My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 232

The fact that we became brothers and sisters may not have been a matter of fate at all.

To be honest, it was only because I was indirectly affected by my father's fate. The two of them met because of their child, and it was destined that they would be together sooner or later, that's all.

The trap set by fate might really only be limited to that one encounter in the junior high school library...

"What's up?"

The girl turned her head, and I said to her:

"...Remember to put leftover cake in the refrigerator."

"Huh? Hmm, I know..."

There's probably no need to say it out loud.

Ultimately, neither God nor fate matters.

We have things we must protect.

Based on this, what to do is a decision I must make myself.

Mizuto Irito: Casual chatting can sometimes help to calm one's mind.

I returned to my room and turned my gaze to my desk.

There, there was a small, wrapped gift.

I touched the outer packaging, recalling the nonchalant expression on Jie's face as she celebrated her birthday.

...It felt like stepping back into middle school. A person was experiencing both intense excitement and unwarranted despair...

I thought I had already gotten over this feeling of confusion, but when I came to my senses, I found myself going back to the same old path.

As a result, will I revert to my past self?

If that's the case, then even if my wish comes true now... in the end, will it just be the prelude to destruction, just like it was back then?

If that's the case... this time, it won't be a joke.

It won't just be us falling apart...

"……Um?"

My phone, which was in my pocket, suddenly started vibrating.

When I took it out, I saw it was a call from Isana.

"Hello?"

Hey hey~ Happy birthday~

The joyful, carefree sound swept through my mind like a breeze, leaving me feeling utterly exhausted.

"You know my birthday? Did I tell you?"

"My classmate Jie told me that she'll give you your birthday present when it arrives at school tomorrow."

"You even prepared something? That's quite polite of you."

"Swimsuit or bunny girl, which do you prefer?"

"Stop. Throw away that thing you prepared right now."

"What?! I even drew a sketch! Yui's swimsuit and bunny girl outfit..."

"It turns out it's her! Then she definitely has to be thrown away!"

I thought you were going to come and show me your cosplay outfit. Please don't treat others as birthday presents without permission.

"Okay, enough with the jokes..."

"Your joke is really hard to understand..."

"Did Mizuto give her the present? It's for Yui! You can't just say you didn't prepare one, can you?"

I looked down at the small bag of gifts beside me.

"...We were prepared."

"Oh dear. Judging from your tone, could it be that..."

"It won't matter. We live together anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities."

"If you keep saying things like that, next year will be here in the blink of an eye! Aren't you afraid your desk drawers will be full of gifts you never got to give?"

Don't make me imagine unpleasant things... It feels like those things might really happen.

"If you don't give it to her, I'll hint at it to your classmate. Like, if a friend confesses to someone on your behalf without your consent, you don't care if your birthday becomes embarrassing."

"Please don't... I'll be so embarrassed."

Just imagining it terrifies me. If it turned out like that, I'd run away from home.

"By the way, may I ask what the gift is?"

"It's nothing special. Giving someone a piece of jewelry when you're not even dating them would put the recipient in an awkward position, wouldn't it?"

"Huh—so it's something practical? Are you scared?"

Ugh... This guy's words are really harsh and sarcastic.

"What's wrong with that! Giving gifts is the important thing."

"Well, that's true. Perhaps it's better than politely accepting it with a smile, only to not know what to do with it afterwards."

"...Did I do something to offend you?"

"If I had to put it into words, I'd say she dumped me."

"...I think you're planning to make me carry this debt of gratitude for the rest of my life."

She'll probably bring up that old grievance with me until she dies.

"Hmm. Okay, anyway, please make sure to create a romantic atmosphere with your classmate today. I'll wait until tomorrow!"

"It's as if I'm two-timing..."

"Hehehe. It feels like being a mistress, making my heart race."

"In all senses. But how exactly do you mean to create a romantic atmosphere...?"

"You sound like you're a complete novice in love. Didn't you two date before?"

Things are different now.

"Then let me share some of my fantasies! While whispering sweet nothings in your ear—"

I hung up the phone.

The premise itself is fundamentally flawed; it's wrong from the start.

I put down my phone and looked down at the gift I had prepared. Listening to Isana's carefree and joyful chatter, my hardened brain seemed to soften a lot.

Yes—things have changed.

Don't overthink it, just leave it to her normally.

Anyway, it's not like we're going to become anything with each other today... Like I said, the important thing is that I give her a gift.

"……good."

Just as I made up my mind and picked up the small gift bag...

There is a knock on the door.

"Are you there?"

Irito Mizuto: Desires that cannot be contained in three words

When I opened the door, I saw Yui standing outside in her pajamas.

"I'm coming in."

"Wait... Hey!"

Before I could stop her, Jie walked into the room, her eyes fixed on the beanbag sofa that Aunt Ren had just brought up.

Bang! She lay down without any hesitation, letting her entire back sink into the sofa.

"Wow, this is pretty good quality. I want one too."

"...Didn't we agree that I wouldn't come to the room tonight?"

To avoid unnecessary speculation from my parents, I won't go to their room late at night. If we need to contact each other, we'll use our cell phones. We should have already agreed on this.

The girl looked up at me and chuckled softly, saying:

"Don't worry, they're both drunk and asleep. If you still insist, then I'll just pretend I broke the rules and I can call you 'brother'."

"...The rules for siblings, huh? Haven't heard of that in ages..."

She didn't bring it out when she took a shower last time, so I thought she had forgotten about it.

Jie Nu nestled in the beanbag chair, squirming and saying:

"This lazybones is huge; it seems like there's enough room for another person to lie down in it."

"Huh? No, what do you want me to do..."

"Just listen to your little sister's whims, brother."

"If you abuse this rule like this, then we might as well quit!"

"It's okay!"

“Wow!”

My wrist was pulled forcefully by the woman, forcing me to sit next to her.

The beanbag chair, originally meant for one person, was crammed full, with Jie and I shoulder to shoulder. She had just showered, and the gentle scent of soap wafted through the air.

"...Would this be acceptable for siblings?"

I tried to get as close to the edge of the lazy bone as possible, but Jie Nu followed me and leaned against me.

"I passed. I remember Grave of the Fireflies had the same feeling."

But I remember that in that work, whether it was the novel or the movie, the siblings definitely didn't snuggle together on such a luxurious beanbag sofa...

"........."

"........."

The woman made this strange and forceful move, yet hesitated to reveal her intentions. Only the warmth and soft touch of her skin against my shoulder occupied my consciousness, and a full minute passed like this.

Just as this foolish thought began to cross her mind, Jie finally spoke up.

"……Happy birthday."

"...Oh, um. You too."

Why are we talking about this again now? Didn't we just have a birthday party?

"A gift...I have prepared one."

Hearing her speak in such a way, which seemed like she was just listing words and not speaking in a complete way, my brain couldn't keep up immediately.

"I've been preparing for a long time. But if I had given it to you just now, I might have made it too obvious in front of Mom and the others... That's why I did it like this, at the last minute."

I looked at the clock; it was already past 11 p.m.

Our birthday celebration will end in less than an hour.

"……Um."

Jie reached between the beanbag chair and her back, felt around for a while, and then pulled out a wrapped gift.

Could it be that she had been hiding it behind her back all along?

That's why you sit on a lazy bone?

"for you."

She handed me the things in a rather unfriendly manner, and I accepted them half-reflexively.

The item was packaged as a beautiful gift, but it was about the size of a palm... to put it another way, about the size of a paperback book.

I glanced to the side and saw that Jie's gaze was fixed on her knees. I was so close to her, yet I couldn't fathom the emotions or intentions hidden in her eyes.