My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

"Hi."

The boy next door, who was the same age as me, said this with a casual gesture.

In short, it's Kawamura Kogure.

"........."

Without saying a word, I tried to close the door.

"Hmph, not so easy."

But Kawanami, like a salesman, wedged the shoes into the crack of the door.

I looked up and glared at that smirking face with dead fish eyes.

"...What are you doing? Please don't trespass on a girl's property, okay? I'm calling the police!"

"I didn't want to come either, okay? It was Auntie who said she wouldn't be home for a while and asked me to keep an eye on you. Who taught you to be able to do housework but not like to do it? You easily get lazy during holidays."

"...I'm not having a bout of laziness."

"Look at you, and you still have the nerve to say that? Your hair is a mess, your shirt is all wrinkled, and if you look closely, you're not even wearing a bra. Ah, actually, it doesn't seem like you need to wear one."

"Help! Someone help!"

"It's so noisy! You're disturbing the neighbors' peace! They already know you're lying!"

"Ugh, ugh, ugh!"

Kawanami covered my mouth with his hand and shoved me through the door. He's a criminal. Anyway, I'll kick him in the groin first.

Bang! My foot kicked something hard.

"It's a pity, we had already taken precautions."

"Ugh...!"

Looks like the same trick isn't working anymore, huh? Stop trying to be clever.

Too lazy to push him out the door, I went back to the living room from the entrance hall.

"You came to see how I am doing, right? Okay, okay, you can see if you want."

"Then I won't be polite... Waaah!"

The moment I entered the living room, Kawanami let out a scream as if he had seen a dead cat.

"This is such a mess. At least throw the instant noodle bowl aside."

"You're so long-winded..."

I kicked the snack box that had fallen to the floor and turned around to lie down on the sofa.

I used to be the one taking care of him, but now he's acting all smug...

Okay, I'll do whatever you tell me to do. Anyway, I don't have the energy to clean right now.

Kawanami brought over a trash bag and threw the trash on the floor into it one by one. This guy didn't need to ask me; he already knew where the trash bags and similar items were.

As I continued to lie on the sofa, dangling my bare feet while scrolling through my phone, Kawanami suddenly stared at me in disbelief at my appearance.

"You don't even care what I'm looking at?"

Today I'm only wearing an oversized shirt. Yes, just this one, and I'm only wearing underwear on my lower body. The loose shirt is like a dress, so it's perfect for staying home. It's comfortable and cool. Besides, there's no point in worrying about what I'm wearing in front of this guy.

However, Kogure from the Kawanami family seemed unable to resist looking at my thigh peeking out from under my shirt hem, and the part that was faintly visible beneath. Hmm—?

"Sorry, are you getting aroused by my beautiful legs? If you can't hold back, it's okay to go home and take care of it, alright?"

"Ha! Well, today I'd rather see big breasts."

"Believe it or not, I'll kill you!"

I picked up a cushion and tossed it at him. Kawanami easily caught it and threw it back onto the sofa, then started picking up the clothes I had taken off and left lying around.

"Ugh! Don't leave your underwear in the living room!"

"Don't steal it, I'm running out of underwear right now."

"You've gained weight?"

"Of course it's because my clothes were piled up and not washed!"

"They're all pretty hard to compliment."

I got tired of scrolling through my phone, so I lazily rolled over and lay on my side, watching Kawanami diligently tidying up the room.

"I'm talking to you—"

"what?"

"He's perfunctory with himself, but very nosy with others."

"Do you have the right to judge others? Can't you see this room that embodies the phrase 'just getting by'?"

"You treat Irito-san the same way."

"Isn't it the same with Dongtou? I heard that you seem to be giving her advice on everything."

"...Do people who grow up in the same environment tend to have similar personalities?"

"Huh? Me, with you?"

Kawaba scoffed.

"If you're deliberately trying to annoy me, then you've succeeded."

...Okay, actually, this guy and I aren't alike at all. We grew up together like siblings, but we're ironically so. I'm naturally a gloomy type, while this guy is naturally sunny.

"Ugh—this is infuriating!"

"Stop complaining. I'll clean the house until it's presentable and then I'll leave. I have things to do today."

"What—? What happened? You got a girlfriend?"

"Are you trying to provoke me on purpose? You're just trying to provoke me, aren't you?"

I chuckled.

The reason this guy has become unable to have a girlfriend... no need to hide it, it's all my fault.

