"Lalala~~~~"
Nino hummed happily. After sending the photo to Miku and kicking Rin out, she turned off her phone, tossed it onto the bed, and headed for a long, luxurious soak in the tub.
Meanwhile, back at the sisters' apartment, Miku was panicking—well, she was acting panicked.
When she saw the photo, she was genuinely surprised. She had used the "provocation" tactic to get Nino to act irrationally, but she hadn't expected Nino to go straight to a hotel with him! Was this a total conquest, or just a photo op? Either way, it was progress.
Miku took several deep breaths in front of the mirror before running out of her room, looking frantic.
"Come out, quick!" Miku banged on Yotsuba and Itsuki's doors. The two emerged in their pajamas—short sleeves and hot pants. Miku thrust the phone at them. "Look... Nino really went to a hotel with him!"
"Ehhhhh!!!!"
"Mmph!!!!"
Looking at the smirking Nino in the photo, Yotsuba shrieked and Itsuki instinctively covered her mouth. Itsuki had been trying to figure out how to mediate the conflict between Nino and Miku. As the "mother figure" of the group since their mom passed, she hated seeing them fight. She had planned to tell them both to give up on Rin—after all, Ichika was there first.
But now, she was at a loss. If Nino had already "crossed the line" and made it a done deal, the fallout would be catastrophic. Why do both Nino and Miku have to like him!?
The three sisters, now in casual clothes, gathered in the living room and tried calling Nino repeatedly, only to get her voicemail. Their minds were filled with images of Nino and Rin tangling together in a hotel bed. They kept calling, the silence of the apartment broken only by the automated "phone is turned off" message.
This wasn't just a petty squabble anymore. This was a crisis that threatened to tear the Nakano sisters apart.
Finally, after an hour, the phone rang through instead of going to voicemail. They held their breath until Nino's voice came through the speaker.
"Why the hell are you calling so much? You're annoying."
"Nino, where are you?" Itsuki asked, her voice stern as she adjusted her glasses.
"What? I'm busy right now. I probably won't be back tonight—"
"NINO!"
"W-why are you yelling...?" Nino's voice faltered. Itsuki rarely lost her temper, but when she did, she was terrifying.
"I'll be back after I blow-dry my hair."
Nino hung up. In the living room, Miku and Yotsuba shared a look. They were genuinely scared Itsuki might actually hit Nino when she got back.
It wasn't long before Nino arrived by taxi, using the cash Rin had left her. The moment she stepped through the door, Itsuki stood up and stared her down. Nino knew Miku must have shown them the photo. She had only meant to spite Miku, but she hadn't expected the "mother" to get involved.
Nino tried to maintain her tsundere front. "Why did you call me back? I finally had a chance and you guys ruined it."
Nino tried to brush past Itsuki, acting like she didn't care. But as the scent of hotel shampoo wafted off Nino, Itsuki grabbed her wrist. Nino turned, and—
SLAP!
A sharp crack echoed through the room. Nino's cheek stung, turning bright red.
She... Itsuki just slapped me?
SLAP!
Nino recovered and slapped Itsuki right back.
SLAP!
Itsuki swung again.
SLAP!
Nino returned the favor.
The two sisters stood there in a bizarre, silent turn-based battle, slapping each other back and forth until Itsuki's glasses were knocked crooked.
"What are you doing! Stop it!" Yotsuba finally snapped out of it and pulled Nino away, while Miku held Itsuki. They had argued before, but they had never resorted to a physical brawl like this.
"Hmph!!!"
"Hmph!!!"
The two sat on opposite ends of the sofa, arms crossed, refusing to look at each other. Yotsuba sat in the middle, looking miserable. "Nino, don't be mad. Itsuki was just... she was worried about us."
"Nino..." Yotsuba bit her lip. "Why him? I thought you liked bad boys or 'yankee' types?"
Nino straightened her back. She knew how bad that photo looked. Itsuki looked at her, her cheek still burning, but the "fight" was over.
"I don't even like him," Nino huffed.
"You don't like him? Then why send that photo to Miku?" Itsuki asked, her brow furrowed. "Was it a joke? This isn't something to joke about."
