In Ichika's original plan, she and Itsuki would impersonate each other and go to Makoto's house to begin their little performance.
But the "performance" was just a superficial excuse. Her real intention was to spend more time with Makoto.
Her thought process was clear—Itsuki was the serious and diligent type.
As long as Ichika brought up the idea of discussing the future development of their club with Makoto, Itsuki would definitely listen attentively.
She might even end up working hard under Makoto's guidance.
At that point, it would be showtime for Ichika, the legendary Cucumber Sage.
She could find an excuse to pull Makoto aside, away from Itsuki, and later say she went off to discuss important matters. Itsuki could vouch for her.
That way, even the ever-suspicious Nino wouldn't be able to find fault with anything.
But now… she decided to make a slight change.
Itsuki was still too serious. If she impersonated Ichika, there was a good chance she'd be exposed immediately.
And if they were exposed right away, that would ruin all the fun.
"Nino, how about you impersonate me instead?"
Ichika proposed her idea.
"Me?"
Nino was clearly surprised.
Itsuki thought for a moment and said, "If it's Nino, it probably is a better fit. You two bicker all the time at home, so you're already familiar with each other's habits and details."
Nice assist, Itsuki!
Ichika was delighted. Not giving Nino a chance to refuse, she quickly added, "Exactly. Nino, you're already amazing. If you impersonate me, it'll be perfect!"
Nino froze.
The refusal that was right on the tip of her tongue suddenly wouldn't come out.
It wasn't just because of Itsuki's comment—it was also because of Ichika's eyes, filled with an earnest "please" expression.
As sisters, she really couldn't say no.
Besides, she was also curious herself—could Makoto really tell them apart?
"…Fine, I'll go prepare something to eat for Miku and Yotsuba first."
Nino put on a reluctant expression, as if she was being forced to agree.
"Thank you, Nino."
Ichika gave her a big hug, but in the process accidentally tugged on her towel, which promptly fell to the floor.
Neither Nino nor Itsuki reacted—they were used to this. They often bathed together anyway. What's the big deal about seeing each other's bodies?
But Yotsuba, who had just come out of her room, happened to see Ichika casually picking up the towel and walking naked into the bedroom.
She was stunned on the spot.
I knew Ichika had a habit of sleeping nude, but since when did she start streaking around the house?
At Ichika's request, she and Nino swapped appearances.
"I really do look good in thigh-highs."
Ichika spoke to her reflection, now with a legitimate excuse to wear thigh-high socks.
"Okay, okay, stop admiring yourself already," Nino rolled her eyes, more annoyed than ever.
Itsuki didn't care either way. She was just eager to get to Makoto's house.
Because when Ichika was changing earlier, she had whispered to Itsuki that this prank was only a small part of the visit.
Their real goal was to discuss the future of the club and let Nino—who was always concerned about everyone—see it for herself.
Back when Makoto first invited them, and Ichika encouraged her in the bookstore, she'd remembered it all clearly.
Now that she finally had a real chance to get involved, she was more than ready to release the anticipation that had been building inside her.
As the three of them left the apartment, Miku came out of her room and looked curiously at Yotsuba.
"They said they're going to Fushimi's house to talk about club stuff. Nino already made dinner for us, so I doubt they'll be back to eat," Yotsuba reported truthfully.
Miku gave a calm "Oh," but inwardly thought: Even Nino's getting interested in that weirdly-named club?
"Miku, if Nino joins Fushimi's club too… should we join as well?"
"We'll see when the time comes."
Miku didn't give a definitive answer.
But she knew very well: having lived together all these years, if three of them joined the same club, she and Yotsuba would almost certainly be pulled in eventually.
Whether it was Ichika, Nino, or Itsuki—they all preferred staying together.
Meanwhile—
Makoto received a message from Ichika saying, "We're at your door."
When he opened it, he saw three girls standing outside and couldn't help but ask, "Nino came too? Ichika, why didn't you tell me in advance?"
The disguised Nino—pretending to be Ichika—smiled naturally and said,
"Let's just call it a surprise, shall we? Besides, your club just got started. You probably still need to recruit more members, right?"
Her tone and expression were exactly like Ichika's.
Ichika chimed in as well, "Sorry to intrude, Fushimi-kun. We brought some fruit along the way. Hope you don't mind."
Itsuki added a polite greeting too, while thinking to herself: Ichika's acting seems more natural somehow…
At the moment, Makoto hadn't noticed anything unusual.
He welcomed the three girls into the living room. While he went off to make tea, Ichika gave Nino a meaningful glance: He doesn't seem to have noticed.
Nino returned a look that said: Isn't that obvious?
She hadn't done anything to give herself away. With how well she knew Ichika, mimicking her was a piece of cake.
She thought proudly.
Then, the three girls began casually observing the space around them.
It was their first time at Makoto's house. The floors and furniture were spotless—clearly the place was regularly cleaned.
