My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 205

Izana seemed a little shy and spoke in a low voice.

"(If you're this close, even I can feel it, Mizuto-kun...)"

"(No, um... it's my fault...)"

"(You can't do that, especially not to a female classmate.)"

Then, Isana lightly rubbed her bangs with her fingertips and said:

"(But... it doesn't matter to me.)"

Sometimes, I wonder if this guy is doing it on purpose.

I suspect that although she says she has no intention of doing anything with me, she is actually still looking for an opportunity to seduce me.

But she really is a bit of a ditz, and that's what makes her so hard to deal with.

I'm just an ordinary man. It's just that it's not easily shown on my face, but I'm just an ordinary man. Even though I categorize Isana as a friend, sometimes my desires in that area are inevitably aroused.

Since this guy is that kind of person... I have no choice but to take responsibility and restrain myself.

"Wow!"

I pulled Izana's face into my arms and ruffled her hair.

Look, it's just like a large dog. Just like a pet. I don't have a fetish for pets. This is a pet, a pet, a pet…

"Wait, wait, Mizuto! I... I'm suffocating...!"

Izana struggled fiercely in my arms—and accidentally, her foot kicked the table with a "bang".

Then, the stack of comics on the table wobbled and tilted to the side.

“Ah—”

When I came to my senses, I had already reached out to try and support the pile of comics. But just then, to support my forward-leaning body, my other hand reflexively grabbed at something nearby…

"—Mmm!"

This time, the erotic sounds didn't come from behind a wall, but from right next to it, and the comic tower collapsed so fragilely that it fell to the ground.

My hand is gripping something extremely soft.

It's so large that it can't be tucked into the palm of your hand, allowing your fingers to sink indefinitely, yet it's also elastic enough to push your fingers back. In front of this soft texture, there's a layer of hard texture with wire-like objects threaded through the edges.

"Haa... Ah..."

Isana's cheeks were flushed, and she was breathing rapidly.

I reached my hands behind me and braced them against the pile of comics scattered on the floor, forming a support for my upper body and bearing the weight of my palms.

Bear my... hand that grasps one of her breasts.

"──...Mizuto...classmate...──"

Without resisting or shaking off my hand, Isana looked at me with her big, watery eyes.

I became unable to distinguish between the illusion created by her eyes and the voice from the other side of the wall, and suddenly I began to feel afraid.

I ran into her.

Despite our constant bickering, I had never touched her with my palm before—but now I grabbed her like this.

This also proves a fact.

This proves that even if I do this... Izana won't resist.

I cautiously let go of her chest.

As soon as I let go, Isana also slowly straightened her disheveled skirt and turned to the side.

After a long silence, she said:

"...Mizuto-kun...were you...doing this on purpose...?"

Isana murmured softly.

"Mizuto likes Yui, so... don't let my appearance fool you, I have my reservations too, and I've held back a lot of times...! But how could you do something so provocative? If you make me lose my temper, I won't be responsible!"

...Is she already showing some reservations?

What if there were no scruples whatsoever?

Izana quickly turned back to face me, her eyes fixed, and approached me step by step on her hands and feet.

"If I can't hold back anymore... you'll have to take responsibility."

"W-What responsibility...?"

"I'll force you to cheat. I'll force you into immoral sexual relations with me."

I felt a little relieved. For some reason, I felt that the fact that I could joke around like this meant that it probably wouldn't actually happen.

"When I draw some erotic comics or something, you'll have to use them as reference material."

"It seems like this might actually come true someday, and I don't want that to happen."

"In short! Please don't do anything to tempt me, whether intentionally or unintentionally!"

I wanted to return her words verbatim, but in matters like this, I realized I had to be the one to maintain the proper boundaries—so I could only nod. Although, if we were to truly investigate, whether encountering her by chance constituted intentional or unintentional seduction is debatable…

"Sigh." Isana sighed and said:

"Anyway, let's just consider this as the neighbor violating public etiquette by doing something indecent—is that strange?"

"What's wrong?"

Suddenly, Isana looked at the wall—the next private room from which the annoying screams had just been faintly heard.

...Huh, what's going on?

"Is it quiet down next door now...?"

Isana is right.

