A Daily Life With My 3 Stepsisters

By the third day, I'd started to think I might actually survive this new life. Sure, school was a circus, and the house was a constant whirlwind of noise and teasing, but I was adapting. Or so I told myself. Then Friday night rolled around, and I realized I'd been kidding myself all along.

It started innocently enough. Dad and Hana announced they were heading out for a "date night," leaving the four of us alone in the house. I figured I'd retreat to my room, play some games, and avoid whatever madness the girls had planned. But Mina had other ideas.

"Movie night!" she declared, bursting into the living room with a bowl of popcorn bigger than her head. She'd changed into a pair of tiny pajama shorts and a loose tank top that kept slipping off one shoulder, and I had to force my eyes to the ceiling before my brain short-circuited. "Kaito, you're joining us. No excuses!"

"I've got stuff to do," I said, already backing toward the stairs.

"Nope!" She grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly strong for someone so small, and yanked me onto the couch. "You're part of the family now. Sit!"

"Mina, let him go," Reina said, walking in with a stack of DVDs. She was in pajamas too—soft pink ones with little hearts on them that somehow made her look even cuter than usual. "He doesn't have to if he doesn't want to."

"But he does want to," Mina said, grinning as she plopped down next to me, pinning me in place. "Right, Kaito?"

"Uh…" I glanced between her and Reina, who was giving me that shy smile that always threw me off balance. "Sure. Fine. Whatever."

"See? He's in!" Mina cheered, tossing a handful of popcorn into her mouth—and half of it onto the floor.

Aiko sauntered in last, carrying a couple of soda cans. She'd gone for a black crop top and shorts that barely qualified as clothing, and the way she moved—lazy, confident—made it impossible not to notice every curve. She dropped onto the couch on my other side, trapping me between her and Mina.

"Guess I'm stuck here too," she said, handing me a soda. Her fingers lingered on mine as I took it, and her smirk told me she knew exactly what she was doing. "Don't hog the blanket, Kaito."

"There's no blanket yet," I said, clutching the can like it was my only defense.

"There will be," Reina said, setting the DVDs on the coffee table. "I'll grab one. What do we want to watch?"

"Something scary!" Mina said, bouncing in her seat. "I wanna see Kaito freak out."

"No way," I shot back. "I'm not into horror."

"Comedy, then," Aiko suggested, stretching her arms over her head. Her shirt rode up again, and I stared at the ceiling harder. "Something dumb enough to shut Mina up."

"Hey!" Mina swatted her with a pillow, sending more popcorn flying.

"What about a romance?" Reina said quietly, holding up a case with a sappy-looking cover. "This one's supposed to be good."

"Gross," Mina said, sticking out her tongue. "Kaito'd probably blush through the whole thing anyway."

"I would not," I lied, though my face was already heating up just thinking about it.

Aiko snorted. "Let's do the horror. He can hide under the blanket with one of us if he gets scared."

"No horror," I said firmly, snatching the remote before Mina could grab it. "Comedy it is."

"Fine, you win," Mina pouted, but she didn't argue as Reina popped in a disc and dimmed the lights. She came back with a big, fluffy blanket and draped it over all four of us, squeezing in next to Mina.

The movie started—a dumb slapstick thing about a guy stuck in ridiculous situations—and for a while, it was almost normal. Mina laughed so hard she nearly choked on her popcorn, Reina giggled at the quieter jokes, and even Aiko cracked a grin once or twice. I started to relax, sinking into the couch, the blanket warm around me.

Then it got weird.

Mina shifted closer, her bare leg pressing against mine under the blanket. "It's cold," she said, though her grin said otherwise. Before I could protest, Aiko's hand landed on my knee—casual, like it was no big deal—but her fingers stayed there, warm and steady.

"Uh, guys?" I said, my voice cracking. "Personal space?"

"What's that?" Mina asked, leaning her head on my shoulder. Her hair tickled my neck, and I froze, torn between shoving her off and not wanting to make a scene.

"Relax, Kaito," Aiko said, her voice low and teasing. Her hand slid up an inch, and my heart slammed against my ribs. "It's just a movie."

"Y-Yeah, just a movie," I stammered, staring at the screen like my life depended on it.

Reina glanced over, her eyes widening slightly. "Are you okay, Kaito-kun? You look… tense."

"I'm fine!" I said, too loud. Mina giggled, Aiko smirked, and Reina tilted her head, looking genuinely concerned.

The movie kept playing, but I barely registered it. Mina's leg stayed glued to mine, Aiko's hand didn't move, and Reina—sweet, innocent Reina—shifted closer to Mina, which meant closer to me. The blanket was a tangled mess now, and I could feel the heat of all three of them pressing in.

Halfway through, Mina yawned dramatically, stretching her arms so her tank top slipped even lower. "This is boring now," she said, flopping across my lap like a cat. Her head landed on my thigh, and I nearly dropped my soda.

"Mina, get off!" I hissed, shoving at her shoulders.

"But you're comfy," she mumbled, nuzzling closer.

"Mina!" Reina said, pulling her back by the arm. "Stop it. You're making him uncomfortable."

"Am I?" Mina blinked up at me, all fake innocence. "Sorry, Kaito. Want me to make it up to you?"

"No!" I said, shoving her off completely this time. She landed on the couch with a laugh, sprawling out like she owned it.

Aiko chuckled, finally moving her hand—but not before giving my knee a light squeeze. "You're too easy, Kaito. Gotta toughen up."

"I'm plenty tough," I muttered, crossing my arms and sinking deeper into the blanket.

The movie ended eventually, though I couldn't tell you how. My brain was a scrambled mess, and my face felt like it'd been on fire for the last hour. Mina was half-asleep, sprawled across Reina, who was gently brushing her hair out of her face. Aiko stretched again, her crop top riding up one last time, and shot me a look that said she knew exactly how rattled I was.

"Night, Kaito," she said, standing up and sauntering toward the stairs. "Don't dream about us too much."

"Shut up," I grumbled, but she just laughed.

Reina helped Mina to her feet, smiling at me over her shoulder. "Thanks for staying, Kaito-kun. It was fun."

"Yeah… fun," I said, though I wasn't sure that was the word.

They all shuffled off to bed, leaving me alone in the dark living room, the blanket still warm where they'd been. I sat there for a minute, staring at the blank TV screen, trying to process what had just happened. Movie night with my stepsisters wasn't supposed to feel like… that.

I dragged myself upstairs, flopped onto my bed, and groaned into my pillow. Day three, and I was already drowning. How was I supposed to handle ninety-seven more of these—or worse, what if they got more intense?

Something told me I was about to find out.