My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 31

It says "Gamers" on it.

It's a specialty store that sells anime-related merchandise, CDs, comics, and light novels—that's what it's called online.

I adjusted my disguise mask and resolutely walked into the store. If any student from school—especially that guy—saw me walking into an anime merchandise store, it would be a huge problem. My model student image would be ruined, and that guy would probably seize the opportunity to play a trick on me.

I am definitely not a homebody.

I don't want to pair my novel with weak and lifeless illustrations. By the way, I mentioned this to my sworn brother before, and he just laughed at me.

But this time, I couldn't use the bookstore I always frequented—so as a temporary measure, I turned to anime shops far from my usual haunts.

The moment I stepped into the store, I was greeted by idol-style music. A huge screen was playing a music video (PV) for some concert. While even ordinary bookstores sometimes play anime PVs in their manga or light novel sections, those times the screen size and volume are usually quite restrained. The fact that this store was so openly displaying this kind of content made me feel like I had entered another world.

The sounds of several music videos filled the store, but it didn't feel as chaotic as a video game center. My gaze swept across the store; although the first thing I saw was the CD section and the merchandise section, my target this time was a light novel.

The manga section is nearby... well, at first glance, it's hard to tell the difference between the manga section and the light novel section...

While considering what would likely make my sworn brother laugh, I mingled among the other customers, looking at places similar to the comic book section.

Although my usual bookstore sells light novels, buying a book with a cute girl on the cover is quite a challenge for me—on top of that, buying such a book from a store I'm already familiar with is simply beyond my comprehension. That's why I made a special trip to this bookstore, which is so far away.

At first glance, I couldn't find the book I was looking for. Was it somewhere deeper inside?

Just as I was thinking this to myself, I stepped out and walked through the surrounding merchandise area.

A familiar figure came into my view.

I was startled and instinctively hid in the shadows of the bookshelf. ...That man from just now...with his scraggly, disheveled hair and seemingly hopeless appearance...!

I peeked out from the shadows of the bookshelf—and sure enough, there stood my sworn brother, Irito Mizuto. I knew he frequented these kinds of shops… but why today of all days…!

He was staring intently at the bookshelf displaying anime merchandise, his face serious. His expression was even more focused than when he was in class.

After a while, Shuidou snapped a picture of the spot he had been examining and walked towards me. I quickly hid behind the bookshelf, letting Shuidou walk right past me and leave the shop.

It's not the novel section, so what is he looking at...? Incredulous, I walked deeper into the merchandise section and checked the area where Mizuto must have been looking. It was a corner of the bookshelves. And on the wall next to it were promotional posters for voice actors and manga artists. Ignoring the posters, I stared at the items displayed on the bookshelves.

That's a figure of a beautiful girl with long black hair.

...Was that what he was staring at? No, it's not that I have a problem with people who like this kind of thing, no, because, but—

This... doesn't it look a bit like me?

No, no, it's not that I have any pathetic pride in comparing myself to a cute girl character! But... whether it's the hairstyle or the clothing... the only obvious difference is that I would never wear such an outrageously short skirt... [Dare you look at the cover image and say that again with a clear conscience!?]

And so, when I turned my gaze to the short skirt, I noticed the shocking truth.

This figure—even the inside of the short skirt is incredibly detailed!

Even the finest wrinkles in the underwear were crafted with an almost morbid level of detail. Looking at those underwear, I felt my face burning. Was he just staring at this?! He was staring intently under the skirt of my incredibly realistic figurine, which resembled mine, with an expression even more focused than during class?!

Even though I wasn't wearing a skirt today because I rode my bike here, I still unconsciously pressed my butt. Could it be that he's been looking for opportunities like this all along? After all, I almost always wear short skirts… Has he been lurking around, watching to see if I accidentally expose myself? He looks so innocent, this silent pervert…! I'll never let you see! You can regret it for the rest of your life for not seeing it while we're still dating!

After that, I got my hands on the book I was after in the light novel section—a new book by an author who debuted a few years ago with an award for a mystery novel and who was probably unknown to anyone except me—and it took me twice as long to get home.

Even after I got home, I didn't change into my home dress.

◆

I sat down on the sofa in the living room, looked at the screen on my phone, and couldn't help but smile.

