Ishikirimaru considered himself as an extremely plain person. Compared to his brothers and sister, Ishikirimaru was probably the most normal-looking Munechika you would ever meet.

Mikazuki, as the oldest among the 5 siblings, was the achiever of the family. He excelled in almost everything: academics and sports. He had looks to die for, and his eyes were of extremely rare color that it was almost inhumane. Mikazuki’s only flaw was that he always acted like an old man.

Kogitsunemaru, the third oldest, was made like a Greek god. He might not have Mikazuki’s intellect, but Kogitsunemaru was obviously the most athletic among the Munechika siblings. What was more; Kogitsunemaru was probably the most sought out guy in their school. Too bad Kogistunemaru only had his eyes on a certain white haired Hitofuri girl.

Iwatooshi, the second youngest, didn’t really have that traditional beauty Mikazuki and Kogitsunemaru had. Iwatooshi had unique looks: squinty eyes, razor sharp teeth, extremely tall height and buff frame, but that only attracted more females in his fan club. Combined with Iwatooshi’s prowess when it came to taking care of kids, many girls wanted him as their husband.

Imanotsurugi, the youngest and the only female in the Munechika family, was a living doll. Her skin was extremely pale and smooth almost like porcelain. Her eyes were large and a unique red color and her silver-gray hair were extremely smooth and silky. Iwatooshi always put her hair into intricate braids and other unique hairstyles, boosting Imanotsurugi’s doll-like features.

The bottom line was; Ishirikimaru was the most plain-looking person ever. His hair was an ordinary brown as well as his eyes. His only redeeming feature was that he was extremely tall, but he was sure that Iwatooshi would outgrow him after a few years.

So, why was the oh-so-famous and helpful student council vice president was in front of him, blushing bright red and stuttering as she confessed to him? How did Ishikirimaru manage even to earn the attention of Shishiou?!

It was during after class when Shishiou approached Ishikirimaru in his classroom. The appearance of the girl inside their classroom surprised Ishikirimaru and his classmates because, as far as they knew, Shishiou didn’t have any friends in their section, but she was suddenly there, asking for Ishikirimaru to talk with her privately outside.

Stunned, Ishikirimaru was only able to nod, standing up from his seat and awkwardly following Shishiou who was blushing harder now and kept fidgeting with her fingers and hair. It was the first time Ishikirimaru noticed that Shishiou’s hair was partially braided.

When they finally arrived somewhere in the school that was less crowded, Shishiou suddenly turned around, facing Ishikirimaru who slightly jumped in shock. Her face was beet red, and she was biting her lips deeply, almost enough to draw blood. In one abrupt movement, she shoved an envelope at Ishikirimaru’s chest.

Ishikirimaru looked at it questioningly, pointing at the envelope with slight hesitation. “I-is this for me…?” he watched as Shishiou nodded rapidly before accepting the letter with his hands. “Are you sure this is for me?”

Shishiou raised her head. Her visible eye stared straight at Ishikirimaru’s brown ones. “I am sure, very sure! I wrote that letter for you because I really, really, REALLY adore you, Ishikirimaru-san!” she exclaimed, hands clenching at her sides and eyes closing tight.

Ishikirimaru spluttered, taking a few steps back. He looked at the letter in his hands then at Shishiou. A healthy red crept on his face along with disbelief. He simply couldn’t believe what was happening. The entire situation was completely unbelievable, almost insane for Ishikirimaru.

The silence that grew between the two of them was thick and almost awkward. Shishiou kept fiddling with the end of her skirt while Ishikirimaru kept looking back and forth at Shishiou and the letter in his hands.

It felt like an hour had passed when Shishiou spoke again. She shyly looked up, peering at Ishikirimaru with her lone silver eye. “S-so…?” she croaked out, and it was the first time that Ishikirimaru heard Shishiou sounded nervous and unsure.

Ishikirimaru looked at the envelope again. It was a simple white one with a sakura bloom sticker acting as a seal. It didn’t look like those love letters Iwatooshi and Kogitsunemaru brought home. This one looked… sincere.

“U-um…” Ishikirimaru stuttered, looking back at Shishiou. “Shishiou-san, um, I really appreciate it, but can you please, um, give me some time to think…?” he asked hesitantly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Shishiou’s face fell. Ishikirimaru instantly hated himself for saying those things. Disappointment didn’t suit Shishiou after all. “A-ah, I see! I mean, you must be extremely shocked by me!” she gave an awkward laugh, rubbing her nape sheepishly as she tried to smile at Ishikirimaru. “Ple-please do think about it! See you tomorrow, Ishikirimaru-san!”

With that, Shishiou immediately turned around and ran towards the school gates. Ishikirimaru stood frozen in his spot for a moment, staring at Shishiou’s fading form. When she was completely out of sight, Ishikirimaru shifted his gaze on the envelope again, blushing brightly when he remembered what occurred a few seconds earlier.

“We’re back, Ishi-nii!” Imanotsurugi greeted, jumping at Ishikimaru’s back and hanging gleefully at his neck like an overjoyed sloth.

Ishikirimaru stumbled before quickly catching himself. He turned his head and held Imanotsurugi’s arms, adjusting the girl’s weight on his shoulders. “Welcome home, Imanotsurugi.” He grinned widely, looking past Imanotsurugi’s tuft of silver hair. “Welcome home as well, Iwatooshi.”

