My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

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"Doesn't that mean nothing happened?"

"Then why do we sleep naked together?"

"Hmm...why...?"

Both the woman on the other end of the phone and I were completely baffled.

"Are there any other suspicious points? For example... anything that's different from usual?"

"It's hard to say..."

I kept the phone to my ear and poured myself a glass of water, taking a big gulp.

At that moment, I noticed something.

"I feel like there's a strange taste in my mouth."

『……………………』

"What's wrong?... Ah."

The girl fell silent, and only then did I realize what I had just said.

"...Yui has become a pervert now. I really want to beat up Irito-kun."

"I...I didn't say anything!"

I don't dislike lewd girls, but seeing a pure and innocent girl like Yui gradually changed by her boyfriend... it doesn't seem so bad.

Perhaps because I drank cold water, I gradually calmed down.

"Talking about topics that seem like they'd be featured in a women's magazine's erotic experience submission column is probably pointless."

"After all that, what does Xiaoyue hope for? Does she hope something really happens, or does she hope it's just a false alarm?"

……I don't know either.

If something really did happen, that's a good thing. It means he finally accepted me. But forgetting that memorable moment is also frustrating...

"It feels so complicated... I hope I can remember at least a little bit so I can use it to tease him..."

"...How about we just pretend we remember?"

Jie Nu seemed too lazy to listen to my rambling anymore.

"Try putting on an embarrassed expression. Maybe you can glean something from Kawanami-kun's reaction and find out what happened last night."

The most precious thing in life is a wise friend.

"This is it!"

Mizuto Irito: The Armchair Detective - Part Two

"That is to say..."

On a country veranda bathed in summer sunlight, after listening to a topic that was almost identical to those in the erotic experience submission column, I briefly summarized the key points of this passage.

"Minami is just trying to get Kawanami's attention by acting ambiguously; she doesn't actually remember what happened last night?"

"Yes."

"And it's based on your advice?"

"Yes……"

The girl awkwardly shrank her shoulders.

"No, how would I know that even Kawanami-kun has memory loss... That's why I thought we could try to hint at it, maybe we could find some clues..."

"Wouldn't this make things rather bad? Kawanami was acting so suspiciously."

"Xiaoyue is probably thinking, 'I knew something had happened...'"

Seeing the other's reaction, both sides reinforced their preconceived notions and gradually fabricated unfounded facts.

"This is troublesome..."

"However, don't go around revealing anything, okay? Xiaoyue is serious."

"Well, fortunately, it shouldn't be too difficult to clear up the misunderstanding."

Fortunately, we were in a position to oversee how things unfolded. Simply saying "Actually, it's like this" cleared up the misunderstanding between the two. What would have happened without our intervention? Just thinking about it makes me incredibly annoyed.

Just then, the phone rang. It seemed to be Kawanami calling back.

"Hey, did you find the clothes?"

"Found it, it's in the washing machine."

"Have you washed it?"

"I think so. Although I don't remember..."

"So... does your head itch right now?"

"Huh? Why are you asking that?"

"To confirm if you took a shower yesterday."

"Oh...right, it's a little itchy. I probably haven't washed it."

In this case……

I glanced at the woman beside me. She looked over thoughtfully.

"...I'm sorry, Kawanami. I can't think of an answer right now. I'll contact you again once I've sorted out my thoughts."

"It's all up to you, I really mean it! This is about peace! My peace of mind!"

I only ended the call after the cries for help stopped.

Having heard all the details, the woman asked:

"Did you think of anything?"

She seemed to have a lot of confidence in me.

As I stuffed my phone into my pocket, I said:

"Yesterday, Kawanami went to sleep without showering. But his clothes were in the washing machine. He said they seemed to have been washed, which means that when Kawanami went to check just now, the washing machine had already stopped running. In other words, the washing machine was used yesterday."

"……so what?"

"You can try to imagine the sequence of events in detail. Kawanami takes off his clothes, puts them in the washing machine, and then walks into the bedroom wearing only his underwear without taking a shower."

"That's true... but, well, that could also be explained by him and Xiaoyue being too excited..."

"The Minami I witnessed was wearing a skirt—meaning she was dressed. She left the room fully clothed. That means Minami's clothes were in my room. So, she must have been dressed when she entered the room last night. Minami was dressed, while I was down to my underwear... Isn't that strange?"

"...Indeed...it's at least a bit lacking in atmosphere..."

"After all, they both have amnesia, so it wouldn't be surprising if they did something absurd. But based on what I've heard so far, I don't think they actually had any intimate interactions."

Yes, that's the gist of it.

Frankly, whether those two crossed the line is none of my business. What really concerns me is that they both forgot the situation at the time.

