Y/N POV:
Nino received a text from Miku asking her if she would indeed go on with her plan. What else could be expected from someone as hard-headed as her? Of course she would. We stayed in school for another half hour before finally making the trip to my home.
I lived five blocks away from school in a peaceful little street. The silence of our commute served to ease the tension, even if just a little bit, though I'm sure it would have been far more tranquil hadn't it been for the argument we had with Itsuki.
We arrived at my apartment shortly after, and to my confusion, Nino looked rather bewildered as she stepped inside.
"Your place is surprisingly nice."
"What do you mean surprisingly?"
"I don't know. I expected the house of a boy who lives alone to be far messier. But this place is so nice and tidy."
"Wow, I'm a bit insulted." I jokingly said, "I at least try to look like I have my shit together."
"And from what it seems, you're succeeding."
"Good. And you know I didn't just tidy everything up in a hurry for you since I just arrived."
I was happy to hear that her voice was a bit more gleeful than before. After stepping inside, Nino had a weight off her shoulders, both figuratively and literally. And by that, I mean that she dropped her bag immediately and jumped face-first into my bed.
"Ahahah! This is so comfy!"
"So the first thing you do when you see a neatly made bed is to jump on it."
"This duvet feels like a cloud, I just couldn't resist it."
"Pfft..."
My apartment was small, but as Nino pointed out, I took pride in keeping it organized. It consisted of only one room and a bathroom, both were comfortably spacious so it wouldn't feel cramped. Couple that with a few houseplants, warm interior lighting, and a good taste in interior decoration, and you'll end up with quite a nice little place.
I made my way to the bed, setting my backpack adjacent to it. As I was about to sit down, I saw in the corner of my vision a white shadow quickly flying in my direction. I narrowly evaded a pillow Nino had thrown at me.
"Oh, this is not a fight you want to pick with me." I said, grabbing the pillow mid-air at the last second, "You still owe me a game of dodgeball, remember?"
"How the hell did you dodge that?"
"I thought you'd try something like that." I said, yeeting the pillow back at her face.
"Gaah! You're dead!!"
Nino armed herself with two more pillows, tossing them at an embarrassingly low velocity. It wasn't hard to catch them both in the air, proceeding to quickly close the distance between us two and make Nino the core of a pillow sandwich as I slapped them both against her.
"Hahah, it's unfair! You're too fast!"
"Then pray you'll be in my team in dodgeball."
Amidst the chuckling, I felt her hands reaching out to cup my face. Once again, I felt as if I was being transported back to the elevator on that day. The look in her eyes then was the same as the one she had right now.
"You have no idea how hard I'm trying not to kiss you right now." She whispered.
"So you aren't just teasing me."
"That was the primary intention, but I feel like I got caught in my trap."
"Yeah. I mean what did you expect when you decided to engage in a pillow fight with me?"
"This!" She sneaked a hit in me with the pillow I had been holding.
"Wow... using dirty strats, are we?"
She giggled sweetly. Seeing her in such a lighthearted mood really helps in making the day brighter.
"It's the only way I stand a chance. But... I wasn't lying."
"I'm glad to see that this struggle isn't as one-sided as I thought." I said.
"As I said, you were only getting away with your little games because I was letting you. Now I'll make you go through everything you did to me."
"I invite you to try."
We both laid down on the bed, looking at each other as we rested on our sides.
"I just can't help but feel better when you're around." She said.
There she goes melting my heart again.
"I'm glad that I can be that person to you."
"You are. And I hope that one day I can make you feel the same way."
"You already do."
I wish I could take a screenshot of this moment. Mere seconds away from yet another kiss. Sometimes, when I catch myself feeling a bit more lucid than usual, I wonder how exactly it was that I manage to get someone this cute and amazing to be interested in me. It honestly feels like a dream. Ever since that day on the elevator, it has been harder and harder to keep cool around her. She was getting the upper hand now, but I can't let her win just yet.
