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 44

The tea and chocolate were delicious, and Hiyori’s kind words warmed my heart. It was truly a satisfying time.

Now back in my room, I sank into my chair, thinking I might rest until dinner.

—Knock, knock.

“Ah—yes, come in!”

A knock echoed through the room.

“It’s me.”

“Oh, please, come in.”

From the voice, it was clearly Chiya.

It was quite rare for her to come to my room.

“Excuse me.”

She opened the door and stepped inside, her gaze oddly unfocused, as if it were wandering around the room.

“Is something wrong? Did I do something to make you upset?”

“Why would you assume that right away…? I didn’t come here to scold you. You don’t have to be so defensive.”

Well, if Chiya had gone out of her way to visit my room, I figured it must’ve been something she couldn’t say where others could hear…

“Was everything alright during practice with Saezuki?”

“Ah, yes. It was tough, but we managed…”

Huh. Is it just me, or…?

Ever since after school, both Karin and Hiyori have also been worried about my practice with Saezuki.

Did our pairing really seem that mismatched?

“Even though I said what I said when we were choosing partners and during practice… if it’s too difficult for you, you don’t have to push yourself. I can try to pair you with someone who suits you better.”

Chiya had already spoken up during partner selection and practice, cautioning Saezuki at one point.

Maybe that was to keep her behavior in check.

“Thank you for your concern. But I think I’ll be okay. I feel like we’re figuring out how to make it work.”

“I-I see. If you say so, then that’s fine…”

I thought that was all Chiya came here to talk about, but—

“……”

“Um… Chiya-san?”

She didn’t move from her spot, eyes still fixed on the floor.

Did she have something else she wanted to say?

“This might be a bit personal… so if you’d rather not answer, that’s totally fine…”

“O-Okay…”

Such a formal preface. There’s really no need to be so reserved with me.

“You and… Saezuki… what kind of relationship do you have?”

“…Huh?”

Wait, what?

I must’ve looked completely confused, because I had no idea where that question came from.

Seeing my face, Chiya suddenly started to panic.

“I-I mean! You don’t have to tell me if it’s private! I’m not trying to force it out of you!”

“Oh, no, it’s not that. It’s just… there’s really nothing to explain…”

If anything, she’s someone on the complete opposite end of the social spectrum from me—an outgoing, popular girl living the extrovert life…

And someone who once pressured the Tsukimori sisters to confess.

Bringing that up now would only make things awkward.

“So… is it the kind of relationship that’s too deep to put into words?”

“…Huh?”

Wait… what?

I froze. Her words completely threw me off.

I tried to read her expression, but she turned her face away, letting her long black hair fall to hide her profile.

“It’s just… you two are doing the three-legged race together. Isn’t it natural to assume there’s something going on between you?”

“…Well, I suppose when you put it like that.”

But really, there’s nothing I could call a relationship.

“We’re just regular classmates, you know?”

We’re definitely not close enough to be called friends.

“For ‘just classmates,’ she seems to bother you an awful lot.”

That much is true. She’s always getting tangled up with me for no clear reason.

“Are you sure it’s not because you share some deeper understanding of each other?”

“Deeper understanding…”

Wait… huh!?

I know a very critical secret—that Saezuki has feelings for one of the Tsukimori siblings.

That definitely qualifies as “something deep,” doesn’t it?

It’s also true that ever since I found out, she’s been acting more emotionally around me.

“You seem to recall something.”

Chiya’s tone brightened slightly, as if her guess had hit the mark.

“Well… it’s not that big of a deal, really…”

“If it’s not a big deal, then surely you can tell me what it is.”

I—I can’t!

Exposing someone else’s feelings… that’s not something I can just casually reveal.

“You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

“N-No, not exactly…”

This situation is… really hard to explain.

Chiya, who had finally started showing her expression again, now pressed her lips into a firm line.

…Is this really that important?

“I’m sorry to answer a question with a question, but… why do you want to know so badly, Chiya-san?”

“Eh? Oh, well… I just meant, like, whether your relationship with her is appropriate or not…”

“I don’t dig that deep into your friendships, you know?”

“…W-Well, that’s true…”

So please don’t dig into mine either?

I didn’t mean it rudely. I just didn’t understand what was driving her curiosity to that level.

Why was she getting so worked up over me and Saezuki?

“I-Is that a bad thing…?”

Then, as if bracing herself, Chiya took a deep breath and met my gaze directly.

“Is it really so wrong… for me to want to know more about you?”

“…Chiya-san…”

Her voice was slightly trembling. Her expression was tense, but beneath it, something sincere flickered.

I could feel the emotion in her words, soaking into the air between us.

“So… that’s what this is about.”

“Y-Yeah…”

With her being this genuine, I couldn’t just brush it off.

“Alright. But this stays between the two of us, okay?”

“Understood.”

Chiya inhaled sharply, visibly preparing herself.

“Saezuki-san… is in love with one of the Tsukimori siblings.”

“…Huh?”

“That’s why she’s been oddly strict with me lately. So, please don’t worry—there’s absolutely nothing else going on.”

“Um… wait, what?”

…Huh? Now she’s holding her head in her hands.

“Chiya-san? Are you feeling unwell?”

“N-No… I’m just… surprised. That wasn’t what I was expecting at all…”

“Well, it is quite the confession to drop on someone out of nowhere.”

“No, that’s not it… I mean… I’m pretty sure you’re the one misunderstanding something here…”

I can understand why she’d feel that way.

The shock must’ve made her start questioning my conclusion.

“W-Well… as long as you’re not troubled by it, I guess it’s fine. E-Excuse me…”

“Ah, okay. Please take care.”

“Th-Thanks… I guess…”

Staggering slightly as she left my room, Chiya still didn’t seem fully convinced.

Maybe confessions of love really do cast a strange kind of spell—even on the ones who hear them.