My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 1 - Chapter 7.2

The Ex-Couple Try Dating (Part 2 of 2)

“You shitty bookworm.” “You shitty mystery fangirl.”

Mizuto

In what could only be described as a folly of youth, I had a so-called girlfriend during eighth and ninth grade. We may have been together for about a year and a half, but the ratio of dates to relationship length was depressingly low, which wasn’t too surprising given how our range of operation was even smaller than that of stray cats.

When determining our destination for the day, we would pretty much always decide between the same three options—the library, the bookstore, or the used bookstore.

Apparently, a typical date for normal couples consisted of karaoke, a movie, dinner, and/or a walk along the Kamo river, but Ayai and I weren’t really the “go outside” type; we much preferred staying at home. That’s why neither of us saw a point in forcing ourselves to go out to unfamiliar places just to conform to what was “normal.”

The fact that neither of us had experience in these normie dating spots was precisely why today’s date would be fully in unfamiliar territory.

It was Saturday morning, and I’d woken up much earlier than usual. I got dressed and left the house without seeing Yume.

We agreed to meet in front of the Kyoto Tower as per the instructions of the guy who had gotten me into this situation. According to him, it was more date-like if we met up there.

I got off the subway at Kyoto Station and left through the Hachijo West Side exit in order to get to my first destination, the Night Bus Lounge, which was not too far away. For those unfamiliar, these kinds of lounges were essentially relaxation areas (with fancy bathrooms) that one could only enter if they paid. Fortunately, the price wasn’t too outlandish and was pretty affordable for students.

As I entered the area, Kogure Kawanami turned his head towards me without getting up from his seat. He was wearing a casual dress shirt and capri shorts—a look that only suited slightly frivolous-looking guys like him.

“Yo, Irido. Jeez, what are you wearing? Where do you think you’re going, a convenience store?!” He let out a sigh of disbelief as if he was lamenting something.

“Obviously not.”

“Then put more effort into your appearance!”

I didn’t know what he meant. What was wrong with what I was wearing? I had just done the same thing as always: I’d opened my drawers, pulled out whatever was on top, and put that on.

“Well, I can’t say I’m too surprised. I had a feeling you’d be that kinda guy.”

“What kinda guy?”

“The kinda guy who doesn’t change anything up even for a date. Girls swipe left on guys like you.”

How rude! I’ve never received any complaints about my outfit.

“So, that being said, there ain’t much time, so we’re gonna change you into an actual outfit right here.”

“What I’m wearing is good enough.”

“Do you have ears?! I’m telling you, it’s not! Ugh, lemme remind you what the point of today is.”

Kawanami pushed me into a fitting room and threw me some new clothes. He even had a pair of shoes for me in my size. Had he really prepared all of this just for me? How many books could I buy for the price of this outfit? Why was he so desperate? This wasn’t even his date. Gross.

“You’re shooting your best friend quite the ungrateful look, considering he’s breaking his back to help both you and Irido-san.”

“Sorry, I can’t lie to myself. I’m kinda grossed out.”

“Don’t reject me like I confessed to you! Whatever, I’ll forgive you anyway. After all, one man’s tastes are another man’s distastes.”

You’re forgiving me? Also, what’s that about “tastes”? Are you saying dressing me up is a taste of yours? Oh god, ew. 

“Listen up, Irido. The purpose of your date today is to make that nutjob of a girl, Akatsuki Minami, give up on Irido-san. She’s a rare breed of cheerful extrovert, but a nutjob nonetheless.” He reconfirmed the mission overview for today in a way that backed me into a corner.

After I finished changing, Kawanami spread gel across my head to flatten the hairs that had been sticking up.

“We’re making Irido-san’s ‘brother lover’ declaration into a reality. If Minami knows that Irido-san’s only got eyes for you, any aspirations she had of becoming her family will be blown away. If we’re gonna pull this off, you gotta make Irido-san fall head over heels for you, get really lovey-dovey with you, and break Minami’s heart to bits and pieces.”

According to Kawanami, once Minami-san would catch wind of Yume and I going on a date, she’d definitely come to watch. I understood his logic, but...

“What’s the matter? You’re about to go out with the hottest girl of our freshman class. Why d’ya look so grim about it?”

“I can’t tell Yume why we’re going on this date because I don’t want to tell her the truth about Minami-san. That means that I actually have to try—and I really mean try—to make her fall for me. I can’t imagine anything more depressing.”

“I think it’s gonna be easier than ya think. Just my two cents,” he said, snickering.

It was obvious from both his laugh and his words that he was just talking out of his ass and had no intentions of taking responsibility for any of this whatsoever.

This entire plan was clearly crafted by Kawanami according to his own tastes, so of course I had my reservations, but as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I wasn’t able to come up with anything better.

After the honeymoon period of being broken up, here I was, trying to make my ex fall in love with me again. God, I hated how I was basically like those loser guys who would go crawling back to their old girlfriends.

While I continued to lament my current situation, Kawanami finished his work on me. He looked over me, his subject, closely and then said in a low voice, “Oh my...”

“If all this crap looks so bad on me, then don’t dress me up with it in the first place!”

Fashion was just a concept and not one that suited me in the first place. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. In that same way, wearing more expensive clothes didn’t change who I was inside—it just exemplified the stark contrast.

What a waste of time. Just as I went to mess up the hair that had been fixed into place like a wax doll, Kawanami frantically stopped me.

“W-Wait! What are you doing?!”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kawanami with a more serious face than the one he had at that moment.

“Just go! Go like this! You’ll understand.”

Was he saying that I should go out and embarrass myself like this? What did he want from me? Did he want this date to succeed or fail?

I huffed and left the lounge. As I walked away, I thought I felt more eyes on me than usual.

Yume

 Maybe a bit more to the right. Ah, too far. A little to the left. Got it! Wait... I repeatedly adjusted my bangs while using my phone in place of a hand mirror.

Currently, I was standing in front of the Kyoto Tower Sando shopping area with my back to the candle-like white tower while I waited for my little stepbrother.

Under normal circumstances, I would have never agreed to go on a date with him, but since he’d enforced the rule-breaking penalty on me, I had no choice. But now that I thought about it, wasn’t going on a date also breaking the rules?

“No, it’s normal for close siblings to go out together on weekends, right? And they go out of their way to meet up at a place that’s not near home... Yeah, that’s totally a thing!”

