My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 405

Just because that guy went to the executive committee and isn't here, you dare to say whatever you want. Besides, the argument that "because someone else is doing it, you should do it too" doesn't apply to me either.

"Alright, alright, Irito."

Kawanami struck up a conversation with me familiarly and put his arm around my shoulder.

"Isn't this a rare cultural festival? It's so lonely to just manage the script and illustration progress and then it's over, isn't it? Participating a little bit in the activities won't get you into trouble, don't you think?"

Do you think I'm the type of person who would feel lonely if I couldn't participate in the cultural festival?

I'm only saying this to you.

Kawanami whispered in my ear. How disgusting.

"Irito-san agreed, but on the condition that you also want to be a voice actress, then she'll participate. She must really want to hear your cool acting, right?"

"……so what?"

"She'll be sad if she hears you're not participating, right? Irito-san will have agreed to perform for nothing! That shy person finally mustered up the courage to become a voice actress, don't you think she's pitiful?"

I frowned. Who do you think caused this?

"Just one take. We don't have high expectations for your acting. It's just reciting lines. As long as you're willing to do it, you'll be able to hear Irito-san's performance from the VIP seats, okay?"

I rubbed my furrowed brow with my fingers. What a troublesome bunch. But compared to Minami's forceful coercion, Kawanami at least seemed to be negotiating a little.

"...Just this once?"

"make a deal!"

Before I could even explicitly say yes, Kawanami suddenly beamed and took his arm off my shoulder.

Nan's face darkened with displeasure.

"One time is simply not enough to meet the demand. At least two times..."

"Okay, okay, okay"

This time, Kawanami put his arm around Minami's shoulder and hugged her petite body tightly.

"This will actually create scarcity and value. Let's turn this opportunity into an auction..."

"You even have that trick up your sleeve! Amu is a genius!"

The closeness, where their breaths could almost brush against each other's cheeks, would only feel like intimacy between people of the same sex, but between people of the opposite sex, it felt especially intimate. However, these two didn't seem to find it strange at all. The surrounding classmates cast judgmental glances at the two of them, containing both "they're flirting again" and "here we go again" speechless looks.

These two are already a normal couple.

"Alright, Irito-kun, it's time for practice! Here, this is the script!"

I looked at the script that had been shoved into my hand and sighed softly.

Is it enough to just recite lines...?

How could someone who created Isana and brought characters to life through Michikura do such a perfunctory thing?

As school was about to let out, I walked down the corridor, intending to check on Isana.

The red glow of the setting sun streamed through the open window, and a gentle breeze rustled the hem of the school uniform jacket. The late September twilight gradually washed away the lingering summer heat, bringing with it a touch of chill.

I glanced out the window out of the corner of my eye, peering into the classroom.

Drawing paper was spread out on the desks that were pieced together. Cardboard cutouts with drawings leaned against the wall. Probably decorations for a haunted house.

I am currently in the midst of a cultural festival.

Compared to last year, this seems to have become more natural.

Looking back, I feel my state of mind was quite unstable at this time last year. It was as if I could only see the present moment clearly—only see myself clearly—it was a state of extremely narrow vision. Therefore, I couldn't integrate. I couldn't integrate into the festive atmosphere.

Even now, I don't feel like I've truly belonged. But I have clear responsibilities, and I'm fulfilling them willingly. I'm following my own desires, trying to create something excellent, and I feel fulfilled by it.

Shifting my gaze to the other side of the classroom, towards the window facing out of the school, I saw a familiar figure near the school gate.

She is the student council president, Akane Rin, and the student council treasurer, Haba Takeji.

The two were huddled together, looking at a tablet and discussing something. They were very close, their shoulders almost touching, and neither of them seemed reserved or nervous; they were simply sitting next to each other very naturally.

It feels like everything has settled down this year.

It's been a year and a half since that shocking event of my ex-girlfriend becoming family. We've gotten used to it, accepted it, and moved on. Now, we're walking on a smoothly paved path that continues from there. That's how it feels.

Or perhaps this means that the end of adolescence is approaching.

Perhaps we've passed through that unstable period where everything was troublesome and entered the stage of preparing for adulthood. Although we don't entirely feel a little lonely, we are also proud of ourselves.

If it was the work of the gods that allowed me and Yui to reunite in that way, then I probably have the right to say something to that so-called god.

Deserve it.

We refused to succumb to the trap you set—

"Isana"

I pushed open the door to the art room and greeted Isana Higashito, who was hunched over at the corner table.

Izana looked up at me, then glanced out the window.

"It's already this late... I didn't even notice."

"You seem very focused. How's the progress?"

"One card completed"

Wow, that was fast. While it could also be attributed to my training plan, putting that aside, finishing another one in just a few hours is still quite impressive.

The finished drawing sat on the corner of the table. It was of that cute girl with twin tails and over-the-knee socks. According to Minami, it seemed like Yui had been assigned this role. After coloring it, it looked even more lifelike. Surprisingly, the slightly deliberate detail between the over-the-knee socks and the "absolute territory" (crown thong) didn't feel erotic. Looks like I won't be getting a warning from the executive committee.

