I Confessed to the Three Beautiful Sisters at School and Got Rejected, but After I Became their Stepsister, They Started Doting On Me - Chapter 75

Unacceptable…

Me? Serving customers as a maid?
Who on earth would want that?

I refuse to allow something that would only bring suffering to the guests.

“Does anyone else want to request changes? If not, I’ll finalize the assignments as is.”

Grrr… gnngh…

And yet, all I could do was sit there, watching the meeting continue in silence.

Raising your hand in front of everyone is nerve-wracking, isn’t it?

Especially when it’s for something personal like: “Please don’t make me a maid.”

Just imagining saying that out loud… it’s unbearable.

Also, is no one else bothered by this?

Isn’t anyone questioning why my name is on the list of maids?

Aren’t they secretly thinking I’m not good enough?
A mess of anxiety and fear of being laughed at was melting my thoughts into sludge…

“…(Stare)”

“…Huh?”

As I flailed mentally, I felt someone’s gaze on me.

It was Saezuki-san.

Even when our eyes met, she didn’t say anything. She just turned back to the front of the classroom.

“Excuse me, class rep? I have a quick question~”

Saezuki-san raised her hand casually.

“Yes, Saezuki-san?”

Oh? They’re using formal “-san” with each other in this setting.
What an odd sense of distance…

“I think Hanano looks like she wants to say something?”

!?

Saezuki-san!!

Did you pick up on that just from my expression!?
That’s… really sweet of you, but also—I wasn’t ready!

“Hanano-san, do you have something to say?”

Chiya-san asked gently.

But I just panicked.

“A-ah, um… well…”

I’ve come this far—I can’t back out now, can I?

I-I have to gather my courage…

“Alright, if there’s nothing, then I’ll go ahead and finalize—”

“…!?”

Wait, Chiya-san! That’s way too fast!

I could see the future clearly now—a future where I was forced to be a maid. And it was a future of pure suffering.

“I-I’d like to be in the kitchen crew instead of being a maid!”

Y-yes! I said it!!

“That’s not possible.”

“Whaaat!?”

A rejection out of nowhere!?
That’s allowed!?

“We collected both self-nominations and recommendations from others. Those with more recommendations were prioritized for maid roles. It’s the kind of task better suited to people chosen by others.”

“But… I didn’t nominate myself…”

“No, Hanano-san. You were recommended by others.”

“WHAT!?”

W-Who would do such a thing!?

Is this… am I being bullied!?

“I—I want to see the breakdown! Please, show me the breakdown!”

Maybe someone else also got recommended for a maid role…
If I could steer the conversation toward asking that person to switch…

“I wasn’t originally going to show it, but… well, it was a class-wide survey, so I suppose it’s fine.”

A pie chart appeared on the screen.
(Your prep work is terrifyingly thorough, Chiya-san.)

The majority of the chart was taken up by the names: Tsukimori Chiya, Hiyori, and Karin.
Then came Saezuki in a smaller slice.

Makes sense… if it was a class survey, that result was inevitable.

And then—just a tiny sliver marked Hanano Akari…

No way.

I stared at the numbers next to the name:

Votes: 4

…FOUR!?

That number… felt far too familiar.

I looked around the classroom in panic.

(K-Karin-san, maybe…!)

—Snap!

The moment I looked at her, she whipped her head around so fast it could’ve caused whiplash.

That was way too obvious!

(Then… what about Hiyori-san…?)

—♡

Our eyes met—and she gave me the brightest smile while forming a heart with her hands.

So… they’re not even trying to hide it.

Too embarrassed to meet her eyes, I looked away.

(Could it be… Saezuki-san too…?)

—Silence.

…Huh?

She showed no signs of looking my way.

Even though just moments ago, she was reading my silences like a mind reader.

Now it felt like she was purposefully avoiding me.

(Then… last hope: Chiya-san…?)

“That concludes the cultural festival assignments. Everything is finalized and non-negotiable.”

She ended it!?

That blunt declaration… it reeked of personal bias.

So in the end, I really have no choice but to be a maid…

Alongside the stunning Tsukimori sisters and Saezuki-san.

I… I can’t.

I’m like a muddy pebble tossed among diamonds—it’s just too much!

◇◇◇

“Um, Chiya-san… can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Yes? What is it?”

I managed to catch her alone right after the meeting ended.

“So… I wasn’t even aware there was a role survey. I don’t remember being asked anything…”

I mean, I don’t recall ever being handed a form or anything.

“I asked people individually.”

“Ah… I see. Then maybe… you just forgot to ask me?”

If I had been asked, I definitely would’ve requested kitchen duty.

“No, I asked you. You said, and I quote—‘Anything’s fine.’”

“Ehh!?”

I have zero memory of this!

When did that even happen!?

“Yes… you must have forgotten.”

“No, I mean—it’s not that I forgot. I’m saying it never happened in the first place!”

“That’s what everyone who forgets says.”

“W-Wait! Then show me the notes you took—your data!”

She kept everything else so meticulously documented—there’s no way she doesn’t have the survey results too!

“I have another matter to attend to. I need to head to the student council room. Excuse me.”

“Wait—Chiya-san, please—”

And just like that, she briskly left the classroom with not even a sliver of mercy.

Was it just me, or did that… look an awful lot like running away?

◇◇◇

“Hey, Hanano. Looks like we’re both maids. Ugh, what a pain, right?”

As I sat at my desk, head in my hands, Saezuki-san strolled over with a half-smile.

She didn’t look like it was a pain at all…

“I don’t want to do this… I really don’t…”

“C’mon, it’s already decided. Might as well roll with it.”

She accepted it so easily…

At this point, there’s no use asking, “You were one of the people who recommended me, weren’t you?”

She’s right. It’s been decided—I have no choice but to go along.

“So, hey. What are you planning to do during the free time when we’re not working the café?”

“Eh? I guess I’ll just check out the exhibits?”

I’ll wander around the displays from the art and literature clubs.
Those calm, intellectual spaces are where I can safely blend in alone.

The only downside is that I have to stay until the end of the day…

There’s no way I’m going near the food stalls or the live shows.
Those extrovert hotspots would swallow me whole.

“W-Well then… wanna walk around with me?”

“…Excuse me?”

W-Wait.

Did that just happen!?

—Ping. Ping. Ping.

“…Huh?”

My phone buzzed with new messages.

From Tsukimori Chiya, Hiyori, and Karin.

Oh no… I can already guess…

“Is something wrong with that?”

“Ah, um, well…”

Of course.
A happy invitation…
Quickly followed by an ominous chorus of judgment.

Just like during the sports festival…

“C-Can we maybe… pick time slots…?”

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