My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 309

"Whose fault do you think it is?!"

"Heh heh, ahaha! Sorry, it's been so long since I've seen Mizuto like that!"

Honestly, there should be a limit to growth.

Before, she would blush and feel shy no matter what I did.

The girl smiled lovingly as she spoke.

"Thank you, Mizuto. You've really thought of me."

"...Exactly. You should be the one seriously considering these things yourself."

"I'm sorry. How should I put it? I felt so happy that I was a little dizzy."

The woman's hand reached towards my cheek, stopping just before it touched me.

Even now, just being like this makes me feel like I'm turning into an idiot.

"That's really bad. Their only strength is their excellent grades."

"Oh, that's too much!"

Faced with my sarcastic remark, which was meant to hide her shyness, Jie Nu chuckled softly as if she was trying not to laugh.

For myself, the only thing I can boast about is my academic record. So, if things continue like this—

Things will get very bad.

I quickly got off the woman. I got out of bed, stood on the floor, looked up at the ceiling, and let out a long sigh.

As if in sync with that, a deep breath came from the woman lying on the bed. Along with the sound of "okay," there was the sound of slapping her cheek, which made me smile slightly.

Both of them became better at pretending to be at ease.

I turned around, and Jie Nu sat at the foot of the bed, looking up at me.

"From now on, we're family."

"Ah, I see."

"but--"

Yui stood up

Her long hair swayed in the breeze.

The fragrance of the shampoo slowly spread.

Then he looked straight into my eyes and said.

"I like you."

"—I like you too."

For lovers, verbal responses are a given.

But for some reason, it feels very new now.

Even though we've known each other for a year and a half as lovers, we've only spent a dozen days together as family.

In that case, we will be something different from what we have been doing for the past year and a half.

Faced with this new beginning, whose name I didn't even know, my heart was unexpectedly filled with excitement.

And so, having regained our composure, we each temporarily prioritized our high school lives.

The girl makes friends in the classroom, while I explore the library. Well, you could say that's a return to the appropriate distance for high school couples.

After several visits to the library, I gradually began to feel that Yoshitsune was a part of my daily life. I learned which books were on which shelves, remembered all the librarians, found my assigned seat, and got to know other frequent library visitors like myself.

That happened a few days after we started school, during lunch break.

As I walked deeper into the library, I spotted a girl I vaguely recognized.

I saw her the first time I came here; she was reading a light novel. Since then, I've always seen her when I come to the library. Is it because she always disappears deep into the bookshelves? I can't find her in the reading area.

You've only just enrolled and you're already spending all your time in the library. Is it okay for you to make friends like this? Well, that's not my place to say.

That day, she was holding a paperback to her chest, looking at a spot on the bookshelf with a troubled expression. Normally, I wouldn't have paid much attention, but the moment I saw the paperback she was holding, things suddenly changed.

The paperback edition is titled "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya".

Holding the book, looking at the bookshelf with a troubled expression—based on this scene, I realized the problem she was facing.

...I don't know which one is Volume 2.

That series doesn't have a number... so I don't know which book to read for the second volume.

Because I didn't know at first, I immediately thought of it.

But... well... as someone who has a girlfriend, it would be inappropriate to casually strike up a conversation with a girl...

— Ugh, this is so troublesome.

We've argued about things like this before, but we've always resolved it. Even as a woman, I don't want to be used as an excuse to let others suffer. Just be upright and honest. As long as I'm not betraying my conscience.

I walked up to the girl.

It's a sigh.

The girl sighed and turned her head, blinking her eyes.

"The next chapter after 'Melancholy' is 'Sigh'... If I've been nosy, then I apologize."

"what……"

The girl finally realized what I was trying to say. She turned her gaze back to the bookshelf, put the "Melancholy" book she was holding back, and took out the "Sigh" book instead.

"Ah... that..."

Then, while shifting his gaze to the ground, he spoke in a soft voice.

"Ten... points, thank you."

I feel like I'm reminded of the time I met Yui.

Although back then I went all out and acted like I was trying to strike up a conversation, this time it's different.

Having accomplished my task, and since I'm the type of person who doesn't give my name, all I could do now was leave quickly.

