Title: Days with My Stepsister Vol. 3
Author: Ghost Mikawa (Original Story), Yumika Kanada (Story), Hiten (Characters)
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 162
Genre: Slice-of-Life, Drama
Publication Date: April 22, 2025
The Story
Once again, the topic of Saki working too hard comes up; however, this time it’s a bit different. Saki is adjusting to her new job at the bookstore; however, she can’t help but wonder about Yuta and Yomiura. As she sorts through her feelings as to why it’s bothering her, she labels her feelings as jealousy.
Shortly after, Yuta has a conversation with Saki’s mother. They talk about how she used to be as a child, how she hated hot weather, but then she suddenly shifted her attitude around the time she had entered junior high, which was when things started to go south at home between her and Saki’s father. She said that Saki had grown up too quickly and became the way she is today from that point on. Yuta gets an idea to invite Saki out to the pool along with Maaya; however, Saki immediately shoots it down with a hard no.
This causes Yuta to worry about her. He tries to use some reverse psychology on Saki by asking for Maaya’s number and telling her that he accepts her invitation in hopes that she will get jealous and want to tag along. Needless to say, it didn’t work. This prompts Yuta to have a coming-to-Jesus talk with her about how she’s pushing herself too hard, especially when he realizes that Saki had stayed up until 6 AM and was running on less than four hours of sleep. Little did Yuta know, she stayed up late contemplating going to the pool.
Saki finally goes, and while a good time is had, Yuta begins to think about things and comes to a certain realization. Perhaps, it’s the same realization that Saki came to because we close our chapter with Saki taking a bold step… something that was completely out of her comfort zone!
Characters
Yuta and Saki both grew here; however, while their development may seem a bit similar, it is quite different, yet similar at the same time. I know that sounds a bit confusing, so let me elaborate.
In Yuta’s case, he’s still content with being a proper brother to Saki; however, as things go on, you can tell that he’s worrying about her more and more. When he invites her out to the pool, it’s because he wants to see her relax and have some fun before she pushes herself too hard and ends up killing herself from overwork, which is quite a common thing in Japan, sadly. When he’s at the beach with her, though, some of the little things he’s been wondering about in his head come to light, and he discovers something about himself… something that he wasn’t sure of before, and something that he isn’t sure he should explore. It’s definitely a slow burn of sorts, but it still feels quite natural.
In Saki’s case, she needs to overcome her feelings of jealousy, but at the same time, she needs to explore the reasons why she’s feeling jealous. She openly tells Yomiura that she and Yuta would make a great couple… right in front of Yuta. The thing is, she wasn’t trying to play Cupid and get them together. Instead, she was trying to gauge Yuta’s reaction as some form of justification for her jealousy. She later comes to talk to Yuta about that moment. After coming back from the beach, however, all of her feelings for Yuta manifest into something that takes the shape of respectful admiration.
So, while the process of sorting through feelings and coming to conclusions was similar, the end results and the reasons for doing so were quite different!
Final Thoughts
I’m enjoying the natural progression of the characters and their adaptation to their new lives together. This feels incredibly natural, yet analytical at the same time. There isn’t anything contrived here from a plot perspective as this is something one would tend to experience in a normal, everyday setting… if the situation were similar. Yes, not everyone’s parents remarry, and they gain a new brother/sister; however, if that were to happen, the journey that Yuta and Saki are taking could be a blueprint for a lot of people.
Now, I’m not condoning hooking up with your new stepsibling, but what I’m referring to is the process of navigating unfamiliar territory, trying to be respectful of one another, learning each other’s nuances, all which doing whatever you can to make the transition and new life for one another as smooth as possible. In Saki’s case, all of Yuta’s efforts have resulted in a sisterly admiration for her new brother. A respect that was well-earned.
As for Yuta’s feelings… well… that’s another blueprint for an entirely different type of situation. Nevertheless, things are getting quite interesting, and with Saki’s feelings taking a different route than Yuta’s, we’ll have to see where things go for them!
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