My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

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"...May I open it?"

I asked hesitantly, and Jie Nu nodded slightly.

Seeing her reaction, I opened the gift as carefully as possible.

Finally, from the packaging, I found an item that I was all too familiar with.

--Book cover.

The color is bright blue.

"……this……"

This really brought back my memories.

My birthday was in the second year of junior high school. We went and bought the same style of book cover in different colors together.

This one is slightly different in color and style from the other one. But—

"—Recently, I've had some thoughts on this."

Suddenly, Jie looked up at the ceiling and murmured something.

"I feel that, all things considered, I still received a lot of help from you. The same goes for the student council; without your encouragement, I probably wouldn't have joined. I thought I no longer relied on you... but sometimes, without realizing it, I still feel your support."

His candid words made it seem as if everything he usually said was fake.

Words flow like cool, clear water, gently entering the heart.

"It's okay if you hate me. Even so, I still want to express my gratitude for your support so far... If possible, I hope you can continue to support me in the future... not just as an ex-girlfriend, or just as a sister... I can't really say..."

Yes, I understand.

At times like these, the simple-minded me of the past would be so happy I'd almost go crazy.

We're thinking the same thing.

Our hearts are in harmony.

However, I am no longer innocent.

You are no longer innocent.

Complex emotions swirled in my heart; no matter how many novels I'd read, I couldn't find the right words.

even so……

"I really want to... give you a new one."

She still clearly stated her desires.

"The one I gave you before. I don't know if you've already thrown it away... Anyway, I want to replace that one, and I hope you can... use the one I'm giving you now."

The woman's shoulder remained pressed tightly against mine, never leaving.

I never chose to run away.

They entrusted their desires to the gift and frankly asked me to accept it.

From another perspective, this could be considered a selfish gift, completely disregarding the recipient's needs.

But... oh, right.

I've forgotten all about it.

We have long since graduated from that kind of relationship where we needed to consider each other's feelings.

"……Me too."

As soon as I made up my mind to speak, the girl's body trembled slightly.

"It's okay that I broke the rules today too, sister."

Irito Yume◆Then next year...

"what?"

Looking to the side, I saw Shuidou, still leaning against the couch, reaching out to the desk and scooping a small bag from it.

It was a small gift bag, about the size of a palm.

Library edition size.

I thought to myself, "Could it be..." Mizuto said, "This." and handed me the small gift package.

"Happy birthday."

I stared in disbelief at the small bag of gifts that was lightly placed into my hand.

"Huh...? Could it be that this is—"

"Open it and take a look."

Hearing him say that, I cautiously opened the packaging layer by layer.

What emerged from within was exactly as I had imagined.

It has a red book cover.

"...I really didn't expect to repeat what you said."

Faced with a jumble of thoughts swirling in my mind, and unable to speak, Mizuto sighed and said...

"Let me clarify first, this gift doesn't have that kind of meaning as yours. I just... it was the first thing that came to mind."

"W-why...have you forgotten what happened last time?!"

"Of course I remember, okay?"

Mizuto seemed surprised by my response, and after saying it with displeasure, he slightly pouted.

"...I've thought about whether I should give up. It feels like I'm still dwelling on the past, which is really annoying... But no matter how I think about it, I just want this gift. You're always busy with student council work these days, so you'll probably be carrying books with you, which makes them more susceptible to damage... Anyway, I probably wouldn't really want to use a gift from my ex-boyfriend, and I think having two isn't too much of a problem."

So...that's how it is.

I gave this gift because I wanted to give it to myself.

But Mizuto... chose this gift because he was thinking of me.

"……Thank you."

I hugged the book cover, which was slightly different in color from the one I received two years ago, to my chest.

"I will cherish using it."

"No need, it's not expensive. We can just buy a new one when it gets old."

"So, you're saying you'll send another one next year?"

"That's really not taking care of things."

I chuckled softly, and Shuidou looked down at the book cover I had given him, saying:

"I also want to thank you. I was unexpectedly quite happy."

"Which one made you happier, the one I gave you before?"

"...More or less, probably."

Almost there... Well, it's just a little bit short.

"By next year, I will definitely have surpassed her."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

Just a little bit.

Just you wait and see what I used to be like.

I will definitely surpass you step by step.

Irito Mizuto ◆ The Despicable Me

For a while afterward, we would curl up in our beanbag chairs to read, just to see how the book covers we'd given each other felt.

Soon, one shoulder felt slightly heavy.

I looked up and saw that Jie Nu had placed her head on my shoulder and was making rhythmic, soft breathing sounds.

"Hey...really..."

It's past midnight, our birthday celebration is over.

Usually, Jie is already asleep by this time. Maybe I can't blame her. I need to think of a way to get her to bed…

"........."

I held my breath and leaned closer to look at the girl's face through her bangs.

……almost.

Yes, we were almost equally happy.

I have... come this far.

I used to think that love was just a temporary confusion.

Based on this premise, I thought to myself:

This feeling now is definitely not just a temporary confusion.

Rather, this is the feeling that allows my confused self to confirm "this is it." Just as my father was not confused when he met Aunt Yu-ren again, I already know that she is my one and only.

Yes, I admit it. At least in my heart, I will no longer use words to hide my feelings.

I like her.

It's because I like her that I want to stay by her side.

Therefore—I cannot be her ordinary brother or sister.

I quietly extended my finger towards the bangs of the sleeping girl.

...Won't she wake up?

I gently brushed across the girl's bangs with my first knuckle.

Do you think I'm despicable?

I have clearly made up my mind, yet I am still lingering in this moment.

I only dare to touch you like this when you are sound asleep and not paying attention.

Even so, I still can't help but think:

This is nothing more than a pointless postponement.

It is a despicable form of delayed identification.

But let's start now—

Irito Yume ◆ The Despicable Me

Do you think I'm despicable?

I have clearly made up my mind, yet I am still lingering in this moment.

I only dared to pretend to be fast asleep, hoping you would touch me, leaving everything to you to figure out.

Even so, I still can't help but think:

This is simply a pointless postponement.

It is a despicable form of delayed identification.

But let's start now—

(Illustration 014)

—I wish this moment could be paused for a while.

Volume 7: A brief reflection on each chapter of "May This Moment Stand Still, Instead of the Epilogue: Resurrection"

Because of the consecutive chaotic and difficult themes in the previous two installments, this time, in line with the significant change in Yui's surroundings, I've written a standard romantic comedy series that's a return to basics and has a lighthearted style. After all, as the subtitle suggests, I want to enjoy this mutual unrequited love situation again. There's nothing to be shy about; it's just an open and aboveboard way of dragging out the plot.

Therefore, the afterword also follows the format of the first volume, using a single sentence of reflection for each episode. Please read on.

●──Episode 1: The Person I Like Is at Home