My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 77

I looked to the east as he instructed, but all I saw was a scared otaku girl who looked like a small animal.

My gaze returned to Kawabata.

Spreading false information is wrong...

"Why?! Irito-san, tell me, what's going on? Why have you become so strange without me even realizing it?!"

"No, I don't know... I don't really understand either..."

What a bunch of speechless people. I was just doing the right thing.

"It's time to start studying; time is limited. Open your textbooks."

"Huh? Aren't you going to Mizuto's room? I was thinking of digging into that bookshelf in the back today..."

"Let's talk about it after the exam."

"Yay!"

As I spread out the textbooks and notebooks on the living room table, Kawanami groaned behind me.

"Ugh...! What a nightmare...!"

"Kawabata-kun, what exactly are you in pain about...?"

Although we had a little disagreement, we eventually started the book club as originally planned.

"A slight over-analysis of our school's current national exam questions is actually quite good. Like this question from a previous exam, we can look at this passage and this passage—"

"It's not about rote memorization of formulas, it's about learning how to use them. The more you try to be lazy and just memorize the text, the more confused you become. Okay, stop procrastinating, start practicing!"

Although it wasn't part of the original plan, Jie's help reduced my burden by half. While I had originally decided to teach two people at the same time based on efficiency considerations, I couldn't help but worry about whether I, who wasn't used to teaching, could teach both of them well. To be honest, she really helped me a lot.

Although Dongtou and Chuanbo were both groaning, the teaching progressed more smoothly than expected thanks to their impeccable duo.

"Phew—I'm so tired..."

He sat across from me at the east end and slumped onto the table.

Kawanami responded by snorting as if the man were an idiot.

"To be wailing at such a low level, how can she be worthy of being the top student in the class, Irito?"

"...Just as differences in height have their own sacredness, I think differences in academic ability are also acceptable."

"That's absurd. It has to be a fair fight, especially since it's ridiculous for women to just hide behind men. That kind of thing doesn't work anymore."

"What?"

"how?"

Sparks flew between Dongtou and Chuanbo, but I couldn't be bothered with them anymore. I'd seen the same scene countless times over the past few tens of minutes. As long as they didn't cross the line, I let them be.

"Would you like to take a break? I'll go make some tea."

Since Yui stood up, I stood up too and went to the kitchen with her.

A half-open gaze pierced through from the side.

"...Why did you follow me?"

"I don't want to be with those two right now."

"I actually think it's worse to leave them alone now..."

When Yuu turned around, she saw Higashi and Kawanami, who had been left behind, staring at each other in silence.

Jie Nu bent down in front of the cabinet to look for a teapot, so I leaned over her head and took out a tea canister from the cabinet above.

"It's one thing for Higashi-san to become like that, but why did Kawanami-san also turn out like that...?"

"It's better if you don't know. In short, try not to act without thinking."

I took the teapot from the woman and opened the tea canister.

"Huh? When have I ever acted without thinking?"

"I don't understand why Dongtou would have that kind of attitude."

Based on my observations of Kawanami's words and actions up to now, I can roughly deduce the reason behind his behavior—how should I put it? It's similar to the reaction of an otaku when they have differing interpretations of a work. It's like a favorite character doing something that completely contradicts their own viewpoint.

But I don't understand Higashito. I really never imagined that Higashito Isana, who's basically like a coward, would be so hostile to someone.

"She's probably afraid someone will steal you away. Because she doesn't have any other friends."

Jie said this while filling the kettle with water. I said this as I added tea leaves to the teapot:

"Aren't you and Nan here now?"

“Well…”

Jie turned off the kettle that had started hissing.

"...Try to be more considerate of other people's feelings. You're not being considerate enough."

"Hmph, I wonder which is better, a woman who isn't gentle enough."

"Who are you talking about!"

I unilaterally snatched the electric kettle that Jie Nu had picked up.

Then, pour hot water into the teapot containing the tea leaves.

"To be honest, I don't understand what right you have to interfere in my affairs with Dongtou. Aren't you the one who's overprotecting Dongtou? Is there some way you can empathize with him?"

"...You might not know this, but it's only natural for a person to worry about their friends. But okay, I can't deny that there are some things I feel the same way about..."

"Oh, really? For example?"

For example…

"A sexual fetish of having others put on your socks for you?"

"That's not it—ah!"

It's probably a reflex action.

