"Mmm hmm, we know Yu has superpowers."
After listening to Nino's honest retelling, Ichika remained incredibly calm, saying this as she casually tossed the toothpick in her hand into the trash can.
Sitting upright, Ichika suddenly slapped her fair, soft thigh.
"Slap!"
The sound wasn't particularly loud, but it still caught the attention of everyone in the living room.
"Huh?! Ichika, what's wrong with you now?"
Surprised by Ichika's sudden "self-abuse," Nino leaned back slightly and asked.
"Is Ichika… choking?"
Itsuki looked at Ichika, who was leaning on her legs with her head bowed, and asked worriedly.
"Drink some water."
Hearing that, Miku added a glass of lukewarm water for Ichika.
"I'm fine. Since Nino has already confessed, I can't hide it any longer either."
Seeing how concerned her four sisters were, Ichika, who wanted to continue the act, quickly said she was fine, then her expression turned serious:
"Actually…"
The four sisters looked at each other and also began to murmur,
"Actually…"
"Actually, I am Ultraman."
Ichika's tone was solemn, as if revealing the greatest secret of her life.
"Oh?!! So Ichika is Ultraman! That sounds unbelievable!!"
As soon as Ichika finished, Yotsuba's eyes widened in surprise. From her expression, a mix of shock and slight joy, it was clear she didn't believe her, but was just playing along with Ichika.
"Heh heh! Pretty unbelievable, right?"
Since Yotsuba cooperated like that, Ichika didn't feel embarrassed at all, crossed her arms, and raised her head proudly.
Miku and Itsuki looked at each other without saying anything. Miku was eating melon and watching TV, while Itsuki, sensing the smell of food, couldn't help the hunger tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, so she instinctively stood and headed toward the kitchen.
Watching Ichika and Yotsuba play their double act, Nino was momentarily stunned, but quickly reacted.
"Huh?!! What are you talking about?! How can Ultraman even exist in the world?!"
Clenching her teeth, Nino felt Ichika was insulting her intelligence, since even children knew Ultraman was fictional.
Seeing Nino react so strongly, Ichika quickly waved her hand to calm her, saying,
"Weren't you the one who started joking first, Nino? How can superpowers even exist in the world?"
"Mmm hmm, Nino is smart and a good kid, but it's not nice to trick us and treat us like we're dumb children."
Yotsuba also sat beside Ichika and nodded in agreement.
"Yu also said he had superpowers when he was little."
Miku looked away from the TV and added.
"What I'm saying is true! Yu really has superpowers!"
Seeing that no one believed her, Nino felt like she was about to break. How could no one believe her now that she was telling the truth?!
On second thought, it made sense. She herself wouldn't have believed such a fantastic thing before.
"Alright, alright, Yu has superpowers. Mmm, I'll go rest in my room for a bit. Remember to call me when dinner is ready."
Seeing Nino start to get angry, Ichika spoke, just as her phone vibrated. After glancing at the screen, Ichika hurriedly stood up and, without waiting for the others to react, went upstairs.
"Lately, Ichika has been a bit strange, seems like she's busy with something."
Watching Ichika go up the stairs, Yotsuba scratched her head and said,
"How strange. Well, I won't talk about this with you anymore. Seriously, you don't even believe me when I tell the truth. Hey, push the melon closer, I can't reach it."
Pouting, knowing that Ichika and the others wouldn't believe her until they saw it with their own eyes, Nino stopped sulking. She began eating the fruit and stared at the melon.
Still, she was full of resentment. Everything she said was the truth.
Did Yu really assume that Ichika and the others wouldn't believe her?!
Thinking this, Nino chewed the melon vigorously, as if Nakano Yu, busy cooking in the kitchen, were in her mouth.
At the same time, Nakano Yu in the kitchen, of course, was unaware of all this, still focused on cooking.
After covering the pot, Nakano Yu now just waited for the soup to finish on a low flame.
Just as he wanted to rest a bit, he turned his head and saw Itsuki standing beside the kitchen counter.
At that moment, Itsuki looked longingly at the boiled eggs with tomatoes, occasionally wiping the hunger tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Ah haha… actually, if you want to eat, you can."
Seeing Itsuki in such a state, Nakano Yu smiled and said.
"No! No, eggs with tomatoes are the most delicious when eaten with rice!"
Hearing that, Itsuki quickly shook her head. Even though she said that, her hand still unconsciously reached toward the dish on the table.
"Slap!"
"Uh!"
Just as she wanted to grab a piece of the golden egg, a pair of chopsticks gently tapped her hand, startling her, and she quickly withdrew her hand.
Looking confusedly at the young man beside her, she saw Nakano Yu handing her a pair of wooden chopsticks:
"Seriously, aren't you afraid of getting burned? Here, chopsticks."
"Thank you, Yu."
Taking the chopsticks, Itsuki thanked him and immediately tried the eggs with tomatoes, then the sliced pork beside it. As she ate, a satisfied expression gradually appeared on her face, and she murmured,
"The food Yu made today will surely be perfect with white rice."
Hearing Itsuki's quiet murmur, Nakano Yu smiled helplessly and said,
"Itsuki is really just as gluttonous as when she was little."
Among the five sisters, Itsuki was the most obedient and had the biggest appetite. Still, she wasn't fat; on the contrary, she had a very pleasant figure, neither skinny like a monster nor fat like Snorlax.
If anything, the meat she got from the meals went to the right places.
In any case, Itsuki's children in the future would certainly not go hungry. Hm, they might even be overfed?
"No, I'm not! I'm just growing!"
Hearing that, Itsuki quickly retorted, without even wiping the oil from the corner of her mouth.
"Alright, alright, you're growing. Then eat more. If you get so fat you can't get married, I'll support all of you."
Nakano Yu said with a smile, turning to grab a napkin and wipe the grease from Itsuki's mouth.
"Eat slowly, no one will take it from you."
"Oh."
Looking closely at the young man's face, Itsuki was momentarily stunned, answering absentmindedly, until Nakano Yu withdrew his hand, and only then did she come to her senses.
She looked at Nakano Yu's back as he cooked, then glanced at the dishes on the counter and suddenly asked,
"Yu, if you get married in the future, will you still cook for us?"
"Hm? Why do you ask that all of a sudden?"
Nakano Yu, seasoning the meat soup, heard Itsuki's words behind him and seemed a little puzzled. Itsuki usually wouldn't bring up such melancholy topics.
"I just wanted to ask."
Itsuki didn't explain, she just gave an evasive answer.
"Probably not, after all, Itsuki, you'll have your own families…"
After a short thought, Nakano Yu said.
Hearing the negative answer, Itsuki's eyes subtly darkened, but Nakano Yu suddenly changed tone and added,
"Unless…"
"Unless?"
Hearing that, Itsuki raised her head and looked at Nakano Yu.
"Unless you marry one of us, after all, there's no blood relation."
Nakano Yu said, shrugging. In Japan, there weren't that many rules, and the fact that he and the five sisters were not blood-related was no secret.
Still, Nakano Yu was just joking. After all, how old are they now? Talking about such things was meaningless.
Just as Nakano Yu thought Itsuki wouldn't take his joke seriously and continued seasoning the soup, he didn't expect Itsuki to show a pensive expression.
It seems that suggestion… isn't entirely impossible?