My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 397

Being able to actually feel this makes me happier than anything else.

◆ Irito Mizuto ◆

After school—in a booth at a family-run restaurant, Yoshino Miko sat opposite Isana and me.

Today was originally scheduled for the three of us to discuss the cultural festival. Apparently, Yoshino has something he wants to show us.

After ordering his self-service drinks, Yoshino placed a few sheets of paper on the table.

"I know a kid who's pretty good at this, so I asked her to write a script. Take a look."

"Did you just write one down randomly?"

I frowned, questioning Yoshino's nonchalant statement, and pulled the script from the table.

It's only been two days since the project was finalized. How could they possibly come up with a decent script in such a short time?

"........."

"Mizuto-kun?"

Seeing me looking down at the script in silence, Isana beside me cast an uneasy glance my way.

"See for yourself."

As I spoke, I handed the first page, which I had just finished reading, to Isana.

"Okay, okay."

Isana began reading the script, somewhat confused.

For a moment, the only sound in the booth was the rustling of paper as Isana and I finished reading the entire script.

"Uh... um... it's actually quite interesting...?"

I nodded.

"Players and the guide character are trapped in a classroom by an inexplicable force. As the puzzles are solved, the guide character's past gradually becomes clear, revealing why they were trapped in the classroom... This is a very well-developed script that perfectly fits the concept of an escape game using a classroom."

"I have a feeling it'll remind me of that. What was it called again? I remember the author's name was quite cute..."

"It's probably based on Mizuki Tsujimura's 'The Frozen School Building Where Time Stands Still.' There are definitely traces of it being referenced."

"No wonder he's a scholar. The child who wrote this said something similar!"

Yoshino said with a smug smile.

I stared at her face.

"Who did you get to write this? Writing something like this in two days is not something an ordinary high school student can do."

"I met Xuemei, a first-year student. I remembered that she had mentioned writing a play script, so I tried asking her for help."

"Don't make it sound so easy. Has she been properly paid? She can't be allowed to work for free."

"Of course! I've made plans with her to go to a themed cafe together next time!"

I gave a bitter, crooked smile. This guy really doesn't know anything about this stuff. If this thing were put on the commercial market, it would easily be worth tens of thousands of yen.

But what's even more impressive is this scriptwriter. She completed the script at an astonishing speed, as required—that ability…she's a different type of creator from Isana, who only truly shines when creating according to her own whims. She's definitely the craftswoman type who excels when there are clear tasks and requirements. And she's only a first-year student?

"For this script, I'd like to ask Dongtou to design the characters based on it! So the characters will be the type of girls Dongtou might like! As long as we can produce Dongtou's drawings, the presentation and everything will be a piece of cake!"

When will the presentation be held?

"Uh... according to Irito-san, it seems to be the day after tomorrow."

"Are you kidding me? Who could possibly finish drawing that?"

"Oh, really?"

I placed the script in front of Yoshino and slammed it down.

"With this script, the presentation will be no problem at all. Let's figure out how to get through this first. We can use this time to move forward with the character design."

"Huh—? There's no picture attached—... "

"If you just want Isana to draw, then pay 50,000! Isana can easily get that price on commission websites these days!"

"I know, I know... Don't be so angry..."

Seeing Yoshino cower in fear, I sighed, calmed myself down a bit, and turned to Isana beside me.

"Isana, is this okay? We can decide on a specific deadline later, but considering the schedule of the cultural festival, it should only take about a week."

"Hmm... Well, it should be fine, right?"

"OK"

In short, the agreement was reached smoothly on site.

Then, two days later.

As I said, to avoid conflicting presentations with other projects, we easily passed the test thanks to the power of the script.

And so, the class activity was officially decided to be an escape game with a script, and the class quickly began to work on the cultural festival.

However, the character design work for Izana was not completed even by the deadline.

◆ Irito Yume ◆

"I'm off... Whew..."

After saying this to her seniors in the student council room, as she stood up, Senior Asou said with a slight smile.

"Are you still nervous? How many times has this happened?"

"Of course I'm nervous... I've never done anything like this before, where I have to listen to everyone's opinions and manage everyone's affairs..."

"My dear daughter, you're too gentle. You might not be suited to managing your subordinates."

"Control..."

"Lanlan might be more suitable in this regard. She's quite bold too."

I looked at Asuhain, who was also organizing materials for the cultural festival's executive committee.

That's absolutely true... Asuha-in is fearless towards everyone, issuing instructions to the executive committee members. When there are mistakes, she points them out calmly, or rather, ruthlessly. She's practically like a robot.