"Not bad at all. You're really good at this art style. How should I put it, it has a kind of 'white moonlight' feel to it."

"It sounds a bit unlucky to say it like that... but thank you anyway."

A girl with pigtails, rendered in the delicate tones of watercolor. While it lacks the sharp contrast of digital painting, it possesses its own unique charm.

Ok.

Not bad.

It seems that Yui is going back with the student council members, so I set off on my way home with Isana today.

Although summer is over, the days are still long. I hadn't planned to walk her to her doorstep, but that plan suddenly changed.

"Huh? It's Mom."

Izana's phone received a call.

"Hmm, hello? Hmm, I just got home... Eh? Mizuto-kun? He's with me right now... Eh, why...? Ah—, okay, okay, I got it. Got it..."

After hanging up the phone, Isana tilted her head and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"My mom told me to bring the Water Fighter home."

"Huh? Why?"

"I don't know... I just brought it."

It was sudden, forceful, and inexplicable... But since you said that, you must have something to ask me. Although I have a vague feeling that something is wrong...

And so, I went directly with Izana to her apartment.

Izana's mother, Nagiko, appeared in front of the television in the living room. Instead of an evening program, the screen was playing a beautifully crafted new game, with the player character running past a gigantic monster that looked twice the size of a Brachiosaurus.

"Oh, are you here?"

This slender and beautiful woman, Nagi, who doesn't resemble her daughter at all, said, never letting her eyes leave the controller.

"Sit down, Mizuto-kun. Isana, you go back to your room."

"Huh? Am I in the way?"

"You're in the way. Go back to your room and do your homework."

"There's no homework..."

Although Izana tilted her head, she obediently followed the instructions and walked down the corridor to her room.

If Ms. Nagatora wants to talk to me, it must be related to Isana, but she actually sent the person in question away... What is it that she wants to talk about?

Although I was offered a seat, Ms. Nagatora was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV playing games, and I didn't know where to sit. Her posture was exactly the same as Takema's when I saw her in the countryside…

"Come sit over here. It's not like I'm going to eat you."

"Haa..."

Since she said so, I sat down cross-legged next to Ms. Nagi, who was already sitting cross-legged.

It wasn't appropriate to stare at someone's profile, so I watched the game on the TV screen. The protagonist was running continuously through magnificent natural scenery.

"This game map is huge, sometimes it takes forever to move around. Well, perfect for chatting—whoa, that guy's already level 50?"

She said this as she carefully made her way along the path where dangerous monsters lurked.

"I heard a publishing house approached Isana to discuss work?"

Caught off guard by this sudden shift to the main topic, I asked in return.

"Did Isana tell you?"

"Right?"

Regarding Isana's activities as an illustrator, I had already discussed it with Nagatora a long time ago. Even for commissions of music video illustrations, since I've already received payment, I need the consent of her guardian.

Ms. Nagatora is quite laissez-faire; she's always let Isana and me do whatever we want. This is probably the first time she's brought this up on her own initiative.

"That child seems hesitant about whether to accept the offer. What do you think, Mizuto-kun?"

"What do you mean, how do you see it?"

"Should I accept or not?"

In the game, the player character is targeted by a monster. A tense battle background music begins, and the player character starts firing a machine gun.

Whether or not to accept the offer should be Isana's own decision.

"I'm asking for your opinion. You should probably refrain from spouting 'top student theory'."

What exactly is this person trying to ask? I still haven't figured out Ms. Nagatora's intentions.

"...Personally, I think it's better to accept. It's rare to have such a good opportunity again."

"Can I make money?"

"It's hard to say... I've heard that if there's media collaboration or merchandise development, it can be quite profitable... but even if that happens, it'll be several years from now. More importantly, Isana has a passion for light novels."

"That's true. That guy is currently in a situation where he can achieve his dream simply by nodding 'uh-huh.' So what do you think he's hesitating about?"

"This one..."

I seem to understand, yet I also seem not to.

Although I asked her for the reason, it may not have touched on the essence of her heart.

Therefore, I can only tell you what I know at the moment.

"...I think it's because her mind hasn't kept up with the changes in her surroundings. At this time last year, she certainly didn't expect to face such a choice."

"I see. So you think she's not enlightened enough."

"At least one of the reasons."

"All they say are nice things."

Ms. Nagihira snorted. The monster's health bar on the screen ran out and disappeared.

She started moving again, saying as she did so.

"But I'm still very grateful to you, kid."

These unexpected words left me speechless.

"I always thought that guy would never have a proper job. Can you imagine? That guy going to the company every morning, bowing and scraping to customers."

"Completely unimaginable"

"Right? I always thought she was the type who could only master a skill and find a way to make a living from it... But I didn't expect it to become a reality so quickly. This is undoubtedly thanks to you. If it were just her alone, that guy would probably have made all sorts of excuses, not done any challenges, and probably just ended up going to a vocational school."

I think that's definitely the case. That's why it's meaningful for me to be her agent.

"In other words, you chose Izana's life for her."