My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 244

I shifted my gaze away from Hong. Asahi-chan was tied up with Asami and couldn't get away, so she wasn't paying attention to us. It turned out she'd seized this opportunity.

"So, what do you think?"

Hong whispered as she pressed her shoulder against mine. Even just touching my shoulder was enough for me to fully appreciate her slender and graceful body, as well as the sweet fragrance unique to women.

"What do you mean by 'how...'?"

"Didn't I already ask this morning? What do you think of the new members?"

"Everyone was working separately, how could they possibly figure anything out..."

"But you can still see some clues, right?"

Did this person mistake me for a famous detective or something? She's clearly much more suited to this role than I am…

"...The relationships among the first-year students over there are quite complicated."

"Oh?"

Hong glanced at the five first-year students sitting on the round sofa by the window.

"Irito clearly likes Irito Mizuto, and Irito Mizuto doesn't seem to mind. I heard that the two of them only became step-siblings this year, so I guess it's not impossible... But that sense of distance doesn't seem to be just a simple case of mutual unrequited love."

"Oh. Why do you say that?"

"They do have feelings for each other, but it seems like they've drawn a line—it's like they're sure they 'like' each other, but not sure if they want to 'be together'."

I could see the feelings between them, but I couldn't sense their desire to build a relationship—of course, this is just my own observation and conjecture.

"So, what about her? The one with the big breasts—I think her name was Higashito Isana."

"I understand that girl even less. She's an oddball that someone as insignificant as me can't fathom. I'm certain she likes Mizuto Irito, but if you ask whether she's in a love triangle with Irito, it's not quite like that—how should I put it? My impression of her is that she has her own set of value standards that completely break free from existing frameworks."

"And what about the other two? In my opinion, those two also seem quite promising."

"Excuse my bluntness, but you've misjudged the situation."

"Um?"

"That couple is obviously a former couple. They're the type who can remain friends after breaking up."

If you know each other well enough, you don't need to hold back on things that most men and women would normally be hesitant about. However, at the same time, you can sense a boundary, a sense of inviolability, in your words and actions. You're definitely a former couple. I'm confident of that.

"I see... So even childhood friends sometimes end up like this. It's such a dream-ruiner."

Anime and manga only show the characters dating until they start dating, but in reality, there's always the possibility of them breaking up later. It's obvious.

Just the thought that it could happen to me sends chills down my spine.

"The ability to get along with exes so naturally is thanks to their excellent social skills. Those two likely had a very wide network of contacts on campus. If you can build a good relationship with them first, you can expect to get help from them in various ways in the future."

"All I can say is that I suggest you become a politician's secretary in the future."

"Thank you for the recommendation, but I'm not willing to be forced to cut my losses."

Hong chuckled. I don't know why, but the more arrogant I talked, the happier she became.

"But then again, you really are always observing others."

"It's not like it just started today..."

Halfway through his sentence, a straw was stuffed into his mouth.

It's the straw from the latte in Hong's hand.

"Shouldn't we sometimes look back and reflect on ourselves?"

My face was reflected in Hong's big eyes.

It reflects my face, which is ubiquitous and looks like a copy-paste, devoid of any substance.

Even though I saw it—I still took my mouth off the straw and said:

"...What can I do?"

"You clearly know the method."

My face is reflected in your eyes.

I can't see myself, but as long as I look at you, I can see my reflection.

Indeed, I know that very well.

Hong deliberately put her thin lips to the straw I had just been holding in her mouth and said, right in front of me:

"Tonight—I hope you can go to a place alone."

"...A location?"

"Um."

She took a sip of her latte, drank it down, and gave me a daringly shallow smile.

"Let's have a secret rendezvous. We can't tell anyone, okay?"

He told me this openly and honestly.

Her face was so handsome and dazzling that I was speechless for a moment.

Volume 8: It's time to show me your full power! (The Misty Journey, Sentiments, and Adolescent Events)

Red Suzuri ◆ Behind the Bold Smile

"Let's have a secret rendezvous. We can't tell anyone, okay?"

After I finished speaking frankly, I got up and left my seat, turning my back to my father-in-law as I walked away.

Then, pretending to admire the interior design, he moved to the wall...

"...Sigh..."

I spoke softly so no one could hear me, and sighed lightly.

Unexpectedly...

"—Riri Suzumiya?"

“Ouch!”

Suddenly someone put their hand on Xiaosheng's shoulder. When he turned around, he saw Aisha and Yui, classmates with mischievous glints in their eyes, looking at Xiaosheng's face with sly smiles.

"We saw it all! Did you say something to Uncle?"

"President, you sighed just now, right? You seemed really nervous! What did you say to your senior?"

"No, wait, this...!"

Damn it! You two are like hyenas! Don't you even remember that the other person just tried so hard to look cool!

