That day, Makoto didn't go anywhere. He stayed at the Nakano house, chatting and playing games with the girls.
Of course, he mostly kept Ichika company.
He had expected her to cling to him all day—not necessarily in a flirty way, but at least acting sweet and affectionate, expressing her joy and love.
But to his surprise, aside from that one intimate feeding moment in the morning, Ichika hadn't "performed" at all.
When Yotsuba shared a game with him, Ichika just sat nearby, occasionally joining the conversation.
When Miku asked him about club activities, Ichika remained gentle and understanding.
Nino and Itsuki were unusually quiet that day, both staying more silent than usual.
Ichika's out-of-character restraint and her choice not to mark her territory had Makoto curious.
He spent a long while observing her before figuring it out.
He found a moment alone to ask Ichika directly, and she answered him honestly.
The truth was: Ichika had softened.
She had realized long ago that Nino was no longer "safe," and she had started to grow suspicious of Itsuki too.
So, she had allied with Itsuki to keep a closer eye on her otherwise obedient sister.
Since Nino was assertive by nature, Ichika responded by openly expressing her own feelings.
But now… Ichika had already won.
If she kept flaunting it, she worried that Nino and Itsuki might react in unpredictable ways. And besides, as the victor, she didn't feel the need to be petty anymore.
So she let go of all the smug thoughts she'd had while lying in bed that morning.
"It's moments like this that really make me believe you're the eldest sister of the Nakano household," Makoto teased after hearing her reasoning.
Ichika smiled breezily. "I know I'm lazy most of the time, but hey, that's the real me."
"Got it—Miss Ichika from the trash pile."
"…How do you still remember that nickname?"
Later in the afternoon, Makoto had to head to the set to meet his friends.
Ichika had wanted to see him off downstairs, but he convinced her otherwise with the excuse that "your body's still recovering."
"I'm totally fine now! I don't feel the slightest bit unwell anymore."
Still sulking slightly, Ichika returned to the living room.
Even though she had been defeated quickly early that morning—and had, so to speak, "handed over her defeat CG"—she figured she was still young.
With more training, her stamina would improve.
A little while later, Itsuki left too, leaving only four sisters at home.
As soon as Ichika entered the living room, Nino said flatly, "I want to ask you something."
"Sure."
Ichika had expected this and followed her to the bedroom.
Miku and Yotsuba exchanged glances in the living room.
"Feels like they're hiding something from us," Yotsuba said hesitantly.
Miku said, "Nino and Itsuki were acting weird today too."
Yotsuba blinked. "Yeah, I noticed that too. But why?"
Miku didn't reply.
She already had an answer in mind: Makoto.
That intimate feeding scene in the morning made her think Ichika and Makoto must already be in a very close relationship.
With Nino and Itsuki both acting strangely, that could only mean one thing—her three sisters were all competing over the same man.
And it was the same man.
Miku felt overwhelmed.
She liked Makoto too, but she knew that her feelings weren't nearly as intense as her sisters'.
Her most embarrassing moment had been the night she first became friends with Makoto—and even then, she'd already started catching feelings…
Meanwhile, in Nino's room.
The two girls sat face to face. While Nino's expression was unreadable, Ichika looked composed as ever.
"Alright, what did you call me here to say? You even made sure to avoid Miku and the others," Ichika asked gently.
Nino stayed quiet for a while, like she was steeling herself. "You and Makoto…"
"I like him," Ichika said calmly.
Nino was stunned.
Wait—I haven't even figured out how to bring this up, and you just slammed your trump card in my face? Isn't that too much?
"Nino, I've known for a while that you have feelings for Makoto," Ichika continued, still speaking gently.
Nino didn't respond.
Ichika spoke frankly: "But in this matter, I'm sorry—I can't back down."
"I don't recall asking you to back down," Nino said, clearly conflicted and lacking confidence even in her retort.
Ichika flashed her signature smile. "I'm glad to hear that. I was honestly worried you'd…"
"…fall apart because of it?" Nino suddenly locked eyes with her. "Is that how fragile you think I am?"
Ichika shook her head. She could tell Nino was angry—and fired up.
So, there was no need to explain further.
After a few seconds, Nino seemed to calm down. She stood up and said,
"Since you've made things clear, I don't need to ask more. I'm going to the set now to learn from Makoto. Are you sure you're not coming?"
"I'll pass," Ichika replied.
Nino eyed her suspiciously.
"You're really not going? Just because you want to be lazy? Makoto's there, working. With your personality, shouldn't you be glued to him?"
Ichika's expression shifted into one of playful mischief. "Eh? You're angry, and yet you're still worried about me? That's so touching."
"Only an idiot would worry about you!"
Nino stormed off, not even a hint of hesitation.
As soon as she left, Ichika's smile faded and was replaced by a slightly awkward expression.
Earlier that morning, Ichika had sent a message to Yukino.
A blatant provocation.
In response, Yukino, whose sleep had been rudely interrupted, had replied: [I'll be waiting for you at the set this afternoon.]
It looked like a normal sentence, but Ichika's back went cold reading it.
She was pretty sure it meant the same thing as, "Meet me after school if you dare."
Despite her unwillingness to lose, Ichika had already experienced enough clashes with Yukino to know—Yukino could crush her with calm, unshakable precision.
So… Ichika backed down, awkwardly.
[Feeling unwell today. Let's fight another day.]
She hesitated, but finally sent the message.
Less than ten seconds later, Yukino replied:
[You're scared?]
No stickers, no emojis—just pure text. And yet Ichika could practically see Yukino's smirking face.
"This woman really is the scariest," Ichika muttered.
But on the other side, Yukino wasn't smirking.
As she hurried to the filming location, she thought it over seriously and came to a conclusion:
Ichika and that guy definitely did something—otherwise, she wouldn't have come to provoke me first thing in the morning.
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