My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 6 - Chapter 5.11

12:48 P.M.: Complimenting Other Girls Makes Me Feel Like I Lost

Mizuto Irido

“Huh? Akatsuki-san did?”

When our café temporarily closed for the lunch break, our kitchen staff started screaming about running out of ingredients and rushed out to the nearest supermarket. Meanwhile, Yume and I were heading to the designated changing rooms to get out of our costumes.

As we were making our way there, I received a mysterious message. Yume peeked at the screen of my phone.

Akatsuki☆: Higashira-san is mine now! If you want her back, come to the automated palm reader by the stage in the schoolyard.

“Akatsuki-san really likes this kind of thing, huh?” Yume mused.

“I already had plans to meet up with Isana anyway, so this works out, I guess. But also, what the heck is an automated palm reader?” Like, what was the point of that? Plus, did that mean some classes were automating their activities? At any rate, the two of us changed and were finally free from our costumes. I’d chosen to change back into my school uniform, but it seemed that Yume had had a different idea. She came out wearing the usual pleated uniform skirt with our yellow class T-shirt on top.

“Where’s your class T-shirt?” Yume asked, tilting her head.

“It’s underneath my uniform.”

I pulled back the collar of my shirt to show her. I’d talked to Isana about this before, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the whole class T-shirt culture. That being said, functionally, it wasn’t uncomfortable—plus I knew Yume would be annoying about it. Also, I knew that a certain someone hated class T-shirts even more than I, so I decided that the safest option would be to wear it underneath my clothes. We returned the costumes to our class before heading out to where Minami-san wanted us to meet up.

Going past the rows of outdoor class stalls in the school courtyard led to the stage. Performances such as plays or bands were split between here and the gym. But since it was lunchtime, no one was onstage. Walking around the now quiet guest area, we found an automated palm reader so hidden in the corner that it was easy to miss. There, in the shade of the tree, was Minami-san with her class T-shirt on and Isana, who was hunching her shoulders.

“We’re here. What’s...going on?” Yume asked.

“Th-This wasn’t my idea! Minami-san, just out of the blue...” Isana quietly wailed, her shoulders trembling as she faced the tree.

I looked at her and then glared at Minami-san. “Explain. Now.”

“God, you’re scary! Don’t get so mad! I just had her change her clothes! Do you really not trust me that much?!”

If anything, when have you ever done anything that’d make me trust you? But she was right. Isana wasn’t in her school uniform. Her upper half was covered by a dark cape, and her skirt was the color of green tea with a sort of apron on top of it—obviously not her school uniform. If anything, her outfit kind of resembled a waitress’s.

“Come on, Higashira-san! You went through the trouble of getting changed, so show it off! It’ll be okay, I promise! You look incredible! Yume-chan was so right!”

Isana screamed a little. “W-Wait, I-I’m not ready!” Isana protested as Minami-san forcefully turned her around.

Yume’s eyes sparkled and she clapped her hands together. “Wow! I’m so glad it fits!”

“It’s perfect! I was a little worried about her chest, but it’s all good!”

I hadn’t been too off base thinking that she was wearing a kind of waitress outfit. Though the cape was covering her chest area, I could still see that she was wearing a white blouse, and on top of that, there was an apron-looking garment that opened up around the chest area. It instantly gave off a very European vibe. I’ve seen this before, haven’t I?

“A...dirndl, was it?” I remembered the outfit that Madoka-san had tried to make Yume wear when we visited. I’d shut down the idea because of how exposed it left the chest area, but... Wait. “So that’s what the cape’s for.”

“There is something wrong with Germans if they are somehow able to walk around like this in public without being bothered! This is impossible for me!” Isana exclaimed, covering herself with the cape to hide her cleavage.

Minami-san giggled creepily as she rubbed Isana’s shoulders. “Relax. Sure, you’re exposing yourself a bit, but it’s a lot better than a swimsuit. You should be more confident! You look totally sex—I mean, cute!”

