My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 7 - Chapter 1

The Person I Like Lives with Me

The World after Making Up My Mind

Mizuto Irido

When I got my first girlfriend in middle school, the world sparkled. I had been more than happy to think cliché things like that back then, but now, with more life experience under my belt, the world remained the same as always. My morning lethargy, my messy room—everything was so normal and dull. Although, I guess there was one thing that I’d begun seeing differently.

“Ah—”

Right as I left my room, a pajama-clad Yume exited hers as well, her long, black hair all over the place. Did she just untie it or something? Also, maybe it was because she’d just woken up, or maybe it was because she’d yet to put in her contacts, but she looked a little peeved.

Yume scrambled to cover her mouth when she saw me. “W-Wait, what? You’re up already?!”

“Yeah, you know... It happens.”

“Ugh... How could I have been so careless?!”

Yume covered her face with her hands before rubbing it as if she was washing it. You do know this isn’t exactly the first time I’m seeing you right after you wake up, right? But I had to take into consideration that it was apparently distressing for girls to be seen before they put their faces on, especially by a non-blood relative like me.

Middle school me would’ve reacted differently. I might’ve been a little flustered by her unguarded appearance or been disillusioned by her carelessly unprepared face. But that was all because I’d only known Yume as a girl—as a girlfriend—back then.

I’m different now, though. “Don’t worry about it.” I know you as my stepsibling. I know you as a person. I’ve become disillusioned. There was no use worrying over something that had already happened. “You can let your guard down at home. You’re always trying to keep up appearances. It’s gotta be exhausting.”

Yume peeked at my face through a gap in her fingers. “Are you...being considerate?”

“Yeah, for what it’s worth.”

“Thanks...but...” Yume turned her back to me and opened her door. “I have my pride!” Then she slammed the door behind her, disappearing behind it.

Yeah...it really doesn’t seem like I can go back to seeing the world like I did in middle school.

Small but Not Insignificant

Yume Irido

After Mizuto caught sight of my slovenly appearance, I checked myself over and over again in the mirror before finally leaving my room. My one saving grace was that there weren’t any drool stains on my face when he saw me. Urgh, I’ve thought about this a lot, but it is really inconvenient when the person you like lives with you! It becomes a lot harder to only show the side of yourself that you want them to see.

Although, I suppose the silver lining is that the person I’m interested in also happened to be my ex—an ex who’s already seen me in all sorts of situations that I never wanted him to see me in. Him seeing me right after I woke up every now and then wasn’t anything new. That being said...it didn’t make it any easier.

Argh! I can’t believe this is how I’m starting my day...especially when it’s such an important one. If this is how I’m kicking things off, I worry about how the rest will go.

“Morning, Yume! I made some toast!” mom said as I entered the living room.

“Okay.”

I sat at the table and began munching on the toast. As I did, I noticed that there was a plate with only bread crumbs left on it at Mizuto’s place at the table. He was nowhere to be found, though. Most likely, he’d gone back to his room to change.

I wolfed down the rest of my toast and black tea. “Thanks!” I called out before heading for the dressing room to brush my teeth and check my appearance one more time.

He turned to look at me, and then moved over a little, opening up some space at the sink without saying a word. Well, it’ll be awkward if I leave now and wait for him to be done. Plus, it’s not like there’s not enough space for me. With that, I stood next to him and grabbed my toothbrush.

Looking in the mirror, I saw the reflection of a guy and a girl brushing their teeth, without a word being exchanged. Of course, this wasn’t a new situation for us, but even so, for some reason, it suddenly felt strange. But the strangest thing of all was how familiar it felt.

If this had been me in middle school, or when I’d first moved in, I wouldn’t have been able to stand here in silence, completely unaffected by the fact that our shoulders were just a hair’s breadth away from each other.

Now, it all felt so natural and matter-of-fact. If anything, I felt a sense of ease being like this. It’d only been six months since I started living here, and yet I’d changed so much. I was in awe at how well humans could adapt.

Mizuto picked up his cup, filled it with water, and gargled. Right after he finished, he moved to wipe his mouth with his sleeve.

“Nn!” I immediately reacted to stop him, my toothbrush still in my mouth. “Mm!” I thrust a towel at him.

Mizuto grunted, taking it from me and wiping his mouth. I couldn’t tell if that noise was supposed to express his annoyance or thanks.

I gargled after him, and when I finished, he handed me the towel. While I wiped my mouth, Mizuto moved to exit the room. It’s nice how fun getting ready for school is. I should put my lip balm on now.

As I took it out from my pocket, I noticed, in the reflection in the mirror, that Mizuto had turned to look at me.

“Yes...?” I asked, making eye contact.

He stared right back at me. “Today’s your first day, right?”

“Huh?”

“On the student council.” He paused before continuing. “Good luck.”

Our school had just finished elections for student council president the other day, but there had been only one candidate. Essentially, voting had been nothing more than a formality. This person had become our school’s new student council president with a ninety-eight percent vote of confidence. Her name? Suzuri Kurenai.

Upon her recommendation, I was instated as one of the members as well. Today would be my first day on the job. I’m pretty sure I only mentioned it to Mizuto in passing, but...it looks like he remembered anyway.

“Thanks... I’m gonna do my best.”

Mizuto nodded and left. After he did, I returned my gaze to the mirror and began applying lip balm.

“Yeah.” I think I put it on really nicely today.

Forever Third Place

Waves of anxiety and excitement washed over me as I looked up at the sign that read “Student Council.” This was where the members who brought our school together convened. This was a room that only the chosen few could enter. I might be hyping everything up a little too much, though.

Even so, up until now, I’d always simply gone home after the school day ended. It was strange to be standing in front of a room that wasn’t my classroom. That fact alone was enough for an indescribable sense of euphoria to well up inside me.

“Go time.” I gathered my confidence and raised my hand to knock on the door. Oh, wait. I stopped myself as soon as I remembered something that the vice president—I mean, the president—had told me. “Visitors knock. Student council members need only enter,” she’d said.

I lowered my hand to the handle and quickly slid the door open. “H-Hello!”

First impressions were important, so I got a little too excited and accidentally raised my voice a little louder than I’d meant to. The room itself didn’t seem too special or anything. There was a set of couches right by the door, which seemed to be for visitors. Then, in the back of the room, there was a long table and a whiteboard, both most likely used for meetings.

The sides of the room were lined with cabinets that were packed with files, someone’s stuffed animals, and even boxes of tabletop games. What all of these areas were lacking, though, was people. I was completely alone.

Where is everyone? I looked around as I stepped farther into the room and then, suddenly, I caught sight of someone from the corner of my eye.