This was just another facet of our lives as stepsiblings. This wasn’t some kind of romantic venture between a boy and a girl, and it had absolutely nothing to do with our past relationship! One hundred percent unrelated!

I kept anxiously glancing at the clock while fidgeting with my bangs, trying to get them right. I could feel warmhearted gazes from people passing by.

Ever since I’d changed my looks, I’d gotten a little used to more people looking at me, but what was with these warm, doting looks? Even the guys who’d usually hit on any girl they saw were just shooting me encouraging glances.

What’s their deal?! Is it so weird for me to be nervously fixing my bangs?! Or what? Is there something wrong with my outfit? Is it my fault for putting effort into coordinating an outfit for a date?! Ugh, this is so uncomfortable!

“I wonder who she’s waiting for.”

“With those looks? Definitely a hottie.”

I could hear people whispering about me. My more sophisticated look was a double-edged sword. When I used to wait for him, nobody had even noticed me, but now, it was like people were getting excited for me.

This could mean bad news for me. After all, the guy coming to meet me here didn’t even know the definition of “fashion.” He was hopeless when it came to dressing himself up. I might be tooting my own horn here, but we were worlds apart when it came to style.

I was ready to get teased due to who I was waiting for, but just as I was steeling my will to shrug off the disappointment from the onlookers, a cool, low voice called out to me.

“Sorry I’m late.”

Mizuto

“Sorry I’m late,” I called out to Yume who was leaning against the wall.

As soon as I did, Yume looked up at me and let out a weird squeal. Given that dumb of a reaction, she must’ve been really shocked by how I looked.

I knew it. I scowled. This outfit doesn’t suit me at all! In terms of looks, I stuck out like a sore thumb next to her, but Kawanami had been weirdly pushy that I went out like this, so I had.

I could feel the surprised stares of the heartless people around us. One could say that, in contrast to me, Yume was a little cute appearance-wise... But whatever, it didn’t change the fact that she was meeting up with a lame-looking lanky guy. I assumed their surprise came from that.

I don’t usually care what others think, but right then, I definitely felt uncomfortable. I’m gonna get you for this, Kawanami!

“Um...” Yume blinked multiple times and shakily pointed her finger at me. “You are Mizuto Irido, right? My little stepbrother.”

“I am Mizuto Irido, yeah. Your big stepbrother.”

Isn’t it obvious?

Yume’s gaze ran from my head to my feet and then from my feet to my head. She looked me up and down over and over until finally, her shoulders began to tremble.

She covered her mouth with both of her hands as she let out a, “S-So—”

Yume

COOL! I screamed this internally while checking out the guy before me. He wasn’t wearing anything especially standout, but the light-colored vest, shirt, and jeans combo he had on emphasized a clean look.

It was a safe, low-risk outfit that wouldn’t embarrass any girl that he walked with. But despite how normal it was...it was so good.

His symmetrical facial features made for an intelligent look. Paired with his slightly troubled expression, the contrast was delicious. My maternal instincts began to kick in, and I kinda wanted to make him even more troubled.

But even so, between the collarbone that peeked out from his shirt collar and his wrists that protruded from his sleeves—together, they all produced a strange eroticism.

The cherry on top was his dark yet casual expression and posture. Um, what’s going on? Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? I really wanted to ask, but I couldn’t get the words out.

Oh god. Who the heck is this intellectual yet imperfect-looking young man? Oh god, oh god. Did my fantasies materialize?! Oh god, oh god, oh god. I feel like I’m flying away from reality. Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god!

“If you’ve got something to say, I wish you’d just come out and say it.” Mizuto averted his eyes out of embarrassment while running his hands through his flowing bangs.

The people around us were suddenly set abuzz from that movement of his. I couldn’t blame them, it was too hot. Of course he was catching their attention. It was like he’d jumped straight out of an otome game.

This was my ex and my little stepbrother. I wanted to scream it out from the rooftops with pride, but I held myself back.

I-I need to calm down. Don’t be fooled by his looks. No matter how much I check him out, those are just his usual long legs that are being emphasized in those jeans. Ultimately, he’s still the same guy. Even if his outward appearance is more ideal now, it doesn’t mean he’s better on the inside!

“I-It’s nothing. More importantly, if we’re going somewhere, let’s get going. We’re already late because of you.” I folded my arms together and killed my bewilderment, somehow regaining my usual composure.

Phew, that was a close one. Good thing he hasn’t really changed at all. 

He wasn’t a gentleman who would grab my hand and pull me away with fifty percent kindness and fifty percent forcefulness, so thank goodness for—

“You’re right. Let’s get going,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me away with about eighty percent kindness and twenty percent forcefulness.

The girls around us squealed. I internally screamed, dying on the spot from my heart beating out of my chest.

Mizuto

Always walk on the side closest to the street. If it looks like she’s about to bump into someone, just casually pull her away. Bring up some topics while at a red light. When something catches her interest, focus on that. One by one, I tried the tactics that Kawanami had ordered me to do.

Of course, I knew that this wasn’t really me. Even on our date, I wouldn’t be treating her like a delicate princess. Speaking of which, the princess in question was currently in a bad mood and keeping her mouth tightly shut. Maybe she could tell that I wasn’t very good at this. People all around us wouldn’t stop staring, so we obviously stood out quite a bit.

I wasn’t gonna get her to fall for me like this. Maybe it was better for me just to act like I usually did. Every time I felt like I was ready to revert to my usual self, though, my phone would buzz, which was a signal from Kawanami telling me that things were going well. But...were they? I casually looked at Yume, whose lips were tightly pursed.

There was no way she’d be into my fake niceties. She had to be completely grossed out.

Yume

This is...great! What is going on with him today?! He’s seriously a gentleman! He’s being so nice! Every last thing he’s doing hits me just right! O-Oh no. I pursed my lips.

If I started grinning like an idiot in public all of a sudden, in full view of other people, I’d look like a freak. I needed to hold it in. Hold it in. Hold it in.

“Wow, look at those two!”

“What a cute couple!”

A couple who passed by us said this pretty quietly, but I still heard them and could feel the corner of my mouth twitching.

This year, I’d worked so hard to change my class from plain girl to legitimately beautiful girl (is it wrong to call myself that?), and now with his sudden change, Mizuto had transformed into an intellectual young man. It made sense that we were the center of attention. We were worlds apart from the low-effort, frivolous couples around us. The two of us walking together made for a picturesque scene that exuded elegance.

