A Daily Life With My 3 Stepsisters

Saturday had been a blur of sleep and leftovers from game night, but Monday morning slammed me back into reality. I'd barely recovered from the week when Reina cornered me at breakfast, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Kaito-kun," she said, sliding a plate of pancakes my way, "the cooking club's doing a bake-off today after school. Will you come?"

"Uh…" I paused, fork halfway to my mouth. Mina was sprawled across the table, stealing bacon, while Aiko sipped coffee with a smirk, watching me squirm. "Do I have to?"

"Yes!" Mina said, sitting up so fast she nearly knocked over the juice. "It's gonna be epic! Reina's making something fancy, and I'm helping!"

"Helping?" Aiko snorted, setting her mug down. "You mean eating everything before it's done."

"Rude!" Mina shot back, flicking a crumb at her. "I'm a great assistant!"

"You're a disaster," I said, dodging the crumb. "But… fine. I'll go. Just don't expect me to bake anything."

"You can be our taste-tester," Reina said, smiling so sweetly I couldn't say no. "It'll be fun."

"Sure," I muttered, already regretting it.

School was its usual mess—whispers still lingered from last week's drama, but Hiro and his goons had backed off since Mina's soda stunt. I made it through classes without incident, but the bake-off loomed like a storm cloud. By the time the final bell rang, I trudged to the home ec room, where the cooking club had set up shop.

It was chaos. Tables were piled with flour, sugar, and bowls of half-mixed batter. A dozen students buzzed around, shouting over each other, while the club leader—a tiny senior named Sato—tried to keep order. Reina was already there, tying on an apron, her hair pulled back in a neat ponytail. Mina hovered nearby, sneaking chocolate chips from a bag.

"Kaito!" Mina waved me over, her hands sticky. "You're just in time! Reina's making a cake, and I'm… supervising!"

"Stealing, you mean," I said, stepping into the fray.

"Same thing," she grinned, popping another chip into her mouth.

Reina glanced up, her cheeks pink from the heat of the ovens. "Kaito-kun, hi. Um, could you grab that bowl for me? It's on the top shelf."

"Sure," I said, reaching over her. My arm brushed hers as I handed it down, and she smiled, close enough that I could smell her shampoo over the sugar in the air.

"Thanks," she said, her voice soft. "You're a big help."

"Uh, yeah," I said, stepping back before I did something dumb—like stare too long.

Aiko sauntered in then, camera around her neck, clearly not here to bake. "Thought I'd document this disaster," she said, snapping a pic of Mina with chocolate smeared on her face. "Kaito, you're on babysitting duty, right?"

"Apparently," I said, dodging as Mina flung a flour-dusted spoon at Aiko.

"Missed!" Aiko laughed, circling the table. "Try harder, kid."

The bake-off kicked off with Sato shouting rules—teams of two, one hour, best dessert wins. Reina paired with Mina, though it was clear who'd be doing the work. I hovered nearby, half-watching, half-trying not to get dragged in.

"Stir this," Reina said, handing me a bowl of batter when Mina wandered off to "sample" someone else's cookies.

"I'm not in the club," I protested, but I took it anyway, mixing under her watchful eye.

"You're doing it wrong," she said, stepping behind me. Her hands covered mine, guiding the spoon in smooth circles. Her chest brushed my back, and I froze, my brain short-circuiting.

"Uh… like this?" I managed, my voice tight.

"Yes," she said, her breath warm against my ear. "Perfect."

I swallowed hard, hyper-aware of her closeness. She stepped back too soon, smiling like she hadn't just turned me into a mess. "Thanks, Kaito-kun."

"Anytime," I croaked, handing the bowl back.

Mina bounced over, oblivious. "Ooh, flirting already? Save it for after we win!"

"We're not—" Reina started, her face red, but Mina just cackled, darting off again.

Aiko snapped a picture of me, smirking. "You're hopeless, Kaito. That face is gold."

"Delete it," I said, lunging for the camera, but she danced away, laughing.

The hour flew by in a haze of flour fights—Mina started it, naturally—and shouted instructions. Reina's cake came out perfect, a layered thing with cream and berries that smelled like heaven. Mina's "help" mostly involved eating scraps, but she cheered loudest when Sato called time.

Judging was a mess. Sato and a few teachers tasted everything, scribbling notes while the room buzzed with nervous energy. Reina fidgeted, glancing at me every few seconds, and I gave her a thumbs-up, earning a small smile.

"Third place—Team Sato!" the leader announced, pointing to herself with a grin. "Second—Team Hayashi! And first… Team Reina and Mina!"

"Yes!" Mina screamed, tackling Reina in a hug that nearly knocked the cake off the table. "We're the best!"

"You didn't do anything," Aiko said, snapping a victory shot. "Kaito and Reina carried you."

"Did not!" Mina shot back, but she was too happy to argue long.

Reina beamed, brushing flour off her apron. "Thanks for helping, Kaito-kun. Want to try some?"

"Sure," I said, taking the slice she offered. It was sweet, rich, melting on my tongue—and her watching me eat it made it even better. "It's amazing."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up. "I'm glad you like it."

"Gross, get a room," Aiko teased, leaning against me as she stole a bite from my plate. Her arm pressed into mine, warm and deliberate. "Not bad, Reina. Kaito's right."

"Hey!" I said, pulling the plate back, but she just smirked, licking her lips in a way that made my stomach flip.

The walk home was loud—Mina reenacting her "victory dance," Aiko critiquing every photo she'd taken, Reina clutching the leftover cake like a trophy. I stayed in the middle, half-listening, the taste of berries still on my tongue.

Day twelve, and I was deeper in this mess than ever. Reina's hands on mine, Aiko's teasing closeness, Mina's chaos—it was too much, and not enough. I'd stopped fighting it, stopped pretending I didn't feel the pull. They weren't just stepsisters anymore. They were… something else. Something I couldn't name yet, but couldn't ignore either.

We reached the house, and Mina bolted inside, Aiko following with a lazy wave. Reina paused, handing me another slice.

"For later," she said, smiling. "Good night, Kaito-kun."

"Night," I said, watching her go.

I stood there, cake in hand, the weight of the day settling in.