My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 364

I don't think I've ever seen Asuhain smile before.

"—Asuhain-kun."

After I made up my mind and called out to her, my classmate Ye Yuan slowly turned her head to look at me.

"If it's convenient for you, shall we go shopping together?"

Asahi-no-in maintained her expressionless, indifferent demeanor and mechanically replied:

"We've finished sightseeing—the exit will be just a short walk from here."

"Then let's go for a walk on the beach outside. There seems to be a souvenir shop on the first floor; we can go check that out together."

"Are you going to force me to follow you around everywhere again? Do you think that will move me?"

Tomorrow, Ye Yuan turned her gaze back to the sink, no longer looking at me.

"It's practically saying, 'You're going to help this poor girl...' How long do you plan to maintain this arrogant attitude?"

"...You're right, I may be arrogant."

I willingly accept the hurtful words she throws at me.

Even this humble attitude of accepting criticism would surely displease Asuhain-kun right now. I understand this basic principle, and—

Suddenly, I understood how she felt.

It wasn't something I understood through logical thinking like Shui Dou did. It was an intuition, the exact opposite of my strength in mathematics, that allowed me to grasp things I had never been able to understand before.

"—Unlike Asuhain-kun, who always tries to understand my thoughts without me having to do anything special."

Asahi-no-Yuan glanced at me briefly.

"The reason you chose Mizuto as the target of your confession is because you didn't have anyone else to choose from, right?"

Tomorrow, Ye Yuan will not answer.

"The only guys who have ever been in contact with Asuhain are the ones who went on the trip to Kobe with her last year. Getting involved with people in the student council would cause trouble, and as for Kawanami, he's obviously not Asuhain's type... so naturally, that leaves only Mizuto. Besides, he's not the type to brag or boast about being confessed to by everyone."

Tomorrow, Ye Yuan will not answer.

"You just want to confess and see what happens... to know what changes it will bring to yourself. And for your experiment, the most suitable person is Mizuto. For you—the person most likely to let you experience the taste of love is him."

Tomorrow, Ye Yuan will not answer.

But I told her the answer:

"You actually want to try learning how to be in a relationship, right?... For my sake."

Asuha-in-kun—did not answer, but simply glanced away awkwardly.

Because I finally beat her in the exam, but I was too caught up in love and didn't react with any resentment... So, for my sake, Asahina decided that only she could make the change.

I hope they can understand what I'm saying and chat about topics I'd like to discuss.

Using her only weapon...

For my sake... I'm trying to understand the beauty of love.

"I don't know how your attempt will go, but I think even if Mizuto can't fully understand Asuhain's thoughts, he'll still be willing to cooperate... because he's actually a bit like you."

For example, one might be detached from everything and have a flat reaction to external stimuli.

However, once they encounter something that fascinates them, they become blind to everything else around them.

From Asuhain-kun... I sensed similar qualities to Mizuto, qualities that made me somewhat envious.

"But something happened at the end of the first day... that made you give up the experiment. Maybe you realized it was all in vain... or maybe you suddenly felt disgusted with yourself."

I'm not sure, but I'd guess it's the latter.

Given Hiyori's personality, a girl as self-disciplined as her might suddenly feel disgusted with everything after reflecting on what she has done.

"So you started keeping your distance from me and Shuidou, and I, completely unaware, came looking for you... At first, you tried to pretend you didn't notice anything and return to your old way of getting along, but later you realized how ignorant I was, so you changed your mindset and felt there was no need to pretend... How about it? If I'm wrong... please tell me directly."

Even the most famous detectives in novels rarely manage to pinpoint the subtle thoughts of criminals.

So with my limited imagination, I can only pretend to know what I don't.

I thought to myself, she might be angry with me.

They might scold me... saying I don't know anything.

But I think I've at least made some progress. Compared to the past when I didn't even know how stupid I was, now I know I'm stupid, and I can even pretend to know what I don't... If I can get to the bottom of Asuha-in's mind by asking him this, then that would be a huge step forward.

However, Asahi-no-Yuan said—

No.

She is not angry.

It was simply a calm, somber reply, like the deep sea.

"I just felt desperate... I felt lonely and sad, like a child who wants something but her parents won't buy it for her... so all she could do was get angry. It's not that I've given up and don't feel like I don't need to keep going... rather, I feel like I've given up trying to convince myself to give up."

I gave up trying to convince myself to give up...

It's not about telling yourself to ignore it and use that to escape loneliness or sadness, but about dragging these burdens along and continuing to live your life...

"That's it."

I hesitated for a moment, but I still spoke.

"That must be really sad."

"You're talking so casually."

Asahi-no-Yuan turned her face toward me.

I smiled and nodded.

"But it's better than saying nothing. Words are never enough to convey what's in our hearts... but we have no other way but to express ourselves with words."

