My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 30

I opened the gift box in front of Ayai, who was watching nervously.

What's inside is—

“—Ah.”

"Hehe...we're really in sync."

...It is a necklace.

Upon picking it up, a feather-shaped pendant was hanging right in front of me.

"Although the reason isn't as romantic as Irito-san's... it reminds me of a quill pen rather than a feather."

"A quill pen?"

"Uh, well..."

Ayai hesitated for a long time, her gaze darting around, before finally beginning to explain, as if she had made up her mind.

"...Because I really like watching Irito-san scribbling away in her notes when she's preparing for exams."

"........."

After a few seconds of silence, I offered an explanation for her statement:

"...So you have this kind of fetish?"

"Ugh...! Well, this—it's not exactly a fetish, I just kind of like it...!"

Isn't that what you call a fetish?

Ayai lowered her head in frustration.

"Waaah... I'm sorry, my words were disgusting..."

"You apologize so often."

As I said this, I put on the necklace I had received to show her.

"Look."

Seeing me put on the gift, Ayai's previously gloomy expression quickly changed.

Seeing her expression of shyness that made her feel itchy all over but she didn't want to show it, I grinned at her.

"Christmas presents are pretty amazing, aren't they?"

"Um, um...! I don't know how to put it...it's just amazing!"

We shared some vague thoughts and then started laughing softly together again.

I hoped this would boost Ayai's confidence a little. I secretly prayed this in my heart—

Later, we chatted idly under the cold sky for several tens of minutes.

There are no lights to appreciate it.

There was no romantic snowfall.

It's just a lonely plant under an apartment building, illuminated only by streetlights and house lights.

Even so, this brief period of time is deeply imprinted in my heart.

"...Goodbye then."

"...Okay, goodbye."

We said goodbye in front of the apartment lobby, waving gently to each other.

The reason it was somewhat quiet was because there was actually reluctance to part, but it was just unspoken.

—I understand that perfectly well, so I took Ayai’s wrist.

"Huh? Irito-dō—"

I moved closer to Aya and bent down slightly.

They inevitably fell silent.

As I straightened my back, Ayai's cheeks flushed red for reasons other than the cold weather, and she blinked in surprise.

"...Oh well, it's Christmas anyway."

I said, as if making an excuse.

Ayai couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"That's true... because it's Christmas."

This time it was Aya's turn, and she stood on her tiptoes slightly.

When she put her heel back on the ground, we exchanged a faint smile and finally took a step back.

Currently, no one knows about our relationship.

One day, I'll tell my dad about this. Although six months ago I never imagined that I would introduce my girlfriend to my family.

As I embarked on my journey home, the necklace swayed against my chest.

I wonder if we'll be able to meet openly and honestly a year from now on Christmas?

Is it possible to reunite at one of their homes and sit at the same table to eat together?

What kind of gift should I give her next time?

"...I think I'd better think it over now."

It has been exactly 365 days since today.

I can't wait to welcome that day.

◆

Sigh, but a year later we didn't even keep in touch by phone.

"Life is truly unpredictable..."

After so long, as a first-year high school student, I took out the necklace I had kept in my desk and couldn't help but feel a deep sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings) about the common sense of the world.

After that incident, my boyfriend and I went through a game where we'd find each other's necklaces around our necks and then chuckle knowingly. We'd even deliberately hide them in our clothes or scarves so the other wouldn't easily notice we were wearing necklaces. I don't know what was so fun about it.

If it were now, I doubt she'd even notice without me hiding it. And that's not all; that woman might have just thrown away the pendant I gave her when she moved.

"...It's been a while since I've played, why don't you give it a try?"

If she doesn't notice, it proves my reasoning is correct. If she does notice, it will likely elicit some interesting reactions.

I was suddenly intrigued, so I put the necklace around my neck, hid the feather-shaped pendant inside my clothes, and left the room.

I thought I'd run into it while showering—

"ah."

"ah."

Unexpectedly, we ran into each other in the second-floor corridor as soon as we opened the door.

I met a first-year high school girl named Irito Yui, who had grown taller and had longer hair.

I spotted her immediately when I saw her.

I spotted a familiar chain, gleaming hidden in her black hair—

"……oh."

"...Hmph—"

That was all the reaction from both sides.

We didn't say anything, and just went down the stairs in order.

Walking into the living room, I found that the TV series that had been playing during dinner had already ended. Dad was sitting at the dining table, while Aunt Ren was in the kitchen putting the dishes into the dish dryer.

"Oh, Mizuta. Are you going to take a bath?"

"I think the bathwater should be ready soon. If you want to take a bath first, let's play rock-paper-scissors with Mizuto, Yui—!"

Neither of them noticed our subtle changes at all.

After casually answering "Dad" or "Mom," we sat down on the sofa in front of the TV, leaving a space between us, and quietly opened the books we had brought from our rooms.

