Six Years Ago.
Principal Takeda:"I couldn't believe my ears. You, Nakano-kun, taking in five children. You know my high school is always open for them."
Maruo:"Thank you for your consideration, but I've already made plans."
"Yes, that would be me."
Principal Takeda:"Who are you?"
"Ah, my apologies, my name is Principal Edajima, I have been business partners with Nakano-san for a while now. I offered to take them into my school, which connects middle school and high school. Of course, it's a bit strict, but if Nakano-kun's chosen, they'll do fine."
Principal Takeda:[Tch, take away my chance to shine, will you?]
...
Yotsuba:[Once we started middle school, I had begun taking studying very seriously. It was very important we did, as the education system was specially brutal to those who couldn't keep up. Rather than being the same, I decided to take my rightful role as the leader.]
...
Yotsuba:"Dad! Look at this! I got the best score out of my sisters!"
Maruo:"Good work."
Yotsuba:"Some clubs like the track team tried scouting me, but I turned them down. I wanted to focus on studying, after all."
Maruo:"Continue to accomplish great things."
Yotsuba:[Dad was a little cold, but as long as he saw my worth, it was fine. But, that recognition my mom would give us was what I really yearned for. That smile was the best.]
...
Miku:"You're not gonna play your games anymore?"
Yotsuba:"Yep! I've graduated from games. I've had them since before we lost most of our money, but now they just get in the way of studying."
Miku looked at one of the games.
Miku:"I don't know when I would have the time, but could I borrow them from time to time?"
Yotsuba:"Geez, you sure are a kid, huh?"
...
Yotsuba:[In order to achieve my goal. I have to try harder! I'm going to study super hard...and get super smart and join a company with a super high salary! Even if I have to throw away my dreams, even if I have to throw away…]
Itsuki:"Ichika's getting to be a really good actor, huh?"
Nino:"I'm sure she'll make it big. Don't you think, Yotsuba?"
Yotsuba:"...Yeah!"
Yotsuba:[That's right, my dreams don't really matter at this point, my grades have been steadily going up! I just got my first 70 after so many sleepless nights, that's the best score I've ever gotten! I just have to keep trying!]
…
Miku:"Hey, Yotsuba! You want to come hang out with us? It's been a while."
Yotsuba:"No thanks. I don't have time to have fun. Don't lump me together with you."
Miku:"I...I see…"
Yotsuba:[What's with her? Did she hit herself on a wall or something? Whatever, it's not my problem.]
…
Yotsuba:[I really had grown distant to my sisters. Soon, the admiring faces of many would be at my feet, not as one of the Nakano sisters, but as myself. I didn't need them, at least...that's what I wanted to believe…]
…
Yotsuba had been walking near the principal's office. Despite it already being beyond normal school hours, she was still there.
Yotsuba:"Just a little more until I hit my first 80! I heard I can start getting recommendations soon, maybe the principal will be willing to help me. I might get scolded for being here this late, but then he can see how willing I am for this!"
But as Yotsuba approached, she could overhear a pair talking while having a drink.
Principal Edajima:"My boy has taken a liking to one of the Nakano girls! I don't really see what he sees in the daughter of that bastard!"
"The one with the shortest hair? Well, it seems she's a good actress. With our help, she could make it big. I didn't know you had a son, where is he enrolled?"
Principal Edajima:"Here, of course!"
"Oh? I was led to believe this was an all-girls school."
Principal Edajima"It is! He likes to crossdress. His little gift lets him get close to all the women he desires."
"Does the little actress know?"
Principal Edajima:"Hahaha, of course not! He's also taken to hating one of them! You know that stupid girl with with the long hair that doesn't say much? She's become his personal punching bag! From his stories, it seems like he's having a blast! I love that the girls that the self important bastard is supposed to be caring for are like this because of his incompetence. Seeing his daughters suffer almost makes up for having to kiss his ass!"
"You sure are playing a dangerous game, aren't you? What will happen when he finds out?"
