After their shower, the five sisters didn't have time to grill Rin about his secret girlfriend. They only shot him a series of "super-fierce" glares before rushing out of the hotel to make it to school on time.
Despite only having slept for a few hours, they felt oddly energized. After school, the four younger sisters headed straight to Ichika's apartment as usual.
However, Rin was nowhere to be found. Instead, they found Nanami, her hair tied in a ponytail and wearing her glasses, sitting at the table focused on her homework.
"Yahho~ Nanami, good afternoon! Hehe..."
"Good afternoon... Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
Bewildered by the suggestive look Yotsuba was giving her, Nanami could only turn a confused gaze toward Nino and Itsuki.
Nino didn't answer. Instead, she marched into the apartment's only bedroom and checked the bathroom before returning to the living room. "Nanami, why are you alone today? Where's that guy?"
"Him? He said he had things to take care of and would be out for a few days. Why?"
"Out? Did he tell you that before he left?"
"Yeah, he told me this afternoon that he wouldn't be back tonight or this weekend... Mmph!" Halfway through, Nanami realized she had slipped up and reflexively covered her mouth.
"Hmph... He told you he wasn't coming home? Why would he tell you that?"
"Uh... well..."
Nanami panicked. Ever since she started tutoring them in this apartment, she had always made a point to arrive and leave separately from Rin to hide their relationship.
Nino was prepared to savor Nanami's awkwardness, but Itsuki, who was closer to Nanami, spoke up first.
"You don't have to fake it. Ichika told us everything."
"Ah... ahahaha..." Nanami laughed awkwardly, not knowing how to face them.
"Nanami, when you go back, tell that girl Kaede to watch out... Don't let that cheating bastard get stolen by us!"
Nino's declaration made the three younger sisters breathe a sigh of relief.
They had been worried Nino's temper would lead to a brawl with Nanami, but they were also curious about what she was thinking. Nino was furious that Rin had another girlfriend, but her pride was even greater: What woman dared to try and keep a man away from the five of them? Not even Nanami or Mashiro could stop them!
Nino's reaction was exactly what Ichika had predicted.
When do humans truly unite? Only when aliens invade. Ichika's lie about having a "cuckold fetish" was to make her sisters feel okay about sleeping with him; telling them he had a girlfriend was to make them form a united front.
There was no "shura" (bloody battlefield) between Nino and Nanami. Though slightly awkward, they settled down to study. Nino still couldn't wrap her head around how Nanami and Mashiro were also involved with him. They even threw parties with those Hoshizuki twins... Sharing with sisters was one thing, but this?
Finally, Nino couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Hey... Nanami, you and him... why?"
"Ah... haha..." Nanami just laughed sheepishly. If she were with the girls she usually partied with, she'd just be embarrassed, but Nino's aura was even more intense than Kaede's—she acted like the "True Main Girlfriend."
Nino sighed. "I'm not blaming you. It's all that cheating bastard's fault!" She paused. "His girlfriend's house is nearby, right? Can you set up a meeting? Or we can just go over there!"
"I'll call and ask..." Nanami sighed and dialed Kaede. "Kaede? Yeah... Ichika's sister, Nino, says she wants to see you... Okay."
After a brief chat, Nanami hung up and looked at Nino blankly.
"She said I should just bring you over."
Nanami felt exhausted. Just destroy everything already. Let's get this over with.
Ichika's apartment wasn't far from Rin's house.
Nanami led the four sisters to the gate of the Hoshizuki residence. Although Nanami had a key, she felt it was better to ring the bell today—just in case Kaede was "preparing" something. Even though she'd bonded with the quints over the past month, her loyalty still lay with Kaede.
Moments after she rang the bell, the door opened. Kaede and Suzu, along with Mashiro, stepped out of the entryway. Seeing Nino, a cunning smirk played on Kaede's lips. Actually, even if Nino hadn't come to her, Kaede was planning to find them.
If she wanted to cultivate Ichika's "cuckold fetish," she had to let Ichika's sisters "steal" him right under her nose. Imagine Ichika coming home from work to find her sisters being filled to the brim by the man she loves while she stays empty. To achieve that effect, she had to provoke them into being more aggressive.
Kaede didn't bother with small talk. She crossed her arms and looked down her nose at them with an arrogant, "queen-like" smugness. If she were a bit shorter and flatter, she'd be the textbook definition of a "bratty brat."
"So you're Ichika's sisters? You really do look alike. But... you think five of you can 'steal' him from me? Is being many your only trick?"
"You seem pretty confident." Nino took a defiant step forward until they were practically nose-to-nose. "Hmph... Two against five. Even a moron knows who he'd choose. Or are you just bad at math and can't tell two from five?"
Pfft.
Not just Nanami, even Miku almost laughed out loud.
Good lord. Nino had only passed one subject recently, and she already had the balls to mock someone else's grades? And it wasn't even math she passed. It was hilariously ironic.
"Two? Nanami, Mashiro." Kaede glanced at the other two. "It's not just me and Suzu on this side."
Mashiro blinked, her eyes darting between Nino and Kaede. She then grabbed Nanami's arm, stepped to Kaede's side, and nodded firmly.
"That's right!"
Nanami wanted to protest, but she could see Mashiro was clearly trying to stir the pot. Just like how she used to tell people she was Rin's "pet," Mashiro simply loved the chaos and the look on people's faces.
But this time, it wasn't just a prank. She wanted to... gather material! Not for a "hustler" doujinshi this time, but for her new manga. A real "shura" (love war) was rare... she had to be in the middle of it to capture the drama!
Mashiro pushed Nanami forward. "Nanami is great!"
"Mashiro!!!!" Nanami wanted to cry. Why was she being dragged into the line of fire?
"Exactly. Nanami alone is worth two girls. That makes it five against five—a tie," Kaede said, stifling a laugh. "And... do you really think it's just us?"
"?" Nino froze, her blue eyes wide with shock.
Kaede finally understood the thrill Mashiro got from her "pet" comments. She let out a wicked, teasing laugh.
"Where do you think he is right now?"