My Stepsister is My Ex-Girlfriend - Volume 8 - Chapter 1

It’s a Lot of Effort Just to Invite Him

Crossing Paths with a Black Cat

Mizuto Irido

When I came home after my usual routine of wasting time after school with Isana, a black cat was sleeping on my bed, which was strange, because I had absolutely no recollection of our house ever having a pet in it. Not only that, but even though this black cat had ears and a tail, it had a very seductive outfit on, which could be explained by the simple fact that this was a person in cosplay.

She was curled up, her long black hair spread across the sheets, as if she were trying to warm herself with the fading warmth of her master. For better or worse, though, I knew exactly who this was.

“What is she doing...?”

I let out a half-confused, half-exasperated sigh as I looked down at the face of my sleeping younger stepsister. She was wearing a miniskirt and a top that exposed both her cleavage and stomach—not much better than a swimsuit. If I were to have changed my angle, I could’ve easily gotten a full look at her chest or panties.

I deeply exhaled as I tried to shut out the sight of her porcelain thighs extending from under her black skirt. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the sequence of events that must’ve occurred for this situation to have unfolded. What did she want from me here?

Student Council Trip

Yume Irido

It was October 30th. Midterms were officially behind us, and I’d just figured out what I was gonna get Mizuto for his birthday. I was rather relaxed, actually, when President Kurenai came up to me and asked a certain question.

“By the way, do you have any plans for the upcoming break next month, Yume-kun?”

“When specifically?”

“The three-day break from the 21st to the 23rd of November,” she responded in her usual serene voice.

But there was something different about her. She was wearing very adorable cat ears...as was I. The moment I entered the student council room, Aso-senpai had run over, put cat ears on me while yelling, “Halloween!” and refused to elaborate beyond that.

Maybe there hadn’t been a need for her to, though. At first, I was clueless as to what was going through her head, but then I realized that today was the day before Halloween—a holiday that, in recent years, had had cosplay added to its definition in Japan.

Apparently, Aso-senpai had a foot in the world of cosplay, and it was really showing. She was grinning ear to ear, having pulled out an outfit with a bust large enough for Asuhain-san. President Kurenai and I let her be sacrificed for the sake of a brief reprieve. We could almost see her soul leaving her body as Aso-senpai did whatever she wanted.

“The 23rd... That’s Labor Thanksgiving Day, right?” As long as it wasn’t on November 3rd—which I had very important plans for—then I’d be good. “I don’t think I have anything planned. Is there something going on?”

“I’m actually planning a trip.”

“A...trip?” For just a three-day break?

“It aligns with our schedule very well since November is a slower time in terms of our responsibilities. I think it’ll be an opportunity to deepen our bonds as fellow student council members. It looks like I’ll be able to get us good lodging due to a relative’s connections.”

“Your relative’s connections?” Just what kind of business are they in?

“Oh, right, you don’t know, do you, Yumechi?” Aso-senpai said as she put a swimsuitesque outfit on Asuhain-san. “Suzurin’s family is super-duper loaded.”

“Oh...” So not only is she cute, smart, and charismatic, but she’s also rich? There’s divine blessings and then there’s her.

President Kurenai wryly smiled and calmly continued. “It’s a troublesome family filled with nothing but restrictions. In turn, I am able to do just a little more than the average student. For instance, I’m able to get us a reservation at the first-class Japanese hotel, Arima Hot Springs.”

“Wait, did you say ‘Arima Hot Springs’?!” Don’t you have to book a room there months in advance?

“Oh, what? Isn’t that in Kobe? Cool, so we’re keeping it local this time,” Aso-senpai said indifferently while trying to take off Asuhain-san’s blouse to great resistance.

“Yes,” President Kurenai continued, “it’s just a short one-hour train ride away—completely financially possible for students to make the trip without breaking the bank.”

Kobe’s in Hyogo prefecture, right? I guess it’s not that far from Kyoto, but... “You said ‘this time.’” I turned to Aso-senpai. “This isn’t the first time you’ve all gone on a trip?”

“Yeah... Where did we go last time? Germany?”

“No, that was the trip the two of us took with our upperclassman in charge of general affairs. The last trip we took as a student council was to Hokkaido.”

Did she just say ‘Germany’?! They took an international trip as students? How connected is this girl?!

“If you went on these trips as members of the student council, then...” Haba-senpai and Hoshibe-senpai must have been with them. Despite that, neither President Kurenai nor Aso-senpai had anything to show for it.

The two of them immediately turned to look at me. “Something you want to say?” they asked in unison.

“Nope...” S-Silly me. Of course there hadn’t been any developments! It would’ve been one thing if it had been a trip with just two people, but with multiple members there, it simply hadn’t been possible! Their lack of results was completely normal and understandable. Totally! “A trip. Hm...”

Now that I think about it, I’ve never really been on one. Mom’s busy all the time, and I’ve always had my nose in a book. The only trips I could really remember were the school field trips in elementary and middle school. “To confirm, the trip will be from the 21st to the 23rd, right?” I asked.

“Indeed. We’ll depart on the 21st and stay for two nights, so three days in total.”

