Reincarnated as the Promiscuous Protagonist in a Netori Game, Only to Find the Heroine, My Step-Sister, Already Threatened to Be a Submissive Slave~ Liberating the Slave and Planning to Leave Home, Yet Unexpectedly Becoming Loved by My Step-Sister~ - Chapter 18 - Boyfriend for Now

Chapter 18 – Boyfriend for Now

Early in the morning on the weekend.

I got up quietly so as not to make a sound.

Tsumugi was sleeping peacefully.

In the living room, Mizuki-san was already awake.

“Be careful on your way, Takuma-kun.”

“I’ll be back later, Mizuki-san.”

Today is my first volunteer day.

While confirming the contents of the message, I headed towards the destination.

“You’re here.”

When I arrived at a nearby beach, I found Minase standing with her hair swaying in the sea breeze. She has the dignity of the head of the public morals committee.

“I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

“You’re still saying that. I replied to your message right away, didn’t I?”

“W-Well, that was nice of you, b-but! I still can’t believe it! Thanks for the reply!”

“Y-Yeah…”

For some reason, she shouted her thanks at me while getting really pissed off,

How can she be so loud in the morning?

“Then let’s go.”

“Ah, wait a minute.”

“What is it?”

I stopped Minase, who was about to walk away.

“Good morning, Minase. I’ll be in your guidance today.”

“!!! U-Ugh… G-Go~od mow~ning…”

“Huh?”

“I-It’s nothing! Don’t do something that doesn’t suit you, let’s get going!”

I followed the red-faced Minase.

“As I explained in my message, today’s volunteer activity is a beach clean-up. Before the opening of the beach, the community is going to get together and clean up the rubbish.”

She explained the purpose of today’s activity again, albeit in a pouty face.

“Once the season starts in high gear, there will be a lot of tourists coming to the beach. Let’s do our best to make them think that the beach is beautiful, shall we?”

“Yeah. I want them to have good memories.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Minase smiled a little.

The spirit of being able to serve others without asking for anything in return is honestly admirable.

“Do you, um… Do you have any plans to play on the beach or anything like that this year?”

“The beach? Yeah, I guess, but not at the moment.”

“Is that so…? I see. Well, I guess that makes sense. We’ve got entrance exams this year. We don’t have time for that.”

“Ugh…”

I heard a very nasty word.

“From the looks of it, you haven’t studied for your exams. I thought that would be the case.”

“Well…yeah. I haven’t even decided if I’m going to go on to higher education yet.”

In my second life, I’m not so sure about this choice. But with my current academic ability, I don’t have much of a choice.

“You can still worry about your career path, but it’s time to start studying for your tests.”

“Gghh…”

There is a final exam before the summer break.

“If you fail a subject, you’ll have to give up your summer vacation for supplementary lessons.”

“…P-Please, anything but that.”

But at this rate, it’s a straight line to the supplementary course.

I wonder what Takuma was up to last year. I’ll search my memory.

Ughh…

He manipulated female teachers and falsified his scores…

That’s why Takuma’s grades are considered to be average. He even told Genso as much.

If I get a bad score, I’ll be in trouble. I don’t want to worry my family.

“…teach you to…dy…?”

“What…?”

Minase’s voice was too low to be heard.

“I said! Why don’t I teach you to study!?”

But that doesn’t mean you have to explode in anger!

She must really hate the idea. But even so, she still proposed the idea. Minase is really kind.

“No, I’m fine. I can manage on my own.”

I can’t ask her to look after my studies. I’ll just take it as a gesture.

“Is that so…?”

Minase, who was walking a few steps ahead, stopped. Then she turned around and grabbed the sleeve of my clothes in a timid manner, as if she was reluctant to say anything.

“U-Um… It won’t bother me, you know? Teaching others is a great way to review and deepen your understanding. Besides, I don’t want to have a student in my class taking supplementary lessons. If anything, it would be more of a personal inconvenience for me…”

“M-Minase?”

“S-So, um… Come to the library after school. I’ll teach you.”

“Are you sure?”

“This is for my own good. There’s no need to be reserved…”

Minase looks up at me with a gentle gaze, as if she is waiting for my reaction.

“O-Okay. If you’re going to go that far, can I ask you to help me?”

“Y-Yes, I don’t mind.”

“Thank you. It’s honestly a huge help.”

“!!! Hmph, I’m telling you it’s not for you! I’ll ditch you as soon as you whine! Okay!?”

Minase’s voice was slightly more lively than usual, and she seemed happy.

On the beach, a tent was set up at the headquarters. I was told that we would first be briefed there and given rubbish bags and tongs.

“Good morning, Rion-chan.”

“Good morning, Yanagi-san. Let’s do our best today too.”

“Yes, let’s do our best.”

Most of the people we passed said hello to Minase. It seems she knows all the volunteers.

“Hey, Rion-chan! Why are you with a man today~?”

“Don’t tell me it’s your boyfriend! Uuuu~ Spring has finally come for the stiff Rion-chan~!”

