My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 249

“Ugh…”

"Hmm~?"

Xiaoyue leaned her shoulder closer, pretending to listen to me. Damn it…! Although I was very unwilling, I had no choice but to abandon my pride…!

"Please...please tell me..."

"Hehe~!"

Xiaoyue curled her lips into a smug smile. Utterly despicable!

"Then you can't tell anyone, okay?"

Seeing Xiaoyue waving at me repeatedly, I leaned to the side and put my ear close to Xiaoyue's mouth.

Xiaoyue's breath tickled my earlobe, and then a soft murmur danced on my eardrum:

"(Senior Asou... she'll probably confess to Senior Hoshino during this trip.)"

I opened my eyes wide and turned back to look at Xiaoyue's expression.

She still had that sly smile, but it didn't feel like she was joking.

"...Really?"

"I'm not lying."

I just turned my eyes and looked at the senior with her long, pigtails sitting next to Xing Ge.

Speaking of Asahi, it's said that she's been a celebrity since first grade because her words and actions are full of subtle flirting tricks. Other girls would only embarrass themselves if they did the same, but her beauty becomes a powerful weapon. However, it's said that as a price to pay, other girls don't really like her.

But despite her scheming nature, there was no word of her having a steady boyfriend. Everyone initially thought it was because her standards were too high, but at this moment, the explanation that "her target is the former student council president, Hoshinobe Otoko" suddenly became the most convincing.

Xing is quite capable; he excels academically, was a member of a sports club, and is tall, making him quite popular with girls. He seems to dislike trouble and is too lazy to date, but even this personality trait combined with his perfect qualities is interpreted as "cool." He's the epitome of a girl's dream man.

Asahi Aisa, the goddess in every man's heart, paired with Director Xingbian, the god in every woman's heart—if these two were to become a couple, it would truly be the birth of a heavyweight couple...

"Senior! Let's take a picture together!"

"Huh? This is troublesome."

"So Aisha just took pictures with you without permission!"

"Don't you even know what portrait rights are?"

"Come on, smile!"

"...Don't post it online."

Senior Sister Ya Shuang used taking a selfie as an excuse to put her hand on Brother Xing's shoulder, bringing her chest as close as possible.

That sense of distance... that approach... it definitely wasn't just teasing him, it felt like he was serious...

"I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Seeing Xiaoyue say something that seemed a little smug, I felt something was off.

"What...are you planning?"

"What do you mean—?"

"Why are you giving me this kind of information when you always call me a voyeur and make fun of me?"

Very suspicious.

This guy actually gave me something; he must have some ulterior motive.

"Because I'm friends with Senior Ya Shuang, I want to support my friend's relationship so that it can blossom into marriage. You see, if I just let you know first, you'll lend a hand, right?"

That makes sense... but it feels like the answer was a pre-rehearsed line.

Although I couldn't shake the feeling of unease, before I spoke...

"Classmates, it's about time we left. We feel bad about taking up this space any longer."

Upon hearing the student council president's words, Xiaoyue stood up and said, "Okay!"

Before I could ask any more questions, Xiaoyue started telling the other girls, "Dongtou, wake up—Jie Nu is leaving too!" Dongtou rubbed her eyes, and Yilihu answered somewhat absentmindedly, "Ah, um..." And that's how I lost my chance to ask her.

"Senior! See you at the hotel!"

I could only watch the girls' group disappear down the slope.

I feel like she's acting strange today... What's wrong with that guy...?

"……well……"

After the girls' group disappeared, Irito sighed deeply.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that, perhaps in my mind, the face seemed a bit redder than usual.

"what's wrong?"

"No……"

Irito, not understanding the situation, silently began to dry her soaked feet.

"We should go too."

After hearing what Xing Ge said, we left the foot bath.

Please don't do this, okay?

We strolled around the hot spring town until the sun was almost setting, then returned to the hotel and took a bath. After that, everyone decided to do their own thing while waiting for dinner.

I was wearing a yukata, sitting in the lobby's common area, scrolling through my phone. Shopping with my juniors is nice, but everyone needs time alone. Enjoying the atmosphere of this hotel, which is beyond the reach of high school students, all by myself has its own unique charm.

"—Senior?"

I mean—that's how it should have been.

The familiar voice made me reluctantly look up, and Ya Shuang leaned in to look at my face with the same smile I always saw. That familiar smile, frankly, was just a forced, ingratiating expression.

"What are you doing? Standing here all alone, like an outsider."

