Itsuki puffed out her cheeks and reached out to pinch him.
Knowing that she felt embarrassed when her forehead was flicked, Haruto still used it as a punishment.
Oppression!
At that moment, Yotsuba's voice rang out, causing Itsuki to tremble in fear and quickly withdraw her hand.
"Itsuki, hurry up!"
The four other sisters stopped and looked back, noticing that at some point, Itsuki and Haruto had fallen behind.
Miku saw the drink in Haruto's hand and Itsuki beside him. Without realizing it, she raised her hand to cover her chest, feeling a little uneasy.
Itsuki took a deep breath, lifted her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, and calmly said, "I know."
After saying that, she glanced at Haruto and said, "Kuromori-kun, let's hurry up!"
"Yeah."
The entire walk was silent.
Before long, they arrived at the Nakano house.
Itsuki opened the door and let her sisters in. Then she bent down to take out a pair of sandals and said, "Kuromori-kun, these are the sandals I bought last time. They've been washed and dried."
"Mm."
As the one most familiar with Haruto, she took the responsibility of hosting him.
Walking into the living room, Yotsuba brought over some iced water and biscuits.
The others, like Ichika, Nino, and Miku, went upstairs one by one.
Itsuki said, "Kuromori-kun, please sit for a bit. I'll go change and be right back."
Hearing this, Haruto's lips twitched slightly.
He raised his eyes and said, "Five minutes."
Seeing him flex his fingers, Itsuki instinctively covered her forehead, then felt embarrassed, glared at him, turned around, and rushed upstairs.
"Something suspicious!"
Hearing her voice, Haruto turned around and saw Yotsuba lying on the sofa, propping up her chin with her hand and staring at him with wide, twinkling eyes.
"What is it?"
Haruto's eyes drifted slightly downward, catching a glimpse of something snow-white that was a bit dazzling. He quickly looked away.
Yotsuba blinked her big eyes, slightly lifted the corners of her mouth, and said in a sharp voice, "Itsuki just panicked. Kuromori-san, you're secretly bullying Itsuki, aren't you?"
"No bullying."
Haruto paused and said, "Yotsuba, aren't you going to change clothes?"
"No need."
Yotsuba sat up, and the entire sofa cushion trembled slightly.
She took a piece of biscuit and handed it to him, saying seriously, "Itsuki has gone, so I'll keep Kuromori-san company. Otherwise, Kuromori-san might feel lonely."
'Sorry, not at all! On the contrary, I'll enjoy it because I've gained short-term peace!'
"Kuromori-san, open your mouth."
Haruto's face darkened slightly: "I know how to eat by myself. I don't need you to feed me."
"Eh?"
Yotsuba looked up with wide eyes: "Kuromori-san's face was just full of anticipation... Weren't you asking me to feed you?"
Haruto's forehead throbbed with a vein: "Where did you see anticipation?"
"Here."
Yotsuba pressed her chest seriously, lifted her chin, and said, "I've heard that all men have their wish lists, and being fed by a woman is at the top. So, I'm fulfilling Kuromori-san's lifelong wish."
"Leave it to me! I guarantee I'll satisfy Kuromori-san... Wu... Don't be shy..."
Yotsuba suddenly cried out pitifully and looked at him with a sad expression.
Haruto's face was expressionless: "Sorry, Yotsuba, what did you just say? Say it again?"
Yotsuba said pitifully: "...I was wrong."
"Hmph."
Haruto withdrew his hand and said, "I didn't bully Itsuki, and I'm not going anywhere."
"Haha… got caught."
Yotsuba laughed awkwardly, sat obediently, and softly said, "Actually, we're all afraid of being abandoned again. None of us really wanted a tutor if we could help it. But it was Father's decision."
She looked at Haruto, clasping her hands together, her eyes full of hope and anxiety: "Kuromori-san, please, please don't give up on us. We'll all work hard."
"I won't give up."
Haruto shook his head. Since he agreed, he wouldn't give up halfway.
At first, dealing with the oddities was very tough, but he survived it. Helping a few girls study is nothing worth mentioning.
Itsuki had also mentioned this.
The previous tutors might have given up because they felt the Nakano quintuplets were hopeless at studying.
Resistance was just a way to protect themselves from getting hurt.
But Haruto didn't expect Yotsuba, who always seemed carefree, to be the second one to say it.
Why bring it up now?
Haruto glanced at Yotsuba, pondering to himself.
In less than five minutes, Itsuki rushed downstairs.
Back home, Itsuki wore a white shirt and a long blue skirt. Paired with her long burgundy hair and a star-shaped hair accessory on her temple, she looked mature and cute.
Even the ahoge on top of her head was still standing and swaying left and right, which made people very concerned.
Sensing Haruto's gaze, Itsuki blushed and looked at him warily: "Don't touch my hair."
Haruto: "😐"
Itsuki actually knew he wanted to touch her ahoge.
Itsuki sat down and said, "Kuromori-kun, don't worry about tutoring. You can eat first!"
"Yeah."
Haruto also knew that it took a long time for a girl to change clothes, so he didn't refuse.
Yotsuba handed over some water: "Kuromori-san, are your shoulders sore? Do you want me to massage them for you?"
Haruto thought for a moment and said, "Sure."
He somewhat understood Yotsuba's situation. In short, she wanted to contribute something, or else she'd feel uneasy.
In fact, Yotsuba's worries were unnecessary.
Haruto wouldn't give up if he said he wouldn't. If he were someone who gave up easily, the world would have ended long ago!
However, since Yotsuba wanted to do something, Haruto didn't refuse. He wasn't thin-skinned like Yotsuba. Being thick-skinned is an essential skill for successful people in modern society!
"Uh-huh."
Yotsuba stood up and walked behind Haruto and said, "I often massage Itsuki and the others."
"Very firm."
Yotsuba placed her hands on Haruto's shoulders, with a surprised expression on her face: "These are much firmer than Itsuki's shoulders. Are all men's shoulders this hard?"
Haruto said casually, "You don't need to strain yourself."
Yotsuba understood the meaning behind this sentence. She said unhappily, "Kuromori-san is underestimating me."
With that, the massage began.
Meanwhile, Itsuki turned to the side and took out a meat bun.
Haruto: "😐"
'Just eat, I won't laugh at you because it's sneaky?'
The massage ended, and Itsuki had finished the meat bun.
After a while, Haruto drank another glass of water and looked at the restless Yotsuba: "Yotsuba, where are Ichika and the others?"