My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 12 - Chapter 1.7

Kogure Kawanami: We’re Friends, Right?

I sighed as I stood in front of the urinal. After finishing our ramen, it was still a bit too early to go home, so we decided to go to a karaoke place we found nearby. While the girls were excitedly picking songs, I ran to the bathroom to hide.

She’s...dangerous. If she had an aura, it would be a horny one. Her eyes were like those of a predator stalking her prey. This was the lust beast version of Akatsuki Minami I hadn’t seen since middle school. Despite how cute, cheerful, and innocent she looked, she was an unstoppable ball of lust once you got her rolling, and I was...probably the one who lit that fire last night. Dammit! Seriously, what the hell did I do last night?! Did I really fuck up?!

As I stood there, cradling my head, the door to the bathroom opened and Yamato came in.

“Hey.”

“Hey...”

Yamato stood in front of the urinal two down from mine. Since I was done, I went to the sink to wash my hands. As I was distracted by the cold of the water, Yamato started talking.

“You’re dating Minami-san, aren’t you?”

I splashed water from surprise and I frantically moved my hands away.

“Wh-What makes you say that?”

“Well, the two of you seem kinda close despite being supposedly broken up.”

Did I ever tell Yamato we broke up? I mean, he knew that we dated because we were in the same middle school, but... Oh wait, I must’ve told him yesterday.

“Well, it’s like...we’re not dating, but we live next to each other, so we can’t be at odds forever, you know?”

“Is that how it is? Yeah, I don’t get it.”

“Once you get a girlfriend and break up with her, you’ll get it.”

“Dude, why do you gotta say it like that?”

Looks like I got him off my back for now. She really needs to be more conscious of who’s watching. I put my hands under the air dryer while Yamato washed his hands. We left the bathroom at the same time, and waiting outside the door for us was Makoto.

“Hey, don’t ditch me!”

“What’s your problem? Can’t be around girls or something?” Yamato teased.

Makoto looked away awkwardly. “I’m not good with them... I never know what to talk about.”

I chuckled lightly. “Makoto...you may look different, but you haven’t changed one bit.”

“Shaddup!”

Makoto had always been bad with more talkative girls and usually only ever hung out with us because of that. The unease I felt from Minami’s actions was somewhat soothed by nostalgia as I thought back to middle school. Man, I feel so at peace. I thought Makoto would have changed after starting high school, but I guess it’s only the outside that’s different.

Makoto seemed to be looking at my expression. “So, Kogure... I heard a bit of the conversation from earlier.”

“Hm?”

“You don’t have to hide it if you’re dating Minami-san.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, exactly!” Yamato said, putting his arm around my shoulder. “Don’t be so cold! What’s to hide anyway? Everyone in our middle school knew the two of you were dating.”

“We’re not! We really broke up! We’re just childhood friends now!”

“‘Just childhood friends’... Damn, I’d love to say that myself one day,” Yamato said.

“Shaddup...”

I was used to getting teased like this, but right now it hit a little too hard because there was a high chance Minami and I weren’t just childhood friends anymore.

“Well, I guess if you say you’re just friends, then okay,” Makoto said, chuckling lightly. “Anyway, if you need to talk to anyone, I’m there for you. We’re friends, right?”

“You’re the last person I’d ever wanna go to for help, Makoto.”

“Hey, come on!”

As we chatted, we walked back down the hall to the karaoke room. If I could at least prove that nothing happened last night then I could boldly deny our relationship. Come on, Irido... You’ve gotta have come up with something already, right?

Mizuto Irido: A Statement from Someone Experienced

The sound of sizzling meat made the rounds over the riverside. As the Tanesatos had their yearly barbecue, I was reading a book as I always did. Thanks to the rays of the sun being a little softer today, the shadows from the tree weren’t too dark, so I could still read.

“Mizuto?” I heard the sound of gravel under sandals, and I looked up.

Standing there was Yume, wearing a swimsuit and a light jacket. She was wearing the same white bikini she’d worn during the Okinawa trip, increasing her skin exposure a little from last summer’s trip here.

She’d bought this bikini to wear under the wetsuit during the Okinawa trip, and though it should’ve been obvious due to the jump in skin exposure, it showed me just how much more self-confidence Yume had now. It was like she’d actually become bold, unlike last year when she had just been forcing herself to act like that. Then again, it could have just been that she’d grown physically bigger too.