Out of the countless people swarming around us, we were standing at the top. The same people who, just a year ago, were nowhere near the top—the rejects of the classroom—were standing at the top! Us!!!

It felt so good, I could hardly stand it. I even forgot to talk to Mizuto as we were walking. I just kept listening to the voices around us.

“Wow, they’re really close.”

“Hey, don’t stare so much!”

It’s okay! In fact, you should look more! We’re not actually that close, though!

Mizuto

“Wow, they’re really close.”

“Hey, don’t stare so much!”

It took everything I had to not turn around and glare at them. Instead, I glanced behind us, and in the midst of the pedestrians, I saw a couple walking together with a very noticeable height difference... Kogure Kawanami and Akatsuki Minami.

Minami-san must have caught Kawanami while tailing us, but now it seemed like they were walking together. This had to have been the strangest double date ever, but I guess it was much healthier than having two people individually tail us.

Minami-san’s small stature was exponentially accentuated when standing next to Kawanami. No matter how short she was, though, her presence was anything but. She was wearing fake glasses and a hat as some sort of a disguise, but I could immediately tell it was her.

She also had on an oversized shirt with unfamiliar letters that she wore like a dress. Her bare legs were left exposed. Her outfit overall had a very boyish and free-willed impression to it, but on the flip side, she was emitting a dark aura that engulfed and stuck to her body.

Suddenly, I remembered something that Kawanami had told me before I’d left.

Listen, Irido. Whatever you do, don’t forget to always compliment a girl on her clothes. No matter what. Got it?

Hm. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t done that yet. I’d been too worried about how I looked and had completely lost my chance. But right now, I knew exactly where my target was, and I knew she was being marked. It was a good time to let the first metaphorical punch fly into Minami-san’s face.

I looked at Yume, who was walking beside me. Compared to the boyish Minami-san, Yume’s outfit was much more girly—the exact opposite.

She was wearing a subdued, spring-colored blouse and a frilly, knee-length skirt. Her long legs were wrapped in elegant bluish tights. I wondered if she was embarrassed to show off her bare legs.

On her head, she wore a red-tinted beret that slightly swayed with her long, black hair in the wind. It was almost scary how much she resembled a refined lady at an artsy university. It didn’t feel like she belonged with us mere peasants.

It just suddenly hit me: she must have put a lot of effort into her appearance. Her outfit gave me the impression that she had put in more effort than me, the person who had asked her out on a date (albeit on an order). Why? There was no way that she knew the reason I’d asked her out... Wait, maybe that’s precisely why.

She actually believes that I asked her out on a date—a date after who knows how many months! That’s why she’s all dressed up! Yume glanced up at me, fluttering her long eyelashes.

I looked away without even thinking. Shit. She’s throwing me off. This was all because I was doing something out of my comfort zone. This was all Kawanami’s fault.

Whatever you do, don’t forget... His voice echoed in my head.

Argh. All right, already! I’ll compliment her!

“So, you...”

“Hm?”

Yume shot me a dubious look, nearly making me lose my nerve, but I held strong and continued.

“You look really cute today,” I managed to get out in a hoarse voice and an unintentionally sarcastic tone.

C-Crap! I messed up! I ended up saying this in my usual tone by accident. This was bad. I knew I needed to salvage this as quickly as I could, so I turned around to face her. Right then, I saw her bright red ears as she turned her head downwards to the ground, gazing down past her skirt.

Then, from behind the curtain of her black hair that hid her face, she said, in a voice even more hoarse than mine, “Th-Thanks...”

Wait, wait, wait! That was not the reaction of a girl who’d had a boyfriend before! It was like she was still in her first relationship as a middle schooler.

I let out a sigh. Good grief! This was exactly why I couldn’t deal with her shy self. It made me feel embarrassed too. You had your high school glow up, why don’t you start acting like it? I guess I need to show you the ropes of how a real, sophisticated person handles themselves.

“Y-Yeah.” My voice cracked as I turned away from her.

Immediately after that, I felt my pocket buzz. What the hell? Do you have a problem with what I did, Kawanami?! Is it that fun watching us embarrass ourselves, you bastard?!

A weird silence fell between the two of us. Jeez, I’m getting nervous about the rest of the date. We haven’t even gotten to the main event yet. 

“B-By the way,” Yume started, breaking the weird tension between us.

Good job. You have my praise...at least for now.

“Where are we going?”

Oh, right. I hadn’t told her yet. We were heading to a place where we could show off how close we were to force Akatsuki Minami to give up. I couldn’t come up with a place like that on my own, so I had Kawanami think of one for me...and he did, all the while looking very thoroughly entertained.

What it came down to was this: We probably wouldn’t last through the waiting times at the amusement park, so that was out. The movie theater had the problem of us having potentially different tastes in movies, so that was out too. Therefore, the most appropriate place to go to that was popular, appropriately dark, and appropriately fun was...

“The aquarium.”

Yume

We really look like a couple, I thought as I stood next to Mizuto, who was paying for our tickets.

The aquarium was a place that only couples and families went to. Why did this guy wanna go there? This wasn’t a date—well, no, I guess this was a date. This was the most date-like date I’d ever been on. I don’t remember going on any dates like this even when we had been together. Back then, there’d been the summer festival, the Christmas lights, and— Ahem!

Anyway, I needed to keep my head level and my guard up. He’d caught me by surprise with his compliment, but it had mostly left me confused. Maybe it was best to make my guardedness apparent.

“It’s dark in here,” Mizuto said. “Don’t get separated from me.”

“I know! I’m not a child!” I snapped at him.

“Yeah.” Mizuto nodded shortly and began walking with me through the dimly lit aquarium, making sure to match my pace.

Huh? I was pretty short with him there. Where’s the snide remark? What about a sarcastic retort? Did you forget your usual annoying sneer? This was really throwing me off.

It would seem that this guy was firmly trying to be in boyfriend-mode for the day. But that wouldn’t be enough to get my affection up. It was ridiculous that he might even think that.

Not to brag, but I was a very tough nut to crack. To get through to my heart, you’d have to go through layers upon layers of cold, hard ice. For a guy who’d been at odds with me for the better half of a year, my affection level was at absolute zero.

No matter what kind of boyfriend-like actions he performed now, there was no way that there’d be a hot enough blade to cut through to my heart. But if you insist on trying to make my heart stir, then I’ll take you on. Do your best. Just know that your best will always end in failure!

“Whoa!” he said suddenly as he grabbed my shoulder.

