My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 38

"What! You mean I'm taking a walk with you like a friend right now?!"

"You seem really happy? You're so excited, like a dog."

"...If I were a dog and you were the owner, your hand would have been bitten off by now."

"I see. Then I'll have to be careful when feeding the dog."

After saying that, Mizutani turned the canned coffee bottle he was sipping from as he walked towards me. Who wants to drink coffee you've already drunk from?!

After I pushed it away to show my refusal, Shuidou snorted and threw the can into the trash can he was passing by... It was already empty!

"Wandering around aimlessly is purposeful, but it's meaningful. I'm looking for ideas."

"idea?"

As Shuidou walked briskly through the crowd, he said:

"Not long ago I was thinking... Aunt Yu-ren and my dad, ever since they remarried, it seems like they've always had some reservations about us."

"...You're right. Mom is the same; she seems to come home earlier after remarrying."

"My dad feels the same way. I think we're a young couple after all, and they probably have normal concerns about us living under the same roof. Especially Aunt Ren, generally speaking, what single mother would want her precious daughter, whom she raised, to live in a house with a boy her own age?"

"...I would absolutely not want to do it myself."

"Right?"

In fact, my mother confirmed with me before we decided to live together.

They asked me: "The other person also has a son, is that okay for you?"

I never expected it to be a boy of the same age, and I never even dreamed it would be this guy. But if the other party's son is older than a junior high school student, honestly, I would never want to live together.

I had just broken up with this guy at the time. How could I possibly live under the same roof with another guy during that period?

But if I said no, my mother would separate from Uncle Fengqiu, or give up on remarrying altogether. So I didn't make any definitive statements at the time, only saying that we would decide after we met.

It turned out to be this guy, so I decided to put up with it.

Because I know that if it's this man, regardless of the mental aspect, at least there won't be any physical danger.

...But of course, Mom didn't know these inside stories. She probably only trusted Shuidou because of Uncle Fengqiu, but she would definitely worry about me.

"To be honest, these concerns can only be resolved gradually through our actions; it's not something that can be solved overnight."

"Yes, you're right. So please don't come to my room in the middle of the night anymore."

"I'll return those words to you verbatim... Here's what we'll do: if you absolutely need to contact me, just use my cell phone."

I looked up and stared at Shuidou's face, and he looked back at me in surprise.

"What's wrong? Is there anything inconvenient?"

"No, it's nothing."

At night, in the room, they secretly talked on their cell phones.

This... isn't it no different from when we were still dating?

—If I say it like that, he will definitely find fault with my words and deliberately make trouble for me.

"Let's put that aside for now, the important thing is..."

Mizuta seemed completely oblivious and continued speaking:

"They were only thinking about us, how should I put it? I think it's a real shame."

"pity?"

"What I mean is, since you're married, you should at least enjoy your newlywed life."

"...Oh, right."

Mom and Uncle Fengqiu are practically newlyweds. But because we're here, they can't only think of themselves. This is indeed... very upsetting.

So that's it.

Shuidou walked along with his hands in his pockets, speaking calmly:

"The best gift we can give them is time—the time Dad spends with Aunt Yu-Jin as a couple. I think that's how it should be..."

His profile showed no hint of joking or showing off, but simply a sincere expression of his obvious thoughts.

...This man, how could he say such a thing?

He once said—that he didn't know what loneliness was, yet...

"...However, the problem is that I can't think of a concrete way. Sending meal vouchers or travel vouchers would be the fastest way, but Dad and his family still have jobs, and besides, the voucher value we can buy with our allowance isn't very high..."

"...That's why we need to find ideas?"

"That's exactly it. I was thinking that if we go to places we don't usually visit and see things we don't usually see, we might come up with some ideas that we wouldn't normally think of."

How many things does a man need to consider in his lifetime?

She only remembered Mother's Day after I reminded her, yet she thought about it more deeply than I did in such a short time.

The weight of his thinking is probably... because no one can think of it for him.

Because he is unable to allocate his brain's resources to things other than himself.

...The emptiness in my chest made a whooshing sound.

Then, just like a scab forming on a wound, an answer peels off automatically.

"...If that's the case, why not just think about it from the other side?"

A sentence I muttered to myself caught Shuidou's attention.

"If you want to arrange some time for them to be alone as a couple, you don't actually need to send them to other places..."

It happened at that very moment.

I looked out the window of the station building and saw the bustling traffic and the buildings across the street...

The shop's sign came into view.

Although the timing seemed so perfect, as if it were deliberately planned, it was purely a coincidence.