She didn’t look too different from Madoka-san now, although the former’s slimmer waist might have given her the edge. Yume brought over a paper plate for the both of us and knelt on the blanket I was sitting on.

“Were you thinking of something dirty right now?” she asked.

“Of course not.”

“You sure? I felt a stare.”

The plate she put next to me was filled with sauced meat and vegetables. “I was never able to figure out what you were thinking before because you don’t show what you’re thinking, but I’ve figured you out now.”

“That goes for me too.”

“Yeah, true,” Yume said, sitting next to me. She tilted her neck to see what I was reading.

“If you’re so interested in what I look like in this bikini, want me to put it on for you sometime?”

“Yeah. When our parents aren’t around.”

“Oh my, what are you planning to do to me?”

“What would you like me to do? You should think about that while you still have the chance.”

After all, I wasn’t confident I’d have the self-restraint to take the time to listen to her requests in the heat of the moment. I’d always thought that I was the type of guy with a lower libido, but after taking the next step with Yume, I had been forced to realize that I wasn’t. I wasn’t sure if I’d always been like this or if Yume was just too hot. I’d let the history books decide that.

“Don’t get too crazy, kids...”

“Whoa!”

Yume screamed as if she’d seen a ghost, but I silently turned around to see Madoka-san looking at us with suspicious eyes.

“You’re just gonna get blue-balled if you flirt too much since there’s no good time to let all that out here...”

“Wh-What are you talking about?”

“Don’t even try to do it outside, okay? Even if there’s nobody to get on your case here, the bugs’ll definitely get you.”

“S-Seriously, what are you talking about?!” Yume stammered with a burning blush.

Madoka-san snickered at her reaction. I hadn’t seen her since the cultural festival, but even without us saying anything, she somehow knew that Yume and I were dating. I wasn’t sure if Yume had told her or if she was just that perceptive.

“Well, jokes aside, you two really should be more careful. It’s not too hard to tell when a guy and girl have done the deed.”

“We’re already being careful, though...” Yume said.

“You say that, but I don’t really think so. Especially you, Yume-chan. You’re constantly flashing these horny eyes at him.”

“H-Horny...”

No argument there.

“I know it’s fun and new, but you gotta be more reserved than normal couples.”

“I-It’s not exactly new...”

“Oh? So you’ve been like this for months, then?”

“I’ll shut up now...” Yume’s head dropped.

Yeah, that’s for the best. When it comes to this topic, Madoka-san has a leg or two up on us.

“Man, this feels nostalgic,” she said, putting her elbow on her knee and resting her head in her hand. “When I was in high school, every day was like this, but now, without the power of alcohol, it’s hard to have fun like this. Like last time, I drank so much I woke up at my boyfriend’s place. I couldn’t remember a thing. Hilarious, right?”

I really don’t want to hear about this kind of story from a relative of all people... Wait, I heard a similar story.

“When that happens, do you know that you lost your memories because you drank?” I asked.

“Pretty much,” Madoka-san said. “Usually if you drink that much, you’ll get a hangover—oh, but my friend’s a total lightweight and might black out after a single drink. When they wake up the next day, they don’t remember a thing. Apparently, they find out if they drank too much by asking the friends they drank with or from the aftertaste in their mouth.”

“The aftertaste?” Yume asked.

Just like her, this word caught my attention too because I’d heard something similar recently.

“I wonder what the two of you’ll be like. I can’t even imagine.”

“I think Yume’ll be able to hold her liquor. We had a cake with alcohol in it, and she ate it with no problem. Yuni-san can drink like a fish too.”

“Oh, true. That lady can keep up with the drinkers in our family, so she must have a high tolerance. Going off that, you’ll probably be about the same. Oh, but what if when you drink too much you become real cuddly?”

“Heh heh, that’d be fun.”

Madoka-san and Yume grinned while looking at me. Ugh...

“Well, I’ll stop being a third wheel and go back to the adults’ table,” Madoka-san said, standing up. “Have fun! Oh, but not too much fun.”

She waved goodbye and went back to where the adults were having fun and drinking. The sky eventually turned orange as the sun set, and though I couldn’t look at the time, it was most likely after six. I’d completely forgotten about it until now, but there was something that was bothering me about what I’d heard from Kawanami this morning after speaking with Madoka-san.

“Yume, don’t you think it’s about time we tell Kawanami and Minami-san the truth?”

