Shirase paid no heed to Nino's excuses, stepping forward to gently push her by the shoulders. "I'll help you across."
"Hey, I already told you—I'm not climbing over—"
Nino's cheeks flushed as she struggled lightly. Her resistance was pitifully weak, clearly giving off a vibe of half-hearted reluctance.
In the end, Shirase still managed to lift her up to sit atop the barrier.
As she felt the warmth of Shirase's large hands firmly gripping her waist, her whole body began to heat up, as if the blush from her cheeks had spread through her entire being.
With someone stabilizing her balance, she easily made it to the other side.
After landing, Nino fought to suppress the strange fluttering in her chest. She deliberately asked, "Can you handle it alone?"
"You're seriously underestimating me. You should know, I've spent ages studying barrier-hopping from GMA Sans," Shirase replied, gripping the barrier confidently.
"Who exactly is that?" Nino had never heard of such a person.
"A man who turned barrier-crossing into a perfectly smooth art."
The moment he finished speaking, Shirase vaulted fluidly over the barrier, landing gracefully. He casually dusted his hands off, proudly declaring, "Clearly, I've mastered his legendary technique."
Nino gave him a playful glance, too amused to even mock him this time.
"I'll head over first then," Shirase called out, walking toward the soccer field. "You're pretty lucky today—getting a rare front-row seat to watch the Soccer Club's Ace in his Perfect Form."
"Perfect Form?" Nino didn't understand.
"Yup. In official matches, I'm Ultimate Form. For casual games, Perfect Form is more than enough."
"Tch."
Nino rolled her eyes. Oh, I get it now—you were just hyping yourself up this whole time.
Yet as Shirase began chatting with the random guys playing on the field, Nino's cute face, softly illuminated by the streetlights, gradually filled with anticipation.
...
About five minutes later, Shirase smoothly joined the game.
Then she finally saw what she'd been eagerly waiting for—relying purely on explosive speed and strength, Shirase managed to score a goal less than three minutes after stepping onto the field.
Amid the amazed shouts from the casual players, Shirase looked over at her, mouthing something silently.
Although she was too far away to make it out clearly, the familiarity and bond they shared let her instantly grasp his meaning.
It was exactly what he'd asked her after their friendly match that day: "Wasn't that goal cool?"
Nino pressed her lips together, smiling gently. It really was cool.
She actually liked seeing him show off a little.
Even more, she adored seeing him radiate confidence.
It was like watching a lion fiercely pounce on its prey—bold, proud, and utterly captivating.
Shirase played casually for about ten minutes before leaving the field.
Just as he'd said earlier, these guys were merely out for some casual exercise. If Shirase continued playing seriously, never mind the late hour, the poor casual players might start begging him, "Just give us the ball—we want to go home."
...
At 8:45 pm, Shirase and Nakano Nino arrived back in front of the Nakano family's apartment.
This meant it was time to part ways.
Nino opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Shirase's eyes quietly focused on her, she suddenly found herself reluctant to say goodbye.
At that moment, the sound of a car engine approached from behind, and a sleek black sedan stopped behind them.
Shirase, who'd intended to chat with Nino a bit longer, felt his eyelids twitch as he caught sight of Nakano Ichika's beautiful smile through the slightly open car window.
Seriously? What is today's deal? First Ichika at the dessert shop—where I went out of my way to cover for her—and now here she is again.
"What are you staring at?" Nino followed Shirase's gaze, freezing in surprise as Ichika stepped out of the car.
There were two more women seated in the passenger and back seats—one of whom was the same woman Nino and Yotsuba had spotted in the handbag store that day while tailing Shirase.
But at this moment, Nino completely ignored the other two women.
Because from her perspective, her own sister returning home late at night in an unfamiliar luxury sedan was suspicious, no matter how she looked at it.
"Huh? What are you two doing here?"
Ichika had just finished thanking the driver. When she turned and saw Shirase and Nino standing right outside the apartment, her eyes widened in shock.
Nino momentarily disregarded Shirase, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes, instantly taking on the role of a ruthless interrogator. "I think the real question is why you're coming home so late."
Ichika opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Nino continued sweetly, "Were you about to say you were working part-time? Well, here's the thing—what kind of high-school girl working part-time comes home in such a fancy car?"
Nino turned to Shirase, seeking backup. "That car's pretty expensive, right?"
Clearly, she planned to use Shirase to pressure Ichika into confessing the truth.
But Shirase just shrugged helplessly. "I don't really know cars. Other than something obvious like a Ferrari, I can't recognize anything else."
Nino shot him an annoyed glare. Aren't you usually pretty sharp? Why are you playing dumb now?
At that moment, Ichika realized with certainty—Shirase had covered for her back at the dessert shop, and he was covering for her again now.
Although she wasn't sure exactly how much Shirase knew, he'd clearly provided her with a lifeline, and she needed to seize it.
Ichika quickly recovered her gentle, everyday smile. "Nino, could you please give me just one minute to explain?"
Nino raised three fingers slowly. "I'll give you three minutes—to carefully craft whatever nonsense you're planning to feed us."
"Come on, what do you take me for? I wasn't going to lie or trick you," Ichika laughed warmly. "We're sisters, we're family, after all."
Ichika felt much calmer now. Shirase covering for her was practically a guarantee that she'd be safe this time.
She firmly believed Shirase would continue to support her story.
Sure enough, Shirase's voice chimed in naturally the next moment: "Those people who just dropped you off—they're your coworkers too, right? Pretty sure I saw the same woman who went shopping with you at that handbag store."
"Yes, they're my coworkers—even the driver," Ichika immediately followed up.
She mentally added: Technically, I'm not lying. We're all actors, and we met on set—what else could you call us but coworkers?
Nino stared coldly at Shirase, her eyes clearly saying, Really? You, Shirase—with your usually straight-laced appearance—you betrayed me for Ichika?
Shirase shook his head innocently, signaling he was completely blameless.
Seeing Shirase firmly choosing Ichika's side, Nino huffed quietly.
Fine. Just you wait—I'll deal with you later!
She turned back to her sister, putting on a stern face. "Ichika, you're a girl—and still just a high schooler. Don't you think it's inappropriate for you to be coming home late at night in some man's car?"
Ichika smiled helplessly. "Were you only looking at the driver? There were clearly other women in the car, too—Shirase even pointed it out."
"But," Nino emphasized again, "the driver was a man."
Having successfully intercepted Ichika in her lies, Nino prepared to deliver her final blow!