Kaede: [They're in the cafe across the street. They even have binoculars.] Kaede: [Walk straight toward them when you leave. They're the ones hiding behind the window.]
As Rin and Ichika walked out of the hotel hand-in-hand, Kaede continued to feed them information. She didn't need the system for this; she and Rinon were in the same cafe. The quintuplets were so focused on the hotel entrance that they hadn't noticed the twins watching them from a corner.
"Look, look! Ichika and that guy are coming out!" "Where?" "Hey, don't hog the binoculars!"
Miku and the others aimed their phone cameras at the pair, zooming in as far as possible. Finally, they could see the man's face clearly.
"He's actually pretty handsome," Itsuki noted, impressed. "Yeah, he is," Yotsuba agreed. Miku nodded silently.
Nino, however, scowled. "Hah? Where? He's totally average... Ichika has terrible taste."
It wasn't that Nino was being contrarian for the sake of it; she just preferred a different "flavor"—maybe someone with bleached hair, piercings, or a bit more of a "bad boy" vibe.
"Wait... Ichika is coming this way!"
In their excitement, they hadn't realized the couple had crossed the street and were heading straight for their cafe. They had only intended to spy, not have a confrontation. Panic set in. They all ducked their heads, trying to look like ostriches in the sand.
Of course, with Kaede's guidance, Rin walked straight to their table.
They "accidentally" noticed the sisters. Ichika acted shocked, while Rin played the part of the awkward boyfriend perfectly.
"You... what are you guys doing here?"
"W-we just heard the coffee here was amazing!" Itsuki stammered. Ichika wanted to burst out laughing at how nervous they were, but she held it together. It was time for a real acting test.
"So this is the 'friend' you were talking about? Your boyfriend?" Nino crossed her arms, glaring at them with pure dissatisfaction. "You've been sneaking around since the holidays... why the hell did you hide it from us?"
"You must be Ichika's sisters. I'm Rin."
"Hmph..." Nino turned her head to look out the window. Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki introduced themselves shyly. Rin, having plenty of experience with "spot the difference" games thanks to the twins, quickly memorized their different hair accessories and subtle traits.
Of the four, only Nino was hostile. The others felt the sting of their quintuplet bond being "diluted," but they were more curious than angry.
"It's my first time meeting quintuplets," Rin said smoothly. "If I saw you on the street, I'm not sure I could tell you apart."
Based on Rin's experience, Nino's next line was predictable...
Kaede: [Watch. She's going to say: 'You can't even tell us apart and you call yourself her boyfriend?']
Nino: "You can't even tell us apart and you call yourself her boyfriend?"
In the corner of the cafe, Kaede had to curl into a ball to keep from laughing out loud. Ichika, however, couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"What's so funny!?"
"Nothing... nothing," Ichika said, suppressing a grin. "It takes time to learn the differences~ Since we've run into each other, let's have dinner together tonight. By the way, Rin is an amazing cook. Do you want to try his food?"
According to the plan, Ichika needed to make them feel like their sister was being stolen—to give them a sense of crisis. Nino was the most aggressive, so she was the first target. Nino was the primary cook at home and quite proud of it. Rin would strike her where it hurt most: the kitchen.
He didn't need to be vastly superior—just good enough to make her feel threatened.
Hehe~ If you don't work hard, your big sister really will be taken away~
While Ichika was worrying about her sisters, their foster father, Maruo Nakano, was having worries of his own.
He was sitting in a high-end restaurant in Ginza. He wanted to spend time with his daughters, but his work as a hospital director was overwhelming. Usually, he could only manage a brief dinner before heading back to work.
He cared for them deeply but had no idea how to communicate. He provided the best material life and the best tutors, but their grades remained a disaster. Recently, they had asked for a girl their own age—Nanami—to tutor them. He had agreed as a last resort.
Tonight's dinner wasn't for work, but a meeting with friends. Maruo felt lucky that he wasn't the only one in his circle with "troublesome daughter" syndrome. Across from him sat another couple.
"Maruo, how are the quintuplets doing in school?"
"Terrible. They hired a peer to tutor them... but the girl wanted to quit yesterday, saying she couldn't handle them. I'm just hoping she stays until the first exam to see if there's any progress."
"At least it's just grades. My daughter—Ryo—is failing and she borrowed money from a loan shark for her band equipment recently... Luckily, she has a good friend who told us."
"What are you going to do?"
"We've kicked her out of the house!"
The couple sitting across from him were Ryo Yamada's parents. Like Maruo, they ran a private hospital, and their shared plight of raising difficult daughters had made them close.
"Kicked her out?" Maruo was shocked. The Yamadas pampered Ryo even more than he pampered his girls.
"She only borrowed that money because she knew we'd bail her out. To fix her, we have to be firm. We realized there's a massive generational gap between us. We talked to her friend for a long time and learned how young people actually think... Actually, you should meet him. Maybe he has some ideas for your girls?"
"Mmm..." Maruo frowned. He'd tried everything to fix their grades. Perhaps a younger perspective was what he needed.
"Could you arrange a meeting for me?"
"Of course. He's a good kid. Honestly, I wish he were our son-in-law, but he seems to only see Ryo as a friend." Mr. Yamada pulled out his phone. "I'll call him and see when he's free."