Miya is the illegitimate daughter of a prominent family. She has lived a poor but happy life with her mother, but everything changes when her mother passes away.
Her grandmother decides its best if Miya is taken by the Kounokura family. And knowing that she is the daughter of her father’s mistress, Miya assumes that his wife, Teru, and her daughters, Marika and Arisa, must resent her.
Miya arrives prepared to endure whatever punishment they have planned. However, Miya’s first meeting with the family immediately reveals just how wrong her expectations are.
Rather than insulting or rejecting her, Marika and Arisa enthusiastically take care of their new younger sister. They give her a bath and dress her in cute clothes, leaving Miya completely bewildered.
She keeps waiting for the cruelty to begin, but every supposedly threatening situation somehow turns into another act of kindness.
It’s getting late, and Miya’s new room takes priority. Instead of sending her somewhere out of sight, the family decides to clear out her father’s study and turn it into a proper bedroom for her.
Miya remains suspicious. Even when the sisters bring her bedding and snacks, she struggles to understand why anyone would treat her so kindly.
Then Teru, the intimidating head of the household, makes her entrance. Her stern demeanor initially makes Miya even more nervous—and even Marika and Arisa seem frightened when their mother appears. But once again, appearances prove misleading.
Miya eventually tries to address Teru as “Mother,” only to be stopped. Teru explains that Miya already had a mother who raised her, and there is no need to erase or replace that relationship.
Instead, Teru gives Miya an unexpected alternative: she can call her “Mammy.”
(いびってこない義母と義姉)
