My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Ah! He looked at me. He was completely looking this way. So easy to understand!

This man, who usually loves to act cool, has actually lost his composure—hmph! This is getting more and more interesting.

I pretended to reach for the TV remote and tried to show him my chest.

"~~~~~!"

Ah—he's looking at me, he's looking at me, he's looking at me. He's completely looking at me.

I had to try so hard to keep a smile off my face. It felt like not only today, but also the humiliation from a year ago had been successfully avenged. This man didn't treat me like a woman back then, but now he stares at me so intently.

Is this what they call female self-esteem? I feel a sense of satisfaction in some part of my being.

...That being said.

But I gradually started to feel embarrassed about it.

Because he was looking at me more intently than I had imagined... and if the towel slipped off, or if I wasn't careful when my thighs were together, I would immediately expose myself in places that shouldn't be exposed.

...So, what am I doing?

There's no excuse for this. What I did was simply seducing men...

Even now, if this man pushes me down, I don't seem to have the right to complain?

"........."

I suddenly calmed down.

I wanted to pull the towel up to cover my chest, but that would reduce my defenses down there. Besides, I was afraid that any sudden movement would cause irreversible damage, so I remained frozen in place.

...I...I got too carried away...

Why do I always do such stupid things when I get carried away with success...?

"…………well……"

First, I heard Mizuto sigh deeply, then he suddenly stood up and walked towards me.

Huh, huh, huh? Could it be... could it really be...?

I gripped the bath towel tightly, my whole body tense like a stone; Shuidou stood in front of me, taking off the coat he was wearing.

My heart skipped a beat. Wait, no way, really? No, wait, I... I didn't intend to go that far!

Just as I was about to close my eyes tightly, I felt...

—A piece of cloth was gently placed over her shoulders.

……what?

"You're definitely trying to mess with me, but... don't you know you'll regret it? You idiot."

I opened my eyes tremblingly... and saw that I was wearing the coat that Shuidou had just taken off.

Meanwhile, Mizuto himself was staring at me with a dumbfounded look on his face...

"You usually seem like a good boy, but sometimes you impulsively do silly things... You'd better change this bad habit, or I won't help you anymore."

These words were rude, even contemptuous...

But it still contains the same tone of voice that helped me several times during my junior high school years.

I pulled my coat, still warm from his body heat, up to my chest and closed it up.

These words, and this warmth... brought my consciousness back to a year ago.

"...One year ago."

"Um?"

"When I last came to your house... why didn't you do anything?"

Not long after that—after we entered the third year of junior high school—our relationship began to change.

So I've also thought that maybe I did something strange that day that made him lose faith in me.

In the end, it turned out that I had just misunderstood; the reason wasn't there at all.

"You... are you only bringing up old grievances now?"

Huh?

Shuidou looked quite surprised.

It's like having a shameful old sore reopened, leaving a face full of bitterness and shame—

"Ha! Laugh if you want!"

"I'm going all out," Mizuto said, as if he were ready to risk everything.

"Laugh at me, this spineless coward who made all the preparations to invite my girlfriend over, only to be too scared to do anything in the end!"

Approximately five seconds.

My thoughts have stalled.

"────What──────────────!"

Then, as I was resurrected, I stood up and shouted at the top of my lungs.

"Prepared? Scared? W-what...what do you mean?! I was mentally prepared that day, but nothing happened, so I thought I was just imagining things...!"

"Huh? Uh, no, but you were so tense and wary of me back then, so I felt increasingly embarrassed..."

"I...I...was...nervous!"

"What did you say?!"

Shuidou also widened his eyes and shouted loudly.

"You're kidding me! So you were actually planning to try it too!"

"I'm totally planning on that! I've already decided to make that room a lifelong memory, I'm all set on it!"

"R-Really...? What were those years when I was sinking in my room, overwhelmed by regret...?"

"I'm the one who's good! Why do you take the time I spend worrying about whether I'm unattractive?!"

"Who cares about you?! Who told you to be so tense and stiff!"

"You're the one who's to blame! You useless piece of trash!"

"What did you say!"

"What's wrong!"

Later, the scene transformed into a verbal battle that defied description.

We kept blaming and scolding each other, and eventually even broke into a physical fight, wrestling and banging on the sofa.

Finally, having exhausted all their energy and the words they could say, they could only glare at each other, breathless.

"...Haa...Haa..."

"Haa... um... haa..."

I was pinned down by the water bucket, and we were both panting heavily in each other's faces.

I really... can't stand it.

Our reading preferences seemed compatible, but they were actually completely opposite, leading to frequent misunderstandings and eventually turning us into siblings...

"...Waaah..."

I feel like crying all the time.

Why is everything always going so wrong?

If I hadn't been so nervous that day, maybe we would still be—

"...Using crying to win a fight is a forbidden move."

"I know you don't need to nag...!"

I used my arm to wipe away the tears that had seeped out.

The weak woman who always depended on this man a year ago has disappeared.

Even though that became the turning point, I will never regret growing up.

Therefore, I was not wrong.

It's all the man's fault! It's all his fault!

"...I'm telling you, Ayai."

My heart skipped a beat.

Ayai.

That was my old surname—the way he called me back in junior high school.

I rubbed my thighs together. The jacket he had draped over my shoulders had somehow fallen off during the fight. I was now only wrapped in a bath towel, practically naked. Even the towel was torn and could come undone at any moment.

Irito-san maintained the position of pinning me to the sofa, extending her fair hand towards me. Her fingers, rather delicate for a boy, brushed aside the bangs that had fallen onto my forehead.

That is the first step when we are about to perform a certain action.

Only then can I clearly see my face—the face of someone who lacked self-confidence back then, who grew their bangs long out of fear of being seen.

When he does that gesture, he always brushes my bangs to one side.

After removing the cover, Irito leaned in and looked into my eyes. I felt as if he could see right through me, from the depths of my heart to my very soul, and I wanted to cover my face with my right hand.

Irito gently grasped my right wrist and pressed it next to my face.

His unwavering gaze seemed to say, "I won't let you escape." So all I could do was speak—open my lips and softly utter a weak excuse.

"No...no...it's the rule..."

This one... is completely... out of the game.

My siblings would absolutely never do such a thing.

...But the tone of my voice was so weak—

Based on my experience... I know he won't give up so easily.

Irito's deep voice echoed in my chest.

"—Today, I'll just consider it a loss."

Their eyes met.

The reason for blushing is not just because arguing has exhausted my energy.

Consciousness was drawn into Irito's eyes.

I became able to feel his body temperature, breath, and heartbeat with my entire body.

Without realizing it, I closed my eyelids.

I felt a calming breath fall on my lips.

……ah.

It's been so long since I kissed him.

"I'm back!"

The moment the sound came from the entryway, we jumped up with a "thump!"

"Mizuto! Yume? Are you in the living room?"

It's...it's Mom and the others...! They're back so soon?

"Damn it...! It's so late!"

As Mizuto hurriedly got off me, he glanced at the clock.

Oh my god...! Time flies so fast. How long have we been arguing...?

"Hey! Put your clothes on! This is terrible!"

Almost completely naked, I was entangled with a disheveled water bucket on the sofa—that was the current situation.

Indeed, although we present ourselves as close siblings to our mothers, there's a limit. If they suspect our relationship isn't so innocent, things will get really bad in every way!