I Confessed to the Three Beautiful Sisters at School and Got Rejected, but After I Became their Stepsister, They Started Doting On Me - Chapter 47

U-Uh… what exactly is happening here?

I mean, sure, getting close is one thing, but—

Why isn’t Karin-san trying to get up…?

“K-Karin-san… Did you hurt yourself or something?”

Maybe she tripped and twisted something. Yes, that has to be it.

“Hmm… Let’s go with that.”

“That sounds very fake!”

The answer couldn’t have been more forced.

If she’s not injured, then why is she still on top of me!?

“Come on, you were stuck close to Saezuki, right? So what’s wrong with me doing the same?”

“It’s very different in this context!!”

Two girls, alone, pressed together in a dark equipment shed…

This whole situation is way too suggestive!!

“At this point, does the situation really matter?”

“Yes! Yes, it absolutely matters!!”

Touching each other during a school-sanctioned three-legged race?

Totally fine.

Touching each other while lying down together in a dark storage room?

Nope. Nope nope nope. Worlds apart in terms of what’s “wholesome.”

“Do you really hate this that much?”

“…Huh?”

In the dim lighting, I could see Karin’s uncertain expression and hear the vulnerability in her soft voice.

“Akari… do you hate being close to me this much?”

It wasn’t a joke. Her voice was serious, almost anxious.

…If she asks it like that, well—

“Of course not, right?”

If anything, this is… well, kind of a reward?

There’s no way I could ever dislike it.

“Then what’s the problem!?”

Her response was almost immediate—frustrated, confused.

But the issue isn’t about my feelings!

“Even if I don’t mind, the world will. This kind of thing won’t be accepted so easily!”

It’s one thing during a public event like the three-legged race.

But in private, having this kind of closeness with one of the Tsukimori sisters—the school idols—is a completely different story.

People would absolutely tear me apart for it.

Even thinking about it is terrifying.

“Ugh, there it is again! You’re always so ridiculously humble, Akari!”

“Am I, really?”

If anything, I’ve been pretty bold lately, I think.

I mean, normally someone like me wouldn’t even dream of being in the same frame as someone like Karin.

“Definitely! I really think you should be more confident!”

“But if I were that confident, I wouldn’t be me anymore.”

Unless I reincarnate as someone else entirely, there’s no universe where I can stand on equal footing with the Tsukimori sisters.

Even then, I’d probably need a few miracles.

“I said it’s fine!”

With a determined look, Karin bent her elbows and leaned in even closer.

T-This is bad!

At this rate, she’s going to fully cover me—!

“W-Why… why do you want to know me this much, Karin-san?”

My voice trembled, but I had to ask.

I’m grateful that she looks out for me like a little sister, truly.

But this… this feels like something more. And I can’t figure out what’s driving her so strongly.

“Why…? Do I really have to say it out loud?”

I… I don’t know.

I’ve never had anyone care about me this much before.

No one’s ever come this close.

Seeing the confusion in my eyes, Karin continued.

“Then I’ll just show you—through actions!”

She lunged even closer!

W-Wait, wait, wait—what even is this situation!?

We were so close, I could feel her breath against my skin.

And then…

Ding-dong-ding-dong.

“Huh…?”

“An announcement…?”

A sudden blare echoed from the school’s PA system.

“Tsukimori Karin of the Sports Committee—equipment transport from the storage shed is significantly behind schedule. This delay is disrupting event operations. Please proceed with your assigned duties immediately. I repeat—”

It was a formal broadcast… from the Student Council.

“Chiya-neeeeee…!!”

Karin growled her sister’s name upward toward the ceiling, even though Chiya was nowhere nearby.

“K-Karin-san…? You heard that, right? Since there’s been an announcement, we should probably get back to work.”

“She calculated the schedule this precisely… down to the second…”

Karin gritted her teeth in what looked like a mix of frustration and defeat.

Well… true enough. Chiya had been the one to carefully plan the time slots for each of the sisters.

So if anything went off-schedule, she’d notice immediately.

And being on the student council, she could issue administrative announcements to enforce it.

“See? Chiya-san’s serious about sticking to the timeline. Let’s go!”

And if that announcement was public, other students might start coming to check.

It’d be smarter to just get on with our duties as quickly as possible.

“Ughhh!!”

With a dramatic huff, Karin sprang to her feet—then proceeded to pick up all the cones by herself.

“Uh, wait…”

“What!?”

She snapped, cheeks still flushed with emotion.

“Shouldn’t I… carry some too?”

Karin had thrown every single cone onto both her shoulders, leaving nothing for me to do.

“Just open the door!”

“R-Right…”

Was… was this really why I came here?

But she was the one who closed the door in the first place…

My role in this operation was feeling increasingly unclear.

With a faint screech of old metal, I slid open the warehouse door as instructed.

“So this is Chiya-nee’s method… Oh, I see how it is!”

Karin looked about ready to blow steam from her ears, her fury practically radiating in heatwaves.

It had been a while since I’d seen tension between the sisters.

What exactly had gotten Karin this riled up?

As I watched her walk off, fuming with every step, I tilted my head in confusion.

…

“Wait—was her real goal to slack off!?”

Think about it:

Karin had just finished running anchor.

She probably hadn’t recovered all the way, but her sports committee duties still needed attention.

So by heading to the storage shed, she bought herself a chance to lie down and catch her breath.

Bringing me along—someone who knew nothing about logistics—gave her cover.

Carrying all the cones by herself? A show of effort to maintain plausible deniability.

It’s genius!

“That’s not what I was doing!!”

“…R-Right.”

But Karin’s roar was sharp and full of passion.

Hmm… something definitely feels off with Karin-san today.

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