My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 6 - Chapter 5.05

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10:05 A.M.: The Heart Says More than the Lips

Yume Irido

“Look, she’s so cute!”

“Wow, you’re right!”

I could feel my face get warm after hearing these comments from yet another group of people. I’d been naive in thinking that since the halls would be filled with people cosplaying, my outfit with its hakama and boots wouldn’t draw any attention. How could I have thought that when we’d specifically picked these outfits to stand out?

“Working the café might have been better...”

“Like hell you could do that.”

“O-Of course I could! I can totally serve customers!”

Mizuto and I bickered as we walked through the halls. How could he look so calm after being so mean?! There was a placard on the back of Mizuto’s cape that said, “Taisho Roman café in class 1-7!” Akatsuki-san had put it on him before we went on our rounds. It was honestly more embarrassing than our costumes, so the two of us switched wearing it periodically.

“Just wait until my shift! I can do anything when I put my mind to it!”

“I know. I heard you practicing night after night through the wall.”

“Urgh. D-Don’t listen!”

“It’s not my fault that you’re so loud.”

This was why living together wasn’t as glamorous as some might have made it out to be. What about Valentine’s Day? Where was I supposed to make chocolates?

The most time-consuming job for committee members during the festival was making our rounds. We needed to resolve any trouble we saw and help any kids who were lost too. There was no time to be shy.

Part of the reason I’d invited Higashira-san to go around the festival with us later was also because I’d already be alone with Mizuto while we made our rounds. It was practically a date, wasn’t it? According to an upperclassman, there was a precedent for couples getting together after this activity.

I checked my watch. “Hey, we should get going.”

“Hm? Oh, right. We need to do our inspection of the haunted house.”

“Yeah! We’ll be inconveniencing them if we’re late.”

Checking to see if the class stalls were safe or not was also one of our duties as committee members. Haunted houses were dark and hard to see in, making it easy for problems to occur. That’s why committee members like us needed to go through them first to make sure they were safe. Yes, this was our job. It had absolutely nothing to do with my own selfish desires. This was for work! I had absolutely no choice but to go through a haunted house with Mizuto!

“Oh, there they are.”

“Are you the committee members?”

“Wow, your costumes are cute!”

When we arrived, we were met by the students working reception. Their classroom had a very “gloom and doom” vibe to it, appropriate for a haunted house. They’d just barely finished their preparations in time, so we couldn’t come until right before the start of the festival. We were really cutting it close, but as far as I could see, it looked well put together.

Just as I started to feel nervous, Mizuto switched to work mode. “Would it be okay if we began our inspection?”

“Go ahead!”

“You two can just go right on in.”

“Watch your step and follow the path, okay?”

“By the way, it’s really dark inside, so if you hold on to each other a little, nobody’ll know.”

Oh my god, they’re encouraging us. This is a haunted house for couples!

“Come on,” Mizuto said, pulling back the black curtain over the entrance as I stood there, trying to figure out what to do.

“H-Hey, wait!” I frantically chased after him and passed through the curtain.

It was so dark inside, almost cave-like, that I could barely believe it was still daytime. They’d placed guiding lights in the back that mimicked the glow of human souls. What kind of lights are those? How did they make them?

“They made a way to ensure people know where they’re going,” Mizuto calmly observed, still clearly in work mode.

Can he handle horror? Ugh, I should’ve taken him to a haunted house when we were dating!

I took a deep breath and prepared myself for what I was about to ask. “Hey...could we...hold hands?”

“Huh? Why?”

What do you mean, “Why?”! When someone cute asks you to hold their hand, you don’t question them—you just agree! But still, I didn’t back down.

“Well, it’s dark, we’re wearing hakama, and we’ll cause them a lot of problems if we trip and break something. So, holding hands is just a measure of precaution...okay?”

“Fine, whatever.”

Just as he agreed, I gently gripped his slender hand. Despite how delicate it felt, it also had a toughness to it, which reminded me that he was a guy. Have his hands gotten bigger since middle school? I interlocked my fingers with his, as though we were a couple. Mizuto shot me a look, but I pretended not to notice. I’m not bothered by anything at all. Honestly, you’re being a bit too self-conscious. I met his gaze, and he turned away. I couldn’t help but giggle.

Just like that, our haunted house date began. I could hear the sound of dripping water echoing as we walked the narrow path through the dark. As we did, the first ghost appeared in the midst of dim lights that served as our guide.

