My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 248

"Luckily, I ate a little less for lunch and saved some room~"

"This must be part of the Red Plan too. That guy is incredibly capable, even when it comes to going out."

"Oh! They sell soft drinks. I'll go buy some."

Our group of guys basically just strolled around the hot spring town, eating as we went. Although we were a motley crew, each doing our own thing, we did share one thing in common: we weren't so clean that we needed to shower so many times a day.

We walked down the slope with what looked like a must-try croquette from a famous restaurant in our hands. We saw a place where many people were sitting on the ground under a rain shelter—it looked like that from a distance, but upon closer inspection, we realized they weren't actually sitting on the ground.

It's a foot bath.

It seems there's no charge here; people passing by take off their shoes and socks and soak their feet in the stone bathtub.

"what?"

It was a scene brimming with the charm of the hot spring town. Just as I was thinking this, and was about to become a mere passerby, a person sitting on a wooden bench soaking their feet in the hot spring suddenly turned around and looked at us.

"Oh, isn't this my senior?!"

"Oh? What? It's you guys."

Turning around to look at us, we saw it was Senior Sister Asou. Upon closer inspection, we also saw President Kurenai, Asuhain, Minami, Isana, and Yui, all soaking their feet in the stone bathtub.

Without thinking much, we went over. Seeing this, Senior Sister Ya Shuang excitedly and cheerfully said to Senior Brother Xing Bian:

"Did you guys go to any hot springs, seniors?"

"No. You can soak in the water at the hotel."

"So you just go around buying things to eat? That's how guys are. Aisha went to the hot springs with everyone—"

After she mentioned it, my hair and skin seemed to become shinier... I just felt that. I don't usually observe closely and can't see much difference.

"In that case, how about we at least soak our feet in a foot bath before we leave?"

President Hong took off the stockings she had worn during the day and laid them out somewhere, then soaked her feet in the spring water and said this.

"There are empty seats now, four more people can sit here without any problem."

As she said this to Senior Xingbian, she made room for one person between herself and Senior Yashuang next to her.

...I see. This is to help her out, isn't it?

Nan probably sensed it too, and immediately said with great enthusiasm:

"Great! Kawanami and Irito-san should come too—! The hotel doesn't have a foot bath—"

"Oh—that's true! We're already in the hot spring town!"

The topic suddenly fell to him, and Kawanami immediately responded by quickly taking off his shoes and socks, rolling up his trouser legs, and sitting down next to Minami. This was essentially him accepting the invitation on behalf of the boys, and by sitting next to a girl, he was creating an opportunity for everyone to follow suit.

These childhood sweethearts really showed great chemistry at this moment.

"Alright, let's take a break." Even Hoshino-senpai went to sit next to Asou-senpai, leaving me and Yuba-senpai standing there... Yuba-senpai might actually be planning to do that, but President Kurenai, still sitting, reached out and pulled him to her side.

Sitting like this, with guys separated from girls, is practically like being a hostess... I sighed inwardly, thinking that this was where I needed Izana's help, and was about to walk over to her...

"Over here."

But by then, the seat had become vacant.

She deliberately asked Isana, who was sitting next to her, to move aside and make room for someone else next to her.

If I sit there, I'll be sandwiched between Yui and Isana... but if I try to ignore that spot, she'll find out I'm daydreaming, which feels even more shameful.

In short, I'm stuck.

If this was all part of her plan, then she's brilliant. I silently surrendered, then sat down between Yui and Isana, and soaked my bare feet in the spring water.

The woman leaned closer to look at my face and said:

"How is it? Doesn't it feel good?"

The warmth of the hot spring water gradually seeped into my feet. It felt as if all the fatigue accumulated in my muscles was dissolving in the water; it was truly very comfortable.

"Yes, it's been a long time since I've walked this much in a day. But I can't feel any difference between this and a regular bath yet."

"We just soaked in a hot spring, which was even more comfortable than this. The water was a murky golden color—right, Dongtou?"

"Yeah~... Haha."

Isana yawned softly. Her eyes became vacant and lifeless, blinking incessantly.

Are you sleepy?

"Because I got up really early today...and took a bath..."

"But you were still very energetic while soaking in the hot spring."

"That's because none of you girls would let me sleep..."

"No, don't talk so lewdly! ...Although what we did might be a little lewd."

What kind of mischief did you guys get up in the hot spring...?

Isana was drifting off to sleep, her body slowly leaning towards me. Our shoulders touched, and I felt a warm, hot water bottle-like sensation. It was probably because she had been in a hot spring. Looking closer, her hair seemed even softer, and her cheeks were as supple as a baby's.

"Don't actually fall asleep. There's no chair back here, so it'll be hard for me to help you."

"Good luck!"

"No, hey..."

Izana finally rested her head on my shoulder. Her soft hair brushed against my cheek and neck, carrying a clean, fresh scent, like she had just showered. I had no choice but to wrap my arms around Izana's shoulders, using her as a chair back.

"Did she mistake me for a pillow...?"

"That's because of your usual behavior. Who taught you to let girls lie on your lap so casually?"

Hearing Yui's accusatory tone, I retorted, "It wasn't me who made her lie down, it was her insistence." I swear, I never said I wanted Isana to lie on my lap.

"Okay, I can understand how she feels. Soaking in a hot spring is so relaxing for both body and mind."

"Is it really that comfortable?"

"You always take a quick three-minute shower, so of course you wouldn't know. But I quite enjoy taking baths."

The woman slightly lifted her foot from the spring water, as if stretching. Her calves, emerging from the water, shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight. Her flawless, snow-white skin, so different from mine, caught my eye. At the same time, my gaze almost drifted to her knees, revealed by the lifted hem of her skirt, or even her thighs, but I had to steel myself and direct my gaze back to my own knees.

