My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 372

"It must have been done unconsciously... When I opened my eyes, I saw Yui's face and almost had my heart stop."

Izana's hands trembled, and she stared at me blankly.

"When you get home today...it'll be really bad...that four-day supply...something's bound to happen..."

"I was exhausted when I got home from the trip, how could I be like that..."

Besides, my dad and the others are home today.

"In my fantasies, Yui-kun has become completely out of control... After all, I saw her naked in the shower, and the resolution was pretty high... Although I feel really bad for Mizuto-kun... I think I'll use this fantasy to accompany my meals for the time being..."

"Delusion has no heat."

"It exists... it's just that the desires to satisfy are different..."

At that moment, "Ah!" Isana exclaimed, her expression as if she had received a divine revelation.

She quickly turned the page of Shuri Castle's sketchbook, which was half-finished, and began sketching some kind of draft on the blank page with great enthusiasm.

"What's wrong? What's on your mind?"

I changed my approach and asked from the agent's perspective. Izana continued drawing, saying:

"Mizuto-kun, you said before that I should start exploring characters similar to mascot girls, right?"

"Yes, yes... After all, the presence or absence of a representative character makes a big difference."

I'm planning to get Isana to start drawing manga. Not that I want her to become a manga artist, but because the experience points gained from drawing manga are much higher than from simply drawing.

However, it would be difficult for her to suddenly learn how to draw manga panels, so as a preliminary stage, I plan to have her start drawing an illustration series with dialogue. I also talked to Isana about how this series needs characters with clearly defined images.

"How about we use this girl as the mascot?"

Izana quickly sketched a girl's portrait and brought her sketchbook to my eyes.

The character is a high school girl who looks remarkably like Yui, with long black hair and a cute beret. Her uniform has a fantasy theme, and she wears a shawl-like accessory draped over her shoulders.

"What is the character's backstory?"

"A sexy and beautiful female detective."

(Illustration 012)

"........."

It very straightforwardly incorporates the experiences from this school trip.

"She's calm, collected, and incredibly intelligent when investigating cases, but becomes all cuddly and seductive when alone with the protagonist! Ah, I've got it! How about having her deduce the protagonist's sexual fetishes? She could say, 'Judging from your gaze, it's clear you're aroused by my thighs,' while lifting her skirt to show the protagonist! Doesn't that sound amazing!"

Their desires were simply excessive.

Although it went too far... sometimes it's actually better this way.

But is it appropriate from a brand management perspective...? Izana's work currently leans towards a youthful and refreshing style...

"Okay, please let me draw! Or rather, I'll draw even if you don't allow it!"

"Sigh—okay, okay, I know, I know! You've already said it like that, there's no point in stopping you now!"

And so, Izana's iconic character was born, and later went viral, directly prompting a message to be sent to Izana's account... but that's another story.

"I'm so sorry!"

After visiting Shuri Castle, while waiting to board her flight at Naha Airport, Isana told Yume everything.

As a result, the girl's reaction was—

"~ ...

His face turned bright red, and he covered his face with his hands, unable to utter a single word.

Isana tilted her head, looking at me, who was standing beside her as a witness, with a confused expression.

"Uh...does this mean she's forgiven me?"

"It doesn't look like it."

"...So embarrassing... Just thinking about how someone I know saw that scene... Ugh... I want to die..."

Oh, I see... There is indeed a big difference between how Yuno usually acts and how she acts when she's being affectionate with me.

Izana knelt down beside the huddled-up Yui and politely said to her:

"N-It's okay! You look cute like that!"

"I don't really want my friends to see my cute side...!"

"I think it's great to have that side that's only for your boyfriend to see! That way, no matter how righteous you act or how strict you are with your boyfriend, I can think from another perspective, 'But she and her boyfriend are doing lewd things in private...'"

"Kill me...!"

And so, leaving a small scar in Jie Nu's heart, our school trip officially came to an end.

I think I will look back on this trip again and again in the future.

Especially for Jie Nu, she probably can't forget it even if she wanted to.

Volume 11 Anyway You Won't Understand Final Chapter The Fifth Day (for the Two of Us?)

Irito Mizuto ◆ Four days' worth of debt

After returning home from the school trip, I was probably too tired to travel, and I fell asleep in bed before the sun had even set.

When I woke up, it was bright outside the window. I thought I had only slept for two hours at most, but it turned out to be the next morning.

One night was gone just like that...

Although my consciousness was clearer than ever before, I couldn't deny the feeling of wasting precious time—when I went downstairs to the living room, I saw that my parents were still asleep, and yesterday's dinner, wrapped in plastic wrap, was on the table. Of course, I was hungry too, so I ate with gratitude.

