's enough of the jokes—okay, I'll probably run away. Probably."

I think so too. I can just picture her, speechless and flustered, running away as fast as she can.

"In a sense, this is the most normal way to deal with it. But when you're greeting guests, you can't just run away—no, wait a minute...?"

If a woman encounters a troublesome customer, it's a good idea to have a man handle it immediately. However, regardless of the situation, the priority should be to extricate the woman peacefully... The best approach is still to completely prevent any advances from being flirted with.

"If it were a light novel or manga, the protagonist would gracefully appear to save the day—unfortunately, my life is lacking a protagonist."

"But I don't really like that kind of plot. It feels like the world is written in a stale way just to glorify the protagonist."

"That kind of event is perfect for letting readers easily play the role of a prince or princess. Someone like Mizuto wouldn't really accept that kind of convenient plot."

"There's nothing wrong with convenience in making a story exciting, but the pickup line trope has been overused and doesn't make the story any more interesting."

"You have such high standards. In romantic comedies, even old jokes can still be entertaining if they're well-written. So, for Mizuto-kun, what kind of flirting wouldn't be considered cliché?"

"...Could it be that kind of thing? A development that's just for actual practice?"

"Hehehe. Sounds like the opening remarks of a crosstalk performance."

I never expected to do something like this twice in one day.

Last time I acted politely, but people still complained it sounded like a blind date. But then again, if the other person had been gentle and polite, nothing would have gone wrong. In this situation, it's logically the kind of aggressive approach that doesn't consider whether the other person is bothered or not. So it should be…

"Hello."

"Ah, yes. Has it started?"

"You seem to have a lot of free time. Come with me for a moment."

"Huh... I'm not exactly free..."

"This is none of my business. Don't talk back to me."

"Huh...it's the 'I'm the only one who matters' type...?"

"If I ask you out, do you still dare to say no?"

"Um... how should I put it? Well, I'm not really available right now..."

"How exactly is it inconvenient? Tell me."

"...Ah! That's wrong! Instead of being the domineering type, I've become a boss who harasses others with his power!"

Izana, who was initially at a loss but secretly pleased, suddenly came to her senses.

I also suppressed my overbearing attitude and said:

"This is really difficult..."

"No, no, Mizuto-kun, you're really talented! Now, grab my wrist and pull me towards you like this! Like in a romantic movie trailer! Hurry! Hurry!"

"Why are you the one being difficult now?"

I sighed as I pushed away Izana, who was throwing herself into my arms.

"But truly difficult customers are probably not so easy to deal with..."

"You can't completely play the role of a difficult male customer. It feels like you're actually not a bad person at heart. Personally, I would rate you very highly."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"A real difficult customer would probably say something more like sexual harassment—like, 'You have really big breasts, can I touch them?' or something like that."

"That's just what you want me to say, isn't it?"

"If it's okay, we'll go to your house first..."

"You are not allowed to have conversations in your head."

Sexual harassment, huh? But then again, that's one of the scenarios we had anticipated.

"By the way, how did you end up thinking about how to approach someone? Are you planning a date with your classmate, Yui?"

"No. I'm thinking about countermeasures for simulating store scenarios. It's best to prevent things from happening in the first place."

"Ugh~ The problem you're considering is so difficult."

"Izana. I think that by now, you've chosen to escape from many of the world's problems..."

"How did you come to the conclusion that I'm that kind of person? What do you even know about me? Although you're not wrong!"

"When you want to avoid an unexpected situation that may arise at any time or place, what would be your first step?"

"Is there even a need to say that?"

"Um?"

"Check the strategy wiki."

"...I wasn't talking to you about video games."

"But I only experience that kind of situation in video games! Don't underestimate the emptiness in my life!"

Looks like I asked the wrong person. You're talking about strategy wikis, right? They're websites where players collaboratively edit and share game strategy information, aren't they? You don't really find anything like that in real life—

"—Not necessarily...?"

It doesn't seem impossible..., as long as it's within the constraints of a cultural festival...

"...Izana. You're like my savior."

"This doesn't feel like a compliment!"

