My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

"It's nothing, just a personal matter... By the way, Irito, after hearing what I've said, would you still want to marry Minami?"

"Not at all. I don't like being told what to do."

"Then don't be ambiguous; clearly and consistently reject her. You might find it annoying, but don't get discouraged... If she goes too far, then come talk to me. I'll help you think of a more direct approach."

"Too much? For example?"

"Hmm... Let me put it this way. This is a rumor I heard back in middle school, something that crazy woman actually did—ah... no, never mind, talking about it will only scare you. Sorry, never mind."

"...Do you think it's fun to deliberately keep people in suspense?"

"You only know how much fun it is after you try it... You don't know until you try it."

Kawanami laughed and said, "Okay, contact me again if anything comes up," and then hung up.

I wanted to ask him how he knew so much about Nan's affairs, but I never got the chance.

Later, Nan continued to pester me.

"Okay—let's get married—" "I'm the giving type, you know—?" "Tell me—do you hate me that much~?" "I'll have lots of kids—?"

Like this, she's always talking about getting married. It seems she has no intention of even saying sweet words. Even when I'm focused on reading in the burger joint, she keeps staring at me, proposing to me with her eyes.

Then, that happened.

"You let her get away, didn't you! Just now! You let the girl you brought home go!"

Two days after the underwear incident, Jie suddenly came to me and started yelling at me, accusing me of this baseless crime.

According to her, there seemed to be a pair of unfamiliar loafers in the entryway. How could that be? I initially thought she must have mistaken her own shoes, but after seeing the video evidence, I changed my mind and realized this wasn't funny at all.

Those loafers were the size that only someone as petite as Nan could wear.

The front door was unlocked. This means someone just left, and they didn't have a key to our house. If that's the case, when and how did that person get in?

...I knew it. When I got home and went upstairs to my room, I felt like I'd forgotten to lock the door, so I went back to check, only to find it was locked. Around that time, the little loafers were already there. I just hadn't noticed them because they were hidden by the entryway steps.

The house was broken into.

Nan, as usual, clung to me after school every day, and today was no exception. She followed me all the way home, so if she just eavesdropped, she could tell I'd forgotten to lock the inner door—

While this isn't something a normal person would do, it's the only possible explanation. The fact that she didn't hide the loafers suggests that the crime was committed on a whim. The sudden, opportune moment made her act rashly.

Kawabata's pointed words flashed through her mind. What Nan Xiaoyue had actually done during junior high school—

I asked Yume to check the room, and while I was at it, I called Kawanami Kogure.

Just as you guessed. That woman, ah, once broke into her boyfriend's room.

Kawaba told me immediately... and sure enough.

"Calling it 'breaking into a burglary' isn't really anything special. The room had been cleaned, and we took tons of photos inside, like it was a crime scene, and then the number of erotic images on my computer increased."

"It's increasing, not decreasing?"

"Yes. And it's completely tailored to my boyfriend's preferences."

...I don't know why, but I always feel that it's more terrifying than being deleted.

"In short, there's no actual loss, right? Since that's the case—"

"No, only one thing is missing... the pillowcase has been replaced with a new one."

"…………ah……"

I remembered the embarrassing thing the girl mentioned last time. Do all junior high school girls collect this kind of thing?

...Anyway, how should I tell Yui?

Your friend has turned into a stalker so quickly? I can't even bring myself to say it! It's such a blow. But what else can I do...?

I thought Nan must have gone into Yui's room, and I was worrying about it when—

"...There's nothing unusual about it?"

This is the answer from the woman.

Nan did not enter Yui's room. That's a fact.

If that's the case, then where did she go?

What exactly did she do by trespassing on private property?

—Okay, finally caught up with the current situation.

I think you've all guessed what the scene I witnessed later meant.

Nan Xiaoyue's goal is to become family with Irito Yuume. Marrying me is merely a means to an end. Her ultimate objective is still to become family with Yuume.

My family consists of four people.

Remember these conditions, and now let's look at the situation again.

— Five chairs were placed next to the dining table.

"That woman crossed the line."

After I returned to my room and called again, Kawanami Kogure announced in a firm and reliable tone:

"Looks like that girl hasn't learned her lesson at all. Oh well, even though I really didn't want to do this unless absolutely necessary, I had to teach her a lesson. Hehehehe!"

"...Why do you seem so happy?"

Where did that reliable tone go? I was maintaining a fairly serious demeanor, after all.

"What kind of scheme are you plotting? Judging from your tone, you must have come up with a plan, right?"

"Of course. In short, all we need to do is make that girl give up on Irito. When it comes to methods used in this situation, this is probably the only one from all over the world."

I don't know what ancient or modern, Chinese or foreign, he's talking about, but I'll just listen quietly to what he has to say.

Kawabata solemnly declared:

"Irito Mizuto. I need you to go find Irito-san now and tell her this—"

Then, I regretted not listening to him finish speaking.

◆ The Maiden ◆

Mizuto made a request I never expected.

"—You're going on a date with me tomorrow."

Volume 1: Past Romantic Relationships Refusal to End - Couples Must... (Part 2) "Stinky fanatic." "Stinky otaku."

