Ichika: [The grades are out!!!!]
Rin: [That's a lot of exclamation points. I take it the results are good?]
Ichika: [Hehehe~]
It had been two days since Elf's celebration party. The Nakano sisters had just received the results of their first semester exams.
Over the past forty-eight hours, Rin had been keeping a close eye on various light novel forums. Elf and Utaha's public declaration had sparked a massive debate, and their popularity had surged. While most people were just there for the drama, a significant number expressed genuine interest in buying their new books.
Rin breathed a sigh of relief; unlike idols, who often faced career-ending backlash for dating, these two authors seemed to be benefiting from the buzz. Some netizens even suspected it was a high-level marketing stunt—two beautiful rival authors in love with the same man, writing novels based on him? It sounded like the plot of a light novel itself.
Some people tried to dox Rin, but neither girl's social media mentioned the Baumkuchen circle. Rin had been careful to keep his distance in public, so he remained undetected for now.
The actual release date was still a way off. After the initial writing, there were edits, censorship checks, printing, and marketing materials to finalize. Their "ultimate humiliation" bet would take time to resolve. In the meantime, Rin focused on Elf—helping her with rehearsals and fine-tuning the illustrations. He left the tutoring of the sisters to Nanami, though Nijika helped out frequently by tidying up and assisting with homework.
Rin: [Ichika, pretend you have a last-minute meeting with your talent agency and leave early.]
Rin: [It's inconvenient for you to be there for what I have planned.]
Inconvenient for me? On the other end of the screen, Ichika's lip twitched. Rin's logic was sound, but it still sounded a bit suspicious.
In the afternoon, Rin estimated the girls would be home from school and headed to Ichika and Ryo's apartment. Ryo was busy working part-time and practicing with Nijika; their new song had been written and approved for the music festival auditions. However, mere approval wasn't enough; they still had to perform internally to win a slot on the main stage.
As Rin approached the apartment, he could hear the muffled sounds of girls' voices. He unlocked the door to find the Nakano sisters sitting on the tatami in the living room. Half the room was still occupied by Ryo's luggage—basses and gear took up quite a bit of space.
Miku's eyes lit up when she saw him, but she immediately schooled her face into a cold, indifferent expression. Her secret alliance with Ichika had to remain hidden. Officially, she was still part of Nino's "Anti-Rin" league.
Strangely, the league leader, Nino, was missing. Only Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki were there, lazily licking semi-melted popsicles with their pink tongues.
"Why are there only three of you?" Rin asked. Where was Nino?
"Nino went out with some friends. Ichika said her agency called her in, so it's just us. Ahahaha... no tutoring tonight, right?" Yotsuba looked at him with puppy-dog eyes.
"That depends on your grades. I said you needed to pass at least one subject. Otherwise, I'll have to tell Ichika that her sisters have been dressing up like her to seduce her boyfriend."
"No!!!" Itsuki blurted out, swallowing the rest of her popsicle in one gulp. "You can't tell Ichika!"
They had originally planned to use that incident to blackmail Rin, but he had flipped the script. If Ichika ever found out, their sisterly bond would be shattered.
"We passed! I passed one! Even Ichika's 'replacement' pass happened!" Itsuki slammed her report card onto the table. Yotsuba and Miku followed suit.
Itsuki had failed math, but she passed the science block (physics and chemistry) they had focused on. Miku passed history, and Yotsuba passed literature. Their other subjects were a total disaster, but they had met the minimum requirement.
"Hmm, not bad. You actually passed," Rin nodded, satisfied. "Effort really does pay off, doesn't it?"
"Then swear you won't tell Ichika about that day!" Itsuki glared at the smiling Rin. "Swear to God!"
"Swear to God?" Rin's grin widened. "Why should I?"
"Even if you haven't experienced it, you must have seen it on TV... When a villain gets leverage over a heroine, they don't just use it once and let go. Leverage is meant to be used to its fullest potential. That's how the adult world works."
Rin had almost said "manga" or "H-manga," but he figured they were too sheltered for that. In the world of smut, the "ugly bastard" who catches a girl in a compromise doesn't delete the photos after one go—he uses them to demand more "service," taking even more incriminating photos in the process.
"The next goal is two subjects. If you don't want Ichika to find out, you'll each pass two subjects on the next test."
"You monster! Are you a demon!?" Yotsuba looked at him in horror. She was finally learning how cruel the world could be.
"A demon? Hardly. If I were a demon, I'd make you study tonight instead of letting you rest."
Itsuki texted Nino the bad news about the "two subjects" requirement. Nino was furious and wanted to call Rin to scream at him, but she was preoccupied. She wasn't actually "out with friends"—she had a dinner date with their father, Maruo Nakano.
Even though the sisters met at Ichika's apartment every day, Nino wasn't satisfied. Living apart would eventually make them strangers, and she couldn't stand that. She knew they'd likely go their separate ways after graduation, but for now, she wanted them together.