"Everyone's test results are in. As expected, Itsuki performed the best."
At 2:30 p.m., in the Nakano household's living room, Makoto addressed the five girls sitting across from him in a row.
"Knew it'd be Itsuki."
None of the girls were surprised—they'd already heard that Yukino had been tutoring Itsuki.
"Who got second place?" Ichika asked curiously.
Aside from the smiling Itsuki, the others turned to Makoto expectantly.
"I'm only announcing the top score," he replied.
"Eh? How come?"
"If you want your name announced, compete for first place. That's where I'm putting all the spotlight."
"Ooh, sounds exciting!" Yotsuba clapped eagerly.
The others, meanwhile, looked at him like, Why are you acting all edgy all of a sudden?
Makoto waved it off.
"Anyway, I now understand your strengths and weaknesses. Take a fifteen-minute break, and then we'll begin the supplementary lessons."
"Okay." ×5
With the short film released successfully, even the normally lazy Ichika no longer resisted studying.
As for Nino, she still had "being in the lead" on her mind.
After the three of them shared a bed that one night, her desire to surpass Ichika had only grown stronger.
A knight character, huh? I can do that too!
Nino was burning with determination.
As the girls dispersed, Makoto opened his notes to prepare.
Just then, Miku came over and, without a word, sat down next to him.
He could smell the faint fragrance from her hair and asked, "What's up?"
Miku's expression was flat. "What were you doing in that room with Ichika just now?"
Makoto replied, "Didn't Ichika explain? We were working on a script together."
Miku stared into his eyes, but when she couldn't find any cracks, she said blandly, "I don't believe it."
When he popped out of the wardrobe earlier, she'd been shocked.
She'd even walked out and opened the door again to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.
That kind of bug-like behavior clearly revealed her lingering doubts.
"I knew you wouldn't believe me."
Makoto calmly opened a bag next to the sofa and asked, "You've heard that Ichika passed her audition, right?"
"Yeah. She got the role she wanted. We're all happy for her." Miku nodded.
"That's worth celebrating. But she's still a newcomer. I suspect she'll only have minor lines and screen time. She'll probably play a disposable character."
"Disposable?" Miku tilted her head in confusion, which, paired with her expression, looked quite cute.
Makoto explained, "It's a traditional Japanese horror film. I haven't read the script, but I'd bet she's playing the 'dumb teammate' whose poor decisions advance the plot and amplify the horror, while making the protagonist shine."
"Oh, I've seen that kind of character before." Miku nodded, but then asked, "But what does that have to do with my question?"
"I'm providing proof."
Makoto pulled a neat stack of papers from the bag.
Miku blinked. "What's that?"
"I had some free time recently, so I wrote a new script. It's not a short film—it's a full movie. We won't be able to shoot it, of course." He handed the pages to her.
Miku blinked and took them, scanning the first page: Sixth Sense: Paranormal.
She read the title softly, her fingers brushing the headphones around her neck.
"So you're telling me you really were helping Ichika study because you even brought a script with you?"
"Exactly," Makoto said, striking while the iron was hot. "We might not shoot it, but if you want experience, I can arrange for you to visit sets regularly."
Miku went quiet, then asked softly, "Is it also a horror film?"
"To be precise, it's a story about family love disguised as a horror film."
"If Ichika finds out, she'll be thrilled."
Miku didn't even flip through the script before handing it back.
She believed him now.
He'd always struck her as reliable and competent, and after their little chat, she had no more doubts.
"Oh right, do you want to know who came in second on the test?" Makoto suddenly asked in a low voice.
Miku's eyes sparkled. "Didn't you say you wouldn't tell us?"
"Well, I wasn't going to. But since you were the first one to approach me after the results came out, I'll share this secret with you."
Secret?
Miku's blush deepened slightly. Maybe it was the word secret being too intimate, but she couldn't help feeling curious. "Who was second?"
"You were," Makoto said.
Miku froze.
Her first instinct was that Makoto was teasing her.
But he added, "I'm serious. Apart from Itsuki, you had the best score."
"…That can't be."
She mumbled in disbelief.
