Meeting the protagonist's childhood friend

At 4 p.m.

Department store.

Akira took the soy sauce on the shelf and put it in the basket.

"Finished. The remaining ones are only available in shopping districts."

Looking at the shopping list in his hand, he made sure he had bought all the items written.

Making sure he didn't miss a thing, he headed to the cashier and paid the grocery bill.

Leaving the convenience store carrying a plastic bag, Akira went to the shopping district.

He walked while contemplating.

(It's not my birthday, so this can be ruled out. They must have done something without me wanting to know)

Previously, Akira was reading manga on the sofa. After all, he is still considered half an otaku even though he is very popular among girls.

Typically, quintuplets rarely come home at the same time. They are busy with their respective activities. For example, Ichika works as an actress, Nino and Miku work part time, Yotsuba helps with athletic club activities, and Itsuki studies in the library.

Then Nino told Akira to go shopping, she had even prepared a shopping note.

At first Akira didn't feel anything strange. However, when Ichika forbade him from using the [Hiraishin no Jutsu] to get home and leave, it made him believe there was a hidden scheme.

To confirm his guess, Akira observed Yotsuba and Itsuki. Anyway, both of them are not good at lying.

And sure enough, Yotsuba looked panicked and rushed into her room. As for Itsuki, she averted her gaze and didn't dare look at him.

Before Akira could ask Itsuki, Miku pushed him out of the apartment.

"Hey, you, be careful!"

A female voice awakened him from his daze, and his hand was pulled by her.

*🚚*

A truck passed in front of Akira.

(Another truck? Is sending Japanese youth to Isekai also popular in parallel worlds)

He complained in his heart

"Are you alright? Don't walk while daydreaming, it's dangerous!" Said the girl.

"Sorry, and thank you for pulling me."

Even though Akira wouldn't be hurt if he was hit by a truck, it would make other people suspicious because he wasn't hurt.

"Have we met before?"

The girl felt that the young man in front of her was familiar.

(Oh, what a coincidence. It turns out to be the protagonist's childhood friend)

With [Photographic Memory], Akira immediately recognized the girl in front of him even though the other party was only a mob character.

"Miss, that's a sentence men usually use to tease women they meet for the first time. Can I assume you are teasing me?"

"Ah, I didn't mean it like that. I just feel like we've met somewhere."

Fuutarou's childhood friend, Takebayashi.

Her cheeks flushed slightly and she hurriedly denied it. She doesn't want to be seen as a woman flirting with a handsome man.

"Puft—"

"Hey, that's rude. I saved you, but you laughed at me."

"Ahaha... I'm sorry. Your reaction is too funny. I'm just kidding."

"You!"

Takebayashi felt annoyed and happy because she was called cute by the opposite sex.

Handsome men have their own special qualities in the eyes of women. If the ugly man laughed at her after being helped, Takebayashi would slap him and leave angrily.

"Anyway, be more careful when walking. Your family will be sad if something happens to you. See you."

After saying that, Takebayashi crossed the street when the light was green.

"Childhood friends, huh... That's the position most often lost in a love war. But that won't happen to me. I want all my childhood friends!"

Recalling the many childhood friends he made in the past, Akira smiled faintly, then crossed the street.

After walking for a few minutes, Takebayashi looked back several times, every time she turned, Akira was always visible in her view.

"Are you stalking me?"

Hearing that, Akira's eyebrows rose, and said helplessly: "It's just a coincidence. I just want to go to the shopping district, you are too narcissistic, miss."

" see. Sorry for misunderstanding, there have been lots of stalking cases lately. I thought you were one of them."

Takebayashi apologized with a red face.

"It doesn't matter. This is a small matter." Akira waved his hand and seemed unconcerned.

"I also happen to want to go to the shopping district to buy ingredients for dinner, want to go together?"

"Sure."

Then the two of them walked side by side and kept their distance. After all, the two of them had just met.

"Ah, we don't know each other's names yet. My name is Takebayashi Miyako."

[Author's Note: Takebayashi's full name was not mentioned, so the author made it up]

"Nakano Akira, 13 years old this year."

"13 years old!!!"

Takebayashi is shocked to learn Akira's real age. With a look of disbelief, she looked up and down at him.

"Don't lie, Nakano-kun. No matter how I look at it, you don't look like a middle school student. You are even a little taller than me."

"Look at this."

Akira showed her his student card.

After Takebayashi saw that, her doubts disappeared.

"So you are really 13 years old... Is your father or mother a foreigner?"

Westerners are taller than Asians.

"No. Both of my parents are Japanese." Akira answered honestly.

"Amazing... I wonder what your mother gave you so you can be this tall."

"Ha ha ha. A lot of people ask that."

The two stopped again because of the red light at the crosswalk.

(Hm? Nakano?)

Takebayashi suddenly remembered the quintuplets who were her childhood friend's tutor students, she had also seen them when they visited the cultural festival at Fuutarou's school.

The similar appearance of the quintuplets left a deep impression on her.

(No way, right? Maybe it's just a coincidence)

Takebayashi remembers Fuutarou telling her that there are only quintuplets in the Nakano family. So she couldn't associate the young man next to her with the Nakano family's quintuplets.

Anyway, there are many same surnames in Japan.

"Takebayashi-san, the light is green."

Akira's voice woke her up from her reverie.

"You advised me not to daydream when walking. However, you yourself did the same thing."

"It's all Nakano-kun's fault!"

"Hah? What have I done?"

Facing Akira's question, Takebayashi didn't know how to answer. To cover her embarrassment, she walked hastily.

"Her emotions change faster than turning the pages of a book. Oh, woman☕"

Akira shook his head and chased after Takebayashi.

Next, the two did not talk too much.

Takebayashi knew how unreasonable her attitude had been. But she was too embarrassed to explain why she was daydreaming because she was thinking about Akira.

The atmosphere became very awkward