What could possibly cause temporary amnesia? The only possibility I can think of is drinking alcohol… but according to Kawanami, there was only one empty beer can. Even a minor who isn't used to drinking shouldn't be knocked out after just one drink.

Of the two, at least one lost his memory for reasons other than drinking.

"Hmm...I see..."

My explanation didn't seem to convince Jie Nu, and she tilted her head and said:

"Something feels off..."

"...Actually, I think so too. It seems like there's some contradiction in some parts—"

I can't give specific details, but I can say that Kawanami and Minami's accounts seem to contradict each other. The contradictions are so significant that they are hard to ignore.

"In short, we can be sure for now that nothing happened to them, right? That means—"

The girl said it naively.

"They didn't do anything wrong, yet one of them was acting suspiciously and the other was creating an awkward situation?"

"...Let me make this clear first, you caused this."

There are some things in this world that are better left unsaid.

Kawanami Kogure ◆ Common Behaviors of Men and Women Crossing Boundaries - Part 1

Staying at home, separated from that guy by only a wall, is making me restless. I'm making it sound like it's all about the bittersweetness of youth, but for me, it's a problem much deeper than the noise. I can't concentrate on anything. I long to go out and enjoy summer vacation, but today is the only day I have absolutely no plans.

Just as I was feeling troubled, a message popped up in the group chat room of yesterday's small class reunion.

Let's go get some ramen together.

Upon seeing Yamato's suggestion, I immediately agreed. It was a real shame that Souta and Shouma couldn't come. However, Makoto promised to come, saying, "If Kogure goes, I'll go."

So, I temporarily put the mystery of my amnesia aside and rode my bicycle to Kawaramachi Sanjo.

I parked my bicycle in my usual three-hour free parking lot and headed to the meeting place. I'm not Iriko; thinking about it won't help. Forget about Minami for now, and have some fun with some old friends.

That was my original plan.

"Oh, he's here. Kawanami—!"

When they arrived at the meeting place, in addition to Yamato and Makoto, who were supposed to meet, two other girls and Nan Xiaoyue also showed up.

...WHY?

I was stunned. "No, not at all~" Yamato said to me with a grin.

"We ran into them while we were waiting for you. They seemed to be having a class reunion, and when they heard we were going to Ichijoji Temple, they said they wanted to come along."

"I've wanted to visit Ramen Street for ages!"

"Only girls are too shy to go."

"That's right!" The three girls, including Nan, said in unison.

These two girls were also my and Nan's junior high school classmates. After entering Rakuro High School, Nan's friends became the well-behaved girls like Irito or Touto. But we went to a regular public junior high school, while these two friends went for the "gyaru" (gal) style. That being said, they just liked to laugh and joke around, and their makeup and clothing were mature and elegant. Yamato, who doesn't have a girlfriend, must be very happy.

But I'm in a terrible mood.

"Makoto has changed so much!"

"Yes, really?"

"Yes, yes! You look so much more elegant now!"

My other best friend, Makoto, was no exception; he seemed secretly pleased.

Yamato grinned mischievously and put her hand on my shoulder.

"You and Nan are still very close, right? Isn't that perfect?"

"...Oh right..."

That's the only answer I could give. I couldn't exactly say that this guy and I might have slept together yesterday, and it would be awkward to see each other now, could I?

As Yamato went to talk to Makoto's group, someone lightly poked my waist. Turning around, I saw Minami smiling mysteriously, looking up at me.

"Sorry for showing up so suddenly. Don't overthink it."

"……oh……"

Even this seemingly casual remark made me wonder about its underlying meaning. What did she mean by "don't overthink it"? Was she suggesting they should have nothing to do with each other? Or was she referring to last night's events?

"Let's go then! Talking about it has made me crave ramen!"

The black-haired girl Nan brought said so, and we set off as a group of six. We need to go to the bus stop first to catch the city bus; it'll take about half an hour to Ichijoji. As long as I'm seated separately from Nan and the others, at least I can relax on the way—

However, a cold hand slipped over and wrapped around my hand.

I was a beat too slow to react, and the other person seized the opportunity. Their small hand intertwined with mine as if trying to fill the gaps between our fingers, and then, as if in a spoiled manner, they squeezed my hand.

I finally looked to the side, and there she was, glancing over from the south, mischievously chuckling. Before I could react, she let go of my hand and ran to join the two girls in front.

...That's exactly it.

They're basically enjoying the thrill of the secret.

They've clearly crossed the line; don't they realize that others are worried about them continuing to play around like this?

I felt my heart racing and my mind was in complete turmoil. I couldn't figure out the source of this rapid heartbeat.