The girl, unusually dressed in shorts, shuddered and, for some reason, shuffled away, clutching her buttocks. Was she holding it in?

The photos displayed on my phone screen were taken today at the Gamers store. Specifically, they showed a figure of a beautiful girl who seemed to share some similarities in temperament with Yui.

"I never expected that writer would come so close by."

—The autographed notice poster is posted on the wall next to the bookshelf.

Volume 1: Past Love Remains Unending - Meronbooks Bonus: Daily Snapshots of Ex-Lovers - Forbidden Territory of Meronbooks

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

In essence, a "circle" revolves around a bookstore we frequent. While there seems to be a growing trend of e-books these days, for students like us without credit cards, physical bookstores remain our lifeline. They're like charging ports for phones and gas stations for cars. For us, bookstores are just that. If our favorite bookstore were to relocate or close down, my circle would undoubtedly undergo a dramatic transformation.

My social circle has remained unchanged since elementary school, centered around a large bookstore located within walking distance of my home. However, it's undeniable that those stores alone can't satisfy all my needs—for example, items like the exclusive SS (Special Edition) bonuses for light novels are impossible to obtain without visiting the relevant store. Yes, that is, the so-called anime and manga stores.

And so, I hopped on my bicycle, which I almost never ride, and headed to a bustling street far removed from my usual circle. I parked my bike in a nearby parking lot, spotted a distinctive green sign, and stuck my foot out. That was the Meronbooks store.

"……Um?"

I wanted to hurry into the store, but before I could, I saw something strange. There was a suspicious guy at the entrance of Meronbooks. He was wearing thick-rimmed black glasses and a white mask—if that were all he wore, I might have just assumed he had a cold, but he was acting so suspiciously, glancing around as if I were being followed, giving me a strong feeling that he was trying to hide something. He quickly adjusted his hat to hide his eyes, then resolutely stepped into the store.

...Was it just my imagination? I seem to have a rather deep impression of the long black hair peeking out from under the brim of that hat.

I followed the strange woman into the store, where I was greeted by a seamless environment composed of anime PVs playing everywhere and voice actors' individual programs.

In this space, far more abundant than a typical bookstore, customers were intently browsing books and doujinshi (fan-made comics). While the shop usually gets busier during doujinshi events, it wasn't quite that crowded today. However, it was still release day, and a considerable number of customers had already gathered in the new light novel section.

The suspicious woman we just saw was mixed in with the crowd.

These days, it's not unusual for women to visit anime stores. But perhaps that woman didn't realize it; she exuded an aura completely out of place, and her every move was extremely suspicious.

Even so, the surrounding customers didn't seem to care about her actions. Even I, if I didn't know her, wouldn't have given such a person a second thought. After all, I was just here to buy books; nothing else concerned me.

...That's right. I came here to buy things, not to watch my stepsister's suspicious behavior in an unfamiliar place.

Just pretend I didn't see it.

I pretended not to notice anything and moved around to the other side of the suspicious woman. Okay, I need to hurry and collect the store bonus.

Just as I had secured a sequel to the series, I began scouring for book covers and synopses, and would hold the book close to my chest whenever I became interested.

"……ah."

I could vaguely hear a sound that seemed to be startled.

I slightly raised my gaze and saw the suspicious woman hurriedly turn her face away and take slightly anxious steps to escape into the depths of the bookstore.

This guy is as easy to understand as ever. Oh well, it's none of my business. — Just as I was thinking this and preparing to get back to work on the new magazine's recall, it suddenly occurred to me.

...The direction that guy ran away in seems to be...

Clutching the books I had secured, I hurried deeper into the shop. Sure enough, the woman paid no attention to what was ahead, simply focusing on moving forward to enter a specific area of ​​the shop.

"etc."

I grabbed her wrist just before she stepped into that area.

She shuddered and turned around, averting her gaze with a stern face, and spoke in an extremely monotonous tone.

"What do you need me for? Please let go of me. I need to go to this area ahead for some business."

"Are you sure you came here for something?"

"Y-yes."

"Hmph. Then I'll let go."

I released her wrist. Perhaps surprised that I let go so easily, she looked at me with suspicion.

"It was wrong of me to stop you. But I was really surprised. I even thought you were confused and made a mistake in deciding to go in."

