The quintuplets were returning home after a long day at school. They walked together down the hallway of the building, chatting calmly as the echo of their footsteps resonated in the narrow corridor. When they reached the door of their apartment, Ichika stopped and slightly frowned as she noticed the door of the neighboring apartment.
"Hey, I've noticed something curious for a few days now," Ichika said, pointing to the plaque next to the door. "The room across from us has the same last name as Kuroda-kun~."
Her sisters stopped, following the direction of her gaze. Miku tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Now that you mention it, it's true," she replied, though her tone was more of surprise than interest. Unlike Nino and Ichika, Miku didn't have a close relationship with Osamu, but they did exchange a few words from time to time.
"It's not like the name Osamu is that special," Nino scoffed, crossing her arms with evident annoyance. "It's probably just someone else."
Ichika looked at her with a sly smile.
"Did something happen today, Nino? You seem more upset than usual."
Nino pressed her lips together, recalling what had happened in the student council office. Frustration welled up in her throat again, but she forced herself to hide it.
"Nothing happened!" she replied, avoiding eye contact.
"Wow, seems like someone really made her mad," Yotsuba commented, tilting her head with a carefree smile.
"Probably Kuroda," Miku murmured, shrugging. It wasn't unusual for Osamu to annoy Nino in their usual exchanges, so they decided to let it go.
Ichika glanced at the plaque with the last name "Osamu" on the door across from them, wondering if it could really be the same Osamu they knew. It was too much of a coincidence, but if it were... she couldn't deny it would be a pretty pleasant surprise.
"Maybe I'm overthinking it," she murmured before shaking her head to stop overanalyzing the situation.
With one last curious glance at the neighboring door, the quintuplets entered their apartment, leaving the doubts and mystery behind... for the moment.
...
Nino left the convenience store with a bag in her hand, still feeling a bit frustrated about what had happened earlier. She had tried not to think about it, but every time she remembered Osamu and Rias being close, her stomach twisted with annoyance.
"Why do I even care so much?" she muttered to herself, sighing as she walked back to her apartment.
When she reached the building, she noticed something strange: someone was standing in front of the door next to hers, trying to fit a key into the lock. It was Kuroda, holding a similar shopping bag in his hand. He seemed to be having some trouble opening the door since he was carrying several things at once.
Nino froze in the hallway, processing what she was seeing.
"What... what are you doing here?" she finally asked, trying to sound casual.
Osamu looked up and raised an eyebrow upon seeing her.
"Oh, you live here too?" he said with feigned surprise. "Wow, it's a small world."
"Eh? What are you talking about? I've been living here for months!" Nino replied, clearly confused. "What are you doing here?"
Osamu finally managed to open the door and smiled with satisfaction before looking at her.
"I moved in last week. I guess we're neighbors now," he said calmly, as if it were no big deal.
Nino blinked several times, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"Neighbors?!" she exclaimed, raising her voice more than she intended. "Why didn't you say anything before?!"
Osamu shrugged, a slight smile on his lips.
"I didn't think it was relevant. Besides, I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable," he commented nonchalantly.
"As if I would feel uncomfortable about that!" Nino quickly replied, though her slightly flushed face betrayed her. "It's just weird that you didn't mention it..."
"Hm? Are you sure you're not a little embarrassed?" he teased, leaning slightly towards her.
"N-no, I'm not! Idiot!" Nino shouted, turning around and quickly entering her own apartment, slamming the door behind her.
On the other side, Osamu let out a low, amused laugh.
"She's so easy to provoke..." he whispered, entering his apartment and setting his groceries on the table.
Meanwhile, inside her own apartment, Nino leaned her back against the door and slowly slid down to the floor, her heart still pounding hard.
"Neighbors..." she murmured to herself, unable to decide whether that was a good or bad thing. The only sure thing was that now she would have him closer than she thought... and that made her feel strangely nervous.