My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 270

She raised her index finger and said, "Shh—" before grinning.

"Since you refuse to leave the background—then I'll come find you myself."

She just said that.

While I was still in a daze, Hong had already returned to the group in front of her—to the center of the stage.

I lightly touched the cheek that still held that touch, and stared intently at her back from behind.

How...how could you do that?

Your radiance—clearly more dazzling than anyone else's.

—You are clearly the person I want to look at forever.

"........."

Oh, damn it.

I actually...feel a little happy.

It makes me imagine the leading actress shining brightly at the center of the stage, smiling at a lowly extra in the shadows on the side of the stage—immersing myself in this delusion that makes me want to stay away and feel unworthy of it.

Seriously, please don't do this.

You, who can become anything, actually became an insignificant nobody for my sake—

Please, don't make me dream such a comfortable dream.

Irito Mizuto ◆ The Purpose of Life

On the tram back, Dongtou kept his head down, staring at the screen on his tablet.

Perhaps she was too lazy to use the stylus, so she just drew some pictures on the drawing tool with her finger. I felt it might be a bit impolite to lean over and look, so I didn't look at the screen, but I couldn't suppress my curiosity, so when she stopped drawing, I asked her:

What are you drawing?

"It's just a sketch."

Dongtou turned the tablet around, tilted his head to look at it, and moved his fingers to correct some parts.

"You've learned how to draw the background?"

"Ah, no, this isn't the background."

"No?"

However, I brought her on this trip because she said she wanted to learn how to draw backgrounds...

"I've already taken a lot of photos, I can practice the background later. I have other things I want to draw now..."

What do you want to draw?

"Want to see it? I've already drawn a rough sketch."

"I'm quite interested if you say yes."

"Here you go." Dongtou handed me the tablet.

Not the background, but something else I wanted to draw? I wonder what sparked Dongtou's inspiration—

That's what I thought.

As a result, I regretted that I hadn't prepared myself mentally enough before looking at this sketch.

A chill ran down my spine, making me shiver.

I'm not a drawing expert. Besides, this is just a sketch; I can't see where it's better than before.

This is assuming it's under normal circumstances.

It's obvious. It's not that my drawing skills have improved. It's that they've changed. I think it's because, in my approach to painting, some fundamental philosophical concept has completely changed.

This is because the painting contains a soul.

This isn't about spirituality or willpower; I'm telling the truth. It's just a sketch of a beautiful girl. Yet, it seems to have a life of its own. It makes you feel that she truly exists within this thin, flat image.

Compared to the paintings that Dongtou had shown me before, I immediately understood why.

It's an expression.

In the past, almost every drawing by Dongtou featured a smiling expression, a common feature in illustrations of cute girls. There was no deeper meaning behind them. They were simply drawn as smiles because they were cute; just symbolic expressions without any other significance.

But what about the expression on this sketch?

Reluctantly, wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes. Tears welled up. Her fists clenched. Yet, she forced a smile. The composition showed her profile to the viewer. Her clothes fluttered in the wind. Her hair danced wildly in the air.

No further explanation is needed; everything has already been explained.

Tell the viewers that this is a scene of heartbreak.

"You, you...this is..."

"When I saw Senior Asou crying and screaming, a sudden thought flashed through my mind! I thought, 'This kind isn't bad either!' What do you think—? Doesn't it break your heart—?"

This is more than just skipping a stage.

Even though I've read quite a few light novels, I've almost never seen an illustration with such a powerful and expressive face.

She witnessed someone else's heartbreak nearby—and that was all...

Has she finally discovered it?

Where does one's talent lie?

—I couldn't help but tremble.

Not just the body. But the whole heart—the entire soul.

I experienced this trembling a long time ago.

I first read "The Dancing Girl of Siberia" in an old study in the countryside.

Just like when I came into contact with my great-grandfather's life through words back then—no, at this moment I received an even stronger feeling from Higashito Isana.

Sigh—I can't deceive myself anymore.

I couldn't help but feel a longing, a desire to know about her life. I longed to be by her side, closer to her than anyone else, faster and sooner than anyone else in this world—to read the book titled Higashito Isana.

My vague and uncertain future rapidly took shape.

one person……

When moved by the talent of others, one naturally submits to it.

They even felt that sacrificing their own lives would not be a loss.

Irito Yume: A little courage, and a great desire.

"Well then, everyone, thank you for your hard work! See you at school!"

Seeing Senior Sister Ya Shuang wave goodbye with a smile and leave with Senior Brother Xing Bian, I felt a mix of emotions and was genuinely happy for her.

Make up your mind, summon your courage, and don't give up even if you get dumped.

—And what about me?

Am I as courageous as Senior Sister Ya Shuang in taking action? Have I expressed my feelings sincerely and honestly, and faced my fear of changing the status quo?

To be honest, I did have that thought.

