Today, Nino's cooking was a big step up in looks, smell, and taste from her usual not-so-great dishes.
Natsuhiko happily noticed the change.
After finishing a day of teaching, he went back to his room in a good mood.
The moment the door closed.
A cold smile appeared on Nino's face.
"Miku has found someone outside!"
"Huh?" X3.
Nino snapped her fingers without meaning, and touched her non-existent mustache.
"Before Hiko came to tutor, our Miku went into her room with two cute dolls..."
She told them what she found.
"Really?"
Even Ichika, who usually looked mature, became a little interested. She knew her sisters would date and find boyfriends, but could Miku, who seemed the least likely, be the first to have a boyfriend?
It didn't seem like "this is a lie" either!
Miku's face turned red, as if she was shrinking.
If she had denied it right away, the others wouldn't have thought so much.
Now it seemed like there was some truth to it?
If it was just a guess, she wouldn't be so defensive. That meant it was possible, maybe, probably, really happening.
"Nino, Nino, who is it?"
"...I don't know what you're talking about."
There's no way, no way!
Miku was their own sister, and even though she was younger, she couldn't act like an older sister. Miku had grown up too.
This realization dawned on Ichika.
Even though they were quintuplets, they were still different people.
Miku had her own reasons for finding a boyfriend, reasons they didn't know!
"You..."
Sure enough, Ichika was still curious.
"...Hehe, could it be Natsuhiko!"
Nino joked.
Ichika, Yotsuba, and Itsuki were all surprised.
It wasn't impossible!
Except for their own things like club activities and part-time jobs, the five sisters were always together. They rarely separated.
Now they were even randomly in the same class at school.
"Ha, you're such a lookist, Nino. Aren't you the least bit attracted to Hiko's good looks, huh?"
Miku suddenly seemed to take control, her words sharp.
"And you, Itsuki, even though you were the one who wanted to eat it, why did Nino end up learning to cook?"
"Besides, we all heard you say that dating was okay..."
Nino was cut off by Miku's sudden outburst.
"Ha, I was just..."
Miku's meaningful gaze put pressure on her, creating a strange atmosphere.
Before she could explain.
Miku went back to her room without paying attention to her.
Nino's heart suddenly calmed down. She had wanted to tease Miku, but it seemed like she was the one who had been tricked?
Besides, how could she date Natsuhiko?
That kind of pervert who seemed like he would eat her up in the dark.
Humph!
Her slippers made a crisp sound.
Nino decided to go back to her room to do some beauty treatments.
"Ah, I'm going back to my room to sleep too."
Ichika yawned and stretched.
The wages from her part-time job were being paid now, and she heard that a new agency was opening. She wondered if she could try for an opportunity. Maybe her dream could come true!
Itsuki looked at her sisters and shook her head, speechless.
She continued to focus on the notes she had just taken.
"I'll do my best too!"
Yotsuba shouted some random words and went back to her room.
...
After finishing the dungeon with Ako, Natsuhiko experimented with his powers again. He hadn't fully figured out the power to put people in dreams.
Two meters above the bed, the red patterns appeared in Natsuhiko's eyes again.
...
The next afternoon.
Natsuhiko was going to buy a telescope.
Speaking of which.
The source of Tomori Nao, Takajo Jojiro, and the others' abilities should all be a long-term comet called "Charlotte."
Even though the source of Natsuhiko's power wasn't the same.
He should still learn more about it. The changes in the stars might hold something mysterious.
There was very little information about the Charlotte comet online.
Natsuhiko found a store that sold telescopes on his phone, and he quickly arrived by train.
He had to say.
For a small store, it had a good variety of telescopes.
Natsuhiko didn't know much about telescopes, so he just picked the most expensive one.
"This telescope has a diameter of 250 millimeters, a focal length of 2400 millimeters, a resolution of 0.5 seconds, and a visual limiting magnitude of about fourteen. If the conditions are good, you should be able to see even dimmer light."
The shop owner kept explaining.
Among all the telescopes, Natsuhiko was particularly drawn to this one.
It had a white body, a tripod, and a new equatorial mount. The quality seemed good.
Just then.
The store door opened.
A cute little girl walked in.
She had black hair, purple eyes, and was holding a telescope that didn't fit her size.
"Store owner, please check if there's anything wrong with my telescope."
At this time, Natsuhiko had finished paying and was preparing to take the telescope he had checked.
"Little girl, there's not much wrong with this telescope. It's just old and needs some repairs, nothing major. It will take some time, but it can be fixed."
"Really, that's great."
The girl patted her chest.
"Store owner, how much will it cost to repair?"
The store owner quoted a price.
Hearing the price, the little girl looked like she was about to cry.
"But, I don't have that much money."
"If you don't have money, then don't fix it!"
The store owner got angry. Was this little girl playing with him? This telescope had cost her money, so how could she afford to buy a telescope but not afford to fix it?
Wasn't she just showing off?
"I can work here, help with things to pay it off..."
It seemed the girl hadn't given up and wanted to make a final effort to repair the telescope.
The store owner was getting impatient. What could such a small child do?
Just as the store owner was about to hand the telescope back, Natsuhiko stopped him.
"Store owner, please help her fix it. I'll pay for it."
"Ah, you will?"
Natsuhiko smiled kindly.
"A little girl came all the way here to fix her telescope, it must be something she really loves. Besides, it's not that expensive, store owner, don't worry."
Of course, the store owner wasn't going to doubt him. This young man had just bought the most expensive and best telescope in the store.
He was just a little surprised.
But, naturally, he wouldn't pass up a chance to make money.
"Okay, I'll start with the small repairs now, it will be done in a while."
The store owner's face broke into a smile again.
Natsuhiko squatted down.
"Little girl, where are your parents?".
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