The Heroines Want to Confess

At the bottom floor of the luxury apartment complex, just outside the elevator hall,

Nakano Yotsuba looked at her sisters, all standing in awkward silence.

She scratched her head.

Something… felt off.

This was the first time Sakurai had seen all five Nakano sisters together.

Their hair colors were nearly identical.

Their faces were almost the same.

The only way to tell them apart was by their hairstyles and accessories.

For example, Itsuki wore two gold star-shaped hairpins, while Miku had a pair of headphones with triangle symbols.

"P… Pervert!"

Nakano Itsuki, holding a meat bun half-eaten, suddenly turned and saw Sakurai.

After freezing for a few seconds, she pointed a finger straight at him and yelled at full volume.

There were several other apartment residents waiting for the elevator.

Now, they were all staring at Sakurai.

"He's actually kinda good-looking… How could he be…?"

"Probably got caught two-timing?"

"Yeah, guys these days… If they look decent, they always have multiple girls."

Before this situation turned into a full-blown gender war,

Sakurai quickly tried to explain.

"That's just my job, Itsuki—"

Just as he was about to continue—

"But I SAW you!"

"You went out with different girls!"

"You changed girlfriends multiple times in a single week!!"

Itsuki's accusations echoed throughout the lobby.

A few passersby stopped to listen.

"Oh my~ Sensei's quite bold, huh?"

"Hah! Total scumbag. Let's just call him 'Trash-kun' from now on."

"Sakurai-kun… even if you like Sengoku-era games, you can't have multiple wives in modern times, you know?"

"Ehh?! Is Sakurai-kun really like that?!"

Hearing the sisters' commentary, Sakurai barely managed to maintain his gentle expression.

A teacher couldn't lose his temper with his students.

A happy learning environment was crucial for building trust.

Harsh Spartan-style education would only backfire.

"Everyone, it's study time."

"Let's go upstairs and talk about this later, okay?"

Nakano Itsuki crossed her arms into an X shape in front of her chest.

"I absolutely refuse to let someone like you into our home!"

Nakano Nino looked disgusted.

"Trash. Pest. Pervert."

Nakano Miku frowned slightly.

"Sakurai-kun, hurry up and explain…!"

Nakano Ichika smiled mischievously.

"Sensei~ It looks like nobody wants you here~"

Nakano Yotsuba's green ribbon bobbed as she nodded.

"I want him here! Because Sakurai-kun is fun!"

"A guy who changes girlfriends multiple times a week—super interesting!"

…That was not the kind of praise that made someone happy.

And now, explaining his rental boyfriend job wouldn't help.

There were too many people around.

Sakurai sighed.

"I have zero interest in any of you. You don't have to worry."

"Oh my~ Sensei doesn't like girls?"

Ichika tilted her head with fake concern.

"Wait—so you don't even like girls, yet you change girlfriends every week?"

Nino's eyes widened like she just saw God.

"This guy… He's not just trash.

He's no longer human."

"Sakurai-kun~"

Miku lowered her head slightly.

Yotsuba patted his back.

"Sakurai-kun, so you like guys instead?"

"I know a lot of boys from the sports clubs! Want me to introduce you?"

Itsuki's hands trembled so hard that her meat bun almost fell.

She looked horrified.

Sakurai noticed the change in the bystanders' expressions.

They had gone from judging him as a cheater to pitying him as a tragic case.

He didn't care what the sisters thought anymore.

One by one, he shoved them into the elevator.

If this continued, he would never be able to explain himself.

"Sensei, don't touch me so much~ Oh my~"

"Sakurai-kun…"

"Pervert, don't touch me!"

"Tch! Fine, I'll go in myself!"

"U-Um… sorry… I didn't know Sakurai-kun was… um…"

After pressing the close button, Sakurai finally exhaled.

"My orientation is completely normal.

I just won't ever fall for any of you.

Because my role here is a teacher.

Do you understand?"

The elevator started rising toward the 30th floor.

"I reviewed your test scores from last year."

"They're not awful."

"You girls always barely passed."

"Itsuki even scored a little above the passing mark."

Sakurai pulled out a printed chart from Yotsuba's bag and showed them.

As expected, the sisters looked pleased.

Itsuki even smiled sheepishly.

"That wasn't praise."

Sakurai cut them off.

"It's just a fact."

"Actually, Trash-kun…"

Nino's tone softened slightly.

"We really don't want a tutor."

"You don't need to waste your time on us."

"Can you stop calling me that, Nino?"

"Fine, then… Insect-kun?"

"Forget it. Just stick with the first one."

Yotsuba, meanwhile, had no objections.

"Sakurai-kun, I'm really dumb."

"You could tutor me for an entire semester, and I probably still wouldn't improve."

"If you're okay with that, I'll accept your lessons."

…Compared to the other three, Yotsuba was a literal angel.

It was a shame she also had the worst grades.

"I like history…"

Miku mumbled.

So she was interested in only one subject?

Sakurai already knew that from being her classmate last year.

That was also why she didn't refuse the tutoring last week.

As for Itsuki,

She only showed up to protect Miku from the "scumbag tutor."

After all, according to their misunderstanding, he was a womanizing devil.

"Sensei, you should just give up."

Ichika, the eldest, finally spoke.

"We've always been bad at studying.

We've never kept up with the teachers since we were kids.

High school is even worse."

Itsuki, meanwhile, was still blushing slightly.

She hadn't recovered from Sakurai's earlier compliment.

Being praised for her studies was a first.

For the first time ever, she felt like her efforts were recognized.

It made her really happy.

"So, that's three votes in favor, two against?"

Sakurai checked the elevator display.

The 30th floor had arrived.

As the sisters stepped out, he followed.

"Do you have a majority rule?"

"Nope."

Nino said flatly.

"Trying to tutor me? Hah.

Maybe in a few hundred years."

Then, she suddenly smiled at her sisters.

"So, what do you guys want for snacks? Cookies?"

…Wasn't this double standard a little too much?!

Sakurai gave up talking to her and turned to Ichika.

"Cookies, huh? Sounds good."

Ichika grinned at him.

"Sensei, anything else you wanna say?"

Sakurai glanced at her attitude.

Clearly, she had no interest in studying either.

If this wasn't a job he took from Shirogane,

He would've walked out immediately.

'This is gonna be a long, long battle…'