Ding, ding! The Ace of the Gotoubun archive is back and he's got another story you all should watch out for. The next update will be for 5 sisters, don't worry, I just wanted to get this out. This is a story based on the possibility of what would have happened if Fuutarou NEVER met the young Rena back then, which would have affected story greatly. I don't have anything else to say, so let's get into the chapter already!

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

Disclaimer: I don't own the Quintessential Quintuplets, or any of its characters...

"Congratulations on your wedding, Uesugi-kun."

"Yeah, you deserve it, man. You've been through a lot, you know? I even thought that you'd be the least likely to get married out of all of us!"

Fuutarou Uesugi, currently twenty-two years old and wearing a white suit that was symbolic to the ongoing event, sent grateful looks to the two men whom he considered as his friends after all these years. In the past, he wouldn't even bat an eye at them or at the very least, give them a nod of acknowledgement but those days were over.

"Doesn't that apply to you, Maeda-kun? After all, you've just begun your 7th relationship about two months ago," said the blonde man who wore an elegant tuxedo that was even better-looking than what the groom himself had.

"Aw, can ya blame me? My luck ain't as good as you two! And excuse you, Takeda, I've been working hard to change my ways. I'm not the same as I was back then!" said the taller man with slicked-back brown hair, before sending a scowl at the one standing beside him.

These two were there for him when he needed it, despite how much of a jerk he was in the past.

"No, he's got a point."

Fuutarou said in a firm tone, before shaking his head to emphasize his point. After hearing this, both men turned towards the groom, who felt nostalgic for a moment as he remembered his days in high school.

More particularly, the day he met her.

"I was so different back then. I never thought of myself as someone who can make it past college. If it wasn't for her, I'd be down in the drain with nowhere else to go. She saved me from what I was supposed to be, and guided me on the right path."

Both Takeda and Maeda knew exactly who he was talking about. After all, he had just gotten married to that very woman about an hour ago and the memory of them saying their vows was still fresh in their minds.

However, listening to their longtime friend saying these things about himself made it sound like getting married to her was some kind of miracle itself. It sounded harsh not only for them, but likely for Fuutarou himself as well. To his own credit, Fuutarou did start to change himself and his ways in the past, and that's way before he fell in love with that woman.

"Damn, that's… I've never heard you talk about yourself like that before," said Maeda, wincing as if those words were directed towards him instead.

"Don't you think you are being harsh on yourself? Her sisters were also there for you and it's after you've met them that you started to change, much to everyone's disbelief. Literally nobody from school could have seen that shift in attitude that you had," Takeda explained.

Fuutarou only nodded in agreement with everything that they said. "I know, and I'm grateful to all of them for sticking with someone as stubborn and hard-headed as me. But, it's because of her that I learned what it means to be someone better. She taught me that there's more to life than just existing and letting things run its course."

Maeda was utterly confused after hearing those words, while Takeda was the only one who seemed to realize what their old friend was trying to tell them, shown from the smirk that formed on his face.

"Wow… have you been studying poetry and literature lately? That sounds like something that came out of Oscar Wilde's works."

The groom shrugged, before he looked up with a smile and thought about what would happen in the future from here. Yeah, he could already picture it in his mind and he wanted it to be true, no matter what.

A future with her, of all people, would make him happy.

"Who knows? I got all the time in the world, and I'm happy with what I have right now."

Takeda smiled as well, before he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Knowing what this meant, he quickly sent an embarrassed smile at his friend.

"Well, I do hope you enjoy the rest of your special day, Uesugi-kun. Now, I'm afraid that I'll have to excuse myself. Gotta answer a call, hehe…"

"Yeah, talk to you later. I'm going outside for a bit to smoke," Maeda said while shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Likewise."

With that, the two men left him and Fuutarou gave them a nod of acknowledgement as they walked away. Immediately following that, he then felt a pair of arms wrap around his midsection, causing him to freeze in place as a female body pressed against his back in a warm embrace. He took a second to think about who could this be, until he looked down and saw her white gloves before hearing her soothing voice.

The voice of his wife.

