My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 10 - Chapter 2

Secrets Taste like Honey

A Secret Game

Mizuto Irido

I couldn’t help but think how it was unbearably cold for the new year as we walked to school, the dry wind whipping past our faces. We stuck close to each other trying to defend against the wind as we stopped in the middle of the path.

“Around here’s good, I guess...” said Yume.

“Yeah...”

We were getting to the point on our route where we’d start seeing more Rakuro students. Though people knew that we were stepsiblings, we weren’t known to walk to school so close to each other.

Nearly everyone assumed I was dating Isana. So if Yume, a member of the student council, were thought of as a homewrecker, it’d turn into a whole thing. Though after the stunt she’d pulled after we started at school, there’d been rumors about her being a brother lover, but those had since been long forgotten.

Ultimately, we were in the exact same situation we’d been in in middle school, when we needed to split up before we got too close to school. But there was one big difference between now and then.

“Later.”

“See you at home,” Yume said, gripping my hand through her glove.

“Yeah... See you there.”

We said this to each other, sheepishly smiling, before Yume ran off ahead to school. I stood there, watching my girlfriend disappear in the distance, enjoying an almost nostalgic form of anxiety. I could see her as soon as I got home. That was the biggest difference.

“Hey, Irido. When’s the last time I saw you? Christmas?” Kogure Kawanami called out to me before the third semester’s commencement ceremony.

I furrowed my eyebrows slightly, seeing him. “Thanks for that, by the way. But let’s not talk about how we spent Christmas together. Creeps me out.”

“What gives? Happens all the time—just two single dudes spendin’ Christmas together, leanin’ on each other.”

Two single dudes? I was single back then, yeah, but I’m not so sure about you. I sat at my desk and rested my head in my hand when I caught a glance of Yume in front of the blackboard with her friends.

“Yume-chan! I missed you so much!”

“I just saw you over New Year’s...”

“Akki, are you gonna be like this every time we have a long vacation?”

“You’re like a bunny!”

The bunny in question was currently hugging Yume, and was the very same person who made me question whether Kawanami was single. After all, she practically lived in his house. If he insisted he was single, real single people would probably want to kill him.

“So?” Kawanami asked me with a vulgar grin. “You fix your problem?”

“Pretty much...”

“C’mon, gimme the deets! You owe me. I gave you a meal and a place to stay.”

“I’m not the type of person to gossip about private matters.”

Doesn’t look like he’s caught on. Both Kawanami and Minami-san didn’t seem to know that my relationship with Yume had changed. Then I remembered the conversation I’d had with Yume during the break.

“What should we do?” I had asked. “Y’know, about Kawanami and Minami-san?”

“You mean whether or not we should tell them?”

“Yeah. They did technically help both of us.”

“Hm... I get the feeling they’ll piece things together on their own eventually.”

“True... I mean, one of them is a self-proclaimed ROM expert.”

“And the other is a self-proclaimed romance expert.”

I’d never heard Minami-san refer to herself as such, but she’d probably given enough advice that she could be called that.

“So...” Yume had said as a devilish smile crept across her face. “Wanna test to see if those two will actually notice?”

“Hey.” My thoughts were interrupted by someone calling out to me. I looked up to see Yume. “I have student council stuff to do after the commencement ceremony so I won’t be going home right away.”

She spoke calmly, yet I was sweating internally. From the way she said that, it sounded like it was a given that we’d be walking home together. Minami-san and Kawanami finding out was one thing, but things would be really bad if our entire class found out. Yume should have known this, so why would she do this right in the middle of the classroom?!

“Mmh. Okay...” As a result of freaking out on the inside, my response came out more brusque than I’d intended.

Sure, I wasn’t winning any “boyfriend of the year” awards with my reaction, but it was a perfectly appropriate reaction for family members. Perhaps as a result, Minami-san seemed none the wiser as she hung herself around Yume’s neck.

“Yume-chan, when’s our next day off?”

“You were just on vacation,” Kawanami snapped. “How much do you just wanna hole up at home, you NEET?”

“That’s not it! I wanna know when Yume-chan and I can hang!”

“Let her take a frickin’ break. She’s probably busy with student council stuff.”

“Oh, it’s okay; we’re not too busy right now.” Yume then proceeded to talk about the days that she was off from the student council.

Minami-san seemed ecstatic as they made plans to hang out. Before we knew it, it was time for the commencement ceremony. Our classmates filed out of the classroom and headed to the gymnasium. Neither Kawanami nor Minami-san seemed to have realized we were dating, as they both casually headed off to chat with their other friends.

One way or another, I found myself walking next to Yume.

“Heh heh...” she giggled slightly.

I was able to just barely hold myself back from smiling. They really haven’t noticed? Sheesh. Yume and I exchanged looks, smiling to each other after making sure nobody would notice.

The Student Council President Who Was Left in the Dust

Suzuri Kurenai

Seeing the student council members for the first time in a while, I decided to majestically greet them as the president.

“Happy New Year, everyone. Though the year’s only just begun, we have a big meeting regarding next year’s budget coming up. Let’s all focus up and put our best foot forward.”

I nodded as they all responded in the affirmative and then sat down in my chair. I’d become accustomed to sitting here. Some people say you shouldn’t take student council too seriously, but we had the opportunity to nourish hundreds of student lives, so why not take it? I’d loosened up a bit over break as well, so I needed to get my head back in the game. However, since today was the first day back, I decided to ease into things. I suggested that instead of our meeting, we have lunch together, and they all agreed.

“All right then, before that, I need to go to the bathroom!” Aisa said, leaving the room.