Principal Edajima:"Who cares? It's not like that guy honestly cares about them. I've gotten some info that they practically live alone, with him constantly buried in work. Besides, even if they did have a good relationship, they'd be risking his reputation. The stupid long haired girl specifically keeps those little emotions bottled up. She'd never tell others who the perpetrator is out of fear of the other girls."
"Oh my, how devilish."
Principal Edajima:"Sometimes, this job has its benefits. Raising a bunch of brats, what kind of idiot would want that job honestly. It's all about your personal image!"
Yotsuba:"..."
"There is one sister that's rising up the ranks, isn't there?"
Principal Edajima:"Yeah, honestly I don't see what's going on with that. If she only joined the track team, she could make it big. Have you seen her run?"
"Yes, she has an abnormal amount of energy. Such a shame she wastes it on subpar scores."
Yotsuba:[Miku...Miku never said anything, did she? Back then, when she asked me…]
Principal Edajima:"Better than that worthless silent girl! Have you seen her terrible scores!? I can't wait until I tell her she's expelled to her face! Now that will be a sight to behold, that's what that man deserves, after all."
Yotsuba's heart couldn't take it anymore. No matter how she tried rationalizing her actions, she knew one single truth. Her drifting away caused her to not realize what had been going on. Even though she tried to tell herself they were different, that they didn't need one another, Yotsuba couldn't lie to herself in this one instance. Her sister had been hurt, and she had found the reason behind it. At that point, something inside Yotsuba snapped and she stepped inside.
Yotsuba:"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT HER THAT WAY, YOU STUPID-"
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Yotsuba:[At that moment, I thought that was the worst decision of my life…]
…
Nino:"Yotsuba's part of the track team now?"
Itsuki:"I guess... When I tried asking her, she just said she wanted to pursue her dream."
Ichika:"Was that her dream? I could have sworn it was something else."
…
Miku:"Yotsuba! Are you okay? I've heard that you've been getting bullied!"
Yotsuba:"It's fine, it's nothing serious…Are you fine, Miku?"
Miku:"...I…Y-Yeah, but it's not like-"
Yotsuba:"That's good, as long as you're safe…"
Yotsuba:[I still don't know what caused me to snap...No, what am I saying, it was because I still loved my sisters…Even if I came to hate dad for ignoring us...even if I began to hate him for being the reason we were being targeted, my sisters were now in a good home again, and that's all that mattered...]
…
"What happened to Nakano-san? Her grades have dropped drastically."
"It looks like she's been really focused on the track team."
"If she keeps this up, she might get expelled."
...
Miku:"Y-Yotsuba! I've started playing those games you gave me, that means we have something in common again. We can talk about them, haha... "
Yotsuba:"..."
Miku:"I-If you want, we can...maybe talk about o-our...favorite games…"
Yotsuba:"Why?"
Miku:"It's just...you've been acting a little weird. I-I just don't want you to hate us...So if there's anything wrong, I'm here for you!"
After some silence, Yotsuba turned with a smile.
Yotsuba:"Nothing's wrong."
…
Miku:"Yotsuba...I...I don't know what to do..."
…
Yotsuba:[After I snapped, in order to protect my sisters from him, I agreed to join the track team. Soon after, Miku's bullies, including the principal's son, began to target me. Every day, they would do something to me. But as long as I said nothing, they'd be safe. It wasn't about us being together anymore. The school was connected until we graduated, so this continued until high school. At some point, I stopped thinking about the boy I met during that trip.]
…
…
Itsuki:"Have we...really become high school students...?"
Miku:"The people around us are the same, so it doesn't feel real. On the other hand, we've changed a lot."
Ichika:"Have we?"
Nino:"Of course!"
"Track and Field Club members, please come up to the stage."
Miku:"Ah, there she is."
"Congratulations on getting to nationals!"
Yotsuba:[Look at that. All of their faces of admiration...Finally, I got what I wanted, but...I don't feel anything…]
Miku:"She doesn't look...happy."
Ichika:"Her dream, huh?"
…
Itsuki:"Miku hasn't been out of her room much these days, huh?"
Nino:"She keeps playing those games, what's up with that? I know Ichika said she was getting bullied, but we never found out who it was in the end."
