After returning to the class rest area and retrieving Yotsuba's phone, the two of them walked towards the edge of the field.
On the way, after hearing Shinichi's words, Yotsuba exclaimed, "Asada-san's parents are here?! I-I'm not mentally prepared for this..."
When she thought about meeting and greeting his parents later, the beautiful girl's face immediately turned crimson, and her hair tie transformed into a seaweed-like shape.
Yotsuba pointed her index finger and shrugged her shoulders nervously.
"What should I say when we meet for the first time..."
"Just introduce yourself, no need to be nervous," Shinichi raised his eyebrows and said sternly.
"What you need to worry about is not answering the phone, running around again, and letting Itsuki drool while looking at her delicious food!"
"You don't need to tell me about Nino's character. She won't let anyone mistreat her sister lightly, even if it's her own sister... So, if you don't have the right attitude to admit your mistakes, she might really ask me to hit you?"
"D-Don't scare me..."
Listening to his serious threat, Yotsuba placed her hand behind her back, laughed awkwardly with a mix of embarrassment and fear.
"Nino really likes Asada-san, so she shouldn't make such requests, right?"
"Anyway, we'll find out when we get back," Shinichi tousled his red hairband while no one was looking.
"Stop worrying! If you hold everything in and don't say anything, won't I be able to cheer you up?"
"Cheer up..." Yotsuba lifted her eyes and stared at him blankly.
"Asada-san, do you know everything?"
"I can guess, anyway, you're a simple Yotsuba."
"Are you not going to scold me? Are you not going to stop me?"
"I guess so, but that's their business."
Shinichi glanced sideways, and when their eyes met, he squinted and lifted his lips slightly.
"Do you want to entrust the rest to me?"
"..."
A pair of bright blue eyes stared at him firmly without blinking.
Yotsuba opened her mouth slightly, then pursed it.
After a long silence, she lowered her head and gently grabbed the corner of her shirt.
Then, the strength in her hands gradually increased.
"...Sorry, I lied."
Shinichi guided her forward, step by step.
"Your lying skills are improving; that's good."
"Sorry, I still want to continue showing off."
"You have to persist until the end. It's not good to give up halfway."
"Sorry, I want to lead the red team to victory."
"Oh, enthusiastic if you can."
"Sorry, I've been thinking about other people's affairs and completely ignoring what will happen to me."
"It's good if you realize."
"Sorry..."
"Don't apologize; you haven't done anything to me."
"...Actually, I've been feeling very uncomfortable since morning."
"I know."
"Even now, I feel pain in my stomach, drinking cold drinks and moving things... I remembered Itsuki's words."
"Can you have lunch? If you can't eat, just tell Nino, and she'll understand."
"So that's it..."
"If you feel uncomfortable, go to the health service. If you're just tired and your stomach feels unwell, you should be able to get through today with a little rest."
After saying this, Yotsuba's expression became a bit embarrassed, and her eyes started to wander.
"That... It's not a matter of fatigue, and my stomach doesn't hurt either..."
Shinichi tilted his head in confusion, "What is it? Is it a sports injury?"
"Uh..." After hesitating for a moment, with the idea of "entrusting all the remaining honesty to him," Yotsuba bit her lip, supported her shoulder with her hand, and whispered in Shinichi's ear:
"Menstrual cramps..."
After saying that, Yotsuba withdrew, her face completely red. She scratched her head and laughed foolishly.
"Hehehe, it would be so embarrassing to tell a guy something like this~"
"..."
Shinichi's cheek furrowed; his expression was gentle, and he couldn't find words.
He too, felt embarrassed; who knew Yotsuba was menstruating...
Miku and Itsuki, hesitant to speak, turned out all the quintuplets were menstruating at the same time...
Shinichi realized the importance of unknown information and silently kept it in his heart.
Yotsuba looked at him with concern.
"Asada-san, do you know about menstrual cramps? It's a day when a girl..."
Shinichi quickly stopped her.
"No need to explain; of course, I know. But I don't have red sugar water for you to drink right now."
He vaguely remembered that when a girl had menstrual cramps, she had to drink red sugar water. He didn't pay much attention to it before, and his knowledge in this area was somewhat lacking. It seemed he would have to make up for it in the future.
Remembering a girl's menstrual cycle and providing proper care at the right time seemed to be one of the essential skills for a warm man, wasn't it?
"Um, it's okay. I can still endure the pain like this, and it won't be a serious problem."