Before they knew it, all the shouts and sounds coming from the other side of the wall had disappeared without a trace.

Did they realize we heard them...? No, even if that's the case, they shouldn't have completely disappeared like this...

We looked at each other, then simultaneously and quietly left the private room.

Next, we peeked into the next private room.

No one is empty.

There was not a trace of life in it.

"...Mizuto-kun, do you know?"

"...What do you know?"

"I've heard that talking about dirty topics can scare ghosts away."

Why bring this up now?

How does this relate to the current situation?

Izana remained expressionless, but her whole body was trembling.

"Mizuto-kun... could you please take me home today?"

"……good."

"Also, next time I come to the comic book cafe, I still want you to come with me."

I thought to myself: This guy is really tough.

Most people probably wouldn't come back next time.

Yui Irito ◆ The person she likes is at home

As the sun began to set and about half the sky turned dark, the student council's welcome party was dissolved.

"The student council will officially begin operations tomorrow. We appreciate everyone's help."

"I...I will try my best!"

"Please give me your guidance, President!"

The crowd dispersed in twos and threes, and I set off on my journey home alone.

Along the way, I thought about the people I met today.

First, there's Asuhain, who sees me as a formidable rival. Her past experiences and earnest personality have made her an anti-romance advocate; if she knew about my or the student council president's situation, I'm afraid she'd go crazy.

Then there's Asou-senpai, who seems very responsible as a senior. But she seems to have a bit of a knack for playing tricks on guys, and frankly, I wouldn't want her to get close to Mizuto. Or is it that she only has feelings for Hoshibe-senpai?

Finally, there's the former student council president, Hoshibe-senpai. At first glance, he seems like someone who doesn't take things seriously, but you can tell from his conversation that he's actually quite meticulous. He said he came because he had nothing better to do, but who knows what he really is.

Having never joined a club before, this was my first time making friends with upperclassmen and classmates. If this were me back in junior high, I would have been filled with anxiety, afraid that I wouldn't be able to fit in—but I'm different now.

I feel the world has become more fun.

It felt like anticipation, yet also like certainty. This feeling of excitement and elation filled my heart—

“—Ah.”

As I walked and pondered these things, I saw a familiar figure appear ahead of me.

Autumn is in full swing, and the days are getting shorter. It's late at night, and it's rare to see him still loitering around like this. Perhaps he's gone somewhere else with his classmate from the east end or someone else.

He hadn't noticed me behind him yet. This sparked a mischievous idea in my mind.

I grinned slyly, held my breath, and approached that familiar figure from behind—

"Wow!"

"Oh wow ah ooh ah!"

He—Mizuto—was so startled that he jumped up and took several steps back from me as if he had been electrocuted.

Seeing his strong reaction, I, who was trying to scare him with the prank, was instead stunned.

"You scared me... I didn't expect you to be so startled..."

"Ah...oh, it's you..."

When he turned around and saw it was me, Mizuto awkwardly looked away.

Ah, that reaction is so cute. He's embarrassed.

Like a character in a female-oriented game, Mizuto casually touches her neck and says:

"For some reason, I just took Isana back to her house... Is she going home after the student council meeting?"

"Yes. The president hosted a welcome party for us at the shop where she works."

"Working? You mean her? I can't imagine..."

Hmm—he's become much more talkative than usual.

I think he must be trying to cover up his overreaction just now.

"Hey, what are some of the reasons?"

I took a step closer to Mizuto, stared intently into his eyes, and asked him a question. Mizuto looked somewhat hesitant and said:

"...Just some trivial things..."

"What kind of trivial matter? You should tell me, where did you go with Dongtou?"

The question naturally came out of my mouth.

I'm not jealous of Dongtou. This isn't the first time the two of them have gone out alone together.

I just want to know more.

What was Mizuto doing while I spent time with the student council members? I just naturally and naturally wanted to know things about him that I didn't know from him.

On the other hand, I also want to talk to him.

Let me talk about what happened to me today, the people I met, and the new experiences I had in this new environment. Let me tell you about the side of me you don't know.

I want to talk to you, listen to what you have to say, and look back on today, this memorable day, with you.

Fortunately, I have plenty of time.

Because we—