My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 308

"Hmph. After all, Mizuto-kun consumes zero energy at school."

"I'm really sorry about that."

"No, it's a compliment, in a sense."

After chuckling a few times, Jie said, "By the way," looking at me with a teasing gaze.

"How can I be cured?"

I am not the kind of person who would easily ignore provocation.

"How would you like me to heal you?"

As I looked back at Yui, I gently brushed her bangs aside with my index finger.

"How can I help you heal...?"

"But you know how to behave...?"

As they spoke in hushed tones, their lips drew ever closer together, though it was unclear when it began.

"—Remember to pay attention to the deadline~..."

Hearing the ghostly voice coming from the living room, their lips quickly parted.

When we turned around, Aunt Yu-ren was looking at us through the crack in the door, just like the Shining.

"Sense of propriety...Sense of propriety is very important..."

“I-I got it!”

Yui replied with a flushed face, "Really~?" Aunt Yui chuckled.

"Really!" Jie Nu turned away as if she were angry, leaving behind the words, "I'm going to change my clothes!" and fled upstairs as if she were running away.

Aunt Yu-Ren, who was standing there with a sly smile, said something meaningful to me.

"Please, Mizuto-kun!"

After she said that, I could only awkwardly reply, "...I'm very sorry."

Although I really want to live together like roommates, how should I put it, every time my parents see us acting like lovers, it's just so awkward...

Seriously, if we don't keep a proper sense of proportion...

Even though that's what I was thinking, my hand unconsciously reached for my lips.

This is really... not good... This is really bad...

A little while after dinner, there was a knock on my door.

Upon opening the door, one is greeted by Yui, dressed in pajamas.

"Are you free now?"

Her damp hair and skin clearly showed she had just taken a shower. The warmth of her body, combined with the allure of her fragrant beauty, made me struggle to suppress my restlessness.

"……available"

After inviting Jie into the room, I sat down on the edge of the bed. Jie, as if she knew her way around, avoided the mountain of books and sat down next to me.

Although she didn't explicitly say why she came, I could vaguely guess what it was about without even asking me.

"........."

Jie didn't speak, and her gaze lingered elsewhere. She simply placed her hand on the back of my hand, which was resting on the bed.

Then, as it moved closer to my shoulder, it made a soft "Mmm~" sound, like a spoiled cat.

"……What's wrong?"

What do you think is wrong with me?

After asking me a question, Jie Nu lay down on my lap.

Its head kept circling on my lap, occasionally looking up at my face. Its eyes, as if waiting for something, gradually drew me in, but my reason stopped it.

"...Mizuto-kun"

Using a voice she only used to speak to her lover, Yui urged me on.

They probably want to continue what they did during the day.

I was interrupted halfway through, so I guess I was feeling really uncomfortable.

I feel the same way. My lips are still entwined with the illusion of Yui's touch.

but.

"...Yume, I want to talk to you about something."

"Huh?...W-what? Why are you so serious..."

"Let's not kiss at home."

"well!?"

The girl suddenly sat up, her eyes wide open as she approached me through her glasses.

"W-Why!? We finally managed to live together... Could it be that you hate me...?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I just meant that at home, even though we're lovers, we're also like family. If we don't draw clear lines—or rather, we should be mindful of boundaries"

"...Draw a clear line?..."

"...Have you ever thought about what our lives would become if we continued to be all lovey-dovey like this?"

The girl gently opened her chin, her gaze darting left and right, her face growing increasingly flushed.

"...very...how should I put it......very decadent..."

"I bet it will turn out that way."

It only takes a second. Until now, because of the wrong timing, because of a lack of courage, because I'm still just a junior high school student, and so on—that line that I haven't been able to cross can be crossed in just a second.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with this situation. We're officially dating, and this is just a natural progression.

But in the end, we are still just high school students in our adolescence.

If we were to cross that line now, in this environment where we can do whatever we want—then what awaits us is an endless swamp. We'd never be able to climb back up.

"If it really comes to that, and grades drop, the worst-case scenario is—"

After a slight hesitation,

"—What if she gets pregnant?"

However, because it was a very important matter, it was still exported.

"Your father and Aunt Yu-ren will probably think, 'What a failed remarriage.' You certainly don't want it to turn out that way."

"...Um, I don't want to."

"So, just like Aunt Yu-ren said, we should be mindful of boundaries. Therefore, at home, you should also act as a daughter. So we can't kiss."

"...How about a hug?"

"no"

"And holding hands?"

"no"

"Is that how you act cute?"

"No... Besides, when listing these things, wasn't it based on the premise of things that lovers do?"

“Wuwu~…”

Jie pouted, as if throwing a tantrum. So she's this childish after all. It's true, after moving in together, it's like some kind of constraint has been broken.

If it were me as I was yesterday, I definitely would have hugged her. But that's something lovers do. I tried my best to hold back.

"...Ultimately, it just means we can't do it at home. Outside, I'll still treat you like my lover... Yume."

As if wanting to satisfy her, I looked at her with tender eyes and softly called her name.

The girl pouted even more, but then slowly nodded.

"...Yeah. I understand. I also think Mizuto-kun is right..."

Did she understand? It felt like comforting a child who was about to cry.

"but"

Just when I was about to breathe a sigh of relief...

The woman gently grasped my sleeve, and my vision was filled with her face.

"Things that are only half-finished... don't count in that, right?"

It was interrupted during the day.

"...What kind of logic is that?"

"Uh, what was it again? The law... what, the rules?"

"The principle of non-retroactivity?"

"Yes, that's the one."

I don't remember learning about it in class. Did you see it in some mystery novel, like me?

"Laws cannot apply to actions and events that occurred before their enactment—right?"

"This isn't a law or anything—"

"Mizuto-kun, don't you want to do it?"

After speaking in a slightly angry tone

"(I want to)"

The woman whispered in a voice that seemed to melt me, like a little devil.

...Ugh, really, how awful.

I cupped the woman's face, which was almost within reach, in my hands.

"...This is the last time."

"Hmm—nope!"

Their lips pressed together as if they were sucking each other in.

Taking advantage of the momentum, she fell onto the bed.

My hands roamed over the woman's back, and I used my whole body to feel her slender waist and full breasts—

Their lips parted.

"……ha……"

Was it because she had been holding her breath? Yui's breathing became erratic.

At the same time, her bulging breasts rose and fell as if tempting me.

Her pajamas were slightly flipped up, revealing her white belly.

Between my knees, those grown, plump thighs rubbed against each other as if they had nowhere to rest.

Moist eyes.

It looked at me as if it were waiting for something.

"—That's it..."

With all my concentration, I stepped on the brakes.

He ignored the almost bursting heart, the burning body, and the numb brain matter, turning a blind eye to everything.

If we don't stop here, we'll definitely become unhappy.

"...Hmph."

A somewhat relaxed expression appeared on Jie Nu's face.

"You're working very hard."