My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

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"Based on that, I must say... if someone is there for me when I'm feeling down, I can't help but value that person. Even though that girl was the one who started it all... she also saved me."

"……Um……"

"So, I'm sorry, I can't date you."

Makoto quietly closed her eyes and nodded calmly.

"--Hmm."

Finally...

I can finally face it seriously.

When faced with the goodwill shown to them by others.

When faced with someone's love for another person.

—And accept that you are also a character in that story.

"...Kogure, I didn't expect you to be so serious."

"Huh? Really?

"Yes, I will. Now that you've clarified the whole matter, there's really no need for you to come to me face to face to make things clear. You could have just pretended nothing happened and continued to meet as usual... but you've let this matter end here, giving me a proper resolution. You've chosen... to respect my feelings."

That expression was both sorrowful and lonely—

But there's also a sense of sudden enlightenment...

—Makoto Koyama smiled at me.

"Perhaps that's why it's you."

Kawamura Kogure's Answer

Large characters appeared in the distant night sky.

I'm not talking about the name of a Pokémon move, but rather "Gozan no Hi" (五山送火).

My apartment is on a fairly high floor, and I can see a glimpse of the burning effigy in the night sky from my balcony. Although it's so small that you have to zoom in with your phone camera to barely make out it, it's still better than going to a tourist attraction and squeezing in with other tourists.

Summer vacation is already halfway over.

However, rather than dwelling on the remaining psychosocial delays now, I'd rather plan for the future.

Things that were impossible in the past seem to be achievable now.

I have broken free of my shackles, the curse has been lifted. My shoulders feel so light, it's been so long. Although I haven't accomplished anything yet, I'm enveloped by a feeling of boundless freedom and omnipotence.

At this moment—yes, I think I can give you the answer.

"Xiaoxiao."

I said to the person next to me.

(Illustration 010)

"What's up?"

On the other side of the white partition that reads "Break this in case of an emergency," Nan Xiaoyue—Xiaoxiao—rested her elbows on the balcony railing and gazed at the distant fire-themed text as she answered me.

"You were the one who helped me take off my clothes and lay me on the bed, weren't you?"

"........."

"After Makoto ran away, you found me vomiting all over the floor. So you took off my dirty clothes and put them in the washing machine, and then made me lie on the bed... The reason I wasn't dressed was because it's possible to undress someone who has fainted, but it's difficult to dress them."

Xiaoxiao didn't say anything, but I could tell she was listening to me.

"And you took off your clothes and slept with me, probably because you were worried I'd catch a cold, right? You needed to raise your body temperature for that... so you drank the wine they left behind. But you drank all that wine you weren't used to and got drunk, and then you forgot all about it."

Xiaoxiao did not deny it.

Her silence was tantamount to an admission.

Did something go wrong between us that night?

(Illustration 011)

The answer is no.

However, I hurt one of my female friends, while my childhood sweetheart performed first aid on the neighbor.

"...Thank you, I'm so grateful for your care. That's all I wanted to say to you."

Irito... he probably already guessed the truth.

But he thought I should be the one to say it, so he didn't tell us the truth.

That reclusive guy who never talks to anyone... has actually started caring about others.

After a long while, Xiaoxiao finally spoke:

"...You don't need to thank me."

She spoke in an extremely somber, almost self-reminder tone:

"I just lost to my own desires... It wasn't about caring about you, or wanting you to be happy... In the end, I only thought about myself..."

So Xiaoxiao began to recount what happened that night.

Nan Xiaoyue◆ There is only one man

First and foremost, the walls of this apartment are not very thick.

"So, you're saying—if you're single right now, would you like to date me?"

The faint sounds of conversation coming from the next room made me want to eavesdrop.

I recognize that voice. It belongs to a girl from junior high who was very close to Kawanami. They were so close that I was even jealous when I was dating Kawanami. But their relationship was really just like that of buddies; it turns out I was worrying for nothing.

This girl is right next door to me, and she's confessing her feelings to my ex-boyfriend.

I have no right to complain.

Over the past year and a half, although a lot has happened, we haven't gotten back together. There's nothing unethical or immoral about one single person pursuing another.

Rather... I even find it very easy to understand.

Makoto Koyama gets along very well with Kawanami, understands Kawanami very well, and is even cuter and more lively than me...

Unlike me, who has such a strong desire for control.

If I had to use an analogy, it would be like pairing up Irito and Higashi, which would be easy for people to accept.

Although Dongtou and his friend didn't develop a relationship, what about these two? It wouldn't be surprising if they had become a couple. In fact, it would be strange if they hadn't. Having maintained a distance like that of male friends in the past, they realized each other's importance in their hearts after their long separation and understood that such a choice was also possible—

That's fine.

