My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 21

Huh?

Mizuto gripped my wrist, his gaze fixed on my eyes with an inexplicable tension. I couldn't feel any warmth in his eyes, yet his gaze was direct and unwavering. It was the same kind of gaze that had foolishly captivated me back in my second year of middle school.

I was momentarily stunned, but I managed to glare back and squeeze out a voice:

"What...what are you going to do...?"

"I will carry out the punishment from last time."

A sudden question caught my mind off guard. The punishment from last time. Punishment? Ah. My brain searched for recent memories.

He was referring to the punishment for that horrifying and disgusting underwear incident. According to the rule that "whoever does something that their siblings shouldn't do loses," the conclusion at the time was that as long as it didn't violate public order and good morals, each could give the other a command once.

Now, he's going to exercise that right—what exactly does he intend to ask of me?

...When he brings girls home, he forbids me from interfering or doing anything? If he really says that, I'll definitely give him a good scolding.

I made a firm decision, but Mizuto made a request that I had never expected.

◆ Water Fighter ◆

— Five chairs were placed next to the dining table.

Why was I so shocked when I saw this scene?

The reasons for all my actions ultimately converge on this one mystery.

From the girl who was with me at the hamburger shop, the loafers that suddenly appeared in the entryway, to the reason I asked Jie to check her room, to the reason I asked her about the number of adult books—all these things, which must have seemed inexplicable to Jie, originated from the hidden message in the five chairs.

What did I ask of Jie Nu that I didn't hesitate to carry out the punishment prescribed by my brothers and sisters?

Before revealing the answer, I must first ask everyone to correctly understand the significance of that scene. Therefore, yes, it is necessary for me to re-examine the series of events that occurred after that proposal from my perspective.

—Please date me with marriage in mind.

Just as I could not possibly know all of that woman's experiences, she could not possibly know all of mine.

So let me tell you the whole story.

It tells the story of a crisis approaching the girl while she is completely unaware of what is happening.

Jie caught a cold and missed school the next day.

Like a scholar excavating fossils, I dug into the stratum known as the bookshelf.

The location is the library after school.

For a student with limited funds who wants to lead a fulfilling reading life, a library is indispensable. In this regard, this library has a rich collection of books, ranging from academic books to light novels, which is perfect for my needs. So, not long after I enrolled, I became a regular visitor.

That day, I unearthed some very old light novels. The cover illustrations evoked a sense of nostalgia, and the edges of the covers were worn and tattered. A quick glance at the library card revealed that the oldest record dated back to the 20th century. Excited by the surge of historical sentiment, I moved to my usual spot.

I went to the corner opposite the entrance. In this semi-enclosed space, almost all of my view was blocked by the bookshelves—when I read in the library, I always leaned my butt against the air conditioning unit on the wall there.

Bathed in the soft sunlight, I turned the pages of my book. Hmm—these unique writing styles were like piercing straight to my brain—as I pondered, I noticed someone standing beside me.

Hmm... what can you see from the window?

I looked up from my book and saw a girl with two braids hanging down her chest, looking at me with big eyes wearing thick black-rimmed glasses.

"…………?"

I turned around to look behind me. There was only a wall behind me.

What is she looking at? It couldn't possibly be me...

"...You are, Irito-san...right?"

The girl with braided hair and glasses spoke in a very soft voice, almost inaudible, but she stared intently into my eyes as she spoke.

Oh, it seems she's looking at me. That's really unbelievable.

"Uh—excuse me, have I seen you somewhere before?"

"I... um... I have something I want to say to Irito-san..."

The girl with her hair in braids twisted her fingers in front of her stomach. Her demeanor and attitude felt strangely familiar—like the moment when Ayai Yui gave me her love letter at the end of my unforgettable second year of junior high school, a moment that overlapped with my current situation.

嗄？

No, how could that be—this is the first time I've met this girl! How could a complete stranger suddenly—

I stared intently at the girl with glasses whose head was bowed. I felt like I'd seen her somewhere before...?

The moment this question arose in my mind...

"—Pfft!"

The girl with glasses couldn't help but burst out laughing and covered her mouth.

"Pfft, hehe, hehehehehe...! Oh dear—you didn't even give yourself away! Irito-san, you never noticed, I didn't know when to stop!"

The girl's tone of voice suddenly changed. Her appearance remained the same, still conveying a serious demeanor. But the voice that came out of her mouth gave off a cheerful and joyful feeling.

It feels really strange. It's like when the Japanese dubbing of a foreign movie doesn't match at all.

"Hmm—still don't recognize me? Then let me reintroduce myself. Wait a minute—"

The girl with glasses lowered her head to hide her face, took off her glasses, removed the hair tie, gathered her loose hair behind her head, and raised her head again in this manner.

"Hello! Now you can recognize me, right?"

“—Ah.”

What do you mean by recognizing him or not—I just let this person come to my house yesterday.

Her ponytail hairstyle, coupled with her petite physique upon closer inspection—and the overall impression of a small animal…

"...Nan-kun?"