“You were about to say ‘sexy’! I know you were!” Isana exclaimed.

“You’re resisting so much, but you want Irido-kun to see, don’t you?”

“Urgh.”

“After all, you’ve awakened to the pleasures of having the person you like call you cute! If you really are just friends, though, you shouldn’t be so squeamish about him complimenting you, right? Should just go for it.”

“Urrrgh.”

“You’ve gotten really good at egging people on...” Yume commented through a wry smile.

Minami-san is always doing the most useless things. Well, whatever. Though annoyed, I decided to intervene.

“Don’t strong-arm her into this. You might both be girls, but it’s still sexual harass—”

“J-Just a little...” Isana said softly, glancing at me. “I-If it’s Mizuto-kun and for a very brief period of time then...I-I suppose it’s okay. Now that I think about it, I did spend time with you over summer break while wearing a tank top. This isn’t too different...right?”

“Don’t ask me...” I grumbled. She had a point, though. This was also a lot better than the time she wore my shirt.

Isana beckoned me over. Apparently, the only way to end this was to play along, so I approached her, but I felt Yume pull on my uniform’s sleeve.

“Make sure you compliment her, okay? Don’t just stare,” she whispered.

What do you want from me?! Yume let go of my hand, allowing me to continue my advance towards Isana. Minami-san moved away as if to say Isana was all mine. Now, it was just Isana and me in the shade of the tree cast by the mid-afternoon sun.

Isana’s eyes darted from side to side while she gripped the cape before she finally looked up at me. “O-Okay, then...I will begin.”

She undid the string of the cape with such majesty that even I began to feel a little nervous. Seriously...what is going on here? What are we doing in broad daylight in the corner of the school courtyard?

By the time I’d finished mentally posing these questions without answers, the cape around her chest had been undone. After that, no words were exchanged between us.

Well, this... I thought I was aware, but still, I was surprised by how much the dirndl exposed the chest and shoulders. It was especially surprising when someone like Isana, whose body was more mature than a typical high schooler’s, was wearing it.

Her cleavage fully exposed, her self-proclaimed G-cup breasts pushed out the frilly edges of the blouse. There was a small gap between the blouse and the chest area; if someone were to put their finger in there and pull it down, they could easily remove the blouse. Thinking about it like that, this wasn’t too different from the defenseless attire she’d worn during summer break. But such a simple village girl look actually really suited her.

“Wh-What do you think?” Isana asked, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

At that moment, there was only one emotion inside me: frustration. Isana would try to tease me by wearing outfits without really putting any thought behind them. It felt like a game—one that I always lost.

But I had to say something. It was the least I could do after she’d been forced to wear such an outfit. It took me a few seconds to find the right words to say, but it was stupid of me to have tried so hard when I wasn’t much of a wordsmith to begin with.

“It looks...pretty good. You look cute.”

“H-Huh?” Isana stared at me with surprise, blinked a bit, and then her cheeks gradually turned red. “R-Really?!”

“You know I’m not one to say things just to be nice.”

“By ‘cute,’ you don’t mean in the same sense that a dog or cat is—”

“I don’t.”

“I-If I may...what exactly about me is cute?”

“All of you. It’d be gross if I went into detail about each and every last part of you, wouldn’t it?”

Isana let out a sheepish giggle. I looked away, a strange sense of defeat filling me. Great. So glad you’re happy.

“Ehe. If this attire fits your tastes that much, then I will forgo the cape for a little. Ehe heh heh. I suppose I really have no choice. After all, you enjoy this outfit. Ehe heh heh!”

“By the way...”

“Yes?”

She was starting to get really full of herself, so I decided to give her a taste of reality. “Are you wearing a bra under that?” I asked, knowing full well she wasn’t.

Isana’s face froze in a smile before she slowly closed the cape around her.

“On second thought, I will keep it on.”

“Good idea, unless you want to be dragged to the guidance counselor’s office.”

Sheesh. I was right to have stopped Madoka-san from having Yume wear this. Seriously.