Who Can Resist Nakano Nino? [7]

“Did you need something, Kirisu-sensei?”

Unfazed by the cool-beauty persona she projected, Shirase calmly sat down before Kirisu Mafuyu.

Kirisu-sensei sat perfectly straight, gracefully crossing her slender legs wrapped neatly in black stockings, assuming a posture fitting a serious discussion.

“Kojima-sensei should’ve conveyed my concerns to you already, correct?”

Shirase nodded. “Yes. I sincerely appreciate your concern, Kirisu-sensei, but I haven’t really put that much pressure on myself, because I—”

“You spend every spare minute studying. Are you certain you’re not pushing yourself too far?” Kirisu-sensei interrupted coolly.

Leaning forward slightly—incidentally placing her ample chest on the desk—she continued, “Shirase-kun, I’ve encountered many students like you who, dissatisfied with their entrance exam results, stubbornly refuse to accept defeat. That kind of fighting spirit is commendable, and as a teacher, I genuinely appreciate your determination, but…”

Her tone shifted abruptly, her gaze chilling noticeably. “I won’t tolerate my students damaging their health for grades. There’s a limit to how much exhaustion a person’s mind and body can handle. If you keep going without giving yourself even a single moment’s rest, eventually your body will overload, like a fragile water balloon—one prick and it bursts.”

Here it comes, just as expected.

Shirase remained calm. Ever since Kojima Kana passed along Kirisu-sensei’s words yesterday, he’d anticipated that she’d summon him eventually.

This cold-faced, warm-hearted beauty was famous for being deeply concerned about her students.

Especially given that he was tied with Hayama Hayato as one of the school’s most popular guys—it would’ve been harder not to attract her attention.

He smiled calmly. “I truly haven’t placed too much pressure on myself. My physical and mental states are both excellent. Most importantly…”

He released his trump card:

“I intend to become number one in the entire school.”

A flicker of astonishment flashed through Kirisu Mafuyu’s eyes.

She’d assumed Shirase’s relentless studying was merely teenage pride—fierce determination to claw back his wounded pride from the entrance exams.

But hearing this response directly from him, all the arguments she’d carefully prepared got stuck in her throat.

As a teacher, how could she possibly discourage a student from striving to reach the top spot?

That kind of motivation was precisely what teachers most desired to see in their students.

Kirisu-sensei fell silent for a few seconds, then asked cautiously, “Are you certain you can reach first place without hurting yourself?”

“I have absolute confidence,” Shirase replied.

She had no way to argue against that now.

“I understand…” Kirisu-sensei shifted topics. “I assume Kojima-sensei supports your efforts, too? I heard about your relationship. She once mentioned to me that she always sees you as her younger brother.”

Shirase smiled. “We do get along very well. She’s always been very good to me—much like how Kirisu-sensei always takes such good care of her students.”

Kirisu-sensei’s expression faltered slightly, then immediately regained composure. “Caring for students is simply part of a teacher’s job. I never hope for my students to think well of me… No, strictly speaking, I don’t care about such trivial matters at all.”

Shirase’s eyes turned curious. “Kirisu-sensei, could it be that you’re a bit tsundere?”

Kirisu-sensei’s eyes shot up fiercely, her expression filling instantly with murderous intent.

Like a character whose rage meter had just maxed out.

“Sorry, I misspoke,” Shirase swiftly apologized, instinctively sensing mortal danger.

“As long as you know.” Kirisu-sensei folded her arms sternly. “If you dare to say something like that in front of me again, I’ll report it truthfully to the principal.”

Question marks appeared above Shirase’s head. “Report to the principal… that a student called a teacher ‘tsundere’?”

“Hm?” Kirisu-sensei replied with a cold, clipped hum.

“Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave,” Shirase said, quickly rising.

Just as he reached the door, Kirisu-sensei’s icy voice came from behind him. “I’ll be watching you closely. If I find you collapsing from exhaustion someday, I will absolutely step in.”

Shirase turned, flashing a confident smile. “I’m afraid you’ll never get that chance, Kirisu-sensei.”

His sudden smile left her momentarily stunned. Before she could recover, Shirase had already closed the door behind him.

The office returned to silence. Kirisu Mafuyu gazed at the closed door, finally allowing confusion to flicker across her face.

“Wasn’t he supposed to be the aloof type, according to student rumors? Even when Hayama-kun chats with him, he rarely shows much expression. Could it be everyone misjudged him?”

Kirisu-sensei rubbed her temples. For a teacher to misjudge a student… was truly shameful.

What was worse, she’d actually been convinced by that very same student.

“Kirisu-sensei, could it be that you’re a bit tsundere?”

Recalling Shirase’s earlier words, the beautiful teacher’s cheeks turned faintly pink.

“Tch!”

…

At lunchtime, Shirase headed to the cafeteria as usual.

He’d never gotten into the habit of preparing his own lunch. The school’s cafeteria was generous with portions and reasonably priced. Besides, with how frequently he hosted himself for exercise, his appetite was steadily increasing, further killing any interest in making bentos.

Many students glanced his way as he ate—both boys and girls. Most boys were simply curious how exactly he’d managed to fight his way from inside the school gates out onto the street.

The system had forcibly made him famous, even attracting the attention of the school administration.

Fortunately, the students he’d rescued all stepped up to clarify the truth. Even the school’s gatekeeper eagerly sang his praises, swiftly clearing things up.

As for [Free Hosting], he’d decided against using it at school. Aside from performing righteous acts and farming “karma points,” the system seemed incapable of doing anything useful.

To stay safe, Shirase would only use [Fixed Hosting] while at school.

After classes, he went directly to the soccer club’s activity room. Usually, they rotated in pairs to welcome potential newcomers, but his original partner had already quit. That student had only joined to make up numbers, had no real interest in soccer, and quickly grew disillusioned upon seeing the club’s bleak future.

The clubroom remained deserted—clearly, no one else was interested.

Shirase took out his phone. He had an email from Hayama, who promised to look for suitable recruits. The plan was to get enough members first; everything else could wait.

Instead of replying, Shirase scrolled to Nakano Nino’s LINE profile.

Yesterday, boredom had driven him to invite her over to the clubroom to chat. Although the girl outwardly complained, she’d ended up staying with him for nearly half an hour. She’d only left when he was about to head out himself.

But Shirase soon put away his phone. He couldn’t drag her over here every day; the Nakano quintuplets had their own lives, after all. It was unrealistic to expect them to be free constantly.

Just when Shirase thought he’d spend today alone again, there was a sudden knock at the door.

He looked up in surprise. A tall, cute-faced girl stood knocking lightly at the open door. When their eyes met, she approached him with a sugary-sweet smile.

“Hello, Shirase-kun. I’m Isshiki Iroha from Class 1-C.” Her voice was soft, sweet as a kitten’s meow.

What’s she doing here?

Shirase stared blankly, momentarily confused.

—

This is a fan translation of 谁能拒绝中野二乃呢？by 六花吖六花. Rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!