“Eek!” I reflexively recoiled a little as the other person looked up at me with wary eyes like a cat. She was pretty small—so much so that she could maybe even have given Akatsuki-san a run for her money. She had short hair, styled in a way similar to those of girls who played sports. She had a youthful face, which was symmetrical and cute. But right now, her eyebrows were furrowed for some reason, giving off the impression that she was annoyed.

I think she’s a first-year, judging from her small stature. Her tie’s red too. Although, there was one part of her that made me question her age. Wh-Why are they so huge? Her breasts were enormous—possibly the same size as Higashira-san’s or even Madoka-san’s. But then again, maybe they only looked big because of her small stature. Regardless, there was no doubt in my mind that taking into consideration her height-to-chest-size ratio, she’d incur the wrath of Akatsuki-san to an extreme degree.

She was staring at the shelf right next to the door. That was most likely why I hadn’t noticed her at first. She is a student council member, right? She should be a new member too if she’s a first-year.

All the greetings I’d prepared completely slipped my mind due to her sudden appearance. All I could do was stand in place as the petite yet big-chested girl scrutinized me.

“You’re...Yume Irido-san, right?” Her voice had a tinge of animosity to it.

Uh... Huh? Have we met before? Did I do something to you? “Y-Yes, I am.”

“I’m Asuhain.” She closed the distance between us and glared up at me.

“O-Oh. A-Asu...Asuhain-san?”

“Yes. That’s my name. It’s written with the characters for ‘tomorrow, a leaf will fall at the hospital.’”

That’s a very...cursed way to explain the spelling of your name. How do I even respond? “Oh, uh... Nice to meet you?”

“Likewise.”

“U-Uh...are you also on the student council?”

“Yes. General affairs.”

“O-Oh. I’m the secretary. I look forward to working with—”

“Is that it?”

“Huh?” What else is there?!

Asuhain-san puffed out her cute cheeks and came even closer to me. H-Hey! Your boobs! They’re gonna touch me!

“You still don’t recognize me?! I’m the same Asuhain who placed third in both the midterms and finals!”

“Oh, wow. Third? That’s impressive!”

“Says the person who firmly held first and second place!” She suddenly grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me back and forth.

“Eep!”

“What am I, chopped liver?! I’ve been working my butt off to surpass you and your brother, and now you’re telling me that you don’t even know who I am?!”

Oh, now I get it. If she’s third, then that means she’s scored right below me and Mizuto. Well...I guess she’s not wrong. I only really cared about his placement and mine.

“I-I’m...sorry?”

“I don’t want you to apologize! All I want is to see you shaking with anger when you see your name below mine!” Competitive doesn’t even begin to describe her. She continued gripping my shoulders and glaring right into my eyes. “I’m aiming to be the next president. I’ll push past you and achieve my goal. Then, you’ll have no choice but to remember my name.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, don’t worry—I know your name now, Asuhain-san.”

“I don’t mean now!”

What do you want from me?! I’d apparently become colleagues with a very spirited girl—though, in a much different way than Akatsuki-san.

Asuhain-san exhaled, released my shoulders, and turned around. “By the way, where’s your brother?”

“Oh, Mizuto? Apparently, he wasn’t asked to join.”

“I see... Hmph. I heard he has a girlfriend. It makes sense that someone distracted by romance wouldn’t be chosen to join this prestigious student council.”

I shut my mouth and smiled. What she said applied to not only me, but also President Kurenai. I decided it was best not to mention that the president herself was distracted by romance to the point that she’d attempted to seduce a fellow student council member. Yeah, let’s keep that to myself.

I had to say, though, the rumor about Mizuto and Higashira-san had really gotten around. Even if there was only romantic interest flowing one way between them, there was no way that people like Asuhain-san, who didn’t have their fingers on the pulse of the relationship, would know that.

“Hm? By the way...” I started.

“What?”

“What’s your first name? I’m really sorry, but I don’t remember it.”

“My...first name...” She suddenly frowned and her eyes shifted down to the side.

A Cheerful, Flirty Upperclassman Who Has Something Off about Her

“Oh! Ran! You’re here already?”

I turned around to face the source of the voice and saw a long-haired girl happily enter the room. She was on the taller side and she wore her hair in the somewhat childish style of half down and half up in pigtails. Her school bag, hanging from her shoulder, had a mascot key chain dangling from it. As rude as this may sound, she gave off flirty vibes.

Her green ribbon tied across her chest told me that she was a second-year. The upperclassman with childish tastes ran up to Asuhain-san and squeezed her small body as if she were a stuffed animal.

“You got here so fast! Did you wanna see me that badly?”

“I simply wanted to arrive fifteen minutes early. Please get off of me, senpai.”

“Aw, the cold shoulder? Such a cutie-pie!”

“I am neither a cutie nor a pie!” Asuhain-san expressionlessly ripped herself off of our upperclassman.

The older girl looked disappointed, but when she turned to me, her face lit up. “Oh, you’re Irido-chan, right? I’ve heard about you from Suzurin! You’re, like, really smart, right?”

“O-Oh, no! I-I’m not that special!” Also, who’s “Suzurin”? The president?

“You must be a pretty impressive person to have caught Suzurin’s eye. You should be more confident! Brag about it! Oh, wait, I haven’t introduced myself yet. Aisa Aso! I’m a second-year and the new vice president! Looking forward to working with you, frosh!” she said, puffing out her chest. Her face was so filled with confidence, it was as if she was trying to show me how I should introduce myself.

Whenever I met a girl for the first time, I’d find myself unconsciously checking out her proportions. Maybe this extreme habit had rubbed off on me after all the time spent with Akatsuki-san. That being said, Aso-senpai had a pretty decent body. She had a slim waist, a butt on the smaller side, and an overall thin body that rivaled a model’s, but somehow, she had a bigger chest than I... Hm? Wait. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but something feels off.

“So you’ve already said hi to Ran, right? She sees you as a rival for some reason. Was she rude to you at all?”

“N-No. Not at all. Nothing to worry about. Totally.”

“Suspicious. She was rude to you, wasn’t she? Good grief...but she’s cute, so I forgive her.” Aso-senpai hugged Asuhain-san again, but she didn’t resist this time. Instead, she just ignored her, utterly nonplussed.

From what I could gather, Asuhain-san had been recruited to the student council by Aso-senpai just like I’d been recruited by the president. Would it be rude for me to ask them how it all happened? I don’t remember them being on the cultural festival committee. These two seem pretty close, especially since Aso-senpai’s calling Asuhain-san by her first name.

“Oh, your first name’s Ran?” I asked, suddenly realizing.

“I suppose it is.” Her face scrunched up a little for some reason.

I got the feeling that she didn’t want to say her first name earlier either. I wonder why. “Ran Asuhain... I like the sound of that.”

