Chapter 131 ⟴ Ayase's Shock

In the shōgi room, white lights dispelled the darkness as various bento boxes were arranged on the table.

What first caught the eye wasn't the elegant bento provided by the hall, but rather the beautiful girls surrounding Daiki.

What shocked Ayase most were the quintuplets — nearly identical in appearance. Though she had heard about them at Sōbu High School, this was her first time seeing them in person.

Next was her other senpai Rizu, Sōbu High's science genius with her petite, bespectacled appearance. Then there was Ginko, the prodigy shōgi player known as the "Snow Princess of Naniwa".

And finally, there was the adorable little girl and the gentle big sister.

"Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!" The severely unbalanced ratio in the shōgi room left Ayase speechless. "No wonder Daiki-senpai doesn't want to stay at home — it must be too boring."

She and Kirino exchanged glances, their faces showing extreme shock.

Their eyes also held traces of regret — regret for their dear friend Iroha's feelings.

This wasn't even a one-against-many situation anymore — it was a full-on group assault!

"Master, this is Love's eel rice, open wide, aah—" The little girl Ai blew on the eel rice and lifted the spoon to Daiki's mouth, her gentle manner making Nino furrow her brows.

She subtly raised her elbow, and Miku, noticing the movement, lifted her gaze to follow her sister's line of sight to Ai. Her obedient and cute demeanor made Miku tilt her head.

Her puzzled expression seemed to question what Nino meant.

Nino had initially wanted to tell Miku quietly, but suddenly seeing an opportunity, she stood up and distributed tempura shrimp to everyone present.

When it came to Daiki's turn, instead of putting it in his bowl, she blew on it in front of Miku, then fed it to his mouth. After he finished chewing, she casually withdrew her chopsticks, then nonchalantly picked up another piece of tempura shrimp for herself.

"…"

Seeing her bold move, Yotsuba's head became hot — could Nino be planning to be upfront with Miku?

Sitting nearby, Itsuki and Ichika also froze, instinctively looking toward Miku, only to find she showed no reaction at all. Instead, she was lowering her head and chatting happily with Nino, though they couldn't hear what was being said.

But Miku's lack of jealousy clearly didn't make sense.

"Nino, you're overthinking it — Ai is just a child."

Though slightly uncomfortable, Miku understood that Nino's actions were meant to remind her about this coming Sunday, still considering her feelings.

Thinking about how she had misunderstood Nino's actions in the past, she felt uneasy — how could she doubt the deep bond between the quintuplets!

As for Ai's actions, she didn't take them to heart. Only that title of "Master's wife" made her feel dizzy.

Even though the little girl's behavior was slightly inappropriate, Miku instinctively ignored it — after all, Ai was essentially his disciple.

And she was just a little kid, for God's sake!

"Master's wife, look here too." The quick-witted Ai wouldn't miss a chance to gain favor.

Among those around Master, only this sister showed such intimacy.

"Mm hmm." Miku nodded in satisfaction.

At this moment, Nino was too thrilled about acting this way in front of Miku to care about anything else. Meanwhile, the others like Itsuki, who didn't understand the situation, had their own thoughts.

The quick-witted Ichika suddenly raised her hand and said, "Itsuki, this tamagoyaki tastes good, come try it."

Itsuki raised her head, slightly dissatisfied. She didn't particularly like tamagoyaki, preferring meat and curry dishes instead.

Moreover, Ichika was holding the tamagoyaki with her fingers, which made it even less appetizing, especially when clean chopsticks sat right next to Ichika's bowl.

But since it was already offered to her mouth, she couldn't refuse. Besides, gentle Ichika reminded her of their less wealthy days in the past.

Back then, she would hold tamagoyaki with her hands, letting everyone have a taste. Thinking of this, Itsuki's mood softened considerably. She assumed her sister wanted to reminisce about the past.

Feeling warm all over, Itsuki looked at Ichika in surprise, suddenly feeling that the Nakano family's eldest sister was still as loving toward her siblings as before.

"Tamagoyaki tastes best when fed to others by hand!"

This nonsensical reasoning made Itsuki turn her head away helplessly.

"Daiki-kun, why don't you try it with Miku?"

Hearing Ichika's suggestion, Miku immediately blushed and looked at Daiki.

He didn't hesitate, picking up a piece of tamagoyaki and holding it to Miku's mouth.

Under everyone's watchful gaze, her face turned crimson. After taking a small bite, she lowered her head shyly.

"Not eating anymore? What a waste!" With that, Ichika ate the remaining piece of tamagoyaki in front of everyone.

Daiki's fingertips felt the gentle brush of what seemed like a slender "snake" tongue, the warm sensation making his heart flutter.

"It really does taste good." Ichika's sly smile was that of a cunning fox who had achieved her goal.

Itsuki, who had been feeling sentimental moments before, felt her rose-tinted glasses shatter. So this had been her true intention all along.

'Damn it!' She secretly clenched her fist.

Less bold than Ichika, she simply used chopsticks to offer some food to Daiki, then quickly sat back down with a reddened face.

Seeing everyone's actions, Rizu naturally followed suit, also offering food to his mouth.

"Daiki-kun, this is to thank you for your previous guidance." Keika's face flushed slightly. Though unfamiliar with how young people interacted, she thought she should join in since everyone else was doing it.

After all, she wanted to express her gratitude for the shōgi lessons.

"This is... to apologize to Master on your behalf." After Keika sat down, Ginko stood up bashfully.

Whether concerned about today's matters involving her master or grateful for his willingness to play shōgi with her before, she felt she couldn't remain seated.

With the atmosphere building, Mrs. Izumi grew restless, "Then... then I'll also thank Daiki-kun for taking Ai as his disciple."

Yotsuba watched the scene in complete shock.

She quickly glanced at Miku — if she didn't act now, she might as well give up entirely. But Miku, lost in her shyness, remained oblivious to everything happening around her.

Yotsuba felt hopeless — she couldn't see any chance of Miku winning!

"Since Miku hasn't noticed, I'll offer some food to Daiki-kun too. After all, he took me to see camels in the desert last night, and I haven't thanked him yet."

Thinking of those words "love them all", Yotsuba felt both angry and embarrassed. Yet after some deliberation, she still quietly raised her chopsticks.

She wanted to see the desert camels again. So bribing him was normal, right?

Her heart was still with Miku!

Yotsuba sat back down, her face flushed red.

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This scene nearly made the Kōhai Trio standing outside smoke from their heads.

Iroha was grinding her teeth so hard they seemed ready to shatter.

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