(AN: Join my Patreon to get early access to 2+ chapters and monthly illustrations, link in my profile. Additionally, I will post one bonus chapter there for each new paid member. If you are liking the series so far consider leaving a review for potential new readers, thank you for the support so far.)
Miku was waiting outside the classroom for me, quietly listening to music. She didn't notice me until I was already close, at which point she took off her headphones and let them rest around her neck.
Looking up at me, she asked, "How did it go?"
I gave her an awkward smile and scratched the back of my neck.
"I'm not sure whether she took my words seriously, but... she did exchange numbers with me."
I wasn't about to mention the little exchange that had happened between Ichika and me.
I mean, what evidence did I even have to support my own interpretation?
I wasn't sure myself.
She had asked whether I'd teach her about love. From her expression, I couldn't tell whether she was merely teasing me or if there had been some genuine curiosity behind her words.
Just when I was about to voice my confusion, however, Ichika suddenly pulled away, clasped her hands behind her back, and leaned forward slightly.
Because of our difference in height, I caught a brief glimpse of her valley.
(An: In the official fandom the quintuplets are 5"2 feet tall at this point of the story and futaro is 5"10, that's a massive height difference in my personal opinion but since in my mind Ren was around the same height as futaro i will go with 5"9 for him.)
I immediately looked away, my face growing warm.
I still had no idea whether she'd done it intentionally as well.
Then Ichika simply flashed me an innocent smile.
"Just kidding."
That somehow made me believe she hadn't noticed me taking a peek at her cleavage and black frill bra.
As expected of Ichika, always acting more mature than she really is.
Still...
I didn't forgot to praise the lord for this good fortune in my mind.
Miku listened to me, then rolled her eyes suspiciously before looking away with a small pout.
"Hmph. Good for you."
"Eh? Why are you suddenly getting jealous?"
"I'm not jealous," she insisted, though her slightly puffed cheeks weren't exactly helping her argument.
She wasn't fooling anyone, at least, not me.
Something stirred within me.
Before I could think twice, I slammed my left hand against the wall beside her.
Ultimately pulling the legendary move straight out of a shoujo manga known as....Kabedon.
Miku flinched at the sudden impact, while a few students passing by glanced in our direction after hearing the loud noise. They quickly looked away, apparently shyly or deciding it was better not to get involved.
I paid them no attention.
My focus was entirely on Miku.
She seemed to shrink beneath my gaze, both hands drawn close to her chest as her face turned bright red.
She tried to hold my gaze for a moment, but quickly lost the battle and turned her face to the side.
"W-What are y-you doing...?"
Well, she certainly looked embarrassed now, with all traces of her earlier jealousy completely gone.
I reached out with my right hand and gently lifted her chin with a finger, guiding her face back toward mine.
She didn't resist.
"I don't know," I muttered.
"If you act this cute, something is bound to ignite inside me."
Even then, we were still about an arm's length apart, my left arm stretched against the wall between us as a sort of unspoken boundary.
I didn't even realize I was doing it until I thought about it.
Why did I always instinctively keep some distance at moments like this?
Was I being considerate?
A wuss?
Or just an idiot?
"W-What are you saying? People are watching us."
She said that, yet she still wasn't pushing me away.
Of course, we were standing right outside our classroom, and students were constantly glancing in our direction.
Yeah...
Let's stop here for now.
I withdrew my finger from beneath her chin and lightly tapped the tip of her nose instead.
"Just kidding."
I flashed her a playful smile before finally pulling my left hand away from the wall.
Not gonna lie, I was lying.
It was an excuse to escape the awkwardness, If it had just been the two of us, I wasn't sure I would have been able to stop so easily.
Still, I would never do anything against her will—or anything I knew she would hate.
Miku's face was still bright red, but she narrowed her eyes at me, clearly unconvinced by my excuse.
Honestly, I wouldn't have believed it either if I'd seen the look on my own face a moment ago.
Thankfully, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break and saving us from any further awkwardness. And just like that, that matter ended right there.