“I know, right? It gives off rich vibes somehow!” Aso-senpai enthusiastically agreed.

“Please do not call me by my first name. I don’t like it,” Asuhain-san said bitterly. “Only refer to me by my last name.”

“Is it okay for me to ask why?” I cautiously asked.

Asuhain-san looked down and paused before continuing. “I was bullied by boys in elementary school. They would call me ‘Hard-on Ran.’”

Oh... What a dirty joke. Being teased about that was definitely something that would happen in elementary school—probably in the latter half. That was the age when kids were eager to use dirty vocab that they saw in manga and dictionaries.

Asuhain-san, still in Aso-senpai’s arms, began shaking. “At first, I didn’t know what that word meant, but when I looked it up in a dictionary, I was so shocked. I had no idea that boys had such low intelligence. They’re like parrots, just repeating the same things over and over and over again! How are you supposed to talk to organisms like that?! They should be locked away in cages like animals at the zoo!” Asuhain’s small fists shook as whatever she’d been holding inside gushed out. “But then for some reason, as the years passed, girls started dating them! What’s so good about romance?! What compels them to want to be with those stupid parrots?! They’re better off having real parrots as pets! Right?!”

Her menacing look made me back away a little, but Aso-senpai smiled, continuing to hold her. “That’s what you say, but these boobs of yours are such cutie-pies! They’re as rare as a unicorn! They push your stock way up!”

I have no clue what she’s talking about, so for now, I think it’s best if I just force a smile.

The Student Council Members of Rakuro High School

“Well, hello, everyone.” The president, Suzuri Kurenai, entered the room calmly, a contrast to the commotion that Aso-senpai and Asuhain-san were causing.

President Kurenai, with her naturally commanding presence, was the same small-framed girl I remembered. Right behind her, as always, as though he were trying to hide in her shadow, was a guy with unfashionable glasses, Joji Haba-senpai. He was also the same as I remembered him.

“Heya, Suzurin! You too, Joe-kun! I’ve gone ahead and started flirtin’ with the froshies!”

“I’m always impressed by how quickly you can warm up to people, Aisa.”

“Well, of course. Somebody has to be the nice one. You’re too uptight, Suzurin. Right, Joe?”

Haba-senpai walked towards the meeting table and put his bag down without saying a word.

Aso-senpai frowned and began pouting, like a cute child. “Why are you so scared of me?”

Still, Haba-senpai said nothing.

“Hmph. Why don’t you look inward?”

“How long are you gonna hold that against me, Suzurin?”

“I’m doing no such thing. I’m simply keeping in mind how a certain person spoke in the third-person for so long.”

“Says the girl who talks like a boy!”

I’d never seen anyone speak this frankly to her before. I felt like I was getting a look into their experiences over the past year here in this room. Right now, I felt like an outsider and had no clue what they were talking about. But...maybe in a year, I’d have my own kinds of conversations with them like the one they were having right now. It felt weird thinking about it like that.

“U-Um!” While I stood there in a daze, Asuhain-san escaped Aso-senpai’s embrace and nervously moved to stand in front of President Kurenai. “M-My name is Asuhain. I was recruited to the student council on Aso-senpai’s recommendation. I may be inexperienced, but I look forward to working with you!”

“Likewise, Asuhain-kun.” In the next moment, she suddenly clasped Asuhain-san’s hands in her own and stared right into her eyes, a smile on her face, which was so beautiful that Asuhain-san fell silent and blushed. “I’m inexperienced as well, so if you ever see me making an error, I’d like you very much to correct me. Of course, I will do the same for you, and pull out all the stops to help.”

“U-Uh... O-Okay.” Asuhain-san had gone stiff and could only mechanically nod her head.

“Ugh, you temptress,” Aso-senpai muttered in annoyance, seeing this situation unfold in front of her.

Though Asuhain-san had been so confrontational with me, it seemed that deep down, she was just like me and had a deep respect for President Kurenai.

When she let go of Asuhain-san’s hands, she looked at me. “My thanks to you as well, Yume-kun. I’m grateful you accepted my invitation.”

“No need to thank me. I’m doing this because I want to. I look forward to working with you.”

I could see Asuhain-san enviously glaring at me from President Kurenai’s blind spot after I flawlessly completed my introduction. “Wh-Why are you calling Irido-san by her first name?” she asked.

“There was another member on the cultural festival committee who shared her last name. Would you prefer that I call you by your first name as well, Ran-kun?”

Asuhain-san yelped. “Th-Th-Thank you very much!” She bowed deeply.

Seeing this, President Kurenai smiled and nodded before heading to the table where Haba-senpai was already sitting.

“Well, take your seats. We’re all here,” she said, taking the chair at the head of the table.

Following her, the rest of us sat at the table. In compliance with school rules, there were five members of the student council. Three of us were second-years: the president, Suzuri Kurenai; the vice president, Aisa Aso; and the treasurer, Joji Haba. The remaining two were first-years: the general affairs officer, Ran Asuhain, and the secretary, me.

President Kurenai folded her arms with composure. “From today onwards, we are the members of Rakuro High School’s student council.”

A Former Member Who’s Still Around for Some Reason

We heard a yawn, but it wasn’t from anyone at the table. A doorknob clicked as it turned, but it wasn’t from the entrance. Out the door came a large guy. H-He’s huge. This time, I wasn’t talking about chest size but physical height. He was seriously tall. He had to have been over 180 centimeters, if not 190. His toned body made me wonder if he played sports, but his long hair made me think twice about that.

He wore our school uniform, so he was definitely a student, but he looked older than that. Judging by the loosened blue tie he had on, though, he was a third-year. I had no memory of ever seeing him before in my life, but for some reason, he felt familiar. All our eyes fell on him as he yawned, his eyes tearing up a little, but the first one to react was Aso-senpai.

“Huh? Senpai? What are you doing here?!”

“Uh... Oh, Aso? I was takin’ a nap. Pulled an all-nighter watchin’ a stream.”

“President...” President Kurenai’s voice was filled with annoyance. Did she say “President”? “You resigned from your position. Could you please refrain from using the documents room as your napping quarters?”

“Don’t be like that, Kurenai. This is just my way of watching over the new generation.”

“Translation: you’re bored now that you’ve been accepted to college via recommendation.”

“One might say that,” he said, grinning.

President Kurenai sighed and turned to me and Asuhain-san, who were completely out of the loop. “I’ll introduce you. This is Tohdo Hoshibe, the previous president. You may have seen him at the school assembly or another school gathering.”

Oh... Right. I remember seeing him at the school assembly and the commencement ceremony. He gave the welcome speech as the representative for the returning students.