Since they invited me, maybe I should accept. If I do, then mom and Mineaki-ojisan will have alone time as a married couple. Wait... November 22nd? That’s Good Couple Day. I was getting the feeling that this might be a sign.

I hadn’t been able to give them too many opportunities alone in the house, so if there was a chance for both Mizuto and me to be out of their hair for a few nights, then...

“Um, can I make a request?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Could my, uh, little brother come as well?” I knew how rude my request was, but I asked anyway.

If Mizuto could come with me, then we’d be able to give our parents alone time. But also, excluding the trip to his family’s hometown, this would be our first trip. I wasn’t confident that Mizuto would be allowed to come with us, though, since he wasn’t on the student council. Just as I braced myself for my request to be shot down, President Kurenai’s lips widened into a smile.

“Oh, what a great idea!” To my surprise, she clapped her hands together, seemingly very impressed with the suggestion. “I was actually thinking that it was a little sad for the only boy on this trip to be Joe.” President Kurenai then looked over at Aso-senpai. “You should invite Hoshibe-senpai, Aisa.”

“H-Huh? Me?!”

“I don’t know anyone else named Aisa here. I’ve no doubt that he has nothing but time on his hands since his college plans are already squared away. Yume-kun, be sure to get your brother’s approval as well. He seems the type who wouldn’t be interested in travel. Do all that you can to ensure his participation—that means utilizing any method of persuasion at your disposal...no matter how seductive.”

“Seductive?” Wh-What does she have in mind?

I looked over at Aso-senpai and saw that she had the same troubled look on her face as I. There was no way that Mizuto would voluntarily join me on a trip with my student council member colleagues. How was I supposed to convince him to change his mind?

“Oh, look. Here’s something perfect that you could use,” President Kurenai said, pointing at the box that Aso-senpai had brought out. It was filled with a large variety of cosplays. “If you don’t think you’ll succeed by inviting him the normal way, then you’ll just have to use less traditional methods, won’t you?”

Honey Trap (Snap Decision)

I began to slowly wake up from my slumber. Huh...I fell asleep? As the haze started to clear, I began to vaguely remember what’d happened. Before I could open my eyes even halfway open, though, I sensed someone standing nearby. It was Mizuto, looking down at me.

I panicked and immediately shut my eyes again. Simultaneously, the memories of what’d happened flooded back into my head, clear as day. At the end of October, I’d been ordered to bring Mizuto on our student council trip. The problem was that our birthday, a very important event, had been just around the corner, so I’d decided to put off asking him until a later date.

Fast-forward to today. A week had passed and President Kurenai had begun pushing me, saying that I should stop dragging my feet because she wanted to get a firm headcount soon. That’s why, finally, I had no choice but to bust out the outfit that I’d had sealed away until now. It was a black cat cosplay that exposed the same amount of skin as a swimsuit.

I figured that the only ones who’d see me in this would be Mizuto, President Kurenai, and Aso-senpai. Plus, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in wearing something risqué since I’d had to wear a more conservative outfit during the cultural festival. Letting my upperclassmen know about those thoughts had been the end of the line for me. President Kurenai and Aso-senpai got all excited and forced one article of clothing after another on me.

“This is a loan, okay? Repay me with pics!” Aso-senpai had said.

“You’re free to use it, but if you don’t, then know you’re a loser and I will never let you live it down,” President Kurenai had said.

Their words had completely cut off any means of escape. The only way left was forward. I hadn’t told either of them flat out that I had a thing for Mizuto, but...aside from Aso-senpai, who more than likely just wanted to see me in cosplay, I felt pretty confident that President Kurenai was completely aware of what she was trying to make me do. The question was how she’d caught on. Had she figured it out during the cultural festival? Perhaps through Haba-senpai’s strong powers of observation?

At any rate, since I lacked the courage to burst into his room like this, instead, I had decided to hit him with a surprise attack. He’d be so caught off guard that I’d be able to invoke the sibling rules and force him to come on the trip with me!

That had been the plan, at least. I had sat on his bed, waiting for the master of the room to return, but I’d begun getting antsy as I looked at myself and what I was wearing. I’d begun looking around his room for no particular reason, and then...I don’t remember anything after that, because I’d fallen asleep.

How could I have passed out at such a crucial time?! My carefully laid plan is in ruins! What’s more, since I’d reflexively pretended that I was still asleep, I couldn’t suddenly wake up right now. I’d completely missed my chance. I kept my eyes closed, all while feeling nothing but Mizuto’s intense gaze on me.

What do I do? What do I do?! Since I couldn’t open my eyes, I couldn’t tell what state my miniskirt was in. At the very least, I was sure that my boy shorts weren’t completely exposed, but it was completely possible that the hem of the skirt had flipped up a little.

B-But maybe it was okay. He probably couldn’t see my panties. But also, I couldn’t change the position of my legs if I kept pretending to be asleep like this! I couldn’t get my mind off my defenseless cleavage and butt. It was completely possible that he was checking me out. The mere thought of that made me restless and there was an indescribable stirring in my chest.

This was completely different from when I purposely showed off outfits like this to him. Being looked at and voluntarily showing someone were two entirely different experiences! Whenever I had shown him stuff like this, he’d usually become defensive and avert his gaze. But now, it was as if his desires were unleashed and I was being bathed in them.

