I Confessed to the Three Beautiful Sisters at School and Got Rejected, but After I Became their Stepsister, They Started Doting On Me - Chapter 57
“Phew…”
I finally escaped from the restroom and let out a sigh as I started walking down the hallway.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire—yeah, that perfectly described what just happened.
I only went to the bathroom to gently avoid the invitations from Karin and Hiyori, and ended up overhearing them talking behind my back instead…
Thank goodness Riko Saezuki managed to step in and smooth things over, or my heart might have actually shattered on the spot.
“Now that I think about it… Saezuki-san’s actually kind of kind, isn’t she?”
She clearly defended me.
And she even said some thoughtful things while she was at it.
…How should I put this?
At first, I thought she was just some crazy girl who forced people to confess to the Tsukimoris.
But lately, she’s been acting so… nice.
“Maybe through our three-legged race, my kindness has rubbed off on her?”
That has to be it.
After all, it’s not like she has any reason to go out of her way to be nice to me.
“Terrifying… the power of the three-legged race.”
“…You. What are you mumbling about all alone?”
“!? C-Chiya-san?!”
Before I even noticed, Chiya Tsukimori was standing behind me, looking at me with a very confused expression.
“W-Were you eavesdropping?!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You looked all serious for some reason, so I came over to check on you—only to hear you mumbling nonsense.”
“Ehehe… oh gosh, how embarrassing…”
“What part of that is worth being embarrassed over?”
Well, I mean… getting caught talking to yourself is kind of mortifying.
“Wait… hold on. Did you just say you were ‘worried’ about me, Chiya-san?”
“…A-And what if I did? Is that a problem?”
Wow…
I never thought she’d admit she was genuinely concerned about me. So honestly, too.
What am I supposed to do with this?
Lately, Saezuki-san has been kind to me, and now even the Tsukimori sisters are being sweet.
“Even if you try to keep your distance, the situation’s already shifted. It’s not like it was before.”
I remember Saezuki-san’s words clearly.
Things have changed—my relationship with the Tsukimori sisters is no longer what it used to be.
“Ah, I mean… I’m really happy you care about me, but… maybe it’s not the best idea for us to be seen together at school too much…”
“…And what exactly do you mean by that?”
“Uh, well, um…”
I must’ve said something that caught her attention the wrong way.
Chiya-san’s eyes sharpened, and she took a step closer, narrowing the distance between us.
“I’d like to hear what led you to say something like that.”
The pressure she gave off made it clear—she wasn’t backing off until I answered.
“Ah, um… Just earlier, I overheard some students saying I was acting stuck-up for hanging around with you and your sisters…”
Until now, that kind of thing was just a vague fear inside me.
But this time, someone actually said it out loud.
And that makes it harder to ignore.
“That doesn’t matter.”
“…Huh?”
“What right do other people have to comment on our relationship? That’s none of their business. It’s between us.”
She said it so directly, so confidently—without a single trace of hesitation.
She spoke like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which made me want to confirm something.
“That’s because I’m your stepsister… and family… right?”
Our relationship has changed.
It’s become one of family—built on shared affection.
I know that everything started there.
But Saezuki-san, and everyone else at school, don’t know that.
And because of that, misunderstandings are bound to happen.
So, I wanted to make sure. I wanted to hear it again—from Chiya-san herself, the one most involved.
“That has nothing to do with it.”
“R-Right. Of course, you’d care about me—we’re family and all—wait, WHAAAT?!”
“What are you even rambling on about by yourself now? You’re being weird.”
No, no, no—you were the one who said something weird, Chiya-san!
“You just said being stepsisters doesn’t matter—”
“Yes. Being stepsisters is just a situation forced on us by our parents.”
“O-Okay, but still…”
Whoa… that’s a bold thing to just come out and speak.
“So, I don’t think of you as a sister like Karin or Hiyori. Nor do I intend to.”
“I mean, I didn’t expect to be treated exactly the same as your sisters or anything… but I thought maybe there was some kind of familial feeling there.”
“Then let me ask you something instead.”
“Ah—yes?”
Her sharp tone cut through the air, snapping me to attention.
“Do you see me as family? As your older sister?”
“…W-Well, that’s…”
“You don’t, do you? If you did—even just a little—you wouldn’t still be calling someone the same age as you ‘Chiya-san,’ would you?”
…Now that she mentioned it, she was absolutely right.
I never once tried to close the distance between us as sisters.
To me, they’ve always just been the Tsukimori sisters—school idols. Untouchable. Distant.
“I find it strange when people expect things from others that they don’t even feel themselves. Why would you think that way?”
“That’s because…”
Because I couldn’t think of any other reason why they would bother spending time with someone like me.
But now that she put it into words, I realized how flawed that reasoning was.
“Th-Then… why do you care about me, Chiya-san? Why are you kind to me?”
If it’s not because we’re family… then what am I to her?
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s because I like you.”
“…Huh?”
Wait. Hold on.
Did she just say something incredibly unfamiliar?
“Um… could you say that again?”
“What’s with that reaction? Say something, will you?”
I… I just need a moment to process this.
Did she really just say she likes me…?
“Could you say it in a way that’s easier to understand?”
“How much clearer do you need it to be?!”
The intense gaze she had a moment ago had vanished. Now her eyes were darting around like she was trying to escape the conversation entirely.
She wasn’t looking for anything—she was clearly trying to get away from something.
“A-A-Anyway! I accept you for who you are, as you. So you don’t need to listen to what others say. And you don’t have to hold back with us either.”
“Uh… okay?”
So what she’s saying is… she doesn’t see me as just a stepsister. She sees me as Akari Hanano, a person in my own right.
And that’s why she cares.
“That’s enough. Lunch break is almost over. Let’s head back to class.”
“R-Right! Coming!”
I followed behind her, watching her long black hair sway as she walked.
We weren’t tied together as stepsisters.
We were connected as Chiya Tsukimori and Akari Hanano—as individuals.
And if that’s the case… what do you even call a relationship like this?
“…Wait. Does this mean… we’re friends?”
Was this… my graduation from being a loner?
Could it be that I’ve finally, finally found my place at school—
“I don’t accept that.”
“…Thought so.”
—Guess not.
Just moments ago, her words had been warm and comforting.
And now, they were like ice, freezing the air between us.
Human relationships are such a complicated mess…
And here I am, still completely lost in the middle of it all.
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In emotional dumbness she has indeed surpassed psyduck haha