Let's just leave it at that for now. There's no other way; we're not just an ordinary couple. We're siblings living under the same roof. I can't just confess my feelings. We're not just ordinary classmates. Even if we did start dating—what if we broke up…

This cannot be resolved with jokes.

I can't remain naive forever, nor can I act rashly; I must consider the realities of the situation. If we were just ordinary step-siblings, perhaps I would have already acted on my emotions. However, my past mistakes from junior high school force me to become more realistic.

A couple in love may break up sooner or later.

Only when both parties are outsiders—is it unnecessary to consider the situation after the breakup.

Compared to my growing feelings, my resolve isn't strong enough. Therefore, I can only leave it for now. It's okay not to force a relationship; maintaining the current relationship is more relaxed and comfortable—or…

Don't change anything.

Let's continue being ordinary brothers and sisters.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to just live like this... Somewhere in my mind, I may have had such a thought.

But—I can't help but think about it again…

Seeing Senior Sister Ya Shuang's long-cherished dream come true, her years of unrequited love fulfilled... she looks so happy, walking beside the person she likes—it makes me unable to hide my thoughts.

--I'm so envious.

I also want to... become like her.

The necessary preparations must have been made long ago. Because, Senior Sister Ya Shuang taught me something.

If you take it seriously, you will get a serious response.

Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of courage to grasp happiness.

A spark ignited in my heart, which then grew into a raging fire.

The flame's name is courage.

The name of the raging fire is desire.

A little courage is about to lead to a great desire.

"We're back!"

I opened the door and called out to the living room. The lights were on, so Mom or Uncle Fengqiu should be home. I wonder if they've spent any quality time together these past three days?

Mizuto, who came back with me, didn't even say "I'm home" before quickly walking up the stairs. I haven't been home for three days, and he's still so indifferent. I'll have to give him a talking-to next time.

That being said, we must be careful not to turn it into a long-winded lecture—otherwise, when it comes time to confess our feelings, it might become very awkward.

...Yes, I'm going to confess. I've made up my mind.

However, I will set a deadline.

I want to confess my feelings to him this year.

Before that, I will use every means to make Mizuto fall in love with me. If I can get him to confess to me during this process, that would be even better.

By next year, we'll be a couple again.

If I can't go back to being my original self, I'll follow Dongtou's example and become his step-siblings.

Of course, I don't want to imagine that kind of future—to avoid that situation, I need to make a plan first. There's still a little over a month left until the end of the year; how can I actively approach him?

"...Yume, you're back."

The living room door opened, and Mom came out.

But—her expression seemed a little sullen… no, or rather, a little lost?

"Mom, what's wrong? Happy Couple's Day...were you unhappy?"

"No, I'm very happy. Thank you, Jie Nu, for thinking of us—but, someone contacted me today..."

"contact?"

"I'm a little hesitant, I don't know if I should tell you... but after asking Xiaofeng's opinion, he said I should tell you. He's such a nice guy, right?"

Mom gave a faint smile. She was actually taking the opportunity to subtly show affection to me—but what intrigued me more now was the content of that "contact." Judging from her tone, it seemed to be related to me…?

"That's how it is—"

"Mom said, sounding heavy-hearted."

"—Your father wants to see you. With Mizuto."

Volume 8: It's Time to Show Me Your Full Power (Epilogue)

This is my eighth afterword, and I'm almost out of things to write about. Although I always include supplementary information like this article, frankly, there's not much to explain. Like this time, I was even thinking as I wrote, "I absolutely have to make the female member who just woke up the cover illustration!"

To be honest, I'm actually a proponent of the uselessness of epilogues. I think it's a waste to spend several pages on such trivial musings; in fact, the only epilogue I've written in my current series is for this "stepmother burden." But it's all my fault for accidentally writing one in the first installment, and now, in the eighth installment, I'm still relying on inertia to keep piling up words. Ugh, what a hassle! Couldn't I just post it on Twitter?

Looking back, my student life was much the same; it seems I just drifted through sixteen years of schooling. In reality, by middle school, which was a turning point, I had already grown tired of school. Later, I went to high school almost exclusively to gather material for my novels. University, needless to say, was another story.

From this perspective, I'm already quite fortunate to have found something worth dedicating myself to so early on. Although the price is that I don't remember the faces or names of any of my classmates, I give my all to reading and writing novels, so I can confidently say I don't care about the cost. However, this is the only option I have in mind, so the troubles of Aisha or Yui are simply not my concern.

That being said, I feel my life has been rather unique, so I can't irresponsibly say, "Don't be afraid, just challenge anything!" However, when I seriously engage in something, whether it's a novel, comic, video game, or romance, I think I can find considerable enjoyment. It seems that even the characters in "stepmother and stepchildren" stories are starting to find things worth dedicating themselves to, and as an author, there's nothing happier than that.

However, these things can't necessarily be done at the same time as romance.