My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

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I remember that at that time, I had just finished working out the general program schedule for the sports festival.

Having successfully handled my first major event, I dismissed everyone with a great sense of accomplishment. Just as I was about to go home, my senior said these words to me.

I thought he was picking on my work in the student council, and I retorted a little unhappily:

—I believe I have done my job well.

—Yes, you're very shrewd. You can handle everything perfectly. Except for the way you pester Hong.

I was startled. It felt as if he had unexpectedly pierced my heart.

Then, as if to protect myself, a nameless fire suddenly rose in my heart.

—Was it her who came to argue with me? Why am I the one being scolded?

What do you know again?

That's what I truly thought at that moment. You clearly don't understand anything, and you've never paid any attention to me. You're always just sitting there doing nothing, never talking to me—stop acting like you know everything.

At this point, the upperclassman seemed to have mastered the knack for everything, as if nothing could stump him. This was especially true after he brought Rin into the student council. He and Rin were from the same world. I thought he could never understand the feelings of someone as insignificant as me.

did not expect……

—The attention gained through superficial means has only so much value.

Every word struck my heart.

—Are you satisfied with this? If you really don't care, then just forget about all my ridiculously wrong preaching.

Every word he said seemed to have struck at my vital point.

--- I'm leaving now.

I ran away. The truth, which struck a nerve, pierced my heart and almost brought me to tears. My remaining dignity prevented me from masking my weakness with tears, and I fled in panic.

I'm so angry! I'm so angry! I'm so angry!

After swallowing my tears, I was filled with anger and frustration. What right did he have to talk to me like that? Just because he's the student council president or a senior, does he have the right to lecture people? We've barely even spoken a few words to each other, how could he be so condescending and bossy towards me!

If you're going to do something, do it properly! I've already been very serious! Otherwise, why would I work so hard to maintain my figure? Why would I wear so many breast pads? I never slack off in anything I do! What do you, a virgin, know about women?!

—Sister! Dinner's ready!

When I came to my senses, I realized it was already dark. I went home, jumped onto my bed, and vented my anger by kicking and punching, and several hours passed like that. What was going on? I was shocked by myself. I kept cursing my senior in my mind, and I actually kept cursing him for hours?

What's scary is that this state didn't end even on the second day.

I get angry at my senior's words all the time. Whenever I see him in the student council, I act like a spoiled brat, trying to find fault with every little thing he does. When he occasionally talks to me, I pretend to be nonchalant in my words, but in my mind, I'm cursing him to death.

What does it mean to be serious?

In the end, only one question remained in my mind: What does it mean to be serious? You're lazy in everything you do, so what right do you expect me to be serious?

Yes, I am a coward, only daring to provoke those weaker than myself. But if I were to seriously do this, wouldn't it be even worse? Wouldn't it be bullying the weak even more severely? I deliberately restrained myself. And Joe too, if he really fell for me, wouldn't his relationship with Akane Rinri be over? So—

and so.

If I were to be serious...

I should treat those who are older than me—those of higher status than me…

For example... I was initially a little afraid of tall guys, like my senior.

Hey senior! What are you doing?

You're the one who wants me to be serious. You're the one who wants me to give it my all.

Then let me show you Esa's full power.

I want to get attention.

It was originally just such a simple desire.

But now—not just anyone can do it.

You are you, my senior.

I hope you can look at me.

I need you to look at me.

This is all I've given it my all.

Haba Jouji◆Fool

"Huh? My dating history?"

After dinner, everyone was leisurely playing video games on the game consoles that Kawanami had brought.

Kawanami bought multiple items at once on the screen while discussing this topic.

"Yeah. Xing-ge seems to have no shortage of female admirers. I'm curious if you've ever had a girlfriend."

Why didn't you ask me if I have it now?

"If I had, I would be even more determined to reject Senior Asahi."

I discreetly walked to the blue square to increase the amount of cash in my hand, but a sense of foreboding crept into my mind.

The love story of senior student Xingbian.

Because of Asou's recent statement, the student council members don't talk about this topic much. At least since the senior became the student council president, I haven't heard any rumors—there were only rumors that the senior might be dating the former general affairs senior—but earlier experiences are another story.

It is said that when the senior was still in clubs, he was already known as an ace player even in his first year.

Given his height, it's no wonder he has so many romantic opportunities.

"Girlfriend..."

While being relentlessly attacked by the god of poverty, Senior Starside said:

I had a boyfriend in junior high school. But we broke up immediately.

"Really?"

"Kawabata exclaimed with great interest."

As for Mizuto Irito, who was also a first-year student, he quickly finished his turn and picked up his paperback again. Even though it was his first time playing the game, he instantly mastered the basics, and that's how he's been doing ever since.

"What kind of girl is she? Who confessed first?"

"She was just an ordinary girl. Not particularly pretty, not particularly ugly, just average. She confessed to me, saying she really liked watching me participate in club activities, but then..."

