Who Can Resist Nakano Nino? [175]

Monday noon.

Shirase had managed to claim a good spot in the cafeteria.

It was tucked away in a quiet corner, far from the chatter and clatter of the lunch rush. Unless someone deliberately looked, no one would even notice him sitting there.

He wasn’t quite as extreme as Yukinoshita Yukino—who actively sought solitude—but he naturally drifted toward quiet places when alone.

Even when getting a haircut, if the barbershop already had customers and the stylist seemed busy, he’d just walk out and find another one.

At this rate, it’ll probably take another month or two before I unlock that so-called new feature.

Shirase calculated silently. Ever since acquiring the [Immersive Hosting] feature, he’d been using it to cram studies, practice skills, even simulate conversations.

He’d lost count of how many times he’d used it, yet the progress bar for the new feature—[It Takes Two]—was still stubbornly stuck at 30%.

“Why are you hiding here all by yourself?”

A familiar female voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Shirase looked up and saw Isshiki Iroha approaching, tray in hand. Without waiting for a reply, she plopped down across from him.

“...You’re just going to sit down first and then ask if it’s okay?”

“I figured you looked lonely eating all alone,” Isshiki said cheerfully, smiling until her eyes curved like little crescents. “Having me talk to you should make you happy.”

“Since when do I need company to eat?” Shirase muttered. “But whatever. It’s a cafeteria, not my private property.”

He went back to eating as Isshiki stole quick glances at him over her chopsticks.

“I heard from Hayama-senpai that you’re actually an amazing cook. Is that true?”

“I suppose.”

“What’s with that half-hearted answer?”

“Because no matter how nicely you ask, I’m not cooking for you.”

“You—!” Isshiki puffed up her cheeks, leaning forward a little. Her hair swayed with the motion. “Shirase-kun, why are you being so mean to me all of a sudden?”

“Because it’s obvious you came here with an ulterior motive,” Shirase said flatly. “More precisely, you need me for something.”

He’d never once seen Isshiki in the cafeteria before. She even knew he usually ate here instead of bringing a bento. For her to suddenly show up now could only mean one thing.

“…Looks like you saw through me.” Isshiki slumped in defeat. “A senpai from the Drama Club asked me to pass along an invitation. She wants you to help them out.”

Shirase raised an eyebrow. “Leaving aside that ‘also’—I’ve never spoken to anyone in Drama Club. Why would a senpai I don’t even know approach me?”

Isshiki’s lips curved into a mischievous grin.

Realization hit him instantly. “Ah, I see. Yet another woman lusting after my body.”

“Pfft—hey! Don’t say weird stuff like that while I’m eating!” Isshiki burst out laughing, nearly choking on her rice.

A few nearby students turned to stare before quietly looking away.

“I’m just stating facts,” Shirase said, unbothered. “So? What’s the real story?”

Isshiki chuckled sheepishly. “That senpai actually asked Hayama-senpai first. He warned me she might approach me next. Looks like he was right.”

“Then just pretend you never saw me,” Shirase said easily. “Or tell her I’m not interested. No—wait. She wouldn’t specifically pick you as her messenger if it were that simple, would she?”

“As expected, you’re sharp,” Isshiki sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell you. It’s for the Cultural Festival.”

“No wonder.”

Everything clicked immediately. So, the Drama Club was preparing for the festival and had set their sights on him.

“She invited Hayama too, didn’t she?”

“Mm-hmm~” Isshiki nodded.

“Ambitious woman,” Shirase said dryly. “Going after two birds with one stone.”

Isshiki only gave a sly smile.

She wasn’t lying this time—the Drama Club senpai had asked her to invite Shirase five days ago.

But Isshiki had told her flat-out: Shirase-kun definitely won’t agree.

Still, she’d been searching for an excuse to talk to him about something—anything—that might actually hold his interest. And since she knew he always had lunch here, the Drama Club invitation had seemed like the perfect pretext.

And judging by how long their conversation had lasted so far, the plan was working pretty well.

Isshiki lowered her head to her food, cheeks faintly pink, already thinking about how to keep the chat going.

But before she could speak again—

“Shirase-kun! Can we sit here with you?”

A bright, cheerful voice came from behind.

Isshiki froze mid-bite and turned.

The first thing she saw was Nakano Yotsuba’s radiant smile—followed by Ichika, Nino, Miku, and Itsuki trailing behind her.

All five sisters.

Here.

At once.

“Sure,” Shirase said, shifting slightly inward to make room.

“Nino, you sit next to him~!” Yotsuba chirped mischievously, motioning toward the empty seat beside him.

Nino glared, cheeks tinged pink, but sat down anyway with a curt little hmph.

Once all five sisters were settled, Yotsuba turned her bright gaze on Isshiki Iroha, who looked a bit uncomfortable under the sudden attention. “Isshiki-san, why are you here too? Did something big happen in the soccer club again?”

The other four immediately paused, remembering that Isshiki was the soccer club’s manager.

“No, no, nothing like that,” Isshiki said quickly, forcing a cheerful smile. “I was just chatting casually.”

“Chatting casually?” Nino frowned, giving Shirase a skeptical look.

Shirase didn’t even blink. “A senpai from the Drama Club asked Isshiki-san to invite me to help with their Cultural Festival project.”

“Oh, I see.” Nino nodded slowly—then froze. “Wait, since when do you even know anyone from Drama Club?”

“I don’t,” Shirase replied. “So I turned them down.”

“…Good.” Nino finally looked satisfied.

Ichika cleared her throat softly. “Yotsuba, shouldn’t you tell Shirase-kun why we actually came?”

“The real reason?”

Before Shirase could react, Yotsuba straightened in her seat, eyes shining. “Right! We talked about it yesterday and decided—we want to go to the seaside amusement park this weekend!”