----------
Just like yesterday, I arrived at my new part-time job—the ramen shop near the station closest to my school.
By the time I arrived, customers had already started pouring in. Most were students from nearby schools or office workers finishing up for the day.
A few were even from my own school.
"Ren, good timing. Quickly change into your uniform and get to work."
I nodded at the boss and immediately did as he said.
By the way, I had also learned something about the shop's other worker the previous day.
Turns out, she's actually a relative of the boss. She came to the city for college, presumably studying business, and helps out at the shop in exchange for staying at his place.
Since the ramen shop only operates from the afternoon until the night, the schedule works out pretty well with our school hours.
So far, it seemed like a pretty convenient arrangement for everyone involved.
About an hour later, the crowd had thinned out a little, giving them some breathing room.
"Ren, can you clean the tables quickly?"
Since Satoshi was more than capable of handling the remaining customers, the boss gave Ren a different task.
He had no problem with that.
He grabbed a cloth and started wiping down the empty tables.
Just as he finished cleaning one of them, the bell above the entrance rang.
Another customer had arrived.
The cashier, who sat at the counter near the entrance, immediately greeted them.
She was the boss's niece, though Ren still hadn't gotten around to know her name.
"Welcome—"
She began, but he barely paid attention.
Welp, turned out It's Itsuki.
She looked around after entering, seemingly searching for Ren. When her eyes finally landed on him, she noticed the other customers and, not wanting to interrupt him while he was working, quietly made her way over to the table he was cleaning.
She sat down without saying anything.
That was when Ren finally noticed her.
"H-Hello," Itsuki greeted him awkwardly.
A pleasant smile immediately spread across hid face.
"Welcome back. Did you like the food here the other day?"
Knowing how much of a foodie Itsuki was, it wasn't exactly surprising to see her return.
He also deliberately slowed his movements as he wiped down the table, shamelessly taking advantage of the opportunity to spend a little more time with her.
"That's true, but I also came to thank you."
Her expression brightened.
"I tried the method you taught me, and once I connected the historical dates together, they became much easier to remember."
She sounded genuinely excited, clearly pleased that she'd finally managed to overcome one of the obstacles that had been giving her trouble.
Ren felt pleased to hear that.
"Glad I could help."
Itsuki, however, lowered her gaze and began fidgeting with her fingers. She glanced up at him a few times, as though she wanted to say something but was too embarrassed to bring it up.
"A-Actually..."
She gathered her courage.
"Now I'm having trouble with dates that aren't connected to other events."
She felt embarrassed admitting it. A small part of her worried that Ren might think she was an idiot for struggling with something so simple.
Instead, he took her problem seriously.
"Actually, I don't have any easy trick for individual dates," he admitted.
He came around to her side and continued explaining.
"For those, you'll probably just have to memorize the question itself."
He placed a finger on the table as he spoke.
"Read the question once, and when you're revising, cover the answer with your fingers and try to recall it yourself. Repeat it until you can remember it without looking."
He paused before adding,
"This trick works for me with most things, but I don't know if it'll be helpful for you."
Ren gave her an apologetic smile, as though he felt guilty for not having a better solution. While in the first place there was really no reason for him to help her.
"I-I'm sorry for bothering you," Itsuki apologized, looking down. She felt guilty for interrupting him while he was working, especially just to ask for his help.
Ren simply waved it off.
"Nah... I don't mind. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. If I can be of help to you, I'm glad."
And he meant it.
In fact, Ren was secretly quite happy that Itsuki was willing to rely on him.
"If you have any other problems in the future, don't be shy. Just ask me."
Itsuki let out a quiet sigh of relief.
So she really wasn't bothering him.
The thought made her feel strangely happy, having someone around her own age whom she could call her study buddy felt nice. At school, she took her studies far more seriously than most of her classmates, making it difficult for her to find friends her age who shared her interests. Most of them were more interested in simply hanging out and having fun.