As a result, Nino's impression of Makoto improved a little more.
When he brought out snacks and tea, Ichika nudged Nino with her elbow, prompting the latter to speak up quickly:
"So, have you thought about any plans for club activities?"
"Perfect timing," said Makoto. "That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you all about today."
Makoto took a stack of documents from under the table and handed them out to the girls.
"The detailed plan is all here. I've checked it multiple times— even a newcomer should be able to understand it."
He had already drafted this during the time loops, so he finished organizing it early this morning.
"Let me take a look!"
Ichika was the most eager to respond.
And it was that very reaction that made Makoto start to doubt: Nino is this interested in the club? Or did Ichika talk to her about it at home?
The three girls each looked through the documents for a while before Itsuki was the first to speak. "You made this plan all by yourself?"
"I did," Makoto nodded.
Itsuki didn't hide the admiration in her eyes. "That's amazing. This can't even be called just a plan anymore—it's more like…"
"More like a furniture installation manual with extreme detail," Nino said with surprise.
Just like Makoto had said earlier: even a beginner could understand it.
Whether it was the key points of filming or various areas of knowledge, everything was clearly noted. Important parts were highlighted and explained in an easy-to-understand way.
"This is really impressive."
Even Nino couldn't help but be impressed.
From this incredibly detailed plan, she realized that Makoto wasn't just good at photography—he seemed to excel in many areas.
The only one who didn't say anything was Ichika.
She was feeling touched and happy inside.
After all, she was the one benefiting the most from this club, and the more seriously Makoto treated it, the greater her gains would be.
Which led her to have those "delusional" thoughts again: Did Makoto do all of this for me?
She suddenly felt a little regretful. She shouldn't have gone along with the prank today—if not, she could've just straightforwardly thanked him right now.
Each of the three girls had their own thoughts. As Makoto continued explaining, the doubt he'd been feeling earlier only grew stronger.
Ichika's acting is weird! She's acting too calm.
And Nino is acting strange too—those quick glances she keeps sneaking at me are way too intense.
If before he only had a faint suspicion…
Now he had found evidence.
Makoto discreetly looked at Itsuki—she didn't seem any different than usual.
So… they swapped identities?
That sounds exactly like something the prank-loving Ichika would do.
He came to a conclusion in his heart, but didn't plan to expose them just yet.
Because now he was thinking—how could he join in on this little game?
Translation: Had your fun? Now it's my turn.
And just then, Nino suddenly asked, "Can I take a look at your room?"
She didn't have any hidden agenda, just genuine curiosity about what the room of a boy who'd left such a good impression would look like.
But as soon as she said that, Makoto smirked inwardly.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Now I know exactly how to join your role-playing game.
"Of course you can. Nino, you girls go ahead and keep looking—if you have any questions, just ask."
With that, Makoto stood up.
Nino, completely unaware she'd been found out, followed with a face full of anticipation.
Ichika watched their backs, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.
I haven't even been in his room yet!
As Makoto and Nino entered the room, Itsuki glanced at Ichika. "Regret it now?"
Ichika gave an awkward smile.
"I told you this childish game was pointless. You insisted on dragging me into it, and even pulled Nino along too."
Itsuki sighed and went back to reading her copy of the plan.
Ichika tried to cover her embarrassment. "I'm not regretting it. I'm just curious why Nino agreed to do it."
"She's probably just curious about Fushimi-kun's room."
Itsuki pointed out the truth, and then delivered another sisterly jab.
"Of course, I can also tell that you're even more curious than Nino—if you could, you'd probably want to go in there yourself."
"I'm just a little bit curious~ But it's not a big deal. It's just a room visit. It's not like they'll shut the door and hide in there."
Ichika laughed, trying to act relaxed.
But right after she said that—thud—a sound came from that direction.
The door that had been left open earlier had just closed shut.
Ichika's smile froze.
Nino… what are you doing?
Itsuki mumbled, puzzled. "Did she accidentally bump the door?"
Meanwhile, inside the room—
Nino was panicking like crazy.
She'd barely stepped inside for five seconds when Makoto suddenly shut the door.
And most importantly—he was walking straight toward her.
She instinctively backed up until her back was against the door.
"What's wrong? Could it be… you have something private to talk about, so you wanted to avoid Nino and the others? If that's the case, I'm really looking forward to it~"
Nino stayed in character, still playing the lighthearted, casual "Ichika."
Makoto didn't speak right away. He lifted one hand and planted it firmly on the door behind her, cornering her in a classic kabedon pose.
The next second, Nino—heart pounding—heard him say with a smile, "Wanna play, Ichika?"
Wait a second!
Play what?!
You can't mean… me, right?
Just how close are these two?!
Nino was completely stunned, her mouth wide open from shock and nerves—perfectly cosplaying that one reaction meme.
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