My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 9 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: This Path Is Bound to Be Fun

The Shape of Happiness

Mizuto Irido

“Mizuto-kun, you know what the shape of your happiness is, don’t you?” a guy much more mature than I claimed, as if he could see right through me. “Hollywood films end with a kiss, RPGs with a wedding—most people imagine happiness taking one of those stereotypical forms. However, in reality, there is no one defined shape of happiness. There are people who are labeled ‘loners’ who absolutely love being by themselves. People who are labeled as talentless who are perfectly content with their lack of talent. It’s even a common comedy trope for people to look to greener pastures, chasing after something they desire, not realizing that it’s not what they need.” His words were so smooth, like a clear, flowing river. “You’re much more perceptive than others. That’s why, despite still being a kid, you’ve figured out the shape of your happiness, and it’s not that of a family.”

Most people just naturally imagined a future with a family of their own. Their partner is there, they have kids, and they all live under the same roof—an image so common, it’s as if that image had been imprinted in their brains. But...was that future really necessary? Was it really necessary for me?

“Middle schoolers can put off thinking about the future because they’re just kids, and college students are expected to learn how to be adults, but high schoolers fall right in the middle. They’re still kids, but also on their way to becoming adults. It’s like they’re caterpillars in cocoons. Then again, this is all just my own little pet theory. Still, though, I really sympathize with you. You’re in the most annoying part of your life—simultaneously too young and too old to make a decision...”

Though he was directing this at me, it felt so...unrelated to me. Even after all he said, I couldn’t help the feeling that this had nothing to do with me at all.

“So, what’s it going to be?” Despite that lingering feeling, I had to make a hard choice. “Will you pick the reckless option of returning to being a kid, letting your emotions run wild and put off thinking about the future and hoping that things’ll work out in the end as if you were playing an RPG? Or will you continue walking towards adulthood and seal off your emotions, like a speedrun, being efficient with every move in pursuit of the shape of your happiness?” Ryosei Keikoin smiled like a dungeon master. “I hope you can make a better choice. I really do, as your stepsister’s ex-father.”

A Battle under the Kotatsu

Kyoto is famous worldwide as a tourist destination, but most locals would probably agree that, while it might be a good place to visit, it’s not the best place to live. Summers are as steamy as a sauna, and winters are as cold as a refrigerator. There’s no way any resident thinks the vast number of temples and shrines around offsets the annoyingness of the unique weather patterns of this area, which is sandwiched between mountains. Also, people who actually live there rarely go to any of the tourist attractions, so they might as well not get any value out of the location. I don’t even know where Kinkakuji is.

It was currently December. The season of the autumn leaves had ended, and finally, the harsh winter was beginning to bare its fangs. And so, we had retrieved our secret weapon—the kotatsu—from storage and deployed it to the front lines to defend us from winter’s bite.

“It’s so cold...” I shivered as I shut the door behind me.

It wasn’t often that I left the house other than for school reasons, but this had been one of those rare days. I’d avoided direct exposure to the cold wind, but the inside of the house didn’t feel much warmer. With shorter days, there was less sun, making it completely possible that it was colder inside than it was outside. I’m starting to miss the hot springs in Kobe.

I went to the living room, leaving my coat on. I knew that turning on the heat wouldn’t immediately warm up the house, so I went straight to the one thing that could warm me up quickly, and it just so happened to be in front of our couch.

Not too long ago, there used to be a low glass table in front of our couch, but now, there was a blanket-covered magical device with a heavenly space underneath it, warmed by a secret heater. I thrust my legs underneath the blanket and steeped them in the waiting warmth. I spaced out for a bit, but was immediately brought back down to earth by a squish. As I stretched my legs out, my feet touched something soft.

“Mm...”

I heard something that sounded like someone sleeping, and that’s when I finally noticed a familiar girl’s head sticking out of the left side of the kotatsu. I partially on reflex pulled up the blanket and looked underneath it. Waiting there in the dim, orange-lit space were porcelain legs that were folded into an almost fetal position. Her long skirt had been rolled up, putting on full display her smooth thighs. If I lowered my gaze just a little more, I could’ve easily seen her panties.

“Mmh...”

I must’ve stared for about ten seconds or so before the girl who’d made this kotatsu her new home—just as a snail would to a shell—stirred a little from being cold and raised her legs a little more. At this point, I was starting to be able to see her butt, so I dropped the blanket in a panic.

