Who Can Resist Nakano Nino? [169]

Naturally, the speaker was Shirase—and Yukinoshita Yukino stood right beside him.

Still reeling from Haruno’s sharp teasing, Nakano Ichika turned in surprise. Seeing Shirase there, she instinctively opened her mouth, but he spoke first.

“If Haruno-san really wants someone to toy with, she can pick on me instead,” he said evenly. Then, putting on a tired, world-weary expression, he added solemnly, “Though I’m not sure I can handle the psychological damage.”

Haruno couldn’t help laughing. “So openly defending Ichika—aren’t you two close?”

Ichika’s cheeks reddened; she stayed silent.

Yukino, standing beside Shirase, frowned faintly. For some reason, her sister’s words felt oddly directed at her—even though Haruno hadn’t even glanced her way.

“Ichika and I are close,” Shirase said calmly. “When I first met the quintuplets, she was the one who came up to me first.”

“I see,” Haruno mused. “So whether it’s knowing each other first or getting close first, Ichika’s always been one step ahead?”

Shirase gave her a sidelong look. “You’re not one of those people studying Shirogane Theory, are you? You should be careful—followers of that faith tend to get beaten to death. Brutally, too. Scared yet?”

“I have no idea what that means,” Haruno said with a laugh, “but I think I get the gist.” Her gaze flicked between him and her sister. “So tell me, are you and Ichika kindred spirits—or confidants?”

Ichika immediately perked up.

“Is there a difference?” Shirase countered.

“Of course. A kindred spirit is someone you resonate with. A confidant is someone you trust. Which one fits you two?”

“Can’t it be both?”

“Greedy, aren’t you?”

“Not greedy—just efficient,” Shirase said easily. “Though, given the chance, I’d also like to become your confidant, Haruno-san.”

“Oh?” Haruno’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “And what about Yukino?”

Yukino stiffened slightly, irritation flickering behind her cool expression—but she still couldn’t stop herself from glancing toward him.

Ichika, fully recovered by now, stood quietly at Shirase’s side, her gaze soft as she studied his calm profile.

“Yukinoshita-san?” Shirase sighed, feigning frustration. “She doesn’t even let me look at her. Even if I wanted to be her confidant, I doubt it’s possible.”

Yukino exhaled silently. There it is again… that ridiculous reverse psychology of his.

Haruno nodded slowly, a teasing smile curving her lips. “I understand now. So Shirase-kun isn’t just bold—he’s naughty too. Interested in both sisters, hm?”

Instead of answering, Shirase asked casually, “Haruno-san, you know the law that says, ‘the greater the mass, the greater the attraction,’ right?”

Haruno blinked. “You mean Newton’s law of universal gravitation? Why bring that up now?”

“With two women of such high quality standing here,” Shirase said gravely, “the gravitational pull toward me naturally increases. So my attraction isn’t about being naughty—it’s just physics.”

For once, Haruno was caught off guard. “…You’re really going to twist physics like that?”

Yukino’s lips curved slightly. Exactly as I thought—he hides all his flattery behind pseudo-intellectual nonsense.

Ichika, on the other hand, was just stunned that Shirase could trade blows so casually with Haruno and still come out on top.

“You’re just making excuses~” Haruno recovered quickly, eyes sparkling. “So tell me, Shirase-kun—are you a ‘high-mass boy’ or one with strong gravitational pull?”

“How about ‘tall and hard’?” Shirase said, quoting a certain infamous movie line.

He never used big to describe himself. After all, years of cinema had proven—big didn’t always mean hard.

“Not the best wording,” Haruno said with a laugh, “but I think I like you more and more. What should I do about that?”

Before Shirase could fire back, Haruno smiled sweetly and pressed a finger against her cherry-pink lips. “No more excuses, or I’ll get angry.”

Shirase sighed. “You can tease all you want, but I can’t answer in kind? That’s some next-level double standard.”

Or as he muttered wryly to himself:
The beauty flirts without restraint, yet the poet’s verses are forbidden.
If not for the confines of this hall, I’d let loose a storm of words instead.

Haruno chuckled softly, then after a few more pleasantries, took his LINE contact before gliding away with her usual effortless grace.

Shirase, unbothered, returned to the buffet and resumed eating.

As he sampled the food, he pointed out to Ichika which dishes were worth trying.

“You were amazing back there,” Ichika said quietly, nibbling on a pastry. “When I was talking to Haruno-san earlier, I couldn’t even find a way to breathe, let alone talk back.”

As Yukino walked off briefly to refill her drink, Ichika took the chance to whisper what had happened before.

Shirase chuckled. “That’s just Haruno. If she already knew you were acting, she probably planned it long in advance.”

“Planned what?”

“To tease you, obviously.”

“That’s…” Ichika trailed off, deflated. Her pride, usually unshakable, had taken a real hit tonight.

Still… he stepped in for me.

She looked up, her pale cheeks softly illuminated by the warm lights, a faint blush lingering.

She opened her mouth to say something more—but then the lights dimmed, and a gentle melody floated through the hall.

The ball had officially begun.

Ichika stayed quiet and returned to her dessert.

Couples began stepping out onto the dance floor, faces lit with shy smiles, while others stood aside, obviously rejected.

Feeling pleasantly full, Shirase glanced toward the center—and immediately spotted Hayama Hayato gliding across the floor with a beautiful young woman in his arms.

You brat—you ditched greeting me just to go dance?

Shirase muttered under his breath and turned away, only to find Yukino returning.

“Aren’t you going to dance?” he asked casually.

Yukino studied him for a moment before giving a small, knowing smile. “Is that your way of inviting me? If you asked properly, maybe I’d consider it.”

“Don’t joke around. I barely learned the steps. If I step on your toes, you’ll end up crying all the way home.”

“What ridiculous thing are you saying now?”

Ignoring her sigh, Shirase took another sip of juice. “By the way, your fingernails are fine now, right? That collision last time looked bad. Would’ve been a shame if it ruined how nice your hands look.”

Yukino blinked, caught off guard. “They’ve healed completely.”

“That’s good. If your nails ended up looking like chicken claws because of me, I’d feel terrible.”

As Shirase rambled, Yukino turned her gaze toward the couples on the dance floor.

If he asked me now… I might not say no.

In the dim glow, Yukinoshita Yukino’s cheeks flushed faintly, her serene smile as soft as starlight.

Coincidentally, Nakano Ichika—standing just a few steps away—was thinking the exact same thing.

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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!