My stepmother's burden is my ex-girlfriend.

Page 103

"The more you procrastinate, the higher the chance that someone will notice."

"Don't rush me! Are you that eager to see it?!"

"I'm the type who likes to finish things I don't like as soon as possible."

"You...! Seeing this will definitely make you stop laughing!"

Whoosh! The curtain was pulled open with a bang.

First, I saw the pure white dress and the fair thighs sticking out from underneath.

Moving your gaze upwards to the lower abdomen, which is only half visible, you can see a small belly button in the center of the waist, which is so thin it's worrying.

Looking upwards, one sees a white cloth printed with floral patterns. Two low ponytails fall along her slender yet remarkably full breasts, casting shadows at her ribcage.

Finally, I saw a face with its lips pursed, as if it were enduring something.

The familiar glasses, contrasting with the half-visible chest groove below my field of vision, made me feel a sudden flicker of dizziness.

"……How about it?"

The girl awkwardly rubbed her thighs together and looked at me through her glasses.

That unforgettable face, and that figure covered by only minimal clothing, created a contradiction in my mind.

Even when Ayai was being polite, she wasn't exactly known for her great figure. Even when we were kissing or embracing and getting a little excited, I never thought of touching her breasts or butt. But now… this… this is outrageous…!

"...Uh...um..."

It took me several seconds to come up with a coherent sentence.

"...It should be alright. Probably."

"No...you can't use that to brush me off. You need to be more sincere in your praise."

"How else can I be serious..."

I saw Jie start rummaging through the bags placed against the wall in the fitting room, then take out her smartphone and point the screen at my face.

"The third way to overcome burnout is to identify and praise the other person's strengths."

“Hmm…!”

Did you plan this all along?

If I refused, it would be tantamount to negating the purpose of this trip. No wonder she suddenly wanted me to go shopping with her; she was trying to humiliate me in this way…!

Jie Nu revealed a smug smile.

(Illustration 005)

"What's wrong with you? Quick, say something to praise me, Mizuto-kun."

I took a closer look at the woman in the white bikini.

The legs peeking out from under the short skirt were slender and long. There wasn't an ounce of excess fat, and they were so white it was almost undetectable that pores were invisible. One can imagine how many girls in the world must envy those legs.

After the curve of her hips, which forms a triangle with her legs, comes a taut waist. How can a girl's waist be so thin? Her waistline should be about the same as it was in junior high school, but the contrast between her upper chest and lower hips makes her waist look so thin that it looks like it could be broken with your hand.

The biggest difference from my junior high school days is in my chest.

Perhaps swimsuits have this effect, or maybe she's just naturally slimmer in clothes, making her bust appear larger than usual. The defined cleavage made her hair look like two flowing streams... Back in middle school, whenever we hugged, our bodies would press tightly together, but now, if we did the same, there might be a gap around our stomachs...

Praising anything, from head to toe, will only be considered sexual harassment.

I tried to banish my strong self-assertion regarding my breasts, slim waist, and long legs from my consciousness, searching for an answer that wouldn't go wrong. Appearance… well, then I'll praise everything else…!

"very……"

After struggling for a long time, I finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"...very concerned about family members...etc."

“Eh…”

The woman's face froze.

His eyes stopped moving, his mouth was half-open, and his cheeks twitched.

Then his eyes started to wander around, his mouth opened and closed, and he pressed his cheeks with both hands.

"How...how did we have to bring up the internal aspects at a time like this...?"

"What can I do! Asking me to compliment you on how good you look in your swimsuit would make it impossible for me to stand up in society!"

"What……!"

In an instant, Jie Nu's face turned bright red. She covered her lower abdomen and chest with her arms and bumped her back against the back wall of the fitting room.

"You...you're such a pervert! A repressed lecher! It would have been fine if you had just complimented the swimsuit's design! Like, 'The color matches my style,' or something like that! That would have been enough!"

"...So that's one of those tricks...!"

What a painful mistake. The swimsuit was chosen by the store clerk, so I didn't think I could praise its design.

