Who Can Resist Nakano Nino? [183]

Shirase stood alone on the balcony, scrolling through the soccer club’s group chat. The members were even more fired up than usual today—after all, they’d just agreed to schedule another match.

[Club President]: Man, I’m already burning up! Just thinking about it makes every muscle twitch!
[Isshiki Iroha]: Calm down, President. Shirase-kun hasn’t even told us when the match is—or who we’re up against.
[Hayama Hayato]: Doesn’t matter who it is. Winning’s enough.
[Club President]: Beautifully said, Hayama! That was so cool!
[Hayama Hayato]: I learned it from Shirase. He’d say the same if he were here.
[Isshiki Iroha]: Too bad Shirase-kun hasn’t said anything yet.
[Hayama Hayato]: You sure about that? What if he’s lurking?

Shirase paused mid-scroll. Was Hayama just guessing—or had he really started to understand him that well?

Well, lurking was part of his daily routine.

Right before closing the chat, Isshiki sent one last message:

[Isshiki Iroha]: Ohh~ exciting. Could it be that Shirase-kun has a voyeuristic streak?

Shirase ignored it. If he replied now, the chat would probably blow up.

“Another match, huh…”

He glanced down at the busy streets below, a familiar thrill stirring in his chest.

TTK.

As the team’s ace, giving his all on the field—going full TTK—was only natural.

He let his mind drift on that thought for a moment before turning back inside, intending to say his goodbyes. But when he entered the living room, only Kirisu Mafuyu remained. Kojima Kana was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s Kana-nee?”

“She just went out—said she needed to buy something.”

“Buy something?” Shirase glanced at the firmly shut door, suspicious. At this hour? If it was just groceries, wouldn’t she have bought them earlier?

Since Kana wasn’t around, Shirase couldn’t very well leave on his own. He sat down quietly beside Mafuyu.

He acted perfectly at ease. Mafuyu, on the other hand, was anything but.

Should I start a conversation?

But about what?

If she brought up the massage, wouldn’t he think she was asking for another one? Just imagining that made her want to bury her face in her hands.

Maintaining her usual cool expression, Mafuyu’s mind spun in circles.

Anything but this awkward silence!

...

Meanwhile, Shirase didn’t find the silence awkward at all.

He was lost in thought about his weekend plans.

The seaside amusement park trip had been decided—meaning the quintuplets and Isshiki Iroha were probably swimsuit shopping by now. Naturally, he had no right to interfere, but helping Nino pick hers seemed… acceptable, right?

If she said that classic line—
“I bought a really sexy swimsuit, you know.”
—he’d feel fired up enough to wreck a Mercedes just to cheer up an AE86.

Then there was Ichika.

He thought of that short-haired girl with the bright smile.

Since that night, she’d acted completely normal again—friendly, composed, as if nothing had happened.

But Shirase knew her too well. Ichika wasn’t the type to just forget.

“This is gonna be trouble…” he muttered, rubbing his forehead.

“Are you tired? Did you push yourself again?” Mafuyu seized the chance to speak when she saw the gesture.

Shirase shook his head slightly. “No. Just thinking about something complicated. Gives me a bit of a headache.”

“Something complicated?” Mafuyu straightened, tone instantly serious. “Tell me. I have more life experience—and I’m your teacher. Maybe I can help.”

“You sound pretty confident.”

Her earnest look made him chuckle. He decided to redirect. “Actually, our soccer club wants to request another friendly match. We’ll need your help, Kirisu-sensei.”

He briefly explained the team’s motivation and their goal to keep improving.

Mafuyu nodded. “Understood. I’ll speak with the principal tomorrow. With your recent performance, getting approval shouldn’t be difficult. Ever since you beat Metropolitan High, several schools have wanted to challenge you.”

Then, remembering something, she eyed him curiously. “By the way, I heard a rumor—is it true another school tried to recruit you and Hayama Hayato?”

“You heard about that?” Shirase said, surprised. “Yeah, it happened—but we turned them down.”

Mafuyu let out a small breath of relief. “Good. I’m glad you refused. Transferring schools just for soccer would be unwise. You and Hayama-kun have key positions here—you’d lose that stability elsewhere. There’s no guarantee another school would offer the same environment.”

Shirase looked at her, genuinely impressed. “Kirisu-sensei… have you been studying soccer behind the scenes? When we first met, you barely knew anything about it.”

“No, you just didn’t notice,” Mafuyu said smoothly. “I wasn’t an expert, but I did know the basics.”

She was lying.

Shirase smiled faintly. Kirisu-sensei—always trying to save face. Adorable as ever.

“So, what was that tricky thing you mentioned earlier?” she pressed, not letting it go.

Of course, Shirase couldn’t possibly bring up those topics, so he changed gears again. “Actually, my friends and I just started planning a short movie.”

“Oh?” Mafuyu’s tone softened. “Is this just for fun, or did inspiration strike?”

“A bit of both,” Shirase said. “Yukinoshita-san’s writing the script. The others are handling equipment.”

“And what about you?”

“I might take the role of chef for the film crew.”

“Chef?”

Kirisu Mafuyu froze, remembering the meal she’d just eaten—and Kana’s earlier comment that Shirase was good not only at cooking but also at making desserts and snacks.

She swallowed quietly, gathering her composure before saying, slow and deliberate, “As your teacher—and as Kana’s friend—I can’t just sit by and do nothing.”

Shirase blinked. What’s she getting at?

