"Shu-chan can't come over?!"
"Why!"
"I don't want to... Waaah!"
"Waaaah!"
"Uwaaaah!"
"W-wait?!"
No, why were you crying?!
Shuya felt like his ears were being assaulted. The five little girls' crying had enough power to destroy heaven and earth, to grind even the Great Dao to dust.
Half an hour later, Rena and Shuya finally managed to calm the Quintuplets down.
After all that commotion, Rena was too exhausted to keep refusing Shuya's gift.
He told her to consider it an early birthday present, and she finally accepted it—but made him promise never to give her a birthday present again.
Shuya of course agreed without hesitation.
The Quintuplets sniffled as they hugged the game console and played. After a while, they started shouting excitedly and laughing again.
Rena: "..."
Shuya: "???"
Raising kids was so damn hard.
But as long as they stopped causing a fuss, Rena and Shuya could breathe a sigh of relief.
Shuya noticed Rena's expression.
As she watched the game console in her daughters' hands, a faint sorrow showed in her eyes.
As a mother, she wanted to satisfy her daughters' material needs, too. But with what she could manage, she was already doing everything in her power to raise them well.
If things really got bad, she could ask the government for help, but Rena felt she didn't need to. She had two hands and two feet, after all.
It was a mother's final shred of dignity.
Shuya took a look around the house.
It was poor, but cozy.
It was poor, but somehow it made you...
feel genuine respect.
Shuya suddenly stood up.
Rena and the Quintuplets couldn't help turning their attention to him.
Moved by the warmth of the moment and his own imagination, Shuya felt a surge of passion. Gathering his courage, he looked straight at Rena and shouted, "Don't worry! I'll absolutely make you all happy! Aaaaaah!"
As a father!
In his excitement, Shuya forgot to add that last part, causing a huge misunderstanding.
His shout echoed through the cramped living room.
Silence fell.
Shuya could hear his own heart beating.
Rena: "..."
She stared speechlessly at Shuya, then glanced at her daughters.
Slowly, she put on a beautiful, awkward yet polite smile. "Ah... um? Well... Shu-chan? I mean, I'm not actually against you pursuing my daughters..."
Shuya looked bewildered. "Hm?"
Rena seemed a little troubled. "But... could you tell me which one you're going to choose?"
Shuya was dumbfounded. "Huh?"
"..."
Rena said in disbelief, "You're not really thinking of taking all of them, are you? Th-this..."
Shuya started to realize something was wrong. "N-no, I'm not! I didn't! This is a misunderstanding! Actually, I'm devoted to Re—"
I'm devoted to you!
He didn't get to finish.
The Quintuplets had already started making a commotion again.
Ichika excitedly shouted, "Is Shu-chan proposing to us?!"
"Proposal, proposal!"
The other four little huskies raised their hands and shouted.
That's right! I wanted to propose, but not to you!
Shuya didn't get a chance to explain. The excited Quintuplets pounced on him, then copied a scene from a TV drama and covered his face in saliva with their kisses.
He had realized one thing.
He! Had! Messed! Up!
Shuya was utterly despairing.
He had no idea how he got home.
He ignored Inoue Hikoo and Hanazawa Sakura's curious questions about what had happened and why the neighbors had been so noisy.
Shuya lay in bed. Without a sound, two streams of tears ran down his face.
The Quintuplets had defiled him.
If only he'd known that even a little boy could be assaulted by little girls...
That night, Shuya had a nightmare and started muttering strange things in his sleep:
"No! Don't, bro, don't!"
"Stop it!"
"Lemme see!"
"Uho! What a fine man!"
"Wanna do it?"
Too many elements!
But the next day, Shuya had completely recovered.
It was only a little setback. He was nowhere near giving up!
Inoue Shuya!
Keep going!
Anyway, he'd wait a few tens of thousands of characters before applying. For now, he'd try changing the synopsis.