I looked down at Yume, who was peacefully sleeping, with just her head sticking out of the kotatsu. I’m getting déjà vu. Didn’t something similar happen right before we went to Kobe? Back then, Isana had been with me, so I hadn’t done anything too crazy. Now, with Yume in such a defenseless position and nobody else around, certain ideas popped into my head, whether I wanted them to or not.

Of course, I couldn’t act on these ideas. They weren’t legitimate options. Even if we didn’t have a history, it’d spell the end of our family if I became a guy who’d peek at my stepsister’s practically half naked body as she was passed out under the kotatsu.

Most likely, what I needed to do here was restrain myself and go to my room. But also...the radiating warmth made it nearly impossible to leave.

Suddenly, I felt something poking my knees as I sat cross-legged under the kotatsu. Before I knew it, I saw that Yume was slowly opening her eyes. You’re awake? I’m so glad you woke up now and not when I pulled up the blanket. She stared at my face as she kept the rest of her body covered by the kotatsu. Then I felt her poke me with her toes again.

We both stared at each other in silence. She simply looked at me, not producing even the smallest sound, so I followed suit and kept my mouth shut. At the very least, it didn’t seem like she wanted to kick me out of the kotatsu.

I took off my coat and then took the book that I’d just come back from buying out of the bag, and began flipping through its pages. As I did, she continued poking my leg. I’d occasionally glance at her, and when I did, she smiled happily. Does...she want attention? The idea of rolling over and simply going along with her whims didn’t sit right with me, so I wordlessly repelled her foot when she tried to poke me, and just as I did, the living room door opened.

“Oh, Mizuto-kun, welcome home!” Yuni-san said as she came in. She quickly made her way over to the kotatsu, and as she did, she noticed Yume. “Oh, Yume, you’re gonna catch a cold if you sleep there.”

“Mmngh...” Yume answered her as if in a daze, but made no effort to leave.

“What am I gonna do with you...?”

With that, Yuni-san left, and the toe poking resumed. The puppy dog look in her eyes gave me absolutely no indication as to what she wanted me to do here, but I wasn’t a fan of staying purely on the receiving end. Just as she went to poke me again, I quickly stuck my hand under the blanket and caught her bare foot.

“Wai—” Her foot was soft and dainty. I took that very foot and immediately began tickling it. “Mm— H-Hey!”

She seemed to be in agony as she tried to keep her voice down, but still, I didn’t let go of her foot and continued to tickle her. This was nothing but a snippet of a normal, daily life—completely commonplace for family members. But as lukewarm as the comfort from the ordinary felt, there was something stimulating that made my heart beat faster.

“Phew...” I exhaled as I finally let her foot go.

Yume initially shot me an angry look, but then, she smiled with just her eyes and began rubbing her foot against my leg as if she was petting it.

The comfort from being family. The stimulation from being a guy and a girl. I felt both of those emotions simultaneously. I felt like I was going crazy—like I was gonna lose who I was.

A House of Cards Built on a House of Cards

Yume Irido

“Senpai! Senpaaai!” Aso-senpai’s voice echoed across the student council room, an octave higher than usual. “Did you see the official live stream yesterday? It was sooo intense! I’m so hyped for the new patch!”

“Uh-huh...” It went without saying that the guy sitting on the guest couch with Aso-senpai’s head on his shoulder was Hoshibe-senpai. He seemed kinda robotically nodding along to whatever she said while shooting us uncomfortable glances.

“Oh, right. Senpai, can we talk on the phone again tonight?! I still got some of the event left to do, so can you keep me company while I grind it?”

Asuhain-san, President Kurenai, Haba-senpai, and I just sat in silence, doing our work, while Aso-senpai spoke to Hoshibe-senpai using her flirty voice at its maximum level. Not a single word was exchanged between any of us. The only defense against Aso-senpai’s sweet voice was the clacking of our keyboards.

Finally, Hoshibe-senpai exhaled heavily, peeled Aso-senpai off of him, and stood up.

“Huh? Senpai?”

“Sorry, Kurenai. I’ll stop hangin’ out here.”

Aso-senpai was thrown by this sudden statement. “What?! We won’t be able to see each other as much! Why?!”