They naturally focus their attention on me, who is accompanying her.

“N-No! I brought him here because he just wanted to volunteer, not because he’s my…b-b-boyfriend…”

“Hyuu~ Rion-chan~~”

“I said he’s not my boyfriend!”

It seems that the young and pretty Minase is a target for the old men. They enjoy making fun of her.

“What’s your name, boyfriend?”

“I’m Tsukishiro Takuma. Ah, I’m not her boyfriend.”

In the meantime, I should back Minase.

“You’re talking like that again~ Kids these days are really humble.”

They probably won’t believe me no matter what I say.

It looks like my character here will be Minase’s boyfriend. I’m really sorry.

“Just the fact that Rion-chan, who never had a trace of a male presence, brought a guy along… It’s so obvious…”

“That’s right~”

They grinned…

“No, he’s not my boyfriend!”

She kept getting teased until the clean-up started.

“Alright, everyone, it’s only for a short amount of time, but let’s clean the beach today.”

A woman’s voice with a megaphone signaled the start of the volunteering.

The participants were divided into several groups and scattered apart.

Now then, what about me…?

There seems to be a good number of students from my high school, but I can’t find anyone I would call an acquaintance.

It’s perfectly fine to work quietly and diligently on your own. But judging from the other participants…it doesn’t seem to be that formal or strict of an environment.

Above all, being a loner is mentally painful. Even if I’m used to it from my previous life, being alone still pains me.

“Minase?”

I tried to talk to the only person I knew, but she ignored me and started walking briskly.

“Oi?”

“Don’t come over here.”

“Why?”

“T-They’ll think you’re my boyfriend again.”

“But, if we work separately, wouldn’t that arouse strange suspicions? They’d think they teased you too much and put you in a bad mood.”

They seem to be basically good-natured people. They simply seem to dote on Minase. It appeared that she herself understood that more than I did.

“I’m just your boyfriend for now.”

“No, I don’t want that.”

“Please, just for today.”

“If I said no, then no.”

Minase walked swiftly towards the beach and picked up rubbish.

But she eventually stopped and I closed the distance. She didn’t get away any further. No, for some reason, she just kept coming closer.

“W-What?”

“Nothing. I just thought boyfriend and girlfriend should be closer.”

“I-I see…”

I think it would be fine if the location wasn’t so blatantly distant…

“Don’t worry about that, you should be doing your work too. You’re not picking up the trash at all.”

It seems that I was too obsessed with chasing after Minase.

“Sorry. I’ll do my best from now on.”

I started to pick up trash in earnest.

There was a lot of trash, as it is a tourist destination in its own right. Having reached the seaside, there is also a lot of dangerous-looking flotsam.

Minase seemed to be concentrating on her work, and there was no conversation between us. I stole a look at her from the side and she looked very serious. She’s a really serious girl, isn’t she?

She’s usually fussy, but when she’s silent, her beauty really stands out.

“…What?”

“It’s nothing. Just don’t go too far over there, okay? There’s a wave coming in.”

“I know.”

But then a strong wave came in.

At this rate, her shoes will be soaked in water.

“Whoa…!”

“Kyaa!!”

I picked up Minase as quickly as I could.

“W-What are you doing? Don’t touch me, you pervert!”

“I’m helping you.”

“B-But that doesn’t mean you have to pick me up like this…!”

“That’s not important, did you get wet?”

It looked like I made it just in time…

“Y-Yes… I’m fine.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“I’m sorry that you got wet.”

“It’s fine. It’s cool and feels good.”

Even in the morning, summer temperatures continue to rise.

“I’m putting you down now.”

“Huh? Wait, wait a minute!”

When I said I was going to let her down as she didn’t like it, Minase immediately started to panic.

“L-Let’s stay like this for a while…”

“B-But…”

“Just do it! Let’s stay like this!”

“Y-Yeah…”

I stopped working and just looked out at the early morning sea. The peaceful sea seems to calm my mind.

“Having a boyfriend hug you like a princess at the beach… It’s like a scene from a movie.”

Minase deeply immersed herself in thought.

“…You think so?”

She’s not supposed to recognise me as her boyfriend in the first place…

Suddenly, my gaze met with Minase’s.

“~~~!!! D-Don’t look at me! Y-You’re so close!”

Waving her hands wildly, her face was red at its best.

While holding her tightly, making sure not to let her fall, I obediently averted my gaze.

Then Minase curled up tightly and whispered softly.

“…Don’t stare at me with such a cool face… Baka…”

She might have intended to mutter to herself, but I could hear her clearly…

It was obvious that she would lose her temper again if I said something like that, so I kept quiet.

But even the head of the public morals committee, who hates Takuma, can say that about him, so Takuma really has a great face.

“Hoo~ Hooo~ Everyone, look~ There’s a couple flirting over there~!”

“She’s slacking off~! Rion-chan is slacking off~! And they’re so lovey-dovey~! It’s so lewd~!”

Minase was teased a lot afterwards.