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 31

That girl… I can’t read her.

Understanding other people isn’t something that comes easily.

Most of the time, people don’t even understand themselves very well.

I know that—at least in theory.

But even among all the unknowable people in the world… I find her especially hard to grasp.

“What is it, coming here at this hour?”

It was nearly nine o’clock when I heard a knock at the door.

I opened it, and there stood Hanano Akari.

“Um, I… There’s something I was hoping you could teach me…”

She was clutching her textbooks and notebooks to her chest.

Clearly, she wasn’t here for small talk. She’d come to ask for help with her studies.

But she looked strangely timid, as though gauging my mood, shrinking in on herself.

“…Very well. Come in.”

I stepped aside and let her in.

She entered with her shoulders slightly hunched, like a small animal creeping into unfamiliar territory.

“What’s wrong? You’re the one who asked for help.”

“Ah—yes, well… I get a little nervous entering your space, Chiya-san…”

To come here of her own volition and then get nervous about it—what was that supposed to mean?

I didn’t say it aloud, but I couldn’t help wondering.
Still… maybe I should focus on the fact that despite her nerves, she chose to prioritize studying.

Even so, the vague discomfort I felt—I didn’t know how to explain it, not even to myself.

“So? What don’t you understand?”

I set up a spare chair and gestured for her to sit in front of the desk.

She followed my lead and opened her notebook and textbook.

“Um, I’m stuck on this problem here…”

“That one, hmm—”

I don’t particularly dislike teaching.

But I wouldn’t say I enjoy it, either.

To me, academic performance is simply necessary proof of my existence.
There isn’t any deeper emotion attached to it.

I teach because I’m capable.

Besides, for a student, having good grades never causes harm.

That’s why I’ve always encouraged my family to do their best.
I don’t care what others do—but for those I live with, I want to share that value.

Though, thinking back now…

I told her to avoid failing grades before I’d fully accepted her.

That may have been a contradiction in itself.

If I’d truly seen her as just a stranger, there would’ve been no reason to interfere in the first place.

“I see. That makes perfect sense now—thank you so much!”

Once I’d finished explaining, the wrinkles on her brow disappeared, replaced by a bright smile.

“But you’ve really been putting in effort, haven’t you?”

“Eh? D-Do you really think so…?”

“Yes. You’re grasping things much faster than before, and I don’t have to explain as much. That’s clear evidence that you’ve been studying regularly.”

Her efforts were plain to see.

So I acknowledged them.

It was nothing special. Just the obvious, natural thing to do.

“Ehehehe…”

And yet, she smiled far too broadly for such a simple comment.

There was nothing about what I said that should’ve brought on a smile like that.

All I did was reflect back the truth of what she’d done—no more, no less.

No embellishment, no omission—just the reality of who she was.

“You really do make the silliest faces.”

And for some reason, I found myself saying something like that.

It wasn’t a fair remark.

She’d only smiled—just a little—because she was pleased.

And yet I had framed it as if it were some undignified expressions.

“Uhehe…”

“Why are you even happier now…?”

No one should feel more cheerful after being told their smile was silly.

But she did.

Her expression brightened even more than when I praised her for studying.

“When you speak to me firmly, Chiya-san, it makes me feel more focused. And when you praise me… it makes me really happy.”

That’s right.

She accepts everything about me—without hesitation.

She rejoices when praised.
She even smiles when criticized.

For someone’s emotions to only ever produce positive responses—that shouldn’t be possible.

And yet, she makes it seem perfectly natural.

Her heart… is something I still can’t read.

“You’re incredibly honest, aren’t you, Akari?”

“Well, I mean, I couldn’t possibly keep secrets from someone as brilliant as you, Chiya-san!”

That’s simply not true.

There’s very little I actually understand.

Just her student council tasks, and the effort she puts into her studies. That’s all.

I don’t understand people’s hearts at all.

And in the end… that lack of understanding came back to haunt me.

I rejected my mother’s way of living.
I chose a silent path of principled restraint.

And I never imagined that the result would tear my family apart.

I worked so hard to avoid becoming like that woman who made us suffer.

But instead, I ended up warping the very bond I sought to protect.

There’s nothing more backward than that.

And the one who made me realize it—was her.

“You’re wrong. You’re much more perceptive than I am, Akari.”

As a way of living, I think I chose the wrong path.

And yet she, just by becoming my little sister, taught me that truth so easily.

Something I could never have done.

“Th-That’s… way too much. Chiya-san, please don’t say things like that in public! Someone’s bound to stab me!”

And still…

She reacts like that—completely misunderstanding the weight behind my words.

She’s impossible to predict.

“I only said what I meant. That’s hardly something to be stabbed over.”

“I-I guess so…”

It’s because of her that I began voicing what I felt.

Thanks to that change, the fraying bonds of our family are beginning to mend.
I owe her for that.

“Well then, thank you again for helping me today! You really saved me, Chiya-san. I’ll be going now—!”

Bowing quickly and deeply, she began shuffling out of the room.

I watched her back retreat—and called out:

“If you ever get stuck again, feel free to come ask me.”

I don’t particularly like or dislike teaching.

But when it comes to teaching her… I actually enjoy it.

Why is that?

The answer is probably a simple one.

“R-Really…? I can come again?”

“Of course. It’d be more trouble for me if you flunked.”

Such an indirect and clumsy way of speaking.

There were so many better ways to express what I meant.

“Thank you so much! If I can keep learning from you, I know I’ll be able to keep trying my best!”

But she accepted it with a smile.

The door closed quietly behind her, and what remained was the cool breeze now swirling inside my heart.

“…How troublesome.”

She taught me how to share what I feel.

And yet this emotion—the one she brought into my life—I still can’t bring myself to confess.

Because it’s too intense.
So warm, so vast… it feels like it might overflow.

I don’t even know how to handle it—let alone how to let it go.

But even so…

Spending time with her, even while holding this contradiction inside me—
I don’t think I mind that at all.

Because through this feeling she’s awakened in me…

I’ve found myself wanting to understand her more than anyone else.