“Sorry ’bout that.” A person passing by bowed their head in apology before leaving.

“I didn’t realize the aquarium was so popular. Did they bump into you at all?”

Shoulder! Right by my ear! Holding me! Whispering!!! His face is so close! He smells kinda nice! Oh my god, I need a warning before you do something like this!!! I need time to mentally prepare! You’re so insensitive!!!

“You gonna let go of my shoulder any time soon?” I curtly asked him, focusing a lot of effort into making sure that my expression was utterly neutral. I then looked up and noticed his face was pretty close to my own.

Oh wow, he really does have a nice face. He has long eyelashes, thin lips, nice skin... Actually, it’s kinda scary how nice his skin is. Why can’t this happen more often— Wait, no, I don’t think my body could handle this on a more frequent basis. 

“O-Oh, sorry.” Mizuto let go of my hand with a guilty look on his face and, to my chagrin, took half a step away from me.

You didn’t have to move that far away from me. I coolly pushed my hair off my shoulder. He might have more game than I thought. I’ll leave it at this for now. 

Mizuto

I was met with a fit of snorting laughter.

Strange. I seemed to remember calling Kawanami, not a pig.

“I’m sending you to a slaughterhouse.”

“Yo, chill! You’re freakin’ me out—straight up! I was only tryin’ to laugh like a creepy nerd.”

“Hm, sounds like you’re pretty prejudiced against nerds. Yeah, straight to the slaughterhouse for you.”

Thirty minutes had passed since we’d entered the aquarium, and I was already relieving myself in a stall in the men’s bathroom. But I didn’t need physical relief; I needed mental relief. Dates are hard.

I wondered how the hell normal couples got through these S-rank missions. She’d glared at me when I saved her from being bumped into, she’d glared at me when we were looking at the fish, and she’d glared at me and gave me absentminded replies when I tried to talk to her. No matter what I did, she just kept glaring at me!

Truth be told, I wanted to die. Without a doubt, the most appropriate book to describe how I felt right now was No Longer Human. “I’m going somewhere where there aren’t any women” is about right. No, scratch that. There’s too much depth to that quote to really match what I was going through.

“Help me, Kawanami,” I pleaded. “You don’t want me to end up like Osamu Dazai, do you?”

“But you’d be immortalized as a literary master. Wouldn’t that be nice?” Kawanami said through a laugh. Then he spoke again, but it was clearly meant for someone else. “Huh? Nothing. Just go look at the fish or something and calm down, shrimp.”

He was more than likely talking to Minami-san. So casually, at that. I found myself a bit taken aback by it.

“Be serious!” I chided. “The atmosphere is so bad that I’m gonna get an ulcer if this keeps up!”

“Huh? For real? You think it’s that bad?”

“I don’t think it is, I know it is!”

“True, it’s hard to watch you two,” he said, snorting again.

He’s laughing at my misfortune when he’s the one who put this all together?! What a douche!

“Anyway,” Kawanami continued, “there’s one last thing I can say: you’re on your own out there, soldier.”

“You’re leaving me for dead! Do your damn job, commander!”

“Ah, gotta go. A certain someone’s about to explode. Fight the good fight!”

Before I could protest, Commander Kawanami ended the call. If this were a war, his actions would result in his subordinates stabbing him in the back. You’re gonna pay for this!

I let out a sigh, pocketed my phone, and left the bathroom angry. What was I even doing on this date, and what for? It felt like my only purpose in being here was for that bastard’s entertainment.

In fact, why should I have to protect her at all? She’s the one who made friends with that psycho, so she’s the one that should be dealing with this. Why should I be trying so hard for someone who isn’t even my girlfriend?!

No matter how this had all begun, it was a fact that I was the one who had asked her out today. Technically, she was using her weekend to be here, so I didn’t want to just selfishly cut the date short. Even so, I was not happy. I wondered how I got this far without even taking a step back to think about everything.

Yume and I had decided to reconvene by the vending machines near the bathrooms. I’d taken a decent amount of time to complain to Kawanami, so she’d more than likely be irritated that I’d kept her waiting for so long. As I arrived at our meeting place, I prepared myself to just grin and bear the biting remarks waiting for me, but there were none.

In fact, she wasn’t even there. I looked all around, but there was nobody in front of the vending machines. I looked behind me at the women’s bathroom and saw a line of people, but no Yume. There was no sign of her at all.

“Huh?”

Yume

I was wandering through a hallway where fish swam on either side of me when my phone rang. As much as I didn’t want to, I slowly slid my finger across the screen to answer.

“Hello...?”

“Hey, where are you?”

My body stiffened as schools of fish I didn’t recognize swam by me. As much as I didn’t want to, I knew that I needed to come clean and tell him the truth.

“I...don’t know.”

“Oh...”

The women’s bathroom had been too crowded. The line to get in was so long, it snaked around the corner. That’s when I had the brilliant idea of going to a different bathroom. I thought that I’d be able to be back in a flash, but I’d miscalculated three things.

First, the other bathroom was much farther away than I’d anticipated. Second, the aquarium was much more confusing to navigate than I’d thought. Third, I was awful at reading maps. Actually, that last one is less of a miscalculation and more of a fact. I couldn’t help but wonder how the hell I could read floor plans in mystery novels but not a simple aquarium map.

Either way, this was how I got...lost. Argh, how could this happen to me?! Why’d I go off on my own when I don’t even know my way around here in the first place?! Don’t do things you just can’t do, stupid! Why can’t you ever learn your lesson? Why?!

“S-Sorry...” I said weakly, writhing in deep regret.

An unpleasant storm of personal attacks was brewing, and I could picture his face pelting me with them. I had no right to complain. All I could do was ride it out...but the storm never came.

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s my fault too. I should’ve been paying more attention.” These words spilled out into my ear from the other side of the phone—these kind and gentle words.

This was completely different from the Mizuto Irido I knew—he was actually being considerate. My chest hurt, not necessarily because I was happy or even weirded out. It was like a sandstorm was raging inside me.

“All right, here’s what we’ll do: tell me what kind of fish you’re by, and I’ll come find—”

“No... This isn’t right.” I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Huh?”

I knew that these weren’t the words I should’ve said, but they spilled out before I even realized. What was done was done. Just as there was no use crying over spilt milk, there was no use trying to take back what had already come out of my mouth. I knew that.

