My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Perhaps because she tries hard to maintain a mature image in the student council, she sometimes acts like a child when the two are alone.

Jie buried her head in my shoulder and started to act coquettishly. I gently stroked her long, smooth, black hair.

Then, Jie Nu took the opportunity to mutter in a voice three years younger than her school voice.

"By the way, what's that girl's name?"

"...I don't know how to address you."

"What's the meaning"

"She only said to call her by her first name, Meiyang, but I felt really awkward, so I just used something like 'you' to brush it off."

"Miyo?"

The moment she heard that name, Yui lifted her head from my shoulder and stared into my eyes.

"You mean Meiyang? From Class 4, Grade 1?"

"Yes. Come to think of it, I haven't told you her name yet?"

I remember I only said I was helping a junior student write a script, and I didn't mention her name yet.

The woman covered her mouth with her hand, lowered her gaze, and fell into deep thought.

"No, but...highlights? And the personality is completely different...but if it's that hairstyle..."

"What's wrong?"

Do you know her full name?

"Well, I remember—"

I said, rummaging through my memories.

"—Her name is Michikura Miyo."

Three days later, after school, as I was drinking black tea at the beverage bar, Miyo Michikura approached me with an apologetic expression and a slight bow.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Things in class have been delayed for a while."

She placed her bag on the seat opposite me, pushed it in with her hips while sitting down herself. Then she opened her phone and skillfully ordered through the app.

Things that happened in class...

I listlessly stirred my cold black tea with a straw.

"It's alright. More importantly, has the script been revised?"

"Yes, it's finally finished. Well, it wasn't very long to begin with, so it shouldn't have taken too much time."

"Don't be modest. An ordinary person couldn't finish writing a script like this in three days."

Meiyang took the printed script out of her bag, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards her.

Please take a look.

"Actually, an electronic version is fine too."

"Doesn't this feel better?"

Since she said so, I naturally had no objection.

I picked up the script and began to read. During this time, Meiyang got up and left, seemingly to get a drink at the bar.

The play lasted about 20 to 30 minutes. So it took me about 10 minutes to read the script. When I turned the last page over and put the script back on the table with the cover facing up, Miyo took the straw away from her mouth and quietly looked at my face.

This is it.

It's this look.

He was giving me an appraising look.

This girl is testing me. She wants to see what I'll say, what I'll praise, and what I'll point out. It feels like she's trying to judge me by some kind of standard.

However, even so, the things I need to do are still the same.

"I think there's been a lot of progress. The structure is much clearer now."

"Thanks"

"This level is sufficient for a performance at a cultural festival, but to achieve even better results, the dialogue could be slightly adjusted. There were a few too many lines that felt a bit too novelistic and difficult to understand."

"Ah—I see. I hadn't noticed that."

"Is everything alright?"

"What?"

"I'm asking if it's still possible to revise this script now. We'll also need you to revise our class's script later—it'll be tough, won't it? Being an executive committee member and writing a script at the same time."

The instant I finished speaking, she pursed her lips as if trying to erase her expression.

I pretended not to notice and continued speaking.

"I know someone on the executive committee. I heard you're a committee member from Class 4, Grade 1. The atmosphere there is completely different."

"Um--……"

Meiyang looked away as if she was carefully choosing her words, tilting her head slightly to think.

"I mean, hasn't anyone ever said you're a typical straight man or anything like that?"

"Not really."

"Then it would be best if your younger sister could give you some pointers. Oh, it's your older sister, isn't it?"

It seems she had already noticed that the student council member, Irito Yume, was someone I knew from the executive committee. Was she trying to get back at me?

She drank the melon soda through the straw for about three seconds, a mysterious smile appearing on her lips.

"It's pretty embarrassing to have your separate portrayals of characters exposed, isn't it, senior?"

"Could it be that this phrase is used exclusively when chatting with Yoshino?"

"Of course. If you always talk like that at our school, you'll attract attention. Although Yoshino-senpai doesn't seem to mind."

According to Yui, she seemed like a very diligent top student on the executive committee. She must have been like that in the classroom too. That's why when Yoshino and I went to find her, she avoided meeting us in the classroom and went to the library instead. I guess she changed her hairstyle then too.

Which version represents the essence?

"Do you care?"

"A little. People do adjust their behavior according to the time, place, and occasion, but I've never seen anyone as extreme as you. Even Jie Nu didn't realize that the 'you' I was talking about and the 'executive committee member' were the same person until she heard the name."

"Thank you for your kind words, I am truly honored."

Her true feelings were hidden in her smile.

That atmosphere was subtly different from the serious executive committee member described by Yui, and the cheerful and frivolous gyaru image in front of Yoshino.

