At the Nakano residence—the five sisters were bustling about. Even though the others couldn't help Nino much with the cooking, they at least made themselves useful with everything else.
After setting out the tableware, Nakano Ichika flopped onto the couch like a lazy cat.
"Ichika, you're slacking off again?" Itsuki, still wearing her apron, walked over. She'd been in the kitchen helping Nino knead dough—a skill she'd picked up from Shirase during home economics class.
Ichika gave a lazy grin. "It's fine. You girls can handle it without me."
Itsuki puffed out her cheeks, marched over, and tugged Ichika upright.
"Hey, wait, wait—" Ichika protested quickly, knowing how scary Itsuki could get when she was serious. Thinking fast, she blurted, "I just thought of something. Why don't we play a little game?"
"A game?" Itsuki blinked.
At that moment, Yotsuba stuck her head out from the bedroom. "What game? Nino already called Shirase-kun—he and Kana-nee are on their way!"
Ichika straightened up, a sly glint in her eye. "I don't mean a game for us five. It's for Shirase-kun to play."
"And then?" Itsuki tilted her head, confused.
Yotsuba hurried downstairs, carrying a new tea set, as Ichika gave a small, knowing smile. "Nino always insists she knows Shirase-kun best. But does Shirase-kun know Nino just as well?"
"He probably does… They spend the most time together, after all," Yotsuba said innocently, not noticing how Itsuki's hand subtly tightened at her side.
Ichika's smile deepened. "Well, I'm curious. So how about this: before Shirase-kun gets here, we pick someone to pretend to be Nino—and see if Shirase-kun can tell which is which."
"Pretend to be Nino?" Yotsuba and Itsuki echoed together—though Yotsuba sounded excited, Itsuki's eyes lit up for an entirely different reason.
"Yup! I just came up with it. Sounds fun, doesn't it?" Ichika grinned like a fox.
"It does!" Yotsuba nodded immediately, practically bouncing.
Itsuki glanced toward the kitchen. "Will Nino even agree to that?"
"She will. And if she doesn't, I'll convince her," Ichika said confidently.
Once they'd agreed, they called Nino and Miku out of the kitchen.
The two sisters exchanged identical looks of exasperation after hearing Ichika's plan.
Miku sighed. "Only you would come up with something this dumb."
Nino folded her arms, huffing. "He'll definitely tell us apart. Don't underestimate him."
"Oh? Confident, are we?" Ichika pounced instantly. "Then why not test it?"
Nino faltered. "Y-you're actually serious?"
"Of course. We've switched places before, haven't we? But this time, to make it fair, no matter what Shirase says or does, neither of you can reveal yourselves."
"I'm not stupid. I know he'll try to trick us," Nino muttered, but the spark of curiosity was already there.
Deep down, she wanted to know—if Shirase could recognize her among five identical faces.
If he could, she'd be thrilled.
"Alright then," Ichika said briskly. "We don't have much time. Shirase and Kana-nee will be here soon. So, who's going to be Nino?"
The others looked at each other, silent.
"How about Miku again?" Nino suggested.
"No way," Miku said immediately. "Not this time."
If Shirase guessed right, she'd have to endure a front-row seat to Nino's victory glow. And if he didn't—well, that scenario was even worse.
"I'll do it."
Everyone turned.
Itsuki stood up, pretending to look calm. "I know everyone's habits best. If someone needs to imitate Nino, I should do it."
Nino didn't object, and Ichika gave a small, thoughtful nod. "Alright. Then it's decided."
Watching Itsuki follow Nino into the bedroom to change, Ichika exhaled quietly.
So it's come to this after all.
She'd originally wanted to test Itsuki—to see how far her feelings for Shirase had gone and whether there was still time to intervene.
But Itsuki volunteering made the answer clear.
I'll have to talk to her soon, Ichika thought, biting her lip.
Five minutes later, two identical figures emerged from the bedroom.
From their faces to their clothes, from hairstyle to makeup—there wasn't a single difference.
Ichika forced her usual calm smile. "You two should practice a bit first—"
Ding-dong.
The doorbell cut her off.
Ichika laughed softly. "Well, looks like there's no time for that."
Nino smirked. "Who needs practice for something like this?"
Itsuki nodded, composed. "As long as we don't react, we'll be fine."
Yotsuba led Shirase and Kojima Kana into the living room.
Shirase opened his mouth, probably to comment on the delicious smell coming from the kitchen—but froze when two Ninos stepped out from behind the couch.
"…What's this?" Kana blinked, utterly lost.
Ichika smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, Kana-nee. We're just playing a little game with Shirase-kun."
Shirase immediately understood. "So you want to see if I can tell which one's the real Nino—and which is Itsuki."
He glanced around briefly, confirming Itsuki wasn't elsewhere.
Kana gave a small laugh, though her eyes widened in mild envy. "Having quintuplet sisters sounds fun—you can even do games like this."
Shirase tilted his head. "Can you tell them apart, Kana-nee?"
Kana squinted at the two identical girls, studying them carefully. "Their faces, hair, even their posture—everything's the same. There's no way anyone could tell."
"Then how about you, Shirase-kun?" Yotsuba asked eagerly, practically bouncing on her heels.
Shirase smiled faintly. "If it's just by sight, then no—I can't."
"Oh?" Ichika arched an eyebrow. "Then you have another way?"
"My method's simple," Shirase said calmly. "Have them both lie down on the couch, and I'll smack their butts. If it's Nino, she'll definitely scream."
"Ehh?!" Yotsuba yelped.
Miku, mid-sip of water, nearly choked. He and Nino play like THAT?!
Both "Ninos" went bright red but, remembering their agreement, stayed silent.
Kana blinked, flustered. He's never done anything like that with me… Should I—? No! What am I even thinking?! She quickly pressed her flushed cheeks, chasing the thought away.
Through it all, Ichika remained the calmest.
Resting her chin in her hand, she smiled faintly. "Too bad, Shirase-kun. They already agreed not to react to any of your tricks."
"Hmm." Shirase's eyes flicked toward the two red-faced girls. "I see. Then I'll have to change my approach."
He stepped forward until he was just ten centimeters from them.
The air seemed to still.
At that distance, both girls' lashes fluttered, cheeks blooming a deeper shade of pink. Their identical faces reflected the same nervousness—yet beneath the surface, their hearts were racing for completely different reasons.
---
T/N: 4 chaps meeting this weeks quota, last week it was 7dtd this week it was tomodachi life........ teehee
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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