No. Calm down! Don’t give up! I’m not who I used to be. I’ve been reborn! It was true that the current situation was because I’d dozed off. However, right from the start, my plan had been to go on the offense in these clothes! He didn’t just happen to catch a glimpse—I allowed him to see. I was giving him a show!

Suddenly, Higashira-san, the natural succubus, popped up in my head. Despite being “just friends,” she completely let her guard down around him and didn’t seem to care about the way she dressed. She should have been more aware of her appearance around men, and yet she’d wear just about anything around Mizuto, including her nightwear! I need to try to recreate that. I’ll pretend my guard’s down, seduce him, and...maybe he’ll try to lay his hands on me! If he does, I’ll grab that chance and make him go on the trip! I was in awe of my own cleverness. This was only possible for the new and improved Yume Irido! What a revolutionary breakthrough, up there with the likes of the Copernican Revolution, the Gordian Knot, and Columbus’s Egg.

I let out a soft moan as I rolled over from my side, showing that I was most definitely asleep. I learned how horrifically seductive this move was after seeing Higashira-san do it, but it wasn’t until I tried it myself that I understood its true power.

As I moved, I felt something jiggle. My boobs, that is. He saw! He totally saw! I’d be looking if it was me! I know I’d watch Higashira-san’s boobs jiggle!

I’d chosen to lay my arms above my head to accentuate the defenseless position I’d taken. I felt like I had his attention. Though being looked at didn’t elicit any physical reaction, I hallucinated some kind of focused stare on the two unguarded swellings on my chest pointing at the ceiling.

Also, the more I turned over, the more I had no clue what was going on with my skirt. Were my legs too spread out? Was the hem of the skirt okay? If I closed my legs together, it’d be obvious that I was awake. Urgh! He might see my panties! The ones I’m wearing today aren’t too lame or anything, right? Maybe it’ll be okay if he gets just a peek?

As my mind went in circles, I felt a finger poke me in the thigh. Huh? Wait, what?! H-He’s touching me?! Mizuto is touching me?! I didn’t expect this. Knowing how he is, I thought I’d get through this unscathed. Is it because he thinks I’m asleep? Is it because he pretends to be uninterested when I’m awake, but behind the scenes, he turns into an animal when he thinks nobody’s looking?! Th-This isn’t fair! You perv! Wuss!

The springs in his bed creaked as he knelt next to me. I felt his hand as it pressed down next to my waist. Huh? What are you doing? What are you thinking?! I heard his soft breathing creep closer to my body. I felt it slowly move up my body, starting from my abdomen. Around when he passed my chest, I felt his hot breath on my exposed clavicle. He was slowly but surely getting closer to my face. Wh-Wh-Wh-What?! My mind was a mess. I was restless, distraught, and extremely flustered.

I had hit my limit and cried out, “I’m not ready yet!”

Before I realized it, I’d pushed back on the shoulders closing in on me and shot up. I need more time to prepare a lot of things! You might be my ex, but I think there’s a certain order of events we need to follow first! I’m kinda scared of just giving in to our carnal desires and—

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“Huh?”

I opened my eyes not to Mizuto’s voice—but that of a girl.

I stared agape. “Higashira-san...”

“Yes, salutations. Thank you for having me today!” Isana Higashira said, greeting me in her usual lackadaisical manner.

Terms for the Trip

Mizuto Irido

Though I’d said I’d come home after wasting time with Isana, nothing about that included us going separate ways. With the way things had turned out, she ended up coming over. As such, I wasn’t the only one who witnessed a certain black cat sleeping on my bed—Isana Higashira did too.

She was the type who always let her curiosity get the better of her, so without any restraint, she went up to poke Yume in the thighs and closely examine her cleavage and face.

“Mm...the skin of a high school girl in cosplay is so sexy. I couldn’t help myself!”

“Learn to hold back!” Yume cried out.

Isana’d moved so quickly and with such conviction to commit her crime that I’d barely had any time to react despite it all unfolding right in front of me. Every so often, such a situation would occur in mystery novels. The perpetrator would be so bold with their actions that nothing they did seemed out of the ordinary, and as such, no one would notice. I felt like I’d just gotten a real-life demonstration of that.

“Explain.” That being said, though a person who looks at someone up and down without reservation is someone lacking any common sense, so is a person who’d dress up as a black cat and fall asleep on someone else’s bed—no, maybe to a more extreme degree. “What’re you doing sleeping in my bed, Ms. Black Cat?”

“Please don’t call me that...” Yume tugged at the hem of her skirt as she sat on her knees on top of my bed.

Yume had unconsciously grabbed Isana’s gaze. Isana wasn’t showing it, but I could tell she was incredibly excited.

“I-I just had something I wanted to invite you to...” Yume muttered.

“Huh? What does that have to do with your outfit?”

“It just happened, okay?! President Kurenai made me do it!”

Oh. Her. Hadn’t she been in cosplay when we did our class’s presentation for the cultural festival? Is she particularly into that or something? If this had all been a plan proposed by our prodigy of an upperclassman, then I could somewhat accept what’d happened here...no matter how incomprehensible a situation it was.

“So? Be brief. What’re you inviting me to?”

