Who Can Resist Nakano Nino? [176]

By the time Shirase and the others reached this point in their conversation, it had naturally run its course.

Everyone had agreed to go to the seaside amusement park on Sunday.

Now came the next issue—how to invite Yukinoshita Yukino.

Among the seven of them, only Nakano Ichika—half out of mischief, half out of genuine curiosity—actually wanted Yukinoshita to come along. The rest didn’t really care.

Nino couldn’t stand Yukinoshita’s aloof attitude, and the others simply weren’t close enough to bother.

“Since Ichika’s the one who suggested it, she should be the one to invite her. Shirase, come with me.”

Lunch break was short to begin with, and Nino clearly wasn’t in the mood to waste her precious rest time. She gathered her tray and left without hesitation.

Those who stayed behind each reacted differently.

Ichika hid her thoughts behind a calm smile.
Itsuki looked a little disappointed.
Isshiki Iroha kept sneaking glances toward Shirase and Nino’s retreating figures, looking conflicted, as if debating whether to chase after them.
Yotsuba just kept eating.
Miku, meanwhile, turned to Ichika with curiosity.

“Are you close with that genius girl?” she asked.

“Given how things are, I guess we could be called friends,” Ichika replied confidently, smiling.

Miku frowned. “Weird… How could a hopeless student like you become friends with a genius like her? Especially when she’s infamous for being unapproachable.”

Ichika took the jab in stride, smiling again. “Maybe because we have a few things in common.”

“Things in common?”

Miku shot her a skeptical look, clearly unconvinced—but her attention soon drifted toward Itsuki, who seemed distracted.

Ever since that incident, Miku had started keeping an eye on Itsuki. For now, though, she was still in the “secret observation” phase, with no plans to step in.

…

Nino had pulled Shirase aside into a quiet corner of the hallway. Her expression was a mix of exasperation and curiosity.

“If you didn’t want to go to the seaside amusement park, why’d you agree to it?” she asked, crossing her arms in classic tsundere fashion and tilting her chin up. “I didn’t speak up earlier on purpose—I wanted to hear what you thought first.”

Shirase couldn’t help but laugh. “I know. But I never said I didn’t want to go.”

Nino blinked. “Then what was that attitude before?”

“If I didn’t act strict at first, how else would they understand their tutor’s good intentions?” Shirase said with a smile.

Nino stared at him, speechless. After a moment, she huffed out a laugh, scanning him up and down. “So that’s it. You were pretending. You act all serious to guilt them about slacking off, and when you ‘reluctantly agree’ later, they’ll feel bad and study harder.”

“Exactly. You catch on fast,” Shirase said, rubbing his chin smugly. “Must be all thanks to this excellent tutor of yours. I’ve trained you well—you’re already making logical inferences.”

“It’s obviously because I’m smart,” Nino said, trying to stay stern. But she only lasted three seconds before breaking into laughter.

A light blush colored her cheeks. “You’re awful. I never knew you could be this sly. I actually thought you were a decent guy.”

“I’m just good at planning ahead,” Shirase said with a grin. “A bit of strategy never hurts.”

As the saying went, genuine feelings fade—but clever tricks keep people motivated.

He’d really gone all out to keep the five sisters’ enthusiasm for studying alive.

Nino clearly picked up on what he meant. Too lazy to argue, she let out a soft laugh before her expression shifted again. “Oh right, after your training today, don’t run off anywhere. I’ll go home with you.”

Shirase’s heart skipped a beat. “So, the big moment’s finally coming?”

Nino blinked, then frowned suspiciously. “What are you talking about…? Wait, were you imagining something indecent just now?”

Her cheeks flushed as she glared at him.

Shirase raised his hands innocently. “What? I didn’t say anything indecent! It was just an emotional outburst. Totally spontaneous.”

Like Naruto’s impulsive kiss with Sasuke—pure, poetic instinct.

“You expect me to buy that?”

Still blushing, Nino rolled her eyes but didn’t push the point. “Anyway, I’m going to your house for an inspection.”

“Inspection?”

“To check… whether you’ve done anything weird to my socks.”

“???”

Shirase froze, staring at her.

Then, seeing her embarrassed yet defiant look, he burst out laughing. “You really think I’d do something to your socks?”

Not that he’d ever admit that the system had retrieved those white thigh-highs for him. He definitely hadn’t washed them. Or folded them neatly in his wardrobe.

“Because you are that kind of guy,” Nino huffed, her face crimson. Taking advantage of the quiet hallway, she added boldly, “You snatched my socks right in front of me last time—who knows what terrible things you’ve done to them? Poor things, completely helpless against you.”

“You’re getting more and more ridiculous,” Shirase sighed. “But fine, if it’s just an inspection, we’ll go together.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Nino turned and walked off, clearly satisfied—but her steps were a little too quick, almost flustered.

It was obvious she was hiding something.

Shirase noticed but let it slide.

Some things are better left mysterious—more fun that way.

…

Before the last period, he was out in the hallway with half the school. The heat had been cranking up lately.

