My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

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"You should thank me—because I'm the one who asked you to come."

"Yes, yes, okay."

For a while after that, I just kept scrolling on my phone.

"...Hey, do you really only feel happy when you see other people dating?"

"Why are you suddenly asking this? Haven't I explained it several times already?"

"I just wanted to say, won't you be envious after seeing this?"

"No way. I'm fed up with being in a relationship. You know that better than anyone."

"Yeah... okay, if you don't care, then it doesn't matter."

"…………?"

I found it strange and looked up at Xiaoyue's face again.

A hint of sorrow seemed to appear on her youthful face, which resembled that of a middle school student.

"Hey. You're acting weird today?"

I've felt something was off since daytime. She seemed a bit strange—I can't quite put my finger on it, but something just wasn't right. Like a pebble getting into your shoe, it just didn't feel right.

"Nothing."

Xiaoyue said calmly.

"It's probably like being tempted by a snake and unable to resist eating the apple."

"...It's weird how you talk, pretending to be smart."

"Mind your own business. I want to show off a little sometimes too!"

Tempted by the serpent, I couldn't resist eating the apple. I think it's a story from the Bible? Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and were expelled from Paradise—

--The knowledge of good and evil, right?

"I'm only realizing now that I need to learn some common sense. If it had been ten years earlier, I wouldn't have had to work so hard."

"That's exactly what I mean."

I made a casual joke but received an unexpectedly heavy response, leaving me completely at a loss.

Xiaoyue hugged her knees, curled up into a ball, put her face on them, and looked at me, saying:

"Hey, Kawanami. You should find another girlfriend."

"...Huh?"

My brain couldn't keep up, so I could only blink repeatedly.

Xiaoyue's face was devoid of all emotion; she said with a forced smile:

"I just feel like I can't let things end. Whether we stay friends or break up, if we just stay like this and drag things out without resolving the problem, it will definitely become irreparable in the future. So, you should seriously look for a girlfriend."

"...Why don't you just go and get a boyfriend?"

"You were the one who messed things up last time. And I even proposed to Irito-kun."

"Ah──..."

Yes, that did happen.

"I'm telling you to find someone completely single! I don't care, it doesn't matter if it's a guy or a girl!"

"I probably can't -- I don't think I can find a girl I like more than Yui."

"...If that's the case, why force yourself to find a partner?"

So what if we can't end things?

What's wrong with leaving a problem unresolved?

That's right, there are many problems I've ignored. My health condition has never been cured, I haven't told my parents about our past relationship, and this guy always likes to tease me for fun.

But what's wrong with that? No one will die. Nobody does it like playing a video game, completing every single task they encounter in their lifetime. Even if they did, they wouldn't get any money or experience points.

It doesn't matter whether it's solved or not.

It's okay if we don't deal with the problem for now. It's okay if we can't end things. I'm happy as long as I can maintain the status quo. Although you said it will definitely get beyond repair in the future, I can't think of anything I'd want to salvage.

--What's wrong with this?

"This won't do."

Xiaoyue stated it clearly.

"This can't go on," she said.

"We can't continue like this," she said.

"If I were a normal girlfriend, you wouldn't have developed this condition. This is a negative legacy I created. Anyone who falls for you in the future will be forced to carry this burden I created. That… I can't accept it. I can't interact with you casually, and I can't talk to that girl who likes you with a smile. Even so, do you still think we can maintain the status quo?"

—As long as this condition of mine isn't cured, I will break someone's heart forever.

I can't simply say she's overthinking things. I'm not that oblivious. Perhaps a few more people will come along who will like me for who I am.

And I will reject them all.

It's all because of this scar that Xiaoyue left me.

"You might not care, you might find a way to live with this condition, or you might find other ways to enjoy life and think that's fine too. But what about the girl who likes you? My mistakes caused her to be dumped for no reason. And I, the culprit, am just sitting by your side as your childhood friend—how can that be right?"

"...Perhaps."

Xiaoyue might be right.

Perhaps, I've only ever thought about myself.

Perhaps I simply lack the knowledge of good and evil.

"I've made up my mind."

After whispering softly, Xiaoyue suddenly came over and straddled my stomach.

"W-What are you doing?"

"I initially thought I could let it go if you didn't care, but now I know. There's something I absolutely have to do."