Mafuyu straightened her posture, hands neatly placed on her knees, and declared with solemn determination, “I’ve decided to take responsibility for your filming group. If something comes up that you can’t handle, I’ll step in.”

Shirase gave her a knowing smile. “Kirisu-sensei, are you… craving sweets?”

“Watch your words. I’m an adult—I’m long past the age of craving snacks,” Mafuyu said, cheeks warming despite herself.

“Oh? Then since Sensei insists, I’ll respect your wishes. When the time comes, I won’t share any of my desserts or cooking with you.”

“…?”

Mafuyu stared blankly, lips parting in disbelief. What kind of logic is that?

The entire reason she’d forced out that mortifying line was precisely to earn some snacks!

The conversation ended there.

Mafuyu figured he was teasing her—but just in case…

What if, by some 0.01% chance, he meant it?

She nervously twisted her fingers. No rush. I’ll find another opening later. Definitely not today. If I act too eager, I’ll just look pathetic again.

...

Less than ten minutes later, Kojima Kana returned—this time carrying a black plastic bag. From its shape, Shirase could easily tell it held a tall can—if not beer, then at least a 500ml drink.

“What did you go out to buy?” Mafuyu asked before Shirase could speak.

Kana raised the bag proudly. “Beer.”

“What—beer?” Mafuyu froze, then quickly frowned. “Wait, why beer? You told me before your alcohol tolerance was awful.”

“Exactly why I bought only one can,” Kana said cheerfully. “Half for each of us.” She then shot Shirase a playful glance. “This guy always underestimates us. Tonight we’ll show him a world only adults can handle!”

In truth, she was simply still burning with curiosity about Mafuyu’s mysterious “massage experience.” No matter how many times she’d asked earlier, Mafuyu had refused to elaborate. Alcohol, Kana decided, would loosen her tongue.

Mafuyu looked at her, speechless.

She wanted to ask what sort of logic that was—but after being called cute by her own student earlier, she was in no position to talk about reckless decisions.

If I drink just a little, it should be fine… right?

Her tolerance was terrible, yes, but surely one sip wouldn’t hurt. Besides, Kana seemed confident—if anything happened, she’d take care of her.

Thinking that, Mafuyu finally relaxed.

She glanced deliberately at Shirase. “You’re still underage, so don’t even think about drinking. Neither Kana nor I will allow it.”

“Exactly!” Kana added, giggling. “That’s why I bought milk for him. Good kids drink milk~”

She produced a box of sweet milk from the bag and set it on the table.

Mafuyu nodded with satisfaction. Being around Kana, who understood Shirase so well, was perfect—they could gang up on him for once.

“I never said I wanted to drink…” Shirase sighed, accepting the milk but leaving it unopened.

Kana turned on the TV, cracked open the beer, and poured it evenly into two glasses.

“Kana, your tolerance isn’t that bad, right?” Mafuyu asked, lifting her glass a little nervously.

“Not great, not terrible,” Kana replied, puffing up with confidence.

Mafuyu believed her.

She took a careful sip. The cold bitterness spread across her tongue, and she immediately winced, her delicate features tightening.

“Hey, wait!” Kana said, alarmed. “We’re supposed to toast first! That’s how they do it in movies. Wait—why is your face red already?”

Before she’d even finished speaking, Mafuyu’s cheeks had flushed scarlet. Her eyes turned glossy under the soft light, expression dreamy and oddly radiant.

Shirase silently watched the TV. With tolerance that low, they’d tried to challenge him with beer?

Kana blinked at Mafuyu in disbelief.

“Mafuyu-chan, are you okay?”

Mafuyu smiled faintly. “Kana, your skin is so nice—soft and smooth like a teenager’s. I’m so jealous.”

“Eh?”

Kana’s face pinked. “It’s really not that great. I just take care of it, that’s all. If you want, I can share my skincare routine—”

But Mafuyu kept talking, unbothered. “And your chest is really big too! With a figure like that, your future kids will never go hungry.”

Kana’s face flared crimson, though she couldn’t help grinning. Who didn’t enjoy compliments like that?

From the couch, Shirase said flatly, “Kana-nee, aren’t you supposed to be a teacher? You should know this already—breast size doesn’t affect how much milk a mother produces. Everyone knows that.”

Kana shot him a glare. “Of course I know! Or are you implying you don’t like my figure?”

“Well, obviously… I like it.”

The words slipped out before Shirase could stop them.

Large or small didn’t matter—what mattered was not letting future kids go hungry. Or himself, for that matter.

Kana huffed but looked secretly pleased, then turned back to Mafuyu. “Mafuyu-chan, what’s gotten into you tonight?”

“Because Kana is beautiful~” Mafuyu said dreamily, giggling.

“Thanks…” Kana mumbled, blushing again.

“Wow, Kana, you can lift your glass all by yourself? Amazing!”

“…What?”

“Huh, you can even watch TV on your own? Incredible!”

“…???”

Kana blinked, then turned sharply toward Shirase.

“As you can see,” he said calmly, “she’s drunk.”

“No way. That’s impossible!” Kana protested. “She only took one sip!”

She grabbed the beer can and examined it under the light. “Did I buy fake alcohol or something? I heard online that counterfeits are everywhere now…”

Turning the can in her hands, she muttered, half in awe, half in despair, “But the packaging looks fine… Have fake beers really gotten this convincing?”

She glanced again at Mafuyu, who was now giggling helplessly on the couch.

“Fake alcohol really is dangerous,” Kana sighed. “Just look—Mafuyu-chan’s already turned into a complete idiot.”

---

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!