“W-Well...”

She was apparently under her boss’s orders, so what could she possibly be inviting me to? More to the point, why was she dressed in such a skimpy outfit? She hated stuff like that. I had absolutely no clue what she was cooking.

Yume glanced at me. “Do you...wanna go on a trip with me?”

“A trip?”

“President Kurenai is planning a trip to Kobe on the three-day weekend starting on the 21st! And you know how the 22nd is Good Couple Day, right?! I was thinking that we could take a trip, be out of the house, and give our parents some alone time...”

I took a moment to process what she had just spewed out. She was right about Good Couple Day. It wasn’t something that I really kept a mental note of, but now that she mentioned it...I figured it’d be nice for us, as their kids, to gift them some alone time.

But...why did I need to go on a trip with her to accomplish that? Couldn’t I have just crashed at Kawanami’s place? If this was a trip that Kurenai-senpai had planned, it had to involve the student council members. Wouldn’t I just be in the way if I went?

I could tell by the way she was looking up at me that she wanted an answer, but I didn’t have one yet. Plenty of convenient excuses were floating in my mind that would explain why she had actually invited me.

“Oh, Kobe? What’s there? Cows?” Isana said casually, tilting her head.

Yume looked upwards as if she were trying to search her memories. “President Kurenai said that she’d be able to get a reservation at Arima Hot Springs.”

“Arima Hot Springs?! I’ve heard of that!”

“Apparently you can see the autumn leaves, and it’s a perfect spot to enjoy the season.”

“Oh, wow! By the way, where is Kobe exactly? Is it a prefecture far away?”

“Kobe’s not a prefecture,” I added.

“It’s in Hyogo prefecture, Higashira-san...”

“Oh, it is?”

I can’t stress this enough—the school we attended was academically prestigious. Are they okay? How did they let a student like Isana get in? Her lack of common sense was nothing new, but she needed to get it together. If she ever had to make any sort of announcement, she’d embarrass herself so badly with the details surrounding it.

“Oh, I see...” I mumbled.

“What’s the matter?” Yume asked, looking at me.

I had no real interest in traveling to Kobe, but I had an idea. “I have one condition for going on this trip.”

“Huh? What is it?”

I pointed at Isana. “If she can go too, I’ll go.”

“Huh?”

“Wha—”

Yume and Isana blinked in confusion at the same time.

Even If I Have to Discard the Femme Fatale Act

Aisa Aso

“Welcome home, Master!” I said, greeting Senpai while looking up at him cutely as he entered the student council room.

He looked down at me with a suspicious look on his face. Since he was 187 centimeters tall, there was a significant height difference between the two of us. What’s the matter? You look like you’re seeing something sketchy. It’s okay, you can let yourself be charmed.

I’d lent Yumechi the standard cat cosplay, so I’d decided to throw a curveball and combine a cheongsam and a maid outfit. The combination of the frilliness and Chinese style was very cute and one that I enjoyed. The design of the dress had an area for cleavage exposure, which might have made it a little hard to create a voluptuous look for some, but not for a master like myself.

As he continued to stand there in silence, eyebrows still furrowed, I proceeded to press the attack further.

“Please come in, Master. I’ll pour you some tea.”

“This won’t end until I give you a comeback, will it?”

“Oh, Master.” I blushed. “This talk about come and back... Night hasn’t even fallen yet.” I exaggeratedly wriggled.

He sighed and sat down on the couch. In the meantime, I made my way to the shelf and promptly began preparing his tea.

“Aso,” he said, resting his head in his hand while watching me. “I know how this might sound coming from a guy who was anything but serious during his time as president, but you shouldn’t be messing around like this in the student council room. You have an appearance to keep up.”

“Oh, but I’m not fooling around at all, Senpai. Aisa’s always taking things extremely seriously!” I let my skirt flutter as I placed a cup of green tea in front of Senpai.

As I did, I was sure to lean forward, giving him a good look at my cleavage. But he was no pushover. After a year of being subjected to this kind of behavior, he took the teacup without even looking at me. I sat next to him as he sipped it. He didn’t even flinch when I lightly touched his lap. He’s such a tough customer. But I’m not gonna back down today that easily! After all, I’m on a mission to invite him on the Kobe trip!

“By the way, Senpai, do you have anything fun going on in your life lately?”

“Huh? Nothing at all. Everyone’s studying for their entrance exams like crazy, so I’ve got nobody to hang out with. Can’t blame ’em, though. Still, feels like I’m the odd one out.”

“So that’s why you’re still hanging out around the student council? Aw, you’re lonely?”

“Shaddup. You’re the last person I wanna be gettin’ shit for this from, Aso.”

“Huh? Whatever could you mean?” I asked in a really fake, cutesy voice.

“Barf...”

He snorted, and I giggled. Despite how annoyed he seemed, he didn’t try to leave. He stayed here to talk with me. I wasn’t sure when, but at a certain point this outwardly annoyed but innerly caring attitude of his had captured my heart.

It’s already November... Just four more months until he graduates. Technically, it’d be even less time until he stopped coming to school since there was a period when attendance wasn’t mandatory for third-years.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was running out of time. With how good he was at looking after others, there was no doubt that he’d make a lot of friends in college, go to mixers, meet a beautiful college girl, and...forget all about his annoying, needy high school underclassman in an instant.

