Mash-Up: Anything for Money

At the same time, over on Nino and Ichika's side—

"Ichika, why did you drag me into your room?" Nino looked at the messy room, not knowing where to step.

"Didn't I say I had something to talk to you about?" Ichika stepped over the clothes strewn on the floor and went straight to sit on the bed.

Nino's eyes scanned over the garments on the ground and were instinctively drawn to a black lace bra.

"Ichika, your sense of style is really..."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Uh... nothing..." Nino's mind had subconsciously flashed the thought: Would Hakuto like this kind of outfit...?

But it seemed Ichika had seen right through her. 

Lying on the bed with a cheeky expression, she teased, "Nino, you could try it too. After all, we look exactly the same, and maybe Hakuto prefers this style more."

"Actually, I doubt it~" Nino shook her head. "I don't think Hakuto would be into that kind of fashion..."

"Why not?"

Hearing Ichika's question, Nino crossed her arms and answered proudly, "As Hakuto's girlfriend, it's normal for me to know these things..."

"?" Ichika blinked, not quite registering what Nino had just said.

"Wait—Nino, hold up... what did you just say?"

"I said it's normal for me to know these things..."

"No, not that, the sentence before."

"As Hakuto's girlfriend!" Nino seemed to say it on purpose this time—her face full of smug pride!

Looking at Nino's triumphant expression, Ichika was left momentarily speechless.

And it was at this moment that she remembered what Miku had once said—

"It's over..."

Was it really over? Ichika felt like she hadn't done anything at all...

Even though she'd thought about yielding to her sisters, it was just a thought. She never imagined she'd actually lose her chance!

By all logic, she should be congratulating Nino, but for some reason, the words just wouldn't come out.

"Nino, you know..." Nino sat down on the floor, her face lighting up in a smile as she recalled the earlier moment.

"When he squatted beside me and confessed, waiting for my response... he looked so cool!"

"I never imagined Hakuto had such a contrast—he looked so obedient before..."

"Nino, maybe you don't need to talk about this so—"

"But he really makes me swoon!"

"Nino..."

"Ichika, do you know..."

Ichika stared at the endlessly talking Nino, a small vein twitching on her forehead.

What was Nino doing now? She was practically flaunting her victory in front of the loser! That smug expression—

Good thing it was Ichika. If it had been Yotsuba or Miku, they might have jumped out the window on the spot!

Still, Ichika wasn't feeling great either...

So you won. Fine. But did you have to brag about it?

Yet as Nino kept talking, her expression shifted from joy to a hint of gloom.

"Ichika..."

"What is it?"

"What do you think about the idea of a harem?" Nino asked as if casually, but the disappointment on her face was hard to miss.

At the word harem, Ichika suddenly perked up.

She could already guess why Nino would bring this up.

Obviously, it was because Hakuto either wanted to have a harem or already had one!

And from the look on Nino's face, she had clearly learned about Hakuto's intentions yet still chose to be his girlfriend—so of course she felt a bit down.

Ichika understood. 

She'd also wondered if Hakuto might go that route, and at one point, had even planned to ask him for her sisters' sake.

Now it looked like she didn't even need to ask!

Again, she thought: If you tell me Hakuto's forming a harem, I'm suddenly wide awake!

The dejection on her face vanished in an instant—because she realized she might not be out of the picture just yet!

But Ichika couldn't show her real thoughts. She looked at the crouching Nino with a puzzled expression.

"Hm? Nino, are you talking about those harem tropes in novels?"

"Ah... something like that..." Nino waved it off. "Forget it, forget it. It's hard to explain to you, Ichika."

"Anyway, why did you call me over here in the first place?"

"It's nothing..." Ichika wrapped an arm around Nino's shoulders. "Nino, we're sisters, right?"

"Huh? What else would we be?" Nino frowned, unsure why Ichika was asking.

"Nothing, just wondering..." Ichika smiled faintly and changed the subject. "Hakuto's in the kitchen right now, isn't he? Aren't you going to help?"

"That was the plan, but you pulled me in here..." Nino brushed Ichika's arm off.

"Alright, I'm going to Hakuto now..."

"Go on, go on. Oh, and Nino—about you and Hakuto dating, if possible, could you keep it a secret from Miku and the others for now?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Geez, so naggy..."

As Nino turned to leave, Ichika could barely contain her grin.

"Nino... don't blame me... Hakuto has those kinds of thoughts himself, after all..." Ichika lay back on the bed, a smile she couldn't suppress spreading across her face.

She had originally planned to give up Hakuto for her sisters. But who would've thought—choices weren't exclusive. In that case, she wouldn't hold back.

What Ichika didn't know was that once Nino shut the door behind her, she was smiling just as gleefully.

"Hahaha... Ichika, I didn't say anything..." Nino made sure to cover herself.

After all, she hadn't said anything directly. Even her hints had been subtle!

When she was putting on that sad act just now, she nearly burst out laughing!

But she kept reminding herself to hold it in. Just for a little while—hold it in, Nino! For the future happiness of Hakuto and your sisters!

Nino felt like she had completely nailed it!

First, she flaunted her win in front of Ichika with a smug face, then immediately switched gears and asked Ichika about harems.

Anyone with half a brain could tell something was off—especially someone as clever as Ichika!

Even if Ichika figured it out and didn't do anything about it, that was fine.

After all, Nino's goal was to find the ones who could accept Hakuto's harem—everyone else didn't matter!

"Tonight I'll talk to Miku, then tomorrow I'll talk to Yotsuba, and after that, I'll drop some hints to Itsuki..." Nino felt like she had sacrificed so much for Hakuto!

At the same time, she'd given up so much for her sisters too!

After being the tragic one all her life, Nino was now becoming their angel!

Originally, the five sisters were a tough nut to crack—after all, they were blood-related, inseparable, and Hakuto was still an outsider.

But now, Nino has broken the barrier from within! Solving the problem at its core!

This was Hakuto's idea—and one that Nino wholeheartedly supported.

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Nino being a W again.

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