After Asuhain-san and I greeted him, Hoshibe-senpai stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at us. “Hm?” He tilted his head. “Both of the new members really are girls. This has gotta be rough for you, huh, Haba?” he said, putting one of his large hands on Haba-senpai’s shoulder.

“Not really...” he said in a reserved voice.

Hoshibe-senpai ignored Haba-senpai’s words and grinned. “I guess I’ll keep poppin’ in every now and then. I feel bad for Haba since he’s the only guy here. Phew, what a great idea.”

“Again—you’re just bored because you don’t have to worry about college,” President Kurenai said.

“One might say that.”

President Kurenai looked less than pleased, but on the flip side, Aso-senpai shot to her feet, a teasing grin on her face. She moved close to Hoshibe-senpai’s huge body and made him look down at her.

“Aw, you say that, but really, you just wanna meet your dear Aisa-chan, don’t you?” she said.

“Nope. Just no.”

“Aw, no need to be so embarrassed. You’re such a cutie-pie, senpai!”

“God, you’re such a pain in the ass, as always!”

In response, she just happily smiled. She was tall for a girl, but she seemed like a child in comparison to Hoshibe-senpai. He shoved her off of him and headed to the visitor’s couch as if to flee from her.

“Anyway, I’m gonna take a nap. Do your thing, Kurenai.”

“Aw, why you gotta run away, senpai?” Aso-senpai continued in her cutesy, sweet tone of voice towards Hoshibe-senpai.

“Aisa,” President Kurenai said in a soft, but sharp voice. “I understand how happy you must feel to have been reunited with your beloved Hoshibe-senpai, but you need to prioritize properly welcoming our newcomers first.”

“H-Huh?! B-Beloved? Don’t say things in a way that can be misunderstood, Suzurin! Our underclassmen are right there!”

President Kurenai shrugged while Aso-senpai deeply frowned and returned to her seat. I glanced across the table from me at Asuhain-san, who was wearing a stiff expression of dissatisfaction, kind of like a pouting kid. I see... I began to understand that no matter where we were—at a prep school or in the student council room—high school students weren’t too different from one another. Asuhain-san may have disapproved of this lax atmosphere of the student council, but I was growing fond of this new place.

My First Time with Isana Higashira

Mizuto Irido

Unlike Yume, who had started her first day as a member of the student council, I was up to my usual activities—going to the library and hanging out with Isana Higashira. In fact, recently, she’d been hanging out with me outside of our usual after-school get-togethers in the library. She’d even begun coming to my classroom during lunch breaks.

Without raising her eyes from the light novel she was reading, she said, “By the way, Mizuto-kun, what do you have in mind?”

“Huh?” For what?

Isana began stretching and curling her sockless toes that she’d brought up onto the air conditioning unit by the windowsill. “Surely, you remember the abandonment role-play we engaged in on the night of the cultural festival. You left me by my lonesome, and promised that you’d ‘make it up to me.’”

“Oh, right... I guess I did say something random like that.”

“What do you mean, ‘random’?! I’ve been seriously looking forward to it!”

To be honest, whether I promised that or not, I still wanted to do something for Isana as thanks for all the help she’d given me that day. “Well, what do you want? I’ll do just about anything, so long as it’s within my power.”

“Huh? You said ‘anything,’ correct? I’m not mishearing you, am I?”

As soon as I saw how quickly she’d latched on to what I’d said, I realized how grave an error I’d made. I leaned back in an attempt to run away from Isana, who’d promptly begun leaning towards me.

“A-A-Anything?!” She audibly licked her lips. “Y-You said ‘anything,’ did you not?!”

“Oh god! Creep! Creep! Creep alert! Calm the hell down, you creepy otaku! I said, ‘as long as it’s within my power.’”

“O-Oh, it most certainly is... Heh heh... Eheh heh heh... All that I require is for you to keep a slightly open mind. Eheh heh heh! Just a little, okay?”

She’s lucky I owe her, or else I’d have the police on the line right now. I grabbed Isana by the shoulders and peeled her off of me. “So what do you want? I’ll hear you out.”

“Ehe. W-Well, there’s... Eheh heh. There’s somewhere I’ve wanted to go with you for quite some time.”

“Uh-huh...”

“It’s a facility equipped with private, soundproofed rooms that a guy and a girl can rest in for an hourly fee!”

“Knock it off.” Is she just a ball of lust?

But just as I thought that and prepared to exercise my right to self-defense, Isana Higashira’s nostrils flared, and she said the unexpected: “A manga café! Would you go with me?”

I had no words. Oh. That’s what you meant?

Though I was familiar with the sign of this building, I’d never been inside. I’d never had a reason to. If I wanted to read a book, I’d buy it. If I didn’t have the money, I’d just go to the library and borrow it. I barely read manga in the first place. The very concept of manga cafés didn’t appeal to me whatsoever.

But according to Isana Higashira, who wanted to go there, “Manga tend to take up more space than light novels, since there are typically more volumes. In general, purchasing manga is much less economical than purchasing light novels. Wouldn’t you agree? After all, it takes approximately three hours to read a light novel as opposed to the one hour that it takes to read a volume of manga.”

“I’ve never thought about books in terms of bang for your buck, but I guess I see what you mean in terms of time. If you make a light novel into manga, it usually turns into three or four volumes.”

“And you’d want to read them all at once, wouldn’t you? But that would cost a hefty sum of money.” And that’s where the manga café comes in, huh? After all, libraries don’t typically carry manga.

Isana giggled. “Well, I must admit, I simply enjoy the thought of sharing a two-person room at the café with you.”

“Yeah, well, it might’ve stayed just a thought if it wasn’t for me owing you.”

“Indeed. However, I’m sure you and Yume-san will have many chances to go in the future.”

“Not a chance.”

“Why not?”

“She’d one hundred percent freak the hell out.” No matter how innocent she looked, her mind was totally in the gutter.

“Hnnngh.”

“What now?”

“Have I ever informed you that I’m quite the fan of male tsunderes?”

“What are you even talking about?”

“Hnnnnngh!”

She was beginning to get on my nerves, so I gave her a quick poke before entering the manga café on the second floor of the building. Apparently she’d already made a reservation through their website, but she was too shy to talk to the person at reception. With Isana hiding behind me, I checked us in and then we made our way to the two-person room.

“Whoa!” Along the way, Isana marveled at the line of computers with open seats and the tall bookcases that went all the way to the ceiling, packed with manga. “Soft serve! It’s an all-you-can-eat soft serve station, Mizuto-kun!”

“Yeah, looks like it. But isn’t it hard to eat while reading manga?”

“I have a separate stomach for ice cream!”

“What does that have to do with anything? Whatever. Let’s put our stuff down first.”

