The next morning, Nino opened her eyes to a ceiling that didn't belong to her room. At first drowsy, she instantly snapped awake.
She quickly turned to look at the two people beside her.
Thankfully, they were still asleep.
But the moment of clarity brought back memories of the previous night, and her pale little face turned burning red.
No wonder Ichika had told her she wasn't in the lead—those two had already hit a home run.
A full home run!
Thinking about those shameful scenes made Nino feel like her whole body was overheating.
And her body did feel rather sore.
She instantly blamed it on Ichika's wicked hand.
She didn't hesitate to shift all responsibility onto her sister.
But she couldn't deny it—without Ichika's live-instruction last night, she probably wouldn't have picked it up that fast.
It was also thanks to sharing the bed that Nino discovered one of Ichika's little quirks—she liked playing the role of a knight.
Compared to Ichika's "boldness," Nino had been much more reserved last night.
"Half and half."
Remembering her own words made Nino flush with embarrassment.
She had actually said something shameful out loud.
As her thoughts wandered, her beautiful eyes slowly drifted to Makoto's face.
Sleeping in one bed like this was a bit cramped—but she didn't dislike it at all.
Because deep down, she knew Ichika hadn't been willing to share either. But in the end, she agreed.
She had even laid the groundwork for Nino for so long.
So this is the strength of being a big sister.
For the first time in her life, Nino sincerely acknowledged her sister's status in her heart.
She gazed at Makoto's sleeping face for a few seconds, the corners of her lips curling into a soft smile.
As expected of the boy I like—he looks exactly like my type.
Nino no longer felt like sleeping. She rested her chin on her hand and carefully sat up a little.
Because of her movement, a fair arm slipped out from under the warm blanket.
Even though the curtains were tightly drawn, the faint light in the room still revealed skin as smooth as white jade.
The subtle curve of her shoulder blades was graceful and refined, her blushing cheeks formed a delicate smile, and the aura around her no longer carried her usual bold confidence—but rather, a soft, alluring femininity beyond her years.
This must be the beauty of a girl evolving into a woman.
Nino was entranced. She gently caressed Makoto's face with her small hand, murmuring,
"Even if this isn't quite how I imagined it in my dreams, I'm still really happy you didn't leave me behind."
Makoto remained motionless.
Nino grew bolder and chuckled softly.
"Ichika's a cunning bad woman. But I admit… She was better than me yesterday. And she thought everything through more carefully."
"Then shouldn't you say 'thank you, Ichika' already?" Makoto suddenly opened his eyes.
Nino was startled and flinched, quickly furrowing her brow.
"Sorry for scaring you," Makoto said as he pulled her into a gentle hug, knowing he had tugged at her sore spots.
Blushing, Nino pouted in embarrassment. "You were pretending to sleep?"
"No," he said. "I just felt like someone was touching my face, so I woke up."
Nino immediately regretted it. I shouldn't have reached out just now. I could've secretly enjoyed that moment longer.
Truthfully, Makoto had been awake for a while.
His routine was always consistent. It was around five now—his usual time for morning training.
But since everyone had fallen asleep together last night, he couldn't exactly sneak out early.
While resting with his eyes closed, listening to Nino's soft mumbling, he nearly burst into laughter multiple times.
She was just too cute.
"…Makoto."
Nino called out softly.
Makoto lowered his head to meet her gaze.
She hesitated and asked, "Have you ever thought about what we'll be like in the future?"
A loaded question.
But Makoto simply hugged her tighter and smiled. "We'll figure it out."
Reassured by his confidence, Nino raised her face and gave him a kiss.
"Is that a challenge?" Makoto asked suddenly.
Nino blinked. "What challenge?"
She then felt Makoto's hand, which had been on her waist, begin to move upward.
"Don't," she whispered in embarrassment, her cheeks flaring up again.
"I haven't recovered yet," she added.
"I know," he said. "I just want to get a feel for it."
"…Fine."
Nino was shy—but a little proud too.
The fact that he couldn't resist even now proved just how much he was attracted to her.
Feeling his roaming hands, she wriggled slightly and whispered hotly, "Once I recover, I'll be ahead of Ichika."
She said it with full confidence.
But the next moment, Ichika's voice came from beside them.
"Since you said that, does that mean I can take advantage of the time you're recovering to widen my lead?"