"We'll have guests coming over at noon. I don't think it'll be too noisy, don't worry. It's to be fair to our guests."

"Oh—so it's a quiet classmate."

"Yes, you know what kind of person he is."

Kawanami gave a meaningful, wry smile.

"It's Mizuto from the Irito family."

I said I wanted to go too, but I was refused.

How boring. I was hoping to see how he would react if I pushed Irito in front of him. But well, knowing Irito's personality, he'd probably just push me away without batting an eye. It's so unpredictable, it makes me want to cry. Just kidding, I was just joking.

It seems like it's better to let Higashi-san make the move. And then, once Yui is single again, what should I do...? Ah—I really want Yui to sleep with me...

Just as I was letting my mind wander and thinking about these things for a while, I heard people talking in the hallway outside.

It looks like it's Irito-kun who's here.

The sound moved to the next room, but it was too muffled to hear clearly. Oh well, the soundproofing is much better than before.

It's surprising that Irito-kun came to visit. I'm curious to know why he came, but he won't tell me. If it were me, I wouldn't leave the house where Yui is to go to his house. He definitely has some ulterior motive.

"────, ──"

"──, ────"

I strained my ears to listen, but I could only make faint sounds. What were they saying? The indistinct voices only made me more intrigued.

"...Uh, I remember..."

I slowly got up and went to my room to rummage through the closet. It had become a makeshift storage room for things I might never need, but I remembered that thing; it should still be stored here—

"Found it! Found it!"

I dug out a box-shaped machine from under the clutter, which connected headphones and stethoscope-like parts.

Listening device behind a wall.

It can receive vibrations transmitted through walls and accurately capture sounds from the other side of the wall; it's a powerful device. I bought it with my allowance when I was in junior high school.

I dusted it off slightly, took it to the wall in the living room, and turned the knob on the device. After confirming it was powered on normally, I put on the headphones and placed the stethoscope-shaped microphone on the wall to find the right spot.

"You really don't know how to appreciate things. All the boys in our school would be so jealous of you!"

"That's why everyone says the moon is rounder abroad. I think the moon is much rounder in your country than mine. You seem so carefree and relaxed; I really envy you."

The voice became very clear.

...But what are they talking about?

"Haha. I see. So people only see the enviable side of others. I almost wish someone could replace me."

"...No, I'm not that envious."

『……………………』

"Hey, don't laugh so creepily, it's disgusting. That's not what I meant. I just couldn't bear to burden someone else with the pain of living under the same roof as that barbed woman."

"I understand, I understand."

"You'd never understand..."

Hmm...

I'm just guessing, but could it be that Irito came here because she didn't want to stay at home?

Because I have to stare at Yui 24/7 during summer vacation, I'm so mentally exhausted that I'm seeking refuge here... like this?

You really don't know how to appreciate things! If you don't like it that much, just exchange it with me!

And then, whenever I say it like that, he'll look really unwilling! I know! Ugh, it's so difficult!

"Well, it's about time to start charging for the break."

Kawanami's voice got louder. I could hear it clearly even through the microphone.

"Your choice of words was disgusting... but oh well, I've already told you."

Summer vacation is here! You must have had a lot of little mishaps along the way!

"Not a single one? Don't be so mean. Besides, we've been living together for four months already. How could something like this happen so easily?"

"It doesn't have to be an accident, I really want to hear about ordinary, everyday things. Like, let me think... how do you guys eat lunch? Unlike before when we ate lunchboxes at school."

"Oh, right, something did happen. That woman was stupid enough to actually try to make lunch..."

The dish made by Yui herself!

"That guy's fingers almost became fried rice ingredients, so I ended up having to chop the vegetables."

Not only that...wait a minute. That means...

"...So, Irito...so the two of you just stood together in the kitchen...?"

"Hmm? Uh, yeah."

Chirp, chirp, chirp!

I scratched the wall hard with my fingernails. The sound rang in my ears through the listening device in the wall, causing an unexpected act of self-harm.

"By the way, how was the taste?"

"It's awful. Need I say more? It's a bit burnt, like eating charcoal."

She's so lucky!

If you don't know how to cherish something, then trade with me—

"...However, compared to what I had last time, this is a significant improvement."

His tone was somewhat rude, revealing a hint of resentment.

I knew it as soon as I heard it.

--Actually, it's quite delicious!