Yotsuba smiled casually, but Shinichi saw a thin layer of sweat on her forehead and pale cheeks where the color had faded.
He raised his hand; it felt a bit cold. He wiped the sweat with his thumb and gently pressed her forehead.
Yotsuba stopped for a moment but didn't evade. She squinted happily and whispered softly while enjoying the warmth.
"Asada-san, your hand is so warm..."
After saying that, without much thought, she grabbed Shinichi's hand, pressed it tightly against her stomach, and let out a relaxed breath.
"It feels like a warm baby... it's the first time I've felt relieved about menstrual cramps. I never expected it to be much more comfortable if I followed the advice on the Internet!"
Yotsuba looked relieved, but Shinichi next to her began to feel scared.
He and Yotsuba were walking like strolling in the middle of the field. Intimate movements like this would undoubtedly be seen by other passing students. He didn't have time to pay attention to those strange eyes. He moved his steps, continuously counting the distance, trying his best to cover the small movements between him and Yotsuba.
At the same time, he casually brought up the topic of Yotsuba.
"...Well, what did the Internet say?"
"When a girl has a stomach ache, she can ask her boyfriend to rub her stomach or something..." After saying this, Yotsuba woke up, released Shinichi's hand, took a few steps back, and covered her reddened cheeks.
"S-Sorry, Asada-san! As the student council president, you shouldn't spread scandals..."
"That's not the issue. Besides, we've known each other for a long time, so don't worry."
Shinichi relaxed his body with a calm mind; he could finally walk freely.
But Yotsuba's lower abdomen felt very warm and soft when touched, with a sense of tightness. If not for her clothes...
Before his thoughts delved into deeper content, Shinichi stopped his thoughts and looked ahead.
Yotsuba with a surprised expression, murmured something like, "So it turns out Asada-san and I have been confused for a long time..."
Not long after, they finally arrived under the picnic tree, and everyone looked at them to welcome their return.
Before Yotsuba could approach, Nino raised her voice and said to Yotsuba:
"Come here quickly, the food will get cold!"
"I'm coming..." Yotsuba stopped abruptly and bowed obediently, "Ah, hello uncle and aunt, this is the first time we meet, I'm Nakaha Yotsuba..."
Shinichi's parents were slightly surprised, but they reflexively replied, "Hello, this is the first time we meet..."
Seeing Yotsuba greet Shinichi's parents more naturally than her recent nervousness and noticing her embarrassment when Nino grabbed her hand, receiving a friendly look of "I'll deal with you later," Shinichi couldn't help but smile and sat back next to Miku.
"Welcome back," Miku said softly with narrowed eyes, "Everyone believes that you can bring Yotsuba back... You truly deserve it, Shinichi."
"She didn't go to another world. I happened to meet her on the street. It's too much to praise me like this."
Shinichi calmly sipped his tea, but then he heard Ichika teasingly say:
"Fifteen minutes, that's long~ Were you talking or just teasing a bit on the way?"
Shinichi glanced at her without saying a word.
"Now I finally understand... Ichika, do you just want to push Yotsuba into the fire pit?"
"Fire pit? Hahaha, is it fitting for you to say that!" Ichika couldn't hold back her laughter, even slapping the table a bit excessively, "And Yotsuba has already entered the fire pit, do you still need me to push you, Shinichi-kun, you're really funny~"
"..."
Shinichi's eyes twitched, and he chose to lower the volume of his phone so that no matter how loud Ichika laughed, no one heard it.
Rolling her eyes, Fumino shifted her gaze, smiled at Shinichi's mother, and clapped her hands to attract everyone's attention.
"Now that Yotsuba is back, Nino, can we start?"
"Of course." No longer threatening Yotsuba, Nino looked around, satisfied from the deepest part of her heart with this lively scene, and smiled brightly.
However, Shinichi could catch a slight hint of regret in her, which was immediately erased by her slightly curved and thin eyelashes.
"Without further ado, let's start!"
Others also picked up their chopsticks; Ichika's sushi delivery had also been sent to the dormitory. They clasped their hands and spoke in unison:
"Ittadakimasu--!"
So, on this bright November day, under the shadows of the trees, the lunch banquet with this slightly peculiar character combination began enthusiastically and ended uneventfully.
Although the warnings given by their parents before leaving were strong, Shinichi still felt fortunate. Not only him, but the other girls had also gained something, and at the same time, they had a bit of inhuman thoughts in their hearts.