“Because you’re not doing your work at all!” President Kurenai and Hoshibe-senpai said at the same time.

Aso-senpai frowned and looked away after both her boss and boyfriend hit her with a sound argument. “What’s the big deal? We’re finally dating...I should be able to do this much at least.” She pouted, frowning while averting her eyes.

“No, you’re setting a bad example,” Hoshibe-senpai said. “We can hang as much as you want after you finish your work.” He gave Aso-senpai a light tap on the head.

She looked up at him, slightly bitterly, and said, “Okay...”

“Later,” Hoshibe-senpai softly said before leaving the room.

Aso-senpai longingly watched him leave and then finally returned to her seat, dispirited. “I’m so Senpai-deficient right now...”

“I’d always thought that you were the type to prioritize romance over friendships and work, but it’s rough seeing such a perfect demonstration of that right in front of me,” President Kurenai said through half-closed eyes.

For some reason, Aso-senpai’s response was to act cutely. “Heh heh. Sowwy! This must be too stimulating for a single girl like you.” Silence followed before the storm. “Ow! H-Hey, Suzurin, that hurts! Don’t kick my leg! Ow!”

Yeah...she asked for that. Ever since emerging from the trip to Kobe with a boyfriend, Aso-senpai had been pushing her luck all the time. So far, we’d decided to let it slide because she’d finally gotten with the person she’d been after for so long, but it seemed giving her that leeway had been a poor decision on our part.

Asuhain-san glared at Aso-senpai as she winced in pain from President Kurenai’s kicks. “I understand you’re happy, but don’t forget that your underclassmen are the ones who have to pick up your slack.”

“Urk... Look, I’m really sorry about that! But I bet that if any of you were in my position, you’d be acting the same! I guarantee it! It’s not my fault that I got a boyfriend! I’m not a bad person!”

“I’m going to grab some papers,” Haba-senpai said before quickly leaving his seat.

He most likely sensed that our conversation was about to turn into girl talk. He’d often quickly disappear like this when his almost clairvoyant senses caught on to the change in direction of the conversation.

After watching Haba-senpai disappear into the documents room, President Kurenai rested her head in her hands. “Aisa, it’s good and all that you’re happy, but maybe you should wake up and smell the coffee a bit.”

“Oh, get off my back! I’ll do my work! Happy?!”

“Yeah, but what I was trying to say was...” President Kurenai proceeded to point at the voluptuous bulge on Aso-senpai’s chest. “How long do you think you can keep lying to him? You’re already dating.”

“Urk...”

I blinked with disbelief seeing Aso-senpai clam up. “Huh? You...still haven’t told him?!”

“Wow I’m astonished—in a bad way. How can you do that when you’re all over him?” Asuhain-san said, her glare growing ever more fierce. She was a natural at giving the stink eye.

Aso-senpai stuffed a lot of pads inside her bra to give her a cup size that was roughly three times bigger than it actually was. Up until now she’d skillfully been able to make it seem like her fake cup size had been her real one, but now that she was in a relationship, well... There would come a time when she’d have to show him the true size of her breasts...so if he saw that, it would probably give him a major shock.

President Kurenai looked at Aso-senpai, who was seemingly shrinking. “Despite how he acts, Hoshibe-senpai is a gentleman, but he’s still a guy. He might be extremely disappointed. It’s like getting to the mountain of treasure and finding out it’s nothing but a mountain of trash covering a modest mound of pebbles.”

“Th-They’re not pebbles! I’m at least bigger than Akki!” Akatsuki-san was catching strays. “A-Anyway, I’m just continuing to do this because bigger boobs fit better with the clothes I like. I’m not trying to deceive him...”

“Then come clean. Don’t blame me when it’s go time and his you-know-what shrivels up.”

“It won’t! It’ll be super hard!”

Asuhain-san covertly averted her gaze as the conversation became overtly dirty. This little chat wasn’t happening specifically because of the current group. When one girl in a group has a boyfriend, topics naturally fall on the explicit side.

I might’ve had a boyfriend in the past, but I had absolutely no knowledge about that part of a relationship. All I could do was awkwardly laugh to play things off. It was best to stay silent when you had no knowledge about the topic at hand.

“You know it’s already December, right?” President Kurenai said in a tired voice. “You don’t even have a month left until Christmas. Don’t tell me you’re planning on spending your first Christmas together lying and glossing over the truth, are you?”

