My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Seeing Isana clinging noisily to Irito and crying, I cast a hostile glance at her.

"...Tsk..."

"Waaaaah—that thug is glaring at me with those fierce eyes—Mizuto-kun, help me—"

As a result, Dongtou said this in a flat tone while hiding behind Irito.

That woman, she got the better deal and she's still acting innocent...! One day, I'll make sure you can never stay by Irito's side again!

Dongtou turned his head away to avoid my glare, then casually glanced at Irito with a cunning look.

"Mizuto-kun, Mizuto-kun, did you see that? There's a video game area in the basement of this hotel! Let's go check it out tonight!"

"Video games? I rarely play video games..."

"Please... I can't stand staying in my room..."

"Are you a dad who doesn't fit in with his family?"

The video game area... well, I already checked that out. For a hotel, the game area has a pretty good selection of machines, including claw machines, racing games, rhythm games, dance machines, and more—it seems to have most of the major types.

"That's a good idea."

"Huh? I didn't ask you."

"I mean, since we're going, let's all go together. How about we invite Irito-san too? She doesn't seem to play video games much, so she might be one of the few people you can beat her in."

"You're so annoying to talk like that! ...But it's definitely worth considering."

Dongtou muttered to himself as he began to consider. "Hmph! So easily fooled."

"But, but, what if Ms. Jie has her own friends and doesn't have time...?"

"It won't hurt to ask."

Surprisingly, Irito also agreed with my opinion.

"Don't let her appearance fool you, she's actually quite accommodating to you."

"...Do you even have the right to say that?"

"Um?"

Irito tilted his head, puzzled. "Don't you know that you're the one who spoils Higashi the most in the whole world...?"

After finishing class, having dinner, and taking a shower in the bathroom of her room, Irito disappeared.

We agreed to go to the video game area now, where did that guy go?

I changed into the workout clothes I'd brought as pajamas and went out into the hallway. This floor should all be boys' rooms, but I could hear faint female voices coming from some of the doors. They really aren't content to stay at home, huh? Very good, very good.

Of course, Irito would never join such a small group.

I glanced around the hallway but didn't see Irito—meaning he either went to the basement, was in the common area on the first floor, or somewhere else...

Could it be...? The thought made me lose my composure, and I immediately took the elevator upstairs. My destination was no secret: the girls' dormitory floor.

I peeked out of the open elevator door, quickly checked to see if any teachers were patrolling, and then quietly walked out of the elevator lobby.

I pressed my ear against the door of each guest room to eavesdrop on what was happening inside—no, I didn't need to engage in such perverted behavior.

Because Irito's voice came from the other end of the corridor.

So far, everything has gone as I expected. However, what happens next is unpredictable—I cautiously advanced, step by step, until I was close enough to hear Irito's voice.

This is because not only Irito, but also Isana from the east end is on this floor. Who is the person Irito secretly came to meet while I was showering…?

"──────What should I do?"

Upon hearing that clear and pure voice, I held my breath. That voice is…!

I suppressed my eagerness and peeked around the corner of the corridor to look across.

Then, the two familiar figures appeared in the public rest area, which only had two chairs.

It is Irido Mizuto – the woman who married Irido.

I silently clenched my fist and cheered. Dongtou, you're smart enough!

"Leave it to me."

"I know────"

The two were whispering, and I couldn't hear what they were saying. This, in turn, gave me more room to imagine.

Meeting secretly in a hotel at night, where there's no one else around, is bound to cause trouble. No matter how many rumors this attracts, you two can't complain…! Are you discussing where to go on your date? Well, you can't use your phones! So, you have to meet secretly!

Perhaps they had finished talking, for the two of them stood up shortly afterward and turned their backs to each other. Seeing Irito walking towards me, I hurriedly left the scene and ran back to my room as fast as I could.

When her disordered breathing calmed down, Irito returned to the room.

"--Hey, where did you go?"

I asked this question so naturally that even I was scared... I have to admit, I'm really good at putting on a show.

I'm a little thirsty.

Irito was similar, calmly shaking the canned coffee in her right hand.

Why didn't I see you carrying this earlier? I bet you bought it on the way back, right? So that your meeting with Irito-san wouldn't be exposed. Hmph!

Of course, I deliberately didn't expose them. It was more fun for me to do it secretly.

As I glanced at the digital clock beside my pillow, I said:

"Isn't it about time you went to meet Dongtou? Don't you need to take a shower?"