I don’t want that. I don’t really have a thing for him or anything, but I don’t want him to forget about me. Maybe Suzurin had made this opportunity for me. In fact, maybe she pitied me, like your mom from the countryside who persistently bugs you about developments in your love life.

Perhaps she was telling me to make a move. Well, when put that way, it kinda pissed me off. Like, was she looking down on me? Well, either way, I couldn’t let him graduate without doing anything. It’d feel like he ran away with the win. But once...just once, I wanted him to look at me for real. For the first time, I wanted to make Senpai, who was the antithesis of serious, seriously look at me.

“I guess that means you’re not really hanging out with any of your friends.” I needed to stop playing around, stop teasing him, stop skirting around the issue, and be direct. “Um, so, Senpai—”

I’d intended to ask him if he wanted to go on a trip with me. I’d even quickly switched gears in my heart. But even so... Argh! I can’t do this at the drop of a hat! All I’ve ever done is tease him! How am I supposed to act serious all of a sudden?!

“Yeah? What?” he asked, a confused look on his face.

“W-Well... S-So, actually... I-I had a huge roll in gacha yesterday!”

“I know. You sent me a screenshot over Discord yesterday.”

“O-Oh... Right. W-Well... Oh, right! Apex’s patch notes came out! Do you wanna rank grind when the update drops?”

“Sure, but is that what you got all dressed up to ask me about?”

“Urk...” Oh my god. What do I do? What do I do?!

The more I thought about trying to skirt the issue, the harder it was to bring up what I really wanted to talk about. It must’ve been obvious that my head was spinning, because Senpai gulped down the rest of his tea and sighed.

“This is about the trip, right?”

“Huh?” I looked up at him, surprised.

He put the teacup on the table. “I know how busy you guys’ve been with student council stuff. You haven’t had a chance for a break. Knowing Kurenai, I figured that a trip would be right around the corner. But honestly...” He moved his eyes sideways to look at me and cracked a smile. “The only time you get all flustered like this is when you have a favor to ask. I bet you wanted to be all sly and clever with your invitation, but there’s no point to doin’ that if you’re just gonna get in your own head and make things stupidly roundabout. You don’t got the skill to be that clever. Just come out and say it next time. Or maybe...” He made an even more teasing smile than I’d ever made as he looked down at me. “Are you that scared about inviting me on your trip? Weakling.”

“Wh-What?! I’m not a weakling! I’m not scared either!” Of course I’m scared. You might be disappearing soon. I’m running out of time to fail. Of course I’m scared. But even so... “I’m...not scared.”

That’s why I put my weight into the hand I’d left on his lap and bent upwards. I looked right into his eyes from close proximity. This time I was serious.

“Senpai,” I’m not going to let myself be just one of your high school memories. “I want you to come with me on our trip.”

Making Sure He’s Not Lonely

Yume Irido

“Huh? A trip to Kobe?” Akatsuki-san’s eyes widened as she moved the red bean bun she was about to bite into away from her face.

“Yeah. The student council president invited me, so I won’t be able to hang out during the three-day weekend. Sorry!” I brought my hands together in an apology.

“Aw...” Maki-san said, putting her elbows on her desk. “Not much we can do if you already got plans. Didn’t know you were so tight with the student council.”

“Goin’ on a trip’s pretty wild,” Nasuka-san said, nonchalantly picking at her lunch. “Minami-chan’s been worried sick ’cause you’re such a shy girl.”

“Huh? She has? Also, how did you guys know I’m shy?”

“It’s pretty obvious,” Maki-san said.

“Yep. Clear as day,” Nasuka-san agreed.

Th-They knew? If my secret was already out, then what was the point of all that effort I put in to desperately protect my image of being sociable?

“Right, Akki?”

“Hm? O-Oh. Yeah! Totally!” Akatsuki-san finally unfroze and bit down on her bread. Her chewing was reminiscent of a squirrel’s. “But y’know, I had it in my head that the student council was all kinds of strict, but after the sports festival, I found out that they’re a lot more chill than I thought. I’m even friends with them now!”

“That’s ’cause you’re the strongest of social butterflies,” Maki-san quipped.

“Hold on, you’re friends with all of them?” Nasuka-san asked.

“All the girls, at least.”

Huh? I know that she met Aso-senpai and Asuhain-san, but is she counting President Kurenai too? When did they become friends? The rate at which Akatsuki-san could make friends was beyond my comprehension.

“We even talk over LINE every now and then. Well, Asuhain-san pretty much never responds.”

The fact that she could declare that she’s friends with all of them despite that last bit proved just how strong of a social butterfly she was. Just as I was internally remarking on this, Akatsuki-san wolfed down the remainder of her bread.

“Bring us back something nice, Yume-chan!” Akatsuki-san said cheerfully. “I get the feeling that any trip that’s put together by this student council president is gonna be somethin’ else!”

“Okay. I’ll do my best to remember.”

Akatsuki-san looked as cheerful as usual, but I knew that despite being a person whose notifications bar was never empty, she was actually the loneliest one around. Come to think of it, when was the last time we hung out? As important as the student council was, Akatsuki-san should’ve been just as, if not more, important. 