If you can't express it through your feelings, you can only tell the other person what you feel.

Even words devoid of depth, blunt, vulgar, and frivolous—are still better than saying nothing at all.

"……I see……"

Asahi-no-Yuan looked up at the faint light shining down from above the water tank, like a staircase.

"You're not all that eloquent...you can use some profound words skillfully."

"I've improved a lot now, okay? I'm much better than I was in junior high!"

After I said that half-jokingly, Tomorrow Ye Yuan and I stared at each other—

Then, lightly...

Although the movement was very small... he still managed to raise the corners of his mouth.

"I think I can imagine it."

That was the first time I'd ever seen Asuhain genuinely smile since I'd known her.

As the crowd around us gradually increased, my classmate Asuhain and I left the aquarium.

Walking along the path from the exit, we arrived directly at the beach we had briefly glimpsed at the entrance. It was a vast sandy beach, bustling with people swimming and digging in the sand, each finding their own enjoyment. Not everyone who came to the beach changed into swimwear; it seemed nearly half the people were dressed casually. This reminded me of some film I'd seen where Okinawans don't wear swimsuits when swimming.

My classmate Asuhain and I trudged through the white sand, making a soft rustling sound, until we reached the seaside and gazed at the jewel-like emerald green sea.

"I didn't expect... there are so few people."

Asuhain said.

Indeed, there were far fewer people than at the beaches during peak swimming season. The Churaumi Aquarium, however, seemed quite crowded.

"Has Asuhain-san ever been to the beach?"

"My family doesn't travel as a whole... I've only participated in school field trips."

"Come to think of it, I guess I am one of them too..."

Needless to say, my dad (the biological one) hasn't traveled anywhere since he and my mom started living together. But there's nothing I can do about it, since my mom has so many things to do.

"So……"

I leaned closer to look at Asuhain's face and said:

"Should we give it a try?"

"Huh?...You mean going swimming?"

"yes."

Asuha-in looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a long white top tied with a belt and tight pants that reached her ankles, exuding a summery vibe.

"But I didn't bring my swimsuit..."

"Just take your shoes off."

After saying that, I took off one sandal and stepped barefoot onto the beach.

"It's so hot!"

Of course, my foot was immediately burned. I was still wearing a sandal on my other foot and started hopping on one foot.

I stole a glance at Asuhain's expression and hid my embarrassment with a silly grin.

"It must be cooler by the water, so your feet won't get burned. Okay?"

"……All right."

After saying this, Asahi-no-Yuan was a little dumbfounded, and then looked up at the vast sea.

"It might be good to try it once in a while."

I put my sandals back on and walked side by side with Asuhain to the water's edge. Then I took off my sandals, holding one in each hand, and stood barefoot on the sand.

I could feel the cool, moist sand beneath my feet. My feet, usually covered by shoes and socks, were now fully exposed to the unfamiliar touch of nature, and I felt a sense of freedom and liberation.

Asuha-in also took off her shoes. She rolled up her socks, stuffed them into her shoes, and held them in her hand. She looked down cautiously at her feet, stepped on the sand a few times, as if trying to feel the texture with her bare feet.

Immediately afterwards, the waves crashed onto the beach.

Just as the seawater washed over our feet...

"So icy!"

Asahi-no-Yuan screamed softly and jumped up gently, grabbing my shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

When I asked her that, she snapped out of her daze, looked at me, and then lowered her head shyly.

I think this is the first time I've ever seen her react so innocently.

Having spent so much time together in the student council room, I never knew her expressions were so rich—which, for some reason, made me feel deeply moved.

We played with the rising and falling waves several times like this, and then Mingri Yeyuan whispered:

"...I saw it by accident."

"what?"

Hearing her whisper, I looked up. Asahi-no-Ya-Yuan, still gazing down at the waves, replied:

"The first night—at the hotel pool, I... I was hiding in the bushes. But it has nothing to do with what you're so eager to ask; it wasn't nine o'clock then."

Mizuto said that although Asuhain was not the culprit who spied on our secret meeting, it was true that he had a wound on his thigh.

And why did Asuhain choose to answer me at this time? To answer the question I asked her last night—and also to give me an answer for my serious attempt to understand Asuhain.

As I sorted through the clues in my mind, I said:

"You mean after nine o'clock, right?"

Mizuto and I saw bloodstains on the branches of the plant, so Asuha-in must have hidden in the bushes before that.

"It happened before nine o'clock, right?"

"Yes, I think it was around 8:30... I was looking for a place to be alone, so I was walking around on the floor with the pool. Then I saw two people go into the pool, and I couldn't resist my curiosity, so I followed them."

"……Then what?"

"At first, I heard that person say... 'I really wanted to be in your group'—it must have been something like that. Because the tone sounded a bit unusual, I didn't think much of it and hid in the bushes next to the entrance... and then..."

"result……?"