That evening, Itsuki's appetite returned.
She sat at the table, bowl after bowl of rice, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster, calling out with her mouth full, "Another bowl!"
Though her sisters didn't know exactly what had happened, seeing Itsuki so energetic, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Nino rolled her eyes. "Weren't you saying you had no appetite just yesterday?"
"The past is the past, the present is the present. Don't always treat the past like the present." Itsuki retorted without missing a beat, her chopsticks never slowing down.
Miku smiled lightly.
Yotsuba said cheerfully, "Then I'll give my fried egg to Itsuki."
Ichika, watching her sister regain her vitality, also sighed in relief.
When it was nearly ten o'clock, Ichika knocked on Itsuki's door.
"Itsuki, are you asleep?"
The door opened, and Itsuki poked her head out, a face mask still on.
"What's up?"
Ichika waved the tablet in her hand, smiling. "I've recently been in a new drama. It's a small role, but as it's my first officially broadcast drama, I really wanted you to watch it with me."
Because Nino was now famous online, many people also knew that Ichika was practically Makoto's sister-in-law. So no one dared mistreat her on set.
In fact, with this status, if Ichika wanted, she could easily snag the female lead. But she knew her place and chose to start from the bottom as a small actor.
Ichika also knew that at this hour, Nino and the others would definitely be in Makoto's room doing those things. So she could only invite Itsuki, who like herself, was not yet a Nishikawa wife.
But to Ichika's surprise, Itsuki blushed and lowered her head.
"I... I have plans..."
Then, before Ichika's stunned eyes, Itsuki walked right past her and followed the group at the end of the corridor, head bowed, face red, into Makoto's room.
Bang.
The door closed.
Ichika stood there still holding the tablet, her mouth agape.
'Damn.'
'I was the only one left behind, huh?'
Inside the room, seeing Itsuki enter, Nino, Miku, and Yotsuba were also very surprised.
"Itsuki?! What are you—" Nino's eyes widened.
Yotsuba threw herself at Itsuki, hugging her, excitedly shouting, "Itsuki! You came too!"
Itsuki blushed, flusteredly dealing with her three sisters' onslaught.
Finally, the gentle-natured Megumi came to her rescue.
"Let Itsuki take a bath first," She said softly, taking Itsuki's hand and rescuing her from the three sisters' 'clutches'.
Itsuki gave Megumi a grateful look and scurried into the bathroom.
Soon, Itsuki finished her bath and came out in her pajamas.
Her hair wasn't completely dry, a few damp strands clinging to her cheeks. Her cheeks were flushed, her gaze wandered, not daring to look at anyone.
Nino pulled her onto the bed. "Come, big sister will make room for you."
"No need... I can..." Itsuki's voice was as soft as a mosquito's.
Miku expressionlessly patted the empty spot beside her.
Itsuki took a deep breath and slowly lay down.
Then, Makoto's face appeared above her field of vision.
He looked down at her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Itsuki's heart beat even faster.
It felt like a dream.
"Makoto-kun..." Her voice was very soft.
"Hmm?"
"I... I'm a little scared..."
Chika leaned over, her outstretched palm crackling with electricity, and said with a grin, "Don't be scared. We're here."
Itsuki rolled her eyes in exasperation. "It's because you're here that I'm scared."
Although she had long been prepared, having so many people watching her first time was quite hard for Itsuki to bear.
She could only bury her face in Makoto's chest like an ostrich.
With Moeha, the user of the Heal-Heal Fruit, Itsuki felt almost no pain during her first time.
When that strange feeling washed over her, she bit her lip, trying not to make a sound, but still couldn't help letting out occasional soft moans.
It felt good.
Much better than she had imagined.
However, during the second round, while Itsuki was on top of Makoto, Nino suddenly reached over and pinched Itsuki's belly.
"Your flab is jiggling~" Nino teased with a grin.
Itsuki's face turned bright red. "You—!"