Suddenly, Ichika came through the door.
Ichika:"You girls! You have to hear this!"
…
Yotsuba:"Nobody was home when I woke up, I guess they're finally starting to forget about me. That's good…"
Yotsuba began to hear some screaming. She ran to see what it was. Once she got to the main building of the school, she finally saw what the commotion was for. Everywhere, there was graffiti and paint all over. The entire building had been vandalized. Alongside the cavalcade of paint were multiple statements. From how the principal had blackmailed Yotsuba, to how the principal's son had been crossdressing to get closer to girls.
"Wait, he's a boy!?"
"Is that true!?"
"Did the principal really do something like that?"
At the top of the building, on the roof, she saw her sisters proudly holding the items they used to do the job. At the bottom, the source of the screams came from the principal.
Principal Edajima:"Get the hell down, you worthless bitches! Who the hell do you think you are!?"
At that moment, Itsuki and Ichika showed him their tongues while pulling on their eyelids. Nino gave him the middle finger while holding a loudspeaker.
Nino:"Shut the hell up, you idiot! You think we don't know what you and your stupid shit crossdressing son has done to our sister!?"
Principal Edajima:"Geh!"
Nino:"Better yet, you think our dad doesn't know!? You little shit, your dumbass company is getting defunded! Hope you and your creep son enjoyed it, you pricks!"
Principal Edajima:"Why you-!?"
Yotsuba screamed at the four girls.
Yotsuba:"Why!? What's wrong with you!?"
Ichika:"We better hurry. They'll unlock that door soon."
The girls took turns using the loudspeaker.
Nino:"Yotsuba! I don't really know what you're thinking, but I refuse to let you suffer alone!"
Ichika:"We stick together, no matter where we go!"
Itsuki:"That's what mother taught us!"
Yotsuba began to cry. Now it was Miku's turn to speak.
Miku:"Yotsuba...I'm sorry I couldn't do anything. Everything was my fault...If you come to hate me because of this, I will never blame you. But, if there is something that's bothering you, we'll handle it together, right?"
Miku began to cry. But, she was able to force out a smile.
Miku:"Nothing is too tough for us when we're together. We're quintuplets, after all!"
...
Yotsuba:[Ah...This feeling, it's the same feeling I got with mom...I see...What I wanted wasn't the smiles of random people, it was the smiles of the ones I love. I wonder...if this is what mom meant...It's not about who's the best...It's about living for the sake of someone else...right?]
Before she knew it, Yotsuba simply smiled. At that moment, the door was opened and the four sisters were pushed to the ground. After some time, all five were expelled and transferred to Asahi High School. However, this display coming from a prestigious school such as this one needed to be covered up. The quints, both worried about the safety of their sisters, and worried about their new home, agreed to keep what had happened a secret. The story that was given out was simply that an unknown gang vandalised the school and that the five of them transferring was simply due to one of them failing, leading Maruo to transfer all of them. While Maruo did stop his funding of the school, which would lead it down a road of mediocrity, he didn't want to press the issue further, as he believed the sisters had suffered enough. He had failed as a father and planned to be more strict in the issues and people surrounding them. This was a chance for the quints to start over once again.
Yotsuba:[I always thought the idea of Miku looking up to me as stupid. Because...at that moment, I began to look up to you.]
…
…
Asahiyama High School
Itsuki:"It's so good!"
Miku:"The cafeteria here's impressive."
Ichika:"Nothing like before."
Nino:"Even the tests are a little easier. I'm glad we transferred here."
Yotsuba:"Yeah…Huh? Whose exam is this?"
Nino:"Who cares?"
Yotsuba:"A hundred points."
Itsuki:"Ah! Could it be…"
Ichika:"Ahh… Maybe it was that weird guy from before…"
Nino:"Look, the plain looking guy is over there."
Yotsuba:"I'll hand it to him."
Miku:"Yotsuba...Be careful…"
Itsuki:"He's studying now, I think."
Ichika:"Huh? In the cafeteria?"
Yotsuba:[There are some strange people out there.]
End of Chapter 36
