My Stepsister in Kyoto

The two had a sumptuous lunch together. 

Still, as expected, Yume couldn't eat all of her food, so Mizuto had to help her to eat them. Nevertheless, there was no doubt that their lunch was excellent, and they understood why this restaurant was a Michelline 1-star restaurant. 

"My stomach...." 

Yume sighed helplessly as she rubbed her belly. 

"Let's take a rest for a while." 

"Thanks." 

"No problem." 

Yume smiled, then asked, "What are we going to do after this?" 

"It's quite rare for us to go to Arashiyama. Do you want to walk around?" 

"Okay." 

Yume didn't hesitate to agree since she wanted to stay with him as long as possible, even if they lived under the same roof.

As he walked with Yume, he thought that he really hadn't gone out to many places. It had been a year since he was transmigrated into this body, but even so, the only place he had ever visited was limited.

Yet, could he be blamed? 

Everything was so different, and he suddenly changed his nationality. 

Panic, fear, worry, and everything jumbled together, but time would always solve everything. All the negative feelings he felt before turned into something ordinary. 

The system might be amazing, but sooner or later, he knew that he might see it as something ordinary. 

As he absently stared at the Katsura River from the Togetsukyo Bridge—

*Click!* *Click!* *Click!*

"..."

He glanced to the side and saw Yume take a picture of him with her smartphone. 

"Ah, eh, hehe..." Yume laughed awkwardly as if she had caught something wrong. However, she couldn't help it. Watching him, standing at the side of the Togetsukyo bridge, gazing at the river with a melancholy, deep gaze, it was just picturesque and so handsome that she wanted to squeal, and due to that, her hands moved automatically, taking his pictures. 

He sighed, but as someone from Kyoto, he was used to his photo being taken by someone, or rather, in the past year, he used his picture to be taken secretly. Still, as he faced Yume, he wasn't going to ignore it. "You took my picture?" 

"So-Sorry!" 

"Then, let me take your picture." 

"Eh?" 

However, Yume didn't even have time to react as he had already given his instructions. 

"Stand on the side of the bridge, face your face over here..." 

Following his every word, Yume didn't question him until she heard a "click" sound from his smartphone. Like her, when he took a picture, a "click" sound was heard. He didn't do this deliberately. Instead, it was one of the rules of this country, so it would stop the sneak photo. Unfortunately, the effect wasn't so good as he still often caught someone taking his photo secretly. Still, after he took Yume's photo, he showed it to her. "Look." 

"Wo-Wow..." 

Even though Yume knew that she was beautiful, sometimes, she wondered whether she wasn't one. A woman was like this. They often had many complexities; at the same time, it was because the man she had fallen with was impossible to predict, so she felt this way. 

Still, when she saw the picture taken by him, she couldn't help but marvel and be astonished as she was so beautiful in this picture. It was like he had taken the best moment of herself from his smartphone, and at the same time, she wanted to ask how his photography skill had improved so much that she didn't remember that he never took the initiative to take a picture when they dated in middle school. 

However, she didn't get a chance to ask as he proposed to go back. 

"Let's go back." 

"Okay." 

There were many questions that she wanted to ask, but it was hard to ask them in public.

Going home was definitely the best as she could talk with him more deeply. 

Yet, even if he said that he decided to go home, they didn't go back immediately. Instead, he went to the bank, wishing to check his money. Yume agreed and patiently waited for him. 

As long as there was no presence of other women, Yume was obedient and docile, following his every word as she supported him to work and sat in the waiting area while watching him from a distance. She knew that someone might say that his work might be sneaky, but she didn't blame him. Instead, she was amazed that he could do and achieve all of this without relying on anyone.

It made her think that her "boyfriend" was amazing, and she kept staring at him in admiration, wondering whether he had done another big deal. 

Nevertheless, when she saw him talking with the bank clerk, she wondered whether her existence had become a burden for him. 

If it was the original Mizuto, she wouldn't think like this, but this Mizuto was different; he was so good that she was afraid he might go far away to the place she couldn't reach. 

Nevertheless, Mizuto didn't know what Yume was thinking as he registered an account for stock trading. Still, as he registered, he sighed inwardly, thinking that a capitalist was evil. Previously, it was impossible for a minor to register at the brokerage, but due to the economic downturn, they started to allow minors to register in the name of education. However, the truth was they couldn't wait to see those young people being riddled with debt. 