"……hehe."

Jie Nu suddenly smiled.

"What's wrong?"

I continued to look at the book and asked a question.

"I just feel like we really don't get along."

The girl answered with her gaze fixed on the book.

"...That's right."

That was my answer, and I continued reading my book.

My book is "The Stingy God of Wealth", and Jie Nu's book is "Bai Luo's Christmas Holiday".

Volume One: Past Loves Refusal to End (Substitute for Epilogue, Each Entrance, One Thought)

●──Episode 1: Ex-lovers refuse to address each other that way (Original title: Ex-lovers shout loudly)

It was published on the website on August 7, 2017. In reality, if this situation were to occur, it would be incredibly difficult. I suspect the person involved would rather die than live together. I'd like to write about why the woman agreed to live with me, and why I specifically chose her surname to match hers, when I'd like to find an opportunity to do so later.

●──Episode 2: Ex-boyfriend Needs to Watch Over the House (Original Title: Ex-girlfriend Attracts Attention)

It was published on the website on August 10, 2017. I thought for a long time about whether the two of them crossed that line, and finally felt that being too realistic and explicit wasn't a good idea. Two days after this story was published, on August 12, it seems to have reached number one on Kakuyomu's weekly overall ranking.

●──Episode 3: Ex-lovers prepare for the start of school

Released on the website on August 19, 2017. After this story ended, there were almost no more scenes depicting the girl being popular with boys. Why? That's right, because a certain romance ROM secretly dealt with them.

●──Episode 4: Ex-girlfriend goes for a medical check-up

A completely new creation. Nan Xiaoyue makes her debut. This is a groundbreaking chapter, with almost no dialogue between Shui Dou and Jie Nu. I believe that sometimes brevity is important.

●──Episode 5: Ex-boyfriend takes care of a patient

Published on the website on September 5, 2017. This is the story I personally found most fulfilling to write. She only openly showed her affection when she was suffering from illness.

●──Episode 6: Ex-Girlfriend Waits for You in Your Dream (Original Title: Ex-Girlfriend Is About to Wake Up)

Published on the website on August 26, 2017. No, well, I just thought it might be interesting to write such a boring story as stealing underwear in the style of H.P. Lovecraft... Originally, I wanted to write the whole thing in the style of Lovecraft, but it was too obscure to read, so I only kept a part of it.

●──Episode 7: Ex-boyfriend and girlfriend are going on a date (Original title: Ex-girlfriend is anxious / Ex-boyfriend and girlfriend are going on a date / Ex-boyfriend wants to protect her)

They were revealed on the website on September 19th and October 31st, 2017. I thought it was about time they went on a date, but they're completely unmoved. These two have dated before, yet they're so uncomfortable with dating. The reason I made Mizuto a hidden heartthrob is because I thought it would be more fun that way, right?

●──Episode 8: Couples Exchanging Gifts

Published on the website on December 24, 2017. This piece was written to coincide with Christmas. At the time, I was engrossed in writing kissing scenes without the word "kissing".

I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the editor in charge who was interested in this story of flirting between boys and girls, to TakayaKi-sensei who drew the adorable illustrations that melt your brain, and to all the readers who have supported us since the online serialization.

Besides the procrastinator Mizuto and the mystery-obsessed Yui, the online version published on Kakuyom features a new light novel otaku character. Interested readers are encouraged to check it out. If you'd like to read the print version or see more illustrations by TakayaKi, please recommend this book to everyone you know and on all the social media platforms you use. I think that will prompt the Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko editorial department to take action. Let's all put pressure on the publisher to boost sales!

The above is Paper City Boundary's "My Stepmother's Burden is My Ex-Girlfriend (1): Past Relationships Won't End". I hope to see you all again in the second episode.

Volume 1: Illustrations of an Unresolved Past Romance

Volume 1: Past Romance Won't End - Gamers Bonus: Daily Snapshots of Ex-Lovers; Gamers' Idol Worship

For scholars, there exists a concept called "circle".

The so-called "circle" is, simply put, the area centered around the bookstore you frequent. Although I've heard that many book lovers have sold their souls to new things like online shopping and e-books, I still believe that the most wonderful thing is going to a bookstore and encountering books you've never read before. It's truly a sad thing that I've forgotten the excitement of embarking on an adventure when I see the dazzling array of covers on the new bookshelves—well, that's partly because I've never had a credit card, making it difficult to use online shopping and e-books.

In short.

Normally, my social circle is centered around the nearby large bookstore, within a radius of about five kilometers. And this circle completely overlaps with that of my ex-boyfriend's now-adopted brother, Mizuto Irito.

Therefore, I have undeniably carried out the escape.

I rode my bicycle, which I almost never use, to the bustling street. After parking it, I cautiously scanned my surroundings while searching for a particular shop. If I'm not mistaken, there should be a few in this area...

Finally, we found the signboard of the target store.