'He must have been really hurt when I bit him yesterday.'
Nino didn't immediately connect Kitahara Takashi and Watanabe Takashi.
Apart from both being male and about the same height, there were no other similarities between them.
The gentle, refined Watanabe Takashi gave the impression of being diligent, obedient, and clean-cut.
But the handsome and unruly Kitahara Takashi was different.
He gave off the impression of smoking, drinking, and partying—he seemed to enjoy everything.
It was obvious he was a bit of a jerk, but there was still a desire to try him out.
Unless Takashi directly dressed up as Watanabe Takashi in front of Nino, she would never believe that they were the same person.
'Did I bite too hard yesterday?'
Nino didn't make the connection between Takashi and Watanabe Takashi.
She just saw the bite marks and thought of the Watanabe Takashi she had bitten yesterday, feeling a bit guilty.
"You must be Miku, right? Nice to meet you."
Looking at Miku, Takashi lightly smiled, showing a mischievous grin.
Miku wasn't too keen on shaking hands with this guy, but since he had saved her that day, she extended her smooth, pale hand.
"Hello."
The moment their hands touched, Miku suddenly felt a tickling sensation in her palm.
She focused her gaze and noticed that Takashi's finger was lightly sliding across the center of her palm, his eyes glowing with interest, like a big gray wolf staring at a plump lamb, smiling insidiously.
Miku's cheeks turned bright red, and she angrily pulled her hand away from Takashi's grip, pointing at him: "You... you..."
Takashi blinked innocently and pointed at himself: "What did I do?"
Everyone looked at Miku.
Miku really wanted to expose the fact that Takashi was taking advantage of her, but his actions were so subtle that no one noticed.
Even if she did speak up, seeing how unfazed he looked, it was obvious he had already prepared an excuse.
"You all eat first, I'm going to the restroom."
Miku stood up, puffing out her cheeks, accepting this silent defeat.
'Kashiwagi's tactic is quite effective.'
Takashi thought to himself.
He had actually learned this move from Nagisa.
It was very discreet and hard to notice.
Itsuki stood up and bowed apologetically: "Kitahara-kun, I'm sorry, Miku's personality is a bit strange, please don't mind her."
Miku, who had not walked far, heard Itsuki's words and immediately became furious.
Why was she apologizing for her?
She was the one who got taken advantage of and was at a disadvantage.
Actually, this couldn't be blamed on Itsuki.
Although they were all sisters, she rarely showed her expressions and never spoke about what was on her mind, so no one could guess what she was thinking.
In this family, apart from Ichika, who could somewhat guess her thoughts, no one else could.
Takashi, being very magnanimous, shook his head: "It's fine, by the way, you're Itsuki, right?"
Itsuki curiously asked: "Kitahara-kun, you know me?"
"Yeah, Ichika and Yotsuba often mention you, saying you're very hardworking."
'Did I say that?'
Ichika, sipping her coffee, wondered when she had mentioned Itsuki.
'Oh well, maybe it was Yotsuba who said that.'
Ichika didn't think much of it, assuming it was Yotsuba.
'I didn't say it, did I? Maybe it was Ichika?'
Coincidentally, Yotsuba also thought it was Ichika who had said it.
In fact, neither Ichika nor Yotsuba had ever said it.
Takashi had gotten this information from Kuro.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'm pretty good at studying."
Takashi started using his academic abilities as bait, tempting Itsuki.
Ichika chimed in:
"Itsuki, I'll tell you secretly—Kitahara-kun ranked third in the national mock exam last time, even higher than our Shinkawa Adagaki Aki and Uesugi Fuutarou."
"Third in the nation?"
Itsuki stammered in shock.
She didn't expect Yotsuba to have such an impressive friend.
'Is he really that good? He doesn't look like it.'
Nino was also surprised, her big eyes wide open.
Takashi had the face of a school bully, not the face of a top student.
If someone said he bullied others or participated in school violence, Nino would believe it.
But if someone said he was good at studying, it was as absurd as saying a tough guy from your class got into a top university.
Itsuki reacted and looked at Takashi with awe: "Really? If I don't understand something, can I really ask you for help?"
Being among the top three national elites, Itsuki felt like she was dreaming.
"Of course, you're Ichika's sister, so you're my sister too."
Takashi's words didn't seem like much at first, but they were loaded with meaning.
He was openly flattering Itsuki, but secretly targeting Ichika.
'What does he mean by 'Ichika's sister is my sister'? It sounds like we have some kind of relationship.'
Ichika's face flushed slightly as she lowered her head to her ice cream, glancing at Yotsuba.
Yotsuba didn't sense anything wrong with this remark and continued happily talking to Takashi about Kuro's situation at her house and how she had been rejected from transferring to Aoba, ultimately going to Shinkawa instead.
At the sink, Miku applied hand soap to her right hand and washed it repeatedly, over and over again.
While washing, she muttered to herself: "Ugh, this is terrible, too terrible!"
"I thought he was a good guy, but it turns out he's just this bad."
"Kuro ended up following such a person, he must have been through a lot of hardship."
"Isn't this harassment? Can I sue him?"
After washing her hands until her skin was raw, Miku finally stopped.
She dried her hands with a tissue, turned around, and felt a hand pinch her cheek gently.
Miku's lips slowly puckered, making a 'pop' sound as they formed a pout.
She blinked, stunned, not realizing what had just happened.
Takashi leaned against the tiled wall, smiling slyly as he pinched her cheek repeatedly.
"Why not wash your face properly too?"
When Miku reacted, she immediately pushed Takashi's hand away and pulled back, putting some distance between them.
"Why are you so scared of me? It's like I'm going to eat you or something."
Takashi didn't move closer, instead crossing his arms and standing there.
Miku remained highly cautious, staring at him: "Why are you here?"
"To bully you."
Takashi answered with confidence.
Miku was stunned for a moment, then angrily puffed her cheeks and glared at him: "Why are you doing this?"
"Because I like you."
Takashi tilted his head and smiled: "Miku, I like you, will you go out with me?"
Miku was shocked by the sudden confession.
"But, but we've only met twice."
"Is two times not enough for a confession? Haven't you heard of love at first sight? Let's just have fun with it."
Takashi seemed indifferent, his behavior flirtatious, which only made Miku dislike him more.
"I don't like you."
Miku clenched her skirt tightly and glared at him: "Please stop bothering me, or I'll call the police."
"Fine, okay."
"Eh?"
Miku didn't expect him to agree, and she was taken aback.
"Then I'll talk to your other sisters. After all, they all look the same, any of them will do."
"What, what?"
"Ichika, Nino, Yotsuba, Itsuki… hmm… who should I choose? Never mind, I'll date all four."
Takashi pretended to think, preparing to leave.
"Not allowed!"
Miku, excited, grabbed his clothes, not letting him go.
Takashi turned around and smiled wickedly: "Miku, you don't want your sisters to be hurt by me, do you?"
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