Nino Nakano: Who Stole a Bite?

"Then come a little closer."

"Okay~"

Nakano Ichika quickly moved closer. She even went up on her tiptoes, bringing her fair, delicate face almost right up against his.

There was no denying that this distance was incredibly intimate.

But as the saying went, nothing got people more worked up than being in that ambiguous in-between.

Nakano Ichika was no exception.

Even though the closeness made her a little shy, she still refused to move away, her bright eyes glimmering with a dewy sheen.

Fushimi Makoto lowered his head and leaned toward her soft pink ear. Putting on a mysterious air, he said, "Aunt Yukinoshita agreed to my request, so when we're alone, Yukinoshita calls me big brother."

Nakano Ichika had been blushing because of his warm breath against her ear, but the moment she heard the rest, she couldn't hold it in anymore.

"She calls you big brother... Pfft, no, I need a moment to laugh."

This time, Nakano Ichika laughed so hard she doubled over.

She truly couldn't imagine Yukino, who was always so serious, calling someone her own age big brother.

Just picturing it for a second was enough to make her burst out laughing.

Fushimi Makoto watched her quietly.

The girl's curvy figure swayed with every burst of laughter.

It reminded Fushimi Makoto of one of the most famous porcelain kilns of the Northern Song dynasty—the Ru Kiln.

According to historical records, the Ru Kiln had to be fired.

It had to be fired—fired hard.

The clueless were still wondering what that meant. Those in the know had already opened their browsers.

Nakano Ichika laughed for a good while before straightening up. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and muttered, "I finally found Yukinoshita's weakness."

"Would you call that a weakness?" Fushimi Makoto asked.

Nakano Ichika grinned. "You could call it leverage, I guess. Whatever you want to call it, at least I won't be at such a disadvantage around her from now on."

Fushimi Makoto said, "I don't understand."

"It doesn't matter if you don't. It's a private matter between girls."

After saying that, Nakano Ichika suddenly grinned mischievously. "Since she calls you big brother, how about I call you that in private too?"

This is what I've been waiting for.

Fushimi Makoto's expression didn't change. "If you're joking, there's no need."

Nakano Ichika blinked slyly. "So you mean you want me to sincerely acknowledge you as my big brother?"

"Of course. Ichika, you're a girl, so you might not know this, but there are two things in this world that make guys happy."

"What two things?"

"One is 'You're pretty good.' The other is someone sincerely calling you big brother."

Hearing that, Nakano Ichika stopped teasing Fushimi Makoto and fell into thought. "I think some of my classmates used to say something similar."

Then she thought about how, if she really acknowledged Fushimi Makoto as her big brother, their relationship would become that of a big brother and little sister.

And someday, the little sister might want to become her big brother's female rider...

That was a pretty thrilling image.

Nakano Ichika's face grew uncontrollably hot.

Fushimi Makoto pretended not to notice. "Well? Are you sure you still want to acknowledge me as your big brother?"

"I can do that." Nakano Ichika quickly put those improper fantasies out of her mind.

Though that kind of relationship was thrilling enough to make her terribly shy, she could accept it as long as no one else found out.

She'd watched romance dramas and read novels. Couples sometimes played "interesting" little games to spice things up and strengthen their relationship.

A faint smile touched the girl's lips. She tilted her pale neck and called out in an exceptionally sweet voice, "Big brother."

She even added, "From now on, I'll call you big brother. I'm not joking this time."

[Congratulations, host. You have completed the beginner mission.]

[Mission reward (Nakano Ichika's Potential Badge): Nakano Ichika's acting career may seem to lack any star power, but she has the potential to become a top star. With this badge, no matter what industry you work in, you have the potential to reach the top.]

Fushimi Makoto's first thought upon seeing the reward was: Did this badge mutate?

Nakano Ichika only had top-tier potential as an actress, but once the badge landed in his hands, it became a true jack-of-all-trades.

Yukino's reward had greatly increased the efficiency of his progress, while Nakano Ichika's raised his potential to the limit. The two rewards complemented each other perfectly.

But the system's mechanical voice kept going.

[Thank you for being so proactive in completing your missions. The system is one step closer to graduating.]

[As we agreed, once you completed the beginner mission, the system would gain more permissions.]

[Although this goes against the rules... Screw it, whatever. I'll help you!]

[Detected that the host has already lived through several decades. You are now a qualified old geezer. As an old geezer, your physical condition has declined significantly with age, so the system has decided to lend you a hand.]

[System gift (Old Man Counterattack Badge): From now on, positive physical enhancements gained by the host during a Time Loop will be retained. There is no limit to how much your physical abilities can improve.]

What a great reward!

Fushimi Makoto perked up.

Previously, because his body reset whenever he was injured during a Time Loop, his physical abilities had remained at the level of an excellent high school student.

