Laughter echoed through the spacious luxury apartment.
"Ahh… finally home. I'm exhausted…"
With a sigh of pure relief, a girl collapsed onto the couch as though she'd been freed from a heavy burden.
Standing nearby were four other girls—each of them identical to her in every detail.
Yes… they were quintuplets.
The door clicked shut behind them. On the nameplate by the entryway, two characters were neatly engraved: Nakano.
"Ichika, you're hogging the whole couch—move over a bit," complained the girl with two black ribbons tied in her hair.
That was Nakano Nino, the second eldest among the five sisters. Their names followed their birth order—Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki.
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry. Make yourselves comfortable," Ichika said cheerfully, wiggling around to make a bit more space. Hugging a cushion to her chest, she pressed her face into it with a blissful, muffled hum of contentment.
Nino sat down beside her, glancing at the three remaining sisters—Miku, who was leaning casually against the armrest; Yotsuba, the one with the green ribbon; and Itsuki, who was rummaging through the fridge for a drink.
"So, what are we gonna do now?" Nino sighed. "After bombing that exam, we're basically dead meat. When Dad finds out, he's gonna storm back from the office for sure."
Yotsuba's shoulders hunched as she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.
This time, once again, she had the honor of coming in dead last… with a magnificent zero.
Miku simply slouched deeper into the sofa, while Itsuki popped open a bottle of milk and took a slow sip.
"Guess we'd better prepare for the lecture," Miku murmured softly, closing her mouth again without elaborating further.
"I doubt it's a big deal," Itsuki muttered between sips. "Dad's probably used to it by now."
"…"
"Heh, then let's not worry about it," Ichika said airily, sounding completely unconcerned. She rolled over and stretched lazily. "I'm so tired… let's take a bath and then watch a new movie on the couch."
"Hmph, if none of you care, then I'm not wasting my brain cells either," Nino said, smirking as she gave up as well.
Just then, Itsuki walked back over, milk in hand—but something caught her eye.
There was a piece of paper poking out of Yotsuba's pocket.
"Hm? Yotsuba, what's that?"
Without waiting for a reply, Itsuki reached out and tugged it free.
All five sisters leaned in for a look.
It was covered with a strange, intricate design—something that looked suspiciously like a magic circle.
Itsuki squinted and read the words printed on it aloud:
"The Miracle Wish Magic — grants any desire you hold in your heart. Make your wish now…"
Nino immediately groaned, her face twisting into one of pure exasperation.
"What the heck? I thought it was a love letter or something. Seriously, Yotsuba, are you still into this kiddie stuff?"
"Eh—n-no!" Yotsuba waved her hands frantically. "I just… um, I got it from this really pretty lady handing out flyers on my way home earlier. She gave me one, so I just took it, that's all…"
"Ugh, must be another one of those lame mall promotions," Nino said, rolling her eyes. "Yotsuba, you really have to stop being so nice. You don't need to accept random stuff from strangers."
"Ahaha… I know, I know. But she looked like she was working really hard, you know?" Yotsuba chuckled awkwardly.
The sisters exchanged knowing looks. Yeah, that was so Yotsuba.
"No details about any event or store, huh? Weird flyer," Itsuki muttered, tossing it onto the coffee table.
Miku glanced down at it briefly from where she sat on the armrest but didn't bother to comment.
"Let me see… 'Wish Magic,' huh? Can you really make a wish with this?" Yotsuba's green ribbon bounced as she leaned closer, clearly intrigued.
"Haah? Don't be ridiculous, idiot Yotsuba," Nino said with an exaggerated eye-roll. "You really believe that stuff?"
"Hehe, well, maybe it'll give me a little luck or something. I mean, I actually got zero again! I swear I tried my best…" Yotsuba mumbled, pouting.
Ichika chuckled, half amused and half helpless.
"Honestly, you'd think you could at least guess a few answers right. Maybe you really should pray to the gods for a bit of luck."
"Right? Right?" Yotsuba said eagerly, clasping her hands together. Then, without hesitation, she started mumbling a wish under her breath, as if actually praying.
The other four sisters just stared in silence.
If making wishes worked, they'd have all begged the gods for perfect scores ages ago.
But while the rest shrugged it off, Yotsuba seemed genuinely sincere. She closed her eyes tightly, whispering her heartfelt wish.
And then—it happened.
The flyer on the table began to glow.
A faint light shimmered from the printed magic circle, quickly growing brighter until the entire page floated into the air.
"Eh!?"
Itsuki was the first to notice, frozen mid-sip with her milk cup halfway to her mouth, eyes wide in disbelief.
Then Miku and Nino both saw it too. Ichika, hearing Itsuki's startled gasp, opened her eyes.
Before their astonished gazes, the glowing paper lifted higher, the circle expanding in midair, its light intensifying with a steady hum.
Shhhhhh—!
A soft sound rang through the air.
And then—something stepped out from the circle.
A boy landed lightly in front of the five stunned sisters, his movements smooth and effortless.
Yotsuba, still kneeling with her hands pressed together in a praying pose, stared up at him, mouth agape, completely forgetting to move.
Ryuichi—having activated his own teleportation circle for the first time—had arrived in response to the summons.
Ever since he'd advanced to Mid-Class Devil, he could finally use the teleportation magic he'd long envied others for.
Not a bad debut, he thought. Quite a clean landing.
But when his eyes fell upon his summoners, his brow twitched in surprise.
…Five girls?
And they all looked exactly the same?
What the heck?
He blinked, hiding his confusion behind a calm expression. Through the magic link of the summoning contract, he could tell who had called him—the one with the green ribbon.
Following etiquette, he inclined his head slightly.
"Summoned in accordance with your wish," he said smoothly. "I am Ryuichi, a Devil. I have come to grant your desire, my charming young lady."
The room went dead silent.