My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

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'—Eight!'

My dad and the others are watching TV.

"—Seven! —Six!"

I put my mouth close to the woman's ear.

"—Five! —Four!"

"I like you."

(Illustration 012)

"—Three!"

The woman's hand twitched.

'—Two!'

My dad and the others are watching TV.

『──One!』

The woman's head was silently pulled away.

Happy New Year, everyone!

I looked closely at Mizuto's face.

Happy New Year!

"Mom said to Uncle Fengqiu."

"—Whoa! My phone's notification sound...!"

I brought my mouth close to Shuidou's ear.

"I like you too."

(Illustration 013)

Then I quickly pulled my face away from the approaching cheek.

"Yume! And Mizuto! Congratulations!"

Mom turned around.

Happy New Year, Mom.

The smartphone kept ringing.

"Happy New Year, Aunt Yu-ren."

I quietly let go of Shuidou's hand.

"Oh, right. Is it okay to eat soba noodles after New Year's Eve?"

"It should be fine, right? Since we've already prepared."

Mom left the kotatsu table and ran quickly to the kitchen.

The television program celebrates the New Year while moving on to the next segment.

I looked down at the numerous notifications on my phone and smiled.

And so, the new year is about to begin.

And so, a new chapter for us begins.

--So, Yui Ayai?

This time, I won.

Volume 9: A Proposal Isn't Enough; The Final Chapter: A Proposal Isn't Enough

Irito Mizuto ◆ left the house

"Then we're leaving—"

"Take care—be careful on the way to Shuidou!"

I stepped out of the entrance hall with Yui and into the world of night.

Although it wasn't snowing, my breath was very white. I put my hands in the pockets of my coat and looked up at the star-studded night sky.

"……hehe."

The girl with light steps caught up with me, who was a step ahead of her, and we walked side by side.

"Neither Mom nor the others noticed."

Then, with a childlike expression of success in her prank, she leaned closer to look at my face.

I said with a sarcastic smirk:

"If we get caught, it'll cause a huge uproar."

"You startled me. I never expected you to take such a risk."

"Everyone has had a period when they longed to become a hero."

"Don't go swimming in the water tower!"

"That's not a hero, that's an idiot."

We shared laughter softly as we walked under the cold sky.

A short walk further and we'll reach the main road, ready to be greeted by crowds that shouldn't be there in the dead of night. But until then, this world is temporarily reserved for just the two of us, Yui and me.

"The decision is to keep it a secret for now, right?"

"Hmm. Actually, there's nothing to be afraid of now, it's just..."

"only?"

"Keeping it a secret seems kind of fun."

Seeing the girl sway her shoulders slightly, I sighed softly.

"You've really gotten bolder. Is it because of the student council president?"

"I don't know. The president is actually quite timid sometimes."

"Is she timid?"

"Surprised, aren't you?"

"I can't imagine..."

To be honest, it might sound a bit much to me now, but I really don't understand girls' psychology.

"Well, anyway... let's just continue being family for now."

"Yeah?"

Jie Nu tilted her head slightly, lightly hopped in front of me, and looked up at my face from the front.

"Outside the house... or family?"

There was no one else around.

Under the New Year's streetlights, only the shadows of me and Jie Nu were cast.

In this world, no one will treat us as ordinary family members.

"...Let's just say you're in heat."

"Same to you, right?"

Through my thick coat, I pulled the woman's waist close to mine.

The woman slightly raised her chin and closed her eyelids, as if entrusting herself to me.

This is clearly the first time, yet I feel a sense of nostalgia.

We don’t know how many times we’ve done this before.

And we will do this again and again in the future.

I slowly pressed my lips to the woman's.

Reluctant to part with the soft touch, I slowly pulled away from her lips, maintaining the distance between us as our breaths fell on each other's faces, gazing into each other's eyes.

"Fortunately, I had already mastered it in junior high school."

The girl said this with a smile in her eyes, and I replied to her:

"Who do you think trained you? You clumsy woman."

"Who was it? I think I've forgotten."

"Want me to help you remember?"

"Is once enough?"

We touched lips together again.

This time it went even deeper than before, and I hugged Jie Nu's body even tighter.

If you can't remember, I'll start over again and again.

Again and again, as many times as you want, taking a long time.

This period will determine the bond between us.

Not just family, not just lovers, and not just husband and wife.

Language is necessary. But that alone is not enough.

A single sentence is not enough to demonstrate our determination to stay true to ourselves.

—A single marriage proposal isn't enough.

Time will tell.

Our lives will gradually reveal the answers.

"—We've decided not to tell Mom and the others yet, but what about the others?"

"Who are they?"

"Like Xiaoyue, or Kawanami... those who support and encourage us."

"I'm a little too lazy to tell Kawanami... although if I just tell Minami, he'll automatically know."

"...Where's Dongtou? Shall I talk to her?"

"No..."

I took off my gloves and took my phone out of my pocket.

This opens my private chat room with Izana.

"I'll tell her... I still have that much responsibility."

I don't think that making more embellishments to the text is of much significance.

I typed a few simple paragraphs into my phone.

Higashito Isana◆Creation

Seeing the chat messages that came immediately at the start of the new year caused a situation that surprised even myself.

"………………Ah────────────────"

I let out meaningless, empty cries as I lay back on the bed.

I felt my mind freeze.

Right now, all I want to do is stare at the ceiling. I've realized this state of mind I'm in.

This... really, really surprised me.

Unexpectedly, I was actually hit hard.