It's funny, this little game we have between us. It's like Kaguya-Sama, but with a few dozen IQ points lower. Regardless, the unspoken agreement that whoever says 'I love you' first loses is already pretty clear to both of us. Honestly, it's hard. But that's the fun of it.
Though for as good as this moment was, Nino's smile quickly turned into annoyance as we heard her phone vibrating. She reached into the pocket of her thin sweater to check whoever had messaged her. Since her face didn't turn to panic upon looking at the screen, it was safe to assume that this wasn't her father.
"It's Ichika. She wants to call me."
"Do you want some privacy?" I asked, sitting up once more.
"No...she wants to talk to you too."
Shit... I guess it's time. Nino looked at me with an expression of profound unease. Truth be told, I wasn't feeling so good anymore either. Ichika wanting to talk to me could only mean one thing...
"I'll put her on speaker..." She sat up, crossing her legs, "Just give me a moment so that I can call her."
The dialing of her phone took a dreadfully long time. Every ring felt like a nuclear siren, the fear factor amplified by the fact that Nino didn't have that stalwart-determined look on her face. She looked fragile, afraid, her eyes almost tearing up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Ichika. We're both here. Did... did Itsuki..."
"She didn't."
Never did I see someone breathe such a big sigh of relief. I did the same, not even noticing that my shoulders had been tense ever since I had sat up.
"This is good." I said, "If she didn't call him immediately, it means she's still reluctant to do it."
"The question is for how long we can keep her that way."
"She didn't say a word on the entire way back home, and once we arrived, she closed herself in her room."
"If she as much as texts him, I swear I'll make her-" Nino stopped as I placed my hand over hers.
"She won't, Nino. And even if she does, it's her word against ours."
"How can you be so sure?" She asked.
I can see her point. Even if Itsuki is just one of his daughters, she's still considering me an invading force. It's more than enough justification to take action regardless of the opinions of the others.
"Dad is many things, but he's not that unreasonable."
"The ultimatum he gave to Uesugi seems pretty unreasonable to me."
"That's because he wants what's best for us. And when he sees how much Fuutarou-kun and Y/N-kun did for us, I'm sure he'll let them stay."
Nino sighed, "I hope you're right..."
"When was I ever not right?" Ichika chuckled, "Anyway, two more things I wanted to say. Miku said you'd be staying at a hotel for a few days. So in that case, I prepared a suitcase with your things and I left it in the lobby."
"Gosh... what did I do to deserve you."
"Don't worry about it. Nee-san has to take care of her little sister, right? Now, Y/N-kun..."
"Sup?"
"Be sure to keep Nino company at all times. But don't do anything lewd!"
"Ichika!!"
"Wait, I'm supposed to go too?" I asked.
"Of course! You don't Nino to feel lonely, right?"
"N-No... but-"
"Great! Then have fun you two. But not too much hahah."
She hung up.
"Ugh... that's Ichika for ya." She rolled her eyes.
"..."
"What's with that look on your face?"
"Are you going through with what she said?"
"Of course I am." She confidently said.
"I don't know dude... I mean, would you be ok with that? It's quite the step."
She chuckled, crawling toward me through the bed.
"Just imagine staying at a luxurious hotel for who knows how many days." She approached her face from my ear and whispered, "Just the two of us."
"You calm tf down. I'm only going there to take care of you."
"Who's the tsun now, tsun?" She smugly said, "Do you expect me to believe that?"
"Considering the crawling and seductive whispering, you seem to be the one who's looking forward to this the most."
"Why wouldn't I be?" She sat by my side, "It's a good way to prepare for when we go on our school trip. Not only that, but it's also the perfect place to tease you."
"Same goes for you."
"I'm counting on that."
...
Third person perspective:
Saying that the atmosphere at the Nakano residence was heavy would be putting it very mildly. Ichika, Yotsuba, and Miku sat in the living room in silence as they tried to fully grasp the mess that had just transpired within their family.
The sky was overcast and quickly darkening with rain clouds. A storm was brewing, bound to fall at any moment.
