A Daily Life With My 3 Stepsisters

Wednesday morning hit me like a truck. After last night's impromptu sleepover—complete with Mina drooling on my shoulder and Aiko's teasing—I'd barely slept, my head buzzing with too many thoughts. Reina's quiet words, Aiko's sly touches, Mina's chaos—it was all piling up, and I wasn't sure what to do with it. I just wanted a normal day at school to clear my mind. Fat chance.

Photography club was after school, and I'd almost forgotten about it until Aiko cornered me at lunch, her camera dangling from her neck.

"You're not skipping, right?" she said, leaning over my table so her hair brushed my arm. She'd unbuttoned her uniform top again, just enough to make me focus anywhere else.

"Do I have a choice?" I muttered, shoving a bite of rice into my mouth.

"Nope," she smirked, stealing a fry from my tray. "We've got a project today. You're my partner."

"Partner?" I frowned. "Since when?"

"Since I told the club leader you're better than the other losers," she said, popping the fry into her mouth. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"Doubt it," I said, but her grin told me resistance was futile.

Mina bounced over then, her tray clattering as she sat. "Ooh, photo club? Can I come? I'll pose!"

"No," Aiko said, flicking her forehead. "You'd just break something."

"Rude!" Mina pouted, rubbing her head. "Kaito, tell her I'm a great model!"

"You're… something," I said, dodging the question.

Reina joined us last, her smile shy as she set her tray down. "Photography sounds nice today, Kaito-kun. What's the project?"

"Portraits," Aiko said, leaning back. "Gotta capture 'raw emotion' or some artsy crap. Kaito's my subject."

"Me?" I nearly choked. "Why me?"

"'Cause you're easy to mess with," she said, smirking. "Your face does all the work."

"Great," I groaned, sinking lower in my seat.

After school, the photography club gathered in the courtyard, a mix of seniors and underclassmen fiddling with cameras and tripods. The leader—a lanky guy named Tanaka—explained the assignment: pairs had to shoot portraits that "told a story." I barely listened, too busy dreading whatever Aiko had planned.

She dragged me to a quiet corner near the trees, her camera ready. "Sit," she said, pointing to a bench.

"Why am I the subject?" I asked, sitting anyway. "You're better at this."

"'Cause I said so," she said, adjusting her lens. "Now look natural. Stop frowning."

"Hard not to when you're bossing me around," I muttered, but I leaned back, trying to relax.

She snapped a few shots, circling me like a predator. "Tilt your head. No, not like that—less stiff. There. Good."

"This is dumb," I said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Shut up and hold still," she said, stepping closer. Her knee brushed mine as she leaned in, her face inches from mine through the viewfinder. "Smile a little. Pretend you're happy."

"I am happy," I lied, forcing a smirk.

"Liar," she said, but she grinned, snapping another shot. "That's better. You're kinda cute when you try."

"Cute?" I raised an eyebrow, my face heating up.

"Yeah," she said, lowering the camera. Her eyes locked on mine, sharp and teasing. "Don't let it go to your head."

Before I could respond, Mina's voice cut through. "Kaito! Aiko! What's taking so long?" She bounded over, Reina trailing behind, both of them carrying cookies from the cooking club.

"We're working," Aiko said, not looking away from me. "Go away."

"No way!" Mina said, plopping onto the bench next to me. "I wanna see! Take my picture too!"

"You're not in the club," Aiko snapped, but Mina ignored her, striking a dramatic pose—arms up, head tilted, skirt riding dangerously high.

"Perfect, right?" Mina grinned, winking at me.

"Uh… sure," I said, looking away fast.

"Mina, behave," Reina said, stepping closer. She handed me a cookie, her fingers brushing mine. "Kaito-kun, are you having fun?"

"Not really," I said, taking the cookie. "But this helps."

She smiled, sitting on my other side. "Good. I thought you might need a break."

Aiko rolled her eyes. "Great, now it's a picnic. Kaito, look at me—focus."

I turned back to her, cookie halfway to my mouth, and she snapped another shot. "That's it. That's the one."

"What's the one?" I asked, chewing.

"Your story," she said, smirking. "Clueless guy, stuck between chaos and cookies. Raw emotion, right there."

"Very funny," I said, but I couldn't help a small laugh.

Mina leaned into me, her shoulder pressing against mine. "Take one of us together! Family portrait!"

"No," Aiko said, but Reina's soft "Please?" made her cave.

"Fine," Aiko sighed, adjusting the camera. "Squish in. Kaito, center."

I ended up sandwiched—Mina on my left, clinging to my arm; Reina on my right, her knee against mine; Aiko behind the lens, directing us like a dictator. "Mina, stop moving. Reina, closer. Kaito, don't look so miserable."

"I'm not," I said, but Reina shifted, her side pressing into me, and my breath caught.

"Perfect," Aiko said, snapping the shot. She checked the screen, smirking. "Yeah, that's gold. Tanaka's gonna love this."

"Let me see!" Mina lunged, nearly knocking me off the bench, but Aiko held the camera out of reach.

"Later," she said, stepping back. "Kaito, you're done. Good job not sucking."

"Thanks, I guess," I said, standing to stretch.

Reina stood too, brushing crumbs off her skirt. "You did great, Kaito-kun. It looked… fun."

"It was something," I said, catching her eye. Her smile lingered, and I felt that pull again—quiet, steady, different from Aiko's fire or Mina's storm.

The walk home was the usual chaos—Mina skipping ahead, Aiko critiquing the day's shots, Reina keeping pace beside me. But as we reached the house, Aiko nudged me, her voice low.

"You're getting too comfortable with this," she said, her smirk sharp. "Careful, Kaito."

"Comfortable with what?" I asked, though I knew what she meant.

"Us," she said, brushing past me into the house.

Reina paused, glancing back. "See you inside, Kaito-kun."

"Yeah," I said, watching her go.

I stood there, the evening air cool against my skin, replaying the day. Day fourteen, and Aiko was right—I was comfortable. Too comfortable. Mina's chaos, Reina's warmth, Aiko's edge—they were carving out a space I couldn't escape, and I wasn't sure I wanted to.

The question was: how long could I keep pretending it was just "family"?