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 38

Once Akari had fallen fast asleep, the Tsukimori triplets gathered quietly in the living room.

With the lights dimmed to their lowest, the three huddled close, speaking in low voices under the gentle shadows.

“This time… I really do think we need to reflect on our actions.”

“Yeah… I agree.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Unusually, it was the middle sister, Hiyori, who led the conversation.

While the youngest, Karin, tended to act based on emotion, it was clear that the direction of this discussion had been heavily influenced by the eldest, Chiya.

Of course, despite being sisters, the three were technically triplets, and there wasn’t any formal hierarchy among them.

Even so, Chiya’s naturally composed and leader-like disposition, her tendency to guide things logically, gave her words undeniable weight.

She was aware of this herself—and felt no small amount of guilt about what had happened earlier.

“We didn’t mean any harm, but… we should have considered how much pressure we were placing on Akari-chan.”

“Yeah… like she said, having to choose between the three of us—of course that’s going to cause tension.”

“She was in a painful position. And it’s not like we couldn’t have seen that if we’d tried.”

Hiyori’s bitter tone was met with honest agreement from her sisters.

“But… I still can’t help but wonder. Would things have gone more smoothly if Akari-chan had simply chosen one of us?”

Hiyori posed the question, and both Karin and Chiya fell into thoughtful silence.

“Well… maybe.”

“At the very least, I wouldn’t have pushed her so hard if she had picked one of us.”

That much, Chiya could say with certainty.

If Akari had chosen any of them, she wouldn’t have taken things so far or been so sharp with her words.

“Yeah… I guess I feel the same.”

“So do I.”

Each of them had volunteered to partner with Akari in the three-legged race because they genuinely cared about her.

Even if they weren’t chosen, disappointment was natural—but it should have ended there. There was no reason for it to have turned into something ugly.

So why had they gotten so worked up?

“Because of the third party—Saezuki Riko. Her involvement is what upset us so much.”

Both Karin and Hiyori nodded deeply in agreement.

Saezuki Riko, someone who shouldn’t have even been involved, had somehow disrupted the balance between them and Akari.

“But seriously, why her of all people? Don’t you remember? She tried to do something to Akari in the bathroom that time!”

Hearing that, both Chiya and Hiyori frowned.

“What do you mean, Karin-chan? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Ah, sorry… I didn’t really tell anyone. It wasn’t anything concrete. I stepped in before anything happened. Riko cornered Akari, and when I called out to her, she just left…”

Since it never escalated, they didn’t know what the intent had been.

“That is… strange,” Chiya murmured, piecing things together.

“What do you mean?”

“Remember when Akari… well, when she tried to confess something to us? Or whatever that was? Wasn’t Saezuki Riko involved in that, too?”

Chiya clearly struggled with using the word confess, but Hiyori and Karin were more focused on the context than the word choice.

“You’re right. It was Saezuki-san who came to talk to us afterward.”

“So does that mean… Riko already knew how Akari felt? And then she cornered her in the bathroom? And now they’re partners for the three-legged race?”

“…That’s what it looks like.”

The more they tried to piece it all together, the murkier the relationship between Saezuki Riko and Hanano Akari became.

“But Akari said she had no friends, and she’d be all alone for the sports festival, didn’t she?”

“And yet, someone who’s not even a friend—Saezuki—keeps getting involved with her.”

They didn’t understand it, but it was true: Riko kept popping up around Akari.

“I think we need to find out what Riko’s intentions are. If we can understand that, maybe we can avoid making the same mistake again.”

For now, the three sisters came to one conclusion: their emotional turmoil stemmed from Riko’s involvement—and understanding her motives was the next necessary step.

◇◇◇

Sigh…

Was it depression? Or embarrassment?

Whatever it was, the heavy feelings pressing on my heart escaped through my lips as a deep sigh.

Last night, I couldn’t keep it all inside—I cried.

And the moment the Tsukimori sisters saw that, they softened and returned to being kind to me, just like before…

But that only made me feel worse, like I’d manipulated them by crying. The guilt still clung to me like a shadow.

“Ugh… I can’t believe this. Why me, of all people, stuck with you?”

And then there’s this—the girl beside me, who only adds to my misery.

Saezuki Riko.

It was early afternoon. The sun was high, casting warm light across the school’s grassy field.

That’s right—it was P.E. class.

So… why is Saezuki-san, someone I normally have nothing to do with, suddenly standing next to me?

“All right, everyone. Today we’ll be practicing for the sports festival. Let’s start with the three-legged race.”

That was our teacher’s cheerful announcement.

Today was designated for practicing the actual events for the upcoming festival.

Which meant… we had to pair up with whoever we were sitting next to.

“Whatever. Let’s just get it over with.”

This girl doesn’t stop nagging, so there’s no choice but to do what needs to be done and finish quickly.

“Huh? What’s with that attitude? You dragged me into this and don’t even feel the slightest bit guilty?”

“Guilty, you say…”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of my own.

“If we’re talking about guilt, then there’s something I think you should feel bad about too, Saezuki-san.”

“…Huh? What now?”

“For making me confess to the Tsukimori sisters against my will.”

“Oh my God, you’re still going on about that?”

It’s true that things have gotten a bit better between us now, but…

Back then, that whole incident made it so much harder for me to get close to the sisters.

Besides, the feelings I have for them aren’t even romantic in the first place.

“Ugh, you’re so annoying—clinging to the past like that. That’s exactly why I can’t stand gloomy types like you.”

“…You’re pretty clingy yourself for someone who calls themselves outgoing.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes?”

The tension between us was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Maybe Saezuki-san and I just aren’t compatible.

And honestly, I don’t see how we’re supposed to run a three-legged race in this condition…

“Hey! What are you two doing?”

“Ugh… Tsukimori Karin…”

Just as the air between us froze, Karin-san appeared.

“What’s this? Glaring at each other right before your race? You’re not even tied up yet. Aren’t you going to get ready?”

Sure enough, everyone else was already tying their ankles together or locking arms—but the two of us hadn’t even started.

“She’s the one slowing us down, picking a fight with me.”

Saezuki-san pointed at me as she spoke, her voice dripping with annoyance.

But Karin-san’s expression didn’t change.

“I see. Well then, Saezuki—want to pair up with me instead?”

“…Huh?”

As Saezuki-san instinctively backed up, Karin closed the distance and threw an arm around her shoulder without hesitation.

“I’m on the basketball team, but you do know I’m faster than the track club’s ace in the 50-meter dash, right?”

“I do. So what? Is that supposed to be impressive? It’s not like footspeed matters for girls anyway.”

“Mm-hmm. But because everyone expects so much from me, I’m gonna work you hard if you pair with me. So… are you okay with that?”

“…”

Getting drilled by the fastest girl in school—yeah, that would definitely be a nightmare for a non-athlete like Saezuki-san, who isn’t even in a club.

“So? What’s it going to be?”

“No way. Go away already.”

“Suit yourself. Then be nice to Akari, okay?”

With a sly glance, Karin turned and walked off.

As her distance grew, Saezuki-san turned and glared daggers at me.

“Ugh! See? Every time I talk to you, one of the Tsukimori sisters comes crashing in! What is your deal!?”

She spat out her frustration with nowhere else to direct it.

“…Karma, maybe?”

I mean, she’s the one who got me tangled up with them in the first place.

“This is so unfair! Do you know how hard it is when those three are glaring at me!?”

Muttering complaints, she finally bent down and began tying our ankles together with the practice cord.