My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 243

Ya Shuang chuckled softly and looked up into my eyes.

"You must have never had a girlfriend. Aisha can tell even something as small as that."

"You know that now?"

"I think anyone can tell, right? Just look at the current senior students."

Are you saying I look like a country bumpkin who could never get a girlfriend? I don't think I'm that pathetic.

Ya Shuang tightened her grip on my arm, and I tilted my head slightly.

We climbed up the narrow slope and arrived at the villa that Ya Shuang wanted to visit.

The exterior of this villa is quite peculiar, with statues of ghosts and deities carrying lanterns glaring at people on either side of the entrance. It seems the original villa has been converted into an art museum.

"What does the website say is available here?"

"The Satanic Red Chair".

Ya Shuang smiled like a witch, chuckling to herself.

"It is said that anyone who sits in this chair can have any wish granted..."

"What Satan? That name is way too deliberate."

"It's not the Satan of demons, it's Saturn of Roman mythology. It shares the same English name as Saturn."

"Ah—that's it..."

"I heard he's the god of agriculture."

The sense of terror vanished instantly.

"What wishes do you have that you want to fulfill?"

"Hehe. Senior, can you guess what it is?"

"Well... something like, 'Hopefully it will go viral online and get 10,000 views'?"

"Senior, are you imagining Aisha as some kind of monster with an insatiable need for self-esteem?"

"Of course that's what I think."

"That's so mean! Aisha only wanted her senior to look after her..."

"ha!"

I scoffed and didn't take it to heart, then went inside the museum with her.

There are steps leading in front, and you can see rooms on both the left and right sides.

The room on the right is filled with strange sculptures that look like deformed animals on the cabinets. Seeing them at night might give you the creeps.

What Ya Shuang wanted to see seemed to be in the room on the left.

"That's the one..."

On either side of the doorway leading to the rooms further back, there was a chair covered with a luxurious red cushion.

So that's how it is. It truly is a chair with the air of a throne. Upon closer inspection, the upper half of the backrest and the armrests are adorned with exquisite carvings. The most striking feature is the armrests, where there's a sculpture of a curled-up infant sitting upright below where you rest your arms. If Ya Shuang hadn't explained it to me beforehand, I might have believed it even if you told me it was a devil's chair.

"It says the seat on the right is for girls, and the seat on the left is for boys!"

"Oh, right. But they both look the same."

"Let's sit down at the same time, simultaneously!"

Timing is also important, isn't it?

Before I could even question it, Ya Shuang had already stood in front of the chair on the right side of the doorway.

"Ready—Sit down!"

In response to Ya Shuang's call, I plopped down on the chair cushion.

The luxurious chair cushions, as they appeared, seemed to absorb my weight. However, sitting in this heavily carved chair still felt quite uncomfortable.

Looking to my left, I saw Ya Shuang sitting upright in a chair, her hands clasped together in front of her chest. Ah, right, I should make a wish—should I make a wish too?

"........."

After thinking for a few seconds, I felt like sighing.

why?

Because no matter how hard I searched my heart, I couldn't find even a trace of desire.

"Senior, did you make a wish?"

Ya Shuang loosened her clasped hands and looked at me as she spoke.

Yes, there is.

"What is it? Tell Aisha!"

"don't want."

If I look at it from another angle, I might say I'm quite content with the status quo, but—

No matter how I think about it, I just feel like an empty shell.

I stood up from the chair. It didn't matter to me how much longer I sat there.

Then Ya Shuang stood up and walked lightly and cheerfully to my side.

"Senior, you seem to be quite detached from worldly desires. You don't even spend money on games."

"None of your business. So what did you wish for?"

"Huh?...Want to know?"

Ya Shuang gave a sly laugh, as if she was deliberately trying to provoke me, and also kept me in suspense, as if she were trying to whet my appetite.

"Now, let's move on to the riddle section! Can you guess what Aisha wished for?"

"Want to become famous?"

"no."

"Want to get rich?"

"No way! Esa isn't as lacking in originality as you say!"

Ya Shuang puffed out her cheeks dramatically. Is this how a high school sophomore should act?

"You also have that remarkable quality of originality?"

"Hmm—now that you mention it, it doesn't seem like such a strange wish... Ah, but as it stands, Aisha is probably the only one who would make this wish."

"Oh?"

"Didn't Aisha already say that, senior?"

Ya Shuang mischievously curled the corners of her mouth...

She pointed seductively at my face with her slender fingertips...

She said:

Aisha knew very well that her senior was not lucky in love.