Xiaoyue pressed down on my shoulder, her large eyes holding a stern, unsmiling light—and said:

"Little one—I still like you just the same as before."

"Ugh...!"

My brain instantly recalled nauseating memories. I thought I had accepted it, but the scars branded on my body irrevocably evoked mental anguish. A chilling, goosebump-inducing cold swept over my entire body, and my overreacting body was covered in goosebumps.

The allergy to romantic feelings was triggered by the affection of others.

"I'll help you cure this ailment."

Seeing my reaction, Xiaoyue spoke as if nothing had happened.

"If you still say you don't want a girlfriend then, that's fine too. But I must cure this condition that I developed. I won't let anyone else take my place."

Despite her unsteady and shaky vision, Xiaoyue maintained a smile throughout.

It felt like a sudden realization dawned on me.

As if he had made up his mind.

He revealed that unwavering, bold, and fearless smile.

"I'm asking you a question, Little One."

Her tone was so sweet, yet for some reason I felt like she was hiding a knife behind her smile.

"Have you ever heard of exposure therapy?"

Volume 8: It's time to show you your full power! Let me show you my full power!

Star-edge telemetry ◆ The most suitable excuse

Not long after I started high school, I developed a shoulder problem.

A routine layup.

He repeated the same mundane shot thousands and thousands of times.

After dribbling past his opponent, he instantly shifts into a shooting stance, steadying his feet, and reaches out towards the backboard as if his body were floating in the air—

With a sudden pain, everything turned upside down.

The basketball hoop seemed impossibly far away. I couldn't even reach out; I could only look up at the motionless net. For those few seconds, I wasn't aware of my condition. My mind couldn't keep up with the excruciating pain in my shoulders and the fact that I was sprawled on the ground.

So far away. The backboard is so far away.

Backboards that used to be so easy to reach are now out of reach and unattainable.

My shoulder didn't heal until summer. Of course, I couldn't participate in the major tournament. The Luo Lou basketball club, which wasn't particularly strong to begin with, lost after only two games.

Seeing me sitting on the bench watching the team lose, my seniors said:

—You still have next year and the year after.

This is true. It's very appropriate encouragement. The older students showed me, a first-year student who hadn't participated in many practice sessions, warm care.

but.

--So far away.

It's too far away.

Backboard, rim, net.

Everything—it all seems so far away.

Summer vacation has arrived, and the team seems to have started practicing under the new system, but I don't even dare to step into the gymnasium anymore.

The doctor said my shoulder had healed, but it was still throbbing intermittently.

Just trying to lift my shoulder brings back the excruciating pain of that day.

I tried to walk towards the gymnasium, but my feet immediately stopped moving.

I feel that no matter how many days or years I walk, I will never be able to reach that place that I once knew so well.

The stadium where I used to go every day now feels like a distant, alien world.

...What if I push myself too hard and my shoulder gets worse?

If it even affects my daily life, it could ruin my life. Is it really necessary to take that risk just to continue playing basketball now?

Think it over carefully. Anyway, I only planned to study seriously until junior high school.

That's why I chose a high school that matched my academic abilities, rather than a basketball powerhouse.

Yes, that's right. This is a good opportunity, a chance to bring things to a close.

Instead, I should embrace it gladly, not give up halfway, but take advantage of my first year to welcome this new stage. Besides basketball, there are many other things I want to do.

After skipping a whole week of club practice, I've completely devised a perfectly respectable excuse.

Setbacks...

It's come to an end...

To cover up the fact that I don't have the perseverance to catch up with the team's level...

I've left the company.

Soon after, someone approached me to join the student council.

Irito Yume ◆ Speaking of morning topics, the calories are too high

After staring at the unfamiliar wood-grained ceiling for a few seconds, I finally remembered that I was currently at a tourist destination.

"...Mmm...Mmm..."

I slowly sat up, looking around the room with my blurry vision from not wearing contact lenses, while waiting for my groggy brain to clear.

Good morning, my female classmate.

The imposing voice made me turn my head, and I saw Chairman Hong sitting on a chair placed in the wide corridor by the window.

Although she was still wearing a yukata, her hair was neatly tied up, without a trace of being messy from sleeping. Whether it was some kind of morning tea or not, she was basking in the morning sunlight streaming through the window, savoring her black tea. Such aristocratic manners were truly admirable on the part of the student council president.