My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 319

"(You're quite the ladies' man, aren't you? You seem to have it all.")

"(Is it true that girls smell nice? Would you like to be interviewed, Mizuto-kun?)"

Ugh, please stop whispering in my ear!

The slender body of Yui and the voluptuous body of Isana, two different "female bodies," were about to engulf me from both sides. I didn't know where to put my hands, which were placed near their thighs, so I could only grip the blankets on the bed tightly.

But even that couldn't resist the soft touch enveloping my entire arm and the girl's fragrance; my pulse quickened irresistibly. I guess I can forget about escaping a future where I'll be played with by two girls.

...Since that's the case—

"Don't get too cocky."

"Wow!" "Wow!"

(Illustration 005)

Using the little muscle I'd built up over the past few months under Kawanami's guidance, I pulled both of their bodies toward me while forcibly flipping my entire body over.

A shadow, shaped like mine, enveloped Yui and Izana. Startled, they huddled together, looking up at my face. I spoke to them in a colder tone:

"If you want to pull this stunt, then I won't hold back."

Then, mimicking what those two had just done, I brought my lips close to their faces and whispered in their ears:

"(I'll just eat both of you once.)"

"~~~~!"

I could clearly see that the two of them were so excited that they could hardly shout and were almost fainting; even their ears turned red.

I left the two, who had hunched over and transformed from gourmets into a feast, on the bed and quickly got up and left.

Then turn your back to the bed and shout this in your mind:

—I won!

Irito Yume◆ This time there's no need to worry.

After Dongtou went home, it was evening.

After I finished showering, I dried my hair and climbed up to the second floor in my pajamas.

For some reason, Mizuto found himself standing in the corridor.

Feeling a little strange, I said, "I'm going to rest now," and reached for the doorknob of my room.

Suddenly, he hugged me from behind.

……what?

Shuidou gently increased the pressure, wrapping his arms around my waist. My first reaction to this sudden embrace from behind was confusion rather than joy.

“Wha…what’s wrong?”

I turned my head and asked, but Shuidou looked away shyly.

"...Didn't we agree that if I ran into Isana, I'd make it up to you?"

Yes, I have said that.

I remember mentioning this at a meeting with my siblings before we started dating.

During my surveillance, Mizuto did bump into Higashi a few times. But those were just minor bumps like shoulders. The most intense contact was during the time we were playing around in the harem, when I also hugged him.

That was a small matter that shouldn't have been taken to heart, but he still did it—probably to show me his sincerity.

...This guy is really something.

He's truly a... genius at ruining girls' lives.

"I think it's not advisable for guys to think they can easily please girls by hugging them."

I wanted to be a little mischievous, so I said it in a sarcastic tone, and Mizuto let out a soft "ooh" groan.

"...Then what do you want me to do?"

I twisted my body in the arms of the water bucket and quickly raised my chin.

"Um!"

I urged him on, and closed my eyelids.

Then a soft sigh was heard, and a soft touch touched the lips.

Opening my eyelids, I saw Mizuto's dumbfounded expression right in front of me.

"This is almost the same as a hug, isn't it?"

"Then try harder to think of a way to make me happy."

“This is so troublesome…”

I chuckled softly, and Shuidou chuckled softly in return. We pressed our foreheads together and remained like that for a while.

"—Water basin~? Do you want to wash first—?"

The moment my mother's voice came from the first floor, we abruptly let go of each other.

"Okay—!"

Shuidou answered the voice downstairs and walked down the steps.

I watched his figure disappear before finally entering my room.

Ah, I feel so light and airy.

My chest—no, every corner of my body—was filled with a feeling of elation. This feeling was stronger than in junior high, unrestrained and uninhibited—

"……hehe."

I smiled and lay down on the bed.

There's no need to be polite or afraid at all. Perhaps my possessiveness might upset Mizuto, but this time we can definitely communicate rationally. So—

"Hehe, hehehe, hehehehe..."

I lay hunched over in bed, secretly chuckling to myself for a long, long time.

