A Daily Life With My 3 Stepsisters

Thursday morning dawned gray but dry, the rain finally letting up after yesterday's deluge. I'd barely processed the hot chocolate moment—or Aiko's teasing, or Mina's invasion—when school threw another curveball my way. Club recruitment day. Every year, the courtyard turned into a shouting match of booths and flyers, and this time, I couldn't dodge it. Not with my stepsisters around.

I made it through morning classes unscathed, but lunch was when the chaos hit. I'd grabbed my tray and found a quiet spot near the vending machines, hoping to avoid the recruitment frenzy. Taro and Yuki were off scoping out the gaming club, leaving me blissfully alone—until Mina materialized, her arms loaded with colorful flyers.

"Kaito!" she yelled, dropping the stack on my table. "You gotta join a club with me!"

"No, I don't," I said, shoving a fry in my mouth. "I'm good."

"But it's boring without you!" she whined, plopping down across from me. She'd tied her uniform tie into a sloppy bow, and her skirt was hiked up just enough to make me look anywhere else. "Look, there's art club, drama club—ooh, cooking club! Reina's doing that one!"

"Reina can handle it," I said, but the mention of her made my ears perk up. "Wait, she's joining?"

"Yep!" Mina grinned, sensing weakness. "You should too. Imagine—cute aprons, yummy food, Reina blushing every time you compliment her cooking…"

"I'm not imagining anything," I lied, pushing the flyers away. "I don't need a club."

"Too late," Aiko said, appearing behind me like a shadow. She dropped into the seat next to me, her tray clattering. "I signed you up for something."

"What?" I spun to face her, my fry forgotten. "You can't just—"

"Relax," she said, smirking as she leaned closer. Her uniform was unbuttoned at the top again, and her knee bumped mine under the table. "It's the photography club. You're welcome."

"Photography?" I stared at her. "I don't even own a camera!"

"You'll figure it out," she said, popping a piece of chicken into her mouth. "I'm in it too. Thought it'd be fun to boss you around."

"Great," I muttered, slumping back. "Just what I needed."

Reina showed up then, her steps hesitant as she balanced her tray. "Um, Kaito-kun, did I hear you're joining a club?"

"No," I said at the same time Mina said, "Yes!"

"He's doing photography with Aiko," Mina said, ignoring my glare. "But you should drag him to cooking club instead!"

"I didn't agree to anything," I said, rubbing my temples.

Reina smiled, sitting next to Mina. "Photography sounds nice. You'd be good at it, Kaito-kun."

"How?" I asked, caught off guard by her faith in me.

"You notice things," she said, her voice soft. "Like… little details. I think you'd see stuff other people miss."

I blinked, my chest tightening. "Uh… thanks."

"Aww, so sweet!" Mina cooed, leaning across the table. "Kaito's blushing again!"

"Shut up," I grumbled, shoving another fry in my mouth to hide it.

Aiko smirked, her hand brushing my arm as she reached for her drink. "Guess we'll see how good you are with a lens, huh? Better not suck."

"I'll suck on purpose just to spite you," I said, and she laughed, loud and sharp.

Lunch ended with me reluctantly agreeing to check out the photography club—mostly because Aiko wouldn't let it go, and Reina's quiet encouragement made it hard to say no. After school, the courtyard was a madhouse, booths everywhere, students shouting over each other. Mina dragged me to the cooking club first, where Reina was already tying on an apron, her cheeks pink as she waved at me.

"Try it, Kaito-kun!" she said, holding up a spatula. "We're making cookies!"

"I'm not—" I started, but Mina shoved an apron into my hands, grinning.

"Do it! You can't say no to Reina!"

"Fine," I sighed, tying it on. The apron was too small, barely covering my chest, and Mina cackled as I fumbled with the strings.

"You look ridiculous," Aiko said, appearing with a camera slung around her neck. She snapped a picture before I could stop her. "Perfect blackmail material."

"Delete that," I said, lunging for her, but she dodged, laughing.

Reina handed me a bowl of dough, her fingers brushing mine. "Here, mix this. It's easy."

I took it, trying to focus on the task and not the way she smiled at me. The dough was sticky, and I probably looked like an idiot, but she stayed close, guiding my hands when I messed up.

"See? You're doing great," she said, her voice warm.

"Thanks," I muttered, my face heating up again.

Mina darted over, dipping a finger in the dough. "Ooh, tasty! Kaito, you're a natural!"

"Stop eating it," Reina scolded, swatting her hand away.

Aiko snapped another picture, smirking. "Gotta say, this is cute. Maybe you should stick with cooking."

"I'm not sticking with anything," I said, but I didn't pull away when Reina handed me a cookie to try. It was warm, soft, perfect—and her smile when I nodded approval made it even better.

Eventually, Aiko dragged me to the photography booth, where a bored senior handed me a cheap camera and told me to "shoot something interesting." Aiko posed against a tree, one hip cocked, smirking like she knew I'd fumble. I did—the first few shots were blurry—but she kept posing, teasing me until I got one decent frame.

"Not bad," she said, peering over my shoulder at the screen. Her breath tickled my neck, and I stepped back fast. "You might survive this club."

"Gee, thanks," I said, handing the camera back.

The walk home was loud—Mina chattering about her drama club audition, Aiko critiquing my photos, Reina quietly humming as she carried a box of leftover cookies. I stayed in the middle, half-listening, half-lost in thought.

Ten days. One full week since they'd crashed into my life. A week of chaos, rumors, fights, and moments I couldn't shake—Reina's smiles, Aiko's smirks, Mina's laughter. My quiet, boring existence was gone, replaced by this… mess. This loud, messy, ridiculous thing I was starting to call home.

We reached the house, and Mina bolted inside, Aiko following with a lazy wave. Reina lingered, handing me a cookie from the box.

"For you," she said, smiling. "Thanks for today, Kaito-kun."

"Yeah," I said, taking it. "Anytime."

She went in, and I stood there, the cookie warm in my hand, the weight of the week settling in. Day ten, and I wasn't just surviving anymore. I was in it—deep—and there was no going back.