My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 55

"Don't worry, don't worry. Dongtou will definitely come over with tears in his eyes."

That's why I'm worried.

Xiaoyue kept saying "Relax, relax" while pressing the button for the cantaloupe soda. How could she be so calm after threatening someone? I started to doubt Xiaoyue's character.

We waited for a while at the drinks bar, and finally someone arrived.

A busty woman with a short bob haircut walked cautiously and hunched over into the store. Seeing her looking around nervously, a staff member from the family restaurant approached her to greet her.

"Just one?"

"Ah... um... uh..."

At this moment, Xiaoyue quickly stood up, walked over to the girl at the east end, and casually patted her on the shoulder.

"We're waiting for you! Over here!"

"Huh?"

Dongtou, blinking rapidly in confusion, was dragged over by Xiaoyue.

Dongtou looked completely bewildered, but when he saw me sitting in the four-person seat, he exclaimed, "Ah!"

"It's a step-sister relationship with a brother..."

"I'm really indignant that you remembered me this way!"

"So you've forgotten who I am?!"

"Oh no...! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry...!"

My once-in-a-lifetime, ironic self-introduction completely failed, leaving me unable to hide the blow. Xiaoyue wasn't much better off; after all, she's usually the kind of person everyone loves, but this time she was forgotten the very next day, a fact that seemed to have hurt her deeply.

Well, judging from my experience in junior high school, she probably didn't dare to look people in the eye when she spoke, so she didn't even see what we looked like...

Xiaoyue asked Dongtou to sit opposite me, then moved next to me with her half-finished cantaloupe soda. Now it was just the two of us, facing off against Dongtou alone.

"...Excuse me, may I ask what this is...?"

Dongtou looked terrified and kept glancing at our faces. It was impossible to have a proper conversation like this, so I tried my best to gently smooth things over:

"I'm sorry, Dongtou. Xiaoyue was just joking around with that letter, don't be afraid."

"Was it... just a joke...? So you're not trying to blackmail me, or anything...?"

"No, no! How about I pay for your drinks?"

After all, we were the ones who called her here, so it's only right that we do this little thing.

"Hmm." Xiaoyue pouted next to me.

"It's not right to say I'm joking, Yui. In fact, don't Yui and I both know perfectly well what kind of secret Higashi-san is hiding...?"

Xiaoyue grinned mischievously, her expression incredibly realistic. The smile was so convincing that Dongtou started trembling. Oh, alright!

In short, I wanted Dongtou to have some drinks to calm him down, so the three of us went to a beverage bar together.

"Hey Dongtou, do you know how to use the drink bar?"

"Oh, I know... When my mom is too lazy to cook dinner, we eat at the family restaurant."

...She's such an unexpectedly easygoing mom. My mom loves to cook, so I've never had that opportunity.

Back in her seat, the girl at the east end gulped down orange juice. She seemed very thirsty.

After Dongtou finished his orange juice, Xiaoyue started a new topic:

"Dongtou, guess what secrets of yours we know?"

"Huh...? My secret...?"

The student in the east seemed much calmer than before, tilting his head slightly in a silly manner.

"Let me think... Ah, could it be that I somehow obtained those erotic doujinshi...!"

"No, no. Your secret sounds like something a guy would tell you."

"No...? Well, I don't think so, but could it be that they found that virtual YouTuber channel I posted a test video on when I was in junior high and then immediately deleted it...!"

"Who would have thought! Who knew you had a background in the entertainment industry! That's the most shocking secret!"

"No, isn't that right! You made me reveal it myself...!"

Dongtou, blushing furiously, slumped onto the table. It was cute, but also a little embarrassing to watch.

Xiaoyue said to her in a resigned tone:

"I meant Irito-san."

"Huh?"

Dongtou raised his face.

"You mean... Mizuto-kun?"

"Yes! Higashi-kun, you actually really like Irito-kun, don't you?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I really like it."

"what?"

Her admission was so straightforward that Xiaoyue was momentarily at a loss for words.

It sounded like they were talking past each other. Thinking this to myself, I said to the student at the east end:

"Dongtou... Xiaoyue's 'like' isn't 'Like' but 'Love'... Do you understand?"

"Huh? Love...? The Love from Love Comedy?"

Is this girl only able to remember this English word by the category name of a light novel?

Dongtou looked completely bewildered, tilting his head left and right.

"I...like...Mizuto-kun? What—excuse my bluntness, could it be that you two have misunderstood...?"