Isana had reserved us a private two-person room for three hours. It was a very affordable price for high schoolers as long as they split the cost. The floor of the room was pretty much composed purely of what looked to be flat, soft cushions. I think these are regular mats. Isana entered first and plopped down.

“Ooh!”

I shut the door behind us and watched as Isana looked around the relatively cramped room. “I like this. It’s as if we’ve shut out the world.”

“That’s an interesting way of putting it.” True enough, it felt as if we’d shut out any exterior stimulation and information. I like it. There was a sense of freedom that I just didn’t get from more spacious areas. It might’ve been perfect for our personalities.

“Mizuto-kun, please remove my socks.”

“Don’t you need to find a manga to read first?”

“Oh, fair point.”

I put my stuff down and opened the door again to leave. As soon as I did, Isana crawled out, got up, and headed to the area with the bookshelves.

“All this manga is fair game?” I asked.

“It’s quite exhilarating, is it not?”

Yeah, I have to admit...it’s pretty fun to see all these bookcases completely stuffed. I picked out a few titles and began flipping through them while Isana began to amass a huge pile of books, showing no signs of stopping.

“Oh, no! Everything past the fourth volume is missing! Who is selfishly holding on to them?!”

“Are you really one to talk?” I asked, eyeing the tower of manga in her arms. She must’ve had about twenty or so volumes. I don’t believe it. You’re definitely not finishing all those in three hours.

We returned to our room after I grabbed about half the number of manga she had. For the record, she’d given up on getting soft serve because her hands were full. She piled up the manga on the computer desk, and put her arms to either side of her.

“All right. Now then...” she began, sticking out her feet to me. It was obvious what she wanted, so I proceeded to remove her socks for her. “It almost feels like we’re in your room, Mizuto-kun.”

“Really sucks that we paid money for such a similar experience, then.”

“Oh, but there is a difference. We’re both wearing our school uniforms!”

“Ah, so that’s why.”

“Huh?” Isana tilted her head.

I caught a glimpse of a light blue fabric in between her thighs. “Are you forgetting you’re wearing a skirt?”

“I-I’m showing them to you.”

“That’s not much better.”

Isana groaned embarrassedly before shifting position, closing her legs and sitting on her knees. Then, she proceeded to look away from me. “Truth be told, Mizuto-kun...”

“Yeah?”

“As I got used to going to your house every day over summer break...I sort of lost something.”

“Lost what?”

“My sense of shame.” As soon as she said that, she stopped trying to hold her skirt down and to my dismay returned to sitting cross-legged. “I might be at a point where I’m not fazed whatsoever by you seeing my undergarments.”

“Well, find it! Find your sense of shame at once!”

Isana groaned, dissatisfied. “But if you won’t ever feel any dirty feelings towards me, what does it matter?”

I never said I wouldn’t. That’s the problem.

Mutual Admiration and Imitation

Yume Irido

“Well, this seems like a good stopping point.”

We’d gone through a basic explanation of our work expectations, and with that, our first day as student council members ended. Perhaps sensing his chance, the former president, Hoshibe-senpai, got up from the couch and let out a yawn.

“Oh, all done? Let’s get going then. The welcome party awaits.”

President Kurenai shot him a tired look. “Don’t tell me this is why you went out of your way to take a nap here.”

“Whoa. Don’t tell me you weren’t planning on inviting me. You owe me as your upperclassman, don’t you?”

“Yikes, so clingy! You’re gonna make me become disillusioned with you, senpai,” Aso-senpai said teasingly.

Hoshibe-senpai laughed loudly in response. I don’t really know what his deal is, but maybe he’s the mood maker. His leadership style was different from President Kurenai’s, who commanded others with her charisma.

“Well, disregarding whether we include an ex-member in our festivities, I’ve already picked out a venue. I’d be very happy if the first-years joined as well.”

“Oh, yes. Of course,” I said.

“I will!” Asuhain-san said enthusiastically.

President Kurenai smiled and nodded at our responses. Not too long after, the six of us were walking out of the school, following her towards the town. Asuhain-san and I followed behind her. Behind us, Aso-senpai seemed to be trying to bother Hoshibe-senpai. And then, Haba-senpai trailed us in the back, as if he’d become our shadow.

“So, how was your first day on the job?” President Kurenai asked, turning to me and Asuhain-san.

“Well, it’s hard to say because we haven’t done any real work quite yet, but...” I started. “It was nerve-racking. I’m not really good around people.”

“You could’ve fooled me. You must be skilled at compensating for your flaws. I never got the feeling even a little bit that you’re shy.”

Oh, that makes me so happy. She’d praised the exact thing I wanted to be recognized for. Is this the power of a natural-born leader?

“What about you, Ran-kun?”

“U-Uh, w-well, um...” Asuhain-san’s small body began to tremble. “I...I thought it was much more relaxing than I expected.” Even after essentially bugging out, she was still able to express her true feelings. “Oh!” Seemingly realizing this, she quickly covered her mouth and groaned a little out of embarrassment.

President Kurenai lightly chuckled. “I’m not surprised you feel that way. Those were my precise thoughts last year as well.”

“Huh? Really?”

“I’d believed that the student council was a much more serious and rigid organization, but the former president had the same devil-may-care attitude as he does now. I initially believed that it was up to me to tighten the ship.” She shot a glance behind her towards Hoshibe-senpai, who was mimicking someone. Probably a streamer, if I had to guess.

“That’s nothing like them! Apologize to them! They’re Aisa’s favorite!” Aso-senpai raged at him.

She really does speak in the third person. At her age?

“I’m sure you’re carrying the same thoughts as I used to. Am I wrong, Ran-kun?”

“U-Uh, well...”

The way that her voice faltered and how she averted her gaze made it clear that President Kurenai’s guess was right on the money.

“Very good,” she said firmly, making Asuhain-san look back up. “I’ve no intention of forcing you to conform to my vision. If anything, having such a well-put-together first-year like you will help keep the second-years honest. You should be true to yourself.”

“O-Okay!” Asuhain-san tensed up, obviously taking her words to heart.

The way Asuhain-san revered her, though, went beyond simple respect for an upperclassman. Does she see President Kurenai as some kind of god?

Asuhain-san was finally able to exhale and loosen up when President Kurenai turned forward again.

“Hey, Asuhain-san?” I asked cautiously.

“Yes?” She responded in her usual tone of animosity while looking up at me. Despite her glare, her face was too cute to scare me.

“Where did you meet President Kurenai? As for me, I met her when we worked on the festival committee together.”

I couldn’t remember seeing Asuhain-san on the committee. She must’ve met the president somewhere else if she looked up to her this much, though. But where, I wonder?

