My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 24

"You look... kind of cute."

The voice was muffled and unclear. And it sounded like he was being sarcastic.

I failed...! I accidentally used my usual tone and didn't choose my words well...!

This is bad. Just as I was trying to salvage the situation and turned to my side...

I saw ears dyed bright red.

The girl lowered her head, looking at her skirt.

Then, from beneath the curtain of black hair, a voice even more indistinct than mine came, murmuring softly:

"Thank...thank you..."

...Hey. Hey hey hey hey.

Is this how a girl who's had a boyfriend should react? You're acting like a middle school student experiencing her first crush.

Sigh, I just can't do anything with you. It's precisely because you're so easily embarrassed that it's unbearable to watch; even I'm blushing. I suggest you change this tacky place, you high school freshman girl. Come on, let me, your humble servant, demonstrate for you.

"No, it can't be..."

I turned my face away and answered in an even more muffled voice.

Immediately afterward, his phone started vibrating incessantly in his pocket. "Oh, Kawabata, you bastard, you have a problem with that, huh?! Is it so funny to see us both make a fool of ourselves, you bastard!"

A chilling, indescribable silence hung in the air between us. Seriously, if this continues, things are bound to get worse. And this isn't even the main event yet…

"Yes, right. I wanted to ask something."

As if trying to change the atmosphere, Jie said, "Well done, this is the only time I can praise you."

"Where...where are we going now?"

Oh dear. Right, I haven't told her yet.

I want to show Nan Xiaoyue how sweet we are, so she'll give up on me. To this end, Kawanami devised a plan for me, who knew nothing about the date, and he was very enthusiastic about it.

According to him, amusement parks can be risky because of the lack of people while queuing. Cinemas also expose differences in tastes, so they are similarly risky. Therefore, the conclusion is that it must be a location that is moderately popular, moderately dimly lit, and moderately fun to browse.

"aquarium."

◆ The Maiden ◆

They are definitely a couple.

I stood next to the water fountain where I paid the entrance fee, thinking to myself.

An aquarium? Isn't that a place only couples and families go to? Why would this guy come to a place like that? It's not like it's a date—oh wait, this…it really does seem like a date?

I can't even remember having many dates that felt like dates, even when we were dating. It seems like the only times were the summer festival before we started dating, and the Christmas light show…

In short, I can't let my guard down too much with him. I'm on high alert. His sudden compliment just now startled me a little, but this guy might have other tricks up his sleeve.

For now, I'll slowly express my wariness through my attitude.

"It's quite dark inside. Don't get lost."

"I know. I'm not a child anymore."

"Um."

Shuidou gave a brief nod and began to slowly stroll through the dimly lit museum, keeping pace with my steps.

...Huh?

I think my attitude just now was pretty barbed, right? Why didn't he mock me? Why wasn't he sarcastic? Where did his usual annoying taunts go? ...I'm completely at a loss.

It seems this guy is planning to completely adopt a boyfriend-like attitude today. But honestly, thinking he can improve my impression of him with this little bit of behavior is laughable.

Not to brag, but my sense of chastity is harder than Antarctic ice. Especially my feelings for this man, which have frozen to absolute zero in the six months since our falling out! My boyfriend's last-minute efforts to win me over are now completely ineffective.

If you think this will make my heart flutter, fine, go ahead and try. It definitely won't work!

"—Be careful."

He put his arm around my shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry," someone said, bowing slightly as they walked past me.

"I didn't expect the aquarium to be so crowded. Did he bump into you?"

Shoulder! Ear! Hugging me tightly! Whispering in my ear! Face so close! Smells so sweet! Seriously! Didn't he have to tell me before doing this?! I need to prepare myself mentally, you know! What an inconsiderate man!

"...How long are you going to keep your arm around my shoulder?"

I tensed my facial muscles to keep my expression from changing as I looked up at Mizuto's face from extremely close range. Wow, he's really handsome. Such long eyelashes. Such thin lips. His skin is so flawless, I'm envious. Why doesn't he usually dress like this? No, I can't stand it.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Mizuto awkwardly let go, putting half a step between us. Did we really need to be this far apart? I coolly brushed the hair that had fallen onto my shoulder.

...I didn't expect you to be so capable. I'll let you off the hook this time.

◆ Water Fighter ◆

Hehehehehehehehehe!

I thought I was calling a friend, but a pig answered the phone.

"I'll take you to be sold."

"Such a short sentence is so terrifying! I was just mimicking a creepy otaku's laugh!"

"I know how prejudiced you are against otaku. You might as well just take it and sell it."

This is the toilet stall in the men's restroom.

Although I'd only been in the aquarium for less than half an hour, I was already resting in the restroom. Of course, it wasn't my bladder that needed rest, but my mind.

Dating... is so difficult.

How do couples manage to accomplish such a difficult task? I shielded her from being bumped by other tourists, but she glared at me fiercely; I watched the fish swimming in the tank, and she glared at my profile; I tried to talk to her, but she barely responded and continued to glare at me. Basically, no matter what I did, she glared at me!

