The teacher, with a calm smile, casually pointed to the corner where Osamu was half asleep.
—Kuroda, since it seems like you're getting along well with Nakano, take her on a tour of the school —she said, as if it were the most natural request in the world.
Osamu lifted his head with an expression of utter disgust, as if they had just asked him to climb Mount Fuji barefoot.
—Hey, don't give me that look —the teacher responded, not losing her smile—. That's not going to free you from the responsibility of being Nakano's tour guide. Also, it'll do you some good to move around a bit instead of lying there like a corpse.
The truth was, the teacher knew Osamu very well. If no one asked him directly, he simply did nothing. He was lazy by nature, and she knew it perfectly.
Osamu let out a deep sigh of resignation, as if his spirit was leaving his body, and then noticed that Nakano was looking at him with a bright smile.
—Then, I'll be in your care, Osamu-kun —Nino said, her eyes sparkling with joy.
Osamu didn't respond, not even with a forced smile. To him, this was true torment.
...
Classes finally ended, and the exhausting tour had reached its last stop: the cafeteria.
—Well... as the last place, this is the cafeteria —Osamu murmured, his tone as monotone as always.
—It's pretty big! —exclaimed Nino, admiring the place—. Thank you so much for the tour, Osamu-kun. Now, to show you that I'm a woman of my word, you can choose anything from the menu.
For the first time, Osamu's eyes lit up like a child in a candy store.
—Alright... I hope you don't go back on your word —he said, already walking toward the ordering area.
—Of course not. Choose whatever you want! —Nino affirmed, crossing her arms confidently.
Osamu took those words literally. He ordered everything: ramen, donburi, sushi, croquettes, strawberry cake, chocolate parfait... The mountain of food in front of him seemed to defy the laws of physics.
Nino blinked in disbelief, processing the magnitude of the order.
—Are you sure you can eat all of that? —she asked, genuinely concerned.
Osamu simply nodded with unsettling indifference.
—I can do it.
Nino sighed, still incredulous.
—Well... I just hope you don't waste anything. —With that, she ordered something light for herself.
After paying, Osamu was about to head to a table when he felt a firm hand on his back.
—Where do you think you're going? —Nino asked, raising an eyebrow.
—To eat, obviously. —Osamu looked at her as if the answer was obvious.
—Not just by yourself! Not after ordering all that with my money! —Nino said, dragging him to a table with an intimidating aura.
Osamu sighed. In the end, he had not only ended up as a tour guide but also as an unwilling lunch companion.
...
—Oh, that's not Nino! —said a girl who looked almost identical to Nino, pointing to the cafeteria—. Look, she's with a guy with long hair.
—Of course it's her! —replied another girl, equally similar but with boundless energy—. Nino! Over here! —she shouted, waving her arms as if she were at a concert.
Nino realized someone was calling her and, recognizing them, smiled in relief. Without saying a word, she grabbed Osamu by the arm and dragged him to the table where the other girls were.
—Hey, girls. How's your day been? —Nino asked casually.
—Great! —answered the energetic girl, practically bouncing in her seat—. My classmates are pretty nice, although one fell off his chair and blamed me for "radiating too much energy."
—Typical —responded another girl, with large headphones around her neck, wearing the expression of someone who had seen too many ridiculous things.
—I'm doing fine too... but it seems like your day was even better, Nino. Do you have a boyfriend yet? —interjected the third girl, who had short hair, casting a mischievous look.
—It's not what you think, Ichika! —Nino quickly exclaimed, blushing slightly—. This is Osamu-kun, my classmate. He helped me with math, so I rewarded him with food.
—Oh, I see... —Ichika raised an eyebrow as if analyzing Osamu—. Hi, handsome. —She smiled and extended her hand—. My name is Ichika Nakano, and I'm Nino's older sister.
Osamu looked at Ichika's extended hand, then at the other girls... and back at Ichika.
—...
She had the same face as Nino, but with short hair and a mischievous glint in her eyes. He then looked at the energetic girl: she was just as identical, but with slightly longer hair than the first one. Then he glanced at the girl with the headphones, who had even longer hair but exuded an air of complete indifference. Was this a hidden camera prank? A glitch in reality?
—You... are like clones —he muttered, still trying to process the situation.
Ichika chuckled.
—We're not clones, silly. We're quintuplets. Haven't you ever seen sisters before? —Ichika said, amused by his stunned expression.
—Not so many alike —Osamu admitted frankly, mentally counting again. —But... there's only four.
—Ah, right. One's missing. —Ichika smiled mischievously—. She's probably lost again. Don't worry, it happens.
—A quintuplet gets lost? —murmured Osamu, even more confused than before.
—Oh, right, I forgot —the energetic girl said, slapping her forehead—. Itsuki went out to get some food!
—Again... —sighed Miku, the girl with the headphones, as if she was already used to the situation.
—Does she get lost because of food? —Osamu asked, still trying to process what was happening.
—More like she gets lost over everything —Nino responded with a sigh—. That glutton is always looking for a snack and then can't find her way back.
—How convenient... and troublesome —murmured Osamu, feeling more exhausted than usual.
—Anyway, you'll get to know us better —said Ichika, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder—. And don't worry about Itsuki, she'll eventually find her way... or call us to rescue her.
—That is if she doesn't end up at a restaurant trying to memorize the entire menu —added Yotsuba, laughing.
Osamu couldn't help but wonder if he was dreaming. His lazy day had been replaced by a circus of quintuplets, and he didn't know whether to laugh or just lie down on the floor and accept his fate.
—Okay, okay, Nino chimed in. — Enough of scaring him. Besides, I also owe him this meal for the tour.
—A tour? Wow, Nino! Did you already find someone who can tolerate your bad temper? —teased Yotsuba, earning a death glare from Nino.
—Shut up, Yotsuba!
—Wow, you've got guts, kid —Miku commented with a slight smile while adjusting her headphones—. Putting up with Nino for so long...
—What are you all talking about? I'm not that hard to deal with! —protested Nino, crossing her arms with a look of annoyance.
Osamu simply sighed, wondering if ordering so much food had been a mistake. He'd probably have to listen to the quintuplets argue throughout the entire lunch.