My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 406

The moment I heard those words, it felt as if ice water had been poured down my back.

"Just now, you said Isana lacked resolve. What about you, Mizuto-kun? Do you have the resolve to shoulder that guy's life?"

"...It will happen."

"Then let's get married."

Ms. Nagatora spoke in a high-pressure, one-sided, and overwhelming tone.

"You might be smart enough to say, 'Those are two different things,' but in my opinion, it's absurd to say you're going to take on someone else's life when you can't even get married. What a joke!"

"Wait a minute. By that logic, wouldn't all the editors who can influence a cartoonist's life have to marry that cartoonist?"

"Don't try to reason with me. Do you think I'm reasoning with you right now?"

This is utterly outrageous... What kind of brain does someone have to be so reckless with their words?

"I'm asking you if you're prepared. Are you planning to marry a woman other than Isana, and then juggle a family while also carrying the burden of that guy's life? Do you think you're capable of that?"

"Even if I don't have it now, I will try my best in the future. I'm only 16 years old for now."

"...and he said it without hesitation."

Of course. Because I already put that matter behind me a long time ago.

It was around the time I decided to get back together with Jie.

"Well then, let me rephrase my question. You don't plan to spend your whole life just taking care of Isana, do you, Mizuto? If you meet other people you want to support, do you think you can offer them the same support you give Isana?"

I couldn't help but think of Daocang. He seemed so casual in his actions, yet his words always hit the nail on the head.

"...What do you plan to do if I answer no? Will you oppose Isana's debut?"

"What parent wouldn't be happy if their child found a job? As a parent, I'm quite concerned about this."

"It's hard to tell that from parents."

"I'm still a little worried about the future of other people's children who are taking care of my daughter."

Ms. Nagatora ignored what I said, and she was vague about the key points.

"So my suggestion is, marry my daughter. That would make things a little easier for you, I vaguely think so."

"This one..."

I stated it explicitly.

"I can't do it."

Then, he stood up on the spot.

"As you said, those are two different things. Izana should understand that too."

"Hmph. He's certainly clever, but he's still just a brat at heart."

I frowned, but Ms. Nagatora still didn't take her eyes off the game screen.

"Well, you'll get your comeuppance sooner or later. Allowing failure is a privilege only brats have."

After saying that, Ms. Nagatora waved her hand as if to shoo me away. It seemed the conversation was over.

I bowed slightly in greeting, then turned around.

It seems she genuinely gave me this advice out of concern. But what could someone who can't even distinguish between being a housewife and a working professional possibly understand?

That's two different things.

My lover is Yui, and Izana is my dream.

"Izana, may I come in?"

After hearing the "okay~" sound, I opened Isana's door.

Deep within the cluttered room, at a desk, was the back of Isana's huddled figure. She wasn't visible from the angle, but she was probably looking at a tablet on the desk while writing. That was normal, but the problem was her back.

There is a lot of exposed skin.

Aside from her skin color, the rest was the overalls she wore over her school uniform today.

Could it be...?

I nervously looked around the room and saw her uniform, which she had just been wearing, scattered on the bed.

Say it again.

Could it be...?

I approached that figure with bated breath, this time with trepidation. Then, I immediately realized that my "could it be" guess had come true.

Because through the gap on the side of the overalls, a fair and rounded bulge could be vaguely seen.

Barely supported by thick fabric were her breasts.

Naked, wearing only overalls...it seems she wasn't joking.

"Don't you feel embarrassed about this outfit?"

"Eh?"

Isana turned around instantly and looked down at herself.

"Ugh—, this...finding clothes is such a hassle."

"You're getting more and more shameless in front of me, aren't you?"

I remember when we first met, she would get incredibly shy just from having her underwear seen.

"Well, should I say it's come to this... and besides, no one saw me naked."

"What's the difference between this and being naked?"

I always felt that the more she immersed herself in her creative work, the more her humanity deteriorated. The distance between us now is less like that of female friends and more like that of siblings. Although my image of a sister dressed sloppily and swaggering around at home only exists in fictional works.

I looked at the bra (extra large size) that had been thrown next to my uniform and said.

"At least put on your underwear..."

"After taking it off to wipe away sweat, I felt it was too much trouble to put it back on."

"Isn't it a problem? Such a big thing is just swinging around like that."

"This is really in the way. Water Fighter, can you help me hold it up?"

"Forget it. I don't have the arm strength."

Although I won't be completely untrained like last year, I still feel it will be quite physically demanding.

While we were talking, Isana kept writing. The paintings for the school festival should already be stored at the school.

"What are you drawing?"

"Considering the color scheme for the signboard artwork."

Although the painting used for the cultural festival sign is hand-painted, in Isana's case, it would be faster to decide in advance which colors to use in which areas using numbers.

"After completing the painting today, I have a better grasp of the color scheme, so I'm making some adjustments."

"I see. Digital painting and traditional paint painting produce quite different color rendering effects."

