Anime Collector: Starting With the Malevolent Shrine

"Ugh — I'm so sleepy. If I keep pulling these all-nighters, I'll get wrinkles." Nino couldn't help but yawn.

The faint dark circles under her eyes made the usually appearance-conscious girl uneasy. She'd been so preoccupied of what she would do in the shrine that she hadn't even brought her face masks.

She walked to the mirror and carefully examined her firm skin. It remained as smooth and fair as ever, without a single flaw.

"Well, I should get some rest soon." A satisfied but exhausted Nino could barely keep her eyes open. As she turned off the lights, drowsiness washed over her.

Just as she was drifting off, an urgent knock came at the door.

"Geez, who's up at this hour?!" She glared at the wooden door, irritated at being disturbed.

"Nino, it's me!"

Hearing her sister's voice, Nino grudgingly opened the door.

"I need to discuss something with you!" Ichika stood there with a serious expression.

"Please, can't this wait until tomorrow? I can barely keep my eyes open." Squinting, Nino struggled to stay awake.

Seeing this, Ichika clenched her fists, appalled at her sister's brazenness.

Too tired to keep her eyes open! How dare she say such a thing so shamelessly! Has Nino no shame at all?!

'Oh no... Mother, I'm so sorry. Under my care, she has become this kind of person.' Trembling inside, Ichika couldn't believe her sister's audacity!

"Nino! What you did earlier, I... I... I saw everything!" Gathering her courage, she stared directly at Nino's face.

No matter what, she had to correct these mistakes! If Nino would just admit her wrongdoing, there might still be hope. But...

Nino, foggy with exhaustion, was barely processing the conversation.

Earlier? She assumed Ichika meant seeing her chat with Haruno.

"Oh, that! What about it?" She replied dismissively.

Such a casual response left Ichika stunned. How could she be so nonchalant about it!

She'd expected panic and remorse. Instead, Nino showed no sign of regret — she was even being defiant!

Shocked to her core, Ichika stepped back. At this moment, her sister seemed like a stranger. A thousand words gathered in her mind, yet Nino had dismissed them all with a single response.

"You... you... even if you don't care about anything else... shouldn't you at least consider our sisterly bond? Aren't you worried about hurting us?"

The intense words made Nino furrow her brow. In her exhausted state, she couldn't think beyond the surface level.

Just chatting with Haruno — how could that have such terrible consequences?

Oh! She must mean the Matsushita Group's assassins. If they discovered their close connection to the Yukinoshita family, they might target the Nakano family by association.

"You do have a point."

The suddenly softened tone gave Ichika a glimmer of hope. It showed that Nino still cared about the quintuplets' relationship!

"But we're only doing it in private, so no one else can see, right?" Her tone suddenly shifted.

Crack—

Ichika's smile shattered completely. Along with it, her worldview crumbled.

Is this... is this even about whether it's private or not? Don't tell me you're hoping to do it publicly too?

"How... how did... you two..." Ichika suspected it might have started from that night they stayed over.

After all, once Nino made up her mind about something, it was hard to change her course.

But she still needed to know just how far her sister had fallen.

"Huh?"

About how her relationship with Haruno developed?

"Nothing special, we just tried it out and found we got along well."

Ichika was completely stunned.

Just tried it out? How could she say such things with a straight face? Had Ichika been so focused on herself that she'd neglected her sister's upbringing?

"How long will this continue?" After a moment of silence, she forced herself to ask.

"Why talk about continuing or not? We just chat when we happen to meet in private." Nino lay on her bed, casually turning over.

Hugging her blanket, her voice began to fade.

Meanwhile, Ichika was beside herself with anxiety. Just chat when you meet in private? Chat how? Is this what you call chatting?

Dumbfounded, she couldn't find words to describe this girl.

"Being caught by me doesn't... doesn't... make you nervous at all?"

"Why should I be nervous? If Ichika wants to join, you can come too." Nino mumbled drowsily.

Ichika was completely dumbstruck.

She actually wanted to drag her along with Daiki! She probably wants to bring Miku too... no... maybe all five sisters!

Even the usually composed First simbling couldn't help but gasp. The good news was that Nino still cared about the five sisters' relationship. The bad news was that she cared too much.

Hearing this, she stood frozen, unable to utter a word.

"What about Miku?"

By the time these words were spoken, Nino had already fallen deep asleep, clutching her blanket. She was murmuring words like "Daiki-kun" in her sleep.

Closing the door in a daze, Ichika walked back to her room. The operation to persuade Nino had completely fallen apart.

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Meanwhile, things remained surprisingly peaceful between Yukino and Haruno since neither mentioned anything about Daiki.

"Yukino, do you think we can convince Daiki-kun to help us tomorrow?" Haruno asked with feigned uncertainty, already knowing the answer.

"Given his remarkable power for his age, I believe Daiki-kun will consider our position as classmates. If we appeal to our friendship, he won't turn us away — especially since his abilities could easily overwhelm the Matsushita Group!" Yukino was certain of his agreement.

She couldn't state this directly, however, or her sister would see through her. She needed to frame it in a way that seemed more logical.

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T/N: If you want more chapters like this, check out my Patreon! Take a look at my other translations too, you might like them!

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