26 Little Senior Sister Sakai Seisen
Shuya's parents were very efficient. They quickly found him acting and music teachers.
His acting teacher was an old actor named Kato Nobunaga, who was already over seventy. In the entertainment industry, he was a hidden master.
Kato Nobunaga agreed to teach Shuya because of Hanazawa Sakura's grandfather.
The music teacher was named Ayako Ishikawa, a friend of Hanazawa Sakura's mother.
Ayako Ishikawa was a famous musician, composer, and lyricist who had written many well-known songs. She was highly respected.
Having these two as teachers was an absolutely top-tier arrangement. They were the kind of people you couldn't hire even if you had money.
Kato Nobunaga in particular had a lofty standing in the industry, and studying under him would bring Shuya many benefits.
Early that morning, Hanazawa Sakura and Inoue Hikoo took Shuya to visit Kato Nobunaga.
Kato Nobunaga's house was huge, and even had a beautiful Japanese garden. It was clear he had no shortage of money.
When the free-spirited Inoue Hikoo met Kato Nobunaga, he immediately put on a serious face and acted like a well-behaved child. He was so respectful that Shuya felt a little sick, but Shuya forced himself not to show any dissatisfaction and put on an utterly innocent smile.
He figured an old man like Kato Nobunaga would definitely like cute little kids, so he planned to win him over first.
Kato Nobunaga's wife had clearly fallen for it. She kept picking up snacks and stuffing them into Shuya's hands.
Their first meeting consisted of a round of utterly pointless reminiscences about the past.
Maybe it was a common trait among old people.
Kato Nobunaga chatted about how hard he and Hanazawa Sakura's grandfather had worked back in the day, and all the effort they'd put into making their way in the world.
In the end, Inoue Hikoo and Hanazawa Sakura couldn't take it anymore. Using work as an excuse, they fled in a panic and left Shuya behind.
Seeing that, Kato Nobunaga told his wife to leave as well, leaving just him and Shuya alone.
The old man, Kato Nobunaga, seemed rather stern, but not intimidating. He gave the impression of a stubborn old scholar.
He hadn't taken many acting jobs recently, spending his time teaching and training newcomers instead.
He usually only taught classes at school and had never taken on a disciple. Shuya was the sole exception.
Kato Nobunaga didn't stay silent and put on a mysterious air. As soon as his wife left, he started talking to Shuya.
He took a sip of tea and looked Shuya in the eye. "Shuya, you know, I've always thought you had the makings of a fine actor."
"Really? Thank you, Grandpa."
Shuya gave a shy, obedient smile.
Kato Nobunaga smiled too. "That's right. Exactly. That fake smile. I could tell you'd been acting from the first time you appeared in public. By now, acting has even become part of your life."
"..."
Shuya was startled, and his smile slowly faded.
This old man knew his stuff.
Kato Nobunaga nodded meaningfully. "I won't pry into why you do it. As your acting teacher, my job is simply to improve your acting. Everything else is your parents' business. So... let's not waste any time. We'll get started right away."
He thought for a moment, then added, "And while we're at it, set yourself a small goal: make that fake smile of yours look real as soon as possible."
Shuya tugged at the corners of his mouth. He stopped pretending to smile and bowed respectfully. "Please take care of me, Teacher."
For the first time in five years, someone had seen through Shuya's disguise.
He was looking forward to the old man's lessons, too.
And so Shuya's acting training began.
"Now, first..."
After his morning acting lesson, Saori picked Shuya up. Once he'd eaten something, they went to the gym.
He exercised with Mai-chan right on schedule.
The two of them did a different exercise today. Instead of running, they rode stationary bikes.
They exercised and chatted at the same time.
"Mai-chan, I had an acting lesson today, too."
"Huh? Shuya, you've started taking lessons too?"
After hearing Shuya, Mai asked, "Who's your teacher? Mine is Uehara Kei."
Shuya said, "An old man named Kato Nobunaga. Do you know him?"
"I don't."
Before you continue