My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 120

"You've worked so hard to get this muscular, don't you think it's a waste to come to the pool alone? ...Come have some fun with us!"

The older sister with brown hair and dark skin whispered in my ear, her soft breasts pressing against my upper arm.

At the same time, as if they had conspired together, the older sister with black hair and fair skin took my arm and pressed her full breasts against me.

Oh, oh ahhhhh!

Oh no... She looks like she wants to sleep with me...! I've made up my mind to create some summer memories with this innocent high school girl!

If I were an ordinary male high school student, I would have already taken advantage of the situation. Soon I would be foolishly led to an unfamiliar room and spend a dreamlike time there.

However, I don't have that ability.

“…Ugh…”

A chill ran through my body, and I felt nauseous.

The alluring fragrance of my two older sisters, nestled on either side of me, gradually reopened and aggravated my old wounds.

"Hey, is it good? It'll be a lot of fun."

"We'll cover the cost for you—at least let's exchange contact information, right?"

...This is really hard to get through...

Since I developed this condition, several girls have shown interest in me... but none of them have been as intense as this... I can't even give a normal response...

It got so bad that I started to regret paying so much attention to my appearance. If I had known this would happen, I would have dressed in a dowdy and inconspicuous way, so that no one would want to give me a second glance...

Damn it... I have to find a way to refuse... If this keeps up, I'm going to throw up my lunch all over the place...

"There seems to be a slide over there, want to go slide together?"

"Great idea! Let's go!"

"What are you doing?"

Just as the two older sisters were about to make a decision on their own, a tiny little girl appeared with her back to the sun.

The person holding a bottle and a can of cola in each hand was Nan Xiaoyue.

The two older women blinked, staring at the woman who was looking down at me with cold eyes.

"Well……"

"...Your sister?"

Hearing this perfectly normal reaction, Xiaoyue frowned and said:

"I'm his girlfriend, is there a problem with that?"

There was a few seconds in between.

Perhaps it took time to understand, because after a while, the two older sisters finally moved away from me quickly.

"What the heck! It's not even the same person!"

"He didn't say he came with his girlfriend, otherwise we would have left already! Really, really!"

Then the two older women apologized to Xiaoyue, saying things like, "I'm so sorry!" "We'll leave right away!" "Your boyfriend is so handsome!" and tried to smooth things over before hurrying away. The sounds of "Ah—that was so embarrassing!" and "He's totally my type!" faded into the noise.

"........."

"........."

Xiaoyue and I were left, gazing at each other for a while.

In short... it seems like we're saved.

The chill and nausea gradually subsided. Once I could finally speak normally, I began to say:

"Excuse me... thank you—"

"I made that up."

"Huh?"

Xiaoyue said something cryptic before plopping down next to me in the spot that had been occupied by the two older sisters.

"When I said I was your girlfriend, I was just making it up. I don't still consider myself your girlfriend, so please don't worry."

She handed me the can of Coke while saying "um" in a rude tone.

As I took it, a slight smile involuntarily appeared on my lips.

"Me..."

"how?"

"I've decided to stop hanging out with girls other than you."

"Huh?"

Xiaoyue accidentally let out a strange, off-key scream, and almost rolled her eyes back.

"Huh? What? What? What do you mean?"

"There's no other way. Apart from you, no other girl would be willing to be cold to me and still hang out with me."

"Ah...oh, I see..."

"If someone were to confess their feelings to me, I really don't know how sick I would get."

I pulled the tab on the can of Coke and poured the sweet soda down my throat. It completely washed away the chill and nausea.

Xiaoyue hugged her knees, her eyes half-open as she glared at me.

"It's so annoying. Do you think you're some kind of heartthrob?"

"Actually, I'm just popular with women. You saw it just now."

"That's just because they think you're an easy virgin to hook up with."

"I'm so guilty, even mature women like me. When I become a senior next year, I'll have to be extra careful around the junior girls."

"Say what you will, you narcissist."

Xiaoyue unscrewed the cap of her Coke bottle and took a sip of soda.

I remember she used to never drink carbonated beverages.

Swimming skills, social skills, and even his neurotic tendencies... I sincerely admire this guy's ability to grow.

One day, maybe I'll be the one left behind...

"Don't abandon me, okay? You're a lightning rod when you try to pick me up."

"...He was clearly leering at her big breasts."

"Who's leering at you?! Can't you see my face is turning blue?!"

Although some issues arose, they eventually got back to having fun in the water as usual.

We floated around in the pool with swimming rings, or wrestled in the water to see who would win—and we even went down the water slide together.