She was furious, but then that feeling made her whole body go limp, unable to utter a single word. She could only glare at Nino, expressing her protest with her eyes.
Nino laughed even louder.
Miku couldn't help but smile slightly.
Yotsuba covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking.
Makoto sighed helplessly. "Can you guys behave?"
…
The next day.
The Nakano quintuplets walked to school together as usual.
Itsuki was still angry, completely ignoring Nino, her face turned away, chin held high.
Clearly, she was still holding a grudge.
"Itsuki~ I'm sorry…" Nino kept apologizing, tugging at Itsuki's sleeve, her voice coquettish. "You're not fat at all, just a little plump…"
"You're still saying that!" Itsuki bristled.
Miku walked beside them, expressionless, occasionally throwing in fuel to fan the flames.
Yotsuba watched with a grin.
However, compared to Itsuki's little fit, Ichika looked even more disgruntled.
"Are you... forgetting that I'm still here?"
The other four sisters finally turned their attention back to her.
"Ichika, what's wrong?" Yotsuba asked innocently.
Ichika took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm. "Nothing. The oldest sister in the family is always lonely."
Nino raised an eyebrow, then suddenly flashed a mischievous smile. "Onee-chan, want me to send you to Makoto-kun too? After all, we've done everything five ways equally since we were kids. Food, toys, and it seems men are no exception."
"Since you're the only one left among the five sisters now, it just doesn't feel right~"
Ichika's face turned bright red. "Wh-what are you talking about!"
Nino leaned in close to Ichika, grinning. "That kind of thing... feels really good, you know~"
Ichika's face was as red as a boiled shrimp, even the tips of her ears turning pink.
Ichika, who usually loved teasing her younger sisters, was now the one being teased into silence.
After all, she was still a little virgin.
"Your big sister is an independent woman! I can live without a man!"
Leaving these words behind, Ichika fled to the front of the group, her back to her four sisters, not daring to look back.
Watching Ichika 'putting up a front', Nino raised an eyebrow and said to the other three sisters with a mischievous expression, "Let's see how much longer she can hold out."
For once, Miku didn't defend Ichika.
After all, since they were kids, Ichika had always loved teasing them. Now that they had a chance to tease her back, they were happy to do so.
…
Another day passed.
At dismissal time, the girls were somewhat surprised to see Nayuta arriving with her little sidekick, Kokoro.
This surprised them because Nayuta normally didn't socialize with them much. She usually went straight home after school.
After all, back in the One Piece World, Nayuta had openly stated that she wished all of Makoto's women would disappear, leaving only her.
So naturally, she didn't socialize with them.
Nayuta walked to the center of the crowd and scanned them expressionlessly.
Then, she took a Devil Fruit out of her inventory.
"Which of you hasn't eaten a Devil Fruit yet?" Nayuta's voice was very cold, as if Megumi and the others were begging her. "I can let you eat one."
Seeing this unfamiliar Devil Fruit, the girls' expressions changed slightly.
Kotonoha was the first to react. "This is the Ripe-Ripe Fruit, right?"
At these words, everyone remembered.
When they first returned from the One Piece World, Nayuta had said she was going to find the Ripe-Ripe Fruit and use its ability to age her and Kokoro's bodies.
But to be honest, the Ripe-Ripe Fruit was a garbage Devil Fruit, on the same level as the Human-Human Fruit.
Apart from helping lolis like Nayuta and Kokoro age their bodies, it was completely useless.
But Nayuta didn't care about that. She immediately turned her gaze to Yui, Kei, and the others who hadn't eaten Devil Fruits yet.
"Which of you will eat it?"
Yui quickly waved her hand. "I... I'm not really suitable..."
Kei blushed. "I'd rather not..."
The others also refused.
Nayuta's expression grew increasingly sour.
She went around asking, but no one was willing to eat it, which really annoyed her.
Finally, Nayuta's gaze landed on Ichika.
"You eat it," Nayuta said casually. "You're useless anyway."