Iwatooshi gave an open-mouthed smile at Ishikirimaru before kneeling down to take off his sneakers. “We’re back.” He repeated, taking Imanotsurugi off Ishikirimaru when he had removed his shoes. “What are you looking for, Ishikirimaru-nii?”

Ishikirimaru looked back at the opened cabinet, sighing when he didn’t find Mikazuki’s shoes and closing it in defeat. “I’m checking if Mikazuki-niisan is back.” He said, removing his own shoes while Iwatooshi and Imanotsurugi (who was now hanging on Iwatooshi’s arm) entered the threshold.

“Eh, is something wrong, Ishi-nii?” Imanotsurugi asked, looking worriedly at Ishikirimaru. She hopped down Iwatooshi’s arm and walked towards Ishikirimaru, frowning slightly. “You only look for Mika-nii when you are troubled.”

Ishikirimaru smiled down at his sister, patting her head. He picked up his shoes, keeping it at the rack before walking inside with Imanotsurugi in tow. “You see, a girl confessed to me today.”

Iwatooshi and Imanotsurugi gasped in shock, scrambling towards Ishikirimaru. Iwatooshi immediately asked everything that happened while Imanotsurugi dove for Ishikirimaru’s bag, easily snatching it from her brother’s grasp.

Iwatooshi left Ishikirimaru alone, crouching beside Imanotsurugi who was scavenging inside Ishikirimaru’s bag. After a few seconds, she pulled out a white envelope, the one Shishiou gave. Ishikirimaru released an incredulous sound, making a move to snatch the envelope back, but strong arms wound themselves around Ishikirimaru’s abdomen, stopping him.

“Who is it from?” Kogitsunemaru, who suddenly appeared, asked, grinning wolfishly.

Ishikirimaru looked at Kogitsunemaru in disbelief while Imanotsurugi and Iwatooshi just grinned brightly at Kogitsunemaru. “It says here from Shi-shi-o-u.” Imanotsurugi read with a bit difficulty, looking at Iwatooshi questioningly and mentally asking him if she read correctly.

Iwatooshi grinned wider, ruffling Imanotsurugi’s hair. “You read correctly, Ima-chan! Great job!” he praised earning a series of giggles from the girl.

“Shishiou? You mean the student council vice president? That Shishiou?” Kogitsunemaru asked, releasing Ishikirimaru who immediately snatched back his bag and the letter.

Ishikirimaru huffed, straightening his uniform and trying to give a glare at his siblings who just looked back at him with innocent eyes, one of Ishikirimaru’s many weaknesses. He sighed, slumping down in defeat. “Yes, that Shishiou.” He affirmed.

“I knew she liked Ishikirimaru-nii! She asked me one time if Ishikirimaru-nii has a girlfriend!” Iwatooshi exclaimed, standing up and grinning at Ishikirimaru’s defeated look.

Imanotsurugi looked confused for a moment, looking at the envelope longingly. “Who is Shishiou?” she asked curiously, tugging at Iwatooshi’s pants.

Iwatooshi looked down at Imanotsurugi. “You remember that Nee-san who led you to my club one time?”

Imanotsurugi’s eyes sparkled as she smiled brightly. She started jumping up and down in delight. “You mean that pretty and kind Nee-san with blonde hair and silver eyes?!” she squealed when Iwatooshi nodded, skipping towards Ishikirimaru. “Is she your girlfriend, Ishi-nii?!”

Ishikirimaru’s eyes shifted left and right while Kogitsunemaru sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he answered Imanotsurugi’s question as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course she is! She asked out Ishikirimaru-niisan, so it is a given.”

Ishikirimaru blushed, remembering what happened earlier. He shook his head, trying to will away the blush. “Um, ah, you see, that’s not the case…” he murmured quietly, but the three still heard it and were now looking at Ishikirimaru as if he grew another head.

“What do you mean?” Kogistunemaru asked. Iwatooshi and Imanotsurugi nodded their encouragement at Ishikirimaru, coaxing their brother to answer.

Ishikirimaru gulped hard, blushing deep red again. He started playing with the envelope and refused to make any form of eye contact with his siblings. “Well, you see, it’s my first time being confessed too, so…” he trailed off, lowering his head in embarrassment.

“You rejected her?!” the three chorused, staring wide-eyed at Ishirikimaru in disbelief.

“N-no, it’s not like that!” Ishikirimaru denied, waving his hand in front of his chest. The three still looked shaken as hell, so Ishikirimaru decided to elaborate what actually happened. “I-I was so shocked, so I told her that I will think about it…”

Imanotsurugi was the first to recover. “Is that why you are looking for Mika-nii? You are going to ask him about this?” she asked, looking confused for a moment. “Shouldn’t you ask Kogi-nii instead? He is the one with experience after all.”

Kogitsunemaru snapped out of his trance. He looked confused at Ishikirimaru’s choice as well and gave a questioning look at his older brother.

Ishikirimaru also looked confused at his siblings’ reactions and raised a skeptical brow. “You don’t know? Mikazuki-niisan and Yamabagiri-san are dating for half a year now.”

Kogitsunemaru and Imanotsurugi’s jaws hung open in shock. Their eyes were filled with disbelief as they turned to look at Iwatooshi who was left unshaken by the sudden news. Iwatooshi looked back at them questioningly, grinning widely as always. “I saw them dating at a café near the school last week. That’s when I learned about it!”

Kogistunemaru and Imanotsurugi started crowding at Iwatooshi, demanding the male with more details and asking him why he didn’t told them anything earlier. Ishikirimaru only smiled at the sight and used the commotion to slip upstairs to his room.