My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 6 - Chapter 5.04

9:45 A.M.: Savior from the Taisho Era

Isana Higashira

The cultural festival had, regrettably, begun. However, my fellow classmates here in 1-3 were strangely unmotivated. Our class had ended up deciding on a low-effort photo gallery with the full intention of leaving to go visit other classes and enjoy everything the festival had to offer.

Thanks to their lack of motivation, I was able to get away without contributing. However, I had nowhere to go today, so I was doomed to laze around in our classroom. The only problem was that the girls who had been tasked with watching the classroom also had nothing to do, and were looking for some kind of amusement. Oh, would you look at that? It seems they have found a fun toy to play with. 

“Hey, Higashira-san, you’re just staying here?”

“W-Well...” I stammered.

“You have a boyfriend, right?” one of them asked. “Oh, but he’s a committee member, huh? I guess he doesn’t have too much free time.”

“Oof, yeah,” another added. “But hey, what’s he like? I’ve never seen him.”

“Hm, he’s a little wimpy-looking. Some people might think he’s handsome, I guess, but I’m more into muscular guys.”

“Nobody asked about your type! Sorry, Higashira-san. She just has a muscle fetish.”

“Hey! Takes one to know one!”

All I could do was nervously laugh. Somebody, please! I need to be rescued! My vitality is being sapped by conversing with these girls, whose names I am not even cognizant of! They were the only ones enjoying themselves. The best I could do was force a smile.

However, it seemed as if my wish had been granted. A certain visitor arrived at our class, which had become a glorified rest area, devoid of the energetic atmosphere outside. It was Mizuto-kun, who was wearing Japanese-styled clothes, including hakama, a cape, and a school cap.

The two girls who’d been excitedly chatting with me abruptly fell silent as soon as Mizuto-kun entered, his black cape fluttering. I froze. I...I had been informed of this. I’d even seen pictures. But even so...how was it so perfect?!

He’s like the eldest son of a noble family! Like my parents picked out an arranged marriage partner for me, but I refused to meet him, because I wanted to let my heart choose who I marry, but then I have a meet-cute with him without actually knowing it’s him, and I think, “Goodness, I wouldn’t mind being in an arranged marriage with this beautiful boy,” and then he IS the beautiful boy! It was just! Like! That! I was so caught off guard, so shaken, that I got lost in my fantasies. Mizuto scanned the classroom, found me, and walked over. Huh? Am I not dreaming? Is he really here? Oh, right! I know him! We’re friends!

“Isana.” And he calls me by my first name! “I came to check on you. Sorry, were you in the middle of something?” he asked the two girls next to me.

The girls, who had been so fluid in their communication mere moments ago, could now only produce sounds of bewilderment.

Mizuto, seemingly confused, tilted his head before returning his gaze to me. “I have to do my rounds, but I’ll be back around noon. I’m stuck wearing this for promotion reasons... Can’t wait to get out of it as soon as possible.”

“Don’t!” a unified protest came from the three of us.

Even though I couldn’t utter a word mere moments ago, I couldn’t help but scream too.

Mizuto-kun looked confused at how in sync we’d suddenly become. “Okay, well, like I said, I just wanted to check on you, but you look like you’re doing fine. I’ll see you later.” With that, he left the classroom.

I watched him leave with the two classmates whose names I didn’t know.

“Intellectual types might be good too...”

“Yeah...”

A simple glimpse of him had been enough to turn their fetishes on their heads. Mizuto-kun was fearsome.