The resulting silence was so painful that it hit deep in my soul. After a mere three seconds, I couldn’t take it anymore and hung up. I sat down on a nearby bench, stared at the palely lit ceiling, and let out a deep sigh.

Now I’ve done it. How can someone who’s so bad at talking in the first place always end up saying all the wrong things? What’s wrong with me? What do I want from him? If I wanted us to be good siblings, then there shouldn’t have been a problem with him treating me kindly; it should have been exactly what I wanted. Truthfully, the way Mizuto was acting today was very, very...nice.

It was better than the unpleasant storm of personal attacks, better than the storm of sarcastic remarks, and a billion times better than the irritating, troublesome quarrels we’d have.

But even so, what I said to him was essentially me seeking out one of those quarrels. What did I want? What do I want to become? Didn’t I break up with him because I hated all the fighting?

Mizuto

I wandered aimlessly around the aquarium. I was fed up with the confusing, conflicting feelings that filled my chest. It’d been half a year since we’d broken up, and with each passing day, I’d grown to hate the girl known as Yume Ayai more and more until the point where every last thing she did and said pissed me off. That hurt more than anything.

These used to be things about her that I loved—that I treasured more than anything—but one after another, they had all, bar none, become detestable things that caused me great pain. That’s why I had broken up with her.

The answer was as clear as day: even if I’d grown to hate her, it’d be okay as long as we weren’t together.

“No... This isn’t right,” she’d said.

But you... You think that it’d be better if we continued that contentious relationship? You think it’d be better if we were in a relationship where we hated each other, detested each other, and hurt each other? Was I wrong for having suggested that we break up? Had it been a misplaced kindness?

Before I knew it, I froze in the middle of the hall while families and couples passed by. Then why didn’t you say that back then? Did you think you’d bother me by saying you didn’t want to break up?

“Bother...”

Now that I thought about it, this reminded me of a similar—no, the exact same situation in the past where she’d gotten lost and I had to go look for her. If I remembered right, it was when we hadn’t officially begun dating yet, but to me, it was the first date of my life.

Yume

That was probably the first time I’d ever mustered up the courage to do something. Back when we were just friends talking in the school library every day, I invited him to my hometown’s summer festival. Thinking back, it probably wasn’t the best decision to ask a guy who hated crowds to a festival of all things, but since he was actually a considerate person back then, he just softly smiled and agreed to go.

When we arrived, there were even more people than I’d anticipated, and of course, I got lost after being separated from him.

It was the first date of my life, and yet I got lost. I was ashamed. Plus, every moment that I spent being lost was a moment of our precious time together wasted. Then, to add insult to injury, the straps of my geta sandals had begun hurting, essentially becoming foot torture devices. Add all of this up, and you get me—the girl who wanted to disappear more than anyone.

I was somehow able to break out of the sea of people and crouch between two booths. My phone started ringing again. It was Irido-kun. He was so worried about me, but all I could do was cry while sniffling and apologize.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” I sobbed. “I’m so sorry for bothering you.”

But he just told me to wait where I was and hung up.

He must be so mad. With that thought in mind, I only grew more depressed. I was so helplessly pathetic. I was irredeemably clumsy, bad at everything, and couldn’t make anything go right for me... I’d thought that maybe, just maybe...this time, things might’ve gone right for me, but look where that got me.

I’ve never really liked myself. I hated how I couldn’t do anything that normal people could. I couldn’t talk like a normal person or live like a normal person. And I...no longer had a father either.

I wanted to live my life without bothering anyone. At the very least, I wanted the person I liked to not think of me as a bother. But I was too greedy, too full of myself, and too reckless, and this was the result.

The sounds of the festival started growing more distant. It felt like the ground was swallowing me up, but I wasn’t bothered by it. How nice would it be if I could just disappear? The world would be better off without me.

My mind began drifting away from this world. I needed to keep myself behind tall, impenetrable walls like the Great Wall of China so that I could never be involved with anyone again, so that I would never bother anyone ever again, so that— Huh?

A canned drink was in front of my eyes. As I looked up, there stood Irido-kun looking down on me with a soft smile. He crouched down before me, his hand still outstretched with the can in it.

He looked straight into my eyes and said, “So, Ayai, I’ll be honest. I’m beat from running through the crowd trying to find you. Not to mention, I’m also kinda mentally beat from hearing you cry over the phone.”

I sniffled a little at those words.

“But, that’s not enough for me to be disillusioned,” he continued with a smile. “After all, I know you better than that.”

I looked at the can in his hand. Now that I was actually looking at it, I saw that it was the kind of black tea that I’d mentioned liking once before.

“I know you’re clumsy and not the best at a lot of things. Now I know that you get lost easily. Despite knowing all of that, here I am.”

He pushed the can into my hands, and the smooth, cold material sank into me.

“I don’t want you to be afraid of bothering me. You can bother me all you like.”

I held the can in my hands and hung my head. Something inside me felt like it was about to explode. I couldn’t look at his face or it’d all come pouring out, and I’d end up showing him an even more shameful sight than I already was.

I couldn’t believe how hot my face was, so I tried to cool it down by taking a drink, but I couldn’t pull the tab open.

“It won’t open...”

“Let me try,” Irido-kun said, gently smiling.

Just from this one event, the worst first date ever became an irreplaceable memory, and I knew that I wanted to go with him again next year no matter what. Next time, I wouldn’t get lost, and we’d actually be able to enjoy the festival.

But there would be no next year for us.

Right before summer break in the following year, we got into a fight and weren’t really in a “date” mood. During our one month or so summer break, we didn’t make any plans whatsoever. Even so, if nothing else, I wanted to go to the festival.

I walked through the crowd by myself and crouched down at the same spot where he’d found me the year before. Then I just watched and watched as the crowd passed by and waited for someone who was never coming.

I began imagining what would have happened if we hadn’t had that fight. Right now, we would’ve been together in that crowd... I’m so weak. I’m such a weakling. I kept clinging on to the past and what could have been instead of facing reality.

Besides, we hadn’t even made plans to meet up, so there was no reason for me to hold on to that wonderful memory and expect him to just conveniently show up in front of me. I couldn’t be like that.

If I wanted to make up with him, the simplest, most direct way would have been to call him or something and tell him. The fact that I couldn’t even do that much meant that whatever I was hoping for would never come to fruition.

I should just go home... I’d grown bored of watching the couples and families in the aquarium. I might have been completely lost, but if I just followed the crowd, I was sure that I’d reach the exit eventually. Just as I thought that, I looked up, and there was a canned drink in front of my eyes.