"If you were going to discuss me in front of our friends, you should have told me beforehand. I would have told them about the time when you motivated yourself with the thought of having a motorcycle as a present. That was the exact time when you first started to change, wasn't it?" she asked playfully, before leaning into his back.

He rolled his eyes in amusement, knowing what exactly she was referring to in the past but decided to focus on another important thing. Where did his wife come from? Was she just planning to surprise him or something?

"Weren't you just talking with your sisters earlier? I saw you with them."

"Mm… perhaps I was, but Father wanted me to tell you that he wants to speak with you," she replied, failing to hide her giggles upon saying those words.

He groaned in response, causing the woman to laugh a bit louder because that was the exact reaction she expected from him. Even after all these years, Fuutarou and her father just can't seem to get along for a multitude of reasons, although they were at speaking terms by now at the very least.

"He's not gonna try and kill me, is he? I remember that it took my old man, my mother, Raiha, and your sisters altogether to convince your father to finally come and get his ass here. Is he that angry at me for marrying his daughter?"

She only giggled further, having gotten used to the vulgar language from her husband long ago. "You don't have to worry. Isanari-san and Hayami-san are with him. Apparently, they also want to talk with you."

Fuutarou raised an eyebrow. "My parents, too? Well, I better not keep them waiting then. Your father will definitely kill me if I'm not there within a minute. What about Raiha, by the way?"

"She's with the others. After all, it's been years since they last met," she explained, turning her attention to her sisters who were gathered in one table and they were all conversing with each other.

Fuutarou followed her gaze, and he quickly saw his younger sister happily chatting with his wife's siblings. He smiled at the scene, since they must have missed each other terribly after many years of being away. Everyone else had gone on their separate ways to fulfill their own dreams after graduating, while Raiha was going through her first-year of high school at the moment.

"Understandable. I'll be going, then."

Before he could walk away, he felt someone hold his hand and keep him in place momentarily. In response, Fuutarou quickly turned back with a curious look, and he saw his wife looking embarrassed with a small blush on her cheeks. That was a quick change to how she laughed earlier out of amusement.

"M-Make it quick, alright? I… I want to be with my husband a lot more…"

For some reason, saying that took a toll on the woman from how it was a very big jump in their relationship. The word 'husband' was simply way different compared to 'fiance' and 'boyfriend'. A few months ago, she was still Ms. Nakano but now…

She was Mrs. Uesugi.

Upon hearing those words, Fuutarou couldn't help but smirk lightly. Even after several years have passed with them being together and thus, had plenty of time to spend on their own in both college and normal life as a couple, she continued acting timidly as if she was still a young maiden. He didn't mind though, because he loved her as she was, and seeing her act like this only made her look cuter if possible.

"We just got married and you're already like this? I should be worried when it's time for me to find a job and leave home on a regular basis."

The woman pouted at being teased by her husband, before her expression slowly turned into a smile once more. "Maybe, but I know you won't. I still haven't forgotten what you promised me that night. You and me, no matter what happens."

Ah, yes. That night.

The very night when they sneaked out on their own to talk with one another.

The very place where she gave in to her feelings for the first time.

The very moment where he promised her that they'll be together, no matter what happens.

Fuutarou smiled as he got reminded of that particular event in the past. It took place after months of being around each other and while they didn't start off on good terms right away, it was all worth it in the end.

"I haven't, either. In fact, it's what kept me going until now. Every time I feel that it's too much for me and I can't handle it, I just think of you and that promise I made and now," he raised his finger to show his wedding ring, the very proof of their bond. "I have the biggest reason to stay true to what I said."

A lone tear appeared in the woman's eye before she quickly wiped it away, in favor of the big smile that broke out on her face. In return, Fuutarou smiled at her too, before walking off in search of their parents.

"They say that a person's greatest discovery is that he can change his own future by merely changing himself. It's because of this woman that I wasn't who I was back then anymore…" he said to himself, thinking of the woman who changed him from a sensitive jerk into what he was now.

And that was his wife… Itsuki Nakano.

HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS

"Here's your lunch, sweetie."

"Mom, I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

Fuutarou Uesugi sent his mother a blank look as he accepted his homemade bento from her, while the woman began to laugh, only for the reaction that she got from him. This was already a normal scenario for the both of them, especially in the boy's case since his mother loved messing with him like this, and he didn't really know why. With that, Fuutarou only rolled his eyes and simply waited for her to stop laughing.

However, he knew exactly where his mother got this attitude from… and it was so obvious.

"Well, I can't help it. You're my son and I can call you whatever I want," Hayami Uesugi retorted, before crossing her arms and returning her son's bored look with a smirk.

The young teen didn't bother falling for the attempted staring contest and only sighed, already used to his mother being like this. Yeah, it's not like she's going to stop calling him these childish names just because he tells her to. At the very least, she never does it in public, so he was safe from dealing with loud people who can't keep their mouths shut.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the bakery right now?" he asked, wanting this to be over as soon as possible.

Their family owned a bakery and thanks to the steady income from it along with his father's job, they were able to sustain themselves with a normal and enjoyable life. Plus, the bakery was also quite popular around the neighborhood, resulting in near-sellouts in their stock on a regular basis.

All in all, they had a place of their own with the bakery located literally next door. Hayami was its usual manager during mornings and afternoons, with either Fuutarou or her husband Isanari taking over the job during weekends.

Hayami shook her head, before pushing her glasses up in the same way that a stereotypical genius does. "All our regulars already showed up about an hour earlier. Plus, I wanted to see you off because it's been a while since the last time I made you lunch."

"…which is actually last week," he sighed as he palmed his face, causing Hayami to break out into a fit of giggles once again.

Yep.

She got this habit from his father.

There's no doubt about it.

Also, Fuutarou didn't really get why she needed to make him bentos. They owned a bakery, he would be fine with either bread, some pastries, or even a slice of cake for lunch! As a matter of fact, that's what normally happens everyday; he'll drop by the bakery, take a random pastry and wrap it in a plastic bag, and then bring it along with his pocket lunch money.

Well, according to his mother, when a man accepts a bento from a woman, it means that he's someone special to her.

Pfft, yeah, yeah, whatever. Food is food, so if he was going to have a bento for lunch, fine. Don't take it the wrong way, he was just confused with his mother, but he wasn't going to complain at all.

"Be careful when you get to school, alright? I don't know what you've been up to in school, young man, but I don't want you getting yourself into trouble again. I still haven't forgotten what happened last year, just to let you know."

Fuutarou remained unfazed even when his mother looked terribly serious as she brought up the incident from the previous school year, which was one that he would rather forget than be reminded of.

"Mom, if anything, trouble finds me. It's been that way ever since," he said, indirectly referring to that incident because he knew what he did that time, and he did nothing.

Hayami shook her head while folding her arms under her chest, before releasing a deep sigh. Of course, she was also well aware that Fuutarou did nothing, but there's no way she can be blamed for this. The worry she felt for her son that day was too much and she didn't want it to happen again.

"Even so, I want you to be careful. You're in your second year now and speaking of which," her expression shifted into a more serious look again, one that was akin to a businesswoman giving orders to her employees. "Would you try putting in more effort in your studies? I tolerated your grades from last year, which were only average, because you were just starting high school. However, I won't do that again. I want to see you studying hard to get higher grades, is that clear?"

He already heard this several times before and just went with the answer that he always gave his mother.

"I'll do my best, Mom."

His mother nodded in satisfaction, before turning her attention to the dishes that were piled on the sink. "Good. Now get going, since I've said enough. Don't forget to say goodbye to Raiha, okay?"

"Yeah, I know."

Fuutarou nodded in return and went towards the couch, where a young girl with black hair held up in a high ponytail was watching television. He quickly got her attention by patting her head in a loving manner. He'd never show or reveal it to anyone else, but his little sister was pretty much the only one in this household whom he openly shows affection to, and it's because he chooses to.

"Raiha, I'm leaving. Good luck at school later, alright?"