I didn't understand the context at first and frowned.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

What do you think?♪

Ya Shuang chuckled softly and walked ahead of me in a great mood.

Ya Shuang knows I have no luck with romance. Only she would make such a wish...

"........."

I stopped thinking.

I don't have the inner energy to continue pondering this.

Kawanami Kogure ◆ I don't understand this childhood friend

After visiting the Hall of Strange People, we went to Starbucks and found that it was just like the photos on the internet—an alternate dimension.

Starbucks is already a trendy place, and this one is even more so, converted from a stylish villa. It's incredibly fashionable. The interior features chandeliers, windows, fireplaces, and oil lamps reminiscent of those in fantasy anime—and tables are everywhere. The way customers enjoy their coffee here is like stepping into an upper-class salon.

The group ordered their drinks at the only familiar counter at the back and then went up to the second floor.

The meeting place was a large living room. In the center of the room was a long table that seated eight people, and behind it, a banner painting as large as a blackboard hung on the wall as decoration. On both sides were stacks of foreign language books that were taller than eye level. The atmosphere was deliberately created.

"Wow, so fashionable...! It's so stylish...!"

We were naturally very moved, especially the guy in the east corner, whose eyes practically lit up. For a homebody like him, this kind of space with a touch of fictional style might be more to his liking than a typical trendy Starbucks.

"Sigh, let's go to the window!"

Wow! Even the way the sofa is arranged is so stylish...!

The window area is designed with a fan-shaped recess, and a sofa and round table are placed to complement the shape. It feels like a mafia boss might be sitting in the middle.

Irito sat silently on the very edge, and Irito-san immediately went to sit next to him. Irito-san has become much more proactive now. Before, she would feel embarrassed even if her shoulder touched, but now she can gaze at Irito's face and talk to him from close enough to see his eyelashes.

As a result, Dongtou lost his fixed position and seemed at a loss, stammering, "Uh—..." Knowing his personality, he might make two Irios squeeze in so he could sit next to Irio... I thought to myself, and was about to call out to them when...

"East-facing student, sit here!"

Xiaoyue grabbed Dongtou's hand before I did and led him to sit down in the center of the round sofa. "Oh, okay," Dongtou said without resistance, and sat down to Xiaoyue's right.

I sat down opposite Irito—to Akatsuki's left—and then secretly said to my childhood friend:

"(Switched to a different pairing?)"

"(Huh? What do you mean? It's only right to hope that your friends are happy, isn't it?)"

Something feels off. I initially thought she hadn't given up on pairing Irito and Higashito together, but now she…

Xiaoyue glanced at me sideways and grinned smugly.

"(Don't overthink it. Just enjoy your voyeuristic fun as usual. Don't let my good intentions in arranging for Yui and the others to be together go to waste.)"

...That's highly suspicious...

I heard Irito's cheerful laughter. While Irito leaned forward to chat happily, Irito didn't look directly at her, only glancing at her occasionally and whispering words. It was as if one could see the difference in their current relationship—their feelings for each other were heading in different directions, making one anxious just watching.

However, I couldn't help but look to the side.

I watched the short girl's profile as she sipped her Frappuccino, piled high with whipped cream, through a straw.

Whether it was when we were best friends in elementary school, when we were still dating in junior high, when we were avoiding each other after breaking up, or when we reconciled and continued to hang out together—no matter how I look at it, I always thought I could roughly guess what kind of thought process was behind this guy's actions.

So, this may be the first time.

It was the first time I felt—I had no idea what she was thinking.

Haba Jouji: The Method of Seeing Oneself

"Wow! This is so cool! Seeing a place like this is so exciting! I really want to use it for outdoor photoshoots!"

Ya Shuang, who was shouting and jumping around, and Xing Bian, who pretended not to know them, came to meet everyone, and all ten people were present.

Everyone planned to have a simple lunch here and then head to the inn in Arima Onsen in the afternoon.

Of course, the hotel rooms were booked separately for men and women, which was a relief. I knew these people were practically flirting everywhere, so I felt a little uncomfortable around them—besides, I didn't know how Hong would treat me if I spent too much time with her.

"(How about it?)"

“Wow!”

Suddenly someone blew a breath into my ear, making me scream.

Looking to the side, I saw Hong laughing as if she thought she had successfully pranked someone.

"Oh my, this is so much fun. You always seem to stay out of things, but the only thing you get tickled is your ears."

"...Anyone would be frightened by this."

"Are you really just scared? I tried my best to make the blowing sound a little erotic."

"I was just scared."

That's right. If my heart races over something as small as this... I wouldn't be able to handle it.