Her class's top student was another option, technically.
But that person was Futaro, the tutor she had been assigned by her father.
She could ask him for help if she wanted to.
Yet the emotional wound left by their first encounter was still far from healed.
So, for now...
Having Ren as someone she could rely on felt much more comfortable.
"In that case, can I have your number?" Itsuki asked the question rather eagerly.
"Eh?"
Ren's slightly shocked expression immediately made her realize how that sounded.
"N-No! I-I mean..."
She hurriedly waved her hands in denial, her face turning a little red.
"So I can ask for your help through SMS. I feel bad taking up your time while you're working."
Ren nodded in understanding.
"Ah, sure."
while inside he was beyond happy, he tore a piece of paper from his order pad and quickly wrote down his number before handing it to her.
Itsuki carefully took it and tucked it away inside her purse.
Ren glanced around the shop. Satoshi was busy attending to another customer, which he preferred and also meant Ren could handle Itsuki's order himself.
He turned back to her with a friendly smile.
"Would you like to order now?"
Satoshi was the first to get his orders done and step out of the kitchen.
The shop had a simple system.
A customer came in, a waiter took their order, and the order was passed to the boss in the kitchen. Once the food was prepared, the waiter delivered it to the customer. After finishing their meal, the customer paid at the cashier near the entrance and left.
It was straightforward enough.
"Ren, are you comfortable with the work here?" the boss asked while assembling the tonkotsu ramen Itsuki had ordered.
Ren nodded.
"Yeah. It fits perfectly with my schedule."
The boss nodded in satisfaction before sliding the finished bowl toward him.
"That's good to hear."
Ren picked up the bowl and left the kitchen in a rather cheerful mood.
'Maybe I can squeeze in a few more words with Itsuki.'
But that thought vanished almost immediately.
His mood dropped the moment he stepped out and noticed Satoshi standing beside Itsuki.
There was no reason for him to be standing there.
At least, none that Ren could think of.
"Hii, I'm Satoshi Nakamura. What's your name?"
After delivering his order, Satoshi approached Itsuki when he noticed she was sitting alone and struck up a conversation.
Itsuki hadn't expected a complete stranger to come over and talk to her.
"I... I'm Itsuki Nakano. Can I help you with something?"
She felt slightly uncomfortable, but remained polite.
Satoshi casually waved a hand.
"Not really. As you can probably tell from my uniform, I work here too. I'm Ren's senior."
He paused before adding,
"Since you're his girlfriend, I figured I'd introduce myself."
Itsuki nearly choked on air.
"Wha—G-Girlfriend? No, that's..."
Her words became increasingly jumbled, to the point that Satoshi couldn't make out what she was trying to say.
Then—
"Oi."
A voice came from behind him.
Cold.
Sharp.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
Both Itsuki and Satoshi froze.
Satoshi slowly turned around.
Ren stood there with Itsuki's order in his hands.
But the friendly expression he'd worn moments ago was gone.
His eyes were sharp and cold as he stared directly at Satoshi.
Even Itsuki was surprised, she had never seen this side of Ren before.
"What do you want from her?"
Ren asked the question directly, his voice cold and carrying none of its usual warmth. He didn't even bother hiding the hostility behind it.
Satoshi immediately raised both hands in surrender, wearing an awkward smile.
"Dude, chill. I wasn't hitting on her. I was just introducing myself."
Ren glanced toward Itsuki.
She quickly nodded, confirming Satoshi's explanation.
His gaze returned to Satoshi.
"Still... that's not what we agreed on."
His voice remained threatening.
Satoshi sighed, clearly exhausted by the situation.
"Geez. An overprotective boyfriend is so outdated."
With that, he casually walked away, both hands resting behind his head as though nothing had happened.
Ren gently placed the bowl of tonkotsu ramen in front of Itsuki and gave her a slight bow.
"I'm sorry about what just happened."
Only then did Itsuki seem to snap out of her daze.
"I... I'm fine. No, wait..."