Frankly, I'd rather just die.

The book that suits me best right now is definitely *No Longer Human*. I want to go somewhere without women—no, that statement doesn't seem so superficial.

"Save me, Kawanami. Unless you want me to become Dazai Osamu."

"Wouldn't it be great to become a literary giant?"

After saying this with a smile, Kawanami turned to someone and said, "Huh? No, nothing. Go watch your fish, you little rascal." Was that Minami? Her tone was so casual.

"Can't you tell? The atmosphere is absolutely terrible! If this continues, I'll get a perforated stomach!"

"Huh? Really? Is that how you see it?"

"What I see is exactly what it is."

"It's really embarrassing just to look at it. Hehehehehe!"

How dare you mock someone else's misfortune! It was all your doing!

In short, I can only give you one piece of advice—the decisions regarding the front lines are entirely yours to make!

"Don't shirk your responsibilities! Fulfill your duties as Commander-in-Chief!"

"Oh dear, I have to hang up. The Hummer is about to go berserk. I look forward to your heroic exploits!"

Commander-in-Chief Kawanami unilaterally hung up the phone. If your tactics were in a war novel, you'd end up getting stabbed in the back by your own men. Remember that.

I sighed as I put my phone away.

I'm getting more and more confused about the purpose of this whole thing... I think we were just being played by that bastard.

To be honest, what reason do I have to protect that woman? It's her own problem that she befriends a dangerous person. She's not my girlfriend, so why should I go to so much trouble for her?

I stormed out of the restroom indignantly.

...Regardless of the process, I was the one who brought it up in the first place. And since I did use that woman's holiday, I shouldn't have canceled the date without her consent. But I still feel really resentful. Why didn't I have any doubts about this before...?

We agreed to meet in front of the vending machine near the restroom. I wasted a lot of time complaining to Kawanami, so the woman should be getting impatient by now. I mentally prepared myself to be nagged to death by her as I arrived at the agreed location.

"……Um?"

I looked left, I looked right, and then I looked ahead.

There was no one in front of the vending machine.

I turned around to look behind me. There was a long line for the women's restroom, but Jie Nu wasn't in the line.

I waited a while, but the woman dressed like a rich young lady didn't come out for a long time.

"…………strangeness?"

◆ The Maiden ◆

The phone rang.

Standing in the aisle with large water tanks on both sides, I looked around reluctantly, but had no choice but to timidly slide the answer button.

"……Hello."

"It's me. Where are you?"

I froze instantly. A school of fish, whose names I did not know, swam around in the tank beside me.

Although it's very difficult to talk about, there's no other way but to tell the truth.

"…………I have no idea…………"

"...Ah──"

It was because the women's restroom was so crowded, with such long lines that no one wanted to wait, that I made a mistake and decided to go to another women's restroom. I thought I was just going for a short while and would be right back.

I made three big mistakes. First, the other women's restroom was farther away than I thought. Second, the layout of the building was more complicated than I expected. Finally, I'm terrible at reading maps. And the last one can't even be called a mistake. I can clearly read the floor plans in mystery novels!

That's how it is... I have to admit, I got lost.

Ugh...! Why am I always like this...?! If you're so bad with directions, don't wander off! Don't put things you can't do on your plans! Why can't I learn my lesson?! Why!

"I'm...I'm sorry..."

Tormented by intense regret, I whispered my apology. Ugh, he's going to give me a piece of his mind… The image of that guy seizing the opportunity to unleash a storm of personal attacks was still vivid in my mind. But I had no way to defend myself. I resigned myself to my fate.

But—the voice coming from the phone said:

"...No, it's not your fault. I was also at fault for not reminding you."

His tone was both considerate and gentle.

He expressed his concern for me in a tone completely different from the one I knew, Mizuto Irito.

...A surge of emotion welled up inside me.

I was neither happy nor did I feel nauseous.

But the hissing sound, like television static, filled my heart.

"Okay... tell me what kind of fish are in the nearby tank. That way I can find them—"

"--How strange."

I couldn't bear it any longer and couldn't help but murmur like this.

"You shouldn't be like this..."

"...Huh?"

I said things I shouldn't have said.

I only realized this after I had said it.

But it was too late. What's done is done. Words spoken cannot be taken back.

I am well aware of this.

A piercing silence came from the phone, a silence that stung my ears and chest. It only lasted three seconds, but I couldn't take it anymore. I took the phone away from my ear and hung up.

I looked up at the ceiling, which was dimly lit, and plopped down on the bench next to it.

"…………well…………"

...I messed up...

Even though I'm bad with words, why do unnecessary things always slip out of my mouth like cold noodles...?

What exactly do I want from that guy? If I hope to get along well as siblings, it would be great if he were willing to treat me gently, I could even say I'd be overjoyed. In fact, today's Shuidou... he really is a very nice person.