He smiled at his sister fondly before pulling back, just as the young girl returned his expression with one of her own.

"I know, Onii-chan! But be safe while you're out there school, okay? Dad's been saying you're always going somewhere when it's time to go home!"

Upon hearing those words, Fuutarou chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head on the outside, making it seem like he was guilty of something bad that he did. However, he was actually feeling the complete opposite because he was pissed on the inside, and it was obvious why.

So, his father wanted to play that way, huh?

Fine. Two can play at that game.

"Dad's just messing with you. Sometimes I walk slow when I feel like it, that's all," he chuckled in a way that was very unlike his usual self but luckily, the young girl didn't notice it. "I'll see you later, Raiha. Take care of yourself, alright?"

After patting his sister's head once more, Fuutarou packed his bento into his backpack and walked towards the door, where he turned towards Raiha and waved his arm in farewell.

"Bye, Onii-chan! Take care!"

Raiha did the same, waving her arm with a big smile on her face. At the same time, Hayami poked her head out of the kitchen and sent her son a serious look.

"Fuutarou! Don't forget what I said, alright?!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know…"

The young man only nodded as he continued on and disappeared out of their sights within a few seconds, since their frontyard wasn't that big compared to the one in the back. However, as soon as he was out in the streets, Fuutarou planted his hands into his pockets and let his shoulders slouch in complete boredom. He thought about what his mother told him, before releasing a sigh.

"Higher grades, huh? No thanks, Mom. It'd be too much of a hassle," he said to himself while shaking his head before bringing out his phone to check the time.

Classes start at 7:30, and it's still 6:56 in the morning. He can still kill some time before heading to school, since it only takes him ten minutes to get there if he had to walk. Cut that down to eight minutes, and that's the time it takes for him to reach school if he had to run all the way there.

Time to take a detour, then… but where exactly can he spend the remainder of his free time?

"I need someplace peaceful," he thought, before focusing solely on getting to his destination. Why was he looking for a tranquil place? Well, after his father sold him out to Raiha earlier and caused him to nearly get caught by a margin, he needed to clear his mind regarding that issue. Thankfully, he was safe and Raiha didn't know anything, but that didn't really lessen his inner dilemma one bit.

Who knows? Maybe he'd need it for the day ahead, in case something crazy happens to him for some reason… hehe…

HSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHS

"Hey, thanks for volunteering to show me around here, Yamada-san," said a young woman with long, red hair and twin butterfly ribbons on her head. She also wore thigh-high socks and a long-sleeved sweater that hid the black uniform she wore underneath, which was completely different to the white blouses and shirts that everyone else was wearing.

She and two others had spent almost an hour walking around the entire campus, where they finally stopped under a tree by the school grounds. She was with two other girls the entire time; one had long black hair, sleepy purple eyes, and wore a lavender jacket. The other one had light-blonde hair, a hair clip shaped like a bowtie, and a pink sweater.

"No need to thank me, Nakano-san! We're classmates, aren't we?" said Mio Yamada with a big smile, while the girl with her only nodded.

Nino Nakano chuckled nervously, while rubbing the back of her head. She didn't really know how it happened, but after making it to her designated classroom earlier, she encountered these two and all of a sudden, they decided to give her an impromptu tour of the whole school while there was still time before their first period. It surprised her greatly, mostly because it was out of nowhere, and she didn't really expect help like this for a newcomer like her.

"It's still my first day around this place, though…"

Yamada waved her concern off. "It's alright, really. Me and Otori here are glad to help you out, since it must be a really big change coming to this place all the way from Kurobara."

Nino blinked, surprised that Yamada was able to figure that out when she didn't even say anything about her old school. Wait, maybe she did and just didn't realize it?

"How did you know I was from Kurobara?"

"I have an older sister who's currently studying there and Otori went there once before transferring here last year. Oh, and that uniform you're wearing is pretty much a dead giveaway," Yamada pointed out with a smirk.