Still, he wasn't scared of this, so after he registered and downloaded the apps on his smartphone, he thanked the clerk, who talked enthusiastically with him. 

"...." 

However, he didn't plan to do anything. "Come on, Yume." 

"Um." 

He noticed Yume was quite strange, so he asked, "What's wrong?" 

Yume hesitated and didn't know what to say. 

"Come on. Tell me. If someone sees you now, they will think I am bullying you." 

She pursed her lips, then asked worriedly, "Am I bothering you?" 

"Ha?" 

"I mean... when I decided to go with you, did you think of me as a bother?" 

"Why did you think so?" He sighed inwardly that a woman was really troublesome, but he didn't show it and asked her patiently. 

"Well... when you sold your antics before, if I wasn't there, then there was no need for you to be troubled by the manager, right?" 

While she was happy that he said that she was his girlfriend, she knew that if he wasn't by his side, he definitely wouldn't be troubled by that transaction, and with how confident he was, no one would think that he was even a minor. 

"No, you are wrong. If you are not there, I will be troubled?" 

"Huh? Why?" Yume was confused but also secretly happy. 

"You remember that girl who was working on the antics?" 

"What's wrong with Aoi-san?" 

"Aoi-san?" 

"Aoi Mashiro. That's her name, so what's wrong with her?" Yume asked with doubt but also felt happy that he didn't pay Aoi that much attention. 

"I noticed that she stared at me occasionally." 

"....." 

"You are too narcissistic! There is no way she is falling for you instantly like that!" Yume looked at Mizuto in contempt as there was no way for Aoi to fall in love with him so fast, but inwardly, she felt worried, and she was glad that he wouldn't go to that shop again; that way, there was no way for Mizuto and Aoi to meet each other. 

"I know that, but the manager thinks differently." 

"What do you mean?" Yume realized that his concern was different from hers. 

"That man seems to be quite possessive toward that female employee. When she glanced at me occasionally, he would try to stop her so she wouldn't approach me and bring her attention to him again." 

"....." Yume.

"You didn't notice it?" He asked, to which she shook her head in answer.

"So, when I told them that you were my girlfriend, he relaxed his guard and wouldn't trouble me during the transaction. That's why I am lucky to bring you with me." 

Still, Yume fell in silence and said, "...let's not go to that place again."

"Yeah." 

The shop might be good, but Yume had to say that the shop manager was too scary! 

Well, partly because she didn't want Aoi to fall for Mizuto too, but for this reason, she wasn't going to say anything since she didn't want him to mistake that she had fallen for him even though it wasn't wrong to say she felt that way toward him. 

Nevertheless, when he saw that she had returned to her previous state, he didn't bother to continue this conversation. 

"Let's go back." 

When her hand was held again, Yume sighed, feeling helpless since she knew that she loved him so much. Still, it was impossible for her to acknowledge this feeling to him as she wished for him to make the first move. 

As they went closer to the home, which was located in the Sakyou ward, he went to a different place again after he bought some dorayaki in the popular shop nearby. 

"Where are we going again?" Yume asked curiously. 

"Bookstore." 

"Bookstore?" Yume was in doubt and asked, "Didn't you always buy books near Matsugasaki station?" 

"That was before. Now, I always go to my friend's family's bookstore." Still, inwardly, he wondered whether Yume remembered what he had always done and also followed him secretly to understand his activity even after they broke up. 

"......." 

 Mizuto stopped thinking as he was afraid of the possibility. 

"Friend?"

While Yume was in doubt, she kept following him, and at the same time, she had a foreboding. This friend definitely wasn't simple, but she didn't say anything and kept following him, walking around the neighborhood and passing the railroad crossing before they arrived at their destination. 

It was a modest, simple, yet tasteful bookstore located within the neighborhood. 

"Fujishiro Bookstore?" Yume was in doubt, but Mizuto had already entered the bookstore. The automatic door opened.

"Yuu, are you here?" 

He poked his head inside and casually asked if it was his house as he looked around, looking at the figure he was looking for. 

---

I plan to use a few of Yuri's works in this story. 

By the way, I have just read Shikimori, and Kamiya isn't bad at all.