My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 218

"Huh? Well... I'm not interested in romance, so I can only offer general opinions..."

"Um."

"Isn't it enough to just honestly express your thoughts to the other person?"

Bang! Senior Sister Ya Shuang suddenly collapsed onto the table.

It's almost as if you can hear her shouting, "If it were so easy, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble!"

"...That's what I'll tell her."

"No, no need. I know it's not easy to do this. It's just that I feel that sometimes we need to express our feelings clearly with words and actions so that the other person understands... That's just my opinion."

...We should do that sometimes, right?

That's true... It's not good to just make a point every time.

"...I'm sorry. I sounded like I thought I was something special."

Asahi-no-in lowered his head slightly and spoke in a soft voice.

"Huh? No, I don't think so..."

"I understand that what I'm saying isn't convincing. To put it bluntly, it's all just theory—you can just listen to it and ignore it."

After saying that, Asahiko continued to focus on eating her bento.

Seeing her drawing conclusions about herself reminded me of my classmate from Dongtou not long ago.

Irito Mizuto ◆ In a Place Unseen

As I helped Isana, who had fallen and injured her nipple, back to the tennis court, I saw that in addition to Kawanami, another uninvited guest had arrived.

"Ah, you're finally back—!"

Nan Xiaoyue, wearing a skirt under her high-collared school uniform, grabbed Kawanami Kogure by the neck and dragged him away.

As I glanced at him, I said:

"Nan, why are you dressed like that?"

"A cheering squad! How come you don't even know that?! You're so uninterested in your classmates!"

"oh……"

Now that she mentions it, it seems there's a cheering competition. It should be an event that starts before the afternoon's competition.

"I've been waiting for you two to speak! It seems like Yui went to the student council area—"

Nan suddenly stopped speaking halfway through and peeked at Izana behind me.

"...Dongtou, why are you standing so hunched over?"

"Oh! No! I'm just like this! Please don't mind it!"

"I'm so concerned..."

Izana was startled by Minami's cold look and hid behind me. She explained that her nipples would rub against her clothes, so she had to bend forward to reduce contact. I had already returned the broken bra to its owner; it seemed Izana had taken it back to the classroom to put away... but judging from her behavior, even if it was broken, I should have let her wear it.

"Never mind, whatever. You two haven't had lunch yet, have you? Since Yui isn't here, I was wondering if we should eat together!"

"It doesn't matter, but can I ask a question first? What's wrong with Kawanami?"

He looked completely limp and motionless, with his neck being grabbed...

"Oh, you mean this guy? It's alright, don't worry about him. He'll wake up in a bit."

"No, I want to ask what you did to him."

"It's alright, it's alright!"

It's terrifying; they'd rather die than tell.

"Let's hurry up and get going! I still have to participate in the cheerleading competition, and my lunch break is very short~"

Nan seemed to take it for granted, dragging Kawaba along as they walked.

I don’t know if I’m just imagining things, but the wrist of Kawanami that was peeking out from the cuff of his tracksuit seemed to have spots that looked like hives.

Mizuto Irito's highly developed friendship and romantic relationship are too close together

Since Yui had joined the student council, I assumed she had no other friends to have lunch with, which was why she approached us. But I was completely wrong.

"Ta-da! This is East Head Isana's sister!"

"Ooh ooh--"

"Ooh ooh~!...Ooh ooh ooh ooh~~~?"

The two girls who often hung out with Yui and Minami stared intently at Izana's chest and started clapping.

One had a bob haircut and seemed absent-minded; the other was tall and slender, clearly exuding the cheerful vibe of a sports club member.

Izana looked uneasy and tugged at my elbows several times.

"(Stranger... Strangers...! There are strangers here!)"

Shy and only daring to speak loudly to familiar people, Izana trembled like a squirrel facing a lion. Seriously... I don't know what Minami-san's plans are, but I guess I'll have to introduce everyone here.

"Uh──..."

Seeing me tilt my head to look at the two of them, Nan slapped her palm and said, "Oh."

"The one who seems unmotivated is Kanai Nasuka, while the one who seems really talkative is Sakamizu Maki!"

"Huh! You don't even remember our names?! We're in the same class, right?! What do you mean I look noisy, Yueyue?!"

"I don't usually remember the names of people I don't know. Nice to meet you~ Please take care of me~"

"Huh! Am I the strange one? Am I the minority?"

That does seem quite noisy. Sakasui, Sakasui, Sakasui, right? The one who seems unmotivated actually seems quite sensible. Kanai, Kanai, Kanai… Okay, got it. I mean, I'll remember it for now. I don't know about tomorrow.

