Chapter 71: Gym (8)
Chapter 71: Gym (8)
“…Maybe I should’ve held back a bit?”
By the time we left the gym, I was carrying Kang Yu-min on my back.
To a random passerby, it would just look like her legs had given out from overexerting herself during a workout. But if Yuri or Eldest Noona saw us, they would immediately know exactly what had happened.
Her legs were trembling uncontrollably, and the stains on her leggings were far too prominent to be just sweat.
I made a point of wrapping a blanket around Yu-min’s lower half to hide her from view.
It was a brand-new blanket I’d just bought, but I’d probably have to give up on using it again after this.
With that thought in mind, I walked slowly toward home.
“It’s still… leaking out.”
“Well, we did do it quite a lot…”
“Pervert.”
“I should be the one saying that.”
What we did couldn’t exactly be called normal. Even if the act itself were ordinary, the fact that siblings had joined bodies in a forbidden public space clearly implied a transgression of taboos.
Despite that, I spoke as if it were nothing, and Yu-min followed suit.
“My back still hurts. And my crotch, too…”
“‘Crotch’? Really?”
“Then what else am I supposed to call it? It’s a crotch.”
“You were saying it just fine earlier. You know, ‘Pu—’”
“Ack!” I shut my mouth as if trying to catch the words I’d let slip and twisted my head to avoid her pinching my ear.
“We’re outside, you idiot!”
“Wasn’t the gym a public place too?”
“Well, yeah, but…”
Yu-min grumbled and buried her face in the crook of my neck. Her ticklish breath brushed against my skin and ruffled my hair. I walked slowly, feeling my hair—which I’d started growing out after being discharged from the military—sway in the breeze.
It wasn't a long way from the department store to the house, but it wasn't exactly close either.
It took a fair amount of time to walk, yet the distance was too awkward to bother taking a car.
As we made our way home, Yu-min spoke up tentatively.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
When I answered, Yu-min, who had been mumbling to herself, tightened her arms around my neck and pulled. I was about to complain that she was choking me, but the seriousness in her voice stopped me.
“What you said earlier.”
“Earlier?”
“On the phone with Eldest Noona.”
“Oh, that.”
I wondered exactly which part she was referring to, but I didn't ask, figuring she’d explain on her own.
“Did you… mean it?”
She didn't. She really is a loner. She has no idea how to keep a conversation going. I barely swallowed the scoff that threatened to escape me.
“Mean what?”
“You know, that. About… thinking of taking up exercise seriously…”
I had to prompt her just to get an answer. If it were Yuri, she would’ve picked up on it instantly. If it were Eldest Noona, she would’ve already delivered her point with crystal clarity.
Then again, this was just how Yu-min was.
I nodded as I thought.
“Yeah, I meant it. I was partly using it as an excuse at the time, but…”
In all seriousness, having 10x Stamina and not using it for something felt like a waste.
Of course, considering why the Family-Friendly Game gave me this in the first place, I could find plenty of ways to use it. But even so, it felt like a shame not to apply it to actual exercise.
It was like being a Super Soldier working as an accountant. There’s nothing wrong with it, but you can’t help but feel like something is being left on the table.
That was my current situation.
It was partly because I didn't have anything else I particularly wanted to do, but looking back, I realized I never really disliked exercising.
Even the fencing I did back when Mother was still alive—I never hated it. I only quit because I suddenly felt like stopping one day.
I’d quit because I was bored and felt like it wasn't my true path, but I often thought that if we’d had more money and I’d had a clearer goal, I might have kept it up as a hobby.
So, now that I had 10x Stamina, I figured making exercise my path wouldn't be a bad idea.
“Then what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. A marathon?”
“I guess… stamina is important for marathons. But that’s not everything, you know?”
Yu-min immediately started rambling about all sorts of things as if it were her own business.
She told me that stamina wasn't the only thing that mattered in a marathon; form was crucial too.
While 10x Stamina seemed to include muscular endurance, joint flexibility, and durability, she insisted that good form was necessary to run faster and further for longer periods.
She even went on about how mental strength was more important than anything else.
“I think most of that is covered by the 10x Stamina… but I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Yeah, work hard. I’ll… cheer you on.”
Yu-min finished her sentence with a bashful look, seemingly aware that she was rarely acting like a proper older sister. Carrying her, I looked up at the house that was finally coming into view.
It was a building owned by my eldest sister, and the place where we had lived for quite a long time.
A building that I could call nothing else but 'home.' I set Yu-min down in front of it.
“Wait, hold on. Support me.”
“Got it.”
Yu-min groaned as she gripped my arm, barely managing to stand. Seeing her legs still shaking made me realize just how long we had been at it.