Nino glanced at Miku. "It's because Miku likes him, isn't it?"
"I... I like him, so you did that?"
"I'll deal with Miku in a second," Itsuki said sternly. "Nino, explain yourself."
"Because I'm pissed! We're identical twins, that's why we look so much alike. If you don't know what that means, go read a book!" Nino felt a surge of pride seeing their confused faces. She was literally parroting what Rin had told her in the hotel.
"Anyway, we look the same. He and Ichika are lovers, which means they do... sexual things. But my body is identical to Ichika's. That means my 'body' is being seen and touched by a man I didn't choose! It makes me sick! There's no way I'd actually date him. But Miku apparently likes him for some reason."
"Wait a minute!!!" Itsuki made an 'X' with her arms. "You're saying you went to a hotel with him because you don't want him to see your body? That makes no sense!"
"Let me finish! Since Miku likes him, and he's Ichika's boyfriend... that's going to destroy their relationship. Miku would be miserable if she had to stay away from him." Nino paused, looking at her sisters. "Mom said the five of us have to stay together. But we all know that when we grow up, we'll have to separate."
Miku tried to hide her excitement. Was Nino thinking the same thing Ichika was?
"If Miku likes him, and Ichika has him... why don't we all just have him? Then the six of us can be together."
"""EHHHHHHHHH!?!?!?"""
Yotsuba and Itsuki were stunned. They wanted to stay together, but a five-way harem marriage? Who even thinks like that?
Nino looked away, blushing. "Actually... if you ignore his plain clothes, he's not bad. He fought with Dad for Ichika. He's a great cook. And he's genuinely trying to help us study, right Miku?"
She added in her head: Even if it's just his possessiveness, the fact that he wants to keep us all together is a plus.
"Yeah..." Miku nodded shyly.
"The clothes are an easy fix," Nino continued. "I don't 'love' him yet, but if Ichika and Miku do... then... do you guys hate him?"
"I..." Itsuki hesitated. She was dense when it came to romance. Rin hadn't done anything perverted with their secrets; he'd just made them study. He'd defended Ichika. He'd tutored them. And even though he'd stolen her first kiss by accident, she didn't hate the memory. It was just... 'more than a friend.' But if they were all together... she wouldn't mind.
"I... I guess he's okay..." Yotsuba looked down. Her body already liked him. She still had wet dreams about that day he fingered her. "But... what about Ichika? It's her boyfriend!"
"Ichika doesn't mind!" Miku blurted out, her eyes sparkling. "She even encouraged me to go for it!"
Miku didn't mention the 'cuckold' thing yet, but the permission was real. Nino nodded. Even if Rin hadn't told her, she assumed he had Ichika's blessing to be this bold.
Nino waved her hand dismissively at the blushing Yotsuba and Itsuki. "Don't be so embarrassed. I'm not just giving ourselves to him for free. I didn't sleep with him, and I haven't told him about the 'five-way' plan yet."
Yotsuba and Itsuki sighed in relief.
"Men are all cheating bastards. If I tell him, he'll say yes in a heartbeat. He has to earn it first. He has to pass a test."
"A test?" Itsuki asked.
"Yes. Unless he can prove he loves each of us individually, it's a no-go. And the test is simple," Nino smirked. "Grandpa always said that only someone who truly loves us can tell us apart."
"If he can accurately identify each of us when we're disguised as each other, then he proves he loves us. Only then can he join our family."
"But last time he—" Yotsuba started.
"Last time he only figured it out because I made him suspicious under the bed! When he first got to the house, he didn't realize it wasn't Ichika until he was literally touching my pussy! If he can't tell us apart without touching our vaginas, he doesn't get any of us!"
Miku agreed, though she was confident he could do it. She suspected he only "failed" before to play along with Ichika's game.
Yotsuba and Itsuki nodded. If he could pass the legendary "Grandpa Test," they were willing to give it a try. But Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki all shared a look and spoke in unison:
"""Even if he passes, you aren't allowed to give him a 'Yankee' makeover!"""