While I Was Shutting in My Room for One Year, My Parent Remarried and Now I’m Living Together With Super Beautiful Stepsisters

Chapter 20: The Musicality and Compatibility of a Blonde Gal

I nearly got caught by Anzu as a Lunares addict, but I managed to brush it off, and she didn’t press me further about it.

Since Anzu knows about Lunares, it’s only natural she’d think I’m gross if she found out I’m obsessed with it. This isn’t about some romantic mindset—it’s just that, as her stepbrother living under the same roof, I don’t want her to think I’m creepy.

(I absolutely can’t let her find out I’m a Lunares addict.)

With that resolve in my heart, I continued my lonely high school life.

☆☆

After school, I headed to the music shop with Yuzuna.

“Alright, lead the way, Big Brother.”

“Y-Yeah.”

Going out with my stepsister after school two days in a row? Yesterday, shopping with Momiji nearly turned me into her errand boy, and it was a wild ride. Today, it’s Yuzuna…

She’s not as intense as Momiji, but I’ve already felt her chaotic energy in the few days we’ve been living together.

I glanced at Yuzuna walking beside me.

She carried a guitar on her back, her short blonde hair and expressionless vibe giving off a metal band aesthetic. Her chest, about as heavy-looking as Momiji’s, bounced slightly as she walked.

Metal band vibe? More like, to anyone listening, Yuzuna’s guitar playing is a screaming amusement park ride.

“You keep glancing at me. What’s up? Got something to say?”

As I was stealing side glances and thinking, Yuzuna shot me a sharp glare.

“N-No, it’s not like that! I was just, uh, wondering why you started playing the guitar.”

I scrambled to cover with a quick question.

“Why I started the guitar?”

“Y-Yeah. I haven’t heard about it before.”

“…My dad, who passed away, used to play it as a hobby. I got his guitar and just started messing around with it.”

Yuzuna said it with a hint of sadness. So that guitar was a keepsake from her dad.

“But, like, I’m totally self-taught, so my sense of music is way too opposite from pro chord progressions or whatever. People don’t really get it.”

She seems to have some self-awareness, but am I the only one who thinks it’s not about chord progressions?

“Back at our old place, Momiji would complain it was too loud, and Anzu would give me dirty looks… But since moving here, you don’t complain even when we’re in the same room, right? So, like… maybe our musical wavelengths match or something.”

“Huh…?”

I let out a genuinely uneasy “huh…?”

Oh no. I only said she could play freely because I didn’t want to complain, and now she thinks we’re kindred spirits?!

“No one’s ever been cool with it before, so I’m honestly kinda happy… Um, thanks, Big Brother.”

Yuzuna gave a shy smile, her voice tinged with a bit of joy as she thanked me.

She’s usually so prickly, but her ability to say thanks properly shows her good side… But that’s not the issue right now!

Yuzuna’s completely mistaken me for someone who shares her musical taste.

If she says stuff like that, it’s gonna be even harder to complain!

“Anyway, you’re going with me to get my guitar fixed today. Is that ‘cause you wanna hear me play or something?”

“N-No way! (That’s the truth!)”

“Geez, you’re so shy. It’s fine, I’ll play for you even more once it’s fixed. Oh, there’s the shop.”

I’m seriously telling you that’s not it!

Crap, she totally thinks I’m a fan of her music!

“Big Brother, come on, let’s go get it fixed!”

“Y-Yeah, alright.”

Bracing myself for the worst tonight, I stepped into the shop.

—

Chapter 21: It Was Supposed to Be Just Me and Yuzuna

Yuzuna and I arrived at the shop near the station and headed to the repair counter to discuss fixing her guitar.

“Alright, we’ll check the repair points on this guitar. Would you mind waiting in the store?”

“Yeah, that’s fine, right, Yuzuna?”

“Yep.”

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

After handing over the guitar, we wandered around the store.

This shop was a flagship store of a major domestic instrument manufacturer. Besides selling guitars and other instruments, it had rehearsal studios for bands to rent and even hosted piano and violin lessons on another floor.

“Hey, Big Brother.”

“What’s up, Yuzuna? We just dropped off the guitar.”

“I’m not that impatient! That’s not what I meant!”

Yuzuna snapped, glaring at me.

“I’ve been super curious since this morning, but when I brought up my guitar, you seemed to know a lot about it, didn’t you?”

“Huh? Not really.”

“But you knew about this shop and mentioned gig bags. I figured you wouldn’t know that stuff without some guitar knowledge.”

Now that she mentioned it, someone living a life detached from instruments probably wouldn’t know about this shop or guitar jargon.

Yuzuna’s got a sharp nose to pick up on that.

Well, no need to hide this one. I’ll just be honest.

“Actually, like I mentioned before, my childhood friend used to take violin lessons here when we were in elementary school. I’d often walk her here after we hung out, and sometimes I’d come inside the shop.”

Yeah, Haruka used to take lessons here, and she’d often ask me to walk her home afterward. That’s how I got familiar with this place.

Back then, every time I came, I got a little curious about instruments. I’d wander around, checking out guitars, basses, and drums, totally hyped.

“So I knew about this shop, the names of the instruments, and stuff like guitar cases.”

“Huh… But then why didn’t you ever get into music?”

“Well… even as a kid, I saw the prices of those instruments and knew I couldn’t ask for one. We were a single-parent household, you know.”

Every instrument was so expensive, I couldn’t bring myself to ask. Plus, if I got bored or gave up, even my quiet dad would’ve been pissed, so I settled for just looking.

“Big Brother… why are you such a goody-two-shoes?”

“Goody-two-shoes? I’m the guy who spent a whole year as a shut-in, causing trouble for my dad.”

“That’s just how it turned out, or… maybe that’s true, but you’re still nice to us, your stepsisters, aren’t you?”

I wouldn’t say I’m nice. I’m just fumbling my way through figuring out how to deal with the three of them.

“I thought guys were more selfish, always acting wild. Like, you know, throwing dishes.”

“Too much heavy metal! What is this, the apocalypse?”

But I guess it makes sense. The three of them went to a fancy girls’ school since they were little, thanks to Nanoka-san’s influence.

Maybe it’s not surprising they’d think that.

“So you’re… kinda like a guy from a shoujo manga or something.”

“Huh? Me, a shoujo manga guy?”

I’m not sure what that means, but is it safe to take it as a compliment?

“By the way, Big Brother… about the three of us—”