"We didn't even bother waiting for Uesugi-san." Yotsuba commented, "I hope he isn't mad at us."
"He would never get mad at something like that." Ichika tried to comfort her little sister, "He probably went home as soon as he was done anyway."
Miku was starring at the window with a lost gaze, watching the first few droplets running through the glass.
"Miku?" Yotsuba asked.
"This is the first time we've been separated like this..." She replied, "All because of such a stupid reason as well."
"It's not a stupid reason."
Miku turned around to face her sisters, leaning against the glass. "I don't want them to stop coming..."
"They won't stop coming," Ichika said. "We just have to talk some sense into Itsuki. Everything will be ok."
"But why? Why did she do that in the first place?"
"The four of us have been studying with them for over a month. Itsuki only joined us this past week. She didn't have enough time to get accustomed to them." Yotsuba said, "Nino and Itsuki are both very strong-willed. They were bound to clash eventually."
"But that's the funny part." Miku chuckled dryly, "It's like their position in this conflict is switched."
"What do you mean?"
"I could perfectly imagine Nino throwing a fit because she found out our tutor was here because of one of us. But Itsuki..."
"I could imagine Itsuki doing that," Ichika said.
"Yeah, me too." Yotsuba added.
"Maybe that was a bad example. My point is Itsuki's way of taking care of us is by acting in a motherly manner. Nino is the one who goes out in the attack to try to maintain the status quo."
"But you've seen how much Nino changed after she met Y/N-kun. Itsuki was the one most likely to take that mantle instead of her."
Miku sat down on the floor, her gaze still lost as the locks of her hair covered her face even more.
"What if Itsuki already called him?"
Ichika stood up to go comfort her other sister, "She didn't."
"But what if..."
"Then we'll do exactly as I said to Nino. We will convince dad that they should stay." Ichika sat by her side, "They are not the ones in the wrong here. They never did anything bad to any of us. If anything, they're victims instead of perpetrators. Remember when Nino put sleeping pills in Fuutarou-kun's water?"
"Hah... yeah."
"And look where she's at now. If dad sees that Nino is the one who most arduously defending them, there's no way he'll kick them out."
Miku looked at her older sister. Her eyes, though covered partially by her hair, were shimmering intensely.
"Do you... do you know my..."
"Of course I do. It's pretty obvious by now."
"Y/N-kun said the same thing... what gave it away this time?"
"You look at him differently... but I think the biggest giveaway was the effort you put into studying this past week."
"I look desperate, don't I?" Miku sighed, "I just hope it pays off..."
"It will." Ichika caressed her younger sister's hair.
Ichika helped her up, gently taking her to the couch Yotsuba was sitting at.
"We should order something." Miku said, "It's not like Nino is going to save us on this one. Do you have anything you want in particular?"
"We should ask Itsuki if she wants something as well," Yotsuba said, much to the dismay of the middle sister.
"I'll go ask her." Ichika said, "You two can just choose whatever you'd like. If she wants something different, I'll order it for her separately."
"Okay..."
The eldest sister stood up and made her way upstairs, leaving the other two in the living room.
"Yotsuba." Miku said.
"Huh?"
"What you said earlier to Itsuki about being in love for the first time... were you referring to that boy from Kyoto?"
"Yes. Precisely him."
"How nice... a love that persisted for so many years. I hope you'll find him again one day."
Yotsuba's expression turned more serene, though she didn't respond.
"I'd like your guidance on something..." Miku continued, "On how to handle these feelings. I think I'm falling in love as well."
...
Y/N POV:
I was still reluctant to go on with Ichika's suggestion. Simply put, it would be very incriminating if anyone found out about us. It was as tempting as it was risky, and perhaps that's the reason I agreed in the first place.
But I wasn't about to let carelessness get the best of us. Going through with this plan means we need to be very careful about any potentially incriminating evidence we leave behind. That's why, for example, I suggested to Nino that she changed clothes before we checked in. Not that the concierge and the hotel staff would give much of a fuck, but it would be much more suspicious if we were in our school uniforms.
