My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 114

Then find a seat.

On the not-so-large lounge mat, Shuidou and her cousin Yuanxiang were already seated. There wasn't much space to choose from.

So, I had no choice but to sit down next to the water bucket.

Like my cousin Yuanxiang, I wore a rash guard over my swimsuit.

This way, only my legs could get the lotion, so it was perfectly natural for me to pull down the zipper of my jellyfish suit.

What I wore underneath was, of course, the white swimsuit with floral patterns that I had bought with Mizuto before.

The top is a bikini, but the bottom is a skirt. This is the most revealing outfit I can wear.

As I casually squeezed the lotion onto my hand, I secretly glanced at the sink next to me.

Perhaps it can only be said that, as expected, his gaze was fixed on the book in his hands.

...Although he seemed nonchalant, he appeared quite interested when I bought the swimsuit. He's very perceptive of people's gazes, or perhaps he quickly looked away.

Or maybe I already saw it when I bought it, so I lost interest...?

Ugh—it's so annoying! I can't even figure it out!

"Wow, wow!"

Cousin Yuanxiang blurted out a strange cheer.

"Yui, you're so thin... What's with that waist? Does it really have internal organs inside?"

"Yes, yes... I just lack muscle."

"Yeah, right, I'm so envious! Although people often say I'm very thin, being as slender as you makes your breasts look bigger."

I immediately covered my chest with my arm, and my cousin Yuanxiang laughed and said, "I wasn't going to rub it."

"The swimsuit is so cute! Did you pick it out yourself?"

"Uh—I guess so..."

"I guess so?...Oh—?"

My cousin Yuanxiang smiled knowingly and leaned closer to whisper in my ear:

"(Boy friend?)"

"(No!...We're not in that kind of relationship...)"

"(Is that so? So it's not that kind of relationship yet, right?)"

"(No, rather than saying it isn't...)"

Perhaps it should be said that "it is no longer the case."

I reflexively glanced at the water basin next to me.

"what?"

Cousin Yuanxiang's eyes widened, and she quickly covered her mouth, her eyes fixed on the water basin.

Oh no! This is terrible!

"(Huh, huh, huh, really? Is that really true?)"

"(No, no, no, no! That's not right!)"

"(Being so flustered makes him even more suspicious~)"

"(That's really not true...! Please stop pressuring me...!)"

"(Then let's assume it's as you said~)"

Cousin Yuanxiang's eyes lit up, and a vulgar, sly smile appeared on her face.

What if...what if...? I didn't think she'd tell her mom and the others, but...

"(Strange? But yesterday, Aunt Yujin said that my cousin Mizuto has a very close female friend... Hmm? Could it be that my cousin Mizuto is actually very popular with girls...?)"

Judging from this, it seems that my cousin Yuanxiang has absolutely no feelings for Mizuto. Although, even if she did, it's none of my business.

...Mom, aren't you revealing too much of our privacy?

"Has Yui gone to the beach this year?"

As I was carefully applying sunscreen, my cousin Yuanxiang suddenly changed the subject.

"No... I talked to a friend about it, but I still didn't go."

"Huh? Why didn't you go?"

"...That friend said that going to the beach would lead to being hit on, so it's not a good idea."

"Oh my~ What a true friend, a protector of flowers! It's really disappointing to go out and have to be bothered by this annoying guy~"

Cousin Yuanxiang spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Despite her quiet and well-behaved demeanor, like a bookstore clerk or librarian, it turns out she'd been approached before…

That makes sense, though; someone with that figure wearing a black bikini might get hit on.

"So this swimsuit can only be worn to the riverbank. What a pity."

"But, wouldn't I feel a little shy wearing a swimsuit in front of so many people...?"

"I can understand, but I'm personally fine with it. In fact, I always deliberately chose cute styles because I want to show them off to everyone, right?"

"...It's not that I can't understand it."

"Yui, you have such a great figure and are so cute, at least show them to your friends! Come on, let's take a picture!"

"W-what...?"

Indeed, I've only ever worn the swimsuit to show my face to Mizutani. But was it really necessary to take pictures of it specifically...?

