Makoto's phone call went very smoothly.
When Mrs. Yukinoshita learned that he was going to have dinner with Nakano Maruo and had extended an invitation to her, the beautiful and mature lady immediately expressed her gratitude sincerely.
"It just so happens that my husband and I haven't returned to Chiba yet. Makoto, send me the address. We'll be there right away."
After hanging up, Makoto returned to where the Nakano father and daughter were standing.
"Finished with the call?" Nakano Maruo asked flatly.
"Yeah. We can head to the restaurant and sit for a while—my elder will be here soon," Makoto nodded.
Elder?
Both Nakanos were momentarily stunned.
It must be Ms. Matsukaze, right?
That was what Ichika thought to herself. She knew Makoto was on good terms with Mayu.
Nakano Maruo, on the other hand, felt a tinge of satisfaction.
The calm composure Makoto had shown earlier made him realize this boy might be a bit tricky to deal with.
But now, hearing that Makoto had suddenly called for an elder, Nakano Maruo immediately felt relieved.
In the end, this kid was just a high school student.
Nakano Maruo figured that Makoto must be lacking in confidence, which was why he chose to call for reinforcements.
Since this visit had been rather rushed, Nakano Maruo hadn't made a reservation. Instead, he found a fairly upscale restaurant nearby.
As they entered the restaurant, Ichika was clearly nervous. She kept stealing glances at Makoto, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how.
Makoto gently squeezed the girl's soft hand, using his gaze to reassure her—to just relax.
Ichika hadn't expected him to hold her hand right in front of her father. She blushed, but still responded with a sweet smile.
This scene made Nakano Maruo's blood pressure spike!
Especially seeing his daughter's shy yet happy expression—it nearly pushed him into full rage mode.
He had never seen his daughters smile so sweetly!
He was furious at this blond-haired brat named Makoto, but also annoyed with himself.
He'd been too busy all the time—if he had just made more time to be with his daughters, they wouldn't have been so easily swept away by some boy.
After the three of them sat down, Nakano Maruo gestured for the waiter to leave, then handed the menu to Makoto. "You order."
"No rush. I can tell you have questions for me. Why don't we wait for the other two elders to arrive before ordering?" Makoto took the menu.
Putting on an act to look confident again?
Nakano Maruo tried not to recall the scene just now.
He kept his tone even. "If that's the case, then let me ask you... Were you and Ichika on a date today?"
Ichika blushed, a surge of happiness filling her heart.
Makoto answered honestly, "You're mistaken. We were out discussing the formation of a club. Before you arrived, Itsuki and Senpai Kasumigaoka were both here."
Nakano Maruo latched onto the key point. "So after the other two left, you decided to go on a date?"
Makoto replied, "Again, that's not it. Ichika is the future star of our club. I had many important things to explain to her."
What do you mean 'again'?
Can't I be right even once?
Nakano Maruo kept a straight face. "What do you mean by 'star'?"
Makoto said, "The club we plan to form is somewhat related to acting. I'm sure you understand what I mean."
Ichika grew anxious. "Um—"
Makoto gently said, "Don't worry. I'm sure Mr. Nakano already knows about your secret acting aspirations."
Ichika froze, turning her head robotically to look at her father.
"That's right. I do know Ichika dreams of becoming an excellent actress," Nakano Maruo admitted.
Ichika lowered her head in embarrassment.
That feeling of having a secret exposed on the spot—especially by an elder—was deeply awkward.
Only now did Makoto finally speak in a serious tone. "So, I hope you can understand—the purpose of the club is to help Ichika become even better."
Nakano Maruo clearly didn't accept this reasoning. "In my view, the way for a high schooler to become better is through studying."
Makoto said, "In that case, I'm even more suited to be their friend."
Nakano Maruo's expression froze.
Not just Ichika, but their friend, right?
So you finally revealed your true intentions?
Makoto seemed unaware. "What I'm about to say might sound boastful, but I do have the qualifications to speak on academics."
Nakano Maruo: "Because you're ranked first in your grade?"
