Opening the door, Akira sees a young woman with pink hair, wearing blue headphones around her neck.
"Miku... No, why are you dressed as Miku-Nee, Nino-Nee?"
Before the girl can pretend, Akira exposes her disguise.
"What are you talking about, Akira? I have no idea."
'Miku' puts on a puzzled expression.
Seeing she has no intention of admitting defeat, Akira sighs and presents irrefutable evidence.
"Since when does Miku-Nee paint her nails? If Nino-Nee wants to disguise, do it more convincingly."
"Tsk. You're no fun, Akira."
Nino adjusts her hairstyle and reverts to her original appearance, removing the headphones and storing them in her bag.
After that, she steps in without permission.
"Where are the guest sandals?"
Feeling a mix of emotions seeing women's shoes on the shoe rack, she knows whose they are.
"Wait a moment; I'll get them."
Akira fetches a new pair of sandals from the storage room and hands them to Nino.
"You don't even provide guest sandals; it seems you're not welcoming to visitors."
Sitting on the floor, Nino starts untying her shoelaces, not forgetting to mock her younger brother.
"True. This house is my love nest with Miyako."
Akira doesn't deny it. Instead, the smile on his face annoys Nino.
"By the way, why did Nino-Nee come here? Isn't university life very busy?"
"University life isn't as hectic as you imagine, especially for freshmen. While I attend classes, my schedule is quite flexible."
Standing up, Nino walks beside Akira.
"Your room is quite tidy; I thought it would be messy like Ichika's."
"Maybe if I lived alone. But I live with Miyako."
"So, if not for that woman, your lifestyle would be like Ichika's?"
"..."
Akira's silent reaction is the same as an affirmation, making Nino feel uneasy.
Sitting on the sofa, she crosses her legs and says dissatisfied, "Do you even provide drinks?"
"Oh, wait a moment."
Akira goes to the kitchen, opens the fridge, and, aside from water, only finds barley tea.
Considering his cooking skills are limited to boiling water and making instant noodles, he gives up on brewing tea.
Fortunately, Takebayashi has provided packaged barley tea in the fridge. So, Akira just pours the tea into a glass.
Carrying a glass of tea, he places it on the table in front of Nino.
Seeing only one glass, Nino asks, "What about your drink?"
Akira shrugs and explains, "Nino-Nee knows I don't like tea and coffee."
"I forgot about that." Nino vaguely recalls hearing it but isn't too concerned.
Lifting the glass, she sips the tea. Luckily, she's a bit thirsty due to the hot weather outside.
Waiting for her to place the glass down, Akira curiously asks, "Nino-Nee hasn't said the reason for your visit."
"Oh, is my arrival not welcome?"
"Not like that; it's just that Nino-Nee and the others haven't visited since you all started university."
Akira still remembers the shocked reactions of the quintuplets when they learned he would live with his girlfriend. Of course, they rejected the idea.
Despite the rejection, he insisted on his decision. After all, the quintuplets would be living in different locations due to their chosen majors.
Except for Ichika, who pursued a career in the entertainment industry, Nino, Miku, and Itsuki attended the University of Tokyo. The University of Tokyo is one of Japan's top universities, so it's no surprise they became college students there.
Only Yotsuba attended a local university in Aichi Prefecture, as her boyfriend, Fuutarou, couldn't afford the tuition at the University of Tokyo. In other words, Yotsuba gave up on applying to the University of Tokyo to be with Fuutarou.
"Is there any specific reason? Isn't it normal for an older sister to check on her younger brother's life? Or perhaps, my visit bothers you?" Nino remarks sharply.
"Feel free to come whenever Nino-Nee wants. I welcome you with open arms," Akira says with a thin smile.
"That's good. I'll come to visit more often."
Akira's eyes slightly narrow. His polite words seem to have backfired.
"Have you had lunch?" Nino suddenly asks.
"Not yet."
"Then I'll cook something. Coincidentally, I want you to test my cooking skills."
"Sure. I'm happy to be your guinea pig."
"Not polite. Cooking is not as dangerous as Miku's first attempt."
"Miku-Nee would be sad to hear that."
"That's a fact. And also, as long as you don't tell her, nothing will happen."
Nino smiles proudly, seeing her younger brother silenced without a retort.
"I'll borrow your kitchen."
After that, she takes the apron hanging on the wall. The apron is pink with heart-shaped patterns in the middle.
Seeing this, Nino can imagine the affectionate life of her younger brother and his girlfriend.
"They even live together; both have done that, right?" Nino mumbles softly.
Imagining indecent scenes in her mind, her face quickly reddens to the roots of her ears.
Looking back, she sighs in relief as Akira turns on the TV, paying no attention to her peculiar behavior.
Tying the apron, she opens the fridge and sees a variety of fresh ingredients like vegetables and meat.
"There's a lot of variety. It seems Takebayashi doesn't randomly force food on Akira."
As a culinary college student, Nino can't help but praise after seeing the diverse food items in the fridge.
It indicates that Akira eats properly.
"I remember Akira likes curry rice. It's decided; today's lunch menu is curry rice."
Ensuring all ingredients are available, Nino starts preparing them on the table.
Holding a knife in her hand, she cuts potatoes and carrots.
In the living room, Akira's lips curve into a relaxed smile.
The bustling noise in the kitchen gives him a sense of nostalgia he hasn't felt in a long time.
In the past, Nino always asked him to be the taste tester when she was learning to cook. Of course, this happened in his original world.
"Oh."
Akira sees the TV airing an energy drink advertisement, with Ichika playing the role of a high school girl.
"Let's try buying this brand of drink next time."
Note: The novel Reincarnated in the Nakano Family With Sign-In has concluded.
Read more at bit.ly/Candra24"