Unspoken Honesty, Yotsuba’s Question

"I don't belong to anyone, so please calm down."

Shinichi knew that the only way to get two hostile girls to work together as quickly as possible was to increase the number of enemies they could face together.

So, after saying this, he released himself from their chests and flicked their foreheads.

"Ouch!"

"Ah!"

Shinichi wrapped his arms around her breasts. The return to a flat surface was truly soothing.

"Watch the show; we all have our own affairs, right?"

He deliberately appeared indifferent, just to let the two girls redirect their dissatisfaction towards him and thus establish some mutual identification – this is what they call shared animosity.

After those words were spoken, Yotsuba and Rizu covered their foreheads. After their eyes met again, they turned their faces away, standing next to Shinichi like guards, pretending to watch over.

Sensing the solemn atmosphere around him, Shinichi sighed helplessly.

"The plan actually failed..."

(Why aren't you blaming me? I clearly flicked your foreheads!)

Wrong!

At this moment, Shinichi woke up.

To make them vent their anger on themselves, ordinary things like flicking foreheads weren't enough, especially when they weren't easily offended characters. If he wanted to achieve the goal of redirecting their anger, he might have to do something more extreme.

For example...

Shinichi looked at the chests of the two girls and pinched his fingers. With strong moral integrity, he quickly dismissed that dangerous thought.

So, what if he just embraced their shoulders and said, "Stop arguing; I won't belong to anyone, but you all belong to me. Let's get along?"

What would happen?

The commotion would be extraordinary.

But Shinichi could never utter shameless words like that unless he was drunk. Moreover, there was a group of people nearby quietly watching their good performance. If he really did something like that, he might not be able to survive at Shuchi'in Academy tomorrow. After dropping out, he would be in poverty. To support himself, he could only go find a wealthy woman to take care of him, and eventually, he'd die of exhaustion in bed.

To avoid such a future, Shinichi thought about what to do to improve the relationship between the two girls. However, he knew that there might be no chance today.

After the orchestra finished playing, the children happily left, taken back to the ward by the nurse or strolling in the outdoor hall to bask in the sunlight.

Female members A&B were assigned to take care of the children with the nurse, while the affectionate couples started helping clean up the trash and dispose of the snack plates. Shinichi and Yotsuba were still assisting the orchestra in collecting instruments and cables and moving them outside.

As for Rizu, the child she was looking for seemed to have been taken to the outdoor hall by a nurse. She who had originally come to visit, could only follow. Before leaving, she glanced at the two of them seriously, as if saying, "I'll be back soon."

Seeing this, Yotsuba did not resist as Shinichi had hoped. Instead, she showed a smile. When Rizu turned around, she showed an unexpectedly mature expression.

Taking advantage of the break, Shinichi moved things and walked to her side, asking, "Although I told you to be more honest, I didn't expect you to be so straightforward."

"Uh, that..." Remembering the words she had spoken, Yotsuba's face turned red again. She shook her head to calm herself. "I just said the wrong thing when I was impatient! Please don't worry; I don't intend to monopolize Asada-san!"

Once she finished speaking, Yotsuba quickly changed the topic: "By the way, Asada-san and Ogata-san..."

Her tone was calm, but her inquisitive gaze made Shinichi understand what she wanted to ask.

Regarding that, Shinichi thought for a moment and finally chose to shake his head without answering.

"I can't tell you anything about her without her permission. I can only say that our relationship is still a teacher-student relationship, but slightly changed."

"Is that so..." Yotsuba turned her head while thinking.

"So... Asada-san, do you like her too?"

The question was too straightforward, leaving Shinichi stunned.

She raised her gaze again, with a serious look in her eyes, wanting to resolve this issue.

"We've known that Asada-san has been very popular for a long time... So, what we're worried about is whether Asada-san has another girl he likes more?"

Yotsuba bit her lip and mumbled softly.

"No, I care about... I should be the one who cares here."

Different from her appearance in terms of grades, Yotsuba was not too nervous. She could sense many things and understand others' feelings, but she always didn't know how to face them, handle them properly, or express her true thoughts to them.

The only time she could be straightforward was now.

Now, she wanted to state her feelings for the second time, as Rizu had just done.

Refusing to admit defeat couldn't be ignored anyway.

"Asada-san."

Yotsuba hugged the box tightly in her arms.

"I want to know, does everyone you talk about include Ogata-san?"

"I like you, and everyone."

Yotsuba had thought that this group of girls only consisted of the quintuplets.

Under Yotsuba's uncompromising gaze, Shinichi calmed his inner turmoil.

He was no longer as transparent as before, and it took him a long time to become cheerful, even though he was slightly negative.

People who couldn't save themselves might not be able to withstand the pressure from two similar parties, let alone a teenage love story with many similar parts.

"Resolve this misunderstanding, huh..."