Six pairs of chopsticks kept dancing through the air.
The atmosphere was exactly like the Fourth Ninja World War. The dining table was covered with food remnants, but actually, those were the remains of food being fought over...
Itsuki ate too fast; if the others didn't compete for the food, they wouldn't get their share. The Nakano sisters were clearly used to this. They were highly skilled at finding openings, and with one chopstick movement could snatch food from the middle of that "storm."
However, Ryunosuke was different. He was a beginner. He truly couldn't win against the other five people.
He stared at his empty bowl—more precisely, a bowl that only contained white rice without any side dishes. This rice was also given by Nino; otherwise, he might not have eaten any rice at all.
The corner of his mouth twitched; it had been a long time since he felt this confused. Since he started everything at this school, he had never lost control of himself like this.
What the hell is this? A war? Even a battlefield isn't this crazy.
Seeing that Ryunosuke hadn't gotten a single bite of side dishes, Nino kindly took a piece of fish meat and put it in his bowl.
"Eat it... If you're not quick, you won't even be able to defend what's in your bowl."
After saying that, Nino immediately lowered her head and ate voraciously.
Ryunosuke was stunned hearing it. Before he could react, the fish meat in his bowl had already been snatched by the gluttonous Itsuki.
Ryunosuke: "😐"
Nino rolled her eyes. "Didn't I tell you to eat quickly? Now look, you didn't get anything, right?"
Nino moved her chopsticks again, snatched a piece of braised meat, then put it in Ryunosuke's bowl.
This time without needing a reminder, Ryunosuke immediately ate it quickly. If not, Itsuki's "sinful little hands" would soon reach out again. He didn't want to eat only white rice; that was too pathetic...
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Not long after, the Nakano sisters finished eating and put down their chopsticks while sighing in relief. Today they competed quickly, so they were about seventy to eighty percent full.
But Ryunosuke suffered. He was only about twenty percent full. Most of what he ate was white rice that could be refilled continuously (free refill), with only one piece of braised meat as his side dish. And that was only because Nino gave it to him.
He put down his bowl and chopsticks, feeling very helpless.
"If I visit your place often, eventually I could starve to death."
The five sisters flinched simultaneously, realizing that Ryunosuke was teasing them. They scratched their heads while laughing awkwardly.
Seeing that dinner was over, Ryunosuke prepared to leave even though his stomach wasn't full yet.
Nino immediately stood up. "Let me walk you home."
Ryunosuke stared at her with a strange look. If a girl asked to be walked home, that made sense because it was late at night and dangerous. But why does a boy need to be walked home?
As if understanding what he was thinking, Nino's face immediately turned bright red. She squeezed the hem of her skirt, feeling awkward.
Ichika, as the eldest sister, pushed Nino from behind, signaling her to do her best.
How could Ichika not understand Nino's feelings? They were born from the same womb and were quintuplets; they understood each other.
She also knew Nino's partner standards: a delinquent man with bleached blonde hair. As an older sister, Ichika actually didn't want Nino to truly date a real delinquent, because she wouldn't be able to answer to their late mother.
Although Ryunosuke on the surface seemed unapproachable and had the nickname "Tyrant," seeing how he helped them avoid being expelled from school the other day, Ichika concluded that this young man wasn't a bad person. Since Nino was interested in him, Ichika didn't mind giving a push to fulfill her little sister's wish.
(But, why does this person seem more familiar the more I look at him? It feels like I've met him somewhere...) Ichika felt this wasn't her first meeting with Ryunosuke, but she didn't remember where.
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On the other side, Yotsuba, seeing Nino taking the initiative to approach Ryunosuke, showed a lonely expression. Even her green hair ribbon drooped limply.
Itsuki and Miku, who sat next to her, immediately noticed something was off. They looked at Ryunosuke and Nino alternately, then stared at Yotsuba. As if understanding something, they furrowed their brows.
"What should we do?"
As sisters who had a spiritual bond, they naturally sensed the anxiety in Yotsuba's heart. However, seeing Nino's attitude, it was clear that Nino intended to pursue that young man. This was truly a dilemma. They were all sisters they loved.
Itsuki and Miku looked at each other, as if they had made a decision to fully support Yotsuba. Just when Nino wanted to walk Ryunosuke home, Itsuki and Miku stood up.
One person (Itsuki) held Nino so she couldn't move. Meanwhile, Miku pushed Yotsuba forward and said in a flat tone:
"Let Yotsuba walk you home. You don't mind, right, Akasaka-kun?"
Miku covered half her face and pretended to be serious, as if she would get angry if Ryunosuke refused.
Ryunosuke just shrugged, not accepting either party's offer.
"I refuse!"
Miku puffed out her cheeks and pointed at Ryunosuke.
"You're guilty. Go commit seppuku!"
Seeing her sisters divided into two camps, Ichika held her dizzy forehead, not knowing who to support. But thankfully, Ryunosuke didn't accept anyone; that was a blessing in the midst of misfortune.
After Ryunosuke left, Nino glared sharply at Itsuki who had blocked her.
"How long are you going to hug me like this? Let go quickly!"
"Believe it or not, I won't cook food for you anymore!!"
Upon hearing the threat about food rations, Itsuki immediately wilted. She released Nino limply and said in a weak tone:
"S-sorry, please don't stop my food rations~" Itsuki said with teary eyes.
Nino let out a long sigh. She didn't ask further why they blocked her "love story." After all, she wasn't stupid. Since coming to this school, Yotsuba had always seemed strange. More precisely, since meeting Ryunosuke, Yotsuba had become a mess.
Although Nino didn't know what actually happened between the two of them, she could more or less sense the little secret in Yotsuba's heart. Well, they were sisters after all...
Nino sighed once more and chose to remain silent. Facing her own little sister trying to compete with her for a man, she also didn't know what to say.