I Confessed to the Three Beautiful Sisters at School and Got Rejected, but After I Became their Stepsister, They Started Doting On Me (GL) - Chapter 12

Hmm… What should I do?

I sit in my room, thinking things over.

I haven’t given up on getting closer to Hiyori-san.

But if I try to approach her recklessly, I still won’t be able to grasp her true feelings.

I need to think things through carefully before taking action.

“Akari?”

A soft knock on the door is followed by a familiar voice.

“Can I come in?”

“Go ahead.”

The door creaks open, revealing Karin-san, fresh from club activities.

“So? Did you manage to get closer to Hiyori-neesan?”

The fact that she asks about it the moment she gets home shows just how much Karin-san is concerned about Hiyori-san.

“Well… she kept dodging me.”

“Ahaha, figures.”

Karin-san chuckles, shaking her shoulders slightly, looking somewhat pleased.

“Why are you laughing? Do you enjoy the fact that I can’t get close to her?”

Is my lack of social skills that amusing?

I mean, I’m aware of it, but still.

“No, no, it’s just that even you, Akari, couldn’t get through to her. I kind of expected that.”

Despite her words, she seems oddly delighted about it.

“Wait a second, Karin-san… Could it be that you don’t actually want me to get close to Hiyori-san?”

“Huh?! N-no way!”

…Oh?

She’s clearly flustered.

I’ve spent enough time with her now to pick up on these little tells.

“Could it be that you actually—”

“Wha—!? No way, no way! You’re overthinking this!”

Karin-san suddenly panics, cutting me off before I can finish.

But why?

“…Karin-san?”

“Eh, ah, um…?”

“I was just about to say, ‘you probably find it amusing that I’m a loner even at home.’”

“…”

Karin-san falls silent.

…Did I misinterpret something?

“Wait. If that’s not it… does that mean my loneliness isn’t even interesting enough to laugh at?”

“…Akari, you’re not saying this on purpose, right?”

“On purpose? No one becomes a loner on purpose!”

It just happens.

Karin-san presses her fingers against her forehead as if trying to ease a headache.

Is something bothering her?

“Ah, well… whatever. Let’s just leave it for now.”

She seems to come to some kind of conclusion on her own.

“But you still want to get closer to Hiyori-neesan, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll give you a little advice.”

“Are you sure?”

She doesn’t seem entirely happy about it.

“If that’s what you really want, I’ll support you.”

“Karin-san…!”

She really is such a kind person.

Overcome with gratitude, I take a step toward her to express my thanks—

“Wha—?! Stop, don’t come any closer!”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, she takes a step back.

What is this, some kind of mixed signals?

I feel like I’m being hit with both kindness and rejection at the same time.

“You can’t just approach people so suddenly! It’s surprising!”

“Even if it’s sudden, you shouldn’t mind it so much.”

“I mind it because it’s you!”

“…Huh?”

Wait.

What does she mean by because it’s me?

“Ah, no, I didn’t mean it like that! I just, uh… I mean, there’s a reason…!!”

“Ahh…”

I see now.

Fufu… Karin-san, so that’s what’s bothering you.

“Karin-san, I understand everything now.”

“Huh?! No way…”

“You’re a delicate young lady—an otome, after all. Isn’t that right?”

“No way…”

Even if it’s just me, another girl, she can’t help but be conscious of it.

“In other words… you’re just worried about smelling like sweat after club activities, right?”

“…”

“But don’t worry! No matter what scent it is, I’m confident that anything coming from Karin-san would be wonderful!”

“…”

“Karin-san?”

“You’re definitely doing this on purpose, aren’t you?!”

◇◇◇

As dinner time approaches, I head downstairs and make my way to the kitchen.

“Hiyori-san, I’d like to help with dinner preparations.”

“Oh?”

There, in the kitchen, stands Hiyori-san, already preparing dinner.

The sight of Hiyori-san in her uniform with an apron draped over it…

It gives off the vibe of a high school housewife, and for some reason, it feels strangely illicit.

…Wait, what am I even thinking?

“You don’t have to worry too much. This is my role, after all.”

“No, no, actually… there’s a bit of a situation that makes that difficult.”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

This is where Karin-san’s advice comes into play.

“Listen, Hiyori-neesan doesn’t rely on others. Even with us sisters, it’s only when absolutely necessary.”

“I see… she really is like a mother, isn’t she?”

“A mother?”

“Ah, sorry… never mind.”

I had subconsciously been thinking of Hiyori-san as the saintly mother figure of the Tsukimori sisters, and it made me say something unnecessary.

“So if you want to draw out her true feelings, you need to do something together with her. You have to create a situation where she has no choice but to rely on you.”

“I see.”

“Now, do you know what you should do?”

“Well… earlier, I did help her hang the laundry.”

“But she basically did most of it herself, didn’t she?”

“Ah… that’s true.”

“Hiyori-neesan is so efficient at housework that there’s barely anything left for us to do.”

That means I need to find another way to work with her.

“So what you have to do is create an irregular situation.”

“An irregular situation?”

And so, with those words setting the stage for a new development—

“Chiya-san and Karin-san were saying that today, they absolutely must have tempura with seasonal vegetables and fish.”

“Oh my…?”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“Well, I was planning on making a meat dish today… so we don’t have the ingredients.”

This is exactly the plan Karin-san came up with—

A forceful strategy that involves changing the dinner menu at the last minute.

Since Hiyori-san never insists on her own preferences and always prioritizes her sisters’ requests, she will inevitably try to accommodate the sudden change.

But in this case, we don’t have the necessary ingredients.

Which means—

“We’ll have to go grocery shopping, won’t we?”

“Yes, but…”

“By the way, I’m usually the one who does the grocery shopping.”

“Why is that?”

It would make more sense for Hiyori-san, who’s in charge of cooking, to do the shopping as well.

“Hiyori-neesan doesn’t have much strength, so she can’t carry heavy bags.”

“What a delicate and precious existence she is.”

“…Maybe I should quit being the grocery person too.”

“Why would you do that?”

And just as Karin-san predicted—

“Chiya-san is still at school, and Karin-san is in the shower. So that leaves only me to help.”

“I see, but…”

“I don’t really know much about the local supermarkets, so you should come with me. I’ll carry the bags.”

“…I suppose there’s no other choice.”

Reluctantly, Hiyori-san removes her apron.

“Well then, I’ll be counting on you, Hanano-san.”

“Of course! You can rely on me for anything.”

As expected of a plan devised by Karin-san.

Everything is going smoothly.

Now, I just need to use this chance to close the gap between Hiyori-san and me…!