“B-But we only just started dating... Isn’t it a little soon?”

“This little charade of yours has been going on for too long already. Plus, Hoshibe-senpai is a surprisingly voracious guy when he makes up his mind. I don’t think he’s kind enough to ignore the meal set before him.”

“Urgh...” Aso-senpai shrunk even more, her face turning red. Hm, Christmas... Yeah. I’ve been told that couples typically do that kinda stuff on Christmas. “But I don’t know what to do! How am I supposed to tell him?! What, should I just be like, ‘Sorry, bro. Actually I got small tits’?! How could that ever come up organically?!”

“Well...”

Judging from her wishy-washy response, it seemed that even President Kurenai was at a loss. Indeed, it was an incredibly difficult problem.

“What if you just slowly reduce the number of pads?” Asuhain-san was the one to suggest an answer to this difficult problem. “You don’t have to come right out with the truth. If you just reduce the number of pads little by little, then the size of your chest will gradually decrease. Doing it over a long period of time might even result in him not noticing the difference in the first place.”

“Whoa! That’s it!” Aso-senpai suddenly sprung back to her normal, energetic self. “You’re a genius, Ranran! How did you come up with such a clever plan?!”

“I tried doing something similar in middle school, but it made my chest area uncomfortably tight, so I stopped.”

“Oh nice, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that— Wait, shut up!”

Regardless of Aso-senpai’s quip, it looked like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. But even if she was feeling relieved, I was still worried.

“Isn’t this just adding an extra layer to the lie?” I asked.

“Well, I’m sure that even if Hoshibe-senpai discovered the truth, he wouldn’t make a big deal of it,” President Kurenai said. “All that’s left is to pray that he’s not a big tit guy.”

For Some Reason

I envied Aso-senpai. She had her own things to worry about, of course, but worrying in itself showed a glimpse of her happiness.

I’m going to steal Mizuto’s heart before the year ends. Though I was happy to have at least made up my mind about that, I had something to take care of first. I had to think about the meeting with my biological dad and how he’d invited Mizuto as well.

I had the option of having mom ask Mizuto for me, but ultimately, I’d decided that I’d talk to him myself. I wasn’t trying to use this as a way to advance my agenda, but I felt that in telling him, I’d convey a certain kind of determination.

The last time I spoke with my dad had been years ago. Talking with him was neither awkward nor easy, but especially now that we had different last names, it felt like a ceremony of sorts. Plus, if Mizuto came with me, then...

But also, why did he want to meet Mizuto in the first place? Was he concerned about a teenage boy living with his teenage daughter? Did he want to size Mizuto up a bit? I didn’t really think my dad cared all that much about me.

Either way, I wanted to invite Mizuto to this “parent meeting the married couple” kinda situation. Sure, if I invited him, he might be a little more aware of my feelings for him, but in the end, it was a simple matter of this being my meeting, so it was only right for me to be the one to invite him. Anyway, like, for real...the whole married couple thing made me hesitate.

No, stop. This is a bad habit. There wasn’t even a full month left until this year ended. There was no time to be wishy-washy. I’m gonna tell him. I’m gonna tell him today. Right when I get home. 

After the student council ended, I went home, and found Mizuto in the living room, already changed out of his uniform.

“Hey, so—”

Right as I called out to him, he turned around and looked up from his phone. “Oh, perfect timing.”

“Huh?”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, so I made plans with Isana to go to her house in the afternoon. That okay?”

His question came so abruptly that it killed all my momentum. He’s going to Higashira-san’s house? Why all of a sudden? But also, now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen Higashira-san over at our house lately. Suddenly, my heart hurt.

“Why are you asking for my permission?” For some reason, I asked this in a tone as if I was picking a fight.

Mizuto looked away and tilted his head as if he was troubled. “I dunno... Just kinda felt like I should,” he practically mumbled before standing up.

He swiftly began to make his way out of the living room. When he passed me, I suddenly remembered. Wait, I need to tell him about my dad. I need to stop him. But before I could even say another word, the living room door shut behind him. I lowered the hand I’d raised to stop him.

“I...missed my chance again.”

The Similarities between a Girl with an Alt Account and Artists

Isana Higashira

“Hm...”

