Bloodline Bonds and Chains

　　Ichika smiled faintly, looked up at the dark sky and said softly.

　　"I do want to monopolize him, but I don't want you to think that I want to take away the person you like. So, to make myself feel better, I'm planning to lie to you, so that I can have a good relationship with him. At the same time, I won't be seen as a bad woman who wants to steal a man from her little sister."

　　"How? Isn't that too much?" She laughed and said on purpose.

　　"...Why do you want to monopolize him?" Miku looked at her hands on her knees and spoke quietly.

　　Ichika answered naturally.

　　"Because I like him. I don't want to see him liking another girl more than me. I want him to only look at me. This is only the first step in my grand plan."

　　"...Anything else at the back?"

　　She finally heard Miku's tone of astonishment that she couldn't hide.

　　Ichika lowered her voice, and said like a madam in a TV series.

　　"Of course, for love, I will do anything!"

　　"...Scary." Miku seemed to recognize her acting skills, but she still didn't raise her head.

　　Ichika sighed softly: "Don't you blame me?"

　　"No."

　　"Why?"

　　"No reason."

　　Ichika clenched her fist and said with a smile: "Aren't there many reasons? I lied to you, I wanted to monopolize the person you like, and so on."

　　"But because of these things, Ichika suffered until now, right?"

　　Miku finally raised her head.

　　"Obviously you like Shinichi so much that you can't hide your feelings anymore, but you have been thinking of me, and you are sad to make me not sad, and now you are showing self-blame and guilt.'

　　"How can I blame Ichika for being so gentle?"

　　There were tears in her eyes, and Ichika opened her mouth.

　　"Miku, you..."

　　"Shinichi is not mine, anyone has the right to like him, and no one has the right to ask the other party to step down." Miku smiled lightly.

　　"I know I'm a coward, and I'm stagnant. Even if I declared war on Shinichi, I wouldn't even dare to have intercourse with him. I'm not as brave as you, Ichika."

　　"I'm definitely walking ahead, and Shinichi really respects me too. Because of my cowardice, you two are worried about me, but I still don't dare to make a move."

　　"If you really want to be blamed, you have to blame me. The culprit that made Ichika suffer the most was me. If it wasn't for me, you might be dating Shinichi by now..."

　　Her voice grew lower and lower, and her eyelids drooped.

　　"...Do you want to see such a sight?"

　　Ichika asked without a smile on her face.

　　Miku's body froze for a moment, then shook her head.

　　"I just want to be with Shinichi, to be by his side, to listen to his funny stories, to see his awkward and shy expressions, to feel that he is always paying attention to my concern, to touch his warm and gentle..."

　　"It's just, I don't know what monopoly is, and I don't know what I can do and what I should do if Shinichi really hangs out with other girls and stops talking to me..."

　　Her voice gradually worsened, the cloth of her trousers was squeezed violently, and the words were so gentle.

　　"However, I don't want to make Ichika sad. If I don't want to make you sad, I have to see Shinichi date someone who isn't me…"

　　"Obviously, I made a deal with Shinichi, and I also said that I like him fairly with you, so please don't worry about each other...'

　　"It's not working, it's not working, what should I do, I don't know anymore. "

　　Ichika hugged her gently, saw that her pants were wet with tears, and smiled helplessly.

　　"...It turns out we were all thinking the same thing."

　　Should she really say that they were indeed quintuplets?

It's a blood bond, and a chain...

　　△

　　Holding a plate of salted fish, after having a long talk with Miku, they heard a broadcast that the folk dance session was about to start, and the two gathered towards the center of the plaza.

　　Maybe it was a secret relationship, they didn't text to agree on a location, and the five of them ran into each other on the street.

　　Ichika looks at the greasy Itsuki, and decides not to ask why she tricked her with salted fish.

　　If it wasn't for Itsuki, maybe she still struggles between affection and family love? Just understand her painstaking effort.

　　"After the dance group, will anyone find that guy as a partner?"

　　For some reason, Nino actually asked this question, and her expression was different from before.

　　Ichika was contemplating whether she should answer, but since Miku had said she 'couldn't keep harboring feelings for her', even if she didn't speak, Nino should know what she was thinking.

　　So she's asking this on purpose to declare war? Nino also starts to like Shinichi?

　　It doesn't feel like, the aggressiveness isn't that strong... And the way the two of them got along in the past was like like-minded friends, and there wasn't an ambiguous relationship. Nino is wary of her because of her unqualified attitude towards her family, and is neither jealous nor envious...

　　Unable to know Nino's true intentions, even though Ichika really wanted to say 'Of course I want to dance with Shinichi-kun', she decided to answer vaguely.

　　"I will go if Miku goes, if Miku doesn't go, I will go if Nino goes."

　　"How about you?" She looked at Miku with a bit of pressure in her eyes, "It's just a dance, don't be shy, right?"

　　Ichika blinked.

　　Does Nino know that Miku likes Shinichi? Even though it wasn't anything surprising, there was an inexplicable feeling that no matter who liked Shinichi, they would be seen through, it was strange.

　　So, does Shinichi know that? The thing about Miku and her liking him... There's also Fumino...

　　If Shinichi really knows, and pretends to depend on them, enjoying the feeling of being loved secretly...

　　Rubbish!

　　Ichika giggled.

　　She just wanted to vent her displeasure that Shinichi was so popular. Of course, Ichika couldn't really think that Shinichi was trash. If he really was trash, the 'relationship between villain and accomplice' might have changed long ago. Then It has become an 'ambiguous underground lover's relationship'.

　　What's more, she hasn't admitted it seriously... As long as she doesn't express her feelings frankly, then Shinichi may always be in a state of 'not knowing', even if he hangs up and doesn't respond, she deserves it.

　　At this point, Ichika felt that she was even more cowardly than Miku. Everyone has declared war, but she is still fighting the guerrillas and making small moves.

　　Maybe, some changes are needed.