Who Can Resist Nakano Nino? [188]

For Nakano Miku, the entire day felt like a miserable run of “Earth Online.”

It started with not wanting to be apart from her sisters, so she tagged along to the Service Club for the first time.

Yukinoshita Yukino’s calm confidence in every gesture left her a bit awestruck. Just from what she’d seen—how Yukinoshita’s sharp words left Nino speechless and how she matched Shirase blow for blow—Miku understood Yukinoshita was in a whole different league from her.

Aside from silently thinking, Yukinoshita-san is amazing, her mind had been blank.

Then there was Itsuki, whose anxious, troubled face only irritated and worried her more.

Yes, she’d been the one who walked off alone at school, not forcing Itsuki to come with her. But the second she got home, she regretted not insisting on bringing Itsuki back.

If she had, Itsuki wouldn’t have returned in such a state.

What really made everything worse, though, was Shirase’s reaction just now.

She could swear she’d had zero intention of exposing Itsuki’s secret crush.

Yet somehow he’d figured it out from a single question.

Now it looked like she’d turned into a sneaky informant leaking secrets.

The more Miku thought, the gloomier she felt. She grabbed her deep-blue headphones and hung them around her neck. Only then did her agitation ease a little.

“Judging from your face, did I say something wrong just now?” Shirase noticed her shift in mood.

Miku forced herself to stay even. “I only asked a random question. How did you jump to all that?”

Shirase answered frankly, “Well, Itsuki and I have known each other a while. And you were a bit off today too, so I put the clues together and figured it out…”

Then he added, “Of course, I did run through a few possibilities. After thinking it over, only one answer really fit.”

A faint blush crept over Miku’s pale cheeks.

Great, so I gave it away?

She puffed her cheeks, glaring at him.

Couldn’t he at least pretend not to notice? Then she wouldn’t feel so guilty about accidentally outing Itsuki.

“What’s with that look? Did I really guess wrong?” Shirase asked.

Miku nodded hard. “You’re guilty. Commit seppuku.”

“Whoa, how did we jump to seppuku? And what crime did I commit?”

“I don’t know, but I think you do.”

“…Miku, you’ve gotten mischievous. Playing the Riddler now?”

Miku pouted. I’m not riddling—you’re just too sharp. How am I supposed to say anything about Itsuki around you?

The thought alone made her feel pressured.

If all honor students were like Yukinoshita and Shirase, weren’t games boring for them? They’d just clear everything instantly.

Her thoughts drifted completely off track.

Shirase couldn’t follow the shifts in her expression. Realizing pressing any further wouldn’t help, he let it go.

After a while, movement came from the bedroom. Both he and Miku looked over—Nino stepped out.

Her face carried a mix of dissatisfaction and frustration.

So the talk with Itsuki had gone poorly. Maybe she hadn’t learned a thing.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Spotting Shirase in the living room, Nino brightened and quickened her pace.

Shirase stood, glancing at Itsuki’s door as it shut again. “How’d it go?”

“Not great.” Nino slumped beside him. She didn’t even greet Miku, who looked just as troubled. “No matter how I asked, she wouldn’t open up.”

She frowned. “Honestly, the more she acts like this, the more worried we get.”

Across from them, Miku hesitated, then said softly, “Maybe… let Shirase try?”

Nino froze. “Him? Can he really?”

Miku kept her tone even. “You couldn’t, I couldn’t, and Yotsuba definitely can’t. We might as well let Shirase. Maybe Itsuki doesn’t want to tell us, but she might talk to an outsider.”

“That tracks,” Shirase jumped in. “Let me give it a shot.”

He’d baked the cookies for exactly this—to talk to Itsuki.

With Miku setting it up, he wasn’t about to waste the chance.

Seeing this, Nino waved him on. “Fine, go. But listen—don’t you dare bully Itsuki.”

Before Shirase could answer, Miku cut in: “He won’t.”

Nino narrowed her eyes at Miku. “Okay, what’s with you today? Why do you and Shirase suddenly seem so chummy?”

“You’re suspicious of me? There’s no need.”

“That makes you even more suspicious!”

“I don’t feel like arguing.”

“Huh? You think I’ll back down? Or are you looking down on me?”

As the sisters edged toward their usual spat, Shirase stepped in. “Alright, knock it off. If you don’t, this referee’s taking the field.”

“Referee?” both Nino and Miku looked over.

“Yup, referee,” Shirase said solemnly. “Haven’t you heard my title, Benlei Shou—Wen Tailai? My reputation in the ref world is explosive. Today, allow me to officiate your little match.”

Nino shot him a disdainful look but couldn’t hide a laugh. “Fine, fine—just go already. If you want to stay for dinner, you can.”

“Then I’ll tell Kana-nee first. Otherwise she’ll be waiting for me to eat at home.”

With that, Shirase headed for the bedroom.

Nino propped her chin on her palm, muttering, “He’ll probably fail like I did. Itsuki’s in full ‘do not approach’ mode.”

Miku chuckled quietly. Maybe the “do not approach” sign only applied to them—not to him.

Just as Shirase knocked, Itsuki’s uncharacteristically flat voice came from inside: “Nino? I already said I don’t want to talk. Leave me alone for a while.”

“I’m not Nino. I’m Shirase—the tea-serving soldier on drink duty,” he called back.

Silence fell in the room.

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This is a fan translation of 谁能拒绝中野二乃呢？by 六花吖六花. Rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!