“Oh...then me too,” Yume-kun said, following after her.

In the meantime, I decided to ask Ran-kun how her New Year’s was.

“I studied. I want to finally win against Irido-san in the third term,” she said nonchalantly.

Though I was slightly concerned that she might have been pushing herself too hard again, I could tell that she’d been keeping her promise with Yume-kun and sleeping properly, judging from the color in her face. Yume-kun might need to watch out. 

After getting ready to leave, I decided to go to the bathroom too. When I got close, I heard two familiar voices from inside.

“Aw, come on. Tell me!”

“Sorry, he’s pretty shy, so I can’t just yet...”

Apparently, they’d been conversing in the bathroom. I had wondered what was taking them so long. As I quietly entered, I saw Aisa and Yume-kun talking by the sink. Noticing me, they quickly turned around, surprised.

“Oh, it’s just you, Suzurin,” Aisa said, relieved.

“What’s going on? Sharing secrets without me?” I asked.

Judging from the way they were acting, it was easy to deduce that they’d been having a private conversation. You two should work on your poker faces. Yume-kun especially looked really uncomfortable and was obviously averting her eyes.

“Well...there was something I wanted to consult Aso-senpai about...”

“You can probably tell Suzurin, can’t you, Yumechi?”

“I-It’s not something I’d go out of my way to report to her about...”

“Didn’t she give you advice...back during the sports festival, was it?”

Huh? Did I? That conversation we had over lunch? Oh, I see... I have a good idea what’s going on now. It seems that there have been developments with him. I’d been aware that she’d been going to Aisa for advice, but how dutiful of her to give updates like this. This was entirely unlike Aisa, who would make it painfully obvious that something had happened with Hoshibe-senpai but insist on hiding it until we pried it out of her.

“If this is about what I think it’s about, I’m interested. I won’t force you to tell me though,” I said.

“Okay, well then, here it goes...” Yume-kun’s cheeks flushed. Let me guess, you went on a date? He said something nice to you? You seemed down during the Christmas party, so I’ll take any kind of good news, no matter how small— “I...have a boyfriend.”

I froze up. “You...huh?” You...have a boyfriend? You’re in a relationship now? Huh? “Uh...might it be...him?”

She fidgeted around embarrassedly. “Yeah, it’s...probably who you think it is.”

“Huh?! Suzurin, you know who it is?! Spill! She won’t tell me!”

I understand why she hasn’t. It’s not something she’d want to simply tell the world. After all, she’s dating her stepbrother, Mizuto Irido. I only knew because Joe had a good read on people, but if they could get by without telling anyone, it was probably better that way. Who knew what people might say.

Besides, Aisa looked like a person who couldn’t keep a secret, but also, she didn’t have many friends, so it might not have mattered too much.

Him though, huh? That fastidious boy... I thought it’d take a little longer for them to get together, but...

“Congratulations. I mean that from the bottom of my heart,” I said.

“Thank you!” Yume-kun said, smiling slightly.

When I congratulated her, I meant it—honestly and truly. That being said, I... I...

“Yay, Yumechi! Now we’re both taken!”

“Thank you, Senpai! Please continue giving me advice from here on out as well!”

They held each other’s hands, jumping excitedly at the fact that they both had boyfriends. Meanwhile, I couldn’t help as I stood there silently. Crap. I’ve been left in the dust.

A Birthday’s Left-Behind Soldiers

On the fifth of January, Joe’s birthday, he and I went out on a date. Yes, that’s right. A date. Last year, I’d failed to learn when his birthday was in time, so I’d been left to buy his present after winter break had ended. That’s why I’d made an appointment far in advance to pick out his present together.

Joe looked surprised as he saw me appear at our meeting place. “Kurenai-san... You’re looking... How do I put this?”

“Drab?” I asked, proudly showing off my normal coat and wig of an average hairstyle. “It’s an outfit to blend into the background. After all, whenever I go out with you, you constantly seem to feel inferior.”

“You don’t have to go out of your way to suppress your individuality...”

“I’m not. I’m simply trying to draw out yours.”

Exactly one year ago, I’d tried all different kinds of outfits on Joe, but none of them had worked. So this year, I’d decided to take the opposite approach and adapt to him instead. There was nothing wrong with one of us being a light and the other a shadow, but every now and then, it would be nice for us to be side by side, walking together at the same speed.

“I may be the epitome of plain from a distance, but...” Then, I grabbed his arm. “If you look at me from up close, you’ll see how cute I am.”

I stared into his eyes from close proximity, causing him to awkwardly look away. If he had blushed, it would’ve been more obvious, but still, it seemed I had successfully flustered him. Excellent. I felt as if I’d gotten a little closer to Joe during the trip to Kobe. I’d also gone through painstaking effort to obtain and covertly carry the item that Yume-kun had advised me to purchase.

In other words, today was the day! I was going to pluck away his obstinate persona! One could say that there was no better chance!

“Oh, this bracelet is nice and subdued. Maybe it’s time that you started wearing accessories like these. How about I get a matching one? I mean, not that I think anyone would notice, but sharing a secret would be nice, right? Oh yeah, it looks great on you! I’m not lying. You should really try to believe me every now and then.”

Though I was gentler than usual, I was also one step closer than I normally would be. I was treating him like one would a precious treasure. With every action I took, Joe would avert his gaze. Even so, he neither brushed me off nor pulled away. I knew him well enough to see through everything and know that he was embarrassed. This was proof that he was beginning to accept my feelings towards him.

There was no point in telling him how I felt anymore. Words were nothing but decorations of a distant past. They were outdated. That’s why I had no choice but to express myself through my actions. I’m going to keep showing you how much I like you with my face, my limbs, and my body until you believe me.

