Who Can Resist Nakano Nino? [178]

This once again proved an eternal truth—never provoke a woman who holds grudges.

Especially not one with brains to match.

After Yukinoshita Yukino hung up, Shirase stood frozen for a good ten seconds before it clicked: the reason he’d failed to get any info about the script’s characters… was probably because she’d already guessed what he was up to and cut him off before he could even start.

“The odds are pretty high,” he muttered. “She’s probably sitting there right now, smugly imagining me overthinking everything.”

He thought about it for a moment, then sighed and picked up his phone again.

When the line connected, Yukinoshita’s voice came through, cool and faintly exasperated. “You really are persistent, aren’t you…”

“I’m starting to think you’re deliberately messing with me,” Shirase said flatly.

“What nonsense are you spouting now?” she replied, laughing.

It wasn’t a kind laugh—but it was a nice one.

“Mr. Monkey,” she said suddenly, “I have to remind you of something.”

“What is it?”

“My goodwill toward you has just plummeted.”

“Wait, you had goodwill toward me? I thought my rating was already negative.”

“It used to be one point. Congratulations—it’s now negative one.”

“It can even go negative?”

“It means your constant stupidity irritates me so much I don’t even feel like talking to you.”

“That serious? Then maybe tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it?”

Yukinoshita, fully aware he was talking nonsense, answered smoothly, “You must have already heard from Nakano Ichika-san that I’m handling the script, right? So of course you’re dying to know what role I’ve given you.”

“Exactly! So would the beautiful and kind Yukinoshita-san enlighten me?”

“Ugh. Your tone is disgusting. If you really want to know, use that allegedly brilliant brain of yours and figure it out. You are the school’s top student, aren’t you~?”

Click.

She hung up again—though this time, she’d managed to toss in a polite, “Goodbye, Mr. Monkey. Please refrain from calling again—it’s distracting.”

Shirase set his phone down with a long exhale.

If she’d told him outright that he had to wear a maid costume, he might have panicked. But since she’d gone with her usual “guess for yourself” routine, that was reassuring.

Yukinoshita hated lying. Her teasing probably meant he was safe.

…He had no idea that, in the script, his “role” was literally Mob Character A—a guy who appears for one second before getting flattened by a cement truck.

...

A short while later, Nakano Nino arrived.

She’d changed into a simple white dress dotted with tiny snowflake patterns—clean, cute, and effortlessly stylish. A slim belt cinched her narrow waist, making her figure stand out even more.

“Stop staring with that indecent look.”

Of course she’d noticed Shirase’s eyes trailing over her. Though secretly pleased, she still scowled in mock disgust.

“I’ll try to control myself.” Shirase crouched to set her slippers neatly on the floor.

“Try? Shirase, you really are a pervert.”

She slipped off her shoes, revealing her delicate feet in white stockings, then lifted her heels lightly and stepped into the slippers with effortless grace.

“Want a drink? Or snacks?” Shirase asked casually as he led her into the living room. “I made a cake yesterday—mostly eggs and sugar. Kana-nee likes something sweet before bed.”

“No thanks. I’m just here to confirm whether my socks survived your evil deeds,” Nino said firmly.

“Don’t act cute—it doesn’t work on me.”

Her face flushed red. “Who’s acting cute?”

I’m being serious here, and he’s teasing me again?

Well… she was cute, but still!

“Because Nino acting serious is automatically cute,” Shirase said, completely deadpan.

“Shut up!”

Knowing she couldn’t win against his mouth, Nino ended the exchange with a sharp glare.

They reached his bedroom. Shirase opened the closet—rows of neatly arranged compartments, organized like a department store display.

Nino spotted his boxers and went bright red, turning her head away with exaggerated indifference… though her eyes snuck another peek.

Shirase pulled out a pair of familiar white thigh-highs. “See? Clean and intact. Your socks are perfectly safe.”

Nino blushed harder, puffing up her cheeks. “Who knows if you did something bad first and then washed them?”

Shirase rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You’ve got a point. So how do I prove my innocence?”

“You’re asking me?”

“Oh, right. That’s not fair to you. How about this—I’ll reenact the situation right here, and you can judge for yourself.”

“You—y-you’re serious?” Her voice trembled; her face turned scarlet.

Before she could process it, Shirase had already dropped the socks, stepped forward, and wrapped her in a sudden embrace.

Soft. Warm. Fragrant.

All of Nino’s strength melted away. She looked up at him, her voice small and breathy. “Let me go.”

Shirase didn’t move an inch. “You seem to be forgetting something.”

“What?” She could barely meet his gaze.

“Your socks might be safe—but a girl walking into a boy’s room alone? That’s where the real danger is.”

“You’re the dangerous one here!”

Her heartbeat quickened. His hold wasn’t even that tight, yet her chest rose and fell fast, her breath catching until she had to part her lips slightly just to breathe.

“Kana-nee’s over at Kirisu-sensei’s place,” Shirase murmured close to her ear.

The meaning was obvious—no one was coming home soon.

Her delicate earlobes turned pink. “W-why are you telling me that? It’s not like I came here for Kana-nee,” she whispered, her eyes trembling as they met his.

She already knew exactly where this was going.

And yet—she didn’t move away.

Instead, she closed her eyes, her breathing slowing, steadying, as if readying herself.

Then, right on cue, Shirase leaned in and pressed a soft, deliberate kiss against her waiting lips.

---

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!