Haruto looked around.
The living room was spacious and bright, with large floor-to-ceiling windows. The kitchen was also impressively large, and in the corner, there was a staircase leading to the second floor.
After observing, it was clear that the Nakano family was wealthy!
Haruto wasn't surprised.
Itsuki ate so much every day that her lunch alone cost thousands of yen, not to mention the snacks between classes and the meat buns.
In short, an average family couldn't support quintuplets.
Haruto shifted his gaze and started watching the TV program. He wasn't interested in TV shows and wasn't an otaku, so he rarely watched dramas.
After a few moments, he took out his phone.
*Click—*
At that moment, the bathroom door suddenly opened.
Haruto instinctively turned his head and saw a girl walk out, wrapped in a bath towel.
Their eyes met.
The girl's eyes widened slightly. Just as Haruto was about to look away, he heard the girl say, "Itsuki? Come here and help me dry my hair."
After saying that, the girl sat down on the sofa as if no one else was around, playing with her phone as if nothing had happened.
Nino tilted her head up, raised an eyebrow, and said, "What's the matter? Come here and help me dry my hair. It's so wet and uncomfortable. I'll dry yours after."
Haruto then realized that the girl was staring at him with wide eyes.
How bad was her eyesight?
What should he do?
Help dry her hair?
Why not?
If he helped now, at least Nino wouldn't realize it was him. As for the next step, he could just find a chance to slip away.
Haruto only hesitated for a moment, then stood up and walked behind Nino.
That's right. This girl was Nino.
When the Nakano quintuplets weren't switching outfits, it wasn't hard to tell them apart if one paid attention.
The girl in front of Haruto had long pink hair reaching her waist, with styled bangs.
There was no one else but Nino.
Haruto felt conflicted but turned on the hairdryer and started helping Nino dry her hair.
Aside from quick, casual encounters, this was the first time he had helped a girl dry her hair.
He just hadn't expected it to be Nino.
Moreover, despite the conflict that afternoon, here he was helping Nino dry her hair at night.
All Haruto could say was that life was unpredictable.
Warm air blew, and the pleasant scent of shampoo became even stronger.
Though Nino's hair was long, it was incredibly smooth, easily slipping through his fingers without any split ends. The quality of her hair was excellent.
It seemed Nino took great care of her hair regularly.
Haruto lowered his head slightly, his view becoming a field of white and softness.
From his angle, he could see quite clearly.
He had to admit, Nino was quite attractive.
Haruto only took a quick glance and immediately looked away. After all, he wasn't a saint, so it was impossible for him to remain completely calm.
For now, he should just focus on drying Nino's hair. Otherwise, if Itsuki came down and found him like this...
That would be really embarrassing.
Ten minutes later, Nino's hair was finally dry.
And Itsuki still hadn't come down.
Haruto sighed quietly to himself.
Didn't Itsuki promise to be down soon?
Yet over ten minutes had passed!
Forget it, time to run.
If Haruto got caught now, Nino would surely explode, and she might even cry.
He couldn't afford to upset her.
Just as Haruto was about to escape, Nino tilted her head, rolled her neck slightly, and said in a relaxed voice, "My shoulders feel uncomfortable. Itsuki, massage me again."
Haruto: "😐"
So, having a large chest wasn't all that great. A woman's shoulders would ache by the end of the day, and she'd easily lose balance while walking. When squatting to tie shoelaces, her view would easily be obstructed.
"Itsuki, why aren't you saying anything?"
Nino found it odd that Itsuki hadn't said a word all this time.
Haruto was silent for a moment, then said, "What did you say?"
His voice was identical to Itsuki's.
He had truly used his powers to deceive a foolish girl... Haruto resolved to write a hundred-word reflection when he got home.
"Hah… hurry up and massage me."
Nino shifted her shoulders and said, "That guy didn't do anything weird to you today, did he?"
Nino continued, "In short, it's best to keep your distance from him. Even though today's situation was a misunderstanding, that guy is dangerous."
"So, you should be more cautious. Some people, though they may seem harmless on the surface, are actually perverts deep down!"
Haruto's face remained expressionless.
Nino looked disgusted: "I mean, he massaged a girl's feet just days after meeting her. He's obviously a pervert with a foot fetish."
"Itsuki, why aren't you talking?"
"Hmm... Be gentler, you're too strong... Yeah, that's the spot..."
Nino sighed in satisfaction: "Ah~ I think Itsuki's massage feels even better than Yotsuba's. By the way, Itsuki, are you listening?"
"I hear you."
Haruto said without emotion, "I think you have bigger issues, Nino."
"Huh?"
"Not everyone in this world is out to get you. If you're always so impulsive, Nino, you'll get hurt someday."
Nino grumbled, "I'm not always impulsive, and it's not like I'm not worried about Miku."
"Itsuki, are you dealing with it too?"
Speaking of which, Nino's voice had a slight complaint.
"I'm not."
Haruto denied it and said, "I just think Nino shouldn't provoke him anymore. I can see he's not a gentle person. If you keep provoking him, you'll regret it."
Good people are often the most vulnerable to injury.
Deep love will last forever, and wisdom will be hurt... This has always been the case.
So, Haruto didn't need gentleness or anything like that.
After a moment, Nino sighed and said, "It feels much better now, as expected from Itsuki. I didn't expect you to be better than Yotsuba. I'll leave the massage duties to you from now on."
With that, Nino opened her eyes, stood up, found her glasses, and put them on. She turned and looked around, only to realize that Itsuki was no longer in the living room.
"How strange."
Nino blinked in confusion but didn't think too much of it. She turned back and sat on the sofa, continuing to play with her phone.
At that moment, footsteps could be heard.
As Itsuki came downstairs, her phone suddenly rang. When she saw the caller ID, a surprised expression appeared on her face, and she answered the call.
Haruto was already on his way home and said, "Itsuki, I've got something to do, so I'm heading out today."
"Huh? But..."
"Remember to finish the test papers."
"Alright, I understand, Kuromori-kun. Please be safe on the way home."
"Goodbye."
Itsuki hung up the phone, looking puzzled. He had come over suddenly, and now he was leaving just as abruptly.
"Never mind, let's eat some meat buns first, or we won't have the energy to study later."
Nino asked in confusion, "Itsuki, when did you go upstairs?"
Itsuki pulled out the meat buns and said, "By the way, about ten minutes ago. Nino, you didn't make things difficult for Kuromori-kun, did you?"
"Actually, even though he has a bit of a bad personality, he's really a good guy."
"Huh?"
Nino replied indignantly, "I'm not unreasonable. As long as he doesn't mess with me, why would I make things difficult for him?"
"That's good."
Itsuki sighed in relief and said, "In that case, Kuromori-kun must have left because something came up. I thought maybe Nino was causing him trouble again."
"Hm?"
Nino froze for a moment, then widened her eyes: "Itsuki, what did you say? That guy was just here at our house?"
"Yes..." Itsuki took a bite of the meat bun, looking quite content.
"But I just... Wait!"
Nino suddenly reacted, though she wasn't entirely sure. She gritted her teeth and said, "Itsuki, come here and massage me."
"Huh?"
"Hurry up, I'll massage you later."