If Nino had asked this question during her turn, Itsuki wouldn't have had any complaints, but she took the shared opportunity to ask, which wasn't quite right.
In simpler terms, why did Nino get to ask first?
Anyone with common sense could see that Nino's question forced Hakuto to answer that he liked her.
Let's not even get into the fact that Hakuto already had feelings for the five sisters.
Simply put, in such a public setting, regardless of whether he truly liked her or not, Hakuto would answer "I like you" for various reasons.
So, Itsuki felt a bit angry! They were all on the same starting line! How could Nino start running ahead like this?
Itsuki was certain that if anyone else had asked the same question, Hakuto's answer would have been the same.
So, what Itsuki learned from Hakuto wasn't so much knowledge, but human relationships.
"Nino, if I had your courage, I probably would have stolen Ichika's chance to ask the question right from the first round..." Itsuki muttered to herself.
"I don't mind you stealing from me..." Ichika waved her hand. "But Nino, you took away Yotsuba and Miku's chance."
Yotsuba answered the question correctly, and Miku asked Hakuto, leading him to say that they could ask again.
So, logically speaking, anyone from Miku or Yotsuba could have asked "Do you like me?", but it was Nino who did.
Among the five sisters, Nino's biggest rivals were Yotsuba and Miku, and now...
Who would have thought that Nino, the victim for so long, would finally become the aggressor!
Itsuki and Ichika could understand why Hakuto would say he liked Nino, but the other two didn't think so much about it.
They just knew that the person they liked was now saying he liked their own sister.
"Shiratori! Shiratori! You can't agree with Nino..."
"Yotsuba, let go..." Hakuto said helplessly. "What did I agree with Nino?"
"Didn't Hakuto say he liked Nino? Isn't that agreeing to be her boyfriend..." Yotsuba couldn't understand.
Clearly, she answered the question right, so how did it turn into someone else's advantage?
If only she had bitten Nino's hand when she covered her mouth!
"Hakuto, that question was mine to answer!" Yotsuba, still clinging to Hakuto, continued to complain about who got the correct answer.
Hakuto, who was being held by Yotsuba, felt helpless. As Itsuki had guessed, no matter who among the five sisters had asked, his answer would have been the same!
There was no choice but for him to answer this way, and his purpose was exactly that.
If any of the sisters had just shown some affection for him or rejected the idea of Hakuto having a harem, they would have backed down, and there would have been no need for him to test their attitudes.
As for why he answered Nino's question, that had already been mentioned to Ichika.
"Others, I can't say, but Nino, in this life, she's definitely set her heart on you…"
This was how Hakuto subtly guided Nino to ask the question before the other sisters.
Otherwise, why would he stand in front of Nino with that smug grin, like a duck trying to lure in customers? Was he really just bored?
But Hakuto didn't expect the reactions from Yotsuba and Miku to be so strong, one clinging to him tightly, the other pulling at his pants leg...
Was it because their personal opportunity was stolen, making them feel uncomfortable?
But there was no choice. Nino was the best person to ask this question.
"Shiratori..." Miku's eyes were filled with tears, lips pressed tightly, not knowing what to say, just calling his name softly.
"It's okay, Miku... it's okay," Hakuto gently reassured her.
"How could it be okay... How could it..." Miku slowly shook her head. She had thought it was just a game, but now this was happening.
She didn't have the careful thinking of Ichika or Itsuki. She just knew that the boy she liked had said he liked her sister.
"It really is okay..." Hakuto helplessly shook his head. "And Yotsuba, can you let go of me now?"
"Shiratori... are you going to be Nino's boyfriend from now on...?"
Hakuto was a bit speechless. He even wanted to put up photos of Nao and Ginko right then!
But he couldn't do that. He still needed to have a private talk with the five sisters.
After all, it was a personal matter, not something to discuss in such a public setting.
Just as Hakuto was about to say something, Itsuki walked up and pulled Yotsuba away.
"Alright, Yotsuba, let go of Hakuto..." Itsuki could see the helplessness on his face, and it only confirmed her suspicions. "And Miku, you too..."
"Itsuki..." Yotsuba looked at her sister, and for the first time, her ears drooped.
Did Nino go too far? Not exactly. It was understandable, though unexpected.
It was just the method was a bit too aggressive, stealing an opportunity that wasn't hers...
If Itsuki had known how forceful Nino would be, she would have gone all in herself.
"Miku, get up..." Ichika walked over and helped Miku up.
It was at that moment that she realized how badly the scene had affected her sisters.
Now, Miku's eyes lacked the usual spark, and she looked as if she was on the verge of falling apart.
"Ichika..." Miku softly called Ichika's name. "Is it... really over?"
Ichika of course knew what Miku was asking.
She shook her head, whispering, "Not yet..."
"At least, Miku, you can't just give up..."
Ichika, as the eldest, couldn't stand seeing her sisters in pain. Although she had imagined this moment, seeing it for real still made her heart tighten.
"It's not over?" Hearing Ichika's words, Miku regained a bit of color, but she still looked like she was falling apart.
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