Looking at my very messy rough sketch, I tilted my head. It’d been at least twenty minutes since I’d turned on my tablet in my room. I couldn’t come up with any ideas for compositions, and even if I did, I wasn’t sure how to draw them. I especially didn’t know how to draw things like the wrinkles in shirts. My brain felt fried. May I have permission to simply draw characters naked?

During the trip, drawing had been so easy. However, ever since then, every image I’d drawn looked horrible, in my opinion. At times like this, solely utilizing what was in my head was futile. I exchanged my stylus for my phone and moved in front of my mirror. It was a tool that many girls cherished and kept enshrined on their walls; however, as of late, I’d been using it primarily as a way to take pictures of myself for reference material purposes. I’d pose in a variety of ways and capture them with my phone camera. I was essentially a girl with a secret alt account. I must exercise the maximum amount of caution to ensure my mother and father never discover these pictures.

“Hm...”

I’d like to draw a butt. I’d like to draw breasts. But if I want to draw both of them, it will require me to twist my body into a difficult position. This is truly a difficult conundrum. I twisted my neck as I attempted a pose where I turned my back to the mirror and thrust my rear outwards, and then a pose where I bent my knees slightly and leaned forward to show my cleavage.

Perhaps I should just take a leap and dive right into drawing a more indecent composition? For example, I could...sit on the ground, spread my legs wide, squish my breasts together with my elbows, and then...

“Hey, Isana. Lock your front door. It’s dangerous... Huh?”

There was a click and the door to my room opened. Standing there was Mizuto-kun, frozen in place.

“Ah...”

I too froze, my mouth agape. My legs were spread open in an M-shape, while my phone remained pointed towards the mirror. Time stopped for a full ten seconds before it resumed.

“Sorry...” Mizuto-kun slowly and awkwardly closed the door as he backed away.

“W-Wait! P-Please wait! Th-This is a misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! I’m merely doing this for reference material!”

The Path to the Future

Mizuto Irido

I’d been called over to the Higashira household not by Isana, but by her mother, Natora-san. Essentially, it’d played out with her simply telling me “I got business with you, so come on over, kid.” That being said...she’d invited me, but she didn’t seem to be home?

“Thanks to that, I walked in on a disastrous scene. Sheesh...”

“That’s my line!” Isana protested, her face beet red. She was wearing nothing but a long-sleeved shirt, which fit almost like a dress—long enough to cover her thighs, but...

“So...I know this is your room and all, but you should at least wear something underneath.”

“I-I am! I’m wearing panties!”

“Wear shorts at least.”

Now that I thought about it, she was the type to only wear clothes on her upper half during a video call because that was all that would appear on camera. Thanks to that, I got a full look of certain...places...whether I wanted to or not. No matter how close we were, things could still get awkward between us.

“It’s been a while since we’ve hung out on the weekend,” I said, changing the subject.

Isana hadn’t come to my place much recently, nor did we hang out at the library after school often. This was, of course, because she was working on her art.

Ever since the trip to Kobe, Isana had thrown herself even more into drawing. Consequently, that cut into the time that we could hang out, so we mostly communicated over text.

“Have you drawn anything since then?” I asked.

“Well, I suppose I’ve done some drawings... Would you like to see?”

“If it’s okay with you.”

Isana picked up her tablet from the desk and gave it to me. Looking at the screen, I saw a row of image thumbnails.

“P-Please refrain from looking at anything unscrupulous!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“W-Well, there are quite a few pictures similar to the ones I was taking when you arrived...”

I fell silent. I’ll be extremely careful to avoid those. I held the tablet and sat on the ground, cross-legged. Isana initially sat on the bed, but gasped as if she realized something and then immediately sat on her knees on the floor. She must’ve realized that sitting on the bed while I sat on the floor would’ve put her panties at eye level. Can you realize that a little sooner next time?

I began looking through the drawings. They were mostly rough sketches, with some that looked like outlines of people. Honestly, some of them were pretty special. There were many that she’d just done the line art for, but none of her drawings were colored in.

“You haven’t finished any of these,” I observed.

“I haven’t... For some reason, none of these really resonate with me.”

Is she in a slump? How, when she just drew that amazing picture not too long ago? “What about that rough sketch you drew on the way back from Kobe?”