When I accompanied her to swimming practice, we were about the same size, but now there's a huge gap between us. Sitting one behind the other at the starting point of the slide, Xiaoyue's body fit perfectly between my legs.

"I'm afraid you'll fly off the water slide, you're too light."

"Don't scare me on purpose!"

Xiaoyue pulled my hand to her abdomen... and murmured:

"...You have to hold me tight."

"As commanded."

Perhaps thanks to my grip on Xiaoyue's flat stomach as instructed, she didn't fly into the distant sky and safely and smoothly glided to the bottom.

And so, I was finally able to fulfill my long-cherished wish from elementary school.

Unfortunately, the matter did not end there, and it became a beautiful memory.

"Hey, listen to me... Look at that, that one!"

"Huh? Which one? -- Damn!"

As I prepared to go home in the evening and headed to the shower, I frowned.

I was just thinking how lucky I was that there was no one in line... when a bunch of awful people came walking over from the pool.

They are classmates.

I remember them. What's annoying is that they seemed to be a group of boys and girls who came together to play.

What would happen if those guys saw Xiaoyue and me together?

Needless to say, the same tactics used during the training camp will be repeated, and this time it will truly be unstoppable.

"Oh no...! Quick, hide!"

I did say I wasn't so ashamed that I needed to lie or hide anything, but that only applied to people I was willing to stop with. It looks like those people are coming to the shower room too, walking straight this way. I need to find a place… I need to find a place to hide…!

"Just hide somewhere over there!"

"oh oh?"

While I was still hesitating, Xiaoyue took my hand.

Just as I was wondering where she was going, Xiaoyue opened the door to the unoccupied shower room and pushed me inside.

Then, I followed them in.

*Clap*

The door closed immediately, and Xiaoyue exhaled.

"That was close..."

"(No, this situation is truly dangerous!)"

I couldn't help but mutter a complaint under my breath.

The two of us were crammed together in a cramped room, as narrow as a locker room. The room was so small that we could barely hug each other; it was difficult to move even slightly.

"(What else can I do? I can't think of any other way!)"

"(You're not going to use another shower stall? There are still empty ones!)"

"(ah!)"

"(What an idiot!)"

Just then, we heard a chattering sound outside the door, so we stopped talking.

I leaned against the wall at the very back of the room, as seen from the doorway, and Xiaoyue pressed her cheek against my chest, hugging me tightly. Holding my breath, I could only manage the pounding of my own heart. With her face pressed against my chest, Xiaoyue couldn't possibly have missed the fact that my heart was racing faster.

"(Take a shower. Turn on the tap.)"

"(Oh, right...)"

Indeed, it would be strange to stay in the shower room without taking a shower. I reached behind me and turned on the faucet. The hot water pouring down on my head made a splashing sound that slightly drowned out my heartbeat.

His body, which was already half-dry, was soaked again by hot water.

I saw Xiaoyue's ponytail pressed against her neck. Similarly, my fingers, which were around her slender waist, gradually clung to her skin. It's always been like this. Whenever I hug her tightly, she seems so petite and delicate, making me want to protect her. But if I try to pull, I find she's stronger than I imagined, able to hold me firmly back…

"Hey, which one do you like?" "What? I don't mean that."

The sound was right outside the door, and I froze. The arm around my waist tightened, pressing our wet skin even closer together. "Ah..." Xiaoyue couldn't help but gasp softly.

"What's with the cool act! Didn't you say you were going to get a girlfriend during summer vacation?" "I did say that, but then I feel like there's no need to rush..." "Whoa—this guy's scared!"

There was a faint sound, which the sound of the shower covered up. But because I was scared, I grabbed Xiaoyue's head and pressed it against my chest to keep her from making a sound. Xiaoyue was startled and struggled slightly with her hands... but she quickly calmed down and wrapped her arms around my back.

My left leg slid between Xiaoyue's legs, and Xiaoyue ended up in a position where she seemed to be sitting on my lap. My thighs inevitably felt the distinct difference between me and a boy, but I immediately banished that awareness. In this situation, I couldn't let Xiaoyue discover the clear difference between me and a girl.

Please, hurry up and get into the shower! That way we can get out...!

As I silently prayed this, one of the voices said, "That's right."

"Speaking of shower rooms, in adult comics, they're mostly used by couples for lewd things, right?"

We jumped in fright.

We weren't doing anything indecent! At least we knew where we were!

"Hey, you idiot! There's someone inside!" "Sorry—! This guy's being stupid!"