It seems this story has quite a few people interested and that makes me glad I decided to publish it (Thanks again LanceