My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 209

Besides, I don't have any feelings for him at all right now. I should say I just feel I have to make up for the mistakes I made in the past? I just want to fulfill the responsibility of a perpetrator; I have absolutely no feelings for him whatsoever. Do you understand?

"...Hmm? There's a new notification."

As I was grumbling and drying myself, I noticed a new message on my phone.

Upon closer inspection, it's LINE... Ah, it's Yui!

I quickly opened it and saw the following message from Jie Nu:

Sorry for asking this suddenly, but are there any things you can only do with someone you like?

This is really sudden. Why would you suddenly ask this?

That being said, this was a request from Jie Nu. After sincere and serious consideration, I replied to her like this:

Well... taking a bath together might not be possible if you're not someone you like.

Irito Mizuto: A man should know how to control himself.

"Listen carefully, Irito... A man loses the moment he succumbs to temptation."

As my waist trembled in mid-air, I listened to Kawanami's voice on the phone.

"While some say it's a man's shame to refuse a bribe, I believe a true man endures humiliation and hardship. I'm not a Kamakura samurai; I won't die from losing face. True glory comes from bearing hardship and humiliation; easily succumbing to temptation only diminishes both your own and the other person's worth. Do you understand?"

"Hiss... Ugh...!"

The shouts that mingled with Kawanami's explanation came from Higashito Isana, who had joined the call. Isana, like me, was struggling in a plank position, her elbows propped on the bed with her lower back off the ground.

"Hold on, you have to hold on! Men need to train to build muscle, but women are naturally born with more breasts or a bigger butt. Don't let those readily available weapons shake your resolve! You must develop a body and mind of steel to repel those guys' superficial attacks!"

*Puhaha!*

I heard a "thud" as Isana fell onto the bed.

Then, a few seconds later, I felt my abdominal muscles reaching their limit, and I collapsed into the sheets.

While Isana and I were still catching our breath, Kawanami said calmly:

"One minute. Well, that's a significant improvement from when you started."

As for why we were talking on the phone while exercising, it was obviously Chuanbo's suggestion.

His explanation was that I was too thin and weak to pursue girls.

Okay, I admit I don't have the muscles to refute him, but frankly, I don't really like sweating. Seeing my hesitation, Kawabata said this:

"—Let me tell you, Irito. Girls work day and night doing moisturizing and stretching exercises to maintain their beauty. If that's the case, shouldn't men also build some basic muscles?"

Kawanami occasionally utters statements that come close to the truth. Just as women work hard to maintain their appearance, men should also build muscle, right? I see. Even someone as awkward as me finds this statement quite reasonable.

but……

"Haa... Kawanami... Haa... This is different from what you... said at the beginning, isn't it...?"

"Hmm? What's different?"

"That's right! ...Hoo-ha...What do you mean by 'women are born with some breasts or a butt'?! Whew...Maintaining the shape of your breasts or butt is really hard work, okay?!"

But I feel like Isana has so little stamina, it doesn't seem like she's been training very hard...

Incidentally, the reason Isana also works out is because of her mother, Aunt Nagira's, orders.

"Don't, don't get angry. I already said it was 'a little,' it's just 'a little.'"

"No...you seem misogynistic to me today. I bet something happened between you and Nan, didn't it?"

"Huh? Nothing happened at all. What evidence do you have to say that? Huh?"

"See? They're angry and ashamed! A person with a clear conscience wouldn't get angry and ashamed!"

Kawanami, who is generally an optimist, became upset, mostly because of Minami. Judging from the content of his speech, I think he was probably seduced and teased by her in some way today.

"...In short, what I'm saying is! You can't just let your wicked thoughts show! Girls will think you're a frivolous guy and look down on you! Trying to get a girl like that is just a pipe dream! Am I right, Dongtou!"

"No way? I really want Mizuto-kun to look at me with lustful eyes, and I want to look at Mizuto-kun with lustful eyes too—"

"These are the kinds of guys who are the worst! Get it, Irito!"

Please don't use others as negative examples!

Okay, putting aside Kawanami's inner hatred, I roughly understand what he meant. Few girls like a man who openly has ulterior motives. Isana only said that because she was talking to me, a close acquaintance.

"Listen carefully... Even if Irito tries to seduce you one day, you must use your iron will to control yourself. Absolutely do not react... This is a man's battle."

She actively seduced him, right... but I don't think that woman has that much ability.

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom. You guys can do some push-ups in the meantime."

Please go ahead.

Kawanami ignored Isana's incredibly boring joke. The call was muted.

"Hoo-ha... Let's do it then..."

Just after I heard Izo shout "Hmm—!" while stretching, this happened.

The phone, which was on a call and placed next to my pillow, suddenly displayed an image.

"Um?"

I didn't catch up for a moment.

However, when I saw Izana wearing the same loungewear T-shirt as last time on my phone screen, I finally understood what was going on.

She got a video call.

Izana was seen doing a push-up, her hands supporting her on the bed. The camera panned across her head. Her pajamas, worn loosely at the collar, hung limply down, revealing two white nipples dangling similarly under the weight of gravity—

"Okay, I'm going to begin now—one—"

Flatten.

Drooping.

Flatten.

Drooping.

"...Isana."

"What is it?"

"Is there any point in you doing push-ups like that?"

"Huh? ...Whoaaaaaahh ...

After a scream, the image went black.

……I see.

It seems that self-restraint is indeed necessary.

Mizuto Irito ◆ A Man's Battle

After finishing my workout and ending the group chat, I decided to take a shower to wash away the sweat.

After I stripped naked and went into the bathroom, I tightened my abs and poked them with my finger. They seemed to be hard... but then again, maybe not. I've only just started working out, so there probably won't be any noticeable changes so quickly.

After rinsing off the sweat with hot water, I soaked in the bathtub to warm myself up. I immersed myself from the neck down in the hot water, and as I felt the muscle fatigue gradually subside, I noticed someone in the changing room. Probably someone was using the sink.

I only soaked in the bathtub for about two minutes before getting out to wash myself. I'm not the type to spend a lot of time showering; I usually prefer quick, easy showers.

however.

Today, this is the only day, and I have no choice in the matter.

This is because, just as I was about to pick up the soap—with a whoosh—the bathroom door was pulled open.

"--Huh?"

I turned my head and saw a family member who was naked and wrapped in a white bath towel.

It is Irito Yume.

Huh? Ah? Huh? Why? My mind was a complete mess. I used the bath towel I happened to be holding to cover my crotch and said to my stepsister, who seemed completely unconcerned about this strange situation:

"You...I...I'm taking a shower?"

"I know."

Splash, splash, crack.

The woman reached behind her and pulled the door shut.

This was not a chance intrusion; it was a deliberate intrusion.

"What...what are you doing?"

"No, I just wanted to offer to wash your back occasionally."

As Jie Nu said this, she even had a slight smile on her face.

"There's nothing wrong with that, is there? We're all family."

The "rules for siblings" that we made when we first started living under the same roof flashed through my mind.

That is, those who do not behave in accordance with the duties of brothers and sisters will be punished by becoming the younger brother or sister. Now that we are used to living under the same roof, I have almost forgotten about this rule. Is she going to launch an offensive again?

—Listen up, Irito… A man loses if he can’t resist temptation.

Not only that, but Kawanami's words also resurfaced in his mind: Never show any evil thoughts; restrain yourself with an iron will. The words etched into his heart as he clumsily performed strength training transformed into the power of his entire body.

Even wrapped in a bath towel, the curves of her breasts and waist were visible. The skin on her arms, shoulders, and thighs was radiant and alluring. I banished all of this from my consciousness.

That's right, I absolutely cannot give in. I can't lose to those parts that women are born with. Although Isana was throwing a tantrum in my mind, I temporarily banished her too. And then…

"oh……"

I said it.

"It's not so bad, just once in a while. We're all family anyway."

I could almost see the muscles on the woman's cheek twitch.

I will not react, nothing. I will never react as you expect.

This is a man's battle.

Mizuto Irito◆I Want to Make You Blush

"How was it? Was the force enough?"

"A little more force might make it even better."

"Okay, OK."

I asked her to wash my back.

With her delicate hands, Jie held a bath towel soaked in shower gel and gently brushed my back.

The whole situation felt unreal, yet the mirror in front of me clearly reflected this reality. I placed a bath towel under my crotch and hunched over in the chair. The woman wrapped in the towel knelt behind me, scrubbing my back up and down.

That alone was enough to make my brain shut down, but the girl still wouldn't let me go.

"...Hehe. I didn't expect you to be so muscular. I thought you'd be skinny."

No, that's impossible. You can't expect to see results from fitness training that quickly.

I know this principle perfectly well—yet I feel a ticklish sensation, a gentle caress across my heart.

Calm down, calm down. Don't react. Calm down quickly.

"Really? I do think he's quite skinny."

"How could that be? Look around this shoulder blade area—"

Ugh! Don't touch me directly!

"And his waist too, it's definitely much thicker than a girl's."

"You!... You're making me so itchy!"

"Oh, I'm sorry? I just... couldn't help touching you."

Damn it, I absolutely mustn't change my expression! She'll see it in the mirror!

"Hmph hmph hmph..."