Today is a make-up day off from the school trip. I've unusually put in a lot of effort during this trip, so I'll relax a bit today. With that thought in mind, I opened my paperback notebook on the living room sofa.

Not long after, Dad and the others got up and went to work. Since it's a make-up day off, it means it's a regular day for most people. I feel like I got a bit of a freebie.

After some time, around 10 a.m., Jie finally appeared.

Good morning...

"Good morning."

As Jie stretched, she walked into the living room, having already changed out of her pajamas into loungewear. She wore her familiar long-sleeved shirt paired with a loose long skirt, but seeing her dressed like this after seeing her in summer clothes for the past few days felt a bit unbelievable.

After preparing the black tea and toast, Jie finished eating them, went to the bathroom, and then returned to the living room.

Then he staggered over to me sitting on the sofa, plopped down next to me, and then leaned over, resting his head on my lap.

"Thanks for your hard work."

I looked down at Yui and said this. She made a sound like an animal's cry, "Hmm..."

"Taking a day off today?"

"Yes. But I need to take the souvenirs to the student council members tomorrow."

"You're still so polite."

"Basic etiquette, please."

I closed the paperback and placed it on the table, then gently stroked the cheek of the woman who was resting on my lap.

When I touched her, the girl looked up at my face and said:

"Did Mom and the others go to work?"

"Because it's a weekday."

"Will you be back by evening?"

"I think so."

"...Should we do it?"

Okay, it's normal to have these thoughts when Dad and the others aren't home. Just like how excited Izana was before, Yui herself said, "I'll continue when I get home."

but……

"I feel a bit exhausted and have no energy."

"Ah~..."

The girl spoke with understanding.

"I think I understand. I also want to relax and rest."

After four days of abstinence, it's rather strange that I don't have any physical needs. But okay, I'll relax and rest with Jie for two hours first, and we can consider it later if the feeling comes.

And so, without kissing or caressing each other, we maintained a distance that felt like that of brothers and sisters, and spent a leisurely morning together.

When lunchtime came, we divided the work and cooked pasta, with potato salad and soup as side dishes. The pasta was pre-made and refrigerated, while the soup was a ready-to-eat cup soup. We decided to be completely lazy today.

After eating, I felt incredibly relaxed. This time, I lay on the woman's lap, read a book, or chatted about whatever came to mind.

Just then, the phone that Jie Nu had placed on the table made a "whoosh" sound.

Jie picked up her phone, checked the screen, and began typing a message.

Without thinking much, I asked:

"who is it?"

"Asuhain-kun."

She actually took the initiative to send me a message... This is a bit contrary to the impression I had of her, but thinking about it, it makes sense, considering what she was like back then... If she knew I was lying on Yui's lap right now, she might explode with rage.

The girl continued sending messages for a while.

She looked at her phone, sometimes smiling softly, sometimes murmuring to herself. I lay on her lap, looking up at everything the whole time.

........................

I propped myself up and sat back down where my shoulder was touching hers, wrapping my arms around her slender waist.

"Hmm? A water bucket?"

Jie seemed a little surprised. I turned her around and changed to a so-called "back hug" position.

I stretched my arms from under her armpits to her stomach, pulling her body close to me, and then buried my face in the crook of her shoulder.

The girl seemed to find it amusing, and smiled.

Feeling lonely?

I will not answer.

However, after inhaling the fragrance of the woman, he felt as if the energy he had lost from his body had returned.

I breathed softly into Jie Nu's ear, "Hmm..." She shifted her body slightly.

Then, the warm smile on her face began to reveal a hint of lust.

"Shall we go back to...our room?"

I gently bit her earlobe with my lips in response. Jie seemed to find it ticklish and giggled.

"I'm sorry, Asuha-in-san."

After finishing speaking, Jie quickly typed some words on her phone and put it into her skirt pocket.

Then she turned her head as if to look at me, and I couldn't resist taking the opportunity to kiss her lips.

A few seconds later our lips parted, and the girl smiled mischievously.

"Your calm demeanor just now seemed like an act."

"...I have four days' worth of debt."

There are still several hours before Dad and the others get back.

It's hard to find time for just the two of us to be alone during the school trip, and starting tomorrow, I don't know how long it will be before we're home alone again. I need to seize this opportunity to pay off my debt for four days in one go.

We eagerly stood up and walked from the shared living room space to my own private room—

Swoosh.

A message sound effect came from the pocket of the girl's skirt.

"........."

"........."