The redhead glanced down at her attire and groaned to herself. "Ugh, now that you mention it…"

She should have known. Yeah, that black uniform she was wearing made her stand out among everyone else, and the sweater she had didn't really do much to cover it. Her new school uniform was due to arrive tomorrow, which meant that she had to wear something else today, and her old blouse from Kurobara was the only thing available.

Anyway, that's not what caught her attention in what Yamada said.

Nino turned towards their other companion, whose neutral expression hasn't changed the whole time. It was weirding her out a bit, but she wasn't going to judge her because Otori hasn't really done anything to her ever since they left the classroom. If anything, Yamada led the little tour they had while Otori remained quiet and just followed without a word.

"Why transfer? It's the perfect place for you, since you seem to love studying so much," Nino asked, pointing to the way that Otori managed to balance the two tasks of reading a book while following them the whole time.

"It's uncomfortable with so many girls around," said Kyoko Otori, looking up from her Science textbook to face Nino.

Okay, that wasn't a really concrete answer even if she was blunt about it. Was there a problem in being around so many girls?

"Huh?"

Yamada rubbed the back of her head. "Ahaha, yeah… Otori isn't really used to seeing girls everywhere, and she likes it better in Asahiyama where everything's balanced! There's boys and girls all around here!"

"Is that so? Does that mean you have your eyes on a boy around here, Otori-san?" Nino asked with a teasing grin, already eager to squeeze some juicy secrets out of her two newfound friends.

"As tempting as the idea is, romance will only hinder my studies. I would rather wait until I graduate before thinking of pursuing a relationship," Otori explained, closing her textbook and then putting it back inside her bag.

Hearing her answer caused Nino to deflate immensely, being reminded of a certain someone who acts exactly like Otori when it comes to things like this.

"Oh, right… you know, you remind me of my sister a bit. Always studying, books never leaving your mind, not even thinking of getting a boyfriend now that we're at that age, and stuff like that…"

"You have a sister?" asked Yamada, feeling intrigued.

Nino nodded, before deciding to quickly get back on track. "Sure do, but what about you, Yamada-san? Got someone in your sights?"

Yamada's expression then did a complete 180; from her cheerful and lively demeanor, it shifted into being short-tempered and fiery, which one could normally expect from a tsundere instead.

"N-No way in hell…! Boys are idiots, t-they only care about girls' bodies and how to get into our pants," Yamada turned away with a pout, crossing her arms below her chest to emphasize her point.

"You're not doing a very good job convincing yourself…" Nino thought, as she could clearly tell that Yamada was only doing her best to put up an act. It was even more obvious because of the blush that settled on her cheeks while she spoke.

"B-Besides, I have better things to do than hopelessly chase after some idiot…!"

Nino sweat-dropped, before quickly thinking of a different approach regarding her question. Okay, Yamada was obviously not going to tell anything about whether she was interested in someone at the moment, but that doesn't mean she can't say what he's like, right?

"Well, do you have any preferences, at least? Something you're looking for in a guy?"

Much to Nino's own surprise, it was Otori who actually spoke first and she was completely unprepared for what was about to come next.

"I would like to meet someone who takes studying as seriously as I do… a boy who can keep up and even join me when I am reviewing for exams… a boy who will take me out to a coffee shop where we can discuss certain topics and even read together… and someone who will buy me the books I want," Otori explained as a small smile adorned her face, feeling pleased at the thought of meeting a boy that fit her descriptions.

"I'm guessing she doesn't really care for a guy's looks…?" Nino asked quietly, as she was caught off guard with how detailed Otori was in listing down her preferences in a guy.

Yamada was in the same boat as her. "Yeah…"

"Something tells me Otori-san is actually a hidden romantic and she just hides it behind her studies, or whatever…"

"You're not wrong there."

Nino then shook her head, focusing her attention on her original goal once more. Alright, that's one down and only one other remained. Otori gave her answer in complete detail, which was a goddamn surprise, and that left only Yamada with a massive question mark.

"Well, anyway, let's get back to the question. Yamada-san, what are you typically looking for in a guy?" she asked, turning towards the blonde girl who jumped out of surprise

"I-I told you, boys are just—"

Nino quickly stopped her before she could go on another 'rant' about boys, raising her hand to silence the flustered girl for the time being. "That's not what I was asking you. I'm asking your preferences in a guy. You know, someone who's not an 'idiot', like you keep saying."