"No, you're the one who's misunderstood! Yume, take that out!"

Xiaoyue snapped her fingers with a "snap!" I took out my smartphone as agreed beforehand, but looked rather reluctant.

"...Should we really show it to her?"

"Why take a picture if you're not going to show it to her?"

"…………That's right."

I used my phone to open a photo that Xiaoyue asked me to take last night.

To take this photo, I had to overcome enormous risks. The thought of easily revealing this achievement to others made me somewhat resistant.

However, this was unavoidable. If I don't show this photo to Dongtou now, it will appear that I took it based on my own preferences...

"Got it!"

"what!"

While I was still dawdling, Xiaoyue snatched the phone from my hand. What a swift and decisive move!

"Alright, Dongtou? After seeing this photo, can you still deny it?"

"Uh... I don't know what you're talking about, but Mizuto and I are just friends—"

"—Ta-da! Here's a picture of Irito-san's sleeping face—!"

"!!???"

The moment the phone screen turned to her, Dongtou froze, as if his breath had been frozen in place.

She stared intently at Shuidou's sleeping face on my phone screen. I took this picture last night after sneaking into his room. That guy loves to stay up late; it took me a lot of effort to find him.

"...Okay...okay...okay...!"

"Wow—Irito-san's sleeping face is so cute! Isn't it, Higashi-san?"

(Nodding, nodding, nodding!)

Dongtou nodded vigorously.

Seeing her like that, Xiaoyue smiled smugly, and I immediately narrowed my eyes.

"Ah!"

Seeing our reaction, Dongtou probably realized he'd inadvertently given himself away. He covered his mouth with his hand, stubbornly avoiding looking at the sleeping face photo.

"...I...I'm not interested in that kind of thing at all. Mizuto-kun is just a friend! I...I absolutely didn't look at him with that kind of evil gaze...!"

"By the way, this is a screenshot from the video."

“──!”

"The original video even recorded your breathing! ...Right, Yui?"

"...It was all because Xiaoyue told me to do this..."

It's not that I like doing this! I'm just following orders!

"If you honestly admit it, I'll give you the video of you sleeping soundly~? As long as you listen to it while you sleep, it's essentially the same as sleeping with someone~?"

"Waaaaaah...! Ughh ...

Dongtou slumped onto the table again, groaning as if someone were attacking his inner body.

...Listening to music while sleeping is essentially the same as sleeping with someone.

Ah! What am I thinking? That video is going to be deleted after this is all over! Didn't we already decide that last night?

"You're so stubborn. Why won't you admit it?"

Xiaoyue looked down at Dongtou, who was suffering, and sighed softly.

"It's only natural to fall for a guy you get along with so well and who's so kind to you, isn't it? We're not blaming you, okay? As for Yui, even though she's a bit of a brother-lover, she probably wouldn't openly say, 'How dare you seduce my brother,' right?"

"I wouldn't say it indirectly either! Besides, I don't have a brother complex!"

"Yes, yes, yes."

She gave me a perfunctory reply. It's unacceptable!

Just then, I heard a faint sound coming from the student at the east end who was lying on the table:

"…………Really……?"

"what?"

When Xiaoyue asked, Dongtou slowly sat up, glancing at us frequently while timidly whispering:

"...Do I...really...like...Mizuto-kun...?"

"Huh?"

"Ugh!"

Dongtou's overly innocent remarks made us all want to shout intimidation, which made her shrink back like a small animal.

Seeing her like this, Xiaoyue almost rolled her eyes.

"Huh...? Judging from your reaction, you're serious? Are you really saying this?"

"Why would I lie... I... it's true, I don't know...! Because I've never had a similar experience in my entire life..."

"Uh... first love? How old are you?!"

"...Waaaaah..."

Dongtou, while fiddling with his slightly long, messy bangs, covered his face and lowered his head.

Faced with her overly innocent reaction, I became uneasy.

"...W-What should I do, Xiaoyue? My back is starting to itch."

"...What a coincidence, Yui. I'm suffering from the same symptoms right now."

First love... ah, what a nostalgic yet loathsome term...

And she even said she "didn't know if she liked him or not," can you please spare me? It feels like my darkest past has been laid bare before my eyes. For no reason, I want to scream, to run away screaming. Was I really such a shameful creature before?

"...How about this, for example, imagine it."

Xiaoyue said it in a reluctant tone.