Boys and girls this age loved messing around; some of the girls held back a bit, but not enough to avoid the inevitable sweat. The boy in front of Shirase, for instance, smelled so strong one whiff had knockback.

One sniff and—oof.

“Training in this weather’s going to be rough,” Hayama Hayato said, appearing at Shirase’s elbow.

Shirase didn’t need to turn to guess. A glance back confirmed Miura Yumiko, small face pinched, clearly unhappy at being ditched.

“You shouldn’t come find me every time you’re free,” Shirase reminded him. “Someone’s already upset.”

Hayama played dumb even though he knew. “Lots of people come looking for me. Who exactly do you mean?”

“Oh? You’re pretending even to me now? Not bad.”

“Thanks. I learned from the best.”

“Cut it out. I’m younger than you—shouldn’t I be the one who watched you grow up?”

“Try listening to yourself for once.”

They bantered while watching a third-year girl downstairs chase a tiny white dog, calling it “Jelly.”

“The stray again,” Hayama said, clearly familiar. “Shows up a lot. It’s small and cute, so the girls love it.”

“Dogs aren’t dumb,” Shirase said, chin in hand. “It figured out there’s free food here.”

Right then, the senior caught the dog and, not caring about dirt, scooped it up. Two other girls ran over; one even held her ice cream to its mouth.

“Getting VIP treatment,” Shirase muttered. “This mutt’s at least zhengchu-level.”

Hayama didn’t get the Chinese meme and changed the subject. “You free this weekend?”

“Nope. Plans already.”

“Yeah? I thought you were going to stay home and behave.”

“Quit it. I’m busy. Just say it.”

“Nothing major. Ato—Yamashita Tooru from the soccer club—his cousin had a dust-up with some guys from Shinjuku. They’re all Tokyo FC fans, so they’re settling it with a match.”

Shirase stared at the handsome blond beside him. “So Ato wants us to help? You don’t think that’s… dumb?”

“It is. Putting you on the field is basically bullying. But Ato said both sides always hire ringers for these things, because the result decides…” Hayama mimed counting bills.

Got it—an under-the-table betting game. Common in amateur circles.

“If nothing weird happens, we get paid just for showing,” Hayama went on. “Win and there’s a bonus. I don’t care about the money. I’m curious if they’ve got any real talent.”

“Haven’t competed in a while, itching for it?” Shirase said.

“Yeah.”

Shirase fell quiet, then smiled. “Same.”

Soccer, basketball, baseball—give people free time and they’ll wander back to a field. Playing with strangers isn’t rare.

Hayama, finally hearing himself, felt his match hunger kick back in. Lately it’d been nothing but drills—no friendlies. He wasn’t the only one itching. Shirase felt it too.

Probably the whole club did.

“I did ask Kirisu-sensei to hold off on friendlies so we could hide our hand,” Shirase said after thinking it through. “But if everyone wants a match, maybe we set one up.”

“We’ve got a bit of a name now,” Hayama cautioned. “If we schedule one, strong teams will come knocking.”

“That’s the point. You want to stomp scrubs?”

“Uh… sometimes crushing noobs feels pretty good.”

“I never knew you had such a mean streak.”

The talk snapped Shirase into focus. The team trained hard and stuck together, but repeating the same drills day after day had them bottled up—Bloodrage meter full—waiting for a release.

Honestly, he wanted another go at Metropolitan High. They knew each other well by now, and he’d long since become the board-memorizing demon.

A new opponent meant new patterns to memorize.

But Metro might not agree.

After school, exactly what Hayama predicted happened. Everyone trained seriously, but the need for a real match buzzed under the surface—energy with nowhere to go.

Hayama shot him a look. Shirase nodded.

Reassured, Hayama announced the plan for another friendly.

“A match at last! My great axe thirsts!”

“Who we up against? Shirase, got any intel?”

Amid the cheers, Isshiki Iroha squatted at the sideline, sighing to Shirase, “Seeing everyone pumped makes me happy. But a new match means I’m swamped again.”

“That’s the manager’s job,” he said, deadpan.

“I know, but it might be too much for one person. I might need… a partner.” She blinked up at him, finally revealing her angle.

Hayama, nearby, smiled. “Last time against Metro, Shirase handled intel. He’s good at it. How about you team up with him this time, Isshiki?”

Isshiki’s smile turned sugary in an instant.

Shirase gave Hayama a look. The guy held steady, unfazed.

Then Shirase faced Isshiki again—only to watch her do a perfect mask change: cherry lips pressed tight, eyes shining shyly, the very picture of a demure young lady.

“I get it,” he said, rubbing his chin. “You two cut some shady deal behind my back.”

“Don’t make things up!” Isshiki puffed her cheeks and huffed. “If you’re busy, I won’t bother you.”

“Playing hard to get?” he said flatly.

Isshiki flushed to the ears.

On the side, Hayama just shook his head. So clumsy a ploy that even an elementary kid wouldn’t buy it.

Compared to the other girls around Shirase, Hayama had originally figured Isshiki was closer to him.

Seeing her fumble now, even he had no idea how to help.

—

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!