Yamada blushed furiously and started twiddling fingers together in a cute manner, unable to give an answer at first. She was clearly struggling to find her voice, while also feeling embarrassed about this certain topic. Nino only smirked and hid a mischievous grin to herself, wanting to squeeze the truth out of Yamada, no matter what!

It almost looked funny how Otori, the quiet one who was focused more on her studies, was a lot more open about this matter than her.

"Uhm… I guess someone who's… k-kind and loving…!"

Nino's smirk quickly fell, showing her disappointment at that answer that was obviously below Otori's. If Otori was so detailed in her preferences, then Yamada's was vague as hell.

"That's it? I thought you'd have more standards, since you keep saying boys are just idiots…" she deadpanned.

"E-Enough about me! How about you, Nakano-san? What kind of boys do you like?!"

In an attempt to save herself from embarrassment, Yamada deflected the question towards Nino, but the redhead quickly caught on to the what the girl was trying to do.

"Seems like she's not really against men and she's just doing to try and hide a big crush on someone…"

Nino came to a realization in her mind, thinking that Otori was imagining her dream boy to be someone who doesn't exist or at the very least, someone who was a rare breed in the world. On the other hand, Yamada chose not to give too much details about her preferences because it would only narrow down the possible choices, and it's likely that she didn't want that to happen.

Yep, she was just trying to hide her clear interest in someone.

Very well, if she didn't want to reveal her secret right now, Nino wasn't going to force her to tell it. The fact that they just met today didn't help her case, either. No need to worry though, at least she got a clear idea of Yamada's type in boys, hehe…

Anyway, time to focus on Yamada's question, and it was the kind of boys that she liked.

That was an easy question for someone like Nino, and her preferences were easy to state! She has always been enamored by delinquent-type boys, especially those with blonde hair. She often imagined herself getting rescued by one like he was her Prince Charming, and that person would whisk her away on a horse to escape an evil dragon!

Hey, call it childish, but there's no denying that most girls have that mentality nowadays.

And at that exact same moment, it was like someone from above heard her, because a certain teen was walking past the trio of girls with the intention of getting to school. It just so happened that he was within Nino's field of vision, causing the girl to take notice of him right when she was about to speak.

Nino's eyes widened as she got a good look at him and it felt as if the arrow of Cupid had shot her through the chest.

From his spiky blonde hair, uncaring expression, his intimidating presence from afar, the way his hands were in his pockets, and the black hoodie that he wore, Nino felt her heart thumping inside her chest.

Every bit of him… looked perfect in her eyes.

What's a girl like Nino going to do when she sees someone who clearly fitted her criteria in boys?

Say it out loud, of course.

"He's my type!" Nino exclaimed loudly as she pointed to the blonde teen who was walking past them, earning a few people's attention as a result, including the young man himself.

You must be surprised that I revealed the identity of the bride so early, right? Yes, and in any case that you didn't see the character tags, the bride is indeed Itsuki. Why did I reveal it right away? The main purpose of this story is to show Fuutarou's life if he never met the young Rena in Kyoto, which means that it's going to be about him for the most part and how he changes himself. The bride doesn't matter much and I would have done the same thing if it was Nino, Ichika, Miku, or Yotsuba. I've done some thinking about this, and I came to the conclusion that Itsuki is the one that Fuutarou will end up with. Don't bother changing my mind.

Then again, Gotoubun no Hanayome is a harem manga, so I will still show some harem elements here and there, but that's not gonna be the focus. Also, I'm assuming that you noticed Fuutarou's mom is alive? Simple reason for that is because I don't want to be too cruel, that's all. That's all I have to say, so enjoy this ride.

Okay, I did want to make a fanfic with Fuutarou x Itsuki, but so what? The girl is so overlooked, so cut me some slack. I, the Ace of the archive, will give her proper attention because no one else will.

Goodbye... and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture*

-Lance