With this backdoor from the system, he could finally work toward Baki-level physical strength.

[The host has completed all beginner missions. New feature unlocked: Spend points to activate a Time Loop.]

[Points are earned through the host's areas of expertise. The system will award points at a fair rate.]

[Detected that the host's cooking skills have reached professional level.]

[Detected that the host's writing skills have reached professional level.]

[Detected that the host's tool-repair skills have reached professional level.]

[...]

[Wait, host, how do you know how to do so many things? Did you cheat?]

Fushimi Makoto: If I didn't cheat, how could I be cheating?

Nakano Nino: Who Ate My Food?

For ordinary people, every day had a limited number of hours.

Minors had to keep up with their studies, while adults had to keep up with their careers. That left very little time for anything else.

But Fushimi Makoto was different.

Unless he needed to win over a beautiful girl, he couldn't be bothered to go to school during a Time Loop. He could arrange his time however he liked.

And because every day in a Time Loop repeated itself, he deliberately learned more things to keep his frustration from building and to stop himself from growing numb.

The method worked very well.

From academic knowledge to skills in all kinds of industries, he studied them with complete Focus. That was the best way to keep himself from going numb.

More importantly, the Time Loop reset. Not only did his physical condition reset, but so did his mental state.

That meant he could study at full intensity for twenty hours a day and still be full of energy after the reset.

At that moment, the system detected all sorts of talents in him.

In the end, it converted them into a full thirty million points.

[Host, you definitely cheated!]

The system intern's voice was full of shock.

The system might be shocked, but it had already decided to team up with Fushimi Makoto, so it would keep running as usual.

[The host can spend points to activate a Time Loop. The initial cost of each loop is 10 points, and the cost doubles each time thereafter.]

[Time Loops activated with points work just like Experience Cards. The host can end them at any time.]

[Note: You will not trigger missions during a Time Loop. You can use the time to improve yourself.]

Before the system finally fell silent, it declared loudly in its mechanical voice, [Meeting a host as amazing as you has made my whole life!]

"We're just helping each other out and improving together," Fushimi Makoto replied in his mind.

He spent a little longer walking around with Nakano Ichika before seeing her to the entrance of the upscale apartment building.

"I just remembered something. In your conversation with my father, you mentioned studying. You also said you could help the five of us improve, so..."

Nakano Ichika stood in front of the door with her hands behind her back, her bright eyes brimming with the excitement and anticipation of a young girl. "Are you planning to become our tutor?"

Fushimi Makoto shook his head. "If you mean tutoring you in your studies, I can do that without becoming your tutor."

"Huh? You don't want to?"

"I should be asking you that. Do you think the five of you would be willing?"

Nakano Ichika thought it over. "I'd definitely be willing. Itsuki is your friend, and she's the studious type, so she wouldn't have a problem with it either."

As she went on, she couldn't help laughing. "Nino and Miku would probably be strongly against it. They might even get a bad impression of you because of it."

The bait Fushimi Makoto had set earlier had finally worked. He played along and asked, "Sounds like Yotsuba wouldn't have a problem with it? Still, that's an issue. I'd like to become friends with all five of you."

"Makoto, you're being a little greedy."

Nakano Ichika assumed he was joking and smiled as she spoke. "How about this? We work together to get Nino and the others into a club. Then, if you want to tutor us, they'll have had time to get used to you and won't be so resistant."

Fushimi Makoto said, "Good idea."

And just like that, they settled it.

Nakano Ichika had no idea that this had been Fushimi Makoto's plan from the beginning.

"By the way, what are you planning to do this weekend?" she asked, thinking of the break.

Breaks were days with plenty of room to make plans.

How could she, as his little sister, pass up the chance to make plans for her big brother?

"I'll probably just work out and stay home... Oh, right. If any classmates ask me to play games, I'd be happy to," Fushimi Makoto answered.

"That's just what a boy would plan. So, you've already gotten to know some of your classmates?"

"Just a few. Sometimes I discuss game moves with them."

Game moves?

Nakano Ichika suddenly remembered the things the boys in her class liked to discuss.

She'd used to think those topics were too chuunibyou, but now she thought they were just right.

Besides, she'd noticed that Makoto had been checking out her figure.

Boys really did get excited whenever they saw a beautiful girl with a good figure.

So she smiled and moved closer. "Makoto, I actually know an interesting game move."

One look at her expression was enough for Fushimi Makoto to guess that she had something strange in mind.

Still, he asked, "What move?"

"Come a little closer." She beckoned with a smile.

Fushimi Makoto took a couple of steps closer, wondering what she had in mind.

Now they were less than ten centimeters apart.

Close enough to kiss.

Nakano Ichika was thinking: There's no one around, and the apartment's security cameras can't see this spot.

"The game move I was talking about is..."