My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 187

I had assumed that when people talked about haunted houses, it was like a bloodless hand suddenly popping out of a paper door with a "snap!" So, seeing that there was nothing around me, I thought I was safe. I never expected that they would take advantage of my vulnerability so quickly.

"……Hello……"

Just as I froze, frightened and slightly unwilling, I heard a trembling murmur in my ear.

"How long are you going to stick to me like this...?"

"Ah...yes, no..."

No, wait. It's precisely because I always back down at times like these that I'll always be a coward. When faced with such a perfect opportunity, how can I not seize the chance and press my advantage?

"Could...can I lean on you a little longer...? Um...I'm scared..."

"...This guy who usually binge-reads dismemberment novels is actually doing this?"

"Deduction/mystery and thriller are completely different categories, aren't they?"

I stubbornly tightened my grip on Mizuto's arm. Three seconds later—I finally realized I had pressed my entire chest against his arm, and unfortunately, I was trapped. Ughhhhh… It was embarrassing, but if I ran away now, he would find out I was just putting on a brave face…

——Thump...thump...thump——

My heart is racing. Did that sound reach you from my arm? Can you tell it's because we're holding hands? Or do you think I'm just terrified by the haunted house?

"Let's hurry. The route shouldn't be too long."

Shuidou didn't give me the answer, but pulled me forward.

After that, the meticulously designed terrifying traps continued to appear one after another. The sudden appearance of ghosts was just the beginning. One moment someone would follow you without your noticing, and the next you would hear loud footsteps running by. The ever-changing traps were really too scary, and I had long since lost the desire to lure Shuidou.

Just when I thought we were almost done walking, a door appeared in front of us.

It's the sliding door to the classroom. Walking through that door means leaving the haunted house.

Unexpectedly, this hopeful exit was blocked by a piece of paper, obscuring the small window on the door:

"Your true love will defeat the monster and break the curse on the door. You must kiss. If that's not possible, an embrace will suffice."

"........."

"........."

What is this?!

Does that mean you can't leave without kissing?! What kind of haunted house is that?!

Actually, I had a bad feeling all along—...because when we were about to come in, everyone was giving us evil smiles for some reason...

I whispered to the water bucket:

"(What...what should I do?)"

"(How could I possibly comply? If they're making kissing a condition, it means someone's definitely watching, okay?)"

Yes, yes. That makes sense. Thinking about it carefully, it's common knowledge that Mizuto and Higashi are dating. If I were to kiss him now, even if it was just for show, it could still leak out and cause everyone to misunderstand that Mizuto is two-timing...

"Well... there's nothing we can do then. Yeah, it would be terrible if we couldn't get out!"

Let me speak louder and first declare that I was forced to do this. Then—

Hold me tight.

I hugged the water bucket from the front.

It said on the paper that a hug would be okay if that wasn't possible. I couldn't kiss him, so this was the only option. No other choice, right?

"Hey! You—"

"Okay, hurry up. We have to hug each other, so... you need to too."

"...Damn it..."

I chuckled. It was the first time I'd ever seen someone seriously use the word "damn it"—

Hold me tight.

My arms wrapped around my shoulders and around my back, and I nestled in Mizuto's embrace. I felt her warmth all over my body, and a warm, happy feeling filled my heart. It was a mixture of excitement and reassurance… Ah, perhaps this was the first time I'd been embraced like this since our breakup—

Thump, thump, thump—

The sound of a heartbeat, slightly out of sync with mine, came from the close-fitting chest. Moreover, the heartbeat gradually quickened over time, and I was sure it wasn't just my imagination.

I couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Then, I couldn't stop my mischievous mood from growing rapidly.

I gently pressed our cheeks together, and brought my lips close to Shuidou's ear:

"(It's been so long since I've done this. Does it feel good?)"

——Thump! My heart skipped a beat.

No matter how composed his facial expression may be, his heart doesn't lie. Lately, we've only seen him calmly handling his executive committee duties, which makes his erratic heartbeat seem all the more endearing.

However, the good times didn't last long; with a click, the door lock opened.

In an instant, Shuidou quickly pushed me away. I tried to get a better look at his face, but the light was too dim and he immediately turned his face away, so I couldn't see him clearly.

However... my expression is probably not presentable, so it's a good thing that it wasn't seen by anyone.

Ah! How did that sentence just pop out?! It sounded a bit erotic!

"You've worked hard!"

When we opened the door and stepped into the brightly lit hallway, neither of us dared to look the other in the eye, and the atmosphere became subtly awkward.

"So! Was our haunted house fun?" "Great job, right? This will definitely become a popular spot for couples!"

Faced with their boasting about the contents of their class's booth, as the executive committee member of the cultural festival, I had no choice but to make a judgment.

"...It's basically fine, but the last notice is disruptive, please remove it."

"How could this happen?!"

Several girls groaned in dissatisfaction, but the other boys all wore knowing expressions. Yes, of course.