“Yeah... I’m sure she’s already done flirting with him. Oh, but just make sure you don’t tell Kawanami-kun that Akatsuki-san was acting like that on purpose.”

“I’ll only tell him my conclusion from what he told me: that I don’t think they did anything. That good?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

I slipped my phone out of my jacket pocket and called Kawanami.

Akatsuki Minami: The End to a Fleeting Dream

“Bye! See you guys tomorrow!”

“See ya!”

After taking the bus back from Ichijoji, we disbanded for the day. Now, it was just Kawanami and me, and we were going together to the lot where he’d left his bike. After getting it, we walked together to go back home.

“Let me ride on the back,” I said.

“You wanna get stopped by the cops? Besides, don’t you have your own bike?”

Oh? He’s acting quite cold. I was expecting a more heated response from him. Truth be told, I’d left my bike in the same lot as his, so I paid the fee and took it back. It was free for three hours, but after that, it was a hundred yen—which was a steal, especially since getting around Kyoto was best by bike.

I rode my bike next to Kawanami, and gradually, the atmosphere from the Kawaramachi shopping district grew farther and farther away as we entered the calmer business district. Now it’s time for the fun to start! I wasn’t sure whether Kawanami’s place or mine would be better, but either way, I’d find a reason so that we’d be together. I’ve been working up his sexual appetite all day, and I know that the instant we’re behind closed doors, he’ll explode. It means that I’ll be at our class reunion tomorrow fully aware of the dirty deeds Kawanami and I do tonight, but maybe that’s better. I’m so excited!

When we got back to our apartment building, we parked our bikes in the bike lot and took the elevator together. The entire ride was spent in silence, but if anything, it felt like we were in the mood. My heart was beating hard. Cute bra? Check. Cute panties? Check. Yesterday had happened out of the blue so I’d been wearing a very unsexy sports bra, but this time, I was fully prepared. I’m sexy today!

When the elevator doors opened, we silently stepped out and walked down the hallway until we reached our respective doors. This is it! I tugged longingly at his sleeve.

“My parents aren’t home today...” I cooed, making sure that my voice was cute. “Could we...hang out a bit more?”

And that’s game, set, match! There’s no guy out there that could resist after hearing this! I’m sorry for teasing you all day, but now that we’re home you don’t have to hold back anymore! But also, I can’t hold back anymore! I looked up at him as I waited for his nostrils to flare and him to nod, but...

“Heh,” he snorted. “Sorry, but my parents are home today. See ya.”

Then he shut the door behind him. There wasn’t even a chance for me to stop him before he disappeared. Uh...huh? That’s not supposed to happen. What happened? This is definitely the day, isn’t it? Why am I standing out here by myself?

I opened the door to my empty, cold apartment, fully confused. My body was ruthlessly sobered up by the fact that I was alone here. What the heck just happened?! He was definitely reacting to me all day! He was freaking out so much! Why’s he suddenly all calm now?! Did I have to rile him up more? Did I have to tempt him more? Was I not tantalizing enough? Should I have been more direct?! I should make him wanna do it right now!

I used my rage and horniness as fuel to take off my clothes, toss them onto the floor, go into my room, and take a ton of dirty pictures of myself. I look hot in my underwear. I look hot naked. Hmm, or would it actually look more hot if I was in clothes? Where’s my skirt? Let’s put it on and roll it up to make it shorter!

By the time I was done, my phone’s memory was filled with my dirty selfies, and finally, I had calmed down. What am I even doing? If a heap of sex appeal was all I needed to return us to how we used to be, then it wouldn’t have taken this long. It was only because I didn’t try to be the same crazy person I was in middle school that we had been able to get slowly closer.

Sheesh... Now that I was back in my right state of mind, everything just seemed stupid. What was I getting so excited about by myself? There’s no way that our problems got magically solved without me even knowing it. I’m sure that nothing even happened last night, although I am curious why Kawanami suddenly started acting calmly again...

“I should pick up my clothes...”

I left my room and went to the living room where I’d taken off my clothes. As I bent over and reached to get my blouse, I suddenly remembered something. This morning, I picked up clothes on the floor in the living room too...

“Huh?”

And then I remembered everything that happened last night.

