My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 388

"If someone feeds you, won't you usually get burned when you bite into it?"

"Yeah, I can... Huh?"

Seeing the puzzled girl, I told her the crux of the problem:

"When Kawanami was fed takoyaki by Koyama Makoto, he ate it without complaining that it was too hot."

Volume 12, There's Only One Man, Interlude 4

I originally just wanted to be an observer.

Pretend that thing never happened.

Pretend I didn't notice.

Let's go back to what we were like before that night—that's my honest opinion.

but……

Why do you look so uncomfortable?

Why try being alone?

Whether at the bowling alley or in the karaoke room, things unfolded far beyond my expectations.

Only now, having reached this point, do I finally understand—

Time cannot be reversed.

What has happened cannot be easily erased.

So, I made up my mind.

Volume Twelve, Chapter Four: Only One Man

Kawanami Kogure ◆ The Truth Messenger

I opened my eyes slightly and saw Nan Xingfu's smiling face.

Good morning.

"……morning……"

I answered almost reflexively in a hoarse voice, as if I had just woken up.

I don't remember when I fell asleep... but it feels like it's been a long time since I've had a good night's sleep.

That makes sense. I only fainted yesterday, but the day before I had complete amnesia. It doesn't seem like I had normal sleep at all.

As if succumbing to lingering sleepiness, I lay there a little longer, gazing at Nan Xiaoyue's face. Nan also silently looked back into my eyes. I don't know how many minutes passed, perhaps after a period of unconscious napping for several tens of minutes, but in any case, we whiled away some time like this.

However, I gradually came to my senses.

"By the way... is there still enough time?"

I'm not familiar with the system of love hotels, but there must be a check-out time.

"I should still have time to take a shower."

"Take a shower..."

Behind the south, you can see the glass-walled bathroom.

For such a early morning, this amusement park ride is a bit too strenuous for the body.

"I'll wash it next time..."

"Is it time to get up?"

"Um."

Nan climbed off the sheets, and with a "whoosh," stepped over my body and got off the bed.

at this time……

With a slight thud, the sky-blue underwear fell to Nan's feet.

"ah."

Nan noticed and looked down at her feet.

Her underwear was hanging on Nan's right leg like a ring from a ring toss game. Seeing this, I finally understood what was going on. Last night, I had pulled her underwear halfway down and fallen asleep like that. In my memory, it should have been stuck at her knee; I guess only her left leg was out when she slept.

"Ah, haha... I forgot."

Nan shyly put her feet back into her underwear and pulled them up to her buttocks.

In an instant, his buttocks were exposed from under the bathrobe, and saliva flowed into my parched throat as I woke up.

Nan turned her head and looked at my face.

"……Well……"

She seemed a little embarrassed and said, half-jokingly:

"...Would you like me to do something simple for you?"

I did hesitate for a moment.

We paid at the payment machine in the lobby.

Is this reasonable, or am I just useless? We each contributed half. Nan and I both receive a fair amount of allowance, and we occasionally work part-time, so we're not exactly strapped for cash, but this sum almost emptied our wallets.

"What should I do now? There's still a balance on my IC card."

"........."

I have no choice but to go back to Kyoto.

I understand. I know I don't have the ability to stay away from home for several nights in a row.

But... once I return to Kyoto, I'll have to face it.

Facing Makoto—and myself.

Can I do it? Compared to yesterday, I feel much lighter. But deep down, I'm still afraid. Afraid that I'll lose my mind again, and afraid that the pain will return.

Nan said that I have recovered.

She said I just hadn't noticed it myself.

Even so, I still don't have any real feelings. Yes, I didn't get hives or feel nauseous when I was with Minami. But if that's the case, what would my reaction be to Makoto? If Makoto treats me like that again after we get back to Kyoto, wouldn't I suffer again?

At least……

If anyone can prove to me that yesterday's events will not repeat themselves—

I walked out of the hall with unrealistic expectations in my mind...

"You guys finally came out?"

As a result, they unexpectedly encountered a duo who shouldn't be there.

