My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 312

"but……"

Dongtou looked up and muttered in a somewhat wistful tone.

"If I had a first love... it would probably be Mizuto-kun."

"........."

"Ah, I was talking about the possibility, you know? I'd be incredibly grateful if you wouldn't be hostile towards me... Hehehe."

He gave a shy, perfunctory smile and continued talking to himself.

"Friendship and love, between us, the division of feelings doesn't matter... It's just that, for me, the first person who could talk to me as an equal—the first person who could listen to me honestly—was Mizuto-kun... It made me feel so glad that I was able to study hard and get into this school..."

His voice gradually became weak and feeble, and Dongtou buried his face in his knees.

"...Sorry. I'm getting embarrassed as I talk about it..."

"...No. It's okay."

I understand perfectly.

My incredibly petty jealousy compelled me to take Mizuto away from that child.

I leaned towards my classmate from the east end, so that our shoulders touched. I felt her slightly sweaty skin through her gym uniform, and just like Mizuto had done before, I spoke to her in a gentle voice.

"Let's be friends, Dongtou."

"...Eh...?"

"To be honest, I'm a little jealous that you and Mizuto are closer than I thought. But if I could be just as close to you, I probably wouldn't be jealous anymore... And, after talking like this, I think I actually quite like Higashi-kun."

"Eh?"

Dongtou stared intently at my face, his own face growing increasingly red.

"Uh...no, um, this..."

"Hey, hey... your reaction is making me feel embarrassed..."

"...I'm sorry... As a friend, I liked you? I'm sorry..."

Does that mean that being "only interested in beautiful girls" isn't limited to the world of anime and manga?

"Well... well... anyway, I'm sorry. I forced you to do some things."

"N-nothing's wrong... Thank goodness. I wasn't called to the women's restroom..."

"So they really are on guard against that..."

Thank goodness I didn't do that. I truly believe it.

"You're so slow, Mizuto."

"You're late, Mizuto-kun."

When Shuidou saw Dongtou and me waiting in the library, he froze for a few seconds.

"What...what are you two doing...?"

"Are you waiting for Mizuto-kun?"

"We've been waiting for you, Mizuto-kun?"

With a slight frown, Mizuto rubbed his forehead.

"What on earth happened to make things like this...?"

"We've become friends. Right, Dongtou-kun?"

"Yes, yes! That's right, we're friends! ...Hehehe"

Just like the girls in the class did, I hugged Dongtou, who smiled shyly.

Seeing this, Mizuto sighed softly.

"...Really? Well...we're friends now, that's great!"

He sat down on the other side of the four-seater where we were sitting, resting his face on his hand.

Although there was only a slight hint of displeasure in his expression, I noticed it was mixed with some unhappiness.

"……oops?"

"...Oh dear, oh dear?"

Did Dongtou notice too? He chuckled mischievously along with me.

We braced our elbows on the table, as if we were about to rush forward, and observed Mizuto's expression.

"Mizuto-kun... could it be that you're jealous?"

"Which side is it? Is it a friend? Or a girlfriend? Or perhaps both...? Oh dear—! That would be a bit greedy!"

"It's so noisy! So annoying!"

Mizuto leaned back as if fleeing, turning his face to the side.

What would have been an incredibly sad thing in the past seems utterly adorable now. Oh, I see. So, getting on good terms with Dongtou-kun can have this effect? ​​Oh, I see~?

"Dongtou, let me recommend some books I like. Here, take them."

"Ho ho? Let me see, let me see..."

We leaned our shoulders so close our faces were almost touching, whispering intimately. Being so close was unavoidable. Whispering was forbidden in the library; if you wanted to talk, you had to do it quietly. It was perfectly normal behavior for friends of the same sex. But what about "friends" in the same "group"?

"........."

Seeing the sullen atmosphere emanating from Shuidou, Dongtou and I chuckled softly.

If you don't want to be excluded, you need to be gentler.

Whether it's a lover or a friend!

To be continued...

BD Bonus IF Route: My Stepmother's Burden is My Current Girlfriend (BD3)

Although I can only say that I was young and impetuous, I did have a girlfriend during the period from the second to the third year of junior high school.

The so-called human being is one whose environment changes when relationships change. Therefore, I admire solitude and try to detach myself from society at its core, but I cannot completely shut myself out from the entanglements of the world.

