My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 147

Five days had passed since I came to the Central region.

Honestly, at first, I thought it was just whatever when I was told we were going to the Central area, but I ended up having more fun than I expected.

It wasn’t anything super spectacular, but maybe it was just nice being able to hang out with cute girls for a while?

The past few days have been genuinely enjoyable.

“Ugh…”

With only two days left until we return to the Academy, the teachers decided to give us students a day of freedom.

Of course, they mentioned that we’d have a banquet in the evening, just like on the first day, but it wasn’t particularly important.

“Rize…”

What was truly important right now was how comfortable it was to lie in bed with Rize.

I had been lying there motionless since waking up in the morning.

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“What are we doing today?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Hmm… That’s understandable…”

“…But how long are we going to stay like this?”

“Just a little longer?”

“…….”

Hearing my response, Rize fell silent again. Was she uncomfortable being in my arms?

But she wasn’t moving around much, almost like she wasn’t bothered by it.

I just lay there comfortably, hugging Rize.

“Hmm…”

Just lying there, holding Rize from behind. Without any particular thoughts, I had been hugging her like a pillow while I slept, so I just continued.

I liked the scent of Rize and the feel of her soft skin. Holding my arm around her waist felt nice, so I just stayed like that.

However, as time went on, it started to feel a bit dull.

Swoosh… swoosh…

So I decided to gently touch Rize’s stomach.

There wasn’t any particular reason for it, except that her belly was the only thing within reach.

“…Young Lady.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“Hmm…? Really?”

It seemed like she didn’t completely dislike it, contrary to my expectations. While Rize usually told me to stop when she genuinely didn’t like something, she seemed more shy this time.

Hugging Rize or giving her a back hug was something we often did, but we rarely touched each other’s bodies like this.

However, this didn’t seem like something she absolutely hated, which I found intriguing.

So…

“Heh…”

I touched Rize’s belly again. This time, not just lightly stroking, I applied my fingers on her stomach.

Squish… push…

Every now and then, I poked Rize’s belly with my fingers. After all, Rize did most of the household chores in my room while I lounged around.

Though her activity level had decreased compared to when she worked in the mansion, she still took care of a lot back in my room.

It’s only natural that Rize’s belly was quite firm.

I had seen it frequently while bathing with Rize, so it wasn’t a shock to me.

“Young Lady… why my belly…”

“Just bored?”

“That’s a bit… embarrassing…”

“Is that so?”

“…Yes.”

She started off quiet, but as I kept touching, she seemed a bit embarrassed.

No, her ears turned so red, it was adorable. Just touching her stomach, and she was embarrassed to that extent?

“Ugh…”

Her reaction was cute.

Rize usually looked somewhat pretty with a hint of cuteness, but when she worked as a maid, she kept a strict demeanor.

Seeing such a reaction from her made it impossible not to find it amusing.

It wasn’t that she hated it, but rather that she was bashful; it made a ticklish feeling in my heart.

Just like when I was passionately talking about business with Ivana, it felt similar…

“Young Lady…?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“There are others outside…”

“They said they would eat breakfast together and walk around, so it’s no problem.”

“Still…”

The Roseaki Sisters said they were going out for breakfast and a walk, and I had already told others that I would be lying here with Rize.

There wasn’t really a reason for them to come in, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Why? Are you embarrassed that we’re just lying in bed doing nothing?”

“That’s…”

Well, that was actually true, right?

We were both lying on the wide bed, and all I was doing was hugging Rize from behind while we were covered by a blanket.

It wasn’t anything too strange, just playing around by touching her belly.

“Why? You feel like you’re doing something bad?”

“…….”

Rize responded to my question with silence.

It was just touching her stomach, yet she was this embarrassed. I found it quite cute, but on the other hand, I was curious.

Honestly, was this really such an embarrassing thing?

“Then, do you want to touch my belly?”

Unlike Rize or Ella, mine was more soft than firm.

Of course, it wasn’t to the point of being fat or anything like that.

After all, I didn’t exercise, and I didn’t eat excessively enough to gain weight.

In fact, I had a constitution that just didn’t gain weight easily.

“So, what do you think?”

I pulled back the blanket and lifted the hem of my pajamas as I spoke.

Compared to Rize’s belly, mine felt a lot softer.

Of course, I didn’t think I had an unattractive stomach.

I was confident that overall, my body was good-looking.

Not in a narcissistic way, but objectively speaking, I had a pretty decent body shape, and I had grown a bit since before.

“Hmm… Not very good?”

“Ah, Young Lady…? Put your clothes back on…”

“Not good?”

“That’s not what I meant; you should take better care of your body…”

Rize, who had been staring at my stomach, turned her head away with those words.

Was it weird?

Or was she just embarrassed?

“It’s not like it’s strange, so why are you so embarrassed?”

“Young Lady, you are still a noble lady, so doing this…”

“But Rize, you’re also a noble at least.”

“…….”

Even though she was technically my maid, Rize also came from a noble family.

Her family was too poor to be considered noble and barely different from commoners, but still.

Usually, maids of noble ladies came from families of poor nobility.

Rize’s family fit that category perfectly, having fallen to commoner status.

“So I don’t think it’s a problem, right?”

“…….”

“Besides, you see my body every time we bathe together and undress. Isn’t it too late to be embarrassed about it now?”

That was the plain truth.

Rize did everything from bathing me to changing my clothes.

“Come on, just touch it once. It’s really nothing; why are you so shy about it?”

“…Alright.”

“Hehe.”

Did she finally realize she couldn’t win against me?

Rize, seeming like she was giving up, came closer this time.

She had been lying on the same bed with me, but her effort to come closer now was kind of cute.

And there was a sense of achievement from finally getting Rize to do what I said after she had been avoiding it.

“…Excuse me for a moment.”

“Okay, it’s fine.”

Tap.

Rize asked for my permission before she touched my belly.

No, “touched” wasn’t quite correct; it was more like a gentle poke.

It was a brief moment, not even a full second, as her fingertip barely brushed my belly before she withdrew her hand.

“…Rize.”

“……..”

She must’ve known that this wasn’t what I meant when I told her to touch.

So she moved her hand closer to me again.

“How is it?”

“…It’s soft.”

“Really?”

“…Yes.”

That was her short impression.

There was nothing beyond that from Rize’s touch, just that simple observation.

I expected a bit more feedback, but maybe that was too much to ask from someone as shy as Rize?

“See? It’s nothing special, right?”

“…Yes.”

“So I told you, right? It’s really nothing.”

“Yes……”

Rize, who had been so shy over something really trivial like touching my belly, finally acknowledged it.

“Do you want to touch more?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

“Really? You’re not going to touch more?”

Since she admitted herself that it wasn’t embarrassing, I thought she would be okay with it now.

But surprisingly, Rize refused.

Hmm…

It was a bit disappointing, but maybe it was better to be satisfied that she had revealed this much shyness?

“Then I guess I’ll just have to touch.”

“…Huh?”

Given that she had the option to touch and turned it down, I had no choice but to keep playing with her belly from behind.

Rize’s ears were still bright red from embarrassment, but unlike before, she didn’t stop me.

“Heh… oof…”

Well, even so, her reactions were cuter than I expected, so I continued to tease her without saying anything.