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 22

“Phew… All done!”

The last bit of cleanup was finished.

“Thank you. That was a huge help.”

Chiya-san, who had remained seated and watched me finish the task, immediately offered her thanks.

“No problem at all! There wasn’t much left anyway!”

“But I didn’t intend to leave you to do it alone… I’m sorry.”

Chiya-san’s brows drew together in frustration.

Seeing that side of her again, I was reminded—she really is a perfectionist at heart.

“More importantly, how are you feeling, Chiya-san? You’re not hurting anywhere, are you?”

“I’m fine… see?”

She stood up to demonstrate—but…

“Your face still looks kind of pale, though?”

“It’s just your imagination.”

“You’re incredibly good at hiding discomfort, aren’t you?”

Honestly, it wouldn’t hurt to admit weakness every once in a while—especially when you’re feeling unwell.

“This barely counts as discomfort.”

“Why do you always push yourself so hard?”

“…Didn’t I tell you before? I just want to become a normal person.”

“You did say that.”

Chiya-san began to speak, slowly and carefully.

“My parents divorced because my mother had an affair.”

It was something neither Hiyori-san nor Karin-san had ever mentioned—clearly, they didn’t know.

“My father was devastated. There was a time when he could hardly function, even at work. He lost a lot of weight.”

“I… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Seeing him like that… I couldn’t forgive my mother. Hiyori and Karin don’t know the details, but they sensed something, and they chose to stay with our father.”

There’s surely a lot more to the story. But I can’t comment freely.
What matters right now is how she feels about it.

“And… that’s why you want to be a ‘normal’ person?”

“It is. Because I carry the bl00d of a woman who betrayed her husband.”

“…”

I suppose that is one way of looking at it.

But… it’s such a painful perspective.

“Just knowing I have that woman’s bl00d inside me… makes me hate myself.”

It was heartbreaking self-loathing.

And I couldn’t help but wonder—how does that self-denial affect her relationship with her sisters?

“But… doesn’t that also apply to Hiyori-san and Karin-san?”

If she resents the part of herself that inherited her mother’s bl00d… wouldn’t that same logic apply to her sisters?

“That’s exactly why I want to become a proper person. If I work hard, if I become a ‘normal’ human being, I can prove that her bl00d doesn’t define me.”

Chiya-san’s perfectionism had its roots in a deep rejection of her mother.

She could only affirm her own worth by rejecting the very person who brought her into the world.

She had chosen such a lonely, twisted way of living.

“I know it’s warped. And I know it has nothing to do with those two. But if I don’t keep myself in check, I can’t be at peace.”

“So that’s why you work so hard—at school, in the student council—and why you try to be a perfect older sister…”

“Yes. That’s who I am. Which is why I could never tell them the truth about all this.”

But to me, it just sounded like she cared deeply for them.

She didn’t want to say anything negative because she didn’t want to hurt them.

Even if she was harsh on herself, she always tried to be kind to her sisters.

She just… wasn’t very good at balancing the two.

“But, Chiya-san… if you push yourself so hard that you collapse, isn’t that defeating the point?”

“You’re right. I didn’t manage myself well. That was my mistake. I’ll admit that.”

“Ah, no… I didn’t mean it that way. I just think… maybe it’s okay to take it easy now and then.”

Her results spoke for themselves. She’d already proven she was capable—maybe it was okay to breathe.

Because no one can sustain that pace forever.

“If I don’t keep going like this… I can’t forgive myself.”

She needed results to validate her existence. That’s why she kept pushing forward, no matter how hard.

It was the life of someone incredibly disciplined.

“I could never live like that.”

“You don’t need to.”

But still… if she keeps pushing like this, someday she’s going to snap.

Even today’s incident felt like a warning sign.

“I’m not looking to be understood. This is my problem.”

And with that, Chiya-san turned her back on me.

Why?

Why does she keep choosing to carry this battle on her own?

Whether she’s right or wrong—I don’t know.

I’m not sure I even can know.

That’s something only Chiya-san can truly resolve within herself.

But that doesn’t mean I can just say “okay” and walk away.
I don’t want to.

“Alright, Chiya-san! I haven’t given you permission to get up and walk around yet!”

“…Huh?”

I placed a hand on her shoulder and gently—but firmly—guided her back into the chair.

If she could be pushed down with just my strength, then she clearly wasn’t at full capacity.

“Wh-What are you doing, all of a sudden—”

“Shh. Just sit still, please.”

Rustle, rustle.

Her silky black hair slid through my fingers like water.

With her seated in the chair, her head was now level with my chest.

And I gently stroked her beautiful head.

“There, there. Good girl, good girl.”

“…What is this.”

Caught completely off guard, Chiya-san’s voice stumbled over the words.

“I’m petting you.”

“I can see that. I’m asking why you’re doing it.”

Because… she works too hard.

“Because no matter what anyone says, you’ll always keep pushing yourself.
So if that’s the case, then someone needs to recognize those efforts and say, well done.”

“…I don’t need that. As long as I get results, that’s enough for me.”

“No, Chiya-san. That’s not right.”

She’d lived this way so long, she’d forgotten something important.

“I’m not praising the results. I’m praising you, Chiya-san.”

“…I see. So that’s what you meant.”

If she was determined to keep fighting her invisible battles alone—
Then I would at least take a step toward her.

Just to show that she wasn’t alone.
That just being here, still moving forward, was something incredible.

That even if the results never came, someone would still see her.
And value her.

That’s what I want to give to Chiya-san.

“Still, it’s strange… being praised by you, of all people.”

“Yeah… I get that. I’m just a hopeless mess—so it’s not really my place to talk down to anyone…”

But I can’t help it.

Because Chiya-san was the one who showed me that she was carrying all this loneliness.

Even if I’m not strong enough. Even if I’m not capable.
This—right here—is something only I can do for her.

“If you outperform me someday, then maybe I’ll accept your words a little more seriously.”

“There’s no way that’s happening…”

“…True. But—”

Chiya-san stopped mid-sentence, taking in a breath.

Then, after a brief pause, she exhaled softly, glanced up at me—

—and smiled.

“…But having you pet me like this… it’s surprisingly comforting.”

And the way she said it, looking up at me with those eyes—made my hands start to tremble.