The bathroom at the Nakano household.
Ichika had just entered holding her clothes and hadn't even closed the door when Nino appeared at the doorway.
"Nino? You're… also taking a bath?"
Ichika looked at her younger sister holding clothes and immediately felt a bit guilty.
She was still wearing Makoto's sports shorts under her skirt.
"We haven't taken a bath together in a long time," Nino said as she came in and casually closed the door, clearly not planning to leave.
Step! Step!
Ichika hurriedly started thinking, trying to find a way out.
But Nino's next words stunned her: "Don't try to fool me. When you were changing shoes just now, I already saw it."
A flicker of unease appeared in Ichika's eyes. "What did you see?"
Nino asked with a displeased tone, "Even now you want to fool me? Ichika, do you really want me to say it out loud?"
As she finished speaking, she grabbed Ichika's skirt and lifted it up.
The dark blue sports shorts immediately came into view.
Ichika completely lost any chance of lying.
But Nino wasn't done.
She took out her phone, flipped to a screenshot of a post from Ichika's alternate account, and held the screen in front of Ichika's eyes, clearing her throat:
"Excuse me, is the owner of this account Nakano Ichika from Toyonozaki School?"
Ichika: I'm so busted.
Nino was completely satisfied.
She crossed her arms and struck an interrogative pose: "Spill it."
Ichika knew she couldn't bluff her way out, her mind racing, and put on an embarrassed expression: "Well, actually, I had no choice."
"No choice?" Nino frowned.
"Yeah, because Makoto's massage technique was so comfortable that my underwear…"
Ichika purposely didn't finish the sentence, looking shy and embarrassed at Nino, then smoothly lowered her head.
It all looked very natural.
Not only because of her acting skills but because she was "playing herself."
After all, that kind of experience was still very embarrassing for a teenage girl.
Even though she considered herself mature enough.
Her perfect performance ended, but Nino's face also flushed.
"So you also…"
Nino hesitated, embarrassed to continue.
What does "also" mean?
Ichika was stunned but quickly caught on.
So all along, my wild guess was true?
Nino really got all wet from the massage?
Then she had been wearing wet panties for a long time…
Ichika silently admired her.
She knew she had carefully wiped herself down after getting out of bed earlier but still felt uncomfortable.
Who would have thought her own sister could endure that discomfort and hold out for so long!
Nino was a tough one.
Ichika thought to herself.
"All right, all right, let's just go soak in the bath."
Nino was also blushing heavily at this point.
She was afraid Ichika would keep pushing the topic, so she turned around blushing and began undressing.
Ichika chuckled inwardly, thinking she had passed the test.
The two sisters got into the spacious bathtub one after another, both letting out contented hums.
Nino looked at Ichika's face blurred by the steam and curiously asked, "Did you specially borrow shorts from Fushimi?"
Ichika went along smoothly, "Yeah, I'm not as tough as you to have held out this long."
"Shut up!"
Nino was both embarrassed and angry.
This was already awkward enough, and now Ichika was rubbing it in her face. How could she stand it?
Ichika stared at her sister's shy face and suddenly asked, "Nino, what do you think of Makoto?"
Nino was stunned: "Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"Just curious. You can say whatever you want."
"Tch, I feel like you're trying to stir something up again."
Nino rolled her eyes at her sister.
But she didn't think much about it and looked up at the steam-filled ceiling, saying, "He's pretty impressive."
"For example?"
"Don't you already know? Whether it's cooking or being serious about things, he's pretty good. Oh, and his massage skills are amazing too. I suspect he started learning that since he was a kid."
Hearing Nino's answer, Ichika quietly sighed with relief.
Her sister's words showed just a normal admiration for someone capable.
So for now, Nino was still safe.
Ichika was just about to speak when Nino laughed and said, "By the way, I've decided to get closer to him from now on."
What do you want to do!?
Ichika's inner alarm went off, but she calmly asked, "Why?"
Nino smiled easily, "I think he's a pretty nice guy, and his cooking skills are top-notch. We'll probably have a lot in common."
No!
You don't have a lot in common!
And you're not allowed to have him.
Ichika pursed her lips and fell silent.
Nino still spoke comfortably, "Next time when I have time, I'll check out your club. Besides, this schedule Makoto made today really caught my interest."
Very good.
Nino is no longer safe.
Ichika was now completely on guard.
...
That same night, Makoto went to Mayu's house.
Originally, he planned to just chat with this beautiful teacher and watch some TV together.
But as they watched, he recalled the emotions Ichika had stirred up earlier, and his mood began to shift.
Mayu had known him for some time, and since they had even taken a bath together, she was well aware of how much her body attracted Makoto.
So when their eyes met unintentionally, both instantly understood the meaning behind the other's gaze.
Makoto didn't even have time to speak before Mayu blushed, her shy yet seductive eyes flickering as she slowly raised her hand to pull her hair back.
That gesture was no longer a hint.
It was an open invitation.
So by the time Yukino sent a "Good night" message, Makoto was too busy to reply.
...
Time moved to Saturday.
Makoto was at home preparing for the club activities in the afternoon, when Utaha and Yumiko called him one after another.
Utaha wanted to meet, saying she had something important.
Yumiko wanted to go take photos, having found a good spot to check in.
Makoto had no cloning jutsu, so he couldn't accept both invitations at once.
He decided to kill two birds with one stone!
At 9:30 in the morning, he met Utaha at a dessert shop.
The black-stockinged upperclassman was dressed as usual, but she was naturally beautiful and didn't need to dress up; the school uniform paired with black stockings perfectly showcased her figure.
When Makoto sat down, he noticed many male customers inside sighing.
"The senior's charm is really strong."
Makoto picked up the menu and sighed sincerely.
Utaha smiled, "Thank you for the compliment."
She had long noticed the men stealing glances at her, but was used to such looks and didn't care.
"You order first, today it's on me," she said.
Makoto knew she wanted to ask him for advice again, so he didn't refuse.
After ordering drinks and food, he asked, "What's the purpose of this meeting, senior?"
"There are two things."
Utaha didn't want to waste time. She leaned forward slightly, bringing her beautiful face closer.
"First, some students told me there's a rumor about us going around school lately, and I guess this rumor will only get worse over time."
Makoto nodded. "I heard about this from Hayato."
"The first-year Hayama Hayato?" Utaha clearly knew this person too. She continued, "I asked you out because I want to discuss how to get rid of this unreliable rumor."
"Get rid of it?" Makoto found this word interesting.
Utaha smiled faintly. "I don't like things like this, especially since we are friends. I still have a lot to learn from you in the future, so I don't want this little matter to affect our relationship."
"Then you shouldn't say 'get rid of it,' but let it keep spreading," Makoto suggested.
"Why?" Utaha showed a moment of surprise.
Not to mention, that small expression on her made her even more alluring in a different way.
Makoto admired her charming look and said,
"The best way to handle rumors is to create a bigger, more attention-grabbing rumor. If you try to kill it prematurely, it will only cause a backlash, making everyone even more curious and eager to peek."
Utaha thought about it. "Makes sense, but then we need to find something worth the attention."
Makoto raised his index finger and smiled like a meme: "I have a plan."
Utaha raised her eyebrows slightly: "Explain."
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