This time, Haruto was deeply impressed by Nino.
Who would have thought Nino would work so hard for someone she liked?
Honestly, Nino did very well.
In Haruto's heart, just because of these words, his impression of Nino skyrocketed. In an instant, it reached its peak, far exceeding the other girls.
For the first time, Haruto looked at Nino seriously.
This wasn't about desire; it was about a deeper feeling.
It felt very similar to the first time he connected with Miku.
But somehow, it seemed a little different.
What was it?
Haruto didn't know, but he wanted to figure it out.
Because the feeling was very complicated.
What he thought he liked might not be what he actually liked. Maybe it was just because the person was beautiful, or their appearance, temperament, or cuteness matched his aesthetics.
Anyway, it was an instinctive attraction to something beautiful.
But here's the problem.
That feeling, was it a sudden heartbeat, or something else?
All in all, it felt nice.
Nino stared directly at him without showing any sign of weakness, "Why do you keep looking at me?"
Though her tone was calm, her cheeks still had a faint blush.
Haruto looked away: "Just now, I suddenly thought you were really cute."
Nino's eyes widened, and she looked up, "W-What are you suddenly saying?"
Haruto raised his hands and said seriously: "I'm telling the truth. You were really cute just now."
Nino's cheeks burned, and she unconsciously turned her head, her lips moving slightly as she whispered, "That's unfair."
It was true.
'That's cheating. I know full well that I like you, but then you suddenly call me cute.'
'Kuromori really is shameless!'
Noticing someone watching from afar, Nino bit her lip lightly, blushing as she handed over the bento she was holding: "Anyway, this bento is for you."
She took a step back, hesitated for a moment, turned to the side, and secretly glanced at him from the corner of her eye, whispering: "Kuromori, I don't want you to hate me."
After saying that, Nino hurried off.
Haruto looked at the bento in his hands and felt its lingering warmth. He couldn't help but smile slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"This idiot would actually make a pretty good wife."
He thought for a moment.
When he first met Nino, he actually found her quite troublesome. Nino had a quick temper and was like a powder keg that could explode at any moment.
But as they spent more time together, Haruto's perception of Nino began to change. Not long ago, he thought Nino wasn't really girlfriend material.
Lately, though, he'd come to think that Nino's straightforward personality wasn't so bad after all.
And now, Haruto suddenly felt that among the Nakano quintuplets, the one most suited to be a wife might just be Nino!
Holding the lunch box, Haruto ignored the strange looks from the crowd of students and calmly headed to the rooftop.
Most of these people didn't even know who was who, so there was no need to worry.
❀❀❀
The rooftop.
The weather was clear, and the sky was blue.
Yukino was still wearing her Sobu High School uniform, with black knee-high socks that had white stripes at the top. Between her checkered skirt and the knee-high socks, there was a dazzling strip of white skin.
Though she was the only person on the rooftop, Yukino's sitting posture was very upright, her legs together and slightly tilted to one side.
She gently flipped a page in her book, her expression calm, her bright eyes sparkling, and her red hair ribbon fluttering, making her elegance and aloofness seem like a beautiful, distracting picture.
"Yukinoshita, good afternoon."
"Mm~"
Hearing his voice, Yukino was about to respond when she suddenly noticed the bento in Haruto's hands.
"Kuromori-kun is getting more popular these days."
"Really? It feels nice."
Haruto sat next to her, then reached out confidently: "Yukinoshita, where's my lunch box?"
Yukino glanced at him. If this had been the first time they'd met, she would have thought he had a bad attitude, and she might have poisoned him or hit him.
But now it was different. Because when she was most scared and helpless, Haruto had appeared to save her. Although the whole "hero saving the damsel" trope was criticized by many in modern times…
Since ancient times, however, it's been the easiest way to win a woman's heart.
Because of that, Haruto's status had risen several levels in Yukino's heart.
Handing over her lunch box to Haruto, Yukino tucked her hair behind her ear, then picked up her chopsticks and said casually: "That lunch box, was it from that girl again?"
"Yeah." Haruto replied, picking up a piece of fried shrimp and placing it in Yukino's lunch box: "I haven't seen you for two days, and it looks like you've lost weight again."
"Kuromori-kun's eyesight doesn't seem very good."
Haruto glanced at her and said seriously: "I can tell a girl's size clearly with just one look."
Is that bad eyesight?
It was clearly very good eyesight!
Hearing his comment, Yukino's face turned slightly embarrassed. She unconsciously raised her hand to cover her chest and looked at him with disdain: "Kuromori-kun, do you think you're harassing me?"
Haruto pretended not to hear her and gave her another chicken nugget.
Yukino gritted her teeth, her eyes glaring at him.
Was this guy trying to make her fat?
"Cough~" Haruto cleared his throat: "Don't look at me like that."
After saying that, his eyes rested on Yukino's face, and he slightly raised an eyebrow: "Did you not sleep last night?"
"Mm."
Yukino didn't hide anything. She poked the chicken nugget gently and said softly: "Something happened at home over the weekend. But it's nothing."
In fact, her older sister had come over suddenly.
And somehow, her sister had found out that she knew Haruto and also knew she had been in danger.
Although it seemed like her sister had come to see her, Yukino had the feeling that she was actually here for Haruto.
Yukino hesitated for a moment and said: "Kuromori-kun, if someone asks for your help, don't worry about me—just refuse."