My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 7 - Chapter 3.09

The Person I Like Values Themself Too Little

After some time, I regained my composure, and we left for lunch while continuing our conversation.

“You’re in a mood because you’re hungry, Yumechi! You gotta eat!” Aso-senpai urged.

“You think so?”

“Totally! I always overthink things when I get hungry. You too, right, Suzurin?”

“No,” President Kurenai calmly said. “Can’t say I do.”

“Ah, c’mon, Suzurin! Play along!” Aso-senpai then began rummaging around in her bag. “Did you two bring lunch? I made mine today, so— Ah.” She pulled out a handkerchief wrapped around not one but two large lunch boxes, obviously intended for two people. “U-Uh...” She made a difficult face while glancing at me. “Y-Yumechi... I’m sorry. It’s really hard to say this with how the conversation’s progressed, but...” she clutched one of the boxes to her chest. “Is it... Is it okay if I go deliver this to Senpai?”

It felt like the wind was knocked out of me. “I’m so glad that things are going well for you... Totally.”

“Your eyes look dead!”

It’s too bright... The twinkle of the bittersweet teenage life is too bright... How strange. Am I not a teenager? Why is she radiating so much more innocence than I when I’m the younger one?

President Kurenai chuckled in amusement. “This is good timing. Let’s take this opportunity to go to the student council room. We’ll be able to watch Aisa’s cringey moves in action while also escaping the outdoor dust.”

“Who’re you calling cringey?! Take a look in the mirror!”

President Kurenai ignored Aso-senpai and exited the tent, so we followed her.

“President Kurenai... You don’t have anything?” I asked, walking next to her.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I mean... For Haba-senpai.”

In the next moment, the honor student and president of the student council, Suzuri Kurenai, pouted like a child.

“I did, but...he ran away...”

“Huh?”

“He went on about how eating lunch with him would lower public opinion of me. Isn’t that awful?!”

“Wow... Joe-kun’s perception of himself is the pits,” Aso-senpai said exasperatedly.

President Kurenai quickened her pace. “It’s not as simple as that. It’s a disease. The more he puts himself down, the more he rejects my decision to have him by my side—and he doesn’t even realize that!”

“Yeah, that’s really infuriating... But looking at it another way, isn’t it kind of nice that you’re the only one who knows just how exceptional he is? Makes you feel kinda special, doesn’t it?”

President Kurenai, still pouting, flashed me a look. “Yume-kun... You’re like the devil on my shoulder.”

“Huh?! A-Am I?”

“So you not only want him all to yourself, but you want to brag to everyone about how amazing he is?” Aso-senpai sneered. “Aren’t you a little too greedy, Suzurin?”

“Shut it.” President Kurenai looked away, pretending to move her hair out of her face, but really using that opportunity to hide her flushed ears. “I’m just a little smarter than the average person, but otherwise...I’m a normal girl.”

“And that’s exactly what Joe-kun thinks too, right?”

“Oh my god, shut up!”

“Ow! Ow!” Aso-senpai screamed out as President Kurenai stepped on her foot.

It was pure violence, unbecoming of a lauded prodigy like her. I couldn’t help but giggle.