“Our meeting wasn’t anything too special...” Asuhain-san said dejectedly, as if she were mocking herself. “I was being bothered by a guy around when school started. Usually they’d take a hint and go away, but this time was different.”

Ah, she was getting hit on. Akatsuki-san had mentioned before that she didn’t get hit on a lot because her small stature made others think she was in middle school. Even though Asuhain-san was about the same height, her large breasts apparently didn’t give her the same young image.

“I was saved from that dire situation by Kurenai-senpai, who happened to be passing by. I remember her dazzling, cool figure like it was yesterday.”

I mentally nodded along. The two girls weren’t too different in terms of height. For some reason, though, President Kurenai felt taller than her actual physical height. I was sure this was due in part to how she feared no one and was so sure of herself.

“And that’s when I decided I wanted to be on the student council too. I’ve always had good test scores, so I figured that as long as I kept working hard, I’d get invited. All I had to do was keep working hard, but...” I found myself awkwardly chuckling as she glared at me. Soon enough, she exhaled and continued. “To be honest, I meant to introduce myself with more grace, but I freaked out. How, um... How are you able to speak with her so normally, Irido-san? Is it just something you get used to over time?”

“Well... Truth be told, at first, I was stiff as a board.” I guess it all changed during that one conversation. I suddenly remembered the guy in the back who was pretty much blending into the background. “She might seem like she’s on a different level from us, but...she’s actually much more normal than you’d think.”

“‘Normal’? Kurenai-senpai?”

“Yep. I’m sure you’ll find that out yourself too one day.”

Asuhain-san narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow. “Why does it feel like you’re trying to assert your dominance?”

“Huh?! W-Wait, no. That wasn’t my intention at all!”

But also...I highly doubt she’s capable of having conversations about love. It feels like it’d trigger her. How will she react if she finds out that President Kurenai has a thing for Haba-senpai? I hope everything will be okay...

The President’s Side Job

The venue for our welcome party ended up being a café with a small sign in a quiet alley. I couldn’t tell if she’d reserved the entire store for us or if it just didn’t have any customers to begin with, but either way, we were the only ones inside. We nervously walked past the tables to our seats. Ultimately, Asuhain-san and I ended up sitting right next to each other.

After we were seated, President Kurenai called out to us. “What would you all like to drink?” We all said our various orders, and she nodded. “All right then. I’ll get things ready. Be right back.”

Get what things ready? But my question was answered as she disappeared into the staff room.

“Suzurin works here part-time,” Aso-senpai, who was sitting next to Hoshibe-senpai, said.

I was surprised. “She...has a job and is on the student council?”

“Yep! It’s her way of learning more about the ‘real world.’ How serious is she, right?”

Wow... Her stamina is insane. And she’s always number one on exams. She is simply built different.

“Maybe I should work a part-time job too...” Asuhain-san mumbled, curiously looking around the store.

Hearing her say that made me feel like I needed to get off my butt and do something too.

Though Asuhain-san had commented in a low voice, Hoshibe-senpai had still heard her. “I wouldn’t recommend tryin’ to copy her. She’s a special breed of person with monster stats to spare.”

“You’re saying I can’t be like Kurenai-senpai?” Asuhain-san asked, unsatisfied.

“At the very least, you couldn’t do it without wrecking your body in the process. If you’re still okay with that, then the most important thing is taking it step by step. If you try to go for everything at once, you’re gonna end up with nothing,” Hoshibe-senpai remarked as he played on his phone.

“Thanks for the warning...”

“Oh hell yeah, an SR.”

His advice had been spot-on, but it felt weird that it had come while he was playing a game. Even Asuhain-san was giving him a distrusting look.

In the meantime, the door to the staff room opened. “Apologies for the wait,” said Kurenai-senpai, now clad in a waitress’s uniform, which included a knee-length skirt and a white apron. It gave off a different vibe than her usual attire, but it was a perfect fit for her small, feminine figure.

I couldn’t help but clap in awe. “It looks really good on you, President Kurenai.”

“Thank you. Apparently, it’s a hit among the regulars too.”

She seemed strangely proud. It was cute in a childish way. Didn’t she wear a military-esque lolita-style costume to the presentation as well? She was really cute then too.

“Senpai...”

“Hm?”

“Do you like cosplay?”

President Kurenai flashed a dauntless smile in response. “Enjoying fashion is a girl’s birthright. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Well... Yes, I guess so.”

So, the answer is yes, she likes cosplay.

President Kurenai brought over our drinks on a tray. “We have all kinds of refreshments, so please feel free to order whatever you’d like. It’s all on me.”

“Thank you!” Asuhain-san exclaimed.

President Kurenai nodded and then moved to the table next to ours. Hm? Why? But I soon noticed that Haba-senpai was sitting there by himself. When did he get here?

Haba-senpai’s booth could seat four people, but she went out of her way to plop herself down right next to him. He leaned away in an attempt to avoid her, but she used that opportunity to scoot even closer.

“H-Hey, Asuhain-san?” I couldn’t help but call out to her as she tried to lean past me out of the booth to peek at what was going on at their table. But my voice did nothing to deter her. She looked at the two of them with confusion.

“Are those two...close?”

She didn’t mince words. Close? Well, if you consider her trying to seduce him in an empty classroom “close,” then, yeah. But I wasn’t about to say that to Asuhain-san. She not only had a hatred for guys, but also looked up a great deal to President Kurenai. I was at a loss. Should I skirt the issue? Or maybe I should just get it over with?

“Well, they’ve been in the same class for all of high school,” Aso-senpai said as she sipped her strawberry au lait in the midst of my thoughts. “Suzurin was the one who discovered Joe-kun’s abilities and dragged him onto the student council. Despite that, he’s remained the same presenceless guy from when he joined, so she looks out for him.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is.”

Aso-senpai covertly winked at me. You’re a lifesaver! Also, you’re really good at winking!

Hoshibe-senpai, not looking up from his phone, began talking. “That’s putting it lightly. I mean, it’s obvious that she has a thing for— Oof!”

“Oops, senpai! I accidentally hit you with my elbow!”

“Accidentally?! That was definitely on purpose!” he snapped back at Aso-senpai.

“It’s your fault for having such a big body. Blame your huge hitbox.”

While Aso-senpai continued to get shots in on Hoshibe-senpai’s sides with her elbow, Asuhain-san’s eyes remained fixed with suspicion on the back of Haba-senpai’s head.

That Which Shines at the End of Oneself

Mizuto Irido

The sound of pages being turned filled the room. Next to me, Isana Higashira was hugging her knees while staring intently at the manga she was reading. It went without saying that she wasn’t even trying to make sure her skirt was covering anything. If I’d been sitting in front of her, I would’ve seen her panties whether I wanted to or not, which is why I had opted to sit next to her instead. After all, there wasn’t much else I could do. Even if I warned her, she wouldn’t change a thing.