"Enjoying time doing nothing."

"Hehe, that's not like something a senior would do."

After saying that, Ya Shuang suddenly grabbed her sleeve and swayed it lightly on both sides of her body.

I pretended not to see her, and Ya Shuang walked around to my front, bent down to look at my face, and then waved her sleeve in front of my eyes.

"Senior? Senior? Shouldn't you tell Aisha something—?"

...Seriously, she loves to assert herself.

Like me, Ya Shuang was wearing a yukata with a haori over it. The part that she was swaying back and forth with was the reddish sleeve of the haori.

On this guy, whose usual attire is downright awful, even a simple yukata looks surprisingly fresh. He's actually quite good-looking when he tries to appear normal.

I said with a mocking smirk:

"This is what they mean by 'Buddha needs gold plating, and people need fine clothes.'"

Does that mean Estonia is incredibly cute?

"Please go back to elementary school and repeat your Chinese literature studies."

"That's what it means, in the words of my senior."

Calling it a mistranslation is actually quite kind.

Without asking my permission, Ya Shuang plopped down next to me. She didn't give me a chance to slip away, and dragged her backside so close that her shoulder was touching mine.

then,

"(Thank you for your hard work, senior♪)"

She whispered in my ear, as if breathing softly.

I tilted my head to hide my ear and said:

"What's so hard about it?"

"Try to mentor those younger students."

"I didn't put in any particular effort. Or rather, it was Kawanami who was mentoring me, right?"

If we remove that guy and only have the other three left, it would indeed be me mentoring the juniors... Fortunately, Kawanami is proactive, which makes things much easier for me.

"It's already great that you were able to create an atmosphere that allows first-year student Kawanami to take the lead. Senior may be a bit cheeky, but he's actually very caring."

"Stop praising me. Your praise makes me feel cheated."

"I'm serious."

Suddenly……

I heard a very serious tone that was neither mocking nor coquettish.

For a moment, I didn't know whose voice it was; my mind was a bit confused. I turned my head and saw that familiar face of my junior.

"Let me tell you, senior. I'm telling you the truth. I really—think you're amazing."

"Hey, what's wrong with you? That self-reference you usually use, which even makes me blush..."

"There's nothing I can do. If I don't sometimes speak seriously, my senior won't listen attentively, right?"

As Ya Shuang said this, she placed her hand on top of mine, as if she wanted to grab me.

"I think my senior is amazing. He's smart, an athlete, and has a great eye for people. And... no matter how much he finds me annoying, he never tells me to leave."

"...I clearly tried to get rid of you."

"But you don't really want me to leave. If you really wanted to keep your distance from me, you wouldn't have continued coming to the student council office after you stepped down, right?"

"........."

The reason I continued to show my face in the student council office after stepping down was to see how my juniors were doing after taking over.

That being said... I'm not really worried about Hong taking over my position. After all, even when she was vice president, she already acted more like president than I did. I know she'll do a better job than me.

More than her, what I'm really worried about is—

"I... I might have told my senior that I'm the eldest daughter in my family... Hehe, you get the idea, right? Because I've always taken care of the younger ones since I was little, I really want someone to love me."

"...You treat me like an older brother."

"Yes, he's a very reliable older brother. Are you happy?"

"I'm not happy at all. Having a sister like you would kill me."

"Since that's the case..."

Ya Shuang gripped my hand tightly.

"Would you be willing to—stop being the older brother?"

……this……

If I stop being the eldest brother... then what?

No… what am I thinking? To be honest, I don’t remember ever being this guy’s older brother. But his eyes, those unsmiling eyes, seem to be hinting at the next step—another stage that follows.

"—Hmm? Senior, are you thinking about something strange?"

"...Huh?"

When I came to my senses, I realized that Ya Shuang's expression had completely changed, as if she had switched to another world and had reverted to her mischievous smile.

"No longer being a brother—that means... you're going to become a man?... You're not thinking about that, are you?"

"...It's not good...?"

"How strange? Why does she sound so angry? Did Aisha guess right?"

"Isn't this annoying?!"

I pushed Ya Shuang's shoulder away forcefully, and she chuckled and stood up.

"Well then, Aisha will take her leave now! ...I suggest you be a little more honest, senior?"

Ya Shuang walked away with cheerful steps.

I rested my elbows on the armrests of the chair, propped my cheeks up, and watched her leave, a vague and gloomy feeling churning inside me.

What's wrong with that guy...?