School had ended for the day and President Kurenai was standing in front of me and Aso-senpai. “It seems that the two of you have successfully completed your missions,” she said, looking at the two of us. “Granted, it took the two of you a good deal of time to do so, but fortunately, that was within my expectations. Also, Yume-kun, your request for an extra participant is approved. I’m sure your little brother will feel more comfortable if he has someone else he is familiar with.”

“Thank you very much.”

I was almost surprised by how easily Higashira-san’s participation was approved. But President Kurenai was wrong about one thing—I hadn’t invited her because I was worried about him feeling alienated without a familiar conversation partner.

Apparently, Higashira-san had recently begun taking her art seriously. She’d started off copying illustrations and covers of light novels, which meant that the primary focus of her practice had been drawing characters. Now, though, she’d become interested in drawing backgrounds too.

From what I heard, she’d been searching for all sorts of references on the internet, but at some point, she hit a wall. She found that whenever she tried to draw ambient scenes not based on local sights, she couldn’t come up with any good images in her head. Higashira-san’s family preferred to stay home over traveling, so she had never been on a trip before.

She had just told Mizuto about this the other day, and then pretty soon after, I’d invited him on this trip. Though our destination wasn’t too far away, a hot spring very easily fit the criteria of a sight that wasn’t local. In Mizuto’s opinion, it’d be a perfect spot to spark her inspiration.

What are you, her editor? Whatever. This trip wasn’t just for the two of us anyway. The problem, however, was that I could see him spending every waking second of the trip with her. What do I do?

“It sure sounds like you’re tryin’ to act superior, Suzurin,” Aso-senpai hissed. “Did you wear cosplay to invite Joe-kun?!”

“No need. Wherever I go, he follows.”

This is so unfair... Both Aso-senpai and I frowned. Ever the background character, Haba-senpai tapped away at his laptop, continuing to silently do student council work.

“At any rate, there will be eight people on this trip, so—” President Kurenai began.

“Huh? Wait a second,” Asuhain-san called out, looking up from the laptop screen that she’d been focused on since she hadn’t counted herself as part of the conversation. “When you say ‘eight people’...are you including me?”

“Hm? Of course I am. Oh, do you already have plans?”

“W-Well, no. As wonderful and enticing as a trip with you sounds...” Asuhain-san mumbled and then glanced at the calm face of Haba-senpai. “It’s just that...it’s a little difficult for me to participate if guys are going too. I’m really sorry, but please don’t mark me down—”

“No!” Aso-senpai tightly hugged Asuhain-san as if to stop any further words from coming out of her mouth. “You’re coming too! You have to! It won’t be fun otherwise!”

“Well, I’m flattered, but...”

“Let’s get in the hot springs together! Let’s wash each other! Let’s compare our boobs!”

“Don’t just blatantly scream out your desires!” Asuhain-san cried, flustered. “Haba-senpai’s right there!”

The majority of our student council consisted of girls, so there were times when topics would come up that guys would’ve had difficulty joining. That being said, Haba-senpai never appeared to feel awkward or uncomfortable. If anything, he seemed used to it.

“Suzurin’s picking up the tab for the entire trip! It’d be a waste not to take advantage of that!”

“B-But...didn’t you say that a boy I’m unused to will be attending too?”

“Don’t worry! It’s just Yumechi’s little brother, and he’s not, like, the flirty type, right?”

“He sure isn’t, and you can bet that I’ll put him in his place if he tries anything with you.”

So I said, but I’d seen how things were between him and Higashira-san, so I couldn’t say with absolute certainty that nothing would happen. Plus, Asuhain-san would likely see him as a rival, considering he was one of the people that she fought with for the upper echelon of our school rankings. It was completely possible that her androphobia would do a one-eighty and change into a competitive drive. The more I think about it...the more this progression of events reminds me of how I fell for him, and it’s starting to freak me out!

“See? Yumechi says you’ll be fine.”

“Yes, but...it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a guy! Going on a trip with one is—”

“You’ll get to be with Suzurin all day,” Aso-senpai whispered in Asuhain-san’s ear. She was almost like the devil on her shoulder. “From sunrise to sunset—all twenty-four hours of the day—you’ll get to be with her. You’ll get to see her when she wakes up and watch her as she sleeps. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime!”

“I-I don’t look at her with such—”

“Don’t you wanna wash her back?”

Asuhain-san let out a groan as if a demon was being exorcised from her body. At this point even I knew how Asuhain-san’s admiration for President Kurenai had developed into an almost religious devotion. She showed that the desire to be closer to the one you like didn’t have to be romantic.

“You’re gonna regret it. Do you really wanna be the only one of the group home alone for the long weekend? You’re gonna be wishing that you could get in the hot spring with Suzurin.”

“Ugh, fine! I get it! You made your point! Fine, I’ll go, okay?!”

“Yay!”

I couldn’t help but wonder how Aso-senpai had become so good at stoking the embers of desire within others.