Mizuto Irido: The Identity of the Hang-up

Through the darkness of night, I could hear a chorus of frogs in the distance. I’d already taken a bath and was now relaxing—chilling, one might say. As I sat under the light in the old, Japanese-style room, I silently turned the pages of my book. I was sharing a room with my dad, but he and the other adults were all still partying their guts out. As a result, in addition to the frogs, I could hear their raucous laughter. Though it would be unbearably loud if I was there with them, at this distance, it was the perfect amount of background noise. But through all the noise, I heard footsteps approaching.

“Mizuto, you there?”

The moonlight cast Yume’s silhouette onto the sliding door.

“Yeah.”

After hearing my response, she quietly opened the door. She was wearing her usual pajamas, and since she had just gotten out of the bath, there was steam faintly coming off her skin, and her long, sleek black hair was shining.

“Can you help me dry my hair? I would ask mom or Madoka-san, but they’re both...busy.”

“Sure. Come here,” I said, putting the book I was reading down.

Yume shut the door behind her, a sheepish smile on her face, and then came over to me and gave me the hair dryer. She sat down with her back to me while I plugged in the hair dryer and turned it on. Her elegant hair swayed like the long leaves of a willow tree as the hot air blew on it.

I ran my fingers through her hair, getting rid of any tangles I came across. Her hair was so smooth and softer than silk, it felt calming to touch like this. This honestly isn’t too bad. I’d spent almost all of the last year in turmoil, but now it was the exact opposite. I felt as stable as an old tree with a thick trunk. That sense of security was strengthened with Yume by my side, but sometimes she made my heart beat faster too. Honestly, I was in an ideal situation.

The sound of the frogs once again reached my ears, and peaceful silence filled the old room. There was no reason for either of us to fear a silence between us, though.

“How’s that?” I asked, turning off the hair dryer.

“Yeah, it’s good,” she said, feeling her hair before suddenly leaning back against me.

I could feel the warmth from her delicate body and the faint heat from her hair.

“Warm?” she asked.

“Yeah, kinda.”

I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she rested her head against my shoulder. I felt the silky warmth of her hair against my cheek. I began to hold her even tighter against me and she turned so that our cheeks were touching. From there, I simply turned my neck a bit to kiss her.

“Did you forget Madoka-san’s warning?” she asked, a bemused look in her eye.

“I’m not going too far.”

“You think so? Mm...”

This time, I gently nibbled on her ear that was peeking out through her hair. Yume’s body twisted as if it tickled.

“How was your second time coming to the family reunion?” I asked in a lowered voice, keeping my mouth by her ear.

“I think I feel more comfortable here now... Mm. Last year was pretty crazy, so it was hard to know what to do, but... Hnn. I think both mom and I feel more part of the family now... Mmn. Stop doing that while I’m talking...”

She was complaining, but Yume was the type who was fun to tease because she didn’t actually hate what I was doing.

But that being said, I couldn’t go too overboard here. I lessened my grip on her waist so I wasn’t clinging to her as much.

“Ow!” Yume said, looking up, wincing.

“Oh, sorry. Did I get your hair?”

“Yeah, I should tie it up.”

“I’ll help.”

Yume split her hair into two bunches and put one over each of her shoulders. She tied the right side with a scrunchie, while I did the left side. It was a little hard to do from my current position behind her, though, because our arms got in the way of each other. Girls with long hair really have it rough. It’s always a whole thing to wash their hair and tie it up. I can’t even imagine having to do this day in and day out. It sounds so annoying, I couldn’t deal...

“Oh.”

Ponytail.

“Hm? Something wrong?” Yume asked, turning around after noticing that my hands had stopped.

“Ponytail...” I was stunned, but I was able to choke out the word.

“Huh?”

“When do you use a ponytail?”

I figured it out. I know what was bugging me about what I heard from Minami-san’s and Kawanami’s stories. This is the hang-up. I moved away from Yume and frantically got my phone while stating what was probably obvious.

“There’s no way she slept with a ponytail...”

Kogure Kawanami: Ponytail and Skirt

I was currently having a nice, calm evening, and it was all thanks to Irido. When we were leaving Ichijoji after finishing karaokeing, I got a call from Irido, and I heard his theory. Judging from the situation, he said that there was a low chance that anything happened between Minami and me. The way he explained everything made it very easy for me to accept his theory. This left me feeling very relieved and free, allowing me to regain my composure.

Though I still wasn’t sure what had happened to my memories from last night, I was just happy to know that nothing had happened between us. Most likely, the way she’d been trying to lead me on today was just her usual exposure therapy. I mean, she’s not always going to announce that she’s doing it ahead of time.