The woman grabbed my arm, causing my hand to twist slightly.

The hot water being poured slightly changed course, splashing onto my fingers that were holding the teapot.

"—It's hot!"

"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

I quickly put down the teapot and kettle, and shook my hands that had been splashed with hot water.

My index fingertip is red. But thankfully, this minor injury can be easily treated with cool water immediately.

"Let me see!"

Then, before I could even think of anything, it happened.

First, I saw Jie grab my hand that was wet with hot water, pull me over, and then—

One contains.

—The girl put my index finger into her mouth.

“──!”

Just as my mind was completely blank, something warm, soft, elastic, and slippery enveloped my scalded and sensitive finger. When I realized it was Yui's tongue, I had been staring intently at Yui's lips holding my finger for about five seconds.

"……Hello!"

"Hmm?"

I quickly pulled my hand back, and in that instant, a thread of saliva was drawn out from my fingertips.

As I watched the thread break, I rubbed my cheeks, which had become scalding hot even though they hadn't been splashed with hot water.

"W-what are you doing...?"

"Huh... because, because my mom used to tell me that when you're injured, you should do this..."

"You don't lick burns, you cool them down..."

"……ah."

Jie Nu stared blankly, her mouth half-open, frozen in place.

So you finally realize that you were just a woman who wanted to lick a man's fingers?

After doing something like this, how dare you say, "When have I ever acted without thinking?"

"Oh~"

"Wow!"

The already slow repair process caused even more severe functional failure upon hearing this sound.

Kawanami Kogure and Higashigoto Izana, one with a sinister smile and the other covering her mouth with her hand in a fake manner, peeked at us from the other end of the kitchen counter.

The two who had just been silently glaring at each other spoke in exactly the same tone:

"I didn't expect Irito-san to be so erotic."

"My classmate, Yui, seems like a model student, but she's actually quite open-minded."

"Why don't we argue at times like this?! I was just panicking for a moment!"

Ignoring the woman's flushed face as she argued, I went to the kitchen counter to wash my fingers.

I had hoped that the pain from the burn, along with the saliva and the lingering memory on my skin, would be washed away... However, the biggest problem is that there are witnesses this time. Even if we pretend this never happened and forget about it, these two will probably bring it up again.

...Well, perhaps it's fair to say that seeing only those two people is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. Just thinking about what might have happened if she had seen it—

With a whoosh, the French windows facing the courtyard opened.

"Huh?" "Hmm?" "Uh-huh?" "Huh?"

Even the noisy ones suddenly fell silent, staring at the suddenly opened French windows.

On the eaves facing the courtyard...

There appeared—a tiny, animal-like trespasser with a ponytail.

"Hey~ Yui♪ I'm here to save you~♪"

The moment I saw her smiling face—Nan Xiaoyue's face—I broke out in a cold sweat!

"Kawabata~ What are you doing here~? Also, just now~ I heard someone say that Yui is lewd, or open-minded or something~ So what's going on?"

Kawanami and I made a quick decision.

We abandoned packing all our belongings and ran empty-handed to the living room door...

"Do you think I'll let you go?♪"

"—That's how it is. Higashi-kun and Irito-kun are nothing more than good friends. You think there's something fishy about their relationship because you're the one with a guilty conscience, understand?"

"...The person with the most guilty conscience has no right to say that I have a guilty conscience."

"what?"

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh!"

Kawaba was pinned to the floor, and Minami's small feet smacked against his back.

She looks so light, how could she make that kind of sound while walking...?

Dongtou, perched on my back where I was forced to sit next to them, said in a smug tone:

"That's right, Mizuto and I are just closer than anyone else. Aren't you ashamed of your scoundrel-like behavior and your romantic mindset? See, the sunny type just doesn't understand other people's subtle feelings."

"Dongtou, Dongtou. Your words, spoken with such a distant, romantic tone, are utterly unconvincing. You should move on from him."

"Huh?!"

The woman forcefully pulled the disgruntled man away from me. It's already summer, I really hope you won't keep clinging to me. Your breasts are so hot.

Nan suddenly turned around, this time casting a reprimanding gaze toward the east.

"Dongtou, don't complain just because your friend gets along with other friends. Girls who are overly dependent on their friends are the most annoying; people will talk badly about you."

"...Mizuto-kun would never say bad things about me..."

"It's hard to say. Maybe he said behind your back, 'That woman is so annoying.'"