The "blindfold and guess the mouth" test ended, unsurprisingly, in failure for Rin.
This time, it wasn't because he was failing on purpose; he honestly couldn't tell the difference. No matter how much practice a man had, it was impossible to distinguish between mouths and tongues alone—especially when they belonged to identical quintuplets. Unless he were comparing someone like Sagiri, who had a vastly different body type, identifying someone purely by oral sensation was a fool's errand.
And the sisters weren't making it easy!
In a four-way choice, pure luck gives a 25% chance. At the start, Rin actually guessed correctly a few times by sheer coincidence. But the girls caught on to the "bug" and changed the rules. They began taking turns licking him in a specific sequence and demanded he rank them. Soft, wet, slippery tongues... Rin was completely lost.
But in the end, the ranking didn't matter. They were having fun, and that was what counted.
Even if he had guessed the order correctly, this was just the "Enhanced Version" of the test. He knew all too well that an "Ultra-Mega-Enhanced Version" involving their other mouths was likely waiting in the wings. Even with Kaede and Suzu, Rin sometimes struggled to tell them apart down there; the five sisters would be a labyrinth of identical flesh.
He simply couldn't tell. Not a chance.
The test concluded.
Though Rin failed the enhanced version, he had officially passed the standard test. The prickly Nino no longer had a valid excuse to keep "Deepening Their Understanding," and she was secretly keeping her new "Token of Commitment" a secret from her sisters for now.
Miku wasn't interested in further sessions tonight either—she had a "surprise" to prepare for Ichika. Seeing the older two back off, Yotsuba and Itsuki retreated to their rooms to study. Itsuki was focused on university entrance exams, while Yotsuba, despite her athletic prowess, still needed to pass her academic benchmarks.
Lately, Yotsuba had been chatting with Hinata and Saya about her future. While she was a star on the track team, she knew she wasn't quite at the professional athlete level. After some discussion, she had set her sights on sports rehabilitation. Her personality made her a natural helper, and after being adopted by Maruo Nakano, she had spent enough time in hospitals to admire the nurses who helped patients recover. Plus, since Maruo owned the hospital, she had a guaranteed job waiting for her after graduation.
While the younger two studied, Miku opened her chat with Ichika.
Miku: [When are you free?] Ichika: [What's up? Missing your big sister already?] Ichika: [Or did you prepare more "chicken soup" for me?] Ichika: [The soup my little sister makes with her own mouth is so delicious~]
Miku could practically see Ichika's teasing smirk through the screen. Just imagining her sister's expression made Miku's face flush with embarrassment.
But this time, Miku was the one making a mistake. On the other end of the line, Ichika—naked and freshly showered—was blushing furiously. Her "experience" was mostly limited to scripted kisses with Rin for her acting roles. Remembering how she had greedily swallowed the "soup" Miku had fed her mouth-to-mouth made Ichika want to curl into a ball and disappear. Still, she had to maintain her "cool big sister" image!
Miku: [It's not chicken soup.] Miku: [It's like... that night.]
Ichika froze, then quickly realized what Miku meant. She was talking about the Netori (cuckolding) play at Kaede's house. Ichika had almost forgotten.
Ichika: [Not bad. What's the plan?] Miku: [Same as last time. You hide in the closet.] Ichika: [How about Wednesday? I'm free on Thursday. I'll be waiting to see the "results" of your hard work lately.] Miku: [Mmm! Leave it to me!]
Setting her phone down, Ichika shook her head. If Miku weren't so shy, she wouldn't have had to use the excuse of "developing a cuckold fetish" to help her sister. Watching her little sister seduce her "boyfriend" from inside a closet was a bit much, but she'd do anything for Miku.
Wait! A brilliant idea struck Ichika. She quickly ended the chat with Miku and messaged Kaede.
Ichika: [My sister has officially "claimed" him.] Kaede: [Claimed him? Tsk, tsk... you call being played with and eaten by him "claiming"?] Kaede: [He's just getting a free meal.] Ichika: [A free meal? Hehe... whether he's getting a freebie or cuckolding you is up for debate.] Ichika: [If you don't believe me, want to see it with your own eyes?]
Ichika sent the probe. Since Kaede looked down on Miku so much, it was time for her to taste the bitterness of being truly "netori-ed." Ichika could forgive Miku because they were sisters, but she wouldn't be so kind to anyone else. Even though Kaede was her best friend, sisters came first. Sorry, Kaede!
Kaede: [Fine. Take me there. Let's see if your sister is just his toy or if she's actually stealing him from me.] Ichika: [It's a deal! Don't blame me if you end up crying. I'm definitely siding with my sister!]
Kaede: [I won't. If he can be stolen away, it just means I'm not charming enough.]
Kaede was brimming with confidence. It wasn't just their years of history; she had the "Female Delinquent System" and a long list of girls under her thumb. Ichika only had four sisters. How could they compete? Besides, she had picked out their tokens of commitment herself. They were playing right into her hands.
Ichika: [Wednesday, then. Miku set the date. If you're busy, say so now. Don't play the ostrich and hide when the time comes.] Kaede: [Wednesday it is!]
Nakano Apartment
Miku shared the Wednesday plan with Rin and the others. No one objected, but Nino and the younger two were nervous. They had "stolen" Ichika's boyfriend, after all. Miku, however, had a strategy.
"If you're worried... how about this? We all dress up exactly like Ichika. We can tell her that Rin's heart still belongs to her, and he only 'made a mistake' because we look just like her."
"That..." Nino hesitated but eventually nodded. Yotsuba and Itsuki agreed. It was a perfect way to shift the blame while acknowledging their guilt.
While the sisters plotted, Rin was in Ichika's room, chatting with Yamada Elf. Ever since the book launch, they had been busy. Elf was proofreading and editing, while Rin was refining the illustrations. Most of their talk had been professional, but with the work nearly done, things turned personal.
Elf: [Are you free this weekend? Actually, from Friday afternoon through the weekend?] Rin: [As long as you tell me in advance, I'm free. Why the specific time?] Elf: [My family has a private island. Want to go?] Rin: [Sounds great. But... anyone else coming?] Elf: [Yeah. I invited Almi and Sagiri.] Elf: [And Ami, Maki, and Megumi.] Elf: [I picked the weekend because they have school. A full weekend on the island! You in?] Rin: [I'm in.]
Sagiri, Ami, Maki, and Megumi—all girls who had partied at Elf's house before. A private island party made sense. But Almi? Why invite her? Almi didn't get along with him or Sagiri. Maybe Elf wants me to "smooth things over" with her?