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After spending the entire morning explaining things to the five sisters, even Jack found his throat dry from talking.
The quintuplets, meanwhile, were visibly wilting.
Using their altered "common sense" seemed to drain their energy bit by bit. Seeing they were reaching their limit, Jack finally stopped.
"Let's call it here for now. Go get something to eat."
"Sounds good. It's already so late… let's just order delivery. Want to join us, Jack?" Ichika pulled out her phone.
"Sure, thanks for having me." With nowhere else to be, Jack agreed easily.
The food arrived quickly, but all five sisters were sprawled across the couch in complete exhaustion, unwilling to move. Left with no choice, Jack got up to answer the door himself.
They eventually gathered around the table. Jack couldn't help noticing how expensive the food was.
Then again, the sisters came from a well-off family. He'd heard their family ran a hospital, so money clearly wasn't an issue. The location of the house and the cars outside were proof enough.
They finished lunch in a fairly relaxed mood. Just then, a phone rang. Ichika, who had been dozing lazily, jolted awake, grabbed her phone, and hurried upstairs.
The others glanced at her but said nothing.
About ten minutes later, Ichika came back down, now dressed up in a carefully styled outfit, carrying a small bag. She looked every bit like a mature young woman.
"Sorry, I'll have to end today's lesson here. Something urgent came up."
"It's fine. Take care," Jack replied casually. He'd already covered most of what he planned anyway.
With Ichika gone, the lesson naturally ended. After watching her leave in a taxi, Nino and the others suddenly perked up and began chatting excitedly about their own plans.
Weren't they just saying they were exhausted?
Figures. The moment there's fun involved, they bounce right back.
Jack shook his head. Ah, the joy of underachievers. Instant revival once class is over.
Not long after Ichika left, Nino and Itsuki headed out shopping together. Yotsuba ran off to meet her friends, saying she had basketball practice.
That girl really had endless energy.
In the end, only Miku was left at home.
She didn't linger in the living room either. Hugging her study materials, she trotted upstairs in her round-toe shoes, completely ignoring the fact that Jack, technically a guest, was still there.
Jack couldn't help but wonder—do I really look that harmless?
Come on. He was a demon.
Why did they all act like he wasn't a threat at all?
As he packed up his teaching materials, he noticed a book left on the sofa.
No idea who it belonged to. The sisters were all pretty forgetful.
He picked it up. It wasn't a textbook, but a book about historical generals.
Hmm?
Just as he was wondering who it belonged to, hurried footsteps echoed from upstairs. Miku rushed back down.
"Th-that's mine."
Seeing Jack holding the book, Miku looked unusually flustered.
"Here." He handed it back. "So you're into books about generals?"
His casual remark made her even more nervous, like her biggest secret had just been exposed.
"Y-yeah…" she answered softly.
"No wonder you got so excited when you heard about duels," Jack said, returning to his packing.
Miku grew embarrassed and quickly added in a small voice, "P-please don't tell anyone I like this…"
"…Is that really something to be ashamed of?"
"Of course it is! People our age like magical girls and stuff. But I like middle-aged bearded men… isn't that weird?"
"…Honestly, liking magical girls is weirder," Jack blurted out.
Then he paused and corrected himself. "Anyway, your interests are your own. As long as you like it, that's all that matters. No need to worry about what others think."
Miku actually smiled a little.
It was the first time Jack had seen her smile. Usually, she just sat quietly, speaking only in short, minimal replies.
Suddenly, something crossed his mind.
"Miku, does that book cover the Three Kingdoms?"
"Yes. The setting is based on real historical records from China," she explained, her voice gaining a bit more life now that she was talking about something she loved. "But the main characters focus more on our side."
Jack fell into thought.
Since arriving in this world, he'd noticed too many similarities to his original one. Angels, demons, even the nations—so much overlapped.
There had to be some connection between the two worlds. Otherwise, how could he have ended up here?
Miku didn't notice his thoughts. Finding someone willing to listen, she asked eagerly,
"Have you read it?"
"Just a little. I definitely don't know as much as you do," Jack said with a faint smile. "You're really passionate about this, huh?"
"…Yeah. I guess I got too into it… that's probably why I've fallen so far behind," she admitted, looking a bit downcast. "Among the five of us, I'm the worst."
"Not really. Didn't Yotsuba get a zero before?"
"But she's amazing at sports," Miku argued. "That counts for a lot."
"That's not how it works," Jack shook his head. "Everyone has their strengths. You do too. If you keep comparing your weaknesses to other people's strengths, you'll just make yourself miserable."
"…Is that so?"
"It is. Personally, I think mastering just one thing is enough. Then you push it as far as you can."
Miku laughed softly. "But most people want to be good at everything… well-rounded in every way."
"Exactly. That's why they're so stressed."
Jack's expression turned wry as he added,
"Be good at everything… and you'll lose all your hair."
Miku: "..."
"..."
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