Out of the huge collection of manga volumes that Isana had brought into the room, I’d picked out a few older series that had fewer volumes. Since people were starting to call these classics, they were hard to find in bookstores. Given that, I thought I should take advantage of the situation, or else I might never get another chance to read them. Classics that survived the test of time came this far because they were interesting and had elements that are believed to have influenced later works, regardless of genre.

After I finished reading, I took the volumes all back to their respective shelves, understanding that it was very poor manners to keep volumes to yourself for extended periods of time. On the way back, I grabbed drinks, and when I returned to the room, I saw Isana with her tablet on her lap.

“What’re you doing?” I asked, putting a straw into the apple juice I’d gotten for her.

I moved it close to her mouth so she could drink it. After gulping down a few sips without looking away from her tablet, she sighed. “Oh, nothing, really. There was a particularly nice scene...”

“Oh yeah?”

In her right hand was a stylus and in her left hand a manga volume. A quick look told me that Isana was sketching out a certain panel from the manga.

“Aren’t manga artists amazing? They can draw anything from all sorts of perspectives. I wonder how their brains work,” she mused.

“I’d say you’re pretty amazing yourself. Not just anyone starts sketching at the drop of a hat. You do that often?”

“I suppose from a young age I’ve entertained myself by sketching illustrations from light novels. However, in more recent years, I’ve felt the desire to actually improve my skills.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Because you praised me.” Me? “You might have complimented my sketch without thinking too much about it, but...secretly, it made me extremely happy, especially since it was my own originally designed composition. Before I knew it, I found your praise repeating itself in my head over and over again. So I’ve begun thinking that maybe I could try putting in a little more effort. As simple a reason as it is, that’s how I feel at the moment.” Isana continued drawing, a smile forming. “Also, I’ve found that it’s incredibly fun to draw!”

I honestly don’t remember complimenting her like that. So she’s probably right about me saying it without thinking too much. But that was enough to light a fire inside her. I’d always known that she had talent, but seeing it in action like this just confirmed it for me. I was honestly surprised.

Though I was genuinely astonished, I was also genuinely happy for her...and genuinely jealous. Isana had found something that was uniquely hers. It was the opposite of how she used to be. She was so blinding in comparison that I almost recoiled.

I have no ideals, no goal I want to achieve. Even so, Isana said it was okay for me to fall in love, but there was no chance that someone empty like me would be able to change. But...if I could contribute to her brilliance this much, then maybe there was at least a little bit of meaning to me being here. I sat next to her as she single-mindedly continued to draw and brushed against her shoulder.

“Let me know if you ever want to be praised again.”

“Oh no, it will have the opposite effect if you praise me just for the sake of doing so.”

“What a pain in the ass.”

The Onus of Restraint Is on Us

“A-Ah... Haah...”

Huh? I turned around, hearing a voice or something. Am I just hearing things? I could’ve sworn I heard a kinda labored voice.

“D-Don’t— Ah!”

“Hyah!” Isana jumped, completely breaking from her concentrated state.

We looked at each other and naturally began whispering.

“Uh... Did you hear that?”

“Indeed. I believe it’s what you suspect!”

There was probably no need to go out of our way to confirm what was going on. We most likely had the right idea regarding the location and cause of the voice. We both slowly turned behind us.

“A-Ah! N-Not there...”

Behind us was a wall. The source of the voice lay on the other side, in a different two-person room. If we listened hard enough, we could hear rustling. It was hard to come up with a different interpretation of what was going on over there than what we were currently thinking of.

“G-Goodness! A-Are they—” Isana stammered.

“H-Hey, calm down.”

“They are totally doing it, aren’t they? They’re having interco—”

“I told you to calm down!”

“Mmff!” Isana struggled as I frantically covered her mouth with my hand.

“Okay, calm down and think. Sure, there are rumors about that kind of thing happening at manga cafés, but what are the odds of us actually happening on that exact situation? I bet the sound’s just coming from a porno or something.”

“T-True... Yes, you’re probably...”

“Nnn! Ah... Haa...”

“However, Mizuto-kun... Don’t you think that woman’s moaning sounds a little too real to be coming from speakers?”

How should I know?! Actually, why would you know?! Isana slowly pulled her mouth away from my hand in the midst of the muffled voices and looked at me nervously, her cheeks flushed.

“U-Uh... Mizuto-kun...”

“Oh.” I hadn’t realized how close our bodies had gotten.

I’d grabbed her by the shoulders without even thinking, and my knee was close to going in between her legs. I was pretty sure that even the tiniest bit of force from me would’ve easily pushed her to the ground. There was also the fact that Isana was shrinking her shoulders while nervously looking up at me—that only served to make the weird atmosphere around us worse. The sounds coming from the room next door were forcing my mind into a certain place, making me even more aware of Isana’s chest, which was rising and falling.

“Your line of sight...” Isana whispered, a little embarrassed. “When you’re this close, even I can tell, Mizuto-kun...”

“Uh... Right. Sorry...”

“This isn’t something you should do to Yume-san.” Isana began toying with her bangs. “However...it is permissible with me.”

Sometimes I got the feeling that she aimed for these kinds of situations. Despite saying that she had no intentions of engaging in these kinds of activities with me anymore, I couldn’t help but think that she was actually waiting for her chance to seduce me. The worst part, though, was that she was a natural seductress, so it was hard to deal with.

I was just like everyone else. The only thing different about me was that I didn’t let it show on my face. Otherwise, I was a normal guy. Even if I’d categorized Isana as my friend, I would get hit with pangs of desire, and there was nothing I could do about it. But I knew how she was, so I took it upon myself to be the responsible one and restrain myself.

“Wah!”

I pulled Isana’s head against my chest and ruffled her hair. Look! She’s no different than a big dog. She’s like a pet, and I am not the type to lust after pets. She’s a pet. A pet...

“M-Mizuto-kun? I-I can’t breathe!” Isana cried, flailing around.

In the next moment, there was a loud bang as her leg came into contact with the desk, making the tower of manga begin to wobble.

“Ah—” I reflexively reached out to stop it from falling, but as I tried to use my other hand to support myself, it instead found a nearby...familiar object.

“Nnah!”

This time, I heard a moan, not from the other side of the wall, but from right by me. The manga tower came falling down and I realized that my hand had found its way onto something extremely soft. What I’d grabbed was so big that it didn’t fit into my hand. My fingers sank into it as if it was a memory foam pillow, but if I pushed, I could feel it pushing back on me. But also, I felt hard wire outlining the soft object.