“I should probably show some restraint next time.”
“Well, obviously…”
“Hey, don't make it sound like it was all my fault. It was your fault too.”
“What did I do?”
“You were looking at me with those desperate eyes, clinging to me when I tried to pull out, wrapping your legs around my waist so I couldn't escape, and grinding your hips while tightening up inside. You were acting like a total bitch in heat.”
“Y-You crazy bastard! How can you say that to your sister…!”
Yu-min’s face turned beet red in shock, but I stood my ground, having nothing to be ashamed of.
“Anyway, you need to show some restraint too. If we keep this up, we’re bound to get caught. If you really want to do it, let’s wait until we’re back home…”
Yu-min looked visibly disappointed at my words, and I sighed at the sight of her.
Then again, if she has a sweat fetish, I suppose this is a bit of a letdown for her. I thought about it for a moment.
“Right, we can just use the game. There’s no risk of getting caught there. And time flows differently than it does outside.”
“Isn't the game different from reality?”
“I’m sure that part will be handled too.”
I didn't have any proof, but it was highly likely.
After all, the game was practically throwing features at me to encourage incestuous sex and seemed to be praying for me to build an incest harem by giving me things like 10x Stamina.
It was almost certain that it would take Yu-min’s kinks and fetishes into account, ensuring that things like sweat would be preserved when we entered.
Maybe it would even give us 200x Sweat in that moment.
But if I told her that, she’d probably lose her mind again, wouldn't she?
I deliberately kept my mouth shut and headed up the stairs, with Yu-min following behind me with unsteady steps.
In fact, she asked me anxiously:
“Then, we’re going together tomorrow too, right?”
“Yeah, I got a one-year membership. Might as well go consistently.”
She gave a silly little grin at my answer.
Nothing much happened after that.
If anything, my daily routine felt a bit stagnant.
Wake up in the morning, eat, wash up, go to the gym with Yu-min, and work out.
And then, drenched in sweat, join bodies with Yu-min in the locker room or inside the game.
What happened after we got back varied, but it usually boiled down to one of two things.
Either I did it with Yuri, or I did it with Eldest Noona.
But since the core schedule remained largely unchanged, I knew things would eventually end up like this.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
It was some time later, while I was lounging at home after finishing my workout.
Someone stepped lightly toward the head of the sofa where I was lying and sat down.
A face soon leaned over mine, looking small and cute.
The girl, wearing an expression that nine out of ten people would find adorable, was my younger sister and the family-loving youngest.
It was Kang Yuri.
“…What is it?”
I asked as I looked up at her. Yuri looked down at me, resting her chin on her hand.
“Haven't you been neglecting me lately?”
I couldn't just sit there silently after hearing that. Back when I didn't know she loved me as a man, I would have just laughed it off, thinking she was playing at being a jealous girlfriend.
But now, I knew she might actually be serious.
I immediately sat up on the sofa, and Yuri silently took the spot next to me, her smiling face unchanged.
“Well? Oppa.”
“The thing is…”
“Is it fun playing with Yu-min Unnie? Do you like leaving your cute little sister behind to do whatever you want with her at the gym? Do you prefer it when I’m not around?”
“It’s not like that. Really.”
“If it’s not like that, then what is it? Are you only doing it with me out of obligation? Am I just someone you have a quick fling with?”
I couldn't tell if she was joking or not. The lines were so cliché that I felt like I should just treat it as a joke or humor.
But her expression and the vibe she was giving off said otherwise, so I could only roll my eyes nervously. Unless there was something else she wanted.
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
I looked at my sister just in case, and she didn't seem particularly angry. Of course, considering Yuri wasn't bad at acting—in fact, she was quite good—she could have been hiding it.
But my intuition told me it wasn't that; she wanted something else.
Therefore, the rational move was…
“I was wrong. Please show me mercy. Is there any way I can make it up to you…?”
“Hmph, really? So you admit you were wrong?”
This was it. Pretending to be submissive while signaling that I was ready to listen to whatever she wanted.
And fortunately, that was the right answer.
“Then, play with me.”
“Of course. I definitely should.”
“Right now.”
“Huh?”
That was unexpected. When I blinked in surprise, Yuri let out a giggle. Come to think of it, Yuri’s outfit was a bit strange.
She was wearing a coat, but her bare legs were visible underneath.
I wondered if she was wearing something short inside, or if she’d already prepared for a date knowing how I’d react.
As if to show me it was neither, Yuri crossed her legs.
“…Huh?”
Another dumb sound escaped my mouth. Yuri saw my expression and smirked, her lips curling into a very amused smile.
“Let’s go for a night walk together. Right now.”
Only then did I realize I’d been played by my little sister.