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 15

“So, why did Hiyori-nee suddenly start calling Akari by a nickname?”

As dinner continued, Karin-san’s curiosity shifted toward Hiyori-san.

“Well, she is my stepsister. Isn’t it natural that, as we grow closer, I’d start calling her by a nickname?”

“Heh, so you have gotten close. But still, don’t you think it happened a bit too fast?”

“After all, Akachan clung to my arm with such fervor and begged me to be close with her—I simply couldn’t refuse.”

Wha—Hiyori-san!?

I only took your hand to help you out of a tricky situation with that stranger!

Yes, I did say I wanted to get closer to you, but the way you’re putting it sounds… wrong!

“Akari… what exactly did you do out there…?”

Karin-san shot me a withering stare.

You know the situation, don’t you!?

“If Karin-chan wants to use a nickname too, why not go ahead?”

“Huh!? I never said I wanted to!”

“Oh my… I thought you might be upset because I beat you to the nickname.”

“N-N-N-Not at all! I don’t care about how I call her! Akari is Akari, and that’s just fine. I’ve never thought about calling her anything else!”

“But earlier, when she called you Karin-chan, you were clearly happy, weren’t you?”

“You saw that!? I-I mean, no, I wasn’t happy at all!”

…Yeah, sure…

As we sat around the table, Hiyori-san and Karin-san chatted like this.

Compared to the cold atmosphere during our first meal together, the difference was night and day.

I could feel the sisters slowly growing closer, and being able to witness my favorites getting along so well—nothing makes me happier.

“…How noisy.”

—Silence.

With just one sentence, the room fell into complete stillness.

The earlier chatter evaporated instantly.

Overpowering the entire space was the eldest sister—Chiya-san.

“I-It’s okay to chat a little during dinner, isn’t it…?”

Karin-san, lips pouting, tried to defend herself.

Though slightly intimidated, she summoned the courage to speak her mind—so cute.

“I’m not saying you can’t talk. But is it worth pausing your meal over?”

“T-That’s…”

“If you want to chit-chat, there’s plenty of time for that later.”

“…Okay.”

Chiya-san left no room for argument, and Karin-san wilted like a flower.

Even when sulking, she’s still adorable.

“Hiyori, you’re free to use whatever nickname you like, but don’t do it at school.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“You address everyone else with -san, but if you start calling her something different, people will notice.”

“Would that be a problem? We’re family.”

Wow… Hiyori-san’s deft. She dodged Chiya-san’s jab and still stood her ground.

“But that’s exactly why she goes by ‘Hanano’ at school, isn’t it?”

“Ah…”

Hiyori-san cast a guilty glance at me.

“No matter how much you call her your stepsister, your family, at school she’s ‘Hanano Akari.’ She herself is trying to act like a stranger.”

“…That might be true, but—”

“Then you shouldn’t compromise her position on your own whim.”

“…You’re right.”

Even Hiyori-san was at a loss for words.

But honestly, this is partly my fault…

“You became part of our family due to our parents’ decision, so I don’t blame you. But if you’re going to pretend to be a stranger at school, you should maintain appropriate distance at home as well.”

Chiya-san’s final shot was aimed straight at me.

“Um, I do intend to maintain that distance…”

The reason I reached out to Hiyori-san and Karin-san was solely to help strengthen the bond among the three sisters.

As long as the Tsukimori sisters stayed close, I’d be content just watching from afar.

In a way, Hanano Akari is a symbol of that stance.

“In that case, don’t show up at Karin’s club or meddle in Hiyori’s cooking.”

Eep.

T-The intensity of her words…

She knew everything I’d done in trying to grow closer with them…

To Chiya-san, it must seem that I’ve overstepped what’s acceptable for an “outsider.”

And… she’s not wrong. Just a few days ago, I was a complete stranger.

Trying to repair their family bonds must seem like meddling.

“Do you understand, Hanano Akari?”

“…Yes, Chiya-san.”

In the end, none of us had any words to counter Chiya-san.

We all fell silent under her unshakable authority.

◇◇◇

“Wow… It’s been a while since I’ve seen Chiya-nee that cold.”

“Indeed. It’s rare for her to bare her fangs at everyone like that.”

In the end, we recreated that same tense, silent dinner from before.

Trying to vent their frustration, the second and third sisters commiserated quietly.

That’s… fine, but—

“Um, why are we in my room, exactly?”

“Huh? Why, you ask?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious?”

For some reason, these two were currently in my room.
I couldn’t fully grasp the situation, and I was completely confused.

“Because we’re worried about you, Akachan.”
“Because we’re worried about you, Akari.”

…What was that synchronized response!?

“…Uheheh.”

This is too much. I might actually lose my mind from sheer happiness.

“Why are you laughing so weirdly…?”

“There must be a reason for it.”

It’s already surreal enough to have these two in my room.

And now they’re worried about me on top of that?

I’m the luckiest person alive…

“So, Akari, aren’t you at least a little down after what happened?”

“Not at all. I’m on cloud nine.”

“Are you a masochist!?”

“This is the first time anyone’s shown me this much kindness.”

“Define ‘kindness!’”

Ah, no… Their concern is kindness.

But it seems Karin-san has seriously misunderstood something here…

“You mustn’t, Karin-chan. Don’t just hurl accusations at Akachan like that.”

“No, Hiyori-nee, I wasn’t trying to—”

As expected of the elder sister, Hiyori-san gently calmed the mood.

“So, Akachan, was there something bothering you?”

Hiyori-san asked me again, gently drawing the conversation forward.

“Well… I was just wondering—Is Chiya-san always like that?”

I could feel that Hiyori-san and Karin-san had grown closer.

But what I also realized during dinner was that, unless the eldest sister Chiya-san is involved, there can’t be real progress in mending their bond.

That’s why, now more than ever, I need to understand Chiya-san better.

“Ah… Well, Chiya-nee was always a cool type, but she really started acting like that about five years ago.”

“Five years ago…?”

Karin-san gave me that point of reference.

“The day our father and mother divorced.”

Hiyori-san answered, revealing the turning point.

“From that day on, Chiya-chan’s demeanor became even more rigid.”

“She never really told us why, but she must’ve had her reasons.”

If both of her younger sisters say so, then that event must indeed be the cause.

“But we try not to bring it up.”

“Yes, even among siblings, there are delicate areas we don’t cross.”

Perhaps because they’re siblings, they understood the need to respect those boundaries.
There was no reason to press Chiya-san about it unnecessarily.

“I see. Then tomorrow, I’ll confirm it for myself.”

“Were you even listening!?”

“You truly fear nothing, do you…”

Fufu.

Everyone seems to have forgotten something.

I am Hanano Akari—stepsister and ardent supporter of the Tsukimori sisters.

Their happiness is my happiness.
So even if I get scolded a little, I’ll keep pushing forward for their sake.