It's only now that I've truly realized that she probably subtly adjusted her personality when speaking to me. The high intelligence and profound upbringing I vaguely sensed in her would certainly not have been revealed in the slightest when speaking to Yoshino.

"I'm quite curious about what you think, senior. The serious me, and the carefree me—which side do you think is the real me?"

Here we go again. She's testing me for something. I don't know exactly what it is, but I'm sure she's not expecting a perfunctory answer.

To be honest, I was drawn to her talent.

I originally thought that, apart from Isana, I wouldn't really start building connections with creators or aspiring creators until after university, but her talent makes me feel that it's enough to overturn that plan.

Regardless of whether she should be nurtured like Isana, she is someone with whom a friendly relationship should be established as early as possible.

So I'm thinking about it.

Extremely calculating.

I was pondering what kind of answer she hoped to get from me.

"...Let me think...maybe, both sides."

Meiyang maintained her impeccable smile as she looked at me.

"What do you mean?"

"If your serious side were real, you wouldn't dye your hair. If your carefree, playful side were real, you wouldn't carry so many burdens. Forgive my presumption, but I think you probably haven't decided what your 'real self' truly is yet."

This is my most straightforward impression of her. Like a mirror, she absorbs the atmosphere around her to change herself—this is the most natural way of life for Miyo Michikura.

And this wasn't something she forced herself to do, like Yui's high school debut. She adapted to her surroundings as naturally as breathing, making it seem like she was born that way.

Meiyang stared at my face for a moment. I looked back into her eyes without flinching.

A moment later, she squinted her eyes happily and revealed a sly smile.

"Not bad, senior—just as I expected, you're a wise person."

For the first time, she subtly revealed her true feelings.

"Is this why you asked me to help you revise the script?"

She kept a straight face as she slowly sipped her melon soda. I sensed a subtle shift in her demeanor. The familiar, junior-like air had faded, replaced by a refined and serene atmosphere.

She's just like Yui from school.

"I'm the kind of person who can get by doing pretty well in whatever I do."

"Boasting?"

"Self-torture, huh?"

She answered instantly and continued.

"Whether it's sports, studying, drawing, or writing... well, reaching a deviation score of around 60 is easy. But on the other hand, I can't break through 70. I feel like I simply can't compete with those who can pour their passion into a certain field and reach the pinnacle."

Her gaze flicked slightly upwards, as if trying to pierce through my pupils.

"Someone like Higashi-go Izana, who's the most popular among my seniors."

There was no jealousy, nor envy.

The tone was as if they were talking about someone completely unrelated.

I realized we resonated with each other. I used to think that only the world in books was real, and perhaps I, like her, talked about myself as if I were talking about something unrelated to myself.

"I lack what you call passion. That's fatal. Even if I want to try to like something, I can't put in that much energy. So no matter how talented I am, I can't create anything that makes people exclaim 'amazing.' In fact, you, senpai, are also—"

She pulled the straw out of the melon soda and pointed the dripping tip at me.

"—While they praised my quick writing, they didn't give as much credit to the story I conceived. Right?"

...Indeed, my evaluation of Isana is completely different from my evaluation of her.

The appreciation for Isana's illustrations stems from a deep emotion drawn to what springs from the depths of her soul. Conversely, the appreciation for Miyo's script is an admiration for the professional skills employed. Even with similar evaluations, the focus is entirely different.

"This is not a question of which is better or worse."

That's why I want to make it clear.

"As comic artists, some can create unique worldviews on their own, while others are better at building upon existing works and unleashing even greater potential. It's not a question of who is better; it's simply that each person possesses different abilities."

"Indeed. But it is always the former that will earn the world's praise. That is the image a true artist should have."

"Is there something you're unhappy about? About your inability to muster that burning passion within yourself?"

"It's all dissatisfaction, isn't it?"

She smiled gently and sighed.

"In this world, those who attract attention are always those with passions that are hard for ordinary people to understand. Someone like me, who's a jack of all trades but master of none, can only stay in the background. If I were in the ranks of heroes, I'd definitely be kicked out. Don't you think wanting to become an unparalleled, unique being is a natural emotion of adolescence?"

"I don't think you're going through puberty."

"That's why I'm no good. I can even easily objectify my own troubles; it's not endearing at all."

There's no authenticity about her at all. It even feels like she's just making up a story to fit the occasion.

However, this is probably due to her highly developed execution skills. It is precisely because she already knew many principles that she was able to objectively evaluate and organize even her own troubles and inferiority complex.

"That's why I felt I needed a senior. I thought, since he's the one who nurtured Dong-tou to that level, perhaps he can even save someone like me."

Was she really seeking help, as her words suggested?

I cannot judge.

This is the characteristic of Miyo Michikura. Because she doesn't have a "true self," everything she says sounds like lines from a script.

—But even so.