I Confessed to the Three Beautiful Sisters at School and Got Rejected, but After I Became their Stepsister, They Started Doting On Me - Chapter 79

After parting ways with Chiya-san, I found myself sitting alone on a bench in the courtyard.

I was waiting—waiting to fulfill the final promise of the day.

“Yo. You made it.”

“O-Oh, hi! Good work today!”

Saezuki-san appeared, stretching her arms wide with a dramatic yawn.

“Man, finally. Been waiting forever for this.”

It was already well into the afternoon. I must have kept her waiting longer than I realized.

She let out a deep sigh, as if to say, “About time.”

“Sorry for making you wait…”

“Eh, it’s fine. After all, Miss Popular with the Tsukimori Sisters must be super busy, huh?”

Her tone was half teasing, but I could hear something distant in her voice. Almost like her heart wasn’t fully in it.

“So, how was it? Did you have fun?”

“…You mean the maid café?”

Honestly, the embarrassment kind of overwhelmed any actual enjoyment…

“No, not that. I meant—how was it going around the festival with the Tsukimori girls? Did you have fun with them?”

“Oh… That. Yeah, I did. It was fun.”

“Huh…”

She glanced at me from the side with a sly, unreadable expression.

“Guess I can’t afford to lose, then.”

Then, without waiting for a reply, she turned her back to me and started walking away.

Her posture practically screamed, “Follow me.”

“…Can’t afford to lose?”

“I mean, I’ve gotta make sure our time together is even more fun than theirs. That’s all.”

She flashed a bold, confident smile.

That kind of honest, straightforward feeling—it got my heart fluttering in a way I couldn’t explain.

“So, um… where are we going?”

“The gym, obviously.”

“…Wait, what?”

The excitement I’d just started to feel fizzled out almost instantly.

The gym?

There was only one thing going on in there…

“…What for, exactly?”

“A live show, duh. My friend’s band is performing soon.”

Hiiiieeeee.

I forgot…
Saezuki-san’s a full-on extrovert.

Of course she’s part of a crowd that includes people performing on stage at a school festival.

Her world is the complete opposite of mine.

“Why are you making that face? You’re about to make me lose confidence over here.”

“No, it’s just… I’m not sure I belong in that kind of space…”

“You’ll be fine. It’s just our classmates—you see them every day.”

“Yes, but… performing music or singing in front of a crowd, celebrating youth with unapologetic confidence… Those are the kinds of people who make me feel like I should just disappear into vapor.”

“Jeez, that’s a bit dramatic… But hey, weren’t you just playing maid earlier? Wasn’t that your own kind of ‘youth moment’?”

Ughhhh…

She had a point. An uncomfortably valid point.

Yeah… that was basically a black-mark moment on my personal timeline.

“Anyway, don’t judge things before you’ve even tried them. You might enjoy it more than you think.”

“R-Right…”

“And if it totally sucks, we’ll just leave. Easy.”

…She was right again.

She went out of her way to invite me. Refusing outright would’ve been rude.

“Okay. I’ll go.”

◇◇◇

Inside the gym, the lights were dimmed.

Only the stage was lit, glowing under spotlights.

The speakers boomed with bass-heavy rhythms, and the vocals layered on top—loud, emotional, alive.

The entire gym buzzed with energy.

“Know this one?”

“Ah, yeah. I know this one.”

It was a popular song I’d heard online recently—even I was familiar with it.

To hear classmates performing it live, and to share that moment with a crowd of other students…
It was a strange, exhilarating atmosphere.

“Not bad, huh?”

“…Yeah, it’s pretty good.”

To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure if I belonged here yet.

But still—surrounded by music so loud that only voices close by could be heard, and with everyone’s eyes fixed on the stage—
It was actually more comfortable than I expected.

And that was probably because Saezuki-san was here beside me.

If I had come alone, I wouldn’t have even heard the music before running out of the gym.

“Still… I never thought I’d be walking around the school festival with you, Saezuki-san.”

Life really does take unexpected turns.

“Wow. So you didn’t want to hang out with me that badly?”

“No, no! That’s not what I meant… I just didn’t imagine we’d ever be this close.”

“…You’re still holding a grudge, aren’t you? About me getting Chiya to confess to you.”

Her voice dipped, just a little heavier than usual.

“I’m not holding a grudge, but… I honestly thought you hated me back then.”

It hadn’t been that long ago, but it felt like a distant memory now.

“I was desperate too, you know.”

“R-Right… I guess that makes sense.”

It never crossed my mind that she’d done it out of feelings for me. That possibility hadn’t even existed in my world.

“But I don’t regret it.”

Her voice suddenly firmed, clear and steady.

There wasn’t a trace of hesitation.

“I care about you, Hanano. I wanted to be honest about that. Maybe I went about it the wrong way, but my feelings weren’t a mistake. Even if it caused you trouble, I still don’t regret it.”

Her eyes never left the stage, but every word was filled with quiet sincerity—spoken for me.

I truly admired how Saezuki-san could express her feelings so directly and fearlessly.

Unlike me—who’s always uncertain, always hesitating.

“…That’s why,” she said.

We stood side by side.

And then—

Her hand gently took mine.

Her fingers laced with mine, slow and deliberate, until our hands were woven together.

That simple touch sent a warmth through me—stronger than even the crowd’s excited energy surrounding us.

“I’m not giving up on you. Even if it makes me look pathetic or ridiculous—if I’m the one who gets to stand next to you in the end, that’s all I care about.”

I could no longer hear the music.
The cheers, the instruments, the singing—they all vanished.

Right now, the only things in my world were her voice… and the warmth of her hand.

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