After a day of fully enjoying myself, I took the opportunity to propose what I’d been holding back for the entire day. “It feels sad to simply part like this.” Beating around the bush isn’t going to work with him. I pinched his coat and continued talking. “Would you...like to come back to my place?”

The entire day, I’ve moved closer to you. That’s why I’d like you to move closer to me, even just a little. I have no ulterior motive. That’s my honest wish. Following the precedent that Aisa had set with her story was nothing but an honest coincidence.

Joe looked around, embarrassed, gently gripped my hand that was pinching his coat, and... “I’ll have to decline. I need to help with dinner at home.”

Then he quietly walked away as if it were the most normal thing in the world, leaving me speechless. Why?! How, with this progression of events?! I was left with no choice but to return to my house like a straggler after a lost battle.

Aisa had gone all the way, and Yume-kun had gotten herself a boyfriend. Aside from Ran-kun, who had no interest in romance, I was the only one left on the student council without a boyfriend! I was supposed to be the one leading the way. I’m the student council president, for crying out loud! I need to make Joe fall for me, and there isn’t a moment to waste! This is an extremely important task for the student council president of Rakuro High School.

The Grass Is Always Greener

Kogure Kawanami

I could generally tell when a new couple was formed. When people were in love, it showed in their behavior, no matter how hard they tried to hide it. They’d secretly exchange looks, “accidentally” brush against each other, and in the most obvious cases, they’d go somewhere they thought was secluded and laugh together at the secret they thought they were keeping. This was especially true during the honeymoon phase, when they were all giddy from the freshness of their relationship. But they couldn’t hide from me. As a ROM expert, I had heightened senses and could easily see through anyone with my discerning eye.

“Hey, Gotoh! You started datin’ Watanabe-san, huh?” I asked, nudging a guy in our class who had been acting differently.

“N-No...” Gotoh said in an out-of-character, low, sheepish voice, trying to throw me off his trail.

Christmas really brings couples together. I love it! Meanwhile, the Irido siblings seemed the same as usual. When Irido came over on Christmas, I’d thought he’d figured something out, but from what I could tell, it didn’t seem like anything had changed. Lame...

“You don’t think so either?” After a few days had passed from the start of the third semester, Minami was complaining to me during our lunch break. “Judging by how Irido-kun acted back then, I’m sure something happened, but...” she said as she bit her straw. “Yume-chan’s actin’ perfectly normal, like nothing happened at all.”

“You sure she’s not just hidin’ it?”

“Huh? I don’t think Yume-chan’s really the type of person who can hide things.”

“You think so? What about that land mine of a secret she’s been hiding from her parents for almost a year?”

“That’s...true.” Minami frowned as if she was pouting while sucking down the rest of her apple tea. “Well, whatever happened, it can’t be anything more than the two of them making up after having a fight or something. She would totally tell me if anything big happened! I doubt Irido-kun would tell you anything, though.”

“Why’s that?”

“You have some self-awareness, don’t you? You stupid voyeur.” True. I can’t call myself a ROM expert if finding out revolves around someone reporting to me that they’re in a relationship.

“But y’know...” Minami rested her head in her hand while glancing towards the classroom door. Right then, Irido walked out, carrying a book under his arm. “Something did happen.”

“Like...what?”

“Like...something.”

“Like what?!”

“You don’t get the same feeling? Don’t you get a sense that something’s different? Can’t you smell it?”

“Like her putting on perfume or something?”

“No, like there’s something different about her aura or something...”

For as long as I could remember, Minami had always worked off instinct. She could jump into sports or video games without knowing anything about them and do fine. It was like that when it came to interacting with other people too. Her nose was always right on the money.

“Well...if you’re saying somethin’s up, I guess it is,” I said.

“By the way...” Minami stared at my face.

“What?”

“Have you...mellowed out?”

“Huh?! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Like, before, you were meddling a lot. You’d be all like, ‘Let’s tail ’em!’ or whatever.”

“I’m not a real voyeur like that! I just like to quietly watch!”

“Uh-huh...” She tilted her head and faintly smiled. “Has your interest switched to your own love life?”

“Urk.” I choked and began coughing.

Minami grinned while staring at me. “You’re more interested in looking at a certain someone rather than the couples around you, huh?”

“Y-You’re just being narcissistic!”

“Huh? Who said anything about me?”

You’re so annoying! There’s nothing more infuriating than a childhood friend who’s overly self-conscious!

“Romance isn’t something to be experienced. I’m not changin’ my opinion.”

“Well, it’s not like I don’t get what you’re saying, especially after watching Higashira-san recently.”

“Why her?”

“Huh? Don’t you know?” Minami gave me a surprised look. “Gimme a sec,” she said, pulling out her phone and searching for something. Then she showed me a picture that’d been posted on Twitter. “This picture’s been makin’ the rounds.”

“Hm? I feel like I’ve seen it before...”

“Higashira-san drew it.”

“Oh... Wait, what?!” I looked down and saw that it’d been retweeted over three thousand times.

“I heard from Yume-chan and then confirmed it with Higashira-san. Apparently, she’s always been pretty good, but sometime around the Kobe trip she started getting serious. After just a month, she’s trending. She’s a prodigy—plain and simple.”

“I was wondering where she’s been since I haven’t seen her online lately...”

“Irido-kun’s been managing her. They work together to decide what kind of pictures she puts out.”

“What?!” She’s become so incorrigible. When did this happen?!

“Don’t say anything extra to her, okay? Yume-chan already knows about it.”

“I know! But seriously...a month?”

