My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 53

"What's the problem?"

"I won't get angry when you talk to me, and I won't be sarcastic or mean you anymore—what's wrong with me?"

"How would I know... well, if I really have to say..."

The sound, lowered in volume, dripped like water droplets.

"...Maybe they don't like to pretend that it never happened. I don't know."

Oh...right.

Unlike me... you are very good at turning intangible things into words.

The reason I feel relaxed and carefree is, in other words, the same as decluttering.

It's just a fleeting pleasure that comes from discarding something precious.

I suspect that this kind of pleasure will soon turn into regret.

And you, who shared the same thing, noticed it for me before I did.

"Let me tell you, brother?"

I called out to him half-jokingly, trying to hide my embarrassment, and asked:

"Even if we're not dating, just ordinary siblings... it's okay to be a little jealous, right?"

"No, I think it's just normal and disgusting for a sister to be jealous of her brother's female friends."

"How could this happen!"

The betrayal I suffered halfway through made me turn to Shuidou, where I saw a gentle, bitter smile on his face.

"Don't worry. I knew you were wicked two years ago."

I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn't know what to say, so I closed my mouth in the end.

I turned my face away, focusing my gaze back on the tabletop, and finally managed to squeeze out a very soft voice:

"...Brother, you're so mean."

"Oh. Of all the sentences we've come up with, this one is the most like what a younger sister would say."

◆ Water Fighter ◆

My stepsister, who had been instilled with the wrong idea that "a sister should scold her brother until he's disgusted with her," beat me up with all the insults she could muster. The next day...

After school, I visited the library as usual, and as someone who had confided my troubles, I obliged to give a full account of what had happened.

Of course, I cleverly concealed my past relationship with Yui.

Dongtou nodded and listened to the story before saying:

"...So, which award should we submit this story to?"

"This is not a novel I created."

"How can it be?"

Dongtou covered his mouth in astonishment. His expression was calm, which made his actions all the more exaggerated.

"A step-sister with a brother complex... so it's not just a legendary creature after all..."

"Well, even Wikipedia doesn't mention it..."

"I feel so touched... I wish you a lifetime of happiness..."

“…Thank you.”

It's a bit uninspiring to be congratulated so frankly on the cause of the matter.

"But then again, she's jealous of me... You really do encounter strange things when you're alive..."

"Don't talk like you've encountered a phenomenon that science can't explain. That girl underestimated me, thinking that only she would pay attention to me, so she was probably startled by your sudden appearance. How rude of you."

"Oh, I see. If Mizuto suddenly made other friends, I'd definitely be jealous too."

Hmm? Speaking of which, this guy doesn't seem to know who Kawabata is?

...Never mind, whatever. It's just that guy claiming to be my friend.

Speaking of which, that woman also kicked my chair when I first met Kawanami. She just let it go then, but wasn't her reaction to Dongtou a bit too much?

She said she always called me by my surname when we were dating—I can understand that, but she herself still lets Nan call her by her first name? It's really hard to understand... What's the difference between Kawanami and Dongtou?

Later, as usual, we spent our time reading, and then, in time for the final announcement of the school gate closing time, we walked together toward the gate.

There, we encountered an ambush.

"Ah, they're here! Look, Jie Nu, they're here!"

"........."

Right at the school gate, two girls were waiting to ambush us.

Needless to say, it was Nan Xiaoyue and Irito Yume.

Dongtou shuddered like a squirrel encountering its natural enemy and hid behind me.

"Hey hey~! Irito-san and... I think it's Higashi-san? We've been waiting for you!"

Seeing Nan walking towards me waving, I tilted my head and said:

"Waiting for us? And why?"

"You're asking me? Who should I ask? We were playing around nearby after school when Jie said she was coming to pick you up."

I looked through Nan's ponytail at the girl leaning against the school gate pillar. I saw that she only made eye contact with me for a moment before walking over here.

The girl, her long black hair swaying, walked over and spoke with a friendly and charming smile.

—Not to me.

He was speaking to the person hiding behind me in the east.

"Nice to meet you, Dongtou."

As Jie Nu peeked behind me, she said firmly and forcefully:

"Thank you for being good friends with Mizuto. I am his stepsister, Irito Yume. Nice to meet you."

With a crackling sound, I heard a sound as if the air had frozen.

Her usual charming and shrewd demeanor vanished, replaced by a palpable sense of hostility hidden beneath her friendly smile.

Is this woman really that unhappy with how people address me...?! She's a living example of a landmine-like woman! I really wish I could travel back in time two years and change history!

