My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 199

Shuidou's profile was covered by the gradually expanding darkness of the night.

"That...wasn't that more than a month ago?"

"Is it not possible?"

"Just how unwilling are you to thank me...?"

Just one sentence, just three words.

...I really don't know how much determination it took for him to say such a thing.

"When he was on the executive committee, he cared about you. Didn't that bother you?"

"No matter how I feel in the end, I still have to say thank you... Looking back, it seems like there have been too many times when I should have said this but didn't... I just feel that way."

Conversely...

Even though the timing was off and it took more than a month, he still said it to me.

She finally made up her mind and came to tell me.

That alone—well, that should be something to be happy about.

"I should be thanking you. You helped me a lot when I was on the executive committee... Besides, I had a cold last semester too, so it's mutual, right?"

"Um...so...what I'm about to say isn't something I should have said before but didn't."

At that moment... because it was me, I noticed that reaction.

I only noticed it because I've seen many side profiles of Shuidou.

I noticed a slight stiffness in his lips—Mizuto was tense.

"Just this once...can I make one selfish request?"

The tips of the little fingers overlapped only slightly.

"Um... what is it?"

"Wait a moment……"

At this point, Mizuto swallowed hard as if something was stuck in his throat, and licked his dry lips.

Then he lowered his head slightly... and said in a forced voice:

"...Wait a minute, don't go to the after-party—come home with me."

A smile involuntarily bloomed on my lips.

To be precise, I don't know why I was smiling.

But I think this is a very joyful thing.

It was an earth-shattering event, and I really wanted to cheer loudly.

But... I am now a mature woman who knows how to maintain boundaries.

I transformed the smile that bloomed on my lips into a composed and unhurried one.

"I just can't do anything with you. Don't let this happen again, okay?"

Hearing me say that, Mizuto breathed a sigh of relief.

The stiff lips relaxed their grip with a sense of relief.

Then, for the first time, he looked back at my face and spoke again:

"……Thank you."

I feel that today is not just the school's anniversary.

It is a different kind of anniversary, much more difficult to name, and very, very special.

◆ Irito Mizuto ◆

The headlights of passing cars stretched the shadows of the two men longer.

The route I take home from school, which I'm used to, takes on a completely different look at night... or perhaps for some other reason. It's such a familiar phenomenon, yet everything I see seems brand new.

"Although it was tough, I was also very happy."

The woman murmured softly, as if she were letting out a satisfied sigh after a hearty meal.

"Everyone working together, doing things together... After talking about club activities I haven't joined for so long, isn't this what it feels like?"

"I don't know. I just feel exhausted."

"Thank you for your hard work. Starting today, you can enjoy some personal time again."

The girl chuckled softly, mocking me. I looked at her face from the side.

Strands of hair falling from her temples cast shadows on her cheeks. Despite having been busy all day, there was no sign of fatigue on her face.

I don't know when it started, but I thought that this profile view was something I could only peek at from afar.

A non-existent high wall was erected between myself and this profile.

but……

Now I know—I can reach it if I just reach out.

"--Hmm, huh?"

Jie was startled by my sudden action and looked down at her left hand.

Looking at my right hand, which was holding my left hand.

"Huh? Huh?... What are you doing?"

"...It's getting dark, I'm afraid you'll get lost."

"It's not like we're in a crowded place!"

Although Jie Nu said that, she didn't try to shake off my hand.

That's it.

It was such a trivial matter... yet it made me so relieved that I wanted to shout out loud.

I'm so fed up with myself. I never thought I would be such a weakling.

However—I will no longer be afraid.

I have made a firm resolution to fight against this version of myself.

"...I'm telling you."

"Um?"

After walking hand in hand with me for a while, Jie Nu, while giving me a spyy look, said:

"I'd like to ask for your opinion on something, is that alright?"

"……What's up?"

"I have something to tell you... Senior Hong asked me to do something."

"Please?"

"Um."

Her tone sounded relaxed, yet I sensed a certain determination in her. I listened as Jie continued.

As the girl looked up at the familiar night sky, she told me the decisive fact that proved we were "different".

"—She asked me if I would like to join the student council."

……oh.

I wasn't surprised at all, and I was even surprised by myself.