She looked up at him, clearly demanding an explanation.
"What was that just now?"
Ren straightened and tilted his head in confusion. He hadn't heard what Satoshi had said to her before he arrived.
"That..."
Itsuki's cheeks flushed as she struggled to get the words out.
"What he said about me being your girlfriend."
Ren finally understood.
'Oh, I'm in trouble.'
"O-Oh... that."
He stammered, suddenly feeling nervous himself.
"Actually, that Satoshi guy is a total playboy. He was trying to flirt with you."
He lowered his voice, making sure their conversation stayed between the two of them.
"I figured you might feel uncomfortable coming here if he kept bothering you. Even though the ramen here is really good, I didn't want you to stop coming because of him. So I made up a lie on the spot to keep him away."
He paused.
"He's a pretty persistent guy."
Ren then looked down, guilt creeping into his expression.
"But now that I think about it, it was pretty insensitive of me to make that decision without asking you first. I'm sorry."
He gave her another slight bow.
"If you're uncomfortable with it, I can tell him the truth."
Itsuki stared at him.
Technically, lying about something like that without her consent wasn't right.
But she could also understand why Ren had done it.
This ramen shop was close to school, and the food is genuinely good. She could easily stop by after studying at the library.
It would be a shame if she had to give up a place she liked simply because some persistent playboy decided to bother her.
And if Satoshi really was the type to keep pursuing her outside the shop, she wouldn't even have the option of complaining to the owner.
In that sense, having Ren's lie as a shield was actually rather convenient.
"N-No... leave it that way."
Itsuki muttered the words awkwardly.
Ren looked up and noticed the faint bashfulness on her face.
"B-But are you sure?"
She hesitated, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Wouldn't this upset Miku?"
Itsuki asked the question with genuine concern.
She had already seen what happened to Nino after she went somewhere with Ren without telling Miku.
Ren smiled, though there was a hint of uncertainty hidden behind it.
"I can't say for sure..."
He paused.
"But I'm sure she'll understand."
'At least, that's what I hope.'
-----------
I returned home exhausted.
Yesterday, Miku and I had talked through messages, but today we had a voice call instead. Talking to her while I walked home had gradually become something of a habit.
I couldn't have asked for anything better.
While I was working, she used that time to study. According to her, it was simply her way of managing her time efficiently. I told her that if she ever needed help with anything, she could always ask me.
On top of that, I'd gone out of my way to stop by the supermarket on my way home.
And I am pleased to announce that I had finally gotten rid—
I mean, finished all the eggs.
Finally, I could eat something else.
If possible, I'd like to stay as far away from eggs as humanly possible for at least a week.
"How I dream of Nino cooking for me..."
I muttered the wishful thought to myself.
I mean, her cooking is great. Not that I've ever—
No, wait.
That burnt fried rice was actually pretty good too.
To be honest, I'd be just as happy if any of them cooked for me.
After changing into something more comfortable, I sprawled across my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I then pulled all five of my waifu pillows toward me and hugged them tightly, staying like that for a few moments.
A little while later, I suddenly remembered something.
I reached for my phone and opened my contacts.
There were only four contacts in the list.
I tapped on Ichika's name.
"Big sis, you forgot to tell me the name of that drama."
Somehow, she'd managed to avoid answering me earlier, but there was no way I was letting her get away with it.
Her reply came a few moments later.
"Ugh, I can't believe you. This is your first message to me, and this is what you're asking?"
I stared at the message.
Well... what else was I supposed to ask?
"Are you telling me or not?"
I sent the question bluntly, deliberately adding a little seriousness to my tone.
"Fine, you win. It's called xxxxx. Please don't tease me about it later."
She finally gave me the answer, adding a small plea at the end.
I couldn't help but smirk.
If she said something like that, she was practically asking to be teased.
Still, I wouldn't... Maybe just a little.
I got up from my bed. I still had to figure out something for dinner.
I guess I could watch the drama while I picked something up and ate.
Might as well make the most of the night.