"So~ why did you call me over?"
The humiliation Hakuto had imagined never materialized. Instead, Nino actually agreed to his request for a conversation.
"After everything I did in the past, Nino, you're still willing to stop and listen to me?"
"So you do know how overboard you were back then? And also, since when were we close enough for you to call me by my name?"
"Because you have four sisters. If I called you Nakano, wouldn't that just make things confusing?"
Nino glanced at Hakuto but didn't refute him. That was as good as agreement.
The fact that the Nakano quintuplets were identical was well-known throughout Toyosaki Academy.
After all, having five people who looked exactly the same suddenly appear on campus was bound to surprise anyone.
"If that's all you wanted to say, then stop wasting my time."
With that, Nino turned to leave, but Hakuto quickly blocked her path.
"I just wanted to apologize for what I did before. Sorry, I acted out of line due to some personal reasons."
"If that's all, then there was no need to stop me just for that."
"It was necessary. And also, Nino, can I get your contact information?"
A boomerang… this is a total boomerang moment!
Nino watched as Hakuto confidently pulled out his phone and waved it in front of her.
She stared intently at his expression, trying to detect any ulterior motives.
But no matter how long she observed, she couldn't find anything suspicious.
With no other choice, Nino reluctantly took out her phone and exchanged contact information with him.
"I thought for sure you'd outright reject me and get back at me for before."
"Why would I bother with something so childish?"
"Fair point."
Hearing footsteps approaching from behind, Hakuto knew the other four had come looking for Nino, so he quickly wrapped up the conversation.
"Well then, I'll be counting on you in the future."
He lifted his phone slightly, then turned to leave.
Nino wasn't sure why Hakuto was acting so differently today. Could he really have just wanted to apologize?
She remained standing there, dazed, until a girl with a star-shaped hairpin patted her on the shoulder, snapping her back to reality.
"What's wrong, Nino?"
"N-Nothing…"
The newcomer was Nakano Itsuki. Since Nino had been held up talking to Hakuto, the others had come to find her in her classroom.
"Huh?! Was that Hakuto just now?"
Nakano Yotsuba craned her neck, staring at the direction he had left, as if she had just witnessed something thrilling.
"I saw him too. But Nino, didn't he reject you before?"
"What do you mean 'reject'?! I was just asking for his contact information. How did that turn into a confession in your head?"
"Huh? Aren't those the same thing?"
Nakano Ichika, ever the troublemaker, chimed in with a teasing smirk.
"Of… of course not…!" Nino refuted.
"But if it's just contact info, I already saved it earlier."
She shook her phone slightly, the name Hakuto standing out prominently in her contact list.
"I can't believe Nino actually had the guts to ask Hakuto for his contact info!"
"The night Nino got rejected, she was absolutely furious."
"His contact info? You mean Hakuto's? Can I add him? Can I? Can I?"
Yotsuba, bursting with excitement, snatched Nino's phone and stared at Hakuto's contact details. Without hesitation, she pulled out her own phone and started adding him.
But before she could finish, Nino swiftly took her phone back.
"Yotsuba, that's really rude."
"I know..."
"If you want it so badly, why don't you just ask Hakuto yourself?"
"But even you got rejected…"
At that, Yotsuba suddenly seemed to realize something. She threw herself at Nino, her face brimming with curiosity.
"Nino, how did you get Hakuto's contact info? You already got rejected once!"
"By being shameless?"
Nakano Miku, who had been silently listening to the conversation, suddenly made a comment out of nowhere.
Yotsuba, as if she had just been enlightened, crouched down, deep in thought.
"So that's how it's done?"
"Wait, wait! What do you mean shameless? He was the one who added me first!"
As soon as Nino said that, the room fell silent for a second before erupting in exclamations.
"Could it be… Nino's springtime of youth is finally here?"
"Sweet, sweet romance! That's an essential part of high school life! I can't believe Nino's already experiencing it so soon!"
As Ichika teased her, Itsuki suddenly poured cold water on the conversation.
"As far as I know, Hakuto likes Sawamura Eriri from Class F, right?"
That statement froze Ichika in place. She cautiously glanced at Nino, trying to gauge her reaction.
Hakuto having a crush on Sawamura Eriri wasn't exactly a secret at Toyosaki Academy.
But to everyone's surprise, Nino didn't look disappointed at all. Instead, she straightened her back slightly, her face full of confidence.
"If I'm not wrong, Hakuto has already given up on pursuing Sawamura Eriri."
"R-really? You're not just trying to comfort yourself, are you?"
"I wouldn't lie to myself like that."
Nino might not have the best grades, but she was sharp when it came to these things.
She had seen Hakuto bring food for Takanashi Rikka before, and she had also noticed Sawamura Eriri showing up to talk to him that day.
At first, she thought Hakuto had simply shifted his attention to Rikka instead. But just the other day, he didn't bring food for Eriri at all.
And now, he had even asked for her contact information.
Adding up all these little details, Nino felt confident in her conclusion.
After all, Hakuto had always kept his distance from girls in the past. He had never actively asked for a girl's contact info before.
That was why Nino dared to say that Hakuto had already moved on from Sawamura Eriri.
Seeing how confident Nino was, the others decided to drop the subject and steer the conversation elsewhere.
"By the way, Yotsuba, why are you so eager to get Hakuto's contact info?"
At this, Yotsuba practically sprang up from the floor, her excitement reignited.
"Because Hakuto is really handsome!"
Silence.
The four sisters stared at Yotsuba, stunned. They had never expected that, after all these years together, she would turn out to be such a hopeless face-con.
"Yotsuba… one face-con in this family is already more than enough."
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Check out the other translations too: [Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute]
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