“Excellent. Ran-kun will be among our numbers.” It wasn’t exactly clear if President Kurenai had heard what Aso-senpai had whispered into Asuhain-san’s ears, but she looked unperturbed. “Well, with this, we officially have eight people for this trip—five girls and three guys. However...” This caught the rest of us off guard. “I was able to book two rooms: one for six and one for four. So, if possible, I’d like another guy and a girl to fill the vacancies in each room.”

She wants another girl and guy? Whoever joined would have to be people we trusted a good deal. Preferably, they’d be people that President Kurenai was acquainted with. They’d have to be people who wouldn’t be too awkward being around people they were meeting for the first time... In the back of my mind, the faces of my best friend and her childhood friend appeared. Those two perfectly satisfied these requirements. The only problem was...

“Sorry, I don’t have any leads on extra members,” Asuhain-san said. “Something on your mind, Irido-san?” she asked, noticing my pensive expression.

The only problem was that one of the two was the kind of flirty guy that Asuhain-san didn’t like. Eh. Oh well.

“President Kurenai. I might have two people in mind...”

Atoning Clown

Akatsuki Minami

“Don’t get the wrong idea, okay? I’m only inviting you because Yume-chan told me to!” I couldn’t believe such stereotypical words had popped into my mind. There was no room for interpretation. That was a bona fide tsundere impression.

“Ugh, what do I do...?”

I hugged my pillow and rolled around on my bed. To recap: Yume-chan had invited me on the student council trip that the president had organized. That action in and of itself made me extremely happy, even more so due to how I’d felt lonely when it felt like she was leaving me behind. I immediately agreed to go.

The only thing was that Yume-chan had a certain condition: “The boys’ room needs one more person, so invite Kawanami-kun too, okay?”

Even though this conversation had been over the phone, I could say with absolute certainty that she’d been grinning when those words came out of her mouth.

Yume-chan definitely had the wrong idea of my relationship with Kawanami thanks to the study camp. I wanted to scream at her that we weren’t going to get together, that the mere idea was laughable. Our relationship was very delicate and very negative. I really didn’t want her spurring us on for her own amusement. Sure, more often than not I would run my mouth without reserve, and I always did think it was cute when she and I gossiped, but still!

I let out a deep sigh, unsure how to even go about inviting him. I couldn’t just ask outright. After all, he was the most overly self-conscious person in the universe. If I invited him on a trip, he’d one hundred percent misinterpret things and his romance allergy would get triggered.

I was the only one who knew about his challenging constitution that caused him to break out into hives if he sensed any romantic feelings towards him. The really annoying thing was that he’d still get the same reaction if he misinterpreted things. I don’t think he’d have this kind of reaction if anyone else tried to invite him...

Sure, I was willing to admit that, at the very least, it wasn’t a secret that I’d had feelings for him in the past. Also, I was willing to admit that it wasn’t a secret that I’d been stupidly dragged down by the subsequent heartbreak.

I mean, maybe I still liked him. To be clear, though, he was the one thinking about it like that. Not me.

“Seriously, what do I do...?”

I rolled around my bed, thinking about how nice it would be if someone else would resolve this for me. I didn’t have much time left, though. According to Yume, it was ideal if I could get her an answer today.

But here’s the thing: if a girl invites a guy on a trip, isn’t it normal to think that she has an ulterior motive? Plus, I’d be inviting him to a hot spring inn of all things. I might as well have told him that we should totally flirt all day and night in the baths! How in the world did Yume-chan invite Irido-kun?!

Then again, maybe I was overthinking things. I was inviting him to a hot spring inn, sure, but we weren’t the only ones going. Irido-kun, Higashira-san, and other familiar faces would be there. If anything, being bolder and more casual with my invitation would make it obvious that I didn’t have any ulterior motives!

Suddenly I heard a ding from my phone. I reflexively grabbed it to look at the notification.

K_KOGURE: You eat yet?

I froze up when I saw who had sent it.

K_KOGURE: If not, let’s hit up the usual place.

Though I’d frozen up, the “read” receipt had been sent to him. I needed to respond to him fast and naturally.

Akatsuki☆: There again? Aren’t you sick of it?

K_KOGURE: Well, if you’re planning on cooking for us, then I’ll change my mind.

What is his problem? How can he fan the flames like this despite having the kind of condition that he has? If he wanted a piece of me, though, then I had a counterpunch of a reply ready for him.

Akatsuki☆: Don’t come crying to me if I capture your heart with my cooking!

K_KOGURE: Cringe.

I slightly frowned, seeing the vomit emoji he sent afterwards. I can be the cutesy, naive type if I try. Either way, if he was able to joke around like this, then he was probably okay. Then again, there was no way we could live our normal lives if we couldn’t even joke around like this.

“Oh... That’s it.”

All I had to do was frame it as a joke.

“Sorry for the wait!”

“Hey... Huh?” Kawanami turned around as I approached him in our apartment’s lobby. A look of utter confusion filled his face when his eyes fell on me in my fully transformed state.

I was wearing a very frilly blouse, and despite not wearing them that often, I had a skirt on too. Also, my hair wasn’t in its usual ponytail, but down. I had loafers on, maximizing my girl power. From head to toe, I was the spitting image of a girly girl.

When time finally moved again for Kawanami, his mouth twitched. “Just how...much of a sore loser are you?”

“How do I look?” I ignored him and closed the distance between us to look up at him with doe eyes. “How. Do. I. Look?”

