My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

The girl, her eyes half-open, looked up at me, her consciousness hazy.

Then, as if feeling at ease, she gave a soft, gentle smile.

"...Irito, classmate..."

Hmm, gurgle!

I almost screamed out loud, but thankfully I held it in—this woman! Using that term now would be terrible!

"Uh, hi, are you feeling any better?"

Fortunately, the sound was very quiet, and I pretended nothing had happened. Even if Nan behind me heard it, she would probably think she misheard and ignore it. Probably.

Perhaps still half-asleep, "Mmm—" First, a slightly coquettish, pleading sound was heard from the girl, then—

Gently, she pinched the hem of my clothes.

"Where...did you go...I'm so lonely..."

Hey! Girl, it seems like your memory has regressed by a year!

It's still early, there's no need to give up yet. While I was sweating profusely with fear, I pretended nothing had happened again and pointed to my classmate Nan behind me.

"Look... Nan has come to visit you."

"Good morning, Yui—are you alright—?"

Perhaps unaware that she hadn't heard Yui's coquettish voice, Minami greeted her cheerfully as usual—perhaps because of this, Yui's gaze gradually returned to rationality when she saw Minami's face.

"…………ah…………"

It seems she has recalled her words and actions from just now.

Her face turned as red as a boiled crab, but luckily, the girl had a cold—Nan would probably assume it was due to a fever. Well, let's hope so.

Jie glared at me quickly with resentment. It wasn't my fault.

Then, she put on the top student smile she usually wore at school.

"Thank you for coming to see me, Nan... My fever has gone down a lot..."

"It's okay if you don't force yourself to talk... Oh, is there anything I can help you with? Are you hungry? We bought a lot of groceries!"

Nan rummaged through the shopping bags she bought at the supermarket before going home. I carried them all the way until we got inside.

"I can't possibly let you do so much..."

"It's okay, it's okay! Can I borrow the kitchen for a moment? Irito-san, can you help me?"

I originally intended to leave the rest of the work to the girls and then slip away, but Nan grabbed my arm.

"...What? You're calling me?"

"I remember you're quite a good cook, right? Yui told me that."

...This woman even talks about me with her friends?

I glanced at Jie Nu, and she immediately turned her head away to face the wall. Perhaps she was still bothered by her earlier embarrassment.

"...Okay, I can still cook savory porridge."

"That's enough! Let's go!"

I was dragged away from Yui's room by Nan.

I keep feeling like I'm being watched from behind. I told you, that wasn't my fault...

"Irito-kun—are you and Yui getting along well?"

She asked me this kind of question while I was chopping vegetables, which almost turned my fingers into ingredients for salty porridge.

"Wha...what kind of feelings?"

"That's of course the affection between brothers and sisters—"

"Oh, about...the feelings between brothers and sisters..."

Is there even a question? Calm down, please.

Nan said as he cracked the eggs:

"Until last year, you were still complete strangers, right? But suddenly you became brothers and sisters and had to live together. I was wondering if it would be difficult—and not only that, you're also the same age, a boy and a girl."

I thought to myself, it might be better if they were complete strangers.

Starting from scratch might be less stressful than having points deducted from the beginning.

"...Well, there's always a way if you try. Although there are definitely many things to consider."

"Concerns? For example?"

“Well…”

I thought about it.

"The most important thing should be taking a shower..."

"Huh? So, it seems I'm bound to bump into them changing clothes after all?"

"So we all have to be careful so that this kind of thing doesn't happen."

"Oh, so I didn't run into them before. How boring."

If that happens, either I will die or she will perish.

"I'm wondering, won't it be difficult in this kind of environment?"

"What do you mean?"

"What will I do when I finally get a girlfriend—will I be too embarrassed to bring her home?"

"Huh?"

I looked back at the pistachio-like little animal girl beside me.

"...Do I look like the type who would date?"

"Rather than saying you know how to date, Irito-kun, you've had girlfriends before, haven't you?"

My heart skipped a beat.

She spoke without hesitation, with absolute certainty. So decisively, in fact, that I almost forgot to retort for a moment—how did she know?

Nan... Could it be that she already knew?

"No, not at all—I don't know why I'm so good at these things—I can tell from how you interact with girls or other things—it makes me think, 'Ah—this person has had girlfriends before—'."

Nan flashed a set of healthy white teeth and chuckled smugly.

No, I don't know why...? Superpowers?

"But it seems like it's not there now. So, was I right?"

"No comment."

"Oh, so you're using that trick?"

Nan threw the cooked rice and the vegetables I had chopped into the pot, then poured in the egg mixture in a circular motion. Her movements were very practiced.

"I don't plan to tell anyone. But what if you get a girlfriend again?"

The savory porridge slowly cooks to a thick consistency.

"...I can't pay for it. I have no intention of doing so."

"I mean, if we did meet, would you introduce her to Yui?"

For some reason, I immediately had an answer to this hypothesis.

"Probably not. It doesn't require her permission, and it seems like such a hassle."

"Oh yeah... so even if you get a girlfriend, Yuzuri won't know. Unless you're getting married."

"Well, maybe so..."

When it comes to marriage, the situation is different—although the scene is a bit hard for me to imagine.

"I see, I see. I see—"

"...So, what's the point of this conversation anyway?"

"Honestly—it's just idle chatter, what's the point—!"

That's right.

Just as I was being completely led by the nose by Nan, the savory porridge was ready.

"Come, Yume, ah~"

"I... I can eat it myself..."

"No, that won't do. Patients need care. Ah..."

"Ah, ah..."

While shyly glancing at me frequently, Jie Nu held the spoon that was pointing towards her in her mouth.

"Ah..."

"Will it burn you? Shall I blow on it for you?"

What exactly did I see?

I completely missed my chance to leave the room, but do I really need to stay here? Could you two high school girls please be sweet to me and let me go back to my room?

I was forced to watch this scene, which resembled a lily, for several minutes.

Thinking about it calmly, if Nan hadn't come to visit me, I probably would have been the one to say "Ah~"...

Thinking about it now, I'm truly glad Nan came. Because if I had been in that position, it would have been an eternal disgrace for both me and Jie Nu...

"Phew... I'm full. It was delicious."

"You're welcome—you've finished eating!"

"Thank you... for doing so much for me..."

"Half of it was cooked by Irito-san, I only added seasoning! So..."

Nan cheerfully and nimbly stacked the cutlery, then stood up holding the plate on which the cutlery was placed.

"I'm going to wash the dishes. Irito-san, you stay with Yui-chan—"

"Okay...wait, what?!"

"Then I'll leave it to you!"

Nan, unable to stay still, left the room. I didn't even have time to call her back.

In the room, only Jie and I remained.

……how so?

I should have left earlier.

Now I can't escape. I reluctantly sat on the floor beside the bed, raising one knee.

Jie buried her head back in the pillow, and for some reason kept staring at me.

"……what?"

"……nothing."

I asked rudely, and received an equally rude response. And they wouldn't even look me in the eye.

"You have a really bad attitude... Let me make it clear first, what happened when you woke up was entirely your own fault. I was actually covering for you."

"I...I know...! It's just that I was a little disoriented..."

As if venting her anger, Jie pulled the quilt up to her shoulders and turned her back to me.

That's good, it makes me feel more relaxed. Patients should just lie down and rest.

"...You two have really become good friends."

But the woman turned her back to me and whispered a meaningless remark.

"What? You're saying I've become close with someone?"