Utaha: Whose Kids Are You?

She immediately guessed the answer, "Sister, are you taking a shower?"

"Yeah, I was out all day, and I sweated a lot," Haruno said with a grin. "Yukino's here to check up on me, right?"

"This is not a check-up."

"Hehe, still won't admit it? I love my sister who says one thing but means another."

"Can you please stop being as stupid as some other guy?"

"Oh, I see. The guy you were talking about has already gone home." Haruno guessed the reason for her sister's call.

Yukino turned to look at Utaha, as if to say: Now you see?

Utaha simply smiled.

The two sisters chatted for a few minutes and then hung up the phone.

Yukino put her phone back and said sarcastically, "Does senpai have anything else to say?"

Utaha, still smiling, asked, "Is it possible that they went home separately after they had had enough fun?"

Yukino had truly reached her limit this time. She had just shown a look of disgust and hadn't even had a chance to speak when Utaha said, "Don't forget, Haruno looks remarkably like you."

"So?" Yukino was taken aback.

Utaha said slowly, "Haruno's figure is better than yours."

Yukino's face darkened. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I just wanted to tell you that a little vigilance isn't a bad thing." Utaha's words were clearly loaded with meaning.

Yukino understood too.

After a brief silence, Utaha seemed to feel that the two of them had gotten along well that day, so she added a reminder: "Although you are sisters, don't forget that there is a living example right in front of us."

Yukino fell silent.

The other person was referring to the five Nakano Family sisters.

Now that things have come to this, both Yukino and Utaha can see that something is wrong with the five sisters.

If Yotsuba's feelings for Fushimi Makoto are merely admiration, then the emotions displayed by the other four in their daily lives are far more complex.

However, there was one thing Yukino couldn't understand: what exactly was Nakano Ichika thinking?

Letting her younger sister compete with her for the boy she likes? That doesn't seem like her usual style.

Or is there a deeper hidden story behind this?

"I can tell your heart is in turmoil," Utaha's voice rang in my ears.

Yukino suddenly met her senior's gaze. "Kasumigaoka- senpai, what do you think of the five girls from the Nakano Family?"

"The Nakano Family? To be honest, I've noticed a lot of problems, but I haven't quite figured them out." Utaha changed from leaning back to leaning forward.

Clearly, she was very interested in this topic as well.

"I'm about the same as you," Yukino said softly.

Utaha crossed her arms, this time not showing off her chest, but seriously pondering. "Apart from Nino, I haven't had much contact with the other four, you could even say my understanding of them is still superficial."

"As for me, I know Ichika and Itsuki better." Seeing that the other party was being honest, Yukino didn't hide anything either.

"So, if we piece it all together and round it off, it's equivalent to knowing all of them?"

"... What nonsense are you talking about, senior? The five of them have completely different personalities, and their thought processes are naturally different as well."

"Just kidding."

Utaha smiled easily, but she was nervous inside.

She had just become interested and subconsciously said Nino's name.

This was something that absolutely should not have been revealed!

Because of their teamwork, she and Nino are not only "colleagues in the cycling circle," but their friendship has also deepened considerably in their daily lives.

Utaha knew how amazing Yukino's insight was; if she had said a few more words, the other party might have actually become suspicious.

She thought for a moment, then decisively changed the subject. "Do you think Miss Haruno has been hiding anything from you?"

"You mean the time she was alone with Fushimi today?" Yukino understood immediately.

"Yes."

To Utaha's surprise, when she gave an affirmative answer, Yukino did not respond as decisively as before.

After nearly ten seconds, Yukino said hesitantly, "Given my sister's personality, she's probably hiding something from me, but I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill."

"Is that so?" Utaha chuckled lightly, too lazy to continue.

She didn't have much suspicion about Haruno, but because of the example of the five sisters, she was already wary of the word "sister."

Before the two got back to business, Utaha casually remarked, "Perhaps Haruno- san is having a long phone conversation with Fushimi right now."

Yukino didn't believe it at all.

In fact, Utaha guessed wrong this time.

Haruno was still in the bathroom; she hadn't touched her phone since she ended her call with her sister.

Because she was completely overwhelmed by her emotions.

In other words, she's "entertaining herself" by playing the in-game currency in Happy Landlords.

The following afternoon, Fushimi Makoto, Yumiko, and Nakano Itsuki stood in a corner of the classroom, watching a portion of the video that Hayato Hayama had filmed.

All the videos are very short, mostly 2-3 minutes long, because they did this specifically to upload to short video platforms.

After the three videos finished playing, Yumiko and Nakano Itsuki showed the same pained expression.

Fushimi Makoto, however, was deep in thought.

"What do you guys think?" Hayato Hayama and Aota looked a little nervous.

Yumiko covered her forehead, her pained expression suggesting she had seen something unbearable.

Finally, she muttered with disgust, "It's hard to swallow."

Nakano Itsuki hesitated for a moment, and to save face for the boys, she softened her tone a bit. "It's a type of video I don't understand, but with the internet so developed now, I guess some people will like it."

The boys' hearts sank; they could only place their hopes on Fushimi Makoto.

"It's very abstract, and also very difficult to handle," Fushimi Makoto said, pointing at Hayato Hayama: "Especially you."

"I?"

"Yeah, with that handsome face of yours, you're not used for serious roles, but instead you're performing in such an abstract way. I have to say, the contrast is quite something and makes you want to complain."

"Wait, is that a compliment or an insult?"

"Of course I'm praising you," Fushimi Makoto said sincerely.