I’d had no clue how skilled she was, but having a picture of yours trending was at the level of a pro from the perspective of someone like me, who knew nothing about the industry. Getting that far in a month would definitely leave you without time to play games, let alone pursue a romance.

“It must be nice to have something you can pour yourself into,” Minami said, sighing. “I help with all kinds of clubs every now and then, but none of them really speak to me. I pretty much half-ass them all.”

“Could you have at least half-assed our relationship, then?”

“Well, that’s the thing,” Minami said while looking at Higashira’s picture. “I’ve started pitying how I can only really feel happiness while in love.”

I wanted to quip that that’d make me the pitiful one, but I was able to hold myself back. I understood where she was coming from. It wasn’t like I was focused on a single goal. I was just doing whatever, so seeing someone who had a goal made me kinda jealous.

“Being obsessed with drawing isn’t exactly better than being obsessed with a guy.”

“You think so?” she asked.

“It’s just riskier with guys; that’s all.”

“Then I guess I’m okay.” In what way? I’m saying that the guy is in danger! “Aw man, isn’t there someone out there that’ll make me happy?”

“Are you waiting for me to make a joke?”

“I’d love someone who could be completely codependent with me.”

“Are you waiting for me to make a joke?!”

There’s nobody out there who fits that requirement.

The Remaining “Firsts”

Mizuto Irido

I made my way to the multipurpose room on the fifth floor that I’d been instructed over LINE to go to. The room was twice as big as a classroom and had white desks lined up in evenly spaced intervals, but in this huge space, there was just one person waiting. As I walked in with my lunch box and book under my arm, Yume smiled and waved.

“Over here!”

I approached her and put my lunch box down on a desk next to her. “You didn’t have to call me over. You’re the only one here.”

“Doesn’t it give a ‘rendezvous’ vibe though?”

“We’re not so inexperienced that we’re going for ‘vibes’ exactly, are we?” I pulled out a chair, sat down, and surveyed the deserted room. “We came here a lot during the cultural festival, but I guess there’s nothing going on right now. Shouldn’t it be locked up?”

“Heh heh,” Yume laughed proudly and dangled a key in front of her face.

“Is this student council privilege? Or an abuse of power?”

“You’re making it sound worse than it is. We’re planning on using it after school, so I was entrusted with the key.” Perhaps because she wanted to make sure she didn’t lose it, she put it in her purse. Then she brought out her lunch box. “Plus, it’s not like there’s anywhere we can have lunch together if I don’t do something like this.” She glanced at me, gently smiling.

I could feel myself getting embarrassed. I went to undo the cloth wrapped around my lunch box. “Does it matter? We eat together every day.”

“But it’s the first time we’re eating lunch alone, right?”

That’s true. Usually Kawanami or Minami-san is with us. It’s never been just the two of us. We’d previously decided that regular stepsiblings eating by themselves might’ve crossed a line of what might’ve been considered normal.

“Honestly, I’ve always really liked places that seem like a secret hideout. You know, like the spots you see in manga that are in front of the door to the roof?” Yume asked.

“Yeah, but in reality, those kinds of places are pretty dirty, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, probably. They aren’t somewhere you’d want to eat.”

Makes sense. It’s not like anyone really cleans there. “I like this more. We don’t have to be scared every time we hear someone.”

On this floor, there weren’t any classrooms—just the library, art room, and crafts room, and these were already places that not many people went to. Even though it was lunchtime, there wasn’t a single sound of conversation on this floor. It was perfectly silent.

“We’re lucky to get this entire room to ourselves.”

We took off the lids to our lunch boxes, which had essentially the same contents, except hers was more green and mine was more brown, which made sense since Yuni-san made our lunches.

Ever since we’d all started living together, Yuni-san had been making our lunches every day, but recently, the number of days she couldn’t make us lunches had increased. She wasn’t slacking or anything, though. Apparently she’d gotten very busy at work, and just like dad, she’d been coming home from work late every day.

“Yours has more meat than mine!” Yume said unhappily as she observed the contents of my lunch box.

I looked back at hers. “Yours has a lot more variety.”

“She’s probably watching out for my figure. But still...I wanna eat meat. Give me a little?”

“You’re gonna get fat.”

“Urk!” Yume frowned, making a pained expression. “Who says that? Especially to their girlfriend!”

“Actually, have you gained weight?”

“The only things that have gotten bigger are...my boobs.”

“Don’t make the same kind of excuses as Isana.” It’s true that Yume’s still in the middle of growing, but still.

Yume groaned in frustration. “Up until now I was always able to say that the food went straight to my boobs, but now...”

“Time’s up, huh?” I chuckled.

“You’re acting like it’s not your problem! You wouldn’t like me if I was fat, would you?”

“Depends on how big you get. If you get a little bigger, it won’t matter. You’ve always been on the thinner side anyway.” Honestly too thin. I can tell every time I hug you. I took my chopsticks and gave Yume one piece of my fried chicken.

“Here.”

She groaned again, this time as if she were trying to resist temptation. “Don’t do it! Don’t give in to my whims. You’re gonna break my willpower to look good for my boyfriend!”

“It’s better than you being skin and bones.”

I brought my chopsticks to her mouth and she opened her mouth like she was a baby bird before biting a bit of the fried chicken.

“It’s...so good.”

Then she proceeded to nibble on it. Looking at her as she did this, I really felt like I was a mother bird feeding her child. After finishing the piece, Yume groaned again, this time with disappointment, a little oil around her mouth.

“I need to look up diets... Maybe I should ask Higashira-san.”

“I doubt she’s on any kind of diet.”

