My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 9 - Chapter 6

Final Chapter: A Proposal Isn’t Enough

Outside the House

Mizuto Irido

“Okay, I’ll be back later!”

“Have a good time, Yume! Be safe too, Mizuto-kun!”

Yume and I walked out of the house into the night. It might not have been snowing, but our breath was white. I kept my hands shoved into my pockets and gazed up at the twinkling stars.

Yume giggled, in a good mood, quickly moving to catch up to me. “Our parents didn’t notice at all.” Then, she peered up at me like a kid who’d successfully pulled off a prank.

I frowned. “It would’ve been horrible if they had.”

“I was so shocked. I didn’t think you’d be so courageous.”

“Everyone has a time in their life they wanna play the brave hero.”

“Just make sure you don’t get so brave that you swim around in a big tank of water, okay?”

“That’s a ‘zero,’ not a ‘hero.’”

Yume giggled as we walked under the cold sky. After a little bit more of walking, we’d reach a major street and be greeted with crowds of people. But until then, this empty world belonged to just the two of us.

“We’re both on the same page about keeping ‘us’ to ourselves right?” I asked.

“Yeah. It’s not like I’m on the fence about telling them just yet, but...”

“But what?”

“It’s kinda fun keeping secrets, isn’t it?”

I exhaled, seeing Yume’s shoulders tremble slightly. “You’ve become such a daredevil. Is that thanks to President Kurenai?”

“Who knows? She’s much more of a coward than you might think.”

“She is?”

“Surprising, isn’t it?”

“I can’t imagine...” It’s weird for present me to say this, but I really don’t understand girls. “But anyway, we’ll stay a family for a little while longer.”

“You sure?” Yume tilted her head and lightly spun herself to be in front of me and looked up at my face. “We’re family even...outside of our house?”

There wasn’t anyone around. The only thing illuminated by the streetlights were me and Yume. There wasn’t a single person in this world who thought we were just siblings.

“Your brain really is perverted,” I said.

“Look who’s talking.”

I put my hand around her waist, covered by her thick coat. Yume raised her head a little and closed her eyes as if she were entrusting the next move to me. Though this was a first, it felt nostalgic. We’d done this so many times before and we were going to do this many times in the future. I slowly put my lips on hers. Though I didn’t want to leave the softness of her lips, I slowly moved back, and then we stared at each other from close proximity, our white breaths mixing with one another.

“I’m so glad that I got better at this while we were in middle school.” Yume smiled with her eyes.

“Who do you think was the one who helped you get better, you clumsy girl?”

“Hm...who indeed? I don’t remember.”

“Want me to help you remember?”

“Mmm... I’m not sure if I’ll remember from doing it just one more time.”

I pressed my lips against hers again. This time, I pressed much deeper and held her tighter. I’ll keep doing this as many times as it takes for you to remember—no matter how long it takes. Our past bonded us. We weren’t just siblings or a couple or spouses. We needed words to define us, but there weren’t enough to do so. There wasn’t just a single word that was enough to show our determination.

A proposal isn’t enough. Our time together would show, and our lives would answer.

“So we’re keeping our parents in the dark, but what about everybody else?”

“Like who?”

“Like Akatsuki-san, Kawanami-kun...everyone who cheered us on.”

“Telling Kawanami sounds like more trouble than it’s worth, but if you tell Minami-san, he’ll automatically find out about it.”

“What about Higashira-san? Should I tell her?”

“No...” I took off my gloves and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I opened my chat with Isana. “I will. I can show that I’m at least that dependable a guy.”

I thought of what to write, but I didn’t think there was much meaning to put too much thought into this, so I wrote a simple message.

Mizuto: Happy New Year

Creation

Isana Higashira

Mizuto: Also, I’ve started dating Yume

The new year had barely begun before my heart was struck by a shocking revelation from a chat on my phone.

I released a meaningless, empty sound as I fell to my bed, face up. It was as if my brain had ceased functioning. I found that, at this moment, all I wished to do was stare at the ceiling. I was very...very surprised. This is...quite the shock.

I remained silent. I was truly, truly taken aback. But more than that, I was disappointed. It seemed that I still believed I had a shot with Mizuto-kun. How could I, when I’d been actively encouraging him to court her?! Women truly were frightening. They lay low until the opportune chance to strike!

But thinking back, I could’ve sworn that Yume-san had done something similar to me. At any rate, it didn’t change the fact that women were frightening.

I paused my thoughts in silence before resuming. No. No, the feeling I’m experiencing isn’t disappointment as a result of my desire for him. This is the same kind of disappointment one feels when the idol they’re a fan of gets a boyfriend. Though you wish for their happiness from the bottom of your heart, you’re unable to remove the sharp pains in your chest. Or at least that’s what I thought. I couldn’t really come up with an explanation for the whirlpool of complex feelings circling around my heart. No matter how many words I had, it was clear that something was threatening to spill out.

And then before I knew it, I was heading towards my desk. I held my pen and opened my illustration app. It felt as automatic and thoughtless as moving to stop my alarm clock. Though the canvas was blank, I could strangely see a picture there before me. All that was left to do was trace it. My soul was telling me I needed to.

More Eloquent than Words Could Say

Mizuto Irido

The next day, I saw an unfamiliar picture had been posted to Isana’s Twitter, which I was supposed to be running. The moment I laid eyes on it would stay with me for the rest of my life. The first thing I saw was a bright blue sky that made me think it was summer. But then, there was a plane trail that cut across it. Then, there was a lone girl in a sailor uniform staring up at it from a levee. Her bare feet, free from her loafers, were hanging over the edge. There was a smile on her face, but she was gripping her red scarf with frustration. The caption for it was simple but explained everything: “I wish you happiness.”

“Oh...” After a long pause, that was the only thing I could say while staring at my phone.

I hadn’t been wrong. Neither had she. Even though we couldn’t date each other, I was sure we could change the world.

The picture Isana had posted was the first one to get over four digits in views.

Thanks. Also, I’m looking forward to working with you. The new days are just beginning.