"...Huh? An accident?"

"Well, actually, it wasn't supposed to be allowed, but since you've put it this way, I can't refuse. I'll let you off the hook for the sake of our family relationship. Please go ahead and have fun, and I hope you find some good stuff!"

"What have you been saying since just now...?"

After she once again focused her gaze on the direction she was heading, the woman—Irito Yume—finally noticed the curtain separating that area.

Yes—that's the 18+ section.

Realizing that curtain was something we should never have crossed at our age, and realizing that the space beyond the curtain was filled with erotic content, Jie's body instantly stiffened and trembled uncontrollably.

"~~~~~~~~!!"

Her face instantly turned a deep red, like the hair of a butter movie heroine.

"Alright, standing here will block the way and affect other people's passage. If you want to go in, hurry up and go in."

After I finished speaking with a forced smile, Jie Nu fixed her gaze on me again.

"…………satyr……!!"

Considering the other customers around him, he muttered a curse at me in a low voice and then fled the shop in a few quick steps.

In this situation, you should be the pervert, right?

I sighed and returned to the light novel section. In the end, what did that woman really want? I tried scanning the area she'd been staring at. At first glance, I didn't seem to find any of the classic mystery novels that guy seemed to prefer—

"--ah"

I held a paperback volume in my hands. It was a rare new work from an author who had made her debut several years ago by winning a light novel award for a mystery novel.

That's probably what she was after. She was probably a little embarrassed to buy this kind of book at her usual bookstore. She definitely didn't want the familiar clerk to say, "Oh, this kid buys this kind of book too." That woman is the type who cares about these things. Even though the clerk wouldn't have any thoughts about it at all.

"...Hum."

I picked up the book and the other books and headed to the cashier.

It doesn't mean anything else.

A customer ran away because of me, and I just want to take part of the loss for the shop.

I might eventually give this book to her, who lives under the same roof—but that would only be a result of chance.

Volume Two: Even Before They Were Lovers, Daily Snapshots of Couples' Life and Golden Week Vacations

Taiwanese version from Angel Anime Forum

Image source: Hai

Input: kid

A masterpiece has been selected.

I snapped the book I had just finished reading shut, stared at the paperback cover for a moment, and then hugged it to my chest.

Sigh... I couldn't help but sigh.

The scenes from the book appeared and disappeared layer by layer on the ceiling above my bed. I treasured each scene in my heart, one by one. This step was the happiest time for me.

It was daytime on the second day of the Golden Week holiday.

My stance at school is completely different from before last year; socializing with friends takes up a lot of my reading time. So I want to take advantage of this long weekend to finally finish reading all the books that have been piling up unread.

And just as I picked up the second book...

I encountered an extremely beautiful story.

—I really want to talk to someone about the content.

I really want to talk to someone about how I feel right now.

And if possible, I hope to share the same feelings with that person.

However, I didn't make many friends who loved reading in high school. Although I could find reviews online, I didn't really enjoy it. I had previously looked up reviews of books I liked, and it left me feeling quite unhappy.

It's best to discuss your thoughts on what you've read face-to-face.

How I've always handled this situation before...

A boy's face surfaced in my memory. Oh, right. Back then, I never worried about having no one to talk to about my thoughts. It was such a luxury—thinking about this, I suddenly realized something.

That guy is living under the same roof as me now.

"...It was beyond my control..."

There were no other options. Based purely on the elimination method, I decided to do it this way. Yes, it was the elimination method that made me do it.

I walked out of the room.

I glanced at the next room, but sensed someone was in the living room on the first floor, so I went down the stairs.

The man I'm looking for is sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Mizuto Irito. My stepson...and ex-boyfriend.

He leaned back in his chair, watching TV with a completely bored expression. He looked incredibly idle.

"……What are you doing?"

I don't know why, but I hid the book I brought behind my back and asked. Mizuto glanced at me.

"I've finished reading all the books I have. I was thinking of going to buy some more, but it's too windy, so I'll give up."

The living room windows are still rattling loudly. It's not as strong as a typhoon, but the wind is definitely howling. I don't even want to go out in this little bit of wind… Is that guy on a train? But I'm pretty much the same; I'm staying home because I don't want my hair to get messed up.