"later?"

"I was so focused on club activities that she dumped me."

Kawanami looked completely confused.

Is this supposed to be funny?

"Go ahead and laugh, it's okay. Doesn't it sound like a funny joke?"

"But girls really can be like that sometimes—you know, what they say is completely different from what they really think... Sometimes it makes me feel like, do you think I have telepathy?!"

"That's true to some extent. Ideally, if I focus on club activities, I won't be able to go out with her after school. Did she think that dating her would give me a lot more time?"

"It's not just girls; some people just haven't thought things through. Or maybe they lack imagination... What happened to that ex-girlfriend?"

"That guy was one of the audience members who came to watch the club activity on his own, but he hasn't shown up since the breakup. I don't know if he felt awkward or if he was disillusioned with me..."

"If she's disillusioned with her senior, then she really only thinks about herself—"

I naturally imagined that girl whose face and name I didn't know. A cool hero in her club, diligently practicing every day. Not a TV star or internet celebrity, but an idol closer to real life. Although she was an object of admiration, I thought, maybe I could try to reach her. Drawn by that possibility, she mustered her courage—and then, unexpectedly, she reached him so easily…

but.

My stance remains unchanged.

"—How foolish. To actually think you could step out of the background."

I couldn't help but mutter to myself.

That girl's foolishness and pathetic behavior made it impossible for me to remain calm.

"Everyone has their own responsibilities. Once you misjudge the boundaries and exceed those responsibilities, you'll only be forced to face the reality that you're not qualified..."

I was practically talking to myself, and it didn't matter if no one heard me. No, I should say that I probably never intended for anyone to hear me.

However, Senior Xingbian...

"...Yes, you're right."

It's like carefully recalling that past event...

"But... during that period, several girls screamed at me from afar... but actually, only she confessed her feelings to me."

He spoke in a flat tone, which made his words sound completely genuine.

"I think she is really brave."

...Indeed, perhaps that's true.

Unlike me, I'm a fool who can't even be a complete idiot.

Haba Jouji◆Even if it's unbelievable

Meet me at 10 PM in front of the vending machine on the basement level.

Based on the information I received from only one side, I took advantage of my naturally weak presence and sneaked out of the boy's room.

The hotel's basement was the gaming area, but perhaps because it was late at night, only the machines emitted a faint light, and one couldn't sense the presence of others.

Apart from the one person—the bunny girl standing in front of the vending machine next to her.

"────────"

嗄？

Bunny girl... um. At first, I thought I was seeing things, but no matter how I looked at it, it was definitely a bunny girl. To be more precise, the face illuminated by the vending machine's light was someone I recognized quite well.

Hong...

That's the person who called me out. Known as the school's greatest genius since its founding, the student council president, a natural leader admired by all the students, she was standing there in a bunny girl outfit that skirted the edge of decency for some reason.

To make matters worse, it was a back view. Even from the front, it was hard to know where to look; the back view, with its exposed white back and clothing bulging into the buttocks, made it impossible to look anywhere without being tempted by something wicked.

Hong is petite with an average bust size, but her buttocks are a bit large.

I probably only found out about this because I was occasionally seduced by her. Perhaps it was due to her bone structure, but she was petite yet had a smooth delivery, so her body curves looked very feminine.

And this girl in red was actually wearing a bunny girl outfit… The slightly revealing clothing and black stockings accentuated her beautiful curves, making her even more alluring, and I even wished she would continue to face away from me like that—

"────!"

I was caught off guard when my eyes met those of my classmate Hong, and my heart skipped a beat.

I was... discovered? They found out I was staring at her back and hips from afar...?

I instantly felt ashamed and wanted nothing more than to run away. But Hong must have seen through my thoughts from the very beginning; she turned and looked over my shoulder, saying:

(Illustration 009)

"Uncle, what are you doing standing there? Hurry up and come to my side."

She knew it very well. Indeed, Hong knew it all too well. She had long seen through my incurable, immoral, and wicked lust.

I resignedly walked towards Hong. The closer I got to her, the more dazzling her fair skin on her back became, forcing me to turn my head away, unable to hide my embarrassment.

Hong chuckled.

"Hey, what are you looking at? There probably isn't anything interesting over there."

"……sorry."

"I really don't know what you're apologizing for."

As Hong said this, she pressed the button on the vending machine, bent down with a "whoosh" to retrieve the item that had fallen into the dispenser, and stuck her butt out towards me.

The temptation was too strong. No matter how much I told myself not to look, her swaying hips, like bait, still stubbornly drew my gaze. The rounded contours that seemed to squeeze out of her clothes, and the skin that was faintly visible through her pantyhose, all these parts, upon closer inspection, undeniably awakened my animalistic instincts.

No.

Understand your own limits.

I almost punched him to suppress the beast that was about to awaken inside me. At that moment, Hong finally straightened up and turned to face me.

"Looks like... I'm satisfied now, aren't I?"