She'd heard that Yukino had also been tutoring Ichika recently.
So how did she end up in second place?
Makoto didn't elaborate further.
But he knew the answer.
Ichika and Nino had both been too preoccupied with messing around—one was making out with him in the room, and the other had even unzipped her gym clothes inside the wardrobe.
In that state, expecting them to focus on a test would've been absurd.
While Miku was still processing everything, she suddenly felt a warmth on her head—a hand.
She looked up in surprise.
Makoto said simply, "Good job. Keep it up."
Miku blushed and softly murmured, "Mm."
Her voice carried a hint of shyness, but she truly meant to keep working hard.
At the very least—she didn't want to disappoint him.
She recalled his encouragement, and everything he'd said in front of her sisters. Her expression grew more determined.
Fifteen minutes later, the five Nakano girls returned to the living room.
As Makoto brought out a mini whiteboard, Ichika leaned her head on her hand and grinned.
"Makoto, I don't know if I should say this."
"Then don't," Makoto replied without looking.
But Ichika didn't plan to stay quiet.
"Even though we're all happy to have you as our tutor, you do know that we're all pretty hopeless when it comes to this stuff, right?"
"And we lack passion," Nino added awkwardly.
"I'm actually looking forward to Fushimi-kun's lessons," Yotsuba said brightly, her ribbon bobbing as she tilted her head.
Miku sat properly, black-stockinged legs neatly folded, pen and notebook in front of her.
Itsuki, as usual, had her serious face on.
Clearly, besides Ichika and Nino, the others had different attitudes.
Makoto remained calm. "Don't worry. I'll help you find that passion."
Then he pulled a bottle of Powerful Red Bull from his pocket. "If you get tired, drink this."
Ichika and Nino still looked unmotivated.
Until Makoto started lecturing in the living room…
All five girls suddenly began taking notes furiously, with determined expressions—any outsider would've thought they were secret overachievers.
Makoto adjusted his angle and snapped a photo with his phone, sending it to Nakano Maruo.
Ten minutes later, Maruo replied: Sorry, I was attending to a patient. Are they seriously studying that hard? Are you sure this isn't staged?
Makoto: Mr. Nakano, you know about staging photos?
Maruo: Ever since you helped me connect with my daughters again, I've been learning about young people's trends.
Makoto: Then take a closer look at the photo. Besides Ichika, who might have the talent to become a top actress, do you really think the others could fake that level of focus?
Maruo: You're right. Nino and the others don't look like they're acting. I misjudged—apologies. But for them to be so serious… You must be quite the tutor.
Makoto: It's not that I'm good at tutoring. It's that they really want to improve.
Makoto put down his phone and looked back at the girls who were buried in their study exercises.
Before the final test of the summer vacation, he was confident he could help them all pass.
…
Day by day passed, and the short film continued to gain popularity. The one who benefited the most, of course, was Ichika.
Not only did her social media following increase significantly, but she even got recognized by young people on the streets occasionally.
One night, while talking to Makoto on the phone, she said excitedly,
"The director has seen our work! He added a few extra scenes for me. Makoto, I'm so happy! If I didn't still have vocabulary to memorize, I'd come see you right now!"
Makoto played along, letting her freely express her joy.
On Friday, after school, Makoto went straight home because the Nakano girls were having dinner with their father.
As their relationship with him improved, Nakano Maruo had taken Makoto's suggestion seriously—no matter how busy he was, he'd make sure to have dinner with his daughters at least twice a week.
Just as Makoto was thinking about what to eat for dinner, his phone rang.
The caller was Utaha.
"Makoto, I've got something fun here. If you've got time, come over. I'll send you the address," Utaha's voice sounded a bit strange—like she was holding back laughter.
"What's the fun thing?" Makoto asked.
"You'll know when you get here."
"Alright, send me the address."
Makoto didn't pry. If Utaha wanted to be mysterious, he could play along.
Besides, he was already tempted by the thought of seeing his senpai in black stockings.
But just as he stepped out, his phone rang again.
This time it was Yukino.
"She's not calling to ask me to come over too, is she?"
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