After saying goodbye to the haunted house classroom, Shuidou and I walked forward, ready to continue our patrol.

After walking for a while, Shuidou, who had remained silent until now, suddenly whispered:

"...That one just now..."

"what?"

"What happened just now... was because that haunted house was unexpectedly well-made, and I got scared."

...Is your heart racing because you're hugging me?

I didn't say anything so tactless; instead, I said:

"You were scared but didn't say anything? Because of me?"

"No, I was just startled—"

"So you were just pretending to be brave earlier? How cute!"

"No... Ugh, this is so annoying!"

Seriously, only your heart doesn't lie.

AM10:56 ■ Isn't it enough to just be with you?

After making a minor (really minor) blunder in the haunted house, I casually dealt with the increasingly demanding Yui-onna, and the two of us continued our inspection together.

If I could eliminate one of the three great desires, I've always wanted to eliminate the desire to sleep. Because I want to use my sleep time to read or do other things. But now, I want to eliminate the desire for sex even more. To feel flustered and agitated over such a small amount of contact… and it's not even the first time, it's a lifelong shame.

As I walked amidst the hustle and bustle of the cultural festival, my consciousness drifted to something else.

I wonder if Isana is bored out of her mind. When I went to see her just now, the girls in her class seemed to be having a hard time talking to her—but oh well, she's an expert at killing time by herself, so I probably don't need to worry about her, but it would be better if I could pick her up as soon as possible.

"...!"

Just as I was about to take out my phone to check the time, Jie paused for a moment... Did her expression twist in pain for a split second just now?

"What's wrong?"

"Ugh...it's nothing. I just tripped a little..."

Seeing that empty laugh of hers, I knew her well enough not to take everything she said at face value.

I looked down at the girl's booted feet and thought for a moment.

"...Do the shoes rub against your feet?"

"Huh? You, what are you doing—"

"Walking for a full hour in new shoes, of course that's possible."

I should have thought of that from the beginning. But I really didn't think of that much...

"The infirmary... no, it might be a bit far."

"I...I'm fine!"

"Enough with the nonsense. Just let me check first, I'll confirm. There should be an empty classroom nearby, let's go."

I grabbed Jie's wrist and pulled her arm. Jie didn't offer much resistance and followed me.

The corridor outside the empty classrooms was so deserted, like a forgotten dead corner. The entire school building was shrouded in so much noise, but this area was so quiet that you could only hear your own footsteps.

I opened the door and looked inside, but didn't see anyone. I'd heard that in previous years some students would gather in these empty classrooms to slack off and skip the cultural festival, but this classroom seemed genuinely empty.

"There's no one inside. That's perfect, please sit on that chair."

"I only feel a slight pain every now and then..."

"If it hurts, there's a problem. If you become unable to walk, the work will fall on my shoulders."

"...Are you worried about yourself?"

"Is it not possible?"

"...I can't do without it..."

I had Jie sit on a chair, then squatted down in front of her and asked, "Which foot?" Jie answered, "Right foot..." So I untied the laces of her right boot.

I helped her take off her boots, then her socks. Seeing me hook my fingers around the elastic band of the socks, Yui said anxiously, "Wait, wait a minute…!" But under Izana's training, helping girls put on and take off their socks was already commonplace for me. Besides, this girl had once let me help her put on over-the-knee socks. Pretending to be innocent now was useless.

I let my socks slide off her skin, revealing her fair legs. As I gently placed my hands on the soles of her feet for support, Yui made a sound like she was ticklish, "Mmm..."

"...There's some redness around the inside of my ankle and the base of my big toe...it doesn't look serious yet."

"I...I'll tell you, okay? I'm fine."

"I mean right now. I have to go to my shift later. Knowing your personality, even if your shoes rub your skin raw while you're working, you'll definitely keep quiet about it."

"……Um…………"

The girl stopped talking, feeling a little embarrassed.

Since it's already this red, it's best to do something about it. The best way would be to switch to your usual shoes, but I don't have any of those on hand right now...

"...Ah, I've got it."

I remembered what I had with me, rummaged through the pocket of my hakama pants, and took it out.

The woman raised an eyebrow slightly and said:

"...Bandage? You carry those things with you?"

"It's just a backup, in case a child visitor slips or falls. Anyway, putting this up will make things a little more comfortable."

I applied the bandages one by one to cover the reddened areas.

The girl looked down at me as I worked, and muttered to herself:

"I didn't expect you... to be so considerate of others."

"...It's not as good as you say. I'm just afraid of seeing children cry, so my first thought is to take action."

"You're actually very gentle and considerate... but maybe only Dongtou and I know that."

After applying the bandage, I stared at the girl's bare feet and picked up her socks.

"Even if it's as good as you say... then what's wrong with it?"

"If everyone knew, it might improve your relationship with everyone. You know, the other executive committee members all thought you were difficult to get along with."

"There's nothing we can do about it, it's just a fact."