After thinking of some other safety measures, we made the trip to the hotel where we'd be staying for the unforeseeable future.
I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but it took a few seconds to pick my jaw up from the floor. If the suspended gardens, fountains, and insultingly large quantity of sports cars didn't tell, this was probably the fanciest hotel in the city.
"What do you think?" Nino asked as we stepped out of the car.
"Is this how you're planning to keep a low profile?"
"Relax, the staff here aren't paid to ask questions. Plus, there are only tourists here."
"Sure, but won't your father notice something weird about his spendings?"
"Nah, we would need at least two more zeroes before he actually questions us."
"Holy shit... how rich are you exactly?"
"This is nothing, just wait until you see the island."
"The what?!"
"Shush... just come with me."
The interior of the hotel was just as impressive as the exterior. You know a place is fancy when they have a life-sized sakura tree in the lobby. Nino checked in, and just as she predicted, nobody asked anything about our age or intentions. After the lobbyist handed us the keycards to our room, we had little to do other than to head there.
"It's a shame it's raining." Nino said as we boarded the elevator, "This would be the perfect time to go on a date."
"Oh, now you're calling our hangouts dates?"
"What? Of course!"
"Good, good. A nice development, especially coming from miss 'It's not a date, baka!'"
"Ugh, shut up." She pouted, crossing her arms.
"Hey, would you look at that!" I said, "We're alone in an elevator again."
"Yeah. So what?"
"So what?"
I pulled her in, with one hand on her waist and the other on the back of her head. That adorably confused expression she made proved that I successfully caught her off guard.
"Y-Y/N-kun? What are you..." She said, expectant of something more.
I smiled at her, holding her for just another moment before letting go, "Yeah, never mind. What if someone sees us, right?"
"Huh?! Aw c'mon!"
"The perfect place to tease you." I quoted her, "It goes both ways."
"Dirty move... remember I still get a pass to see you shirtless."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."
She looked at me with a malicious smile, "How could I possibly forget that? After all the effort I put in for this exam, I deserve a proper reward."
"You do indeed." I chuckled, "And I'll be giving you just that."
Once the doors opened on the eighth floor, we stepped out. The suite Nino had rented was at the end of the corridor, so we made our way there.
It wasn't as much a suite as it was an entire fucking apartment. The main room alone was enormous, with its main feature being a panoramic window that allowed for a full view of the city.
"Nice place, isn't it?"
"That's putting it mildly."
"I'm glad you liked it." She said setting her suitcase aside and heading to the bathroom, "Anyway, I'm going to take a shower while you accommodate yourself, then we can have lunch afterward."
"Cool. Do you need any help?"
"Wait... r-really?!!"
"Of course not, dummy. Get your mind out of the gutter." I chuckled, "Enjoy your shower."
"Ughhhh. Yes I will."
She stomped toward the bathroom, giving me one last pouty stare before closing the door.
...
A/n:
God help me. It has begun. From now on, I'll be trying to post at least every four or so days.
The result of the poll was that I double the frequency of this story. That doesn't mean I won't write the other. My plan is to post it in case my week gets too busy just so that you guys have something to read.
Speaking of that, I'm going to start working on a bit of a different format called "episodic chapters" (or one-shots, but I want to call them differently). Basically, they're chapters that are disconnected from the main plot. Stuff like going on a date or playing sports together (thank you to the people who suggested those ideas btw) that aren't a part of the main story, but just nice scenarios where we can see the characters interacting together in different situations.
And as for nsfw chapters, I want to start publishing them after their first time in the main story. But thanks to these episodic chapters, there is the possibility that I write one that is set a bit further in the timeline so I won't break the whole chronology in case you guys want one sooner (if you feel embarrassed about asking for it in the comments, feel free to DM me). But for now, that's how things are gonna go.
That's it for now guys. I hope you have a great week and I'll see you in a few days.