Yes.

Moreover, with the addition of new family members, it's no longer possible to maintain a hermit-like facade.

Because not everyone is like me, a highly guarded person who doesn't allow anyone to enter their home.

If you have siblings.

That guy would invite his friends to my house, which is just too obvious.

"Sorry to bother you."

Wearing a worn-out shirt and wrinkled casual pants, an outfit that looked more like indoor clothing than indoor clothing, I came into view as I descended to the first floor.

A petite girl, about the height of an elementary school student, carrying a simple bag in front of her knees.

Her innocent face was framed by a pair of bright eyes, and she exuded a charisma that was completely contrary to her small stature.

The uniform with slightly oversized cuffs paired with shorts, the thighs encased in tights, created a somewhat masculine impression. Although the attire was rather unfashionable, given his handsome features, he could pull off anything.

I don't know anyone with such an idol-like face, but I feel like I've seen him somewhere before—"Ah."

Asuhain—Asuhain Ran, here it comes.

I briefly passed by her at school, and I can only vaguely recall her. She was the top student in the entrance exam and served as the freshman representative—

"Wow!"

The woman next to her stared in astonishment when she saw my attire.

"Sorry, Mizuto! I didn't tell you I was bringing a friend!"

"Ah...no, it doesn't matter."

The woman stared at me with disdain and said.

"You can't afford not to be careful."

Yui's gaze was mostly fixed on the shirt. Ah, they were talking about clothing.

"Come on up, Asuha-in-san. My room is upstairs."

After taking off her shoes, Yui led me up the stairs to the second floor. Asuhain followed silently behind her, and as we passed each other, she gave me a slight nod.

But... how should I put it? I have a feeling of subtle hostility.

Looking up at her petite figure disappearing down the stairs, I began to think.

Although I'm known for not being able to remember the faces and names of my classmates... she's not in our class, is she?

How did she become friends with students from other classes? She has absolutely no clue.

Because I was somewhat hesitant to go upstairs, I chose to stay on the first floor. While I was browsing the channels I had subscribed to on the TV in the living room, I heard footsteps coming down from the second floor.

"Ah, yes, I am."

The girl peeked in from the other side of the door. Was she here to get some tea?

Unexpectedly, Jie walked over to me, who was sitting on the sofa, and gently placed her hand on my shoulder from behind.

"Were you scared?"

I looked up at the woman with her long hair hanging down, staring at my face.

"What do you mean?"

"Asuhain-kun. You know him, right?"

Well, sort of.

"So...he's clearly a celebrity."

Jie seemed somewhat displeased. Was she trying to boast about making friends?

Then, Yui removed her hand from my shoulder and walked towards the kitchen. She was definitely going to make tea for the guests. Since I was free anyway, I thought I'd help her, so I followed her.

The woman took a tea canister from the cabinet.

"Asuhain-san, aren't you cute?"

She glanced at me furtively, hummed, and gave me a smug smile.

Now, how should I answer in a way that is both appropriate and reasonable?

If you answer with something cute, you might be labeled as fickle; if you say something uncute, you might get angry and yell, "What are you saying to my friend?" It's hard to say either.

After thinking for a few seconds, I finally decided to abandon myself.

"Second only to you, I suppose."

These are cheesy lines I would never normally say, even if you killed me.

Upon hearing this, Jie Nu burst out laughing.

"Well, how about we just say you got it right? Even though you weren't really thinking it."

"...Anyone who can genuinely say something like that is a liar."

"I love your clumsy personality!"

The sincerity of this dialogue, well, I'd say around 70%. Even a woman like Yui isn't used to lines that flirt with men. But the words themselves aren't exactly lies. Just like me.

I turned on the electric kettle that I had filled with water.

"Where did you meet? I don't remember you being in the same class."

"Are we even sure if we're in the same class...? We ended up sitting together in the study room by chance."

There was nothing to do until the water boiled. I leaned slightly against the sink and spoke to the girl.

"Just now—though it might have been my imagination—I sensed a slight hint of hostility."

"Ah... I knew it! Asuha-in-san hates boys..."

"Hmm... There are some, girls like that."

"Among them, should I say highly serious? — Oh right, and you should also be careful, Mizuto-kun."