“Uh... You look good. Yeah, totally. I guess at your height, you can really pull off the kinda outfits that creeps like on little girls.”

“Heh heh heh.” Wanna die?

Um... I’m kinda cosplaying as the innocent college girl at the freshman welcome party guys wanna take home with them, not a little girl. I suppressed my urge to kill him and cutely walked around to stand by his side.

“Okies, shall we?”

“You’re keepin’ this bit up?! Also, what do you mean, ‘okies’? Are you tryin’ to be cute or somethin’? Why’re you goin’ so hard?”

“If I’m gonna look the part, I gotta sound the part too, y’know?”

“Why are you whispering?!”

As we walked to the family restaurant, I purposely didn’t get clingy with him. Instead, I got as close to him as I physically could—to the point that we could feel each other’s body warmth. Good. Just like this.

So far so good. If I keep acting like this, he won’t take anything I say seriously. I could so bring up the trip deal as the character I was playing. I couldn’t believe what a genius I was!

We entered the usual family restaurant and a hostess guided us to a table. I naturally sat down on the side by the wall and grabbed a menu.

“Hm...” I groaned as I tilted my head. “I’m gonna get the grilled chicken parmesan.”

“That’s not a dish that fits the kinda vibe you’re goin’ for.”

“Aw, but cheese is so cute!”

“Okay, let me take a step back and say that just saying ‘cute’ doesn’t make you fit the vibe you’re going for.”

Crap. He got me. But it didn’t matter—my “cosplay” didn’t have to be flawless.

I began flipping through all the phone notifications I’d ignored as Kawanami ordered the hamburger steak with rice. I went from group chat to group chat, responding. According to Yume-chan, I was godlike for being able to maintain multiple group chats simultaneously, but I was used to it. At this point, I’d feel restless if I wasn’t in the know about all the gossip. Chatting with others was pretty much second nature for me.

Kawanami was the same. He flipped through his phone while sipping on ice water in his seat across from me. One’s surroundings are rather influential. We used to have completely opposite personalities in elementary school, but now look at him.

When I was with people like Yume-chan and other friends, our conversations never cut off. I was always thinking about how to effectively use every last minute—no, every last second of our time together.

But whenever I was with this guy, more often than not, we were deep in silence. Neither of us thought it was awkward, though; it was normal. It was almost like we were a couple on the verge of breaking up, or...family.

Suddenly, I had a thought. If we were just gonna do our own thing, then what was the point of us coming here to eat together? Why did we make plans to meet up? We could’ve just come here on our own. Why were we sitting at the same table like it was the most normal thing in the world?

At first, it’d been because we lived next door to each other. After that, it’d been because we were dating. But what about now? Our relationship as childhood friends had crumbled to bits after we broke up. We were exes in two senses—ex-childhood friends and ex-partners. In other words, we were just living in the afterimages of our past relationships.

Just like the empty cicada shells you find rolling around in fall, our relationship had no substance—it was empty. Suddenly, I realized something. When did we stop seeing cicada shells? Oh. It’s already November...

“We’re gonna have to bust out our winter clothes soon,” Kawanami said, not looking up from his phone. It was as if he was talking to himself. “It’s already started to get cold. Baths feel heavenly now.”

Afterimages didn’t last forever. Once they were gone, the only things that’d be left were scars—the ones that I had inflicted on him. I didn’t feel shamelessly happy about that whatsoever anymore. I didn’t want to go back to how things were, nor did I want to change anything. All I wanted to do was atone.

“Oh, in that case...” I don’t know how I’m going to do that. But I know that it’s not okay to let things continue like this. “Do you wanna come with me to the hot springs or whatever?”

Kawanami looked at me and his lips bent as he began to respond sarcastically. Exactly. I’ll play the fool—no matter how much I need to—if it’ll accomplish that goal.

Self-question

Yume Irido

“Yume-chan! I got the okay!” Akatsuki-san told me at school.

I put my hands together happily. “Oh, you did it already?! You’re such a go-getter!”

“Yeah, of course! I’m not gonna take weeks or anything to invite someone!”

I had no response. She had a point. There was no reason for me to have taken the time—or cosplay, for that matter—that I had to invite him.

“But sheesh, we’ve got a good number of people,” Akatsuki-san said, counting on her fingers. “Ten people total, right? It’s like we’re going on a school field trip.”

“Yeah. President Kurenai said that since it’s gonna be hard for us to all move around as a group, we’ll probably all go and do our own things to a certain extent. Should I make some time for the two of us?”

“Hey, that’s my line!” She said this in a teasing tone but flashed a glance to the side. “But I might ask someone else for that.”

Her eyes fell towards Kawanami-kun who was talking to Mizuto, and I suddenly realized something.

“R-Really?”

“Yeah.” The smile she was wearing somehow made her look like an adult. “I might...be a little serious this time.”

Am I getting serious? She hadn’t directly asked me—most likely, it hadn’t even popped into her head. But my mind naturally wandered towards that question.

I unconsciously brought my fingers to my lips, the same ones I’d pressed against his under the light of the fireworks at that deserted shrine. Am I getting serious? Am I getting serious and trying to move the needle?