"No, I'll wash it later. Otherwise I'll want to wash it again when I get back."

"Um?"

What do you mean?

"Let's get there early; Dongtou should be there soon too. You probably want to come along, right?"

I went down to the basement with Irito. The equipment in this electric amusement park was so good that it didn't feel like a hotel, and it was packed with students from Rakuten.

"Ah! Mizuto-kun~!"

As we descended the stairs, a woman in a red tracksuit came running towards us with a loud thud, like a large dog.

Isana from the east wanted to hug Irito again.

Don't even think about it. I stood in front of Irito like a bodyguard, and then Higashi slammed on the brakes and glared at me.

"...You're blocking my way!"

"Yeah, I'm blocking your way."

"Mmm~~~~!"

The girl on the east end tried to break through while making low, strange noises, but I spread my arms to block her. Defense! Defend one!

"Stop it, you idiot!"

"Ooh ooh!"

Suddenly, someone kicked my butt hard from the side.

That kind of kick, small in stature but powerful in strength, is no mistake—I pressed on my injured area while glaring at the petite woman.

"Nan, what are you doing! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Stop being a scoundrel! Isn't it all your fault for bullying Dongtou?"

Wearing loose-fitting sportswear, Nan Xiaoyue tossed her ponytail to the side.

I know why that woman's gym clothes were so loose. It's because she still held onto a sliver of hope that she might grow taller. I really wanted to expose her, but then a beautiful black-haired girl came along. It was Irito-san, also wearing a gym clothes.

"You can't kick someone suddenly, Xiaoyue."

"This guy can kick Yui without any problems! He's the kind of person who can kick someone and nothing will happen to him!"

"At least stepping on his foot would be fine."

"This guy's feet are used to being stepped on!"

She's not used to it, okay? I mean, Irito-san too. Could you please try to persuade her to stop being violent?

The eastern head hid behind Irito and stuck out its tongue.

"You deserve it. The whole world is on my side."

Even if it means going against the entire world, I will never agree with anything you say...!

"Please do not put others in the middle and start a world war."

In short, it seems that the five of us are the members involved this time.

I didn't invite Xiaoyue, but since Irito-san is here, this girl can't possibly not show up. This little thing was already planned.

"........."

"........."

As I walked toward the video game area, my gaze briefly met Xiaoyue's... It seems she has her own clever ideas too.

I pretended not to notice Xiaoyue's suspicious gaze and probed the Yili siblings with my words.

"Irito, have you ever been to one of these electric amusement parks?"

"No... very few."

"Where is Irito-san?"

"...I rarely come here either."

Neither the brother nor sister would admit it was their first time here.

These two guys are such bad at lying! I really admire how well they can fool their parents.

Xiaoyue skipped and hopped into the video game area.

"Hey, what do you want to play? Dongtou seems pretty good at video games."

Are you secretly saying I'm like a shut-in?

"Rather than saying it was secret, I was actually saying it outright."

"I'm not good at fighting games, I'm terrible at them... I can only play a little bit of single-player games, like rhythm games..."

"Oh, okay, okay. So, do you want to play that?"

Xiaoyue said, pointing to the dance machine. It's the kind of machine where you step on the platform to the music.

I see. Games requiring fine motor skills—like fighting games—are advantageous to experienced players, but playing those is more fair. Incredibly, some people, even those with little athletic ability or tone-deafness, still excel at rhythm games—perhaps that's a suitable option.

"How about this then?"

I immediately handed over my plan.

"Simply taking turns playing is boring, let's add a punishment game."

"A punishment game?"

Xiaoyue called out suspiciously, but I sensed it with my unique intuition as a former childhood sweetheart.

This question was asked somewhat deliberately—it was just a pretense of opposition, but in reality, it wanted me to continue in this direction. Our interests are aligned.

"It's supposed to be a punishment game, so we don't have to do anything against our conscience. Let me think..."

What kind of punishment should we give? It should be lenient enough that people would feel bad refusing, but also enough to strengthen the bond between the two Irito...

"...a nickname, or something like that?"

Surprisingly, it was Irito who brought the answer.

Irito, attracting everyone's attention, quickly added an explanation:

"Oh, no, it's just... I just felt that we often hang out together, but no one gives each other nicknames, so I was just saying!"

...That's true. Now, my childhood sweetheart and I call each other by our surnames.

Irito said with her brows furrowed:

"What kind of punishment game is this? It's not like we're having a social gathering."

"What...what's wrong! You've never been to a social gathering before!"