“Oh! I did complete that! It’s in a different folder.” She extended her hands, asking me for the tablet, so I handed it to her. Apparently, going through her tablet on my own was dangerous. “Here it is!” Isana said, walking towards me on her knees before sitting next to me. Then, my eyes were immediately drawn into the screen of the tablet as she showed it to me.

It was a picture of a girl, sad, but crying while smiling. “They should’ve sent a poet” came to mind when looking at the picture—my vocabulary was too limited to do it justice.

It was as if emotion was flowing from it. There weren’t any speech bubbles or captions, but the character’s subtle mannerisms, the way she played with her hair, and the detail to the coloring made it rife with storytelling. It was the sort of picture that could go viral.

Of course, it was still rough around the edges compared to the art that pros would post. This was especially true in regards to the coloring. It felt as if her skill hadn’t caught up to how she’d wanted to color it. But even so...

“It was much nicer when it was still a rough sketch, wasn’t it?” Isana remarked. “This happens more often than one might think.”

“I still think it’s amazing. It’s on a whole new level since I last saw it.”

“Y-You think so? Ehe heh heh...”

It’s so frustrating that I can’t get the right words to describe how I feel. This goes beyond what “amazing” expresses. Her drawing wasn’t something that could’ve been achieved through the use of techniques that could be honed through simple practice. She’d needed an artist’s intuition to achieve something like this.

If even an amateur like me could feel that way at a glance, I was convinced that Isana had a talent that could touch the hearts of many. If she could just get a following and improve her skills... Wait, actually, even if she didn’t think it was good, wasn’t it good enough for people to rate it positively?

“How’s the picture doing?”

“Huh?” Isana tilted her head.

Uh, what kind of reaction is that? “Is it getting good engagement?”

“I...suppose so? It’s positively regarded? After all, you just praised it, so...”

“Hm?” I raised my eyebrows in confusion.

“Huh?”

Wait, don’t tell me... “By the way, where do you post your drawings again? Twitter?”

“Huh? I don’t post them at all.” My suspicions were confirmed. “I briefly considered posting them, but ultimately... Well, you’re the only one I’ve shown that drawing to.”

She’s drawn this much without even planning on showing them to anyone other than me? I guess this is a form of talent in its own right... But also, now I get it.

“Have you ever considered that maybe you can’t finish your drawings because you only show them to me?”

“Uh...I’m not sure I follow.”

“What I mean is that you don’t have a goal. Without one, you can’t fail even if you stop halfway. If you go home halfway through a marathon, you’re disqualified. But who’s gonna get mad at you if you give up on a casual jog? That’s what I mean. The way you’re working, there’s no risk of failure and because of that, you don’t give quitting a second thought.”

“O-Oh, I see... That truly hits home... How embarrassing...” she said, covering her ears.

I pulled both her hands away from her ears. “Post this picture.”

“Huh?!” Isana jumped a little. “P-Please don’t suggest something so reckless! Do you think that someone who is incapable of making humorous tweets and taking pictures of swanky sweets can do that?!”

“Who cares if you’re capable of doing those things or not? Forget that. Just post your art. There are sites dedicated to that, right? If you’re really that nervous about it, you can leave managing the account to me. I don’t want to see you get ratioed to oblivion for any careless tweets you put out.”

“Wh-Why would you go that far for me...? I won’t be giving you a salary, you know?”

“Well, if I had to give a reason...” I was hesitant to say more, but this wasn’t the time to be embarrassed. I could feel myself holding the fate of her talent in the palm of my hand. “I’ve fallen for your talent.” I stared right at Isana and declared this as she let out a moronic sound.

“Hwah?”

“Isana, you have talent, and it’s a once in a generation kinda talent. I’m not sure how, but I’m the first one to see that. It is my duty as the one who first discovered your talent to help nurture it and share it with the world. I feel like I’d be okay using my entire life to do that—”

“W-Wait! Stop! Please stop!” Isana insisted, stopping my long-winded spiel as she pushed me back by the shoulders, her face completely red.

“What?”

“Y-You’re putting me on too high a pedestal. I’m ecstatic that you feel that way, but I lack anything resembling talent. I am not nearly that impressive...”

“No, you are. You just don’t realize it. I’ll say it as many times as you want. Isana Higashira, you are a prodigy.”

Isana looked down and groaned a bit, her mouth shut. She played with her bangs—a mannerism indicative of her embarrassment. I was fairly embarrassed too, but if I let it show, everything I’d done would go to waste.