Nino jumped in surprise. "You were pretending to sleep too?!"
She glanced at Makoto. He gave a helpless smile. "Don't look at me—I really didn't know she was awake."
"I wasn't pretending," Ichika said as she sat up.
"You two just woke me up. And wow, Nino, you've got so much energy—already getting frisky with Makoto this early in the morning."
"Why do you always say things so unladylike? And why do you sound so experienced?!"
"Because I'm an actress."
"That's just an excuse!"
As the argument was about to begin again, Makoto freed a hand and pulled Ichika into his arms as well.
Once again, he unlocked the Epic Achievement: Left and Right Embrace.
As for why it was only "epic" and not "legendary"?
Well… the Nakano family has five daughters.
"As the saying goes, triangles are the most stable structure. Would you agree?"
Makoto seized the opportunity to distract them before they could start bickering again.
Nino pouted. "I don't agree."
Ichika giggled. "That's because I interrupted your morning flirting session, right?"
Nino was just about to explode when Makoto suddenly said, "Should I help you punish Ichika?"
"Yes!" Nino answered without hesitation.
But when Makoto actually started messing with Ichika, and Nino saw her sister's flushed face and shy, delighted expression—she realized something was wrong.
Oh no… Ichika's enjoying this too much!
So she grabbed Makoto's other hand, blushing furiously. "Half and half!"
The three of them fooled around until past six in the morning.
Knowing that Nino hadn't fully recovered yet, Makoto suggested all three of them skip school today.
Ichika eagerly supported the idea.
She had been busy with auditions, script work, and school lately—both her body and spirit were exhausted.
Nino was a little worried. "We didn't go home last night, and we're skipping school today. What if Miku or the others ask about it?"
Ichika calmly replied, "Don't worry. I'll say I got cast in a new role and stayed overnight to get acting tips from Makoto."
"What about me?" Nino puffed her cheeks and pointed at herself.
Although honestly, her cheeks were naturally puffy anyway.
Ichika grinned. "You'll say that since tutoring is starting soon, you didn't want to be dead last in the prep test, so you came to Makoto for some extra help."
"…That excuse is terrible. It's too embarrassing."
"Terrible? I think it's great. It'll make Miku and the others focus on the test, and then if Makoto backs us up, they'll probably even scold you for not studying harder."
After hearing the plan, Nino stayed quiet for a long while before finally replying in a complicated tone, "Ichika… aren't you too good at this?"
"What's wrong with being skilled?" Ichika shot back.
"The more skilled you are, the more I suspect you secretly 'jumped the gun' at least ten times before last night."
"Please, I'm not that tough. Makoto's like a wild beast… Wait—Nino, you're blushing. So cute!"
"Shut up already!"
The whole day, Makoto stayed home with the two of them.
The girls finally returned home together around dinnertime.
In the end, Nino did use the excuse Ichika gave her.
And just as Ichika predicted, Miku and the others were successfully distracted.
Although Itsuki still had her doubts, Ichika called Makoto in front of her sisters, and the two performed a perfect phone skit that finally eased her suspicions.
Over the next few days, Nino secretly visited Makoto three more times—without Ichika knowing.
Savoring what one has tasted.
This state had now also manifested in Nino.
Of course, she also wanted to prove she was better than Ichika.
And so, she ended up willingly handing over her defeated CG.
She collapsed even faster than Ichika…
The short film's release date happened to fall on a Sunday—something Makoto had specifically arranged.
It aired at 11 a.m., perfectly timed for lunch hours, with no fees or restrictions—it could be watched directly online.
Because the short film carried special significance, all five Nakano sisters got up early that day, even inviting Makoto over.
He arrived with some practice test sheets in hand.
"It's up now!"
Ichika's slightly excited voice called out, and soon all six people were seated in the living room.
Scenes like this weren't limited to the Nakano household.
At Yukino's apartment, both her older sister and mother were present.
"Ms. Sayuri just messaged me—she's watching your film with her husband and daughter," Mrs. Yukinoshita said.
When she said "film," she deliberately emphasized the word.
"They won't be disappointed," Yukino replied, taking a deep breath, confidence gleaming in her eyes.
Haruno teased, "We should've invited Makoto over. Watching it together would've been more atmospheric."
Yukino remained composed.
Thanks to Makoto's guidance last time, she had already come to terms with her emotions.
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