“Huh?” I looked up. Standing there was Mizuto, looking down on me with a soft smile.

Aside from being all dressed up, he looked just like he did back then. One thing was exactly the same—the drink. It was the same black tea he’d brought me before.

Then, in a voice that didn’t have a single shred of kindness but was instead filled with sarcasm, he said, “Your escort has arrived, milady. Perhaps you might consider fixing your awful sense of direction?”

Mizuto

I said this in a tone that completely threw whatever affection I’d worked so hard to gain today out the window. In response to my teasing, snide comment, Yume’s eyes opened wide with surprise.

During that summer festival back then, I’d run around looking for her even though I wasn’t good with crowds. I was forced to hear her sobs over the phone. Then, at the end of it all, I had to open the can of black tea that I’d gotten for her.

On the flip side, though, she’d done absolutely nothing to raise my affection. Objectively, that date had been an absolute disaster. Had she done anything to make me happy? Nope. All she’d done was piss me off.

Even so, how come I couldn’t stop thinking about how all I wanted to do was be by her side after that date? Was it just some kind of protective instinct? Or maybe I was envious of how easily she could show someone her vulnerability?

Either way, as soon as I lay my eyes on the girl sitting on the bench, I knew. This was Yume Irido. She was my new, detestable stepsister. A completely different person than Yume Ayai.

She was someone that I’d yet to make memories with.

Yume fixed her eyes on the condensation-coated can I held out in front of her, then accepted it with both hands. In a voice void of any weakness, coupled with a mischievous smile, she said, “Good work. But allow me to offer you a piece of advice: you’d do well to grow out of your bookworm phase.”

“What did you just say?! Them’s fightin’ words! I challenge you to a book war!”

“Then I’ll go first! Ango Sakaguchi, The Non-serial Murder Incident.”

“My turn, I choose Ogai Mori’s The Dancing Girl.”

“Don’t remind me of Toyotaro! He’s the shittiest protagonist!”

“The entirety of The Non-serial Murder Incident was just one shitty character dying after another!”

“Yeah, well, pretty much all of them die in the end, so that’s fine!”

After exchanging these light greetings, I sat next to Yume.

She stared down at her hands, the can still moist and its small tab still intact. She slowly hooked her thin finger in the tab and, after a little bit of a struggle, there was a hiss of air. She’d opened it all by herself without even breaking a sweat.

I opened my can too. After some time, we both took a sip. The families and couples continued to pass by us. I started wondering which category we fell into, or maybe we were something entirely different.

In the past, when I sat next to Yume Ayai, I’d be so nervous, my heart would beat out of control, my hands would sweat, and my whole body would feel like it was made of stone. But as I was sitting next to this girl, my heart didn’t race one bit. Of course it didn’t. I had no obligation to make her love me. I— No, we were freed from that obligation.

“Hey.” Yume took the can away from her mouth. “Doesn’t it look like there could be a corpse in that tank over there?”

I followed suit. “You need to be institutionalized, Ms. Mystery-novels-for-brains. You sound like someone who barely survived a supernatural event and lost her mind.”

“What? You don’t think so? You can’t look at that rock that looks like the antenna from the Yamahoko procession at the Gion Festival and not think that it’d be an interesting case if there was a corpse skewered through it.”

“I would never even dream of anything so blasphemous or dangerous. If I were to fantasize about something, it’d at least be about a man-eating shark in the Kamo river that appears every now and then to eat unsuspecting couples.”

“How is that any less dangerous than what I said?! Besides, there’s no way that a shark could move around in a river that shallow!”

“Sharks have a lot of different abilities, so it all works out!”

“No, they don’t! They’re just fish!”

“Oh, all right then, how about we go confirm this? Luckily for us, we’re in an aquarium. Once you see the unlimited power of sharks, you’ll be on your knees, shaking in fear!”

“Where is this confidence coming from...? Your idea is much more arrogant than a killer who sends out a calling card while assuming the name of a legend.”

We both stood up and threw our empty cans into a nearby recycling bin.

I was beginning to understand. We had no obligation to make the other person like us nor any reason to hate each other. We were just stepsiblings who used to date. Thinking about it like that really put it into perspective. It was better that we didn’t get along while not in a relationship rather than while in a relationship.

“You shitty mystery fangirl.”

“You shitty bookworm.”

We hurled insults at each other without any context. It was painless.

Yume

“Eek!” I wailed. “It splashed me!”

“Hey, don’t hide behind me like it’s natural!”

“Shut up, meat shield! I can’t hear the dolphins!”

“So you’re saying that the trills of a dolphin are more important than the words coming out of my mouth? Screw you! How about you let your shirt get more wet— I sentence you to give a little show of your own!”

“Wha— No! Nuh-uh! Not in this outfit, you idiot!”

Mizuto and I were getting our money’s worth from the tickets we’d bought. We had our hearts warmed by watching the cute penguins, used each other as shields during the dolphin show, and had lunch at the aquarium café. Of course, we did all of this while bad-mouthing each other back and forth.

After we left, we stopped by the bookstore, did some shopping, and by the time we got home it was night.

“I’m home!” I called out, exhausted, but there was no response from the living room.

Apparently our parents had not come back yet.

“God, why am I so tired? I shouldn’t have gotten dressed up like that.” Mizuto walked in after me, taking off his shoes and rubbing his shoulder while rolling his neck.

Oh, right... This is the last time I’ll see those clothes on him. It’d be a lie if I said I wasn’t disappointed, especially given the fact that knowing him, he’d flat out refuse to put them on again even if I asked. But then again, that was fine. Truth be told, part of me was already tired of his outfit after being exposed to it for an entire day. I’m sure I’d gotten my fill. I should change out of these clothes too. 

As I headed towards the stairs, I heard Mizuto say, “Ah crap, when did I get this many LINE messages from Kawanami?” Mizuto had begun heading to the bathroom, presumably to mess up his hair, when he’d stopped in his tracks after looking at his phone.

Then, while looking at the screen, he took a case out of his pocket, and pulled out black-framed glasses.

“Hnngh?!”

Glasses. Glasses! That’s right, this guy wore glasses with blue-light-filtering lenses whenever he used a computer or phone, and he was putting them on now. It was like my delusions had come to life. There, in front of me, was a guy who looked like a college tutor.

H-He’s wearing them! Spurred on by his intellectual look, something inside me burst.

