My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 84

As a result, a problem arose.

Nishimura gently twirled the ends of her hair with her fingers.

"...But I also seem a little happy."

Her gaze darted downwards.

She tenderly stroked her hair with her fingertips.

Her lips curved into a shy smile.

The most striking feature is the slightly reddish ears.

The moment I saw these phenomena, a chilling sensation ran through my entire body.

"...I'm sorry. I need to use the restroom."

"Huh? Finish your lessons at home first, then come back!"

The laughter, which seemed to reach out without any distance between us, only intensified my chill.

I managed to cover it up and rushed out of the classroom in a great hurry, running into the men's restroom.

Perhaps because it was so early in the morning, there was no one else in the bathroom. I stood in front of the sink, nervously looking at my arms in the mirror.

As expected, it was covered in hives.

Damn it.

I turned on the tap, splashed water on my face, and rinsed my mouth. Although it only had a comforting effect, it wasn't to be underestimated; the cool water slowly washed away the chill and hives.

My experiences during junior high school caused me indelible psychological trauma.

This trauma has turned me into someone with what could be called a "love and emotion allergy," which still torments me to this day. Just like someone who has been to war might lose their mind upon hearing a loud bang, even the slightest bit of affection from a girl can cause me to have physical problems.

I'm afraid I'll never be able to date again.

However, I don't hold a grudge about that.

On the contrary, I am grateful. Because of that experience and this physical condition, I realized a great truth about life when I was still in high school.

In other words, love is something that can only be admired from afar and not taken for granted.

"Here you are."

During lunch break, something suddenly happened.

My classmate and friend, Mizuto Irito, placed a box of black tea on the desk of his stepsister, Yume Irito.

"Now you won't have any complaints, right?"

Hearing his slightly provocative tone, Irito looked up and glared at him.

"...What right do you have to be so upset? You feel terrible."

"Fine, I'll drink it too."

As soon as Irito finished speaking, he reached for the black tea, but Irito beat him to it and grabbed the cardboard box.

"What I mean is, you missed saying one thing!"

"...I've already shown my sincerity, haven't I?"

"Show it with words, words!"

"I've said it before, but you just don't want to hear it."

Irito rummaged in his uniform pocket and clattered three coins onto the table.

One fifty-yuan coin plus two ten-yuan coins, totaling seventy yuan.

"Here, this is the interest."

"Huh? Just you wait—"

Ignoring Irito's attempts to stop her, Irito sat back down in her seat and opened her bento box.

This is his specialty—refusing all contact with his protective shield.

Now even Irito-san couldn't say anything anymore...

"let's go!"

She angrily let her long black hair fly as she left the classroom with a few friends.

"What? What's wrong?" "I don't know...?"

Confused whispers could be heard from inside the classroom.

Regarding the sibling relationship between Mizuto and Yume Irito, a minor disturbance occurred shortly after the start of the school year, creating an atmosphere where they were not to be trifled with. Mizuto, in particular, possessed a truly formidable aloof personality. Coupled with their exceptionally high academic achievements, it was understandable that others felt a distance from them.

However, half of this atmosphere was created by me.

So those outsiders probably don't quite understand what that argument meant—but for someone of my skill level, guessing the inside story is a piece of cake.

I approached Irito, who was quietly eating her bento.

"Can't you put it another way?"

"...What are you talking about?"

Eri replied rudely.

"I'll drink the same." "This is the interest"—judging from these two sentences, it seems that the black tea that Irito bought was drunk by this guy. This kind of situation easily happens when living under the same roof. So he just paid off the debt with interest.

"Seventy dollars..."

"...What's wrong? You're really annoying, Kawanami."

I couldn't help but chuckle and covered my mouth with my hand.

Interest of seventy dollars – here's the change.

That black tea costs 130 yuan at the school's cafeteria—pay 200 yuan and you'll get 70 yuan back.

This slender, handsome, and intellectual young man would rush to the cafeteria during lunch break to buy some black tea before it sold out. All this was to apologize to his classmate, Irito.

That black tea is also sold at convenience stores; I could have just bought it on my way to school. The reason I didn't is probably because I spent the entire morning in class agonizing over whether to apologize or continue being stubborn. That's why I ended up with that attitude at the crucial moment—"Hmph hmph hmph hmph!"

I munched on my sweet bread for lunch, basking in the happiness that welled up inside me.

I specialize in romance ROMs.

He is a man who finds pleasure in observing other people's love affairs, or the subtle relationships that are not yet fully formed.