“She has to be! There’s absolutely no way she can have that kind of underbust otherwise!”

“I’m pretty sure she’s losing weight only because she’s too focused on her art.”

Winter break had been a whole ordeal. I’d held off on going to her house, but I’d ended up going once because Natora-san had messaged me saying that she was going out for some fun and that she was leaving me to make Isana food. It was as if I had been dog sitting for her.

“She’s just becoming haggard, then. She’s not really losing weight.” I wasn’t sure if the expression Yume was making now was one of envy or worry.

“The end result’s the same though,” I said.

Isana wasn’t the type to get fat easily. I wasn’t sure if it was just her body type or what, but at the very least, mentally, she wasn’t the stress-eating type. She was the sleep and forget type.

Yume sighed bitterly. “The world is unfair,” she muttered, chomping on her vegetables.

As I watched her, an unsettling feeling came over me. She had slender fingers, and a thin neck, but she had very defined body lines in the right places. No matter how I look at it, you’re the unfair one. If she said this to another girl, she’d definitely get on their bad side.

As her boyfriend, maybe it’d be better for me to compliment her body and help her realize her own beauty. But also, saying something, like “Damn, you got huge tits but a super tight waist” sounded like something a stereotypical perverted old man would say. But if I went the opposite direction and praised her on the maintenance of her figure, I could totally see her being like, “Huh? Oh, but I don’t really do anything special.” That only left one option.

“Well, best of luck...for my sake as well.”

“Huh?” Though I’d only really tacked on the last part of my statement as an afterthought, she seemed to have reacted to that the most.

“Hm? What’s the matter?”

“Oh, no... It’s just...” Yume suddenly clammed up and began poking her cherry tomatoes with her chopsticks for no discernible reason. “Keeping up my figure for my boyfriend kinda... It kinda carries the nuance that I’m offering you something. You know?”

Offering me something? In the back of my mind, I imagined a very clichéd scene. Yume was wrapped in nothing but a thin sheet and was holding out her arms towards me, inviting me. Then, she whispered, “I prepared myself just for you.”

“You call me a closet perv all the time, but you’re really up there too, you know?” I said.

Then Yume got red all the way up to her ears. “I-It’s not my fault! It’s a real problem for girls!”

She was making it sound like it was a fake problem for guys, but in reality, it was something that I couldn’t ignore. It was true that this was the first time that we’d eaten together, just the two of us—but that was just in high school.

In middle school, we’d secretly eat together like this. We had a lot of “firsts” in middle school. We’d had our first date, our first kiss—even though we’d just started dating, we’d already experienced all those firsts with each other. That meant there was but one “first” left. One that we’d tried before but failed at.

We both clammed up and just like that, lunch ended without us being able to get any closer to each other.

The Courage Needed to Be Courageous

Joji Haba

“Would you...like to come back to my place?”

I sighed as that moment replayed in my head for the umpteenth time. There’s not a guy alive whose heart wouldn’t burst out of his chest after hearing those words.

Kurenai-san was always like this. She was so overwhelmingly transparent with her intentions—it made me feel like a coward for trying not to cross a line. If it had been anyone else, I would’ve thought they were confused, but Kurenai-san was much, much smarter than the likes of me. There was no way that she had been being impulsive. She’d thought everything through.

I was scared. I’d felt this as soon as I saw the outfit she wore to fit into the background with me. She’d do all kinds of things for my sake. So on the one hand, I’d felt stupidly excited, but on the other there was an incredible amount of guilt knowing how far she went just for my sake.

Someone like Kurenai-san having any feelings for a guy like me was no doubt some kind of huge mistake. But there was something to be learned by looking around. Romance only happens in general because of mistakes, but I lacked the courage to accept them. If anything, accepting the fact that of all people I had been the one to influence Kurenai-san to make a mistake wasn’t something I could do.

I wasn’t aware of anyone who had as low an opinion of themselves as I did. I just naturally assumed that I was no different from a rock by the side of the road. Some people might say that’s an optimistic view, in a way. After all, it sounds better than viewing myself as garbage, but in my opinion, that’d be a little bit better. At least with garbage, there’s the chance that someone’ll pick it up and throw it away. All a rock by the wayside can do is trip people.

No, all I’m doing is playing with words. All I’m doing is dragging myself down and basking in the resulting self-loathing. I was just being noncommittal. A dreamlike reality was in front of me, and I was afraid that I’d wake up.

I went to open the door to the student council room at the same exact time as usual and was met with a half naked Kurenai-san.

“Hm?”

“Oh...”

I froze up as her porcelain skin entered my eyes. She wasn’t wearing anything but sexy, grown-up black panties. She wasn’t wearing anything on her top. Around her neck was a white towel, which just barely covered her breasts, as if she’d just gotten out of the bath.

I immediately looked around the room as if to escape from the sight in front of me, and saw that her gym clothes were on top of the desk. Oh, right. The last few hours of today were dedicated to gym class, and we had to run a marathon. Most people went straight home after that, but I could imagine that she’d come straight to the student council room to wipe herself down.

This wasn’t exactly the first time I’d seen Kurenai-san in her underwear; actually she’d displayed it to me quite often. I wouldn’t say I was used to it, rather that I’d developed a resistance. But the timing of this was horrible. Seeing her like this after she left me with those parting words the other day...

“Sorr—” I began.

“The door,” she said with a troubled smile before I could apologize. “It’s cold. Could you shut it?”

“Oh... Yeah.”

I shut the door as instructed. Several beats later, I realized something. Why didn’t I leave? She’d been acting so natural that it didn’t register in my mind that this was something I shouldn’t be around for. It’s not too late. I can leave right now and—

“Joe.”