"Let's skip the small talk. What exactly do you want from us? Let me be clear: the presence of strangers is like a freshwater fish being thrown into the ocean to this guy."

"Wouldn't that kill us? No, after Yui left, it was just the three of us, and everyone said it was a bit lonely—that's when I remembered that I had said I would introduce Higashi-chan to everyone—so I said—let's bring her over."

"You don't even need to ask? You should ask the person in person first."

"Oh, you're right. Dongtou, shall we have dinner together?"

When Minami leaned in close to ask her a question, Isana glanced at Sakamizu and Kanai a few times before saying:

"Okay...it's...no...it's okay..."

"She said she'd love to!"

"Ugh..."

After being subjected to Minami's overly exaggerated interpretation, Isana became even more timid. This was really troublesome. She might have just wanted to lighten the mood, but distorting and misrepresenting what others said was wrong.

Minami casually tossed aside the Kawanami chair she had dragged all the way, pulled over two chairs, and placed them next to Sakamizu and Kanai. She sat down in one of the chairs and said:

"This chair is for the student in the east corner—I've already asked them."

“Okay, okay…”

Isana answered like that, but she still seemed a little uneasy, so I moved my chair over as well.

Meanwhile, Sakamizu and Kanai looked down at Kawanami, who was lying on the ground, and said, "How pathetic..." "Like a tuna that has been caught on a fishing line."

I placed my chair next to Isana and sat down. Only then did Isana finally put her bottom on the chair that someone had lent her.

Sakamizu and Kanai watched her do this and whispered:

"It's huge."

"It's huge."

"Good at shaking."

"Good at shaking."

"Both of you—your vocabulary skills have deteriorated significantly."

...After all, she's currently without a bra. If anyone tries to touch her, I'll have to protect her.

Seeing Izana's nervous expression, I said to her from the side:

"Izana, did you bring a lunchbox?"

"Oh, yes, I brought it. Huh? What else did you think this bag on my leg was?"

"No, it's just—I don't think Aunt Nagira would make bento boxes on purpose..."

"It seems like Dad made it today."

"oh……"

The father from the east side, whom I've never met, is being treated terribly. No, perhaps she's simply sharing household chores, but Aunt Nagira's impression is...

"Did that lady make Mizuto's bento?"

"Yes. Aunt Yu-ren gets really excited on days like this."

"What a kind and loving mother. I really want to switch places with you."

I don't want Aunt Nagi to be my mom.

"Hmm—"

"I see... "

Watching our conversation, Kanai and Sakamizu spoke in a serious tone in a low voice, while Minami grinned for some reason.

What are your thoughts, dear readers?

"It's not certain yet."

"No, but weren't they just talking about family? Doesn't that mean they've already gotten to know each other's entire families?"

Where did this lead us?

Nan and the other two opened their lunches with a rustling sound. Nan ate bread that looked like it was bought from a convenience store, while the other two seemed to have brought their own bento boxes.

"I mean, Nasukichi, would you mind staying here—"

As Maki Sakamizu spoke, she opened a bento box that was a size larger than ours.

"Is it okay not to eat with my senior's boyfriend? -- Isn't this the time to be looking at big breasts?"

"Let's skip it today. Otherwise, it would be too pitiful for Minami to be abandoned by Eri."

"Who did you say was abandoned?! Say it again!"

Hmm. Indeed, after Yui joined the student council, she probably spent less time with Minami. Judging from my past impressions of her, it's surprising that she didn't cause any more trouble.

Nan tore open the bread packaging, took a big bite, and said:

"I've grown up! I've become a mature adult who can honestly wish my good friends well as they begin a new life!"

"Oh, really?"

"You've grown up so fast. Just a week ago, you came to me crying and saying you were so lonely."

"Th-that was... a growth event, a growth event!"

I actually hope she can grow up right after starting high school. That way, I won't have to deal with her proposing to me out of the blue—I initially thought her recent good behavior was thanks to Kawanami, but it seems her friends besides Yui have also provided a lot of help.

"Ah... Mizuto-kun, Mizuto-kun."

As I ate my bento while thinking about these things, Isana leaned over to look at my side dishes.

"Let's exchange bento box dishes. I really love Irito's karaage chicken."

"Oh yeah, I think I've heard you mention that before. Open your mouth."

"Mmm~"

Aiming at Isana's mouth, which was open like a little bird, I used my chopsticks to pick up the karaage chicken and stuff it inside.

Isana puffed out her cheeks like a squirrel and chewed, saying:

"I'm eating like crazy!"

"Then I'll take this candied sweet potato."

"Mwah!"