Who Can Resist Nakano Nino? [162]

“Cut!”

The director’s voice rang out, and the cameras stopped rolling.

The male lead was about to confront Shirase for going off-script, but the director got there first. “Shirase-kun, why didn’t you shoot just now?”

Unhurried, Shirase pointed at the dazed goalkeeper. “Because passing was the better choice.”

The male lead jumped in. “But that wasn’t in the script!”

“Well,” Shirase said calmly, “did you think that goal just now was enjoyable to watch? Was it beautiful?”

“It was beautiful,” the director answered bluntly—to everyone’s surprise.

Nakano Ichika stepped forward next. “I agree—it looked great. I don’t know much about soccer, but watching a clean, coordinated play like that is way more exciting than a solo shot.”

“Yeah, we think so too,” a few crew members chimed in from the sidelines.

Interestingly, most of the voices backing Shirase were female.

The male lead finally clammed up.

“That take’s perfect as-is—no need for a redo.” The director looked at Shirase, eyes gleaming. “For the next shots, go wild with your soccer skills. The flashier, the better. Even if the moves would make pros roll their eyes—if they look good to the general audience, that’s what we want.”

“Got it,” Shirase said with a nod.

He wasn’t great at showy freestyle tricks anyway, but he could make solid moves look cool enough.

After that, filming went surprisingly smoothly.

The director kept his eyes glued to Shirase, murmuring, “What a beautiful move… can’t believe he actually pulled off a pro-level dribble like that…”

The male lead beside him just looked lost.

Meanwhile, Nakano Ichika, mingling with the extras playing fans, barely needed to act—she was genuinely captivated, eyes following Shirase’s every move.

Each time he darted past an opponent, her heartbeat sped up uncontrollably.

When Shirase’s stunt scenes finally wrapped, he came off the field and Ichika hurried over, handing him a towel with a warm smile. “How are you feeling? Tired?”

“Not really. Just worked up a sweat.” Shirase glanced back at the extras, who still looked stunned, and joked, “If the director hadn’t yelled cut, I’d probably still be running out there.”

Ichika covered her mouth and laughed. “Hey, we’re filming here. Be serious.”

“Alright, everyone, get ready! Next up, close-ups for the lead actor!”

The director called out instructions, then jogged over to Shirase and pumped his hand enthusiastically. “Shirase-kun, just how many surprises are you hiding?”

“Uh… what do you mean?” Shirase asked, confused.

“Last time, when you demonstrated those martial arts moves—I even asked professionals about them afterward. They said your form was incredibly precise, like someone who’s trained since childhood!”

Before Shirase could think of an answer, the director continued confidently, “If I had to guess, you must be one of those genius prodigies everyone’s been talking about, right?”

He’s already written the story for me?

Keeping a straight face, Shirase nodded solemnly. “You’re right. I am one of those rare geniuses. Can’t believe you saw through me when I tried to hide it so well. As expected of a top director—your insight is truly impressive.”

“I knew it!” the director exclaimed, gripping his hand even tighter.

Off to the side, Nakano Ichika turned away, shoulders shaking with laughter.

After chatting a bit more, the director suddenly turned to her. “By the way, Ichika—your performance just now was so natural, really genuine. Especially that moment when your heart skipped a beat—it was perfect.”

“Eh?”

Ichika froze.

Then she felt her cheeks grow warm.

Shirase cut in, casual as ever. “Obviously, she was just charmed by me. Totally normal—there must be, what, eight or ten thousand girls like her?”

Ichika burst out laughing, relieved. “Since when did you get so shameless?”

She could tell he was helping her out.

But the kinder you are to me… what am I supposed to do later?

For someone who prided herself on being composed and mature, Ichika suddenly found her heart in turmoil.

Since Shirase didn’t have any more scenes, he got to relax on the sidelines.

During the break, the agency manager he’d met last time showed up again. After a short chat, Shirase realized even the director was signed under her agency.

As before, he politely turned her offer down.

Though disappointed, the manager kept her professional smile. “Then please take some more time to consider—it’s not urgent. Oh, but surely you won’t skip the celebration party two days from now? Thanks to your appearance, the ratings have skyrocketed.”

“Celebration party?” Shirase blinked.

The woman looked even more surprised. “Nakano-san didn’t tell you? That can’t be right! Considering how close you two are, she definitely would’ve mentioned it.”

Both of them turned to look at Ichika, who was chatting with a few crew members nearby.

“She really hasn’t told me. I’ll ask her later,” Shirase said.

He was puzzled too. Normally, she’d have brought it up casually.

When Ichika walked over, Shirase asked right away, “What’s this celebration party about? And what’s it got to do with me?”

“Eh? You already know?” Ichika blinked, then gave a sheepish laugh. “I was planning to tell you later.”

“Is it something important?” Shirase asked, more confused than ever.

Maybe it was his imagination, but Ichika’s smile carried a faint mix of embarrassment and anticipation.

Slowly, she said, “The ratings boost actually is because of you. Your performance drew in a ton of female viewers. They’ve been talking about you online, promoting the show, even calling the station to ask about you. As for the party… I can’t skip it, but I’m still missing a date.”

“Oh?” Shirase leaned back a little. No wonder the director was so enthusiastic today.

“I was hoping you’d come with me,” Ichika said softly, eyes meeting his.

“Oh.” Shirase leaned back even farther.

“If you agree,” she added teasingly, “I’ll grant you any request you want~”

Shirase immediately struck a thoughtful pose.

Before he could answer, Ichika cut in, “No chest-breaking bricks.”

Shirase frowned. “Then… head-breaking bricks?”

“Why are all your ideas so weird? Does that sound like a normal thing to ask a girl to do?”

“You’re right. Let’s stick with chest-breaking bricks.”

“...”

Ichika laughed and kicked his leg lightly. “You’re impossible.”

But what she didn’t realize was how sweet and radiant her smile had become in that moment.

---

T/N: ive never watched quintuplets how did fuutarou rizz up the girls

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!