Just as I turned around to leave, Kurenai-san had already closed in on me. I couldn’t step back because the door was in my way. She slammed her hand against it, right next to my face. She wore nothing but a teasing smile and the towel draped around her shoulders, while using her other hand to trace the outline of my ear.

“Your face is red.”

Oh no, wait. Don’t tell me... Just as I could tell that the blood had rushed to my face... “You... You were waiting for this?” I asked.

She giggled cryptically in response. I’d thought it was weird that her towel was around her neck instead of being used to dry her body. She’d been waiting for me. She’d wanted to catch me after I ran away from her offer the other day. That’s why she’d set up this “accident.” As always, it seems that the reference materials she’s using to set these things up are off.

She wedged her knee between my legs. Even though she was a lot smaller and daintier than I was, it was as if I’d been captured by the vines of some kind of carnivorous plant.

“You’ve got some nerve humiliating me the other day,” she muttered, staring into my eyes.

I turned my head away from her. “I-I really did have to go...” I groaned.

But she interrupted my excuse by brushing her hand against the back of my neck. The sensation of her slender fingers creeping across my neck sent electricity radiating through my body in waves. In her eyes, I could tell she enjoyed my reaction, though she still wore the same calm expression. Her cheeks were gradually growing redder; she was almost certainly getting increasingly excited. C-Crap! I need to run away somehow!

“P-People are gonna find us! You need to put clothes on!”

“Then you need to promise me you’ll come over,” she said, putting her finger on the towel hiding her breasts. “You’ll be able to enjoy all of this without worrying about other people.”

Kurenai-san wasn’t the type to joke about this. She was always serious, no matter how much it seemed like she was teasing; I knew that. I was the one who wanted to believe that it was all just an act.

On the trip to Kobe, Hoshibe-senpai had answered Aso-san’s feelings with his own. On the other hand, I’d come up with reasons to turn away from Kurenai-san’s seriousness. That’s why she’d gotten desperate and had resorted to this. I knew. I really did. After all, if there was anything I could be proud of, it was my ability to read other people, and I knew that aspect of myself impressed Kurenai-san too.

Kurenai-san began to move the towel to the side, slowly revealing the youthful, still developing swellings underneath. If I stayed silent, I was sure I’d see everything. But would that make me lucky? No. That... That’d be...

“Kurenai-san!” Before she could move the towel out of the way, I hugged her, pressing my body against hers to hide it from my eyes.

She let out a strange shriek as I did. She was so small, slender, and incredibly beautiful to boot. That’s why, I...

“Please... Not like this.” It was time for me to be honest with her. “If this is happening, I want it to happen the right way... Going in order and not skipping straight to the dirty bits.”

“Huh?” Kurenai-san was taken aback.

But looking at my face from close proximity and sensing my nervousness from my hands, she sighed and smiled as if to relent. Did she figure everything out? Does she know that I don’t have the courage to face her and that’s why I can’t even look at her?

“So what do you have in mind?” she asked.

You know, yet you’re still asking? You’re still trying to toy with me. Thinking back to our trip to Kobe, I came up with an answer. “Hanging...out, or something?”

“We’ve already done that in spades.”

“Holding...hands?”

“We’ve done that too.”

“Embracing each other?”

“We’re doing that right now.”

Urgh! My head’s a mess, I don’t know what’s going on anymore! If there’s one thing we haven’t done yet, it’s gotta be... “Kissing...maybe?”

She’d kissed me on the cheek before, but never on the lips, of course. Kurenai-san trembled in my arms. I could tell she was smiling.

“So...you wanna kiss me, Joe?” she asked, her voice growing softer.

“I-It’s more that I think that’s the next step in general...you know?”

I felt her hands firmly wrap around my back as if she was saying she wasn’t going to let me go. “I apologize. It seems that I might have jumped the gun. I’ll restrain myself and do this the customary way and make you fall for me more conventionally. There’s only a month until Valentine’s Day, anyway.”

Valentine’s Day... “By the time White Day comes around a month after that, I’m sure you’ll want to kiss me so badly that you won’t be able to hold yourself back, so...” She suddenly slipped out of my arms and turned her back to me, taking the towel off of her. “We’ll save this until then.” She turned to look at me over her shoulder, wearing a devilish grin.

I sank to the floor, watching her walk away half naked. Seeing this was not so much alluring as it was akin to watching a heroic visage. We’re going to pick this up again...in two months? I’d been the one to stop her, but as soon as I had, I couldn’t help but feel pathetic. She smirked, and I got the sense that she’d seen through it all.

Suddenly, I heard voices in the distance. Oh crap!

“K-Kurenai-san!”

“Hm? What? Change your mind?”

“I hear people! The others are coming!”

In the next moment, Kurenai-san frantically scooped up her uniform and leaped into the documents room. After a few minutes, she reappeared and looked completely normal, like nothing had happened...except her ribbon was slightly crooked.

Reactive to Retroactive

Kogure Kawanami

“I’ve started pitying how I can only really feel happiness when I’m in love.”

By the time we were about half a month into the third semester, Minami’s words had played in my head countless times. It wasn’t as if I could sympathize with her sentiment. I refused to think of myself as pathetic for appreciating others’ romances.

It was the same for people who loved a certain YouTuber, idol, or game character. Of course, it was freakin’ impressive for people like Higashira to be able to switch to the creative side of the industry, but that didn’t make people like her better or worse than others.