"Yes... I hadn't considered the color rendering issue when painting."

So far, Isana's activities have all been done on electronic devices. She has no experience drawing her illustrations on paper. If she wants to take on illustration work for light novels, this aspect must be considered to some extent.

"Water Fighter"

Izana called my name without turning around, and I replied, "What is it?"

"How was the drawing you did today?"

"...? Didn't I already say it's fine?"

"I see...that's good."

I thought she'd complain like she did during the character design phase, saying "It's totally not cute!", and I felt a little nervous, but it seems that's not the case. I could sense a sense of relief in Isana's voice. Perhaps it's because she's unfamiliar with the work that she lacks confidence in her results.

"It's alright. Your painting skills are more than capable of handling watercolors. It's also perfect for the school festival."

Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.

If it were Yoshino, I would probably put my hand on her shoulder familiarly, but I couldn't even get close to Isana, who was facing the tablet.

When I see Yui's smile, I find it cute and endearing.

However, when I see Isana's back or her profile at work, the feeling is closer to the word "beauty." A kind of untouchable yet inseparable... almost religious reverence.

Perhaps it was because I wanted to see this attitude that I assisted her in her activities.

I have nothing to do for the time being, so I just keep an eye on Isana who continues to work.

My original duties in preparing for the cultural festival were limited to checking the quality of Isana's paintings and managing the progress.

However, people like to push things onto capable people. By the time I realized it, I was already in a position managing the progress of various groups, such as large props, and acting as a coordinator between Yoshino, who was the director.

I had intended to keep my distance from the cultural festival and participate only moderately, but before I knew it, I was already deeply involved. Now there's nowhere to escape, and my workload keeps piling up.

It seems that my stepsister, lover, and cultural festival executive committee chairperson, Yume Irito, is in the same situation.

"Huh? Oh, you've been locked up too...?"

"No, wait! To make it any more naive and innocent, it's like getting stuck on the three-row multiplication table!"

"Even if you say so..."

Under the guidance of Nan, who was fully engaged in the role, Jie covered her mouth with the script, appearing somewhat timid.

"Hey, why am I a cute character...? Is this really the impression I give off?"

"No, that's why I want to watch it!"

Nan clenched his fist and announced.

"The cooler a girl acts in front of others, the sweeter she becomes in front of her lover! That's an ironclad rule! Unleash your inner girl, Yui-chan!"

Feeling lonely because you can't participate in class activities at all—that's really the end of the road for someone who can't go on. For some reason, Minami, who's in charge of acting instruction, is trying to transform Yui into a pretentious yet cute girl like that student council senior.

Well, to be honest, I can understand what Nan said. Or rather, she does sometimes act cool in front of me. But I always feel like that atmosphere is something she creates unconsciously, and it would probably take a lot of effort to intentionally bring it out of this shy girl.

If her acting and voice were an octave higher during the actual performance, I'd laugh at her mercilessly. Just between us.

"Let go of your shame, Yui-chan! Get into character! Don't you feel ashamed when you're pretending to be innocent? Just act like you're a vibrant, naive, and romantic girl all the time!"

"You're saying I'm...pretending to be innocent?"

"Look, you should learn from Asuhain-kun!"

Minami completely ignored Yui's complaints and pointed at Asuhain, who was practicing in front of another girl.

"It seems we're trapped here. I believe it's the right thing to do to cooperate with everyone and find out why."

Oh! The girls watching her practice all applauded.

Nan stared intently at Jie's face.

"Look how perfectly he embodies the role! You can't do it any less!"

"It's just reciting lines in a very ordinary way..."

Well, after all, the cool and aloof role was tailor-made for Asuhain. Isana created the character design based on her impression of Asuhain, and Michikura provided the lines, so even just reading them aloud sounds quite convincing. Besides, she's a character with relatively stable emotions.

"Hey Irito, stop just looking at the girls, come practice too!"

"Alright, alright."

"What are you even good at?"

I casually answered Kawanami's questions while glancing around the classroom.

Everywhere you look, there are students like us practicing acting, students making large props to decorate the classroom, and students folding their arms and pondering the answers to puzzles for the attendees.

Amidst the typical hustle and bustle of preparations for the cultural festival, I couldn't see Isana. I had isolated her in the art room so she could concentrate.

Now that things have come to this, I feel a little sorry for Isana being all alone in the art room. She's actually quite afraid of being alone. Even without anyone to talk to, it's probably easier for her to just stand there like a tree than to be excluded.

But with so many people and such a chaotic scene, I'm still worried about accidents happening... You can't just erase mistakes with a simple undo button when you're drawing by hand.

Izana had already shared her completed drawing with her classmates, led by Yoshino, and each time she was surrounded by them praising her, saying, "Wow, that's amazing!" Although she always looked flustered and could only force a smile, I could only hope that this would ease her sense of alienation.

In this respect, perhaps it really is true that Daocang did a better job... Although she ended up with a lot of tasks, she was indeed at the center of the class.