My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 231

A silver necklace was faintly visible on Xingbian's chest.

In Yuba's hand, he held a sky-blue phone case.

I found that both items had been carefully maintained and looked like new.

...Perhaps surprisingly, neither of them was so passive.

One day, the two senior students' good intentions will surely be rewarded. I was touched by this premonition as I recalled the stories they had told me.

If you're too shy to go out with just the two of you, then invite everyone else along.

When choosing a gift, simply select something the recipient would like to give.

I see... I understand now, since that's how it is—

Mizuto Irito ◆ A birthday spent with family

—It's our birthday. Please make time for it that day.

When Jie Nu said that to me, to be honest, I felt a sense of anticipation.

Does she want to go on a date with me on her birthday? Like when we were dating, maybe have a big, private time together and exchange gifts?

For the first time, I felt this faint expectation, almost like that of an innocent middle school student.

However, the unfolding reality seemed to be mocking my feelings.

"Happy birthday!"

My stepmother, Aunt Yuren, said this to us with a cheerful smile.

Aunt Ren placed a rectangular box in front of us—myself and Jie Nu—and said:

"Choose your favorite cakes to eat~ I'm splurge a little, they're quite expensive!"

"I originally wanted to buy a big cake. But when I actually saw it, it was really too big."

"I'm just worried about not being able to finish it. Yui is almost at the age where she starts to worry about calories, isn't she?"

"I'm sorry to have made you worry unnecessarily, I don't need to lose weight yet."

"I'm so envious!" Aunt Yu-Jin said childishly.

Jie opened the cake box and looked inside. "I'll take this chocolate one!" she said cautiously, taking out the brown cake. Then she pushed the cake box towards me and said:

"Where's Mizuto?"

...it was as if nothing had happened.

They dared to say something to me that seemed to have a hidden meaning, like "we need to clear the sky that day." Turns out it was just to celebrate a family birthday? It made me feel pointlessly unsettled all day!

"...Then this cheesecake will do."

I won't show my frustration. I understand why. She must think that, given my personality, I'd nonchalantly ignore the birthday party, right? But if that's the case, just say so. Don't let it confuse her! Don't be so unclear!

"And then, this is a birthday present for you."

As he spoke, Dad placed a small envelope, resembling a red envelope for New Year's money, in front of both me and Jie Nu.

"Don't worry, Yu-ren and I have each prepared a set for you."

"Thank you, Uncle! May I open it?"

"It's nothing special. It's just a 10,000 yen book gift certificate."

“Eh!”

The woman opened the envelope and took out ten gift certificates. "I'm used to seeing this already."

"A 10,000 yen gift certificate..."

"Xiaofeng seems to give me this every year. It hasn't changed at all, has it?"

"Who told me that Shuidou would be so happy to receive this? I can't help it."

"No, no! I'm really happy! Thank you, Uncle!"

"I love you," said Yui, her face beaming with joy. Her eyes shone with boundless dreams. With a full ten thousand yen, she wouldn't have to worry about money for books for the foreseeable future. Especially since Yui often bought some more expensive single-volume books, this gift would be even more helpful.

"Well then, next up are my gifts! First, this one is for Yui!"

Aunt Yu-ren took something out of the bag beside her and placed it in front of Jie-nu.

The woman picked it up and said:

"Toner...?"

"That's right! It's a more expensive, established brand! A gift for my daughter, who's recently been exuding a subtle, feminine charm!"

"Womanly allure—do I give off that feeling?"

"Yes, yes! I bet you're a heartthrob at school, my daughter!"

"N-No, I didn't...!"

How modest! She's gone from being the "top student in her grade" to a "member of the beautiful student council," and there's not a day without rumors about her. Kawanami and Minami even angrily said, "There are way too many guys wanting to confess to Irito-san!" "Yeah, don't they even consider how the person blocking their love interest feels!" I'd like to ask you guys what you're up to behind the scenes?

"And then, this is the water bucket!"

After saying that, Aunt Ren stood up and picked up a spherical object that was placed in the corner of the living room with both hands.

"...Is it a cushion?"

"That's right! It's a beanbag chair!"

Aunt Ren pressed down on the lazy bone with her hand to demonstrate its softness.

"Reading like this should be more relaxing~ Just be careful not to overdo it. Some people can't get up once they lie down!"

I squatted down in front of the beanbag chair and touched it to see how soft it was. Indeed… it must be very comfortable to lie on. But the person happiest seeing this probably wasn't me, but Izana…

"Thank you, Auntie. I will use it sparingly."

"Do it this way. And remember to tell Dongtou too!"

She found out.

"Oh, that's great... I might want this too."

The girl peeked out from behind me.

"You can borrow it from him occasionally."

