Chapter 402: She Really… I'm Crying
"Next, everyone go home?"
Sakurai Saki didn't feel anything special toward Itsuki; he felt stopping here was the most reasonable.
Nakano Itsuki was about to nod when her phone rang.
"Sorry, let me check the message."
She said that and immediately took out her phone, giving Sakurai Saki no time to object.
Glancing at the Line message—
'Another message from Nino?' Itsuki thought silently.
Nino rarely sent her messages.
Especially after the two had quarreled twice, honestly… it was a bit like a cold war.
But Itsuki didn't care for tsundere bad tempers; she still maintained the "motherly position" in the family, always caring for everyone.
Nino: Itsuki Itsuki! Where are you running off to? We woke up and didn't see you!
Itsuki's face filled with question marks.
Woke up?
What time did you guys play until yesterday?
Since it had been a long time since returning to the childhood house, everyone was very excited, playing a little late.
Itsuki was too tired and slept first.
So these people didn't sleep at all?
"Where are you?" Itsuki repeated Nino's message, then looked at Sakurai Saki.
A bold thought flashed in her mind.
"Sakurai-kyun~"
Itsuki called Sakurai Saki in a sweet voice.
"...What is it?"
"Bend down a little."
Sakurai Saki complied.
Nakano Itsuki removed the star-shaped hairpin from her head, then leaned her face close to Sakurai Saki, holding up her phone to take a selfie.
Unfortunately, she didn't have the butterfly hairpin like Nino; if she did, she would have recreated it no matter what.
After taking the photo, Itsuki sent it to Nino, along with the caption: [Going on a date with the person I like, just finished breakfast]
Sakurai Saki could easily see the message.
He decided to ignore it, not asking further.
Itsuki held the phone, realizing Nino hadn't replied.
'Hmph, let her know what it's like to dare use that attitude with me last time.'
A few seconds later—
Nino replied.
"Gambare?" Itsuki read it out loud.
What kind of reply was this? Isn't Nino mad?
…
In the small mansion Nakano Maruo bought in Kyoto.
Nino placed the phone on the dressing table.
Her sisters went on a date with Sakurai Saki, and she didn't feel a bit angry.
Nino had never thought she could monopolize Sakurai, so there was no psychological pressure. She was completely different from Hayasaka Ai.
The pressure of "protecting the queen's throne" wasn't something a "challenger" like her could compare to.
Moreover—
"Itsuki just eats all day, what else can she do? Today going on a date with him, she'll probably just eat all day too, right?"
Thinking that, Nakano Nino felt even more at ease.
...
Finished breakfast.
At Itsuki's suggestion, the two of them went to the nearby bowling alley, it looked like she didn't want to end the "date" that early.
"Alright, your hand movement is correct, just throw it like that…"
Sakurai Saki instructed the movements for Itsuki.
Unexpectedly, she had never played bowling before. In Sakurai Saki's eyes, the Nakano quintuplets all looked like the type who enjoyed going out with friends, or rather… was Itsuki the exception?
Nino and Ichika communicated very well, having countless friends, and Yotsuba didn't even need to be mentioned—almost the entire school knew her.
Miku truly wasn't good at speaking with strangers, but in the past year she had improved a lot.
"Itsuki, don't you usually go out with friends on weekends?"
"I do. But we usually choose dessert shops, or newly opened restaurants…"
Heroes gather with their own kind, people gather by groups—indeed, friends of a food lover are all gluttons as well.
It felt like Itsuki and Miko-chan would probably have a lot of shared topics, these two girls both liked eating, and also ate extremely well!
The sound of "clink" rang out, the bowling ball rolled forward, but its path was slightly crooked.
Seeing the ball drifting off to the side before even reaching the pins, Itsuki said: "And yet it still didn't hit anything."
"Do you want me to demonstrate once?"
Itsuki nodded, letting out an "Umu."
Sakurai Saki picked up a bowling ball, took his stance, stepped forward four steps from the starting point, and threw it smoothly.
The ball curved, directly knocking down all the pins.
"Next I'll explain step by step."
"Sakurai-san… we're on a date, right? Why does it suddenly turn into a teacher‑student kind of thing?" Itsuki realized that every time she went out with Sakurai Saki, there was never even a hint of ambiguous atmosphere, not even much of a friend-like feeling.
It was more like the feeling of tutor and student.
"What is your definition of a date?"
"It's when a boy and a girl agree to go out and have fun."
"Then are we having fun?"
"… Yes."
"We just do what feels comfortable, as long as we're happy, that's the most important, right?" Sakurai Saki completely didn't understand what she meant.
If he didn't instruct her and she just threw randomly, at first it might feel fun, but afterwards it would become questionable.
Today he wasn't insisting on teaching her some beautiful throwing form, but the simplest straight throw—she should at least learn that, right?
Very quickly, the two entered the phase of holding hands for direct teaching.
Itsuki had very good learning ability.
By the fourth throw, she was already able to knock down quite a lot of pins.
After playing for an hour, she could even rely on luck to knock down all 10 pins.
…
When the two left the bowling alley.
Itsuki looked very happy.
"Sakurai-san, you were right, when dating, being happy really is the most important?"
"Of course. Thinking too much will make it not fun anymore."
"Umu."
Itsuki nodded repeatedly.
Then she explained the next plan: "It's almost noon, shall we go eat?"
For a moment, Sakurai Saki really wanted to go home.
It had only been two hours since breakfast, he wasn't remotely hungry.
In that time frame, even if he tried to stuff food in, he couldn't.
But looking at Itsuki's expression, he really couldn't say something that would ruin the mood.
After all, "being happy is the most important…"
Sakurai Saki kind of wanted to slap himself for having said that earlier.
…
After finishing lunch, in the afternoon Itsuki even dragged Sakurai Saki to have afternoon tea.
Sakurai Saki had never thought going on a date with a girl could be this painful.
Originally, in the late afternoon they were supposed to go their separate ways, but because her house was nearby, Itsuki suggested visiting Kitsunetama‑ya for a bit.
Sakurai Saki couldn't refuse.
When they returned to Pontocho, since it was no longer early, there were far fewer customers. The two entered through the main door.
They greeted a few familiar customers.
At the reception counter, Ibuki Yuki, the glasses‑wearing girl, yawned and said:"This little scumbag brings another girl home again? Weren't the last two still not enough for you?"
"Ibuki‑nee, you're being lazy again?"
"Miss, you misunderstood."
Nakano Itsuki hurriedly took out the souvenir she had bought earlier; she explained:"He and I are just normal friends, not intimate at all. Today I came here to visit auntie, to thank Sakurai-san for taking care of me recently."
I take care of you, shouldn't you be thanking me?
Sakurai Saki mocked in his heart.
And also, are you sure the main objective of this visit is really to say hello?
You clearly came because you wanted to eat wagashi, yet you still have to find an excuse, I really want to cry to death.