Butterflies [Nino Nakano x Male Reader]

Chapter 39 - Maruo Nakano

Nino's POV:

It felt as if the cellphone was ringing in slow motion. Everyone in the room turned their gaze to me, paralyzed, as they waited for me to take action. Yet the phone kept ringing. Once, then twice, and by the third time as I couldn't bring myself to take action, Y/N took to answering it himself.

As his finger was about to slide across the screen to accept the call, stopped him by grabbing his wrist firmly.

"Let me do it," I said.

"It's not like I'm stopping you."

I grabbed the phone hesitantly, turning to the rest of the group.

"He might not know about Takeda. Give him the good news first," Y/N said.

I nodded, taking a deep breath and immediately putting the call on speaker as soon as it was accepted.

"Dad?"

"Hello, Nino-kun. I believe the results of the exam are already out."

"Yes, dad. They are."

"...And?"

"We passed. Dad. We all passed this time."

"What do you mean this time?"

I looked at Y/N with a mildly panicked expression.

"I mean that it wasn't like the situation in our previous school. Actually, we didn't just pass. Some of us excelled, as Itsuki was the fifth-best score in our grade."

"I wouldn't consider fifth place 'excelling', but that's ok. What about the rest of you?"

Itsuki's face immediately contorted into shock, then tears gradually began to form in her eyes. Even I wanted to give her a hug at that moment. But her reaction didn't hold a candle to Y/N's

Ever since I've met him, I have never, and I repeat, never seen him look so angry. He had been looking away from me, toward the window. But as soon as he heard dad's commentary, he gave my cellphone the most severe death glare I had ever seen in my life. At that moment, I swear I felt the temperature around me getting colder.

He began to open his mouth, but I held both my hands up, trying to signal him to stop.

"The lowest grade was mine with a 266," I lied, "Ichika, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki got 274, 301, 299, and 414 respectively."

Now Yotsuba was the one who looked at me with surprise. She just mouthed the word "why" while there was silence on the other end of the phone line. I just shook my head dismissively at her.

"These scores are all thanks to Uesugi and Y/N. They are both outstanding tutors, dad. We wouldn't have come nearly as far if it wasn't for them."

"I can't help but notice how you referred to L/N-kun by his first name. Is there something happening that I should know?"

Fuck.

"H-He's in the same class as I, so I'm a bit closer friends with him than I am with Uesugi-kun. That's all there is to it."

I looked at Y/N for a few long seconds as I waited for a response.

"Very well," dad said, "I didn't expect anything less of you five."

"Thank you."

"I must go now. Take care of your sisters. Goodbye."

"Okay, dad. I will. Goodbye."