I continued looking at her face wholeheartedly, but she kept looking in every direction except towards me, as if searching for an escape. Even so, I continued to stare right at her to catch her gaze.

“O-Okay, I’ll do it...” she finally said, giving in. “If you’ll take care of everything aside from the art, then okay... I too have interest in posting my artwork...”

“Great. Then let’s get right to figuring out what you’re gonna draw next.”

“‘Next’?”

“Is your great plan to post one picture and end your career as an artist? You gotta keep at it if you want to get better. Don’t you get frustrated sometimes thinking about how you wish you could’ve done something differently, but you don’t know how? Your art practically screams that.”

“Mizuto-kun...are you a mind reader?”

I’m just an avid reader. I’m confident in my abilities to read between the lines. I took her tablet and went through her rough sketches.

“This should be good. Finish this rough sketch.”

“This one?”

“Don’t phone it in. Put everything you got into it. Squeeze out every last drop of imagination you have. But I’m giving you a deadline. Get it done in a week.”

“Huh?! A deadline?!” she whined.

“Yeah, if I don’t give you one, you’ll never finish it.”

Isana frowned, unsatisfied, while looking at the rough sketch I’d picked out. “Hm, this one, though...”

“Don’t like it?”

“Can you blame me? It’s not provocative in the slightest.”

“I’m not about to let someone underage start an NSFW art account.” If this was just for fun then that’d be a different story. “Well then, how about this?”

“Yes?”

“It’s true that this isn’t a very lewd drawing. The character is fully clothed and there’s absolutely nothing in the situation that’s erotic. So what you’re gonna do is make it look erotic. How does that sound? If you do it like that, it’ll still be legal and you’ll have fun editing your art.”

“Oh?” The look in her eyes changed.

I wasn’t speaking from experience, of course, but when the element of sex was involved, a person’s motivation went into overdrive. As proof, a lot of erotic artists are amazingly talented. Isana was the type of person who could stare at the illustrations in the front of a light novel for over ten minutes without breaking a sweat. I was confident that I could use that to my advantage to motivate her.

“I feel so extremely motivated, Mizuto-kun! Eroticism is best when it is subtle! It’s a similar situation to how an official body pillow that doesn’t show nipples is much more exciting than a doujin that does.”

“No, I don’t think that’s similar at all.”

But I’m not going to get into it too much, since she’s finally motivated. I hadn’t imagined this situation at all, but weirdly enough, I was starting to feel incredibly motivated too. This might’ve been the first time in my life that I really felt like I wanted to do something. Several ideas for the title of Isana Higashira’s first picture of a broken heart began floating around my head.

“By the way, Mizuto-kun...” Isana began very apprehensively while looking up at me. “If I finish by the deadline...could I...receive a reward?”

Sheesh, what a philistine. The deadline is for your sake, you know? I gave a small smile. “Fine. I’ll think of something.”

“Yay!” Isana jumped from the floor for joy like a child. “Eek!” In the next moment, she covered the lumps on her chest with her hands, clearly flustered. It must’ve hurt when they flew up and then back down. You idiot.

But either way, now that we’d decided all this, it was time to create an account. First up was making an email account.

“So what kind of handle do you wanna use?”

“Oh, good question. Hm, what indeed...? Something easy to remember would be best, right?”

“As long as it’s not so simple that it conversely becomes hard to search.”

I see those kinda names around every now and then. There are some artists who just use a normal noun as their username.

As we discussed things, we heard a call from outside her room.

“Hey, Isana!” Suddenly the door opened, and behind it, a tall woman appeared. It was Isana’s mom, Natora-san. “Oh, you’re here already?”

“Thanks for having me.” Oh right. I forgot. She’s the one who invited me. “You said you wanted to talk to me about something?”

“Yeah. But I guess you already know about Isana’s current state.”

“Her current state?”

I looked next to me. Is she talking about how her daughter’s wearing an oversized shirt and is the epitome of defenseless right now?

“So you know how she’s been pretty into drawing lately, right?” Oh, that’s what she meant. “Holing up in her room isn’t anything new, but it’s gotten worse. Sometimes, she doesn’t even come out to eat.”

“If you’re asking me to make her stop drawing, I’m going to have to refuse.”