I screamed—but I hadn’t planned to. I was genuinely frightened as I clung to Mizuto’s arm. Whatever it was that had popped out... Well, it certainly wasn’t human. I’d assumed that the bread and butter of haunted houses would be something like pale hands bursting through sliding doors, but I hadn’t seen anything like that on the path, so I’d thought I was safe. My wrong assumptions had made me let my guard down.

“Hey...” As I froze up from both surprise and bitterness of my expectations being betrayed, a trembling voice whispered in my ear. “How long are you gonna hold on to me?”

“A-Ah, sor—” I began to say before realizing that I couldn’t back down. I couldn’t be the same wimp as I’d always been. This was my chance. I had to press harder. “A-Actually, could I stay like this a little longer? I’m...scared.”

“You are? The person who reads books with dismembered bodies is scared?”

“M-Mystery and horror are completely different genres!” I said stubbornly, gripping his arm harder.

It took me three seconds to realize that I’d firmly squished his arm against my chest. I’d lost my path of retreat. I’m so embarrassed! But if I run away now, he’ll know I’m pushing myself. I could feel my heart beating faster. Could he tell? Do you know that it’s because I’m holding onto your arm? Or do you think it’s because I’m scared?

“Let’s get going. We can’t stay here forever,” he muttered, walking forward and pulling me with him.

There were more elaborate jump scares as we continued. Ghosts popped out of nowhere. We were being followed. Quickened footsteps. It was all so scary that I didn’t have a chance to seduce him.

Just as I figured that we were nearing the end, we came to the classroom door. All we had to do was open it, and we’d be free. But as we got closer, I noticed a poster over the door’s window, blocking it.

Demonstrate pure love to defeat the monsters and lift the curse placed on the door. A hug, perhaps? Maybe even...a kiss?

Mizuto and I stared at it in silence. What the hell?! What kind of haunted house doesn’t let you leave unless you kiss?! I got a very bad feeling about this. The more I thought about it, the more I felt their smiles had been suspicious.

“Wh-What do we do?” I whispered.

“Well, we’re not kissing. They must be watching from somewhere, though, if that’s the condition for leaving.”

O-Oh. Right. Yeah. That was when I remembered that everyone thought he was dating Higashira-san. Mizuto would be labeled a cheater if the information that we kissed got out somehow, even if we only pretended.

“Oh well. I guess that’s it, then. If we can’t get out unless we follow the rules, then I guess that’s that,” I said, in a loud voice, standing in a way that made it seem as if I really didn’t want to.

Then, I hugged him. The poster did mention hugging, after all. There was no other choice. Right?

“H-Hey!”

“Come on, hurry up and hug me back, or else we can’t get out.”

“Curse it all...”

I laughed a little. I’d never met a person who would actually say something like that. I felt his arms wrap around my back. Bliss filled my heart as I felt his warmth against me. I felt simultaneously excited and at peace. This might’ve been the first time he’d hugged me since we broke up.

I felt his heart beating. It was a different rhythm from mine, and I was sure that it was getting faster and faster with each passing second. I reflexively smiled. I couldn’t stop myself from teasing him. I brought my lips up close to his ears.

“It’s been a while. Feel good?”

His heart skipped a beat. No matter how cool he played it, his heart didn’t lie. I’d only really seen him calmly working as a committee member, so the feeling of his heart beating like crazy just made him all the more adorable to me. But these heavenly seconds couldn’t last forever, of course. I heard the click of a lock opening.

We immediately let go of each other. I looked up at him, but it was dark, and he immediately looked away, so I couldn’t really tell what kind of face he was making. Then again, I was pretty relieved that he couldn’t see my face. Wait. What did I say to him? It was kinda dirty, wasn’t it?!

The door opened to the bright hallway. We’d ended up looking in opposite directions as an awkward air hung around us.

“Thanks for going through!”

“How was it?!”

“It’s really good, isn’t it?! It’s gonna be a must for all couples!”

The girls were very excited about what their class had come up with, but we, as committee members, had to give them the final judgment.

“It was fundamentally fine, but we must request that you remove the poster at the end. It goes against public morals,” I said.

“What?!” the girls cried out in dissatisfaction.

On the other hand, the guys didn’t look all too surprised. They almost looked like they wanted to say, “Told you so.” I couldn’t blame them.

We left their class and resumed our rounds. After several moments of silence, Mizuto began to speak softly.

“Back there...”

“Huh?”

“Back there in the haunted house, I was just surprised by how well done it was.”