Is There Such Thing as a Cute Little Stepsister? There is No Romance Between us~ - Chapter 3

‘Cat Acting’ is Very Troublesome Part 1

In a tatami room of a fairly high-end Japanese restaurant, four of us are seating around the table.

Myself, Haruto Kimizuka. My father, Naito Kimizuka.

A woman who is slightly older than me, and her daughter, a long-haired high school girl in a uniform.

I can feel the tense and awkward atmosphere.

“Ah, thank you for coming today.”

Is it okay to start like that?

I think it should be fine.

Let’s see what the others have to say.

“I, Naito Kimizuka…is in a relationship with Riko-san here. Also, the one who is sitting here is my son, Haruto.”

My father nods, and the woman with the short haircut stands up.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Riko Hachi. I’m in a relationship with Naito-san, and this is my daughter…”

“I’m Ruri Hachi. I’m a second-year high school student.”

Ruri stands up and bows politely as she introduces herself.

Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before…

Ah, is it my turn to introduce myself?

“I’m Haruto Kimizuka. I’m 32 years old, and I’m currently working as a manager at L Mart convenience store.”

“Now that our food has arrived, let’s continue to talk while we eat!”

“That’s right, Naito…san.”

There’s a bit of a pause.

It seems that they usually call each other’s name without honorifics.

They seem to be getting along quite well.

However, I’m still concerned about the age gap between my father and her…

“I’m sorry…Riko-san, but what’s so good about my father that you fell in love with him? From my perspective, he’s not exactly a handsome young man, and he doesn’t have a lot of money either. He has no outstanding qualities, but well his personality isn’t bad, I suppose…”

I decided to take the initiative and get the difficult questions out of the way.

“…Naito-san…is very kind. Actually, when I first joined this company as a new graduate, Naito-san was the one in charge of training me.”

…I don’t know how long they’ve been in a relationship, but it seems like they’ve known each other for quite some time now.

My mother and father divorced 20 years ago.

“So, you fell for his inner qualities…?”

“Yes, that’s right. Actually, I’ve chased him for a long time, but he keeps rejecting me, but I just couldn’t give up. In the end, we started dating two years ago.”

“Hahaha…”

“Don’t laugh. Try to understand how it feels for a son to see his father in love.”

“Haruto-san, are you…against the marriage?”

“No, I’m not against it…that is a decision between the two of you. I believe in my father and you, however…”

I glance at the high school girl who has been quiet all this time.

“As for your daughter…for Ruri-san to suddenly have a ‘father’ and ‘brother’. How does she feel about that?”

Her daughter should have a say in all of this.

I don’t want her to be trapped in a situation she’s not comfortable with.

The moment I say those words, the atmosphere suddenly becomes somewhat tense.

“I-I’m…okay with it!”

As if to break the tension, Ruri-san raises her head and says so.

This face…