We visited places we don't usually visit and saw things we don't usually see—that's how we came up with ideas we wouldn't normally think of.

"……I see."

While seemingly having figured something out, Shuidou glanced at the clock on his phone.

"Today is too rushed; next Saturday or Sunday would be more feasible..."

"Huh...? Wait, wait a minute, are you serious?!"

"Wasn't this your idea?"

"No, no, no, I just meant that you could think of it that way...!"

"If you have an alternative, I'm all ears."

"...Ah...woo..."

I can't think of anything. My mind just keeps spinning; I can't come up with any brilliant plan to convince this man.

But, but...

I never imagined that this man would say something like that...!

I looked up again to see the sign of the shop across the street.

On the second floor of the building, the words "Internet" and "Comics" were prominently displayed. Perhaps it's just my stereotype, but it seemed to have a bit of an underground culture vibe to me. I'd only ever heard of people with limited funds using it for that kind of purpose; I'd never actually experienced it myself.

Ahead of us is an internet cafe.

"—Mom, thank you for everything you do. This is a Mother's Day gift...it's from Mizuto and me."

The following day, Sunday—in the afternoon in the living room.

I brought my annual thank-you message and gave my mother the small bouquet I bought yesterday.

As Mom accepted the mini bouquet, no bigger than the palm of her hand, she blinked repeatedly, looking at the water bucket standing next to me.

"Huh...? Water bucket too?"

The person being talked about turned his face away... I think he was embarrassed.

I nudged my stepson in the side with my elbow to signal him not to slack off.

Shuidou still refused to look his mother in the eyes, and said in a muffled, indistinct voice:

"After all... you make me lunchboxes and take care of all the little things in my life... it's a way of expressing my gratitude for your usual care... yeah, that's about it."

Couldn't this guy just say "thank you" normally? He even tries to reason with people like this.

But for Mom, this seems good enough.

Large tears began to roll down from the mother's eyes.

"Eh... um, Aunt Yu-jin?"

Shuidou was startled and at a loss for what to do.

I... I knew this would happen.

Because even though my mother has a daughter as old as me, she cries like a little child.

"Waaaaah... Waaaaah...! I'm the one who... thanks you...!"

The mother's face was contorted with tears, and she hugged Shuidou tightly with the hand that wasn't holding the bouquet. Shuidou seemed confused, but silently accepted her embrace.

Mom has never asked Mizuto to call her "Mom". Mizuto doesn't care about the distance between himself and others, so he seems to have no idea. But Mom must feel very uneasy, wondering if Mizuto has accepted her existence.

After all, she had failed once before—in starting a family with someone else.

That's why I wanted Mizuto to give her a Mother's Day gift too.

"Thank you, Yui-chan too! Oh my gosh!"

After having a good time holding the water bucket, Mom immediately turned to me.

"Sorry, Mom, don't get my clothes dirty."

"Okay!"

My mother stood on tiptoe to avoid getting my clothes wet with tears or snot, rested her chin on my shoulder, and hugged me. I had to squat down slightly so she could hug me.

My growth spurt during junior high school meant I was already taller than my mother. I remember when she found out, she complained, "She's clearly my daughter, this is so unfair!"...

"You guys are such good kids...! Yume and Mizuto are both such good kids...!"

"Yes, yes."

I gently patted my mother's back. Who is the daughter now?

As for Mizuto, he stared at us with the same expressionless face he used to have.

After Mom hugged us and cried for a while, she called out, "Fengqiu~~~~~!" and rushed towards Uncle Fengqiu, who was standing not far away. Uncle Fengqiu smiled gently and comforted Mom just like I had done earlier.

—Yes, there shouldn't be any problems this time.

As I was thinking this, I saw the sink sneak out of the living room.

"…………?"

I was puzzled, so I left my mother and the others in the living room and followed them there.

There was no sign of anyone washing dishes in the corridor. Instead, I saw an open paper door at the end of the corridor.

I don't know why, but I tiptoed toward the open paper door.

A ding sounded.

The sound was soft, but its resonance lingered. I've heard this kind of timbre before, one that seems to invite introspection—a reflection on the past.

I rang it once too.

—In front of the Buddhist altar in this Japanese-style room.

I peeked out and peered into the open paper door.

Without the lights on, a figure was seen kneeling upright on the tatami mat.

In front of him was a small Buddhist altar. Although the light was dim and it was hard to see clearly... on that altar was a photograph of a woman who looked to be about twenty years old.