I was Reincarnated as the Scum Older Brother of the Protagonist in a Romance Battle Game, But I don't want to Die, so I'll do my Best - Episode 25

The next morning, I was unusually awakened by Shiramine.

“Joji, wake up.”

She barged into my room without permission, carelessly ate my melon-flavored gummies, and lazily shook me with one hand while flipping through my manga.

“Shiramine~, I’ll forgive you for barging in, but pick one—eat my gummies, read my manga, or wake me up.”

“Mmm, I’ll read the manga.”

With that, she sat back down in the chair and resumed reading. …That’s not the right answer, Shiramine. You’re supposed to say you’ll wake me up.

With no other choice, I got out of bed and grabbed my change of clothes.

“Hey, Shiramine, I’m gonna change now, so…”

“Mmm, go ahead.”

Still glued to the manga, she gave me a half-hearted reply.

“No, I mean, I’d like you to leave while I change.”

“Mmm, no.”

“……”

“O-ohhh~ I see, I see. Shiramine, you wanna see me naked, huh~? Got it, got it.”

“Mmm, not really? I already saw you at the open-air bath before.”

“O-oh, right…”

I shrank into the corner of the room and changed as quickly as I could.

“O-okay, I’m done, Shiramine.”

“Mmm, lend me these. Let’s go eat.”

Shiramine grabbed a few manga volumes, and we headed to the main hall together.

“G-good morning, Kaizuka-san.”

“Good morning, Kitano-sama.”

Her cold-eyed greeting was the same as ever, but by the third day, I was used to it.

Once we sat down, Shiramine went back to her room to drop off the manga and returned just as the soup was being brought out on a tray.

“Today’s dish is bamboo shoot soup.”

“Thank you very much.” “Mmm.”

We each took a bowl from the tray and placed it on our meal stands.

“Let’s eat.”

“「Let’s eat.」”

Today’s menu included bamboo shoot soup, bamboo shoot rice, tempura-fried bamboo shoots, and spicy menma seaweed rolls.

“The crunchiness makes it really delicious.”

The bamboo shoot tempura, in particular, was sprinkled with coarse salt and pink shrimp powder, making it as visually appealing as it was tasty. The spicy menma rolls were so good that I ended up getting seconds of the bamboo shoot rice.

“「Thanks for the meal.」” “It was nothing.”

After helping clean up a little, we returned to our rooms to prepare for the final day of training.

……
……

“So this is the Black Zone… That waterfall is impressive. It’s called the ‘Genbu’s Rain-Soaked Waterfall,’ right?”

“Mmm, good memory. You’re smart.”

Genbu’s Rain-Soaked Waterfall

Long ago, a turtle (said to be Genbu) resting at the summit of the divine mountain fell asleep for ten thousand years. During that time, both the mountain and the turtle grew immensely, until eventually, the turtle’s shell pierced through the clouds.

A rain cloud perpetually hangs over the turtle’s shell, causing constant rainfall around it. The small streams that form from the water running off the shell are said to be the origin of Genbu’s Rain-Soaked Waterfall.

“Today, we’re doing waterfall punishment here.”

“Waterfall punishment? First time for me. Anything I should watch out for?”

“Mmm, keep your back straight or it’s dangerous.”

“That’s it?”

“Mmm, that’s it.”

“Pfft, sounds easy. I thought you were gonna warn me about logs falling from above or something.”

“Mmm, there’s a net. It’s fine. Fish sometimes fall on your head, though.”

Later, I would deeply regret underestimating the waterfall punishment…

We changed into special waterfall punishment robes in a nearby hut. The fabric was thin, beige, and resembled a linen yukata.

“Do we go commando under this…? Isn’t this kinda risky for me?”

Wearing this outfit under the waterfall… My mind conjured up an image of Shiramine’s damp, slightly translucent robes clinging to her skin.

“N-no good! I’m the one who’s gonna lose it!”

I desperately shook off the lewd thoughts and headed to the waterfall where Shiramine was waiting.

“Joji, you’re late.”

“S-sorry… (This is bad, bad, bad!)”

The robe Shiramine was wearing didn’t fit her chest properly, leaving most of her cleavage exposed.

“T-that’s the only size they had?!”

“Mmm, anything bigger is too large… Don’t worry about it.”

Every time Shiramine tugged at her sleeves, the already scant coverage of her chest dwindled further.

“O-okay, let’s just go.”

We circled around to the back of the waterfall, where the roaring cascade looked almost mystical.

“Joji, men go here.”

“Huh? Different spots for men and women?”

“Mmm, women are over there.”

Shiramine pointed to the other side of the waterfall, separated by rocky terrain.

“Wait, why the separation?”

“Mmm, if men and women train together, the men get distracted by the women’s bodies and can’t focus. Especially you, Joji—you stare at my chest too much.”

She noticed… Crap…

“Mmm, I’m not mad. I don’t mind you looking. But if you can’t focus, the training’s pointless.”

“R-right, got it… I’ll do my best.”

“Mmm, do your best.”

After receiving some final advice from Shiramine, we parted ways, and I approached the waterfall.

“Here I gooooo!!”

I stepped forward, exposing myself to the pounding water.

“WOOOOAAAHHH!!”

The force of the waterfall hit me like a battering ram, shaking my entire body and slamming into my skull over and over. The moment I lost my balance—

!?

I toppled forward and was swallowed by the water.

The violent current threatened to drag me under, but somehow, I managed to push myself back up.

This waterfall punishment… is way harder than I thought…