I Confessed to the Three Beautiful Sisters at School and Got Rejected, but After I Became their Stepsister, They Started Doting On Me - Chapter 65

Wh-what is this…?

What exactly is happening right now?

“What’s wrong with you three sisters!? Are you all perverts or just completely insane!?”

The one yelling accusations at the Tsukimori sisters was Saezuki Satsuki.

But… why was she so furious?

Well, because she had just confessed to me—guh… gufeh…

“Yes, perhaps we, the Tsukimori sisters, have all gone mad… in love with Akari-chan.”

“That’s not what I meant! Stop twisting everything into some weirdly romantic positive spin!”

Even with a blush on her cheeks, Hiyori-san elegantly brushed off the insult with a smile—impressive as always.

“Y-Yeah, Saezuki. We’re seriously in love with Akari. There’s nothing weird about it.”

“Don’t respond so sincerely!! Can’t you read the tone, Tsukimori Karin!?”

Karin’s pure-hearted reply only confused Saezuki-san more.

She was earnest, that much was clear.

“Besides, who we choose to confess our feelings to is our own business. You have no right to interfere.”

“That’s… not the point!”

Chiya was the only one meeting Saezuki-san’s argument head-on, debating her logically.

“That is the point! You all rejected Hanano before, didn’t you!? So what’s with this sudden turnaround!?”

“Even if that were true, it’s not your place to question it.”

“No! It is my place!”

“…And what do you mean by that?”

Saezuki-san stood her ground.

She had tried to avoid direct conflict with the Tsukimori sisters up until now—but here she was, taking them head-on.

Why go this far?

“Because I confessed to Hanano first! So you three should back off already!”

Yes, that’s right—she confessed to me—guh… buh-boh…!

“…!?”

All three of the sisters gasped at once.

Not that I blame them.

I’m the most surprised here.

“My, my… That would make you a pervert too, wouldn’t it, Saezuki-chan?”

“Stop throwing my own words back at me!”

“You acted like that toward someone you like…? That’s honestly kinda gross.”

“Shut up! I didn’t mean to—it just happened!”

Karin looked genuinely unsettled, questioning Saezuki-san’s previous behavior toward me.

Honestly, I couldn’t blame her.

…I mean, really now.

“Um… Saezuki-san? Isn’t it a little strange that you were the one who made me confess to the Tsukimori sisters in the first place?”

“Ack—that’s…!!”

She had pushed me to confess.

And when the Tsukimori sisters turned me down, she got mad at them.

That sounds… a little off, doesn’t it?

“And what, exactly, is the meaning of that?”

Chiya’s sharp gaze grew even more intense.

The pressure made Saezuki-san gulp audibly.

“A-uh… no, I mean… that is…”

“I can’t just let that slide. That explanation sounds… suspicious.”

“Um…”

“If you won’t speak, I’ll just ask her directly.”

“…Ugh.”

Saezuki-san seemed to shrink before them, and at last, she began to explain what had really happened.

I didn’t do anything weird… right?

◇◇◇

“So… that’s what happened.”

Now aware of how everything unfolded after we moved up a grade, the three Tsukimori sisters had grown unusually quiet and solemn.

“Why didn’t you say something sooner, Akari!?”

Karin leaned in, looking frustrated.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering how to explain…

“Well, um… I figured if I said anything, it would just seem like I was trying to cover up the fact that I got rejected…”

Yeah, I should have spoken up sooner.

I realize that now.

“Well, in a way, isn’t this for the best? Now that everything’s out in the open, we can face Akari-chan without any guilt holding us back.”

After all, that previous “confession” never actually happened.

This moment, right here and now—this is the real confession.

“Y-Yeah, exactly! Now we can give Akari our feelings at full power!”

Karin clenched her fists with conviction.

“Indeed. …However, Saezuki Riko, you’re disqualified.”

Chiya declared flatly, cutting through the moment without hesitation.

“Why!?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You forced a false confession out of her and trampled on her feelings. Do you really think someone like that could win her heart?”

“That’s—”

“A person who plays with love has no right to demand that their own love be taken seriously. You think your selfishness should be rewarded?”

“…Ugh…”

Saezuki-san had no reply. She shrank into silence.

Chiya brushed past her, reaching her hand out toward me.

“You don’t need to stay here. Come on, let’s go home.”

I hesitated for a moment—should I take her hand?

Smack!

“…!?”

Saezuki-san slapped Chiya’s arm away.

“Go home? What do you mean go home?”

Her eyes were bloodshot with rage.

“Why would Hanano be going home with you?”

“That’s—”

For once, Chiya was visibly flustered. She began trying to construct an excuse, her usual composure slipping.

“I’ve thought it was strange for a while now. Hanano and the Tsukimori household are in opposite directions, right? But that day you two came to school together—Hanano came from your side of town. And in the middle of a hectic morning no less. Why would she do that unless—?”

Saezuki-san spat out her words like rapid-fire, eyes narrowed.

So scary…

Also—how does she even know where I used to live?

And the fact that she tracked which direction I was coming from!? That’s terrifying.

Where are her eyes even watching from…?

“What’s going on between you all?”

“Th-that’s…”

Chiya froze.

The other sisters also seemed at a loss, unable to come up with a clever way to spin it.

“You don’t have to tell me. I’ll just ask Hanano.”

“…Guh.”

And thus, the verbal boomerang returned.

◇◇◇

“You confessed… to your stepsister!? Are you out of your mind!?”

Saezuki-san, having discovered the step-sibling connection, was now laying into the Tsukimori sisters with full force.

“Yes. I’ve fallen so deeply into forbidden love with my darling stepsister that—”

“We get it! You don’t have to play that angle again!”

As always, Hiyori-san was unfazed. Respect.

“G-Given that it’s not blood-related, there’s nothing technically wrong, right?”

“I’m not talking about rules! I’m talking about ethics! A pervert who falls for her own stepsister has no right to judge me for being dishonest!”

“Ugh…”

Karin couldn’t come up with a comeback.

“And you—acting all proper and righteous—look who’s talking. You really think you’re in a position to criticize me, Tsukimori Chiya?”

“…”

Chiya fell silent.

Looks like that one hit the mark.

“Mixing personal feelings with formal conduct isn’t a good idea, you know? The more serious a person acts, the more of a wolf they tend to be in private—”

“Nobody asked you, Hiyori!”

Still, Hiyori remained absolutely unfazed and on her own wavelength.

And yet, despite all the shouting, the situation had reached a standstill.

“…So?”

All eyes turned toward me—me.

Why were they all looking at me like that?

“What do you want to do, Hanano?”

“Who are you going to date, Akari?”

“What are your thoughts, Akari-chan?”

“We want to hear your opinion.”

…

“I’d like to invoke my right to remain silent.”

“Denied.”

Gwah!!

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