Thus, the five sisters were assembled. What followed was a period steeped in the profound fragrance of knowledge.
Everyone was overjoyed and filled with happiness.
...Right?
Just look at Yotsuba-chan, her eyes practically rolled back into her skull from information overload. And Itsuki-chan, who had desperately resisted snacks only to succumb in a glorious, self-destructive binge, now sat bloated and mournful. Miku-chan maintained her usual strategy of hyper-focusing on history while treating other subjects as passing acquaintances.
"Nino, could you please stop looking at me like that?" Sakurai Saki finally addressed the elephant in the room. Nakano Nino was terrible at hiding her thoughts. Girl, this is a twisted affection. It leads nowhere good. Besides, I have a girlfriend!
"I—I wasn't looking at you! Don't flatter yourself!" The words weren't Nino's; Ichika delivered them in a pitch-perfect imitation of Nino's tsundere tone.
"You… shut up!" Nino lunged, clamping a hand over Ichika's mouth. A brief, chaotic tussle ensued.
"Hmph! I don't want Sakurai-kun as a tutor! I super hate him! …Ugh Actually, I like him a little" Ichika continued her merciless impersonation, voice muffled but clear.
"I said stop!" Nino's face was scarlet.
"I. Don't. Like. Him!"
With a final shove, Nino pinned Ichika to the floor.
It was 6 PM. Sakurai Saki politely ignored the springtime scenery of two entangled girls, instead focusing on the stack of completed worksheets.
After a full day of 'Nudging Nourishment,' the quintuplets had, for the most part, internalized the past semester's knowledge points. It was rote memorization, and practical application was still shaky, but it was undeniable progress.
One had to admit, 'Nudging Nourishment' was leagues more effective than that trash-tier ability, Kotodama (Word-Spirit). How to describe Kotodama? All bark, no bite. The employee who talks a big game but whose work ethic is pure slacker. If Sakurai was the boss and his abilities were his staff, Kotodama was the one always at the water cooler, boasting about projects he'd never start.
'Nudging Nourishment' was different. Unassuming, straightforward, but reliably got the job done.
[Hey, Little Nudge. Think the Quint Problem can be solved?]
[Little Nudge: Not guaranteed, but I'll give it my all.]
[What about you, Little Word-Spirit? Think you can handle it?]
[Little Word-Spirit: Failure is impossible! Leave it to me, boss!]
With answers like that, it was obvious which employee deserved a promotion and which should be 'encouraged' to seek opportunities elsewhere. No further commentary needed.
(The above was a brief skit from Sakurai Saki's internal management seminar.)
"Alright. That's it for today." Sakurai clapped his hands together.
A collective sigh of relief washed over the five sisters.
"We continue tomorrow."
A synchronized groan followed.
"The monthly exams are approaching. You all need to give it your all!" Sakurai offered the requisite encouragement. Even Spartan training required the occasional peptalk. "The two with the highest scores will receive a Wish Coupon." He had a feeling these coupons were becoming a permanent fixture. For some reason, the Nakano quintuplets were inexplicably, fiercely motivated by them.
Though, the first one had been used by Nino to secure his forgiveness, and he still hadn't figured out what Miku had wanted when she'd earned hers last time—he distinctly remembered her being ecstatic.
"Teacher-chan~ Can we really wish for anything?" Ichika asked, her tone laced with suggestive implication.
"Of course. Even if you wanted to 'continue' what we started this morning, it's possible." Sakurai fired back without missing a beat.
Ichika was instantly defeated, a blush creeping up her neck as the memory of Sakurai in her bed replayed in vivid detail.
Nino, finally freed from Ichika's pin, caught her older sister's strange expression. "What happened with you two this morning?"
Ichika released her, a sly smile playing on her lips. "You can use your imagination. The keyword is: [continue]. My, my~ What kind of activity needs to be 'continued' after being interrupted halfway?"
Nino puffed out her cheeks. "If you don't want to tell me, then don't." She stood, brushing herself off, likely heading to start dinner. Something that needed 'continuing'… in the morning… Probably just sleeping in, right? After all, Sakurai-kun and Yotsuba had been on wake-up duty.
Unlike Nino's relatively pure deduction, Yotsuba's mind had already short-circuited, steam practically wafting from her ears.
'Something that needs… to be continued.'
Gulp. It could only be that kind of thing!
"S-Sakurai-kun," Yotsuba whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of concern and scandalized horror. "That kind of thing… it's better to do it outside. Or when you're alone. There are a lot of girls here…"
Sakurai Saki's face remained a perfect mask of blank innocence. "What are you talking about?"
Internally, he was scrambling. Yotsuba knows. She absolutely knows about this morning.
"N-never mind!" Yotsuba squeaked, realizing her near-blunder.
But the damage was done. The hint had been dropped.
Well, no. Ichika, thankfully, still seemed blissfully unaware of Yotsuba's catastrophic knowledge. For now.
She thought her body had been enough to shield Sakurai Saki completely. A fatal miscalculation. Their height difference meant their feet were clearly visible—a flaw Yotsuba had spotted, prompting her strategic retreat.
"Suspicious…" Miku's gaze swept over the trio, her expression flat. Once again, Saki-kun was entangled with her sisters in some drama she hadn't been briefed on.
"It's really nothing! Don't think too much into it, Miku!" Yotsuba's protest was the equivalent of burying stolen silver while loudly announcing, "There's definitely no treasure here!"
"So… full…" Itsuki groaned, patting her slightly distended belly. The afternoon snack barrage had been relentless. And Sakurai-kun kept feeding her! How cruel! He clearly had no intention of helping her lose weight!
"It's fine! Studying burns tons of calories! You won't get fat!" Yotsuba, aware of Itsuki's recent weight anxiety, offered cheerful, if unscientific, comfort.
"…" Sakurai Saki, privy to the actual number on the scale, chose diplomatic silence. Some people preferred a softer figure. She wasn't exactly approaching 'light tank' status, so what was the big deal?
"If you're worried, start a morning run. Wake up earlier, maintain a regular schedule—it's good for your skin, too," he suggested pragmatically. He genuinely didn't want his student to balloon. The mental image of [Itsuki] transforming into [Itsuki & a Half] was not pedagogical.
"Okay! I'll start running tomorrow!" Itsuki declared with the fervor of someone making a Day 1 social media pledge—all bold declaration, zero long-term commitment.
"Running?" Nino's voice floated in from the kitchen, laced with sweet poison. "Didn't you try that last year~? And you only lasted… what was it? Three days?"
The friendly fire nearly shattered Itsuki's resolve on the spot.
"…"
She was furious, but utterly defenseless.
Miku observed this with mild bewilderment. Weight had never been her struggle; hers remained stable even with her sedentary, headphone-clad lifestyle. Ichika was too busy with part-time work to get fat, and Yotsuba was a human battery of athletic energy. As for Nino, her nightly regimen of masks and stretches likely made her the fittest of them all, discounting her catastrophic myopia without glasses.
"This time, I will definitely stick with it!" Itsuki vowed, a last stand of determination.
Sakurai Saki gathered his materials, preparing to make his exit.
"Sensei, stay for dinner," Ichika offered, her smile warm.
"Mhmm! It's a hassle to cook just for yourself!" Yotsuba chimed in.
From the kitchen, Nino's complaint sliced through the air: "You two! Stop just talking and get in here and help!"
Miku tilted her head. "Do you need my assistance?"
A beat of profound, communal silence passed.
Sakurai Saki cleared his throat. "I'll help."
He headed for the kitchen. It was the only logical choice. If Miku were allowed near the stove, their evening would likely conclude with a group trip to the emergency room.