“What’s got his panties in a bunch? Sheesh, whatever, I’m gonna fix my hair...”

“STOP!!!” I grabbed Mizuto’s shoulder with all my strength just as he reached for the bathroom door.

Mizuto jumped and looked behind him, the eyes behind the lenses widening like plates.

“Wh-What? Stop?”

“Y-Your hair... Mess up. Not yet. Don’t!”

My words might have been all over the place, but I think he got the gist. He looked at me through those black frames, furrowing his brow.

“Okay... Why not?”

“Because you look hot like this!” is what I wanted to say, but of course I couldn’t. I-I needed to think! This wasn’t the time to be slow on my feet! This was where I made my stand. This was where I proved that I wasn’t the same girl I was in middle school!

It was frightening how good the glasses looked on him. I needed a way to prolong my enjoyment of this young man who was the perfect amount of ennui and intellect. Think, Yume, think! 

I began using all my brain cells, even ones that I’d never used before, turning my mind inside out in order to look for a solution. All that thinking led me to remember a certain something. I got it!

“Th-This is your penalty for the underwear incident! I need to document my little brother dressing up in his finest clothes. It’s my duty as an older sister!”

Mizuto

Due to the underwear incident, we’d decided that we could each issue one order to each other as long as it was acceptable in the public eye. I had been successful in using my penalty to take Yume on a date with me, but Yume had yet to use hers, which was something that I’d forgotten this entire time. Welp, never thought she’d use it like this.

“Sit on the couch. Yeah! Cross your legs... Perfect! Now open this book on your lap... Excellent! Oh, and rest your head in your hand... YES!”

The next moment, the room was filled with a flurry of shutter sounds coming from Yume’s phone. She took a picture from in front of me, from each side of me, and from a slightly low angle, while I froze in place and did my best to resist scratching my face. The only reason I didn’t was because, well, she just looked so happy.

“Eheh. Heh heh... Heh heh heh.”

She looked even happier than when we’d kissed for the first time.

“Hey, your expression doesn’t look like anything appropriate for an older sister to be looking at her little stepbrother with.”

“Huh? Excuse me? Could you not get so full of yourself just because you look a little hot?!”

“O-Okay...”

“Your slender figure...your smooth, silky hair...your long fingers, and your slightly intimidating eyes... You may be the perfect representation of my ideal guy, but don’t think that gives you the right to say whatever you want!”

“O-Okay...”

She seemed to really be into this, and I was apparently right in her strike zone. I’d thought she hated this look on me, but I guess my stylist, Kawanami, had done his job perfectly. I started to get a little embarrassed at this point, so I tried turning away and using my hand to cover my mouth.

But doing this seemed to just pull on her heartstrings even more, and the sound of the camera shutter became even faster and more frequent. I guess there was nothing I could do about this humiliation. In the end, it was good that I listened to Kawanami.

“Heh heh heh. There are so many shots of a hottie on my phone...” Yume said with a loose face as she looked at the pictures of me.

Suddenly, I was filled with a great and “noble” desire to further feed her desires. My lips curled into a teasing smile.

“You good with just photos?” Here was a guy who had gotten too full of himself. “You may never get a chance like this again. How about I honor one more request of yours, nee-san? Go on, ask me anything.”

“Huh? R-Really? Anything?!”

“As long as it’s within the realm of possibilities.”

“O-Okay! Then...” Her eyes lit up as she jumped back and landed on our L-shaped couch. “I’ll sit here, and I want you to stand behind me, hold me gently, and whisper something into my ear.”

“Uh... What?”

“I-It’s part of the penalty! This has absolutely nothing—nothing—to do with my fetishes! It’s a perfectly normal and obvious obligation for the younger brother to embrace his older sister and whisper into her ear as she sits on the couch!”

Like hell that kind of obligation exists! Still, though, the power of the penalty was in her hands. I had to obey. I had to.

I stood up and circled behind Yume. Even though I was standing behind her, I could tell just how hard her heart was beating, which in turn made me strangely nervous. Uh, what should I whisper? Maybe something out of a shojo manga? Hm...

I searched my memory for any lines that I’d heard before that sounded like they could’ve come out of a shojo manga and then finally something popped in my head. Oh god, am I really gonna say this? Does a guy who says this actually exist? Argh! This is so embarrassing!!!

Yume

In the heat of the moment, I had ended up making an incredibly outlandish request, but I didn’t care anymore. I was just curious and excited to hear what he’d say. My heart was beating, and I was fidgeting in anticipation for what seemed like forever. By the time I’d adjusted my posture a third time, I could tell that he’d prepared himself and was ready.

Finally. My heart was beating in my ears. Oh my god, I’m so excited. My body’s frozen stiff! Right as I thought this, I felt his soft embrace envelop my body. Then he leaned in so close that I couldn’t feel any space between my ear and his lips, and he whispered in a cool, manly, low voice:

“I’m not letting you go.”

My mind went blank after that.

Mizuto

As soon as I whispered those words, I was filled by an intense regret that burst through my entire body. What the hell did I say?! Go get eaten by a shark!

Okay, but it really did happen. Those five words had left my mouth. Just as she’d asked, I whispered in her ear—super sweetly too! All right then, burst out laughing or whatever! Go ahead! My body’s ready. But instead, her pale hands touched my arms that were wrapped around her shoulders.

Yume turned around to look at me with her moist eyes that shone like black diamonds. She got close to me and quietly, in a way that would make the entire world stop to stare, whispered, “I’m not going anywhere.”

My mind went blank after that.

Yume

The curtain fell on the events of today’s sudden aquarium date, ending with a tragic scene where two corpses had been discovered in the living room.

But with that being said, there were a lot of unsolved mysteries such as the loafers in our front entrance, the reason behind Mizuto inviting me on a date in the first place, and even his dressing up for it. Also, why had I died with Mizuto during the living room photo shoot? What had I done?

It was truly incomprehensible. If this were a mystery novel, I’d give it zero out of five stars. However, if there was something I was certain of, it was that my phone was filled with a splendid amount of hot guy pictures.

“Ah god, he’s so hot...”

“Could you not get so infatuated with a picture when the real person is right in front of you?” The plain-looking guy with ruffled hair known as Mizuto had returned.

I looked back and forth between the hot tutor Mizuto (Fake Mizuto) and the real one, comparing them.

“Hey, do you think you could die and be reborn as this?”

