Even Clouds Are Heart Shaped

　　<<After school, in the grove behind the gymnasium, I'll be waiting for you there>>

　　<<No time, teach>>

　　<<Stop lying. I have tortured Itsuki, and you are giving them a day off today.>>

　　<<Is there a problem?>>

　　<<I have something important to tell you>>

　　<<What if I don't go?>>

　　<<I'll go to class to meet you later, and tell you what it means to explode with embarrassment>

　　<<It's not a good civilization to lose both sides>>

　　<<The civilization I like is a good civilization>>

　　<<After school, in the park next to the teaching building>>

　　<Okay~ (Love Sticker)>>

　　Above is the message Nino sent him during the day, which caused Shinichi's expression to change slightly. Fuutarou also asks if he has eaten expired food, and if he needs help buying bread back.

　　For some reason, this man's attitude towards his suddenly became friendlier, and he always wore an evil smile when they met, which made him flustered.

　　Back on topic.

　　To be honest, Shinichi would rather eat expired food than go out and talk to Nino alone.

　　Nino hadn't come to him recently. He thought she was finally serious about preparing for the exam, or that she was no longer interested in him, and was just about to heave a sigh of relief, but the day before the final of the exam, he suddenly received this invitation.

　　Now, what else did she want to do?

　　When the class bell rang, and after saying goodbye to Fumino and Rizu, Shinichi took a long detour and returned to the deserted park, where he had once argued with Mafuyu.

　　Shinichi was prepared, if Nino still tried to express her love like before, he would run first, then keep his distance to talk to her.

　　As embarrassing as it is, Shinichi is actually not good at dealing with girls who can respond to such initiatives and frankly express their love for him.

　　Despite such a girl, Shinichi only met Nino after 17 years of his life.

　　"Sorry for the long wait~"

　　Soon, Nino's melodious voice was heard, Shinichi leaned against the wall and looked at her.

　　"What do you want to say to me?"

　　Nino immediately ran up to him, seeing this, Shinichi was ready to run at any moment.

　　"I will not eat you. Is there any need to be afraid?"

　　(It depends on how you define the word eat...)

　　Shinichi complained in his heart.

　　"I just like you and I don't know how to use my hands and feet. Even if I am treated like this, I will feel uncomfortable…"

　　"...Then you should change your style, don't always be aggressive."

　　Nino's eyes suddenly lit up: "Then you will like me?"

　　Shinichi didn't answer, but Nino already knew the answer.

　　He said impatiently: "It's not good to make a big show, but it's not good to secretly like. Why are you so troublesome?"

　　"Blame me?"

　　"Take care that I don't like you anymore?"

　　"Please confirm."

　　Nino laughed, her pretty face blushed slightly, and she winked at Shinichi.

　　"Sorry, that's impossible."

　　Shinichi: "😐"

　　"Heart beat?"

　　"Not at all. How about you?" Shinichi glared at Nino who smiled triumphantly, but guiltily turned his gaze towards Nino whose face was as red as a tomato.

　　"Noisy! Isn't it normal that I feel embarrassed when I confess? If you have the courage, try to confess yourself!" Nino stomped her feet angrily, saw Shinichi turn his head and pretend he didn't hear. With a snort, she crossed her hips and said.

　　"Okay, starters are done, let's start the main meal."

　　(You said this is an appetizer? Appetizers just tempt me, so what do you plan to do with your dinner and dessert?)

　　Shinichi was a bit away from the wall, Nino said seriously.

　　"This final exam, I have worked hard, but I still lack confidence."

　　 Shinichi was silent for a while, and said with a complicated expression, "Is this the power of quintuplets..."

　　"What did you say?"

　　"It's nothing, so what? Want me to encourage you?"

　　"No need, isn't there a saying like this? The male mouth is a deceiver. I can't believe your insincere support." Nino crossed her arms over her chest.

　　"Don't talk about it, what I want is real motivation, a definite goal that can make me work hard to increase my grades!"

　　"If my ranking can go up more than 20 ranks this time, Asada Shinichi, you can go shopping with me, it's a date!"

　　"I refuse!" Shinichi answered in seconds.

　　"Then go shopping with me." Without giving up, Nino took a step forward.

　　"Isn't this just a different way of saying it!" Shinichi complained.

　　Before he could get away, Nino's arm stretched forward, and it landed beside his head.

　　This was the ancestral skill of the Nakano family – Kabedon!

　　Shinichi looked at Nino who was looking at him brightly.

　　"It's rare for me to study hard, so can't you sacrifice one day to give me the motivation to work hard?"

　　"What does that have to do with me? Why should I take the time to study you?"

　　"Why..."

　　Nino stood on tiptoe, and brought her face closer to Shinichi.

　　Shinichi found there seemed to be a pair of dark circles under Nino's eyes, but they were covered by a light make-up, and they didn't show up if he wasn't paying attention.

　　While he was in a daze, those lips with a cherry pink sheen spoke words that couldn't be questioned.

　　"Because you are my motivation to study, because you are right in front of me, and I want to catch up with you."

　　 Nino showed a smile, and finally revealed her true intention.

　　"Give me a chance to chase you! Asada Sensei, you don't need to be afraid of a bottom ten rank challenge?"

　　"I..."

　　Shinichi held his breath to prevent the scent from Nino's body from penetrating into his nose, and at the same time moved a bit to the side to prevent her chest from pressing against him.

　　Nino stared at him, and she stared back too, not to be outdone.

　　However, as the silence grew longer, the momentum of their gazes gradually weakened.

　　Shinichi averted his eyes, took a deep breath, he kept his tone steady.

　　"It means you have to learn..."

　　Nino answered without hesitation.

　　"Of course!…But looking at you like this, right now it's just about grades, and I'll talk about the rest later."

　　Nino lowered her hand, took a few steps back, and said.

　　"If you refuse, I can't help it. After all, being liked always means being confident. If you want to take the blame, you can only blame me for being mesmerized by you back then."

　　Shinichi: "😐"

　　Talking is still so direct...

　　He misses the tsundere and clumsy Nino with whom he always fights.

　　"...Hmph."

Shinichi's expression changed, and he stood in front of Nino and looked at her.

　　"If your rank rises twenty, you want me to go shopping with you, right?"

　　"Although it feels a bit simple, in order to raise Shuchi'in Academy's overall level, I will sacrifice myself and let the indomitable fool improve a bit."

　　"But let's say it first, even if you really fulfill this condition, it's not like I would consider it a date, at most it's just an outing… Don't regret it if you don't have a good time then."

　　Nino showed a satisfied smile. Then she raised her head proudly at him.

　　"I don't even regret liking you. What trivial matter is that?"

　　"Oh, go ahead," Shinichi turned to leave.

　　"Embarrassed?"

　　"Shut up."

　　Nino stood where she was, smiling back as Shinichi left.

　　She placed her hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat quicken.

　　She let out a long, relaxed breath.

　　"Luckily it worked. I'm so nervous... If it doesn't work, the hard work all this time will have been wasted."

　　"Very good! Today's study motivation is a hundred times higher than usual!"

　　Nino tossed her long hair, and left in a sassy manner.

　　(This is just the first step... As long as the score increases, I can start the next move to attack that person!)

　　She raised her head and looked at the cloud that seemed to be shaped like a heart.

　　(For love's sake, keep staying up today!)

　　△

　　The next day, Shuchi'in Academy's first semester final exams officially started.