My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 336

"You discovered me standing on the side of the stage, and found an insignificant, unknown actor like me."

Two steps.

"If you were to ask me when it started, the answer is—it couldn't be clearer."

Three steps.

"I've liked you from the very beginning."

He stood in front of the young man.

She gently shook the young man's hand.

The small bag containing the chocolates was placed in the young man's palm.

"...I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long."

Only the one sentence he mumbled, with his head bowed, was from the old man I knew well.

The young man chuckled and peeked at the man's downcast face.

"Homemade chocolate?"

"Uh... I can't think of any other way to respond besides sending the same thing back..."

Hearing the increasingly negative tone of his voice, which made his previous sense of presence seem like an illusion, made the young man chuckle softly.

"Since you say it's the same thing... then, I can take that as what you mean?"

At that time, I said, "Please go out with me," and gave him the chocolate.

Then, my father-in-law returned the same gift to me.

The old man's ears turned slightly red, and he said indistinctly:

"Sigh... let's just pretend that's how it is, it's okay..."

"Isn't there something you should do?"

The young man placed the hand holding the chocolate on the old man's waist and leaned his body towards him.

"Eh... Ah..."

"Having kept me waiting for so long, isn't it understandable that you're a little impatient?"

The young man moved so close to the old man's face that his breath fell on him as he stared at him. The old man's gaze wandered around for a while before he closed his eyes tightly for a few seconds.

"Then... then..."

Seeing that the old man had opened his eyes as if he had made up his mind, I naturally closed my eyelids.

Then—

—I was held tightly and forcefully.

"........."

"…………Um…………"

Feeling the arm behind his back taut and stiff, the young man smiled silently.

...I'm asking you for a kiss.

Alright, whatever—anyway, it's the first time my father has ever hugged me.

The young man and the man embraced each other for several seconds and several minutes in the middle of the empty stadium.

Irito Yume ◆ Where does love end?

After returning from school, I changed out of my uniform in my room and sneaked out without my mother and the others.

If they see my carefully chosen date outfit, they'll definitely ask me all sorts of questions, and it might even make me late. Considering that risk, wearing a coat over my uniform is an option, but I still think you should dress nicely for a date.

Today I'm going to have a White Day date with Mizuto as a return gift.

According to Mizuto, it seems to be a way of celebrating getting through the busy student council period, including final exams and graduation. The fact that Mizuto suggested this way of celebrating made me think with deep emotion: Wow, we're really dating.

When we go out together, we always arrange to meet somewhere away from our usual social circle. It's not just about our mothers and family; it wouldn't look good if our classmates saw us. If we did run into each other, we could only pretend that we're close siblings and cover it up, but of course, we'd avoid that situation if possible.

I took the tram from Karasuma Oike to Sanjo Station. Although it was only a few minutes' ride and seemed a bit wasteful of money, Mizuto said he'd cover the cost for today. I didn't stand on ceremony; that's how someone being treated should act.

Anyway, it seems that the guy was paid for tutoring the student from the east end of the street. Considering the cheating fee, he got off relatively well.

I contacted the water bucket from inside the tram:

I'm almost there.

I received a reply when I got off the bus:

I'm killing time while I'm on book off.

The atmosphere was so awkward when I arranged to meet someone. But it did have a certain style of being from the Water Town.

After exiting the subway ticket gates, I took the escalator directly to the BOOK OFF area upstairs. The entire station building, from the first to the third floor, is dedicated to BOOK OFF, but I could roughly guess where the sinks were.

Heading to the third-floor archive area, I found a familiar figure.

I moved closer and spoke to him in a low voice:

"Sorry for the wait."

"Um."

Mizuto glanced at me and put the paperback he was holding back on the bookshelf.

"Aren't you going to buy it?"

"There's writing inside."

"Ah──..."

This situation occasionally occurs with used books.

"What did you write?"

"I suggest you don't watch it."

"why?"

"It's a dirty joke for elementary school students."

