How I, a Hated Person, Ended Up Staying With Three Beautiful Sisters
The weather was still terrible, but strangely enough, it didn’t bother me.
The thunder and the sound of rain hitting the windows were actually quite soothing to me right now. It was a quietness that reminded me of my days in that run-down apartment.
I lay down on the sofa and read my favorite light novel, which I had brought with me from the run-down apartment.
Occasionally, I would get up to use the bathroom, walk around the spacious living room, or do some stretching…I killed time by trying various things.
I also received a message from Akane senpai.
[Kojiro kun, please take care of Maho chan ! She may look like that, but she’s still a girl, so if anything happens, please help her, okay?]
That’s how it went.
It was the kind of message that made me want to ask, “What are you talking about?” but whatever.
[Akane senpai, can I use the kitchen?]
[Hmm…maybe not. Maho chan is in charge of managing the ingredients, so if you use them without permission, even I and Miyu chan would get scolded. Oh, of course, if you ask for permission, it’s fine.]
Akane senpai is in charge of cooking for the three sisters, Maho is in charge of shopping for daily necessities and ingredients, and Miyu…I’m not sure what she does, but I think she does something.
In any case, I can’t just go into the kitchen without permission. It was a little past 7:00 p.m.
It was almost dinner time, but I was sitting in the living room, hungry but unable to move.
In this situation with just Maho and me, I don’t have the courage to start preparing dinner on my own.
On the other hand, asking, “Can I make it?” is also scary. The terrifying thing about this house is that a slap or a bag might fly at me for just one word.
[Be brave !]
Akane senpai, could you stop giving such irresponsible encouragement? I don’t want to be scolded for taking it literally and charging in.
“…No, really, what am I supposed to do?”
As I was struggling with this dilemma, my stomach growled honestly.
At the same time—
The living room lights went out with a click.
“…Huh?”
A dead silence fell. The TV and air conditioner fell silent, and the entire room grew dark as if it had held its breath.
Only the sound of rain outside remained in my ears.
“Is there a power outage?”
I muttered calmly, took out my smartphone, and turned on the light. I walked to the entrance and checked the circuit breaker.
All the circuit breakers in the room were up.
That meant the entire neighborhood had lost power.
In a thunderstorm, it was a possibility. It wasn’t a situation to panic about.
“Ugh…just as my stomach growled, this happens.”
I returned to the sofa, relying on the light from my smartphone, and began reading the light novel again.
Reading the text in the dimly lit world felt somehow fantastical, like a quiet luxury.
That was when it happened.
“Aaaaaaah !”
From the room at the top of the stairs on the second floor, the room in the middle—that is, Maho’s room—a piercing scream echoed.
“What’s going on now?”
I started to run up the stairs, but stopped just before reaching them.
I remembered the “condition” for living in this house.
—–[Absolutely do not come near our room !]
One of the rules Maho had imposed on me on the first day.
If I entered the second floor without permission, my life would be in danger.
So I cautiously called out from the bottom of the stairs. There was no other choice.
“Hey…are you okay?”
The faint voice that came back from the second floor was so weak it didn’t sound like Maho at all.
“…Of course I’m not okay…”
A muffled voice. It was barely audible. It sounded like she was speaking with her face buried in the sofa.
I felt relieved that it didn’t seem like a crime. Well, there probably aren’t any burglars breaking into high-rise apartments through the windows.
“Why don’t you use your phone’s flashlight to illuminate the room? It should come back on on its own in an hour or two. …..Probably.”
Leaving that advice behind, I turned around and headed back to the sofa.
But—
“…Hm?”
I heard the sound of Maho’s door opening.
When I turned around, I saw Maho in the darkness, holding her smartphone with the light on, coming down the stairs with unsteady steps. She was wearing pajamas, knee-length shorts, and a casual T-shirt.
And she clearly looked scared.
I could see her legs shaking from a distance.
Thoughts of violating the rules, getting scolded, being kicked out, or getting slapped flew out of my head.
“…Hey, don’t push yourself.”
I immediately stood up, walked over to the stairs, and held out my hand.
Something was clearly wrong.
Maho hesitated for a moment, but eventually took my hand.
Surprisingly, she did so without resistance.
“You’re unusually obedient.”
I couldn’t help but tease her.
“Shut up…I was relaxing with a hot eye mask on, and when I took it off, it was pitch black and I was startled.”
Her response lacked her usual sharpness.
Her voice was small and timid, as if she might disappear at any moment.
“…Bathroom?”
“No.”
She answered immediately and glared at me.
“Then what? I’m not lending you the sofa. It’s the only place I can relax.”
“…….”
She remained silent, holding my hand tightly.
She was gripping it so tightly it hurt. It was as if she was silently saying, “You should know without me having to say it !”
“Eh? Were you really just after the sofa?”
I was startled and looked into Maho’s eyes. Then, Maho quietly said,
“…Yeah.”
Her voice was so soft and trembling…I couldn’t refuse her.
“If that’s the case, then I’ll just go to the changing room. I’ll just take the cushion. Sitting on the floor hurts my butt.”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“No…um…you, you should stay on the sofa too. This is an orde r! The condition was that you should not leave the sofa !”
It seemed like she had regained her usual composure, but her voice still lacked strength, and she was still holding my hand.
In the end, I couldn’t refuse.
I nodded without saying a word.
Maigetsu