"That's strange~? You seem to be blushing~?"

"The student council president is so cute~!"

"Ugh, so annoying! It's nothing!"

What if Uncle finds out?! I can't stand it! The air conditioning here is way too weak!

Irito Yume: Love and Marriage in the Sengoku Period

After leaving Kitano Ijinkan, we took the subway from Shin-Kobe Station and transferred several times by tram to Arima Onsen.

"Look, Yui! Lawson isn't blue!"

"Wow, it really is. Just like McDonald's in Kyoto."

As soon as we stepped out of the station, the LAWSON sign with its peculiar brown color immediately came into view, inexplicably exciting us. Perhaps it was for the sake of maintaining the city's appearance or something similar.

As you walk up the slope along the riverbank from the station, you'll see some shops with a long history and antique charm, or large buildings that look like hotels in the distance, gradually giving you a sense of the hot spring resort atmosphere.

Along the way, we crossed a bridge spanning a river. Looking up, we saw a road sign next to the traffic lights that read "Taihe Bridge".

"Taihe...is that Toyotomi Hideyoshi?"

I casually asked the president, and the president nodded.

"It's said that Toyotomi Hideyoshi used to visit Arima Onsen frequently. See, it's not far from Osaka Castle, right?"

"I see……"

"It's what they call 'soup and cheese.' The couple are regulars here."

As the chairman spoke, he pointed to the square next to Taihe Bridge. I had walked right past it without thinking, and only now did I notice the statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi sitting on a pedestal in the square.

"If you walk a couple more steps, there seems to be a Ningning Bridge."

"Nene—that's Toyotomi Hideyoshi's wife, right?"

"That's right. I heard that Ningning's statue is placed there, gazing at each other from afar with that Taihe statue."

Just as the chairman said, a few steps further ahead lies a bridge with red railings, beside which stands a statue of a woman in a kimono. Indeed, it faces the direction of the Taihe statue.

"It's just like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, gazing at each other across a river..."

"Because strategic marriages were the norm during the Warring States period, it was a rare case of love and marriage between these two—it is said that their families initially strongly opposed the marriage because they were not of equal social standing."

"Oh, I see..."

Despite family opposition—in an era when family background and social standing were far more important than they are now—the fact that they were able to defy their families and marry suggests that they were truly in love…

"However, after Hideyoshi rose to prominence, he began to take many concubines."

"what?"

"His constant philandering has made Nene so angry that she even complained to Nobunaga."

"What—..."

too strong.

She truly lives up to her reputation as a wife of men; her initiative is extraordinary. Compared to a coward like me, she's worlds apart...

I was a little curious, so I checked on my phone and found that Nobunaga's reply to Ningning's appeal had been saved. The gist of it was something like, "That bald guy can't find a better wife than you, so you don't need to be jealous. You should maintain the demeanor of a proper wife."

No need to be jealous, just keep your composure...

I quietly turned around and glanced at Shuidou and Dongtou, who were walking behind me.

Mizuto was leaning shoulder to shoulder with Higashi, looking at the photos she was taking with her phone. Not just shoulders, but so close that their cheeks might accidentally touch. To an uninformed person—and even to someone who did—it would just look like a couple.

Of course I'd be jealous.

No, perhaps it could also be described as envy.

Living under the same roof as him, how could I be less approachable than other girls? Although I've gotten used to it, sometimes this question—a feeling of unease—still inevitably surfaces in my mind.

I really like Dongtou, and I know that Dongtou needs a water bucket.

I also know that I... have no right to order her not to go near the water basin.

Even though I know that, I still feel incredibly envious sometimes.

I thought to myself... Why can't I stay in that position?

...This is terrible. I just said no and I'm already worrying about all this nonsense.

Let's just enjoy the trip for now. There's nothing wrong with that.

East Head Isana◆ Always on the Battlefield

"Izana, your room is over there, right?"

Upon arriving at the hotel, after collecting the luggage that had been sent to us in advance at the front desk, everyone planned to take their luggage to their respective rooms first.

That's right—boys go to boys' rooms, and girls go to girls' rooms.

I, Higashito Isana, presumptuously classify myself as female in biology.

Despite suffering from menstrual cramps and other ailments, I always tell myself that I should be grateful that I can look at breasts whenever I want, using this reason to accept my identity as a girl. But this time, I truly wish I were a boy.

"Oh! That's great! That reminds me of my school trip!"

"Eisa, check your luggage first. If you're going to start yelling and jumping around, we can talk about it later."

"President, is it alright to leave all the luggage here?"

Sharing a room with...a stranger...

Although my female classmate Jie and my female classmate Nan are here, it's a bit too much of a challenge for me to share a room with people I just met today! Thinking back to that summer's intensive study session where I felt out of place in the class, I felt restless and my eyes wandered aimlessly.