Makoto suddenly smiled. "So you finally admit that you've investigated me?"
Nakano Maruo: "..."
I walked right into that!
He glanced at Ichika from the corner of his eye—and as expected, she looked utterly stunned.
He pretended not to notice and refocused on Makoto.
This time, he dropped his superior's arrogance and composed posture.
He had reason to suspect that from the moment Makoto had taken Ichika's hand right under his nose, to mentioning "helping his daughter become excellent," it had all been deliberate.
Each move seemed designed to push him into revealing things himself.
Lower his guard—then strike with precision.
Within seven steps—fast and clean.
The moment he, in front of his daughter, indirectly admitted to investigating Makoto, he had already lost one round in terms of momentum.
After all, he knew very well: girls going through puberty valued their privacy greatly.
And considering his already strained relationship with his daughters, confessing that he'd investigated their friend would only make things worse.
Ichika took a deep breath. Her usual laid-back expression was gone.
Her face was now filled with earnest seriousness. "Father, I really care about Makoto as a friend. I'm very happy when I'm with him."
Nope—his blood pressure spiked again.
Nakano Maruo stared at his daughter, who had summoned the courage to speak up. He wanted to say something, but didn't know where to start.
So he could only turn to Makoto. "I acknowledge that being top of the grade is impressive. But students who are top of their grade—I can easily find many."
"But not all of them can help your daughters improve," Makoto countered.
"So confident?"
"There's a saying: Being good at something doesn't mean you're good at teaching it.
There are plenty of examples. Even the basketball god, Michael Jordan, wasn't able to coach his players well."
Makoto paused for effect and then unleashed his finishing move: "More importantly—how can you be sure Ichika and the others won't dislike the people you find?"
Nakano Maruo was about to refute, but Makoto quickly added, "To them, given a choice between a friend and a stranger, of course they'd choose a friend without hesitation.
And Mr. Nakano, I'm sure you wouldn't want them to be unhappy either, right?"
Nakano Maruo was stuck.
Makoto softened his tone. "I can tell you care about Ichika deeply. And from that, it's clear you must care just as much about the other four.
If they can grow up happily and safely, that must be one of the most joyous things in your life."
Has this kid really never met me before?
Nakano Maruo felt an unusual chill down his spine.
Not only was this boy close to his daughter, he seemed to have figured him out completely.
Had Makoto investigated him while he was investigating Makoto?
No—that couldn't be.
Other than work, he barely spoke to anyone at the hospital. He had no friends in his private life.
Even if Makoto wanted to investigate him, there was no way in.
Nakano Maruo stared blankly at Makoto, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden intensity. He couldn't adapt fast enough.
Ichika was also staring at Makoto.
That rapid heartbeat feeling was back again!
Being a bit more mature than her peers, she deeply admired the calm, in-control way Makoto spoke with adults.
That kind of presence—it was irresistible to someone without a steely will like her.
For the first time in her life, she felt so thrilled she almost couldn't sit still.
Just as Nakano Maruo sank into silence, Makoto glanced at his phone, stood up, and said, "The elders I invited are here. Pardon me—I'll go greet them at the door."
Nakano Maruo snapped out of it.
Wait a second.
Could this have been part of his plan too?
First, use his understanding of me to strike a long conversation, knock me into silence—then just as I'm reeling, his elders arrive, and I lose all chance of regaining the upper hand.
In that case—I've completely fallen into a passive position.
He looked up at Makoto's polite and smiling young face. It was as if that face had a line written across it:
"Round One is over. Now begins Round Two."
Makoto was already walking toward the restaurant entrance.
Nakano Maruo's ambush?
Hmph. White horse—let him come and never return!
Makoto believed that, in the future, Nakano the old man would thank him.
Because he had a way to help smooth over the father-daughter relationship—and he was genuinely going to see it through.
It was just that by the time that day came, girls like Ichika who supported him would likely grow by four more.
Heart fluttering?
No—it was his technique itching for action.
Because he was that good at it.
So yeah—technique itch. Nothing wrong with that.
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