After eating dinner and then taking a bath, I refreshed myself with a cool, citrus soda. But as I did, I heard my phone ringing. Is someone calling about the reunion tomorrow? I took out my phone and was surprised to see that it was Irido again. Hm? What’re you doing, man? Just forget about me and do some fun things with Irido-san. I pressed the accept button and brought my phone to my ear.

“Hello? What’s up?”

“Kawanami, I want you to check something for me.” I was taken aback by the serious tone in his voice. What’s going on? “I want you to look on top of your desk, by your pillow, or under your pillow, under your bed, your covers—just somewhere around there for something that isn’t usually there.”

“Huh? What’re you talking about?”

“If it’s what I’m thinking, then it’ll be something that you definitely don’t own, and it contradicts something you said.”

I have absolutely no clue what he’s talking about, but judging by how serious he’s acting, I’ll listen to him. I went to my room and checked around my desk where my laptop was, but of course, I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

I mean, I’m pretty sure I would notice if there was something in my room I definitely don’t own. So then that just leaves around my bed. Since it was summer, I was using a thinner blanket and began shaking it, but nothing really came out. I knelt on the ground, checking under the bed, but I didn’t see anything. Finally, I looked under my pillow, and...

“Oh.”

I found something underneath my pillow...

“I found a purple ribbon.”

“Is there a hair tie too?”

“Yeah, with the ribbon...”

“I thought as much,” Irido said.

This wasn’t something that I hadn’t seen before, but it was definitely something I didn’t own. This is what she uses to tie her hair.

“Kawanami...I’m gonna say something kinda frightening,” Irido continued. “You told me that when you woke up, you saw a ponytail and a skirt, right?”

“Y-Yeah... I was kinda half asleep, but I remember that much at least...”

“So, Yume actually spoke with Minami-san, and she said that when she woke up in your bed, she panicked and put on her clothes and ran out of your place.”

First time I’m hearing this. If she put on clothes, does that mean she wasn’t wearing any in my bed?

“And?” I asked.

“You don’t realize what I’m saying? She didn’t mention once that she tied her hair up.”

I felt a chill run down my spine, and it wasn’t from the soda.

“Minami-san’s always wearing a ponytail, but she at least lets her hair down in bed ’cause it’s hard to sleep with one. I can’t imagine that she’d sleep while wearing a ponytail, meaning that when she woke up in your bed, her hair was down, and then she panicked, got dressed, and ran out of your place. She didn’t have the time to tie her hair up.”

“W-Wait... But I saw someone with a ponytail leave my room!”

“So why are Minami-san’s hair tie and ribbon in your room?”

I was holding the very evidence he spoke of. She couldn’t have tied her hair up without these. When she left my room, she wasn’t wearing a ponytail.

“The skirt part is suspicious too. Minami-san didn’t say anything about getting dressed before leaving your room, but before leaving your place. For example, if she left her clothes in your living room, then there was no way you could’ve seen what she was wearing when she left.”

I had no clue what was happening. What does this mean? What the heck is going on?!

“Minami-san didn’t check to see if you were awake, and you didn’t check to confirm that the person leaving your room was Minami-san. Also, neither of you can confirm if both of the things you witnessed happened at the same time.”

Minami left my room. I saw a ponytail leaving my room. If these two events weren’t the same, then...

“There’s one thing I can think happened,” Irido said. “The girl you saw wasn’t Minami-san. The girl you saw came after she left and was someone completely different. Someone else came into your room while you were sleeping.” Any warmth left from the bath I’d just taken had completely disappeared. I felt frozen to my core. “Do you have any idea who that could be? Someone who might’ve been at your house at that time?”

I do. They were just at my house recently too. I even hung out with them today. “Irido... I’ll talk to you later. Thanks.”

“Kawanami—”

I hung up and put my phone down on my desk. They were someone who was different than they were in middle school and not comfortable around girls. They were always hanging around us, but they didn’t come into the bathroom with us.

Makoto Koyama—the one girl at yesterday’s mini reunion.

Suddenly I felt hives breaking out on my skin, and a strong wave of nausea knocked me back on my bed.

Her saying she’d go to ramen if I was going, her asking if I was dating Minami, her saying that I could go to her if I had any problems... I had no doubt now. Makoto had been in my room. Makoto was... And then everything went dark in my head, like someone flipped a breaker.