That being said, Minami’s words were probably stuck in my head because I lacked confidence. I wasn’t born a ROM expert; I’d only become one after I had a horrible experience with a relationship. In other words, I was a big loser. That might’ve been a little harsh to say, but it was no different than giving up on something after a negative experience and picking up a different hobby instead.

Thinking about it like that, I knew there was definitely a part of me that felt left in the dust by the people who naturally fell in love with things and could pursue them single-mindedly, as if being led by something greater. Those kinds of people who were purely passionate were too bright.

I felt the same when I saw people around me falling in love. Just like with Hoshibe-senpai during the Kobe trip. I’d gotten irritated with myself, catching a glimpse of resignation and envy deep inside me after seeing him and realizing that I couldn’t be pure like him anymore. I needed to be around people, but I envied otakus who didn’t.

This intense narrow-mindedness all stemmed from a certain girl. I wanted to tell her to take responsibility for her actions, but let’s be real, she totally would, and that was a problem in itself. Ultimately, I had no choice but to think through by myself how I wanted to live my life.

“Hey, wassup?”

As I was walking through the halls after school ended, thinking about philosophy, which wasn’t something that suited me in the slightest, I ran into a familiar face. It was the small-bodied Akatsuki Minami, who was for some reason wearing a basketball jersey.

“Yo, what’s with your getup?”

“They were down a body so they called me in. We just started doin’ interval training,” she said, walking towards the water fountain, holding her hair back while drinking. “Phew!”

Then she pulled up her jersey and wiped her mouth with it. As she did, the white of her stomach showed and just above it, the edge of a bluish bra. Seeing it so blatantly out there had me sweating. I thought about warning her, but I could see her interpreting it as me being possessive because I didn’t want other people to see. So instead, I looked away, pretending not to notice, but even that kinda felt like I was doing it because I was bothered by it.

“Aren’t you cold? We’re already halfway through January, y’know,” I said, trying to mask my thoughts.

Minami let go of her jersey. “Doesn’t bother me as long as I’m movin’ around.”

“Got it...”

I’ve been wondering about this for a while, but why are there so many gaps in a jersey? It was like a really loose tank top. Just bending over a little bit was enough to give a glimpse of what was underneath. At least wear it over your gym clothes.

“Are you even useful, being so short? If you’re going after someone with a ball, can you even reach it?”

“I make up for it with my jumping strength! They call me the tiny giant!”

“What are you, a frog?”

“Call me a serow! You know, the goatlike animal? Achoo!”

She suddenly sneezed and began shivering. Looks like she’s cooled down. I don’t have a choice. I took off my uniform’s sweater-vest and put it around her shoulders.

“Thanks. Could I also get a tissue?”

“Sure.” I gave her a tissue from my pocket.

She then blew her nose loudly. “But anyway,” she said, crumpling the tissue in her hand, her voice becoming nasally. “I can’t beat actual basketball players one-on-one. It takes everything I’ve got to try and juke ’em. I’m just kinda there to be nice since they’re down a person. Not like they really need me.” There wasn’t a trace of bitterness in her voice. Her words were completely dry.

Minami helped out a lot of the sports clubs, but she wasn’t an actual member of any of them. She was athletically inclined and could pick up the tricks to sports—she even got pretty good—but she didn’t have the drive to take any of them seriously.

“You do all kinds of club stuff, but which one are you best at?” I asked, suddenly curious.

“Hm...” she said, looking up after glancing at me. “Not sure. I get the feeling I’m not really suited for any of them.”

“Even though they ask you for your help all the time?”

“I’m just athletic. But in the end, it’s more advantageous if you’re tall. With running, the taller you are, the more distance you can quickly cover, right? Though, I guess since I’m lighter, I’m faster out of the gate.”

“Oh kinda like how lighter characters have more acceleration in Mario Kart?”

“Yeah, exactly!” That said, in competitions, people tended to use heavy racers since they’re the fastest overall. “Honestly, I think my best bet would be in ping-pong.”

“Now that I think about it, you destroyed me during our family vacation.”

“Yeah, I know, right? I remember you sulked so badly, I panicked like crazy.”

“You haven’t thought about playing sports for real?”

“Well, it’s like, even if it suits me, it doesn’t really matter, ’cause I don’t have the drive to stick with it.”

With our freshman year coming to an end soon, I felt like I was beginning to understand people better. For those in the world called prodigies, it wasn’t important if they were born with the latent ability to do something—it was far more pertinent that they had the unlimited drive to do it.

When people learn that they lack motivation, they take one step towards being an adult. I didn’t fully understand it, but it felt like I was being left behind.

“You didn’t have to wait for me.”

“I needed something from the classroom. You just happened to be on the way.”

Hm? Minami and I turned around, hearing a pair of familiar voices. We were currently in the hallway leading to the gymnasium. Looking towards the school’s main building, I saw the two Irido siblings deep in the hall. It seemed that Irido-san was on her way home. She had her hand in her bag. Irido was... Wait, why’s he still at school? I thought he wasn’t hanging with Higashira in the library anymore.

“There’s something I need to buy on the way home—mom’s request.”

“Fine. I can at least hold the bags for you.”

“Thanks. Here you go.”

“You can at least hold your school bag.”

“Aw, come on!”

Minami and I naturally faced each other. The Irido siblings weren’t really friendly at school. That was why the rumor that had started around the beginning of school about Irido-san being a brother lover had been incredibly short-lived. But from the way they were acting with each other...

“Let’s go, then.”

“Yeah.”

And then the decisive moment that made everything clear came. Irido-san naturally and casually wrapped her hand around her stepbrother’s hand. Then she lovingly bumped her shoulder against his.

