Girl Talk

Nino pushed open the door to her restaurant with a touch of weariness, the cool night air hitting her face for a moment before the door closed again.

It was 6:30 PM, and the atmosphere inside the restaurant was calm. There was no sound of the door chime ringing as usual when customers entered.

Miku and Yotsuba sat at a table near the kitchen, each sipping tea and engaging in light conversation. The two sisters seemed relaxed, perhaps because of the lack of customers today.

Miku looked at Nino who had just entered, then greeted her with a smile.

"Welcome back." She said softly.

Next to her, Yotsuba turned to Nino, smiling broadly and waving.

"Welcome back, Nino. How was your day?" She asked, taking a sip of tea from the small porcelain cup in front of her.

Nino returned their smiles wearily as she walked towards them.

"Thank you, Yotsuba, for covering for me today."

Yotsuba shook her head, still smiling brightly.

"No problem at all, Nino. I'm happy to help, especially since the restaurant is quiet today. Don't hesitate to call me again if you need help." She patted her ample chest.

Among the quintuplets, her bust size was slightly larger than her other sisters. It was normal for her size to increase after being squeezed by her boyfriend. After all, Yotsuba had started living with Fuutarou in apartment. They had both climbed the ladder of maturity not long after living together.

"Speaking of which, I'm curious about Kamiki Eiji. From what Miku told me, he's a very handsome young man! Nino visits him every day, could it be that you like him?" Yotsuba seemed enthusiastic about discussing this.

Nino, who had just pulled up a chair and sat down, was slightly startled by Yotsuba's question. She felt her cheeks flush slightly, but tried to cover up her nervousness.

"You're mistaken, Yotsuba. Like or whatever, it's too early! Besides, I've only known him for a few days, plus with his amnesia, Kamiki himself doesn't know his past."

Yotsuba looked at her with a joyful gaze, the smile on her face never fading.

"You say that, but it's clear there's something more than that, Nino. You never visit strangers as often as this. Kamiki-san must be a special person in Nino's heart. If not, you wouldn't care so much about him."

In high school, the Nakano quintuplet family was seen in a love war vying for the heart of a man named Uesugi Fuutarou, who became their private tutor hired by their father. In the end, Yotsuba was the winner.

Although her four sisters had given up, their feelings for Fuutarou had not faded. To be honest, Yotsuba was worried that they would remain single or even not get married. She sincerely hoped they could find new love in their lives.

Knowing that Nino was interested in another man, Yotsuba wanted to support her.

"If it were the old Nino, she wouldn't hesitate to express her feelings for Kamiki-kun." Miku knew Nino's preferences for men in the period before she liked Fuutarou.

"Miku! Don't portray me as if I only like handsome men. I don't judge men just by their faces, okay? If not, I would never have liked Fuu-kun." Nino complained and argued.

"Fuutarou-san is quite handsome..." Yotsuba wasn't good at lying. Even though Fuutarou was her boyfriend, she couldn't lie and say he was handsome.

"Don't force yourself, Yotsuba. You should be happy that Fuutarou's face is average. If not, not only the five of us, but there would be more competitors vying to be Fuutarou's girlfriend."

"Ugh... Miku has a point."

Thinking about Miku's words, Yotsuba was grateful that Fuutarou wasn't a handsome man.

"Since Nino and Miku praised Kamiki-san's handsomeness so much, do you have a picture of him? I really want to see him!"

"I have a picture of him on my phone. This is it."

Taking out her phone for a moment, Miku handed it to Yotsuba.

"A-What?! He's so handsome... Especially his eyes, they're like a clear sky..."

Yotsuba's eyes widened as she looked at Eiji's photo on the phone. Compared to handsome men in the entertainment industry, she had to admit that Eiji was at the top in terms of natural handsomeness.

Now she understood a little bit the reason for Nino's obsession with Eiji. After all, Nino's original taste was handsome men, and Eiji met her criteria.

"Wait a minute! Miku, why do you have a picture of Kamiki?!"

Nino glared at Miku and demanded an honest answer.

"Ichika asked me to send a picture of Kamiki-kun. When I told her that Nino might like Kamiki-kun, she wanted to see what kind of man made her crazy about him."

"Who's crazy about Kamiki? I'm just worried about his well-being."

Nino was a straightforward woman. Once she liked a man, she would be aggressive. At this point, she couldn't be sure of her feelings for Eiji.

Was this really love? Or just sympathy? Or maybe something else, something she couldn't fully understand?

Therefore, she didn't want to rush to conclusions.

"Nino, I support you!"

Holding Nino's hand, Yotsuba looked at her with sparkling eyes.

"I've told you, it's not what you think." Nino said helplessly.

Yotsuba and Miku looked at each other, both understanding the meaning behind each other's gaze.

"Speaking of which, how about... we hire Eiji at the restaurant?" Nino said cautiously.

"..."

Miku and Yotsuba were stunned by this unexpected proposal. Their faces showed that they didn't expect Nino to say such a thing.

"H-hire Eiji?" Miku repeated in a surprised tone.

"Yes." Nino answered without hesitation, even though she knew her proposal might sound strange.

"After all, he has no job or place to live now. If he's recovered and needs a job, why don't we give him a chance here? The restaurant also needs male staff, right? It's quite difficult to manage a restaurant with just two women, we need a man."

Yotsuba frowned, clearly disagreeing.

"Hold on, Nino. Are you serious? I mean, we don't know who Kamiki-san is. His background is too mysterious. There's no information about him in the national registry, remember? What if he's dangerous? Dad won't agree to this."

Nino was startled by Yotsuba's concern. She knew, of course, that Eiji's situation was unusual. But somehow, she felt confident that the man wasn't dangerous.

There was something about Eiji that made her believe. Maybe it was because of their interactions so far, or maybe it was just her intuition that told her the man wouldn't hurt anyone.

"I understand your concerns." Nino said in a softer tone, trying to convince Yotsuba and Miku.

"But I've talked to him a lot. He doesn't seem like a bad or dangerous person. If he really is a bad guy."

"Where does Nino's confidence come from?" Yotsuba asked skeptically.

"Women's intuition." Nino answered confidently.

"..."

Miku remained silent, weighing what Nino had said. Although she was usually calmer and liked to ponder before making decisions, this time she felt conflicted. On the one hand, she trusted Nino. If Nino said Eiji wasn't dangerous, maybe she was right. But on the other hand, Miku couldn't ignore the fact that Eiji had no clear identity.

"I think it's too soon. I know you feel sorry for him, Nino. But we have to be careful. We have to consult with Dad first."

This restaurant was funded by their father, Miku felt she couldn't make this important decision just by them.

Nino bit her lip, feeling frustrated because her two sisters seemed hard to convince.

"Okay, let's talk to Dad about this. I'll try to convince him."

'Oh my god, I can't wait to meet Kamiki-san in person. Nino even hired Kamiki-san to work at the restaurant she and Miku manage, and she says she doesn't like him? Who would believe that!'

Seeing Nino's determined attitude, Yotsuba decided to meet Eiji tomorrow.