The woman covered her body with a curtain, only revealing her face as she glared at me.

"...Now I finally know how you usually look at me."

"It's all because you love showing off to me!"

"I...I didn't strip naked for you to see! ...Besides, that's not what I was talking about..."

"Huh?"

"It's nothing!"

Jie pulled her face back and then began to change her clothes quietly inside the curtain.

I felt very uncomfortable. I rested my elbows on my knees, supporting my chin instead of my cheeks.

I rarely praise you, so why are you being so critical? Come to think of it, why is it always me...?

"Hello."

"Huh? I... I'm changing clothes right now..."

"Aren't we supposed to find the other person's strengths to ease the tension? Well, I can't just say everything, you have to give me a compliment too."

"Eh?"

The sound of changing clothes stopped.

For a moment, all that could be heard was the noise of the department store.

"For example... for instance, even if you complain for ages, you'll still stay with me until the very end... or something like that...?"

The soft sound, even amidst the noise, still reached my ears clearly.

I used the hand that was supporting my chin to forcefully cover my mouth.

You're also praising this whole thing?

I thought you'd say something like "You look good in glasses"...

"Ah... I see. So that's why you always look at me this way."

"What kind of perspective is this?"

"Well, um... someone easy to talk to, like a tool?"

"If you consider this easy to talk to, then all of humanity would be easy to talk to!"

He even argued with me; what an inconsiderate guy.

I didn't say anything more after that, and waited for Jie Nu to change her clothes.

It took longer than changing into her swimsuit before Yui emerged from the fitting room.

"I'm going to...buy this swimsuit."

"How do you like it?"

"I guess so. Yeah, I bought it because I liked it."

Because you like it, right? Of course.

I went to the counter with Yui and watched her hand the swimsuit to the sales clerk. At that moment, I accidentally saw the tag on the swimsuit.

It says "9M" on it.

……9M……

Encountering an unfamiliar unit of measurement, I pulled out my phone out of curiosity. 9M, 9M—83cm bust? C, D cup…oh…

"(Excuse me, may I ask you something?)"

The woman leaned her upper body towards the counter, and I heard her whisper to the clerk:

"(I feel my chest is a little tight...)"

"(Oh, I see? So it's a little bigger than the size you told me.)"

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

Just as I reached a state of selflessness, the shop assistant, with a radiant smile that went beyond mere professionalism, said, "Thank you for your patronage!"

Seeing the girl take the swimsuit bag from the shop assistant, I reached out my hand.

"Um."

“…Huh?”

"Give it to me, I'll carry it."

The woman looked down at the bag she was holding to her chest and said:

"What's wrong with you? Why have you suddenly become such a gentleman?"

"Don't be so wary, it's just for the sake of balance. You have a backpack, but I'm empty-handed."

"what……"

I was too lazy to explain anymore, so I just grabbed the bag without permission. There was only one swimsuit inside, which weighed practically nothing.

I walked out of the store first, and Jie followed me to my side.

Then, she looked at her free hand, then at my hand holding the bag, and looked at it several times.

"...A sense of balance..."

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's just... how should I put it... it feels like you're treating you and me like a duo..."

"........."

I spent some time carefully choosing my words.

"...Of course, we've been walking together like this for so long... Even though we're not related by blood, people still treat us like brothers and sisters."

"……that's all?"

"that's all."

"That's true...that's true."

The department store was crowded during summer vacation, and we might have accidentally gotten separated, but neither of us thought about holding hands. I didn't think it was necessary.

Yes, this is a reconfirmation.

To confirm my feelings for this woman, and her feelings for me.

"The business is done, let's go home."

"Yes, let's go home."

"Did this help you regain your sense of tension?"

"Yes, I already know you've been looking at me with a lewd eye."

"...I told you, it's because you like to show off to me."

Jie chuckled softly, her laughter subtle.

Without even turning my head to look to the side, I knew what expression she was wearing. She must have her hand, which she had lightly clenched into a fist, brought to her mouth, while stealing glances at me and a gentle smile playing on her lips.

Become lovers...