◆ Water Fighter ◆

Looking back, I can only say it was a mistake I made when I was young. However, I did have what is commonly known as a girlfriend between my second and third years of junior high school.

If we calculate it simply, the period lasted about a year and a half, but compared to the length of time, both of us had extremely low dating experience levels—this is because our social circles were smaller than those of stray cats.

Option 1: Bookstore.

Option 2: Library.

Option 3: Antique Book Market.

Okay, where are we going today?

It's roughly like this.

It's said that couples all over the world go to karaoke bars, movie theaters, restaurants, or the Kamo River, and try all sorts of date activities. But Ayai and I don't really like going out, and we don't feel the need to go to places we're not used to.

Therefore, today's plan is also full of unknowns for me.

On Saturday morning, I got up earlier than usual, quickly got dressed, and left the house without saying goodbye to my daughter.

I arranged to meet Yui in front of Kyoto Tower. The man instructed me that meeting there would feel more like a date.

I followed the subway, swaying all the way to Kyoto Station, and walked out of the station building from the Hachijo East Exit.

The destination was the waiting room for the nearby night bus, a paid rest area with facilities such as restrooms and powder rooms. The price was reasonable, even for students with limited budgets (I heard).

After I walked in through the door, the man—Kawanami Kogure—sat in a chair and turned to look at me.

"Hi, Irito—ah, uh…"

Kawanami was wearing a three-quarter sleeve shirt and three-quarter pants, an outfit that only suits a frivolous and unrestrained type. I was dumbfounded when I saw him.

"You...aren't you going to the convenience store now?"

"I know."

"Then let's put more effort into our outfits!"

"?"

Is there anything strange about it? I just did what I always do: I opened the closet, took out the top piece of clothing, put it on, and came here.

Sigh... Kawabata sighed helplessly.

"Well, that's what I expected. I knew you were this type all along."

"What type is this?"

"The type who doesn't even pay attention to their outfits on a date, which is a bit unbearable for girls!"

I can't accept this. Nobody has ever complained about my clothes.

"So, I've prepared a whole set of clothes for you. Go change. Time is of the essence."

"What? I don't think there's anything wrong with wearing this..."

"I told you it wouldn't work! Looks like I'll have to explain today's objective to you again!"

Kawanami practically shoved me into the fitting room and threw a new outfit at me. He even prepared shoes in my size. What? Was this specially prepared? All together, it could buy several paperback books… Why is this guy going to such lengths for someone else's date? How disgusting.

"I paid for your date out of my own pocket, you shouldn't be looking at me like that, Irito-san."

"I'm sorry, I can't deceive my own feelings. To be honest, I feel disgusted."

"Don't make it sound like you're rejecting a confession! But most of your so-called interests are really awful, so I'll forgive you."

You actually let me say whatever I want? Should I say that dressing me up is your hobby? That's absolutely disgusting.

"Listen up, Irito. The purpose of today's date is to make that rare, sunny, sickly girl, Nan Xiaoyue, give up on Irito-kun."

After I changed my clothes, Kawanami applied a lot of hair gel to my hair while reviewing today's battle plan, as if he wanted to cut off my escape route.

"We need to turn Irito's declaration of being a sissy who hasn't been interested in girls since we enrolled into a real-life relationship—once Minami finds out that Irito is only interested in you, his sudden desire for family will be completely shattered. To do this, you have to make Irito go crazy for you, love you to death, and shatter Minami's heart."

After all, once that girl hears you're going on a date with Irito, she'll definitely come and spy on you—that's what Kawanami said.

...I understand the principle. I understand...

"Hey, what's wrong? You're going on a date with the prettiest girl in your grade, why do you look so unhappy?"

"...I can't tell him about Nan, so I can't explain the situation to him. That means I have to get serious, use all my skills, and win her over. Is there anything more disheartening than this?"

"In my personal opinion, I think it might be quite simple."

Hehehe. Kawanami laughed irresponsibly. Listen to this guy spouting nonsense…

I was naturally indignant about this plan, which was clearly conceived out of Kawanami's own interest, but I was also struggling to come up with an alternative.

Now that things have come to this, I have to win back my girlfriend's heart after our honeymoon ended—the more I think about it, the more I feel like a man begging his ex-girlfriend to change her mind, which makes me very unwilling.

Just as I was sighing and complaining, Kawanami seemed to have finished his work.

Kawanami looked at his creation—my outfit—and groaned.

"...This, this is really..."

"Does it look that bad? It'll be fine if you don't touch it..."

I've never been a good match for the concept of fashion. Even if I wear expensive clothes, they just don't align with my inner self.

It was a complete waste of time. I reached out to ruffle my hair, which had become as stiff as a wax figure…

"Wait! Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute!"

However, Kawanami, in his haste, did his utmost to stop him.

With the most serious expression he'd ever shown before, Kawabata said impatiently:

"Go! Don't overthink it, just go dressed like this! You'll understand when you get there!"

Does this guy want me to embarrass myself? Does he want this date to be a success, or does he want to ruin it?