"To express my gratitude, I'll do what you just mentioned for you."

"what?"

"Come here."

"Yawooa! Awooa ...

I've got an idea. All that's left is to strengthen our defenses.

"Hey, Irito, I got what you wanted. I've already taken a picture and sent it to you on LINE."

"Thank you. Let me take a look at the things tomorrow."

"Sure, but what do you need this thing for?"

I was talking to Kawanami on my phone while checking the pictures that were being sent to me.

The photos show the invitations and admission list used by general visitors to last year's cultural festival.

For the former, anyone from outside the school who visited the cultural festival last year received a copy. But the latter should be managed by the school... I really admire him for managing to get it, even though I asked him to.

"General visitor regulations require showing an invitation at the entrance service station and signing the admission register. Right, Kawanami?"

"Yes. Let me clarify, it's impossible to check every single name on the register. The same goes for this picture; I only managed to get it because a senior happened to have extra forms."

"No need, it's alright."

The important thing is not the list, but the notes at the top of the list.

It states that the person involved is solely responsible for any accidents that occur on campus, and that photos will be taken on campus for school publicity or appropriate operational management purposes. Signing this form indicates agreement to these regulations.

The same text was also present next to the invitation. It's unlikely that the text was suddenly changed this year.

"That should be fine now..."

"What are you planning, Irito?"

"nothing."

I picked up the book I was halfway through reading.

"It was just solving a troublesome task."

It was late at night when I finished reading the book.

I thought it was time to brush my teeth and go to bed, so I left my room. My dad, Aunt Yuhito, and Yui would usually be fast asleep by this time. So I wanted to go downstairs quietly, without making a sound—

But I saw a glimmer of light.

The door to the girl's room next door was ajar... The light from inside spilled into the hallway.

As if lured, I let my gaze slip through the crack in the door.

Jie was sitting at her desk.

I saw her looking serious, staring at a book that was neither a textbook nor a novel, writing something down in her notebook.

...I immediately realized that she was collecting information.

Just as I was responsible for devising countermeasures for unexpected situations, Yui was responsible for organizing the project content. We believed that adding some Taisho-era style elements to the menu or store layout would enhance the appeal of the Taisho Romantic Cafe project, so we decided to research some information on the customs and habits of that time.

I know she went to the library and picked out some books for reference.

However... I had no idea that she was so busy with class affairs that she was almost forced to accept.

...At first glance, it seems like a beautiful story, but it isn't.

Working through the night is outdated. I don't need to cite that fitness test as an example; she's clearly overdone it multiple times, only to make things worse, and now she wants to repeat the same mistake. I won't stand idly by.

I pushed the door, which was ajar, open completely and then knocked twice.

“—Ah.”

Hearing the sound, Jie Nu turned to look at me and said:

"...You're still awake?"

"You are."

Seeing her completely oblivious, I was secretly dumbfounded as I said:

"Being diligent is a good thing, but don't sacrifice too much sleep. Have you forgotten how you fainted last time because of this?"

I tried my best to sound sarcastic, but Jie Nu only gave me a faint smile.

"Are you worried about me?"

"Who do you think is cleaning up this mess?"

"If I could cause you a little more trouble, fainting might not be so bad."

Who goes to such lengths to torment others like you?

Jie Nu seemed to have been amused and chuckled softly.

"Don't worry, I'm going to sleep now. I've almost finished with this."

"That's fine."

"And you? How's your strategy for dealing with unexpected situations going?"

"I've already thought it through."

"what?"

The girl blinked in surprise, and I looked away without thinking.

"All the materials have been gathered. Now all that's left is to organize them into a manuscript."

"Even when you're studying for exams... I really envy your personality; you know when to stop."

"I don't have the time to get entangled in school matters all day."

"Shouldn't it usually be the other way around?"

"As far as I'm concerned, this is what I call normal."

My life doesn't revolve around school; reading time is what truly centers my life. Unlike you.

"Oh yeah... well, it's good that things are done quickly. Anyway, the content is probably going to be some weird ideas, right? I wonder how the organizing committee will react."

"I don't care."

This is the truth.