"You got it right! How about that? The diligent study type suits me quite well, doesn't it!"

Nan Xiaoyue put her glasses back on, quickly retied her braids, and grinned broadly.

I didn't recognize her at all... Judging by her appearance alone, she looks like a serious, studious girl—no wonder people say that 90% of a person's character is based on their appearance.

"I didn't really want to be seen, so I tried a different look—! I tried to dress up in a way that would be suitable for talking to Irito-san!"

"...What kind of joke is this? I thought you were going to confess your feelings to me. You scared me half to death."

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's okay if you get scared."

"Huh?"

"Irito-san. Please date me with marriage in mind."

My reading comprehension failed me, just like when I was reading a poorly translated novel.

"…Excuse me, what did you say?"

"Huh? Oh no, listen carefully!"

Nan moved slightly closer to me, staring intently at me through her black-rimmed glasses, and repeated herself:

"Irito-san. Please date me with marriage in mind."

...Strange? Seriously, it sounds like I misheard again?

Dating... well, it sounds like I heard her say it's "with marriage in mind"?

"Strange—? Didn't you hear me? I meant, Irito-san, please consider marriage as your goal and let me be your girlfriend, and date you. Do you understand?"

"...I don't understand."

Could it be that I've only been in high school for less than a month and a classmate has already confessed their feelings to me?

Should I say she was proposed to?

...Okay, calm down. This must be some kind of trap, or a misunderstanding. I need to coolly gather information and make a judgment.

"...Nan, do you want to marry me?"

"think."

"...Nan-kun, do you like me?"

"I don't dislike it, do I?"

"...Nan-kun...why do you want to marry me?"

"That's because!"

Nan's expression instantly brightened, and she answered with her most radiant smile:

"If I marry Irito-san, I can become Yui-onna's younger sister!"

"………………………………………………………………………………"

I don't understand.

"—Then, she went on and on about how great Irito was, right? Like some kind of hard-sell sales pitch."

"That's how it is..."

That evening, I was in my room talking on my phone with my friend Kawanami Kogure, and I let out a long sigh.

"This is completely baffling... What did she mean by that...? Is Minami really that kind of person...?"

"That's just the kind of person she is. Terrible, isn't it? Hahaha!"

For some reason, Kawanami was in an exceptionally good mood. He was practically like an otaku who had found a kindred spirit.

"It's already quite impressive that she's learned to mimic others; she never used to hide it. The reason she applied to a high school where almost none of her junior high classmates were definitely for this reason."

So she was also from a high school debut group. And so was Yui Aragaki; there are so many debut groups!

"What kind of person is she...? I remember you've known Nan for a long time, right?"

"She's prone to getting carried away and shows no sign of cooling down—that's Nan Xiaoyue."

Kawanami told me in a slightly more serious tone than usual.

"Once they become obsessed with something, they pursue it relentlessly, and the passion only intensifies. It's like a runaway nuclear power plant, spreading harmful substances and ultimately ending in a massive explosion."

"Boom!" Kawanami joked on the other end of the phone.

"The Big Bang...what does that mean?"

"Let's put it this way. I don't really want to air my dirty laundry in public, but I'll give you an example anyway—during junior high, Nan had a boyfriend."

"what?"

Nan has had a boyfriend? ...That's a bit hard to imagine. Maybe it's because she looks so young.

"That guy's a real idiot, isn't he? Of course, Nan's infatuation with him is extraordinary. She spends all her time with him, doing everything for him. And her boyfriend, at first, seemed to enjoy it too, huh? A man can't possibly be unhappy when the girl he likes—and a rather cute one at that—is taking such good care of him."

He was merely relaying what he'd heard, yet it sounded as if it came from the heart… Kawanami, oblivious to my inner thoughts, continued:

"So, guess what happened three months later?"

"Is she pregnant?"

"My boyfriend fell ill due to excessive stress and was hospitalized."

"Huh?"

No, wait a minute.

Wasn't the guy being taken care of perfectly well? It wasn't like he was taking care of someone else, he was being taken care of, right? How could the one who was having an easy time fall ill?

"That's what makes Nan Xiaoyue so terrifying..."

Kawanami's voice has a melancholic quality.

"Haven't you heard that cats are like that too? Being petted all the time builds up stress, right? Nan Xiaoyue uses that same tactic on a living person. She pours in too much love, spoiling the people and things she likes to an extreme degree… to the point of killing them."

I couldn't help but gasp.

It's hard to believe at first glance... but indeed, if you try to imagine it, it's not hard to understand.

If I were like that boyfriend, stuck in a situation where my girlfriend took care of everything in my life… I'd probably feel like my dignity was being denied. It would feel like I'd become a pet…

"When Irito-san took leave, Minami went to visit her in the hospital, right? She should have shown some signs then, don't you remember?"

After he said that... Nan fed her and blew on her food to cool it down. For a friend who had only known her for less than a month, taking care of a patient seemed a bit too much of a chore.

"Ha! What a shameless woman! If men don't work out, she just likes women."

"What's wrong?"