After watching Hayato Hayama's abstract performance in "Tokyo Past," he felt as if he were reliving Kanna Hashimoto's "self-destructive image" in a certain drama.

But the stronger the contrast, the stronger the urge to criticize it.

"So, we can keep going like this?" Hayato Hayama was relieved; in terms of filming, he was already Fushimi Makoto.

"You can definitely keep it up. Anyway, I think everyone performed well, especially you, Hayama. You showed me the potential of your Abstract Sacred Body."

"... If I could, I really wouldn't need this potential."

Yumiko and Nakano Itsuki looked at each other in bewilderment.

They simply couldn't accept these abstract videos, but Fushimi Makoto gave an affirmative answer, making them wonder if their comprehension was insufficient, which was why they hadn't discovered the appeal of these videos.

Once everyone relaxed, the conversation turned to everyday trivialities.

However, Aota mentioned something that Fushimi Makoto's interest. "This afternoon I saw a particularly interesting news story online. An internal conflict broke out between the employees and the owner of a well-known pachinko parlor, which eventually escalated into a large-scale brawl."

Yumiko frowned her pretty brows. "What's so interesting about this kind of thing?"

Nakano Itsuki also said, "Since it was a gang fight, the scene must have been very chaotic, and there might even have been bloodshed."

"No, no, no, that's not the point." Aota waved his hand with a smile. "The funniest part of this incident is that when those employees were fighting with the boss, they were shouting about bonds and friendship, and then they got into a fierce brawl with the boss."

Yumiko and the others all had question marks on their faces.

"You're not kidding?" Hayato Hayama skeptically. "Reality isn't a manga, and pachinko parlors are gambling establishments, right? How could casino employees shout out such melodramatic lines like in a shonen manga?"

"I'm really not joking." Seeing that no one believed her, Aota panicked and simply took out her phone to find the news.

Fushimi Makoto also went over and saw that the pachinko parlor in the video was in complete chaos, with many tables, chairs and machines smashed. Judging from the shooting angle, it should have been filmed by customers who had come to watch the fun.

The most exciting part of the entire video is at the 32-second mark, when the manager whose glasses were Fushimi Makoto yesterday, with a furious expression, rolls up his sleeves and shouts, "You bastard, don't underestimate our bond!"

Then he sped up and delivered a not-so-perfect Leo Kick landed squarely on his boss's face.

"There really are people like this in real life?" Yumiko and the others were all shocked.

If this incident hadn't made the news, and the video of the fight wasn't so intense, everyone would have thought it was just a staged scene.

"What's the follow-up to this news?" Fushimi Makoto asked.

Aota put away his phone and laughed, "I heard they've all ended up in the hospital, and the police have gotten involved. What's interesting, though, is that because this guy's performance was so eye-catching, some people online are saying that a popular media outlet wants to cast him in a short drama."

"If he can deliver such awkward lines so seriously in real life, I think he's definitely capable," Hayato Hayama joked, a rare occurrence for him.

Everyone agreed with this statement.

Before the last class in the afternoon, Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly found Fushimi Makoto.

Before class started, she pulled Fushimi Makoto outside, whispered something to him for a while, and then looked at him with an expectant yet shy gaze.

"Are you serious?" Fushimi Makoto, his face showing surprise.

Hiratsuka Shizuka seemed embarrassed as well, her gaze darting away. "You should be willing to help, right? I even convinced Mayu, so we can go together after school."

"Helping is no problem, but you're being too... childlike? I don't know if that's an accurate description."

"Oh, that's not the point. As long as you're willing to help, that's fine."

After school, Hiratsuka Shizuka, along with the very shy Matsukaze Mayu, went home with Fushimi Makoto.

Then, they were shrunk to the size of elementary school students by the Shrinking Flashlight.

Afterwards, the three of them went to a famous restaurant. Hiratsuka Shizuka and composed, said to the waiter, "We'd like two children's meals, please."

For Fushimi Makoto felt so embarrassed that he wanted to run away.

That's right, Hiratsuka Shizuka specifically sought him out so she could experience the restaurant's recently trending children's meal as a "child".

"Don't keep staring at me like that, it makes me feel embarrassed!" Hiratsuka Shizuka glared at Fushimi Makoto, her face flushed slightly.

Fushimi Makoto looked away, both amused and exasperated. "You're really something else."

"Alright, alright, stop talking. We'll make it up to you tonight."

"Um?"

So, you also use a honey trap, right?

Fushimi Makoto recalled that classic illustration about the honey trap.

Chapter 402 Utaha: Whose children are you?

If it weren't for the Shrinking Flashlight, Hiratsuka Shizuka would never have thought of bringing her best friend to eat the kids' meal.

She wasn't greedy; she simply wanted this novel experience.

Although she felt both embarrassed and secretly pleased when the waitress praised her for being "so cute, little one."

She's almost thirty, so of course she'd be happy if a girl genuinely complimented her on being cute.

Even if the other party was deceived by the Shrinking Flashlight.

"Mayu, what do you think of the taste?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked her best friend, sipping her straw with a contented look.

"Actually, it's quite delicious." Matsukaze Mayu picked up the small toys that came with the set meal, then suddenly felt embarrassed. "Maybe we shouldn't keep these toys?"

"How can you refuse? This cost money." Fushimi Makoto teased her deliberately.

Matsukaze Mayu's face turned bright red. She glanced shyly at Fushimi Makoto, then lowered her head in embarrassment.