“That is me. I don’t have to die to do that!”

Um, no. Nuh-uh, no way! You’re a completely different species altogether. From what I could glean from the conversation I’d overheard, Kawanami was the one who’d given him that look. One of these days, I needed to ask Kawanami to pass down his secrets to me. With them, I could refill this craving whenever I wanted. I should print these pictures out and hang them above my bed. Eheh heh heh.

“You really get out of control when something excites you, you know that?”

“Huh?! When have I ever gotten out of control?”

“There’s a limit to how oblivious you can be about yourself.”

“You’re one to talk. You don’t even know how good of a face you have!”

“How are you like this and still able to pull off your honor roll student act?!”

It’s true that I had a tendency to get a little lost in what I was doing sometimes, but I wasn’t so bad that some socially awkward super-loner with no friends needed to worry over me.

“Mornin’, Yume-chan!”

“Good morning, Minami-san.”

It was Monday at school, and I began conversing with Minami-san and the other friends that I’d made.

“You do anything over the weekend?”

“I was workin’ the entire time!”

“Seriously? I just slept.”

“So jelly!”

“What about you, Yume-chan?”

“I didn’t do anything too special. I just did some reading.”

“You’re such an intellectual! That really suits you, Irido-san.”

I couldn’t tell them that I’d gotten dressed up and went on a date at the aquarium with my little brother. With nobody to confide in, the life that I’d dreamt of in middle school continued.

Mizuto

There is no reward without a price. You have to sacrifice something to get the future that you want. The sad thing about dreams is that the cost to maintain them is never-ending. You have to keep sacrificing in order to continue and protect your dreams.

Yume Irido was happily chatting with her friends. As I stared upon this dreamlike scene, I knew that the goal of that ridiculous operation I’d carried out had succeeded. After that date, Minami-san had completely stopped interacting with me.

Kawanami, who had been observing her, assured me that with the way she was acting, there was nothing for me to worry about anymore. She was completely out of commission. In his words, “Serves her right!” I’d received his seal of approval, meaning that I could finally rest easy knowing that the danger had been averted.

Even so, I needed to see this through to the very end. It seemed Minami-san had the same thought process as me, ’cause when lunchtime came around, she shot me a look.

I quickly finished my lunch and left the classroom for the school library—the place where she’d proposed to me. As I entered the library, I headed straight for my usual spot in the corner opposite the entrance. This space was almost like a private room thanks to the bookshelves that blocked views. Waiting there was Akatsuki Minami, who’d changed into her literary-girl-esque disguise.

“I’m sorry! I went too far by breaking into your house!” This was the first thing that came out of her mouth. She clapped her hands together and deeply bowed her head in apology. “I didn’t mean anything bad by it! I kinda just lost to temptation after seeing you carelessly leave your door unlocked.”

“Can we talk about why you were even close enough to tell whether or not the door was locked in the first place?!”

Her actions were of someone who had every intention of breaking in. Minami-san slowly looked up at me through her plain-looking black-rimmed glasses and said, “You’re gonna tell Yume-chan about me...aren’t you?”

Normally, that was exactly what I’d do. She’s the very definition of a stalker and a criminal. Not only should I tell Yume, but I should tell the police too!

“Nah, I won’t tell her as long as you keep yourself in check from now on.”

“Huh? Why not?”

I looked out the window and fidgeted with my bangs. “I don’t wanna make a big deal out of this.”

Images of her happily chatting with her friends flitted through my head. I knew Yume. I knew how much she’d sacrificed in order to happily chat with her friends in the classroom. If she could break down into tears just from getting lost, then...

“Hmm. I see.” Minami-san nodded as if she understood what I was getting at, then burst into a smile. “I’m not gonna thank ya!”

“You should. Thank me with tears in your eyes.”

“No. Freakin’. Way. I don’t wanna make a big deal out of this.” She turned her head from me, pouting.

I let out a sigh. What the hell was going on?

“By the way,” I added, “why did you put another chair at our dining table?”

“Hm? Chair? What are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

“Kidding! I’m just kidding! I guess you could say it was just me playing house. It’s embarrassing, so I was trying to play it off like some kinda horror scene. Don’t take it so seriously!” She clasped both of her cheeks with her hands in embarrassment.

I was about to have a goddamn heart attack!

“Seriously, I’m sorry,” she said, bowing. “I’ll behave from now on. Next time, I’ll proudly walk through the door of your house as her friend for a sleepover!”

“Um, I can see your face. It doesn’t look like you’ve taken even a single step towards reflecting on your actions and keeping your distance.”

“Oh, but that’s ’cuz we’re still gettin’ married one day.”

“You haven’t given up on that?!”

Kawanami, you bastard! 

“After all,” Minami-san said, her pink lips beginning to curve into a smile, “the best way to crush your rival is to have them fall for someone else, right?” It was a declaration of war.

When school ended, I started an anti-Akatsuki Minami strategy session. Of course, the only participants were me and Kawanami.

“If I’m bein’ honest,” Kawanami said, shrugging, “if there’s no actual damage, then I’ve got nothin’. Just do your best!”

“You’re not getting out of this that easily, you voyeuristic piece of crap!”

“If you’re gonna call me something, at least call me a ROM expert.”

“A what?”

“A Read Only Member—an expert observationist.”

So he’s only ever watched people be in relationships and has never been in one himself? No wonder I’ve never seen any girls around him. 

“Well, don’t worry. I’m still on Team Irido-san! I think we should give any girl that tries to get close to you a heart attack so that they turn tail and run!”

“Oh my god, you’re just as bad...”

“Well, jokes aside—”

“That didn’t sound like a joke.”

“The bad, bone-chilling joke of Mizuto Irido ships aside—”

“You’re really not even trying to play this off, are you?”

“If that girl does anything unsettling, contact me. When it comes to Akatsuki Minami, I think I can help you more than anyone else.”

I stared at the frivolous face of my reliable friend. But what if... No, from what he said, there’s no doubt.

“Hey, Kawanami, let me ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever been hospitalized?”

Kawanami froze for a bit before resting his head in his hand, giving a meaningful smile. That smile very closely resembled that of Akatsuki Minami’s.

“Yep. In middle school.”

I thought so. It seemed that he was a fellow victim that I could count on. After confirming this in my head, I grimaced at my friend.

“We both have it rough, huh?”

“Yeah, we sure do.”

This just reaffirmed my belief that people weren’t meant to have girlfriends.