Then—that moment when it's about to be exported.

"……that……"

The girl spoke in a rather unnatural, melodic tone.

Do you like...light novels?

—Oh no, this is terrible.

I hadn't considered the manner in which the other person approached me.

As a result, I chatted with that girl for a while after that.

He stammered, as if he were testing the waters—but there was no obstruction whatsoever.

Thus, it naturally evolved into...

"Speaking of which, what's your name?"

For some reason, the girl answered shyly.

"East end...Izana"

To be continued...

BD Bonus IF Route: My Stepmother's Burden is My Current Girlfriend (BD2)

The online translation is from the Kingdom of Light

Image source: Hina Komura

Translation: Kazami

Proofread by: Zilean

Although I can only say it was youthful impetuosity now, I did have a boyfriend during the period from the second to the third year of junior high school.

Honestly, where did that courage come from? Although I'm shocked by my own recklessness and boldness back in the second year of junior high, since that relationship has continued unscathed—or rather, grown even stronger—so it's fair to praise it as well done.

She and her boyfriend, Mizuto Irito, went through various events and became like family, living under the same roof and even attending the same high school class. While one might think that things would mean they'd be inseparable 24/7, things didn't turn out that way.

The time we could spend together all day, driven by our desires, lasted until junior high school.

If you become a high school student, maintaining appropriate boundaries in your interactions becomes essential.

Therefore, we kept our relationship a secret at school, treating each other as just classmates. Well, according to Mizuto's definition of "classmate," that makes us "strangers who don't talk much," but we make up for it after school, so it's enough. In other words, pretending to be strangers in class and only being affectionate after school might actually make things even more intimate—

That's enough chit-chat.

In short, we went our separate ways at school. Although we would occasionally sneak together for lunch, we were completely different groups in the classroom. Our classmates probably never even saw us talking.

Even so—because they are lovers.

It's not uncommon for people to unconsciously look at each other.

So recently, something has been bothering me. For example, the following scenario.

"Ah... Irito-san?"

It was a girl on duty, stretching her small body as she tried her best to wipe the blackboard.

In the rush before moving to the next classroom, Mizuto suddenly grabbed the blackboard eraser.

"Up there, you can't reach it, can you?"

As Mizuto said these words, neatly erased the text above, lightly dusted his hands, and walked out of the classroom, the girl on duty just stared blankly as she saw him off.

In addition to these, there are other scenarios.

"What's wrong?"

During PE class, there was a girl squatting in the corner of the playground.

When Mizuto passed by, he struck up a conversation, "Want me to call the teacher for you?" After a few words of conversation, "...If not, that's fine," he just stood there for some reason.

What are they doing? I wondered, and soon I noticed.

It was noticed that Mizuto was using his body to shield the girl who was squatting from the sunlight.

The girl slowly raised her head and quietly looked up at the face of her complete stranger, Mizuto, who had created the shadow.

I have already... noticed.

Regardless of the occasion or which girl it was, the way she looked at Mizuto became noticeably more affectionate.

The reason I'm asking is that I, Ayai Yui, had a similar experience. Back at the forest school, I couldn't get any curry ingredients, and just when I was feeling down, my friend Mizuto casually approached me and shared his. While I didn't instantly fall in love with it, it's a happy memory I still vividly remember.

Mizuto said this.

He said that I improved my social skills through my interactions with him.

However, I wasn't the only one who changed. Mizuto-kun also clearly became more skilled. Through his interactions with me, he's become much better at dealing with girls!

As a result, it became like this.

"...Hey, Irito-san, isn't your face actually quite cute?"

After someone said that, a cacophony of voices, of unknown origin, arose.

"Eh, eh—? Isn't that a bit too perverse?" "Y-yes. It's so gloomy..." "And, and she doesn't talk to anyone else either." "She just, just reads books, it's so boring."

This is not a bad thing.

Rather, it's a restraint.

They all shared the same idea.

—A casual fan who only noticed it now. It's enough that I'm the only one who knows how good Irito is!

As his girlfriend, I know best. Mizuto has that kind of charm.

It's different from openly discussing it... It's something I want to cherish alone, secretly... That kind of charm.

Most suitable for men who are in unrequited love.

This is my man.