“We’re still at school,” he said bluntly, cautioning her and pulling his hand away. But even so, they walked towards the exit, lined up with one another like they were on the best of terms.

Minami and I could only stare in absolute astonishment as they disappeared from our vision. There was only one thought running through my head. They duped us! Irido had snagged her and hidden it from me?! I knew it! I knew something happened between the two of them after he stayed over on Christmas!

“Hey, Minami—” I called out to her, both frustrated and defeated. For some reason, her mouth hung half-open, her eyes glued on them. “Yo, you good?”

“Uh, I’m...” Minami shut her eyes and took some time to find the words she wanted to say. “Kinda heartbroken?”

“Huh?” Now you’re heartbroken? I thought you gave up on Irido-san a while ago.

“Of course, I’m sad about Yume-chan, but I did propose to Irido-kun once too. I dunno how to explain it. It’s a mess...”

“I wouldn’t call what you felt for either of them anything as grand as love.”

“Yeah, but still! It’s just...”

I get it. This is hard to swallow. This situation is all sorts of complicated. You think you’re over someone but you’re not. You think it’s the end of things, but it’s not. Before you know it, you’re being bogged down by feelings.

“Need me to console you?” I teasingly suggested. This was the best way to deal with her right now.

As expected, she looked up at me and grinned. “My place or yours?”

“Huh? Why are you assuming we’re going to one of our places?”

“Well, why not? Isn’t that normal when a guy’s trying to console a girl?”

“Why’re you tryin’ to make it look like I’m a guy who only thinks with his crotch?!”

Minami’s shoulders shook slightly from her giggling. I can’t believe you could make such a dirty joke after seeing those innocent two. Innocent...huh? I might’ve been the only one who saw them like that, but given their circumstances, they might’ve been in a much more difficult position than we were. Even so, they’d overcome it and played innocent. In that case, how long am I gonna...

I exhaled. “When’re you done with basketball?”

“Hm? Maybe another thirty minutes?”

“I’ll wait for you, then.” How long am I gonna stand still when those two have already progressed? I’m not gonna hide behind my observer persona forever. “Let’s hang out somewhere on the way home.”

“Really?! It’s been a hot second!”

“Yeah, I’ll even treat you in commemoration of having your heart broken.”

“Sweet! Hell yeah, heartache!”

“That’s not something a heartbroken person should say.”

Minami took off my sweater-vest and threw it back to me. “’Kay, wait just a bit. I’m gonna finish the match real quick!” she yelled as she ran off.

“Basketball games are time-based...” I slightly smiled as I gripped the jacket, her warmth still on it.

Despite making up my mind during the Kobe trip, I hadn’t thought about the future at all. That needs to change.

Long-Distance Relationship at Home

Mizuto Irido

In our house, the places where we could act as a couple were limited. We had only until our parents came home to have free rein. After that, they were primarily on the first floor, so we were then restricted to the time when we passed by each other in the hall on the second floor to chat with each other.

“Well, good night.”

“Night.” I waved at her before going into my room.

I could sense that she was in her room as I navigated the mountains of books in my room to get to my bed. Right when I looked down at my phone, a message from Yume popped up.

Yume: Night <3

The little heart that she’d added was definitely not a part of what she’d said to me in the hallway. I smiled a bit. She’s really forcing it.

I sent her another “good night” and then fell backwards onto my bed. With our phones, we could communicate regardless of time or place. We could send messages to each other over LINE and sometimes video call each other. But the time we could physically be with each other was limited.

At this point, we were essentially in a long-distance relationship. Despite being in the same house, we were as far apart as we could ever be. At least the time to move forward would come one day.

We’d had all kinds of experiences in middle school. Though this was a fresh start, it was also a continuation from where we’d left off. We’d chosen to be a couple despite being stepsiblings. We...needed to prove that we weren’t just doomed to repeat history, and to do that, we needed to take our relationship further than we had back then.

I fell silent with my thoughts. I might’ve been keeping up appearances, but I was no different from an average adolescent boy with dirty expectations. I wonder what Yume thinks. Does she want to...take the next step with me?

Expectations and Unease

Yume Irido

I exhaled as I lay on my back on my bed, trying to steady my breathing. My heart was beating unreasonably fast. Starting this month, the entrance to the future suddenly opened up. I imagined myself passing through the gates and couldn’t help but start to get embarrassed and worried. It shouldn’t have been surprising, but I couldn’t believe how all over the place my emotions were. Who could blame me? I couldn’t help but remember how happy Aso-senpai had looked as she spoke fondly about her experience, and then I thought back on what almost happened between Mizuto and me in this very house just two years ago.

I quietly screamed into my pillow, clutching it while rolling around. It went without saying that I was prepared yet also anxious about it becoming reality. From what I read online, it normally happened in the boyfriend’s bedroom. It was like that for Aso-senpai, at least. But in this case, my boyfriend’s room was right next to mine and also in the same house as our parents’. It was hard to really make plans.

But one day... One day, we’d find the timing. We wouldn’t rush into it. If anything, this would be a long time coming. That’s why we’d made up our minds to just go for it when the time came.

I was equal parts excited and scared. Is Mizuto thinking about this too? Does he...fantasize about me in dirty ways, thinking about doing this and that with me? Wait, what should I do?! I don’t know how to do anything! Should I ask someone? Maybe Akatsuki-san or Aso-senpai? But how am I supposed to ask them?! I’m so embarrassed I could die!

First, calm down. There was no use worrying about the future. It wasn’t like we were making any specific plans yet. Right now, I needed to focus on what was right in front of me, and I didn’t mean the budget meeting. February 14th—Valentine’s Day—was right around the corner.