“That’s not it at all. Don’t be so defensive. I’m a pretty lenient mom—don’t think of me as anything else. I’m not narrow-minded.” So what does she want from me? “I think it’s good that she’s got something she’s so into. Nowadays, studying hard and getting good grades doesn’t guarantee a bright future. When I was your age, I went off and did my own thing, so I get it, but we are paying a pretty penny for her to go to Rakuro.”

That’s right... Yume and I are scholarship students, so we don’t really feel the financial burden, but it is an expensive private school.

“So listen, Mizuto-kun. Do you know how Isana did on the midterms?”

Suddenly, Isana shrunk and hid behind me. I looked at her. “Now that I think about it...no, I don’t.”

“Good for you, because they were disastrous,” Natora-san said as Isana moaned while shrinking her shoulders. “I don’t have anything against her drawing, but I do have a problem if her drawing results in her being kicked out or having to repeat a grade. It’ll cost us a shit ton of money. So that’s where you come in, Mizuto-kun. You’re gonna be Isana’s private tutor.”

“Huh?”

She’d declared this without even giving me the option to say no. “It won’t be much, but I’ll pay you since this’ll be a kind of part-time job. If it’s not enough, you can use her body to make up the difference.”

“Did you hear that?!” Isana exclaimed. “She just sold her daughter’s body! That is not the behavior of a mother!”

“Aw, shaddup. You can assert your human rights once you get human grades.”

Isana shrunk her shoulders again after Natora-san threw reality back in her face. That being said, I was with Isana. That’s definitely not how a mother should act. Hm, being a tutor though... It’s true that Isana’s been slacking on her studies, but if I become her tutor, I’ll have to come over here periodically.

“Why are you asking for my permission?” Yume’s words echoed in my head.

“So, whaddya think? Not to toot my own horn, but I think this is the perfect plan,” Natora-san said, grinning as if she’d read my mind.

Does she know that I’m trying to make Isana a popular artist? If I became her tutor, I’d be able to efficiently teach her and help manage her art account at the same time. It was as if all the obstacles were being removed from my path. Did I even have a choice?

“Okay... At the very least, I’ll help her until finals,” I agreed.

“Good to hear! I don’t got any cash on hand, so Isana, you pay ’im.”

“Eek! Oh no, I feel my virginity may be in danger of being stolen!”

“Keep it,” I shortly declined.

Why’d you say it so gleefully? Both mother and daughter are lacking in grace.

Towards My Goal

Yume Irido

“Huh?”

I froze, hearing what Mizuto reported to me after he returned from Higashira-san’s house.

“I’m gonna be her tutor,” he repeated. “Natora-san—Isana’s mom—asked me. I’m gonna do it at least until finals, so I’ll be going over to her place pretty much every day.”

“Pretty much every day”?! He’ll be going to Higashira-san’s house on a daily basis? He’s going to be her tutor? They’re going to be alone?!

“Natora-san’s really pushy. She’s completely different from Yuni-san. She was even talking about how if the money she’s paying me isn’t enough, I could get the rest from Isana’s body.”

“From her body?!”

“Before you get any weird ideas, I turned her down on that,” he said, apathetically looking at me.

O-Oh right. Of course. Hm? But wait. Even if she said it as a joke, doesn’t the fact that she said something like that mean that she—Higashira-san’s mom—approves of him? In the first place, giving her treasured daughter a male tutor of the same age meant that she trusted him a lot, right? Pretty much, her mom was at the point where if anything happened, she’d be okay with it.

Doesn’t that mean that she’s extremely willing to accept him into her family?! Also, he’s calling Higashira-san’s mom by her first name?! Since when has he been so close to her mom?! Is he, like, part of the family or something?! I felt as if my head was exploding. In the first place, people at school thought that Higashira-san and Mizuto were dating. But if that rumor were to spread to Higashira-san’s family...

“I wanted to give you a heads up since I’m sure I might end up coming back late. Well anyway, I got stuff to look into, so—”

“W-Wait!”

I grabbed Mizuto by the arm in a panic as he turned to leave. He shot me a confused look. This is it. There’s no going back. If he is on good terms with Higashira-san’s mom, then...

“I... I have something I need to ask you.”

I’m not giving up. Even if neither Higashira-san nor Mizuto have any intention of things progressing between them, I’m not giving up my spot next to him.

“Could you meet my dad with me?”