Volume Ten: As long as you can reach out, you'll be there, the secret taste as sweet as honey.

Irito Mizuto ◆ Secret Game

The wind, too biting and dry for the Lunar New Year, swept along the school route in January. We huddled together to shield each other from the wind, and when we reached a point where there was nothing particularly special about the road, we stopped without saying a word.

"...That's enough for now."

"...Alright then."

As they arrived in the vicinity, more and more students from Luolou were preparing to go to school.

Our step-sibling relationship is common knowledge, but everyone also knows that we're not close enough to snuggle together on the way to school in the morning.

My words were even presumptuously interpreted as me dating Isana. As a student council member, being mistaken for someone I was having an affair with would likely severely damage her image—although when she first entered the university, she herself caused a rumor about having a crush on a younger brother, but that rumor had long been forgotten.

So, in the end...

Just like in junior high school, we had to go to school on our own before the school was even out of sight.

However, there is only one thing that is significantly different from junior high school.

"Then..."

The woman held my hand through her gloves and said something.

"Let's talk about it when we get home."

"...Okay, let's talk about it when we get home."

We said this to each other, smiled slightly, and then Jie walked lightly towards the school first.

I stayed where I was, watching my girlfriend's retreating figure while enjoying the long-lost feeling of longing.

Once we're home, we can get along again immediately.

This is the only, and biggest, difference.

"Hi. We haven't seen each other since Christmas, Irito."

Before the opening ceremony of the third semester, Kawanami Kogure greeted me in the classroom, and I frowned slightly.

"Thanks then. But don't emphasize anything about Christmas, it's just a matter of personal preference."

"What's wrong with you? It's perfectly normal for single men to spend Christmas together, okay?"

...A single man, right?

Regardless of my situation at the time, this guy didn't look like he was single at all.

I propped my elbow on my desk and looked at the girl in front of the blackboard and her friends.

"Yume—! I miss you so much—!"

"How could that be? We just saw each other during the New Year..."

"Little Yueyue, do you always put on this show after a long holiday?"

"What a little rabbit!"

Can this guy really be called single if he lets that little bunny who's clinging to the girl act like it's perfectly normal to stay home? He might get killed by a real single aristocrat.

So what?

Kawanami grinned, revealing a vulgar smile.

"Has the problem been resolved?"

"...It's alright."

"Why are you being so cold? Can't you give me a more detailed report? I've been so kind to you, giving you a meal and a night's rest."

"I have no interest in breaking down personal privacy into smaller, retail pieces."

It seems they didn't notice.

Neither Kawanami nor Minami noticed the change in my relationship with Yui.

—Hey, what do you think?

I recall the discussion I had with Jie Nu during the first three days of the Lunar New Year.

--Kawabata and Minami's side...

—Are you asking whether or not we should report it?

—Yes. After all, they did help.

--Hmm...but I think the two of them will probably figure it out themselves.

—Indeed…after all, one of them claims to be a romance ROM specialist…

--One of them is a self-proclaimed love guru.

I've never heard Nan refer to herself like that before. I guess it's because Jie often confides in her, which led to this self-reference.

--Then...

Jie chuckled, revealing a mischievous smile.

—How about we give it a try? Let's see if the two of them really discover it.

"Let me tell you."

When I heard someone calling me, my consciousness surfaced from my memories.

"After the opening ceremony, I still have the student council."

The woman stood before me, looking down at me as I sat in the chair. She wore a nonchalant expression, but a slight chill ran down my spine.

This conversation was based on the premise of going home together. If it were just Kawanami or Minami, it would be fine, but if the rest of the class overheard it, it would be very serious. Yui couldn't possibly be unaware of this, yet she dared to do something so audacious right in the middle of the classroom…!

"Hmm, oh..."

A slight anxiety made my response seem indifferent. Although my boyfriend would have considered my reaction as inadequate, my family found it to be a very genuine response.

"Yui-! When is your next day off-?"

Perhaps thanks to my good response, Nan, who was hanging around Jie's neck from behind, didn't seem to notice anything amiss.