Who Can Resist Nakano Nino? [177]

The job of gathering intel on their next opponents ultimately landed on Shirase and Isshiki Iroha.

But Shirase decided to go solo.

It wasn’t that he disliked Isshiki—far from it. She worked hard, did her job well, and got along with everyone in the soccer club. He had no complaints about her at all.

It was just that… his “research methods” were a little unorthodox.

After all, how could he possibly tell Isshiki, “Hey, I dreamed about our opponents last night and played over a hundred simulated matches against them. Pretty neat, huh?”

That would sound way too insane.

After school, Shirase left campus with Nakano Nino. On the way home, he brought up the short film project again.

“Yotsuba’s already on board, and I didn’t exactly refuse either,” Nino said. “Miku’s made it clear she’s not interested. And Itsuki said she’s only in if you’re willing to provide meals for the whole crew.”

Her look made it obvious: You deal with it.

“Yeah, sounds about right,” Shirase said, nodding.

“So, what now? You’re just giving up?” Nino asked, still curious.

According to Ichika, this whole film thing had been Shirase’s idea. Even if Nino herself wasn’t big on filmmaking, she was still willing to help him if it mattered to him.

“We’ll figure it out later. There’s still time, and the equipment isn’t even ready yet, right?” Shirase said casually.

“The equipment’s already sorted. Ichika and Yotsuba are picking it up tonight. Oh, and Ichika said Yukinoshita messaged her—she’s agreed to write the script.”

“Huh? Yukinoshita’s writing the script?” Shirase perked up immediately.

“Yeah. I don’t really like her, but honestly, with our lineup, she’s the only one qualified,” Nino admitted, clearly irritated.

Shirase went quiet.

He remembered what he’d once declared, right in front of Yukinoshita Yukino and Nakano Ichika:

“One day, I’ll have you both wear sexy sailor uniforms.”

Ichika had probably brushed it off—she knew what kind of nonsense Shirase spouted sometimes.

But Yukinoshita Yukino…

She definitely hadn’t forgotten.

In fact, she’d probably remember that for life.

A heavy sense of dread settled in his chest.

She wouldn’t… use her position as scriptwriter to force him into a maid costume, would she?

If that happened, there was no way he was showing up on set.

At the intersection, Shirase and Nino split up—she was heading home to change.

When Shirase got home, the house was empty. Kojima Kana wasn’t back yet. He flopped onto the sofa, phone in hand.

He had Yukinoshita Yukino’s number.

Guess I’ll call her. I can use Ichika’s seaside amusement park invite as an excuse and test the waters.

Once he had his plan, he dialed.

It barely rang three seconds before she picked up. Her cool, composed voice came through immediately.

“You’re actually calling me? So, what troublesome favor do you need this time?”

“Can’t I call just to chat?” Shirase asked, unbothered.

“I suppose it’s possible,” Yukinoshita replied dryly. “But if you truly wanted to chat, you’d come here instead of calling.”

“I just finished training. How would I know if you’re still at the clubroom? What if I showed up for nothing?”

“Cut the excuses. Get to the point.” Her tone made it clear she had zero patience for his games.

“Do you have plans this weekend?”

“I’ll be home reading.”

“Reading’s good. I like reading too. Lately, I’ve been into How the Steel Was Tempered.”

“Then maybe you should try How a Fool Is Tempered. That seems more your level.”

“Is that even a real book?”

“Who knows?”

A soft laugh followed her words—light, unguarded. Even though Shirase always teased and needled her, for some reason she didn’t mind anymore. If anything, she’d started to find their bickering oddly enjoyable.

What a strange development.

Gathering herself, Yukinoshita asked, “So what’s this really about? You need me for something this weekend?”

“Technically, it’s Ichika who does. She wants to invite you to the seaside amusement park.”

“Nakano Ichika-san?”

The instant that name came up, Yukinoshita’s voice cooled several degrees. “Not interested.”

Shirase’s expression twitched. What kind of impression had Ichika left on her? Oh right—she’d been pestering her lately. Makes sense.

“Anything else? If not, I’ll hang up.”

“Wait—” Shirase cut in quickly. “Yukinoshita-san, are you sure you don’t want at least one nice summer memory? Ichika genuinely wants you to relax for once, have fun at the seaside park.”

Silence.

Yukinoshita pressed the speaker button, set her phone aside, and smiled faintly as Shirase’s voice kept rambling on from the speaker.

After a minute, he sounded confused. “Hey, you still there?”

“Finished your dramatic speech?” she asked calmly as she picked up the phone again. “Good. Now I can take you seriously.”

“You actually put the phone down? That’s cold.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Anything else?”

“Let me guess—you’re worried that if you come, I’ll challenge you to a swimming race? Afraid of losing in front of everyone? Can’t have the school’s genius getting beaten by an athletic prodigy like me.”

“Pathetic attempt at provocation. Goodbye.”

Click.

She hung up.

Shirase stared at the screen, deadpan. She didn’t even let me get to the part I wanted to test.

...

Meanwhile, Yukinoshita set her phone down again and opened her notebook, the corners of her lips curling into a sly smile.

Inside were a list of characters with short notes beside each—clearly the script she’d promised Ichika.

But there wasn’t a single entry for Shirase.

“So you wanted to test if I wrote you into a maid role, huh? Keep guessing, Shirase-kun—you’re not getting anything out of me.”

She’d seen through him by the third minute of the call. His whole “weekend swimming” routine had only confirmed it. That’s why she’d ended the call so decisively.

“A seaside amusement park, huh?” she murmured.

The thought of Nakano Ichika popped into her mind—her curvy, mature figure—and Yukinoshita’s expression instantly cooled.

“Just extra fat,” she muttered under her breath.

She didn’t even need to imagine it in full. If she appeared in a swimsuit next to Ichika, Shirase would absolutely start cackling like a cartoon villain.

Expression blank, Yukinoshita picked up her pen and added a new character to the script.

———

Mob Character A.
Actor: Mr. Monkey.
Background: Dies tragically five minutes after appearing—hit by a cement truck.

———

“A sexy sailor uniform? In your dreams, Shirase-kun.”

---

T/N: HJEHEHE MR MONKEY

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!