"Oh──..."

I've encountered these before, like dictionaries in the library, etc...

"Anyway, let's go."

No bookstore is a place where people stand and talk. We left the quiet store.

We exited the station building, crossed the pedestrian crossing, and arrived at Sanjo Bridge. Following the wooden railings with onion-shaped, pearl-like ornaments evenly spaced at the top, we crossed the Kamo River and headed towards the bustling area.

"I've felt this since junior high school..."

Halfway there, Shuidou suddenly spoke.

"I have absolutely no talent for shopping."

"...Yes, I felt it too."

I gave a wry smile.

To be honest, our dates back then were pretty much the same. I've probably mentioned this three or four times already, but I feel that Mizuto was even less interested in going out than I was.

Even if two people go to a busy area together, they don't know where to start.

To be honest, even if you go out and explore, you won't find anything particularly interesting—it's probably much more fun to stay at home and read a book, isn't it?

Of course, he wouldn't say such things to his girlfriend, but after living with her as family for almost a year, I now know—deep down, this is definitely what he thinks.

"But you seemed to enjoy going to the aquarium before."

"That's because...that aquarium is well-designed."

Let's just say that. In fact, with the clear purpose of "watching fish," I also felt that it was easier to enjoy the experience.

"In short, as the organizer today, I've tried to come up with various plans, but..."

"but?"

"I give up. I'm completely confused."

The man simply gave up on drafting the contract.

Surprisingly, he's also my boyfriend.

"So, no plans for today?"

"Please say that I increased the flexibility of the plan."

"Hmph hmph hmph."

Seeing my smug smile, Mizuto's eyes became full of suspicion.

"The differences in this aspect are probably evident from the life experiences gained over the past year."

"...I'd better ask anyway. What are you trying to use to pressure me?"

"Let me show you, my boyfriend who needs improvement, what else you can do besides bookstores and libraries!"

Mizuto seemed to have decided to surrender, saying weakly, "Thank you for your help..." willingly letting me be the boss.

I quickly took his arm...

"Water bucket".

Show the confidence you've built up this year through your smile.

"You'll see how I enjoy this date today, and that'll be your fun, okay?"

As if even more willing to admit defeat than before, Mizuto gently relaxed her cheeks.

We strolled through the arcade shopping street, going into each shop that caught our eye.

"How is it? Isn't this outfit cute?"

"If you think it's cute, then it's cute."

"Wrong answer, no, no! I was asking about your preferences! This reading comprehension question should be interpreted as 'I'm willing to adopt your colors, what do you think?' I wouldn't buy the clothes I like myself!"

"When did it become a test of Mandarin Chinese?"

Although Mizuto said that, he still picked up another piece of clothing and said, "Then..." He put it on me and compared it.

"This one might be alright."

"This one?...Have your tastes changed a bit?"

Shuidou used to prefer pure and innocent styles that exuded girlish charm. But now, the ones she puts on me and compares are the mature and sophisticated casual shirts that Xiaoyue occasionally suggests I wear.

"Since you're taller now, of course we wouldn't suggest you wear those kinds of clothes anymore."

I immediately squinted and stared intently at Shuidou's face.

Shuidou, feeling a bit overwhelmed by my gaze, said:

"W-what are you doing?"

"Let me teach you... When a guy's fashion sense suddenly changes, it makes girls feel like they're seeing other girls. At least I do."

Shuidou awkwardly and quietly looked away.

"As expected, it's Dongtou."

"No... let me explain first."

"Please speak?"

"I helped that guy collect data, which gave me more opportunities to search for women's fashion outfits... so, um... sometimes, I imagine which style would look best on you..."

"Oh~?"

Enjoying the rare sight of Shuidou's anxious and flustered expression, I smiled.

"Okay, I forgive you. Because that means you're thinking of me all the time, right?"

"...Yes, that's exactly what you said..."

Hearing him say this while sighing, unable to exonerate himself, made me smile even more contentedly.