While things between Shirase and Yukinoshita Yukino were calm and easy, the same couldn’t be said for Nakano Ichika and Yukinoshita Haruno.
As they chatted, Haruno quickly noticed the younger girl’s gaze drifting around the hall again and again.
After watching her do it a couple of times, Haruno subtly followed her line of sight—and immediately saw what she was looking at. The faces Ichika kept glancing toward were all familiar ones: actors, idols, and TV personalities who’d already made names for themselves.
Haruno’s sharp mind connected the dots in an instant. Still, her expression stayed pleasant, even curious. “Do you usually chase after celebrities? You’ve been sneaking peeks at them all night.”
Ichika smiled, shaking her head. “It’s not that. It’s just my first time seeing so many people I’ve only watched on TV. I got a little excited.”
“Oh~ so just excitement? I see, I see.” Haruno tilted her head, voice mild. “I thought maybe you were looking at them with admiration, telling yourself you’d be standing on the same stage one day.”
“Eh?”
Ichika froze for half a second.
Was that—was that a test?
Her pulse jumped a little.
Shirase had once warned her that Yukinoshita Haruno was sharper—and far more dangerous—than her younger sister.
She’d always been intrigued by Haruno’s calm, elegant image, but now that she was face to face with her, Ichika could feel the difference immediately.
She’d teased Yukino plenty before without making progress, yet in just a few minutes with Haruno, she already felt completely cornered.
Haruno, pretending not to notice, propped her chin in her hand and spoke idly, as if reminiscing. “You know, I have a friend who loves watching dramas. One day I happened to see a familiar face in the show she was watching.”
Ichika’s hand twitched ever so slightly, but she kept her tone polite. “A familiar face? Someone you know, Haruno-san?”
“Not exactly.” Haruno smiled, all warmth and composure. “But my little sister goes to your school, and the Nakano quintuplets are pretty well-known there. So I noticed you girls early on.”
Ichika’s polite smile didn’t waver. “You must be mistaken, Haruno-san. The most famous people at school are Hayama-san, Shirase, and your sister, Yukinoshita-san.”
“No need to be modest. Quintuplets would draw attention anywhere.” Haruno paused deliberately, watching Ichika’s expression. “Anyway—the familiar face I saw in that nighttime drama was yours.”
I knew it.
Ichika’s smile stiffened. “Could it be you’re mistaken?”
“I thought so too at first,” Haruno said lightly. “But I’m the type who gets bored easily, and when I’m bored, I entertain myself. I didn’t dig too deep, of course—just looked up the drama online out of curiosity. Guess what I found?”
Ichika said nothing, though the tension in her shoulders was clear.
Haruno’s lips curved higher. “Your name and picture in the cast list. And something even more interesting—when I checked again recently, I saw Shirase listed too.”
She knew everything.
Ichika’s fingers curled into tight fists at her sides. Her chance to steer the conversation had completely vanished.
Haruno, still watching closely, saw the shift in her expression. Perfect timing.
“Tell me,” she asked softly, “did you and Shirase start taking part-time acting jobs for some extra money? Or is it that you secretly dream of being a famous actress, and after Shirase found out, you dragged him into it with you?”
Ichika let out a small, strained laugh. “The latter.”
“Oh my~ I guessed right. I really am brilliant, aren’t I?” Haruno said, genuinely sounding pleased.
Ichika’s eyelid twitched. At your age, you’re still acting cute?
Of course, she conveniently forgot she sometimes did the same thing with her sisters.
“You haven’t told your family yet, have you?” Haruno continued smoothly. Her tone wasn’t inquisitive—it was certain.
Ichika could only nod. “Mm. For now, only Shirase knows.”
Haruno smiled sweetly. “Do you like Shirase?”
Ba-thump.
Ichika’s heartbeat spiked—once, twice, painfully loud.
She was sure her face gave it away.
“Oh my~” Haruno blinked, genuinely surprised. “Did I get that right too?”
Ichika stared at her in disbelief. “You were just guessing?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Haruno laughed softly. “You just said only Shirase knows you’re acting—your family doesn’t. I was just tossing out a question. I didn’t expect that reaction.”
Her eyes glinted mischievously. “Although… from what I know of that guy, he seems to have a soft spot for your sister, Nino. So how do you explain your feelings?”
The mention of Nino’s name made Ichika’s smile falter and her face go pale.
What made it worse was that Haruno wasn’t even serious—just idly teasing. Yet every random jab had hit like a precision strike.
This woman’s dangerous, Ichika thought miserably.
Haruno tilted her head, still smiling, and said gently, “Relax. I don’t spread gossip.” Seeing the anxiety flicker in Ichika’s eyes, her tone softened further. “Don’t worry—unless you tell someone yourself, no fourth person will ever know.”
Ichika blinked. “Then why… why did you keep pressing me like that?”
“Because it’s fun,” Haruno said with disarming honesty, her smile dazzling. “Watching you go from calm to panicked to hopeless—it was delightful.”
Ichika: “…”
In that instant, she fully understood what Shirase had meant.
Wicked.
Absolutely wicked.
Haruno’s attacks left her no room to breathe.
Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind them—
“Oi, oi, Haruno-san, are you bullying Ichika again? Seriously, aren’t you embarrassed to pick on a high schooler?”
—
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!
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