While I was still confused, my cousin Yuanxiang had already started rummaging through my belongings without my permission. "It's this," she said, pulling out my phone. That's so...so domineering...

"Come on, let's take a selfie with this—no, wait a minute..."

Just as I was feeling embarrassed to refuse firmly, my cousin Yuanxiang laughed like a mischievous child and said:

"Water~ Fight~ Cousin! Sorry to bother you while you're busy—! Could you take a picture of her—?"

She handed my phone to Shuidou, who was reading a book.

"...Huh!"

I didn't have time to react.

Can I take a picture? What kind of picture? Why?

Mizuto slowly raised his head, looked at the phone I had given him, and at his cousin Yuanxiang's smiling face.

No, it's alright. Someone like Mizuto wouldn't possibly put down the book he's reading to help with something like that—

"……knew."

what!

Shuidou closed the book and took my phone from my cousin Yuanxiang.

He ignores me when I talk to him...! Why doesn't he do that to my cousin Yuanxiang...!

"Thanks! Ah, but the password—"

Yes, my phone is password protected. As long as I don't tell them—

"……snort."

Water snorted softly, tapped four times, and entered a four-digit number without hesitation.

The screen brightened.

"How...how did you know my password?!"

"I don't know, you guess. Maybe it's because you're very naive."

The password was indeed a number that the man knew, but no one expected him to enter that first...

"...Hehe, well done. Now, you two, stand up~"

Cousin Yuanxiang chuckled mischievously as she told us to stand up.

Shuidou pointed at me and held the phone up to his eyes.

"Right, right, Yui needs to look at the camera. As for the pose... well, a normal V-sign is fine, but try putting your hands behind your back first!"

Huh? Why is even the pose specified?

I had no chance to question it, so I could only look up at the phone camera with my hands behind my back.

...Mizuto's eyes were fixed on the phone screen.

Through the lens, it stares at me in my swimsuit.

The cold, dark lens seemed to convey a living gaze, making my whole body itch.

This...this feeling is so embarrassing...

"...It's the exact opposite of last time."

Shuidou murmured softly.

Last time? It was the exact opposite of this time; I was the one taking pictures of the water bucket—

Ah, he was referring to the day of our aquarium date.

I remember the carefully planned photos of me and my classmate Kawanami, featuring a bespectacled, stylish tutor look, which are still saved on my phone.

I, right now, am just like him back then...?

"Oh! That's a good expression! Time to snap a picture!"

Click! The shutter clicked, startling me so much that my shoulders jerked.

I just got filmed? I was completely relaxed just now!

Shuidou put down his phone and stared at the screen for a long time.

"How is it? How is it? Show it to me!"

At the request of his cousin Madoka, Mizuto showed her the screen.

"Oh my! This is really..."

I leaned over to look at the screen and saw a girl in a swimsuit with her hands behind her back, leaning forward, her cheeks slightly flushed, looking up at the camera.

...This seems a bit...

"Hehehe..." Cousin Yuanxiang laughed strangely and said:

"You've taken the perfect 'ambiguous photo,' haven't you, Yume!"

Ah, ahhhhh!

The angle, expression, and pose give off a "my boyfriend took this picture for me" vibe...!

"No, this won't do! Why do we have to resort to such scheming?"

"Because it seems like a lot of fun?"

"That's so much fun!"

They act without reason! That's just how the "Sunshine Type" is!

"It's okay, it's okay, I'll just tell everyone later that 'my brother took the picture for me~☆'. My friends will be guessing who it is, and Yui can bask in the glory. That's a win-win situation... Huh? Which of you two is older?"

"I am the older sister."

"I am the older brother."

Shuidou and I answered immediately, which made my cousin Yuanxiang burst into laughter.

What should I do with this photo...? I didn't mean to bask in a sense of superiority.

"Don't overthink it, it's just like uploading to Instagram, right? Sharing memories with friends is also very important, isn't it?"

After saying that, my cousin Yuanxiang returned my phone to me.

Sharing memories with friends...

After she said that, it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with it.