This is better.

I actually accepted it. I realized that rather than getting back together with a spoiled girl like me, it would be better to date Koyama-kun, so that Kawanami could have a happier and healthier youth.

Although my chest is constantly stabbing with pain.

But—this is the retribution I deserve.

As long as that guy can reclaim the youth he could have enjoyed, then my efforts over the past year and a half won't have been in vain. That's the right way to think—

Are you serious?

On the other side of the wall, my relationship is ending, while that guy's happiness is about to begin.

"I'm serious."

That's how it should have been.

But I heard a slightly heavy thud.

Soon after, there was even a series of hurried footsteps, followed by the sound of the front door opening and closing.

What happened?

I found it strange and peeked out from my front door. I saw a familiar female figure running away in a panic down the hallway.

After she disappeared from the elevator, I walked out of my house and went to the front door of the house next door.

The door wasn't locked. It seems that Gu Shan didn't close it properly after he rushed out.

"Are you alright...? What happened...?"

I opened the front door of the Kawanami family home while muttering to myself.

As soon as I entered the living room, I saw him.

Kawanami vomited a pool of yellow vomit on the carpet and curled up into a ball.

"What's wrong with you?"

I ran over in surprise, then looked down and saw Kawabata's curled-up back, and immediately guessed what had happened.

--Allergies.

How could this be...? Wasn't he already cured? He didn't seem to be acting strangely around me...

This allergy was bound to harm someone sooner or later. Because of this premonition, I started trying exposure therapy on him, and now he no longer gets hives from the slightest irritation. Logically, that's how it should be. But now… my worst fears have come true… How could this happen…!

In short, I have to help him.

I knelt beside Kawabata and called out to him:

"Are you alright? Are you awake?"

"……Do not touch me……"

I reached out my hand, but his groaning whispers made me afraid to touch his back.

"...The clothes...will get dirty..."

Kawanami's clothes were sticky and dirty from vomit. In his intermittent subconscious, he seemed to still be worried that my clothes would get stained.

"Ugh—really!"

I was too lazy to waste time trying to persuade him.

I stood up and immediately took off my clothes and shorts, leaving me only in my underwear.

"That way it won't get dirty!"

I reached under Kawanami's armpit and gently moved his body away from the spot soiled with vomit. By this time, Kawanami had completely lost consciousness, his eyes closed with a pained expression.

What should I do? Should I lift him onto the bed? Ah, but I need to take off his dirty clothes first, otherwise he'll get the bed dirty…

I had the completely exhausted Kawabata lift his arms to take off his shirt, then his shorts, leaving him only in his underwear. Putting the dirty clothes aside, I dragged Kawabata to the bed in the bedroom.

I took a breath and looked back. I couldn't let the living room remain in this messy state... I'd have to explain what happened when Kawanami's parents came back.

I went to get a rag and cleaned up the vomit that had spilled on the carpet. Although it left a small stain, it looked no different from a spilled drink.

Then I started washing Kawanami's dirty clothes. I took them to the bathroom to rinse them off roughly, then put them in the washing machine. After turning it on, I went back to the bedroom to check on Kawanami.

Kawanami was sleeping on the bed without any clothes on. I covered him with a towel, but he'll catch a cold if he stays like this... I need to help him get dressed.

I rummaged through the closet, took out a set of pajamas, and tried to help Kawanami put them on. Only then did I realize that dressing someone who was completely unconscious was a very difficult task.

Holding my pajamas, I stood there, frozen in place.

What to do? No, there's another way. I keep asking what to do because I'm afraid to face reality. What to do?

Why him of all people?

Perhaps it's because the matter has come to an end, and the storm of panic has passed. Instead, thoughts that I can't distinguish between resentment and regret occupy my mind.

Junior high classrooms are filled with all sorts of boys. Takahara, the all-around athlete, is great, and Tsukishima, with his steady personality, is also nice. There are cute younger students in the lower grades, and reliable older students in the upper grades. No, we don't even need to be limited by gender. The track and field club has everyone's idol, Taki-chan, and Midori also idolizes me.

But why Kawanami Kogure?

We just happen to get along well. He's humorous and considerate, and sometimes quite gentlemanly. But if those are enough to make someone like you, there are probably many other reasons.

But why Kawanami Kogure?

Exploring this question inevitably leads to the profound question, "Why do people fall in love with others?" In other words, no matter how much you think about it, you won't find the answer. It's more meaningful to get a job than to ponder such matters.

But why Kawanami Kogure?

I can't help but keep thinking about this question—it's pointless to not learn, and I can't let go.

I clearly don't have that qualification.