Shirase smiled faintly, though the amusement in his eyes was unmistakable. “And studying? Don’t tell me you’re planning to toss the tutoring aside.”

Yotsuba waved her hands. “We still have Sunday! We can study half a day, then you can come with us after that. It’s perfect, right?”

“Not happening,” Shirase said immediately, tapping his chopsticks against the table. His gaze swept over the five sisters one by one.

Each one either looked away or shrank a little under his stare—except Ichika, who met it head-on with a serene, teasing smile.

Shirase sighed. “This was your idea, wasn’t it, Ichika?”

Yotsuba froze mid-bite, clearly debating whether to lie but unable to do it.

“It was my suggestion,” Ichika admitted, smiling.

“Request denied.”

“Eh? That’s too fast! You didn’t even think about it…” Yotsuba whined softly.

Isshiki, who had been quietly observing, decided to chime in. “Shirase-kun, are you their tutor? I think balancing study and fun is important, you know. A little break might help their focus!”

Encouraged, Yotsuba nodded eagerly. “Yeah, exactly! Balance between study and relaxation!”

Shirase raised an eyebrow. “You just learned that phrase from Isshiki-san, didn’t you?”

Yotsuba’s face flushed crimson. “W-well—!”

“Why won’t you just give us a break?” Even Miku finally spoke up, joining the attack.

Shirase shot her a pointed look. “You, of all people, want to go out? Didn’t you say you prefer staying home?”

Miku hesitated, then admitted honestly, “I do. But everyone was so excited last night, and we talked about it for a long time. It’s rare for all five of us to go out together. I thought… it’d be nice.”

“We all feel that way,” Ichika said quickly, seizing the momentum. “Shirase-kun, come on, help us out~.”

She glanced toward Nino for backup—but Nino didn’t even notice. She was too busy eyeing Isshiki Iroha.

From the moment the five sisters arrived, Nino had seen Isshiki’s expression shift from cheerful to stiff, her smile faltering before she eventually forced it back again.

Now that she’d perked up, Nino’s suspicion deepened. A sneaky little fox, trying to play games right in front of me? she thought coldly.

She listened to the conversation but stayed quiet—for now.

Ichika and the others kept pressing, even Itsuki eventually joining in, while Isshiki offered supportive comments from the sidelines.

By the time lunch ended, Shirase set down his chopsticks and faced five pairs of hopeful eyes. “Since you’re all so determined, I’ll seriously consider it.”

Yotsuba and Itsuki instantly broke into smiles, and even Miku looked visibly relieved.

Only Ichika stayed composed, her tone light and teasing. “Can’t you decide right now?”

“I’ll think about it,” Shirase said. “Remember, I’m being paid to tutor you. I already planned out your lessons for the weekend.”

His gaze swept over them again. “Your grades have all improved, haven’t they? Your teachers, classmates, even you yourselves have noticed.”

That reminder hit harder than expected—even Nino looked a little guilty. Their improvements were undeniable, and all of it was thanks to Shirase’s effort.

But Ichika wasn’t finished.

With a playful glint in her eye, she finally played her trump card. “If you come to the seaside park, Shirase-kun, I’ll hold Nino down for you so you can put sunscreen on her~!”

“Ichika! Why would you say something like that?!” Nino’s face turned scarlet. Sunscreen? She could handle that herself! And if she couldn’t reach her back… she could ask Shirase on her own terms!

Ichika pretended not to notice Nino’s glare and went in for the kill. “Don’t you want to see Nino in a cute swimsuit?”

“Yes,” Shirase replied instantly.

“…Didn’t even hesitate,” Miku muttered dryly.

Ignoring her, Shirase nodded solemnly. “You’re right. Balancing work and rest is important. This weekend, we’ll all go to the seaside amusement park together.”

Four of the sisters immediately cheered.

Isshiki lowered her head, silently stabbing her rice. Why does the sushi taste so sour today? she thought gloomily.

Nino glared at Shirase, still red-faced. Just wait. I’ll deal with you later.

“Oh, right!” Itsuki suddenly turned to Isshiki. “Isshiki-san, do you want to come with us too?”

“Huh? Wouldn’t I be intruding?” Isshiki asked, surprised.

“Of course not,” Itsuki said warmly. “You helped us fight against Shirase-kun, our demon king, after all!”

“When did I become a demon king?” Shirase asked in exasperation.

“Just now.” Itsuki giggled softly. Finally noticing me, huh?

Nino’s pout deepened—she was clearly not happy about Isshiki joining, but since the others didn’t object, she couldn’t complain outright.

Then Ichika spoke up again, smiling sweetly. “Since Isshiki-san’s coming, why don’t we invite one more person? The more, the merrier.”

Shirase looked suspicious. “Who else?”

“Yukinoshita-san,” Ichika said lightly.

“Yukinoshita?” Isshiki and the sisters all looked equally startled. None of them had expected that name.

Shirase narrowed his eyes. “What are you scheming?”

“Absolutely nothing~” Ichika said innocently. “You all know about our short film project. Yukinoshita-san agreed to help me with it, remember? Since we’re already going out, we might as well invite her too.”

“Be honest,” Shirase said flatly.

Ichika hesitated a beat, then smiled wryly. “Fine. I just thought—even though Yukinoshita-san’s chest is pretty flat, she’d still look adorable in a swimsuit.”

“Why bring up her chest at all?” Yotsuba asked blankly.

Shirase’s eyelid twitched. He instantly grasped Ichika’s real intent.

A quick glance around the table confirmed it: not a single one of the six girls here could be called flat-chested.

The image that popped into his mind—six curvy girls in swimsuits standing next to Yukinoshita Yukino—was nothing short of apocalyptic.

If that day ever came, he prayed silently for Yukino’s mental health.

---

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!