Ryunosuke retreated to a quiet corner and dialed Sakayanagi Narumori. Ever since the incident involving Acting Chairman Tsukishiro, he had kept Narumori's private number on hand for easy contact.
The call connected almost instantly. Narumori was about to ask who was calling—as he didn't recognize the number—since Ryunosuke had used a school terminal during their last contact rather than a personal cell.
A familiar voice drifted through the receiver.
"Hello, Father-in-law? It's me, Akasaka Ryunosuke."
Narumori perked up. "Oh, it's you. What's the occasion?"
Ryunosuke asked his father-in-law to summon one of the Nakano quintuplets to the phone. He had urgent business to discuss with them. Since the school had confiscated the sisters' original phones and replaced them with point-based school terminals, he had no way to reach them directly and was forced to go through Narumori.
Narumori went silent. He tapped his finger on the desk, his eyes narrowing with a hint of suspicion.
"What is your business with those quintuplets? Don't forget that my daughter is your girlfriend. Don't go playing with fire with other girls."
Ryunosuke's lip twitched; he scrambled to find an excuse.
"My mother is ill—a terminal condition. Only the best doctor in Japan, Nakano Maruo, can save her. Since Nakano-san is the father of the quintuplets, I have no choice but to ask for their help."
Inwardly, Ryunosuke offered a sincere apology to his mother.
(Sorry, Mom... let me use you as a shield just one more time...)
Narumori finally relaxed. His son-in-law's reason was logical and, more importantly, forgivable.
"I see. I understand. I'll help connect you..."
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Shortly after, a school announcement echoed through the halls requesting one of the Nakano quintuplets to report to Chairman Sakayanagi's office.
In Class 2-C, the sisters heard the summons and immediately feared they were in trouble for their poor grades. It was a fair assumption; all five of them were constantly teetering on the edge of failing every exam. Being called to the office without warning was enough to make anyone's mind race.
They began passing the buck, none of them wanting to go. Finally, Nino—driven by her sense of responsibility—stepped up as the vanguard. She looked at her four sisters with a look of resignation.
"Fine, I'll go. You four just stay here and behave."
Ichika, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki immediately clasped their hands together, whispering, "Sorry, Nino!"
Nino summoned her courage and entered the Chairman's office. But instead of a lecture, she was told that Ryunosuke was looking for her.
The tension vanished from Nino's face, replaced by a radiant smile as she took the phone. If her sisters knew, they would be dying of regret; they all wanted a chance to talk to Ryunosuke.
Narumori watched Nino's excitement and thought to himself, (Is she really that happy?).
However, he didn't dwell on it. He told Nino to step outside to talk so she wouldn't disturb his work, instructing her to return the phone when she was done.
Nino stood outside the door, whispering flirtatiously into the receiver. "It's rare for you to call me. Do you miss me?"
Faced with Nino's direct approach, Ryunosuke answered without hesitation, "I do miss you, my Nino."
"Yes!" Nino jumped for joy, flashing a peace sign. "I miss you too, Ryunosuke-kun~"
Sensing the mood was right, Ryunosuke pivoted to the main topic. "Nino, could you give me your father's contact info? I need to ask him for a favor..."
Nino found the request a bit odd. "Why do you need to contact my father? Is there something wrong with your health?!" She was suddenly overcome with worry, fearing something had happened to Ryunosuke's body.
Ryunosuke assured her he was fine, but explained that someone he knew needed urgent medical treatment.
"Her?"
[Note: In Japanese, the pronouns for 'him' (kare) and 'her' (kanojo) are distinct, making the gender clear in speech]
Nino's gaze turned sharp and dangerous. "Tell me! Who is this 'other woman'?!"
Ryunosuke sighed. He had anticipated this, but his script was ready. "It's my mother who is gravely ill. She needs treatment..."
Nino's guard collapsed instantly, replaced by sheer panic. "Your mother? Is she okay?"
Nino was already calling her "Mother." Ryunosuke didn't even know how to comment on that—wasn't this progression a bit too fast? Still, he maintained his lie with a deadpan expression.
"She's hanging in there for now... but she has a malignant terminal tumor, heart failure, and cerebrovascular complications."
Ryunosuke rattled off every single symptom Ichinose Sayuri was suffering from. Nino believed him completely, without a shred of suspicion. Had she possessed even basic medical knowledge, she would have realized those complications typically affect the elderly. Ryunosuke was still very young; it was impossible for his mother to be old enough to suffer from such "old-age" ailments.
Having successfully tricked Nino, Ryunosuke finally obtained Maruo's contact information. However, Nino was still uneasy; after all, this was her future mother-in-law, and she couldn't let anything bad happen.
Nino used every point she had painstakingly collected, plus the remainder of her allowance from part-time work, totaling 100,000 points. Disregarding whether she'd be "eating dirt" (broke) next month, she placed an outside call to her father.
The call connected quickly. "Father! Listen to me!"
Nino went on a long-winded explanation. Essentially, she told him that her future mother-in-law was suffering from an incurable disease and begged him to use every resource at his disposal to help her!
Maruo stated that he understood. He told Nino to stop worrying and focus on her studies; he would handle the rest.
Nino felt a wave of relief. "Thank you, Father. I'll hang up now."
The line went dead. Maruo felt gloomy. His daughter had called without asking how he was even once, far too busy defending a complete stranger. He was in a foul mood.
In fact, he really wanted to see just which bastard had stolen his daughter's heart...
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
On the other end, Ryunosuke was blissfully unaware that a major disaster was looming over him. He made a sign of the cross over his chest and apologized to his mother once more.
(Sorry, Mom. I'm using you as a shield again. Please forgive me.)
Ryunosuke's Mother: (You truly are a devoted son... your 'devotion' is going to be the death of me...)