Just as I was trembling with fear and frozen in place, Nan quietly showed me her phone screen. The notepad app displayed the following sentence:

"What a mess you've made, you scoundrel!"

I swiped my finger across the screen to type a response:

I won't tell you.

She stabbed me in the stomach! The smartphone slammed right into my stomach. Is this crazy woman really planning to marry me...?!

As we went back and forth, Jie extended her hand towards the east, wanting to shake hands with her. Who would want to shake your hand? She was bursting with arrogance, determined to squeeze the other person's hand until it was torn to shreds.

A moment of tension passed between me and my classmate Nan.

Dongtou blinked nervously, glancing warily at the outstretched hand and Jie Nu's face in turn. Dongtou rarely interacted with people; he must have been terrified by her hostility—

"Ah, yes, please guide me."

—It was just a normal handshake.

Nan, Jie, and I all widened our eyes.

Dongtou looked puzzled and nervously exchanged glances with us, as the atmosphere became strange.

"Huh, um, did I do something weird...? I'm so sorry...! People have always said I'm bad at reading people's expressions...!"

"...Um—Dongtou-kun? Can I ask you a completely unrelated question?"

Nan carefully considered his words as he inquired of the bewildered Dongtou.

"What kind of person is Irito-san to Higashi-san?"

"Oh? It's a friend with similar interests."

Upon hearing this immediate response, Jie was the first to react.

"...Ah...uh, oh—I see...I see, so that's how it is..."

Her gaze darted around as if she were looking for help, then she looked down at the hand she was holding and blushed.

"Uh, I'm so sorry! Please continue to guide me!"

"Huh, oh, okay...?"

She held tightly in both of her hands the hands of Dongtou, whose head was slightly tilted to the side.

...Oh, I see. No wonder she overreacted to Dongtou, so that's why.

Just as I suddenly realized what was happening, Nan grinned and gave me a very irritating laugh.

"(This is completely unreliable—laughing my head off.)"

What's so funny? Are you trying to pursue me or mess with me? Please make it clear. In fact, your way of putting it makes it sound like I'm the one trying to pursue Dongtou.

"Um—Mizuto-kun… could you explain what's going on…? My… my social skills are at their limit…"

"There's really no way..."

"Huh?! You want to explain? You... wait a minute...!"

I pointed to my stepsister, whose face had changed drastically and who was now panicked and at a loss.

"That woman over there, on the east side... she thinks you're interested in me."

"Wow! -- Ugh!"

"Shut up, you're so noisy." I shoved my backpack into her face.

"I clearly explained to her that you're just a friend, but she didn't believe me at all. So just now, she was trying to assert her ownership of me by calling me by my name, just like you do."

"Irito-san, you're so cruel..."

Nan seemed to be avoiding the issue, but Dongtou didn't really understand our relationship, so of course I had to explain it to her.

Jie Nu blushed and squatted down on the spot. "Hmph, who taught you to try and use underhanded tactics to make her jealous?" But it seemed she hadn't succeeded.

Dongtou stared blankly to the left and right, seemingly trying to decipher the meaning behind my words.

"Me, towards Mizuto-kun...? What...?"

"This...this isn't my fault! Who taught you to walk home together after school every day! Anyone would think that way!"

"I have to speak up for her on this point! Everyone would think that way! I think so too!"

Seeing Nan defending Jie, Dongtou looked slightly troubled.

"Mizuto-kun, this is only the second time in my life I've ever wanted to be a boy. By the way, the first time was when I got my period. I wish I could be reborn into a body where I don't bleed from my genitals..."

"...Hey, did you guys hear what she said? Do you think any girl would say something like that to a guy she likes?"

"........."

"........."

Jie and Nan looked at each other in silence, and after a long period of troubled contemplation, they both bowed their heads and apologized to Dongtou at the same time.

"We're sorry, we shouldn't have suspected you."

"Strange? Even though I was apologized to, I feel like there's a distance between us now. Mizuto-kun! Do they think I'm weird? Are they scared of me?"

"Yes, you scared me too."

"Waaaaaahh ...

Dongtou cried and begged me, so I patted her head to comfort her. I'm Dongtou's only friend, so she's actually quite dependent on me. It felt like being petted by a large dog; it was very therapeutic.

Jie and Nan looked at me, who was patting my head to comfort me, and Dongtou, who was being patted, with confused expressions.

"...Yume, the science of interpersonal relationships is truly profound."

"...I think theirs is a bit too profound."