The current student council members will step down after this cultural festival. I heard that the reason why the vice president, Senior Hong, served as an executive committee member for the cultural festival was as a kind of training before taking over as president.

In that case... it's not strange to select new student council members from among the executive committee members.

It's not surprising that the girl matches her taste.

"...What do you think?"

The answer was already written in the eyes of the girl who looked at me.

Since that's the case, what I should do is give her a push.

"You really want to give it a try, don't you?"

Jie paused for a moment.

"……Um."

"Then just do it. There's absolutely no need to hesitate."

"Um……"

Jie Nu quietly turned her gaze back to the front.

"By the way...did you get asked that?"

No. That's not suitable for me.

Because there's already a senior in the student council... She's just very good at hiding it, but she's definitely the same type as me and Izana, and she'll definitely want to find someone different from herself to take over.

"I see..."

Hearing her sigh, I felt a little happy.

I thought to myself, maybe she has similar worries to mine... although maybe I'm misunderstanding, but that's how it feels.

So I held her hand tightly and said:

"Are you afraid without me?"

At the same time, he laughed and mocked her.

Just like she started doing to me since the day of the festival.

Jie glanced at me and pouted as if she was being difficult.

"...Don't treat me like a child. This was my first time as an executive committee member, so I was a bit inexperienced, but it's okay now."

"Really? I hope so."

"I told you it was alright!"

Yes, it's alright.

Because I know that I can reach it by simply reaching out.

I know that if I hold her hand, she will hold it back.

Even though our thoughts, views on life, and ways of understanding things are all different, and we are about to embark on completely different paths in life...

I will not let go of this hand I am holding.

Unwilling to let go.

The Six Sentences I Couldn't Say Back Then (Postscript to Volume 6)

I really want to believe that the understanding of "difference"—in other words, the understanding of diversity—is becoming more widely recognized year by year. Unfortunately, shyness has never been seen as a sign of personality, no matter how much time has passed. It seems that in most cases it is just regarded as a lack of communication skills.

However, it is true that shyness equates to a lack of communication skills. And as long as society exists, a lack of communication skills will inevitably lead to practical difficulties. So perhaps it is unavoidable. Even writers, whose profession probably requires the least communication skills in the world, are required to at least know how to start an email with "Thank you for your care."

Therefore, whether it's shyness or something else, developing a certain level of communication skills will indeed make life easier—but that's just a technical issue, merely skill development, simply progress and proficiency. Frankly, it's the same kind of problem as "being able to write Chinese characters but not writing them" or "being able to use a computer"—you can't judge a person's growth based solely on that.

So what exactly is "growth"?

When it comes to growth in fictional works, it sometimes means improving combat abilities or making friends, but that's a simplification for entertainment purposes. Of course, some people can derive satisfaction from it, like Yui in this work, but Mizuto, on the other hand, doesn't—that's the main theme of this episode.

In this work, it is described as an ideal—or, in other words, a goal of "growth"—an image that one must one day achieve, an image that a person gives to themselves. When this aspect clashes with another, even if it seems calm at first, friction is bound to occur sooner or later. This is because it means that the two sides do not even agree on their concepts of good and evil ethics.

What I need to achieve in this episode is to give Mizuto courage and a strong desire so that he can overcome this inconsistency. I can't just destroy and change his rigid self-awareness without careful consideration; I have to make him accept himself.

Doing so won't give you power or make more friends. It's simply about accepting your way of being—not denying your current self, but affirming it—I believe that feelings like "wanting him or her to belong to me" ultimately require you to feel that you're a decent person; otherwise, it's hard to have the courage to express them. I think you all understand my perspective.

And so, this time I racked my brains for ages again. But hey, at least we've overcome that hurdle, and the next episode is expected to be a lighthearted, enjoyable one of mutual unrequited love. What? So far it hasn't been mutual unrequited love? In the first episode, they genuinely disliked each other, didn't you know?

Thank you to illustrator TakayaKi, manga author Kusakabe Rei, the editor at Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko, and everyone involved in the production of this book. Lately, I've been writing so much that I'm almost at the deadline; I hope I can overcome this habit.

So, that concludes Kamishiro Kyosuke's presentation of "My Stepmother's Burden is My Ex-Girlfriend 6: Six Things I Couldn't Say Back Then." I haven't decided on the other student council members yet!