"No, no, no... Only the students from the east end would dare to act so lazy in the boys' room."

"It's nothing serious, no need to be polite with him. You're siblings!"

...Because they are brothers and sisters, right?

On one hand, there's the time we spend together as a family, and on the other hand, there's the time I treat her as a girl. Both of these things happen simultaneously in my daily life, and sometimes I feel like I'm split in two.

I want to stay by your side. I will never deny this desire again.

But... I may not have decided yet what form I want to take to achieve this.

Mizuto Irito: That reunion was inevitable

"Oh dear, Mom, you've had too much to drink..."

"Hehehe~ No way~"

"Okay, okay, go to bed if you want to sleep! Alright?"

Yui helped Aunt Yui, who was unusually tipsy, away.

Dad quietly poured himself a glass and smiled.

"She was probably so happy to be able to celebrate her birthday with the four of them like this."

"...Because our birthdays happen to be on the same day?"

When I asked, my dad lowered his eyebrows and said:

"I don't think so. Perhaps it's not a coincidence. In a sense, this event might have been inevitable."

"what?"

"It's what they call destiny. Everything in this world is arranged so ingeniously..."

My father was probably a little tipsy too, his eyes seemingly gazing into the distance.

"Mizuto, speaking of this, I don't think I've told you yet? When and where did Dad and Yoshihito meet...?"

"No... I just said I encountered it at work."

I remember my dad explaining it this way when he mentioned remarriage.

However, Dad slowly shook his head.

"The reason for deciding to remarry was indeed that... but actually, we had met once before, much earlier."

"Oh……"

"At the hospital. The hospital where you and Yui were born, we only met once..."

I had just casually agreed, but when I heard that, my attention was immediately drawn to it.

The hospital where I and my daughter were born...?

Were we born in the same hospital?

"Were you startled? But thinking about it, it makes sense. You lived in the same district, were born on the same day... and of course, you were in the same hospital. Even though you don't remember... sixteen years ago today, you and Yui were born together and slept in the same nursery."

Upon closer examination, it does indeed make a lot of sense.

My daughter and I attended the same junior high school. In other words, we were in the same school district and lived not far from each other. Given that, it wouldn't be surprising at all if we were born in the same hospital.

"At that time, He Nai... your mother, was hovering between life and death... I was so scared that I didn't know what to do... I couldn't even imagine what would happen in just ten seconds... I had no heart to work and wasted time in the hospital... Just then, a woman who happened to be passing by spoke up to me."

"...She is...?"

"Yes. She is... Yoshihito, who just gave birth to Yui."

Dad said with a helpless smile.

"Let me make this clear first, I swear I didn't have an affair. We said goodbye without even asking each other's names... We just shared our anxieties with each other in that brief time... Yu-Jin was very uneasy because her husband was so busy with work that he didn't even come to see their newborn child... She said that at that moment, she saw my expression was even more frightening than her own, like the end of the world had come, and she felt she couldn't ignore it..."

Yui told me about it. She said that Aunt Yui's ex-husband was a workaholic who had a family but lived like a loner.

"Yujin once said... even if you don't know what the future holds for your family, just seeing your child's face will fill you with hope for the future... Hearing her say that, I went to see your face too. And seeing you gave me a little bit of courage to keep living tomorrow. If it weren't for that experience... when Kawana abandoned me, I might have hated you..."

...was left behind.

To this day, this part of history, which I take for granted in my life... I don't know why, but at this moment it fills me with immense fear.

From the bottom of my heart, I feel that the last thing I want to encounter is that kind of thing.

"So Yujin... is my benefactor."

With a clang, the ice cubes in the glass collided.

"For fifteen years, I worked hard to raise my child, and the pain of losing He Nai gradually subsided... Just then, I reunited with my benefactor from back then. I knew at a glance that if I were to remarry, she was my only choice..."

My dad seemed distracted as he spoke. He looked drowsy, his eyelids drooping at any moment.

"So... I'm also very happy... that the four of us can welcome today as a family... I'm so happy... really happy..."

My dad's head drooped lower and lower, and before long, he slumped onto the table and fell into a deep sleep.

It's rare to see Dad so drunk... Today must be a really special day for Dad and Aunt Yu-Jin.

As her father quietly began to snore softly, Jie returned to the living room.

"Huh? Uncle Fengqiu is asleep too?"

"Yes...excuse me, could you please bring me a blanket?"

"it is good."

Jie brought a blanket from the dormitory, and I draped it over my dad's shoulders as he was leaning on the table.

The birthday party has now completely ended.

With our two children left, we solemnly began to clear away the dishes.

I said…

While tidying up, I was halfway through my sentence, but then I stopped talking.