Before long, Ryunosuke successfully saw Nino home, safe and sound.
Of course, this did not escape the notice of the other four sisters. They immediately converged on Nino, accusing her of hypocrisy; her mouth said she wanted nothing to do with him, yet she was the first one to pull a "sneak attack" and get a head start.
Nino was cornered against the wall by her sisters, completely surrounded with no way out. Miku joined the fray, calling out Nino's deceptive behavior in a loud, stern voice.
"You've sinned! You should—" Miku actually wanted to say seppuku or "be executed," but remembering this was her own sister, she softened and swallowed her words.
Yotsuba also put on a sulky face, hands on her hips. "Nino! That's going too far! You didn't say that before—do you even remember what you told us?!"
Nino deflected frantically, "Y-you've got it all wrong! He just gave me a ride home, there's really nothing going on..."
However, her four sisters remained unconvinced. For the first time, Nino truly felt what it was like to be betrayed by those closest to her. It didn't take long for her to crack; she sat formally on the bed, head bowed in admission, and recounted the entire play-by-play before the others finally let her off the hook.
Ichika stroked her chin, pretending to be deep in thought. "What do you think, Miku? Should we forgive her?"
Ichika turned to Miku. Miku puffed out her cheeks, declaring that she wouldn't forgive Ryunosuke so easily. At the very least, the man had to pay a price before she'd be satisfied. Ichika scratched her short hair with a troubled sigh.
"That might not be realistic, Miku. Think about it—he's surrounded by so many women who are just as capable as we are. Why would he feel the need to bow his head to us?"
Miku fell silent. How could she not know that? She just didn't want to accept it.
"Haaah~" The five sisters exhaled in unison.
The next morning, they returned to their part-time jobs. Since it was Saturday, they intended to work a full day rather than just a few hours.
Ryunosuke also showed up at the shop, acting as a regular customer and enjoying their service like anyone else.
Nino, dressed in her white chef's coat and toque, marched out of the kitchen with a vein throbbing in her forehead and her arms crossed.
"If you don't have actual business here, why did you come?" Nino asked, her tone anything but welcoming.
Ryunosuke didn't mind at all. He propped his head on one hand and simply stared at her. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Nino looked away.
"About yesterday... thanks. Thanks for taking me home. In return, I'll prepare something delicious for you as a thank-you. What do you want to eat?" Nino pulled out a small notepad, ready to take his order to settle the debt from the previous evening.
Ryunosuke answered casually, "Whatever Nino makes, I'll love it."
THWACK!
Nino slammed the notepad directly into Ryunosuke's face.
(This guy!)
Nino's face turned bright red; she was clearly flustered by the smooth talk, her heart racing. Some nearby customers even gave a thumbs-up, muttering, "Nice technique, buddy!"
Ryunosuke feigned agony, though it didn't actually hurt. He clutched his forehead with a pitiful expression. Nino couldn't stand seeing him like that; she stepped forward and rubbed his forehead. "Fine, I didn't mean it. It's just because you suddenly started saying ridiculous things..."
As Nino started to pull her hand away, Ryunosuke caught her soft, fair hand in his.
Nino glanced left and right, terrified of being spotted by her sisters. She wanted to yank her hand back immediately, but Ryunosuke had no intention of letting go.
Her face grew even redder as she whispered, "What exactly do you want?!"
Ryunosuke smiled and pressed Nino's hand against his own cheek. "I don't want anything special. I just want you to stay with me a little longer, if that's okay? Nino~"
Nino was left utterly defenseless by the sudden gesture, but she didn't feel repulsed; instead, a small spark of happiness flickered in her heart.
Just as the atmosphere turned intimate, Miku—wearing her maid uniform—approached with a dark expression. She swatted away Ryunosuke's hand, which was busy stealing an opportunity, and pulled the dazed Nino away. She was clearly drowning in jealousy.
Ryunosuke could only watch in resignation. It seemed that next time, he would have to find a way to meet them one-on-one; dealing with all five at once was truly a handful. If he coaxed one, another "vinegar jar" was bound to spill over.
As Ryunosuke stood up to leave, Yotsuba—who had been watching from behind the scenes but hadn't dared to say hello—was pushed forward by Ichika. "What are you waiting for? Want to regret this for the rest of your life?"
Thanks to Ichika's shove, Yotsuba gathered the courage to step up and tug on Ryunosuke's sleeve. Whatever they whispered about didn't take long, and soon Yotsuba returned with a beaming face, clutching her phone. It was obvious: they had just exchanged contacts.
For Yotsuba, such a small thing was more than enough to satisfy her. Seeing how easily pleased she was, Ichika gave a bitter smile.
"You're way too easy for a guy to manipulate, you know that?" Ichika gave her sister's forehead a light flick. Yotsuba just grinned, completely ignoring the warning.
"Honestly, this girl is a hopeless case..." Ichika held her head in resignation.
Walking out, Ryunosuke saw Yotsuba's contact on his phone and offered a thin smile. He tucked it into his pocket, intending to take a breather. Every beginning is difficult, but at least he now knew where Nino and Yotsuba stood. That was enough; he couldn't afford to rush.
Just as he was about to leave the shop area, his phone vibrated. Ryunosuke checked it and saw a message from Yotsuba's number, but the sender's name inside the text was Miku.
It turned out that Miku had borrowed Yotsuba's phone under the pretext of her own battery being dead. The innocent Yotsuba had lent it over instantly. Internally, Miku noted how easy it was to trick Yotsuba, then sent a short message to Ryunosuke:
"8 PM at the park. There's something I want to tell you."
Immediately afterward, Miku deleted the message from Yotsuba's phone to avoid getting caught.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Ryunosuke received the message and, at exactly 8 PM, he was at the park. Under the moonlight, Miku looked stunning in a simple dress paired with her familiar black silkhose.
Ryunosuke patted the park bench next to him, inviting her to sit. Miku smoothed her white pleated skirt and sat down, though they kept a distance of about half a meter—the air between them thick with awkwardness.
It was only natural. If they counted from childhood, it had been nearly 10 years since they last met. Moreover, Ryunosuke had lost his memories; Miku's somewhat cold reaction was a normal response—she likely hadn't fully accepted the fact that he had forgotten them.
The moonlight bathed them both. Whatever happened next, at least they were sitting together now. Things were bound to get better...
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