Isana’s face was now a deep red, and her breaths were coming in short gasps. Her hands were behind her, underneath the fallen volumes of manga, supporting her body. She was not doing anything about my hand. She was accepting it—accepting the hand that was grabbing her breast.

“Mizuto...kun...”

She showed no signs of disdain or of wanting me to back off. Instead, she looked at me with moist eyes. The sounds from next door began dubbing over Isana, preventing me from distinguishing reality from fantasy. I was starting to get scared.

I’d touched her. Up until now, I’d been able to avoid touching her directly with my hand, but now... Now I knew what it felt like. I also had proof that even if I touched her breasts, she wouldn’t hate it. I cautiously removed my hand from her chest. Isana also slowly fixed her disheveled skirt and turned away, facing the ground.

After a little bit, she spoke in a soft voice. “Mizuto-kun...did you do that on purpose? I’ve been fairly considerate since I’m cognizant of your affection for Yume-san. I’ve truly been holding myself back! However, if you approach me with such seductive methods, you will make any rational thinking fly out the window!” You were being considerate up until now? Really? Wow, I’d hate to see how you’d act unrestrained. Isana turned back towards me on all fours and approached. “If I’m unable to restrain myself any further...I’ll have you take responsibility.”

“Wh-What do you mean by that?”

“I would have you commit adultery and plunge into the pleasures of immorality with me.” I felt a little relieved. If she was joking with me like this, then I felt assured that things wouldn’t go south. “I’d ask that you become part of my reference material when I draw dirty manga.”

“That sounds like something you’d actually ask me, so no.”

“Anyway!” she interrupted. “Please refrain from any actions that I could misconstrue!”

That’s my line. But I guess this one is kind of on me. I could’ve been more in control. I had no choice but to agree with her here. But also, did she really misconstrue me accidentally touching her from falling? Wasn’t that kinda worrying in and of itself?

Isana exhaled. “At any rate, the root cause of this is the ill-mannered lechers next door who— Huh?”

“What?”

Isana suddenly looked at the wall with a puzzled look on her face. It didn’t take me long to realize what she was so confused about.

“I don’t think I hear them anymore.”

Isana was right. I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but it was dead silent over there now. Had they realized we’d heard them? But there was no way they could stop making sound altogether and make it seem like they weren’t there. Isana and I looked at each other—the same idea in mind. We both stealthily left our room and secretly peeked next door, but no one was there. In fact, there wasn’t so much as a trace of people being there recently.

“Hey...Mizuto-kun? Have you heard about this before?”

“About what?”

“Apparently, ghosts flee when they hear people discussing lewd topics.”

“And why exactly are you bringing this up right now?” What does this have to do with anything?

Isana began trembling with a blank look on her face. “Would you please...escort me home today?”

“Sure, I guess.”

“Also, please accompany me to the manga café next time I visit.”

Wow, she’s brave. Most people wouldn’t want to ever come again.

The Person I Like Lives with Me

Yume Irido

By the time the sun had begun to set and the sky had darkened, the welcome party had ended.

“Well then, the real work begins tomorrow,” President Kurenai said. “I’ll be counting on all of you.”

“I-I’ll do my best!” Asuhain-san said nervously.

“I look forward to working with all of you,” I said.

Everyone but me broke off into small groups and headed home. As I walked by myself, I reminisced about the people I’d met today. Asuhain-san viewed me as a rival. Due to her straitlacedness and past experiences, she was very anti-romance. She’d probably go crazy if she knew about President Kurenai’s situation or mine.

Aso-senpai didn’t seem all that reliable, and she was pretty flirty with guys. If I was being honest, I didn’t want her around Mizuto at all. But then again, maybe she was only like that with Hoshibe-senpai.

Speaking of whom, the former president of the student council seemed rather lazy, but I’d caught a glimpse of his wisdom through his words today. He’d said he’d come today because he was bored, but I wasn’t sure if that was the whole truth.

For someone like me who’d never even joined a club before, this was my first time having upperclassmen mentors and a same-age colleague. If this were me in middle school, I would’ve been fretting over if I could do a good job and get along with them, but not now. I was different now. I felt like the world had become more interesting. It was as if I was looking forward to things and was more sure of myself. I was filled with that excitement and—

“Ah.”

My thoughts were interrupted as I caught sight of a familiar figure. As the year got deeper into fall, the days had become shorter. It was rare for him to be out walking this late. The sun had already set. He must’ve gone out with Higashira-san somewhere. It didn’t seem like he’d noticed me yet, which gave me an idea for a prank. A smile crept across my face as I snuck up behind him.

“Wah!”

“Dowaoh!” Mizuto made an incomprehensible noise and jumped away as if he’d been flung back.

Wow, what a reaction. I’m the one doing the scaring, but he’s making me freeze up. “Y-You scared me. I didn’t expect you to be that surprised,” I said.

“O-Oh. It’s you...” he said, glancing at my face before looking away with embarrassment.

Aw, you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed. He reminded me of how romantic conquests in visual novels would frequently rub their necks for no reason.

“Due to various reasons, I ended up walking Isana home... You just getting back from the student council?”

“Yeah. We had a welcome party in the café that President Kurenai works part-time at.”

“She’s working a job? That’s hard to imagine.”

He’s more chatty than usual. Is he trying to play off how scared he was? “So...what sort of ‘various reasons’?” I took a step forward, closing the distance between us, and asked him, looking right into his eyes.

He recoiled a little. “Just some stupid ones.”

“Like what? Actually, before that, what did you guys do together?”

The questions came out of me so naturally. I wasn’t jealous, honestly. Him hanging out with her was old news. I was genuinely curious about what he did while I was with the student council members. It was completely natural and reasonable that I wanted to hear him talk about the things I didn’t know about him. But also, I wanted to tell him all about what had happened today, the people I’d met, my new place, and the new things I’d learned. I wanted him to know about the things he didn’t know about me.

We’d talk, listen, and share. I wanted to look back on this day, which should’ve been commemorated, with him. Fortunately, we had time. After all, we were—

“Fine, I’ll tell you. We’re heading to the same place, anyway.”

It’s really inconvenient for the person you like to live with you, but it’s very blissful. After all, I never had to say “good-bye.” I never had to say “see you tomorrow.” I never had to see him walk in the opposite direction. Even if we weren’t together when the sun rose, we were together when it set, and could talk about the events of the day. We could take our time getting to know the parts of each other that we didn’t know—solving each other’s mysteries one by one.

“So, I experienced a two-person room in a manga café with Isana today...”

Sorry, what? The jealousy I was feeling was also a luxury I could only experience because we lived under the same roof. Living together is so much better than sharing some stupid room in a manga café anyway!