Despite my limited experience, I've observed all sorts of duos—from real-life friends to uploaders on video-sharing websites, covering a wide range of interests. These two, in particular—Irito Mizuto and Irito Yume—have truly touched my heart.

If I could die while observing their relationship, I would die without regrets. I would gladly use my part-time job salary to pay for in-game purchases. Because dressing up Irito and seeing her reaction is a billion times more entertaining than dressing up myself.

Ah, it's still as delicious as rice today!

"……Um?"

As Irido closed the bento box, she inadvertently saw something stand up.

What's wrong? Normally, it should be time to read next...

I looked towards the classroom door that Irito was walking towards...

"What……!"

My warm mood quickly cooled, and I almost couldn't help but stand up.

A woman peeked out of the doorway and peered into the classroom.

There's no way I'm mistaken. That oversized, overdeveloped chest is—Higashito Izana!

That mistress who started getting close to Irito about last month... what's she doing here? You probably only meet Irito in the library after school!

As a member of the Mizuto x Yui faction, I was both anxious and angry, but for Irito, meeting up with Higashi after school seemed to have become a habit.

Even I can't interfere with Irito's daily routine, let alone anger him, so I ignore what happens after school—besides, it's just a superficial relationship after school, which I don't think can compare to Irito-kun, with whom I'm together in class or at home.

That's how it should be—but why did she come here during her lunch break?

"What's wrong, Dongtou?"

Irito's tone when speaking to Higashi was much gentler than when she was with Irito-san. It sounded more like she was talking to a younger sister or a relative's child than a girlfriend or friend. I wonder if that's how I wanted it to be?

"Huh, is that Irito's girlfriend?" "Wow! She's got huge boobs..." "Huh? Not only does she live with Irito, she also has a girlfriend!" "Oh—they're quite a good match, aren't they?" "Her boobs are huge!"

You outsiders are so noisy! She's not my girlfriend, okay?! Stop talking nonsense!

The two parties involved seemed oblivious to the rumors circulating in the classroom.

Dongtou glanced up at Irito's face, his hands fidgeting nervously in front of his skirt.

"Um, well... I heard you seem pretty down, Mizuto."

"Me? Who told you that?"

She said she wanted to keep it a secret.

"...Only one of your friends would talk like that."

He's absolutely right.

In my mind, I have already pictured the image of a woman.

"I'm not feeling down... but well, I've already finished lunch, so I'll head to the library."

"good!"

The two walked toward the library, chatting and laughing.

I went to the corridor and stared blankly as they left.

How could this happen... The tea incident earlier was enough for this lunch break, wasn't it? There was absolutely no need for this unnecessary embellishment!

Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine.

As if drawn by it, I turned to look behind me.

Nan Xiaoyue was standing there.

He had a sly smile on his face, a smug look on his face.

"You bastard...! What do you mean by that...?!"

I took Nan Xiaoyue to the back of the school building where no one passed by, pressed her petite body against the school building wall, and glared at her with my face close to hers.

Most girls would have been terrified, but Xiaoyue just frowned and pinched her nose.

"Your breath stinks, don't come near me."

"Haaah~...!"

"Ugh! You're utterly rotten!"

I haven't neglected my oral hygiene, so there's no way I could have bad breath, but Xiaoyue pushed hard against my chest. Of course, I just wouldn't back down.

"Changed your target? Wasn't it supposed to be marrying Irito so you could become Irito's god-sister?"

"No, I haven't given up on that plan either. But between the two, Dongtou seems more promising, right? Even though he's already been dumped, some feelings only become apparent after a confession, right? ...Besides, you've already found out anyway."

"You bastard! You're not afraid of anything anymore now that you've been exposed because of what happened in the east. You're using her to frame me, aren't you? You're actually using someone else as a pawn!"

"People who treat others like fake people have no right to criticize me, do they?"

Xiaoyue laughed as if she thought I was an idiot, staring at me with icy eyes.

"It's really disgusting to see others secretly laughing like that... What's so interesting about other people's love lives?"

"They all look great, don't you think?"

"Love isn't something you just look at; it's something you talk about."

"You really have the nerve to say that."

"...Sigh. Anyway, you can go now, I need to go help Dongtou."

Do you think I'll step aside just because you heard that?

"Then don't blame me."

"No wonder—" Before I could even ask, Xiaoyue suddenly removed her hair tie and let her hair down in a ponytail. Then, she retied it at shoulder height, creating low double ponytails. She then took out her glasses from her skirt pocket and put them on, instantly transforming her entire demeanor. She looked like the kind of girl who would be a librarian…

What was she doing? Just as I had a bad feeling, Xiaoyue's lips twisted into a wicked smile.