That's something I can't do... I always feel a little pathetic for saying too much, so I can't help but hold back. Although this seems to have earned me a good reputation among the lower-level students, it also means I'm looked down upon.

Can someone really be a good president if they act like this...?

To be honest, I didn't really want to be the student council president that much. So I thought it would be fine to give the position to Asuhain, who wants to inherit the position. But there's still a knot in my heart...

Is it really that easy to give it away?

What's the difference between that and before joining the student council?

A voice somewhere in my mind questioned me in this way.

"What qualities qualify someone for a leadership role actually varies from person to person."

President Hong continued typing on his laptop keyboard.

"Former president Hoshibe-senpai, as you know, is the type who excels at delegating tasks to others, while I prefer to do things myself. Whether you aspire to be president or not, just find your own way. There's no standard answer anyway."

"……yes"

I nodded.

Indeed, worrying won't help. In short, we need to focus on fulfilling our current responsibilities.

"Irito-san, let's go."

Asuhain, who was holding the organized materials, looked up at me and said.

"Okay, let's go."

As we were about to leave the student council room, President Hong said.

"Keep a close eye on the younger generation as well."

Asahi-no-in-class politely replied "Understood," and we went to the corridor.

After this cultural festival, the seniors' terms in the student council will be up... This cultural festival will be our last project with our seniors.

How to fill the void left by the departure of the three... This is also the problem I am facing now.

As I walked down the corridor toward the meeting room where the executive committee of the cultural festival gathered, I looked at the petite girl walking beside me and said...

"Asuhain-kun, have you found a suitable junior?"

Tomorrow, Ye Yuan will look back at me.

"I feel that Endo from Class 2 is very capable. She works quickly and reliably, and she's also very considerate. I heard she joined the art club; if she joins the student council, she'll have to take on a part-time role."

I was a little surprised to receive such a smooth response.

"Wow, that's impressive. Have you already locked onto the target?"

"I haven't decided whether to recommend her yet. Because I always tend to pay more attention to women, I also need to confirm whether there are any suitable men."

"A guy? Are you also considering recommending a guy?"

"Surprised?"

"Well, after all... Asuhain-san, you used to hate boys so much."

"To be honest, I think the most suitable candidate is your younger brother."

"Water bucket?"

Although I was surprised, upon calming down, I realized it made sense.

Good grades, a unique aura, and the feeling that he can give ruthless instructions... he might indeed be a good fit.

"But he seems to lack interest in the student council itself, or even in the school as a whole."

She knows this very well. Last year, after the presentation, President Hong invited me instead of the prominent water bucket, which was probably influenced by this.

"Speaking of which, you're even considering second-year students?"

"If it's for student council activities for the next year, the second year should be fine, right?"

That's what they say.

I sighed softly.

"If all else fails, try asking Shuidou..."

"Haven't you found a junior you like yet?"

"It's not that I'm putting on airs, I'm just not very good at making choices."

"I don't think we need to be too rigid in our thinking. After all, there are people as easygoing as Senior Asagi."

That classmate, Asuhain, actually told me, "You don't need to think so rigidly."

Recommending junior colleagues is not mandatory. Volunteers can also be recruited to decide.

But if I can't even choose one person... I feel a little embarrassed...

Besides, I myself was chosen by President Hong to join the student council... so if possible, I would like to do the same thing for others.

I pushed open the meeting room door and spoke to the students inside.

"Thanks for your hard work"

"Thanks for your hard work!"

The executive committee members inside responded in unison. In the center of the meeting room was a large table made up of long tables joined together, scattered with markers of various colors, sticky notes, and half-finished posters.

The room was filled with the rustling sound of papers being rubbed together. As you walked through the executive committee members who were busy working at the central table, you could feel their gazes gathering around you with a hint of awe.

I always feel a little embarrassed. No matter how many times I experience this, I can never get used to it.

I sat down in my and Asuhain's usual spot in front of the whiteboard and placed my laptop on the long table. As if waiting for this moment, an executive committee member walked over to us.

"Chairman, may I interrupt for a moment?"

"What's wrong, Michikura-kun?"

First-year student Michikura is a girl with black hair tied back, wearing glasses, and giving off a serious vibe. She doesn't express her emotions much, somewhat like Asuhain when you first meet her, which evokes a sense of nostalgia.

"It's about the stage performance schedule... The dance department just requested that the rehearsal time be extended by another ten minutes."

"Huh? Hmm... Let's see if we can switch the order with other programs... I understand. We'll talk to the dance department about it."