"Since you have this rare opportunity, why don't you take a nice soak in a hot spring? It might make your skin supple and smooth."

As she spoke, Jie Nu smiled faintly, her lips, which were coated with a thin layer of lip balm.

Upon closer inspection, Yui, like Isana, had skin as smooth as a baby's, with a slightly flushed, warm glow... No, she was just Yui after a bath; I'd seen her countless times at home, nothing special. But I—

"...You want to see my skin become supple and smooth?"

"Hehe. I think I might want to watch it."

At that moment, we were simply speaking normally and naturally.

The girl's little finger gently came closer and touched the little finger of the hand I was holding on the wooden seat.

It felt like an electric current flowed through the spot where I was touched, almost making me convulse and shudder. But it must have been just a coincidence. I was just overreacting—

"With your amazing skin and baby face, you might turn into a girl after soaking in the hot springs!"

However, she did not pull her hand back.

The girl's little finger touched my hand, and then, with a clear will, she continued to stroke my little finger with her fingertip.

"...Which old comic book are you talking about?"

"Yeah, there's a show with that kind of premise. I think I saw it on Netflix."

It started at the tip of the nail. Then it moved past the first joint and started playing around with the second joint.

Then, the fingertip moves to the base of the little finger and squeezes between it and the ring finger, causing the two little fingers to intertwine.

"Animations used to be very long, sometimes taking several hours to watch."

The girl's little finger slipped into my hand and began to tease my webbed fingers as if digging.

It was as if it was demanding a certain reaction from me. Perhaps I was mistaken, but this explanation just wouldn't leave my brain, gradually electrifying my brain cells.

I have to try and find out if this is just a limited joke, or—

I let my ring finger slip between the fingers of the woman.

“—Ah…”

I thought I heard a soft whisper.

I don't know why, but even though I couldn't confirm it with my own eyes, I felt as if I heard a sound next to me that was... almost like a soft moan.

The girl's slender fingers seemed even more delicate and supple than I remembered. I stroked the side of her middle finger, and then, just as she had done to me earlier, touched the web of her finger. At my touch, her hand trembled slightly, subtly raising her ring finger, which was blocking my view, just a tiny bit. To make it easier for me to continue touching her.

I felt like a wire in my brain snapped with a snap.

I used my fingertips to stroke each of Jie Nu's fingers, from the base to the tip of the nail. After stroking all of them, I started from the little finger and slowly covered Jie Nu's hand with my palm.

The surrounding noise disappeared from my mind.

My palm touched Jie's hand, and it still felt the same soft, smooth, and delicate texture. I never thought my hands were that big, but Jie's hand was completely hidden beneath mine. Only in this moment could I truly feel that I was a man, and she was a woman.

I wanted to further confirm this difference between men and women, so I slid my hand towards her wrist. Her wrist was so thin it looked like it would snap at any moment. It was easy to encircle it by simply wrapping my thumb down. Making this movement was practically like handcuffing her. As long as I maintained this position, she couldn't escape.

Thump-thump—thump-thump—I felt the girl's faint pulse with my fingertips.

Without us even realizing it, our conversation ended.

Kawanami Kogure◆ My childhood friend is so cooperative!

really not bad!

I found myself surrounded by the sweet and sour atmosphere of the foot bath, and I mentally gave it a thumbs up.

Needless to say, the two from the Irito family were also there. Asou-senpai bravely and decisively launched her offensive, leaning her shoulder against Hoshino-kun, while the student council president teased Haba-senpai by rubbing her toes, soaked in the foot bath, against his feet. Although, to the point that Higashi-tou was sleeping on Irito, which really annoyed me…

In short, my efforts to get the boys and girls to sit next to each other weren't in vain, and thankfully the girls were all willing to cooperate. Unfortunately, for some reason, the boys, including Xing Ge, were all incredibly negative.

"Look how happy you are."

Xiaoyue, who was beside me, spoke. I let out a suppressed laugh and said:

"Things are going so smoothly, it's hard not to be happy."

"You really don't discriminate! Any couple is fine with you?"

"Of course not, right? Those frivolous, sunny couples on the street don't interest me. It has to be a bit like the feeling of first love."

"I see—the student council is indeed something else."

"You talk like you know everything. Speaking of which, I had no idea you became so close to the girls in the student council."

"We met during the sports festival when we were in the cheerleading squad, and we all get along pretty well now. I think I probably know a lot of inside stories that other classmates don't~"

"What……?"

Even though the bait was too obvious, I couldn't resist taking the bait.

This year's student council, which has transformed into a group of beautiful girls, has naturally circulated various seemingly plausible rumors. However, each member is very wary, and the students' intelligence network has received almost no definitive information.

Xiaoyue smiled maliciously and said:

"Aren't you curious about the inside story of the student council's romances?"

Very much.

However, taking the bait too easily is not a smart move. It would allow her to continue to have me completely under her thumb in student council matters.

"Don't underestimate me. I've had some inside information too."

"For example?"

"For example, during the sports festival, Senior Asou made a bento for Hoshino and brought it to school... And during the cultural festival, the student council president once went missing with Senior Haba."

"Oh...that's it?"

"What?"

"We girls, once we become friends, we can talk about almost anything."

You said...we can talk about anything?

I couldn't help but stare intently at Xiaoyue's face. "Hehehe." Xiaoyue laughed lewdly. Damn it…! Just because she's a girl, she can be so cunning…!

"Want to know? You must really want to know, right? Just say, 'Please tell me!' and maybe I'll take pity on you and reveal a secret!"