In stark contrast to the sparsely populated, deserted alley, the clean-cut, youthful duo—who seemed to be enjoying their youth to the point of being the envy of everyone—were actually waiting for me to be exposed and ruined.

"Yui...Yui! Irito-san! What are you doing here?!"

Nan stared in surprise.

Irito smiled gently and said:

"We came back from the countryside early this morning and came straight here. Luckily, we made it in time for your check-out."

"How...how did you know we were here...? We weren't even logged into the booking website..."

"I asked a certain wicked senior. I wanted to take a gamble and contacted her. From her tone, it seemed like she knew something, so I forced her to tell me."

This reminds me of what Minami said about finding this hotel from a certain "bad" upperclassman. Speaking of the "bad" upperclassman that both Minami and Irito know—it's probably the one from the student council. Ever since she became a couple with the senior, she seems to be quite daring.

On another note, compared to a year ago, Irito-san now seems much more powerful. She used to give off the impression of a somewhat delicate honor student, but now she seems more formidable… Has the time spent with Irito, or her time in the student council, helped her grow?

"Irito..."

I walked toward Irito, who was standing with his arms crossed.

"Why...why would you come all this way to a place like this...?"

"Isn't it because you were spouting a bunch of weird paranoia on the phone?"

"...Being victimized...delusion...?"

What is he saying?

"I knew you wouldn't realize it."

Hearing what Irito said, Minami looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"You said on the phone that Makoto Koyama was bothering you at the bowling alley and feeding you takoyaki in the karaoke room, using those methods to seduce you, right?"

“Y-yeah…”

"None of those are true."

Just as a judge makes a ruling, Irito declared.

"All those things you keep telling me are just illusions you've created in your own mind."

Kawanami Kogure◆The Real World

We felt it wasn't appropriate to stay there any longer, so we all left the hotel district and went to the nearest Osaka Metro Namba Station.

When we took the train from there to Yodoyabashi Station, Minami and I recounted everything that had happened so far.

Tell them that we were friends during junior high school.

I was pampered by Nan to the point of having a perforated stomach.

From then on, I became allergic to other people's romantic relationships.

He also said that in order to cure me, Nan often sought opportunities to try exposure therapy on me...

Minami, who had always concealed her true nature from Irito, curled up on a seat at the Osaka Metro and spoke in a voice almost drowned out by the surrounding noise:

"I'm sorry, Yui, for keeping this from you for so long... Actually, I haven't completely gotten rid of my old bad habits... I've done some lewd things when you weren't looking..."

When Irito discovered this unknown side of the usually cheerful and lively Nan Xiaoyue, she was startled, but a gentle smile immediately appeared on her face.

"You don't need to take it to heart. Even friends aren't always completely open with each other. To me, Xiaoyue has always been a cheerful and funny friend. That's not an act, is it?"

"Yume..."

"Oh, and I'll tell you something else."

"Um……"

"The vulgar parts you mentioned might not be as well hidden as you think."

"What!"

What's there to be surprised about? Your desires have already been exposed.

"I have an allergy to romance and relationships..."

Irito touched the back of her neck and whispered.

"I find it a bit hard to believe, but you can understand it by thinking of it as a form of PTSD. And, Kawanami—now I understand why you reacted that way yesterday."

"...Can you reveal the answer now? You said what I said yesterday was just fantasy? What's your basis for that...?"

Just then, the subway arrived at Yodoyabashi Station.

By transferring to the Keihan Railway at this station, you can reach Kyoto directly...

"Let's get off here first. It'll be quieter inside the station."

Irito stepped out of the carriage, followed by the other two, and I too had to move my heavy steps.

As Irido walked through the ticket gates of Osaka Metro, she began to give her explanations as she walked along the underground corridor that led directly to Keihan Station.

"The answer is simple: your statement is self-contradictory."

"contradiction……?"

"Should I say that the information provided is too vague...? In a realistic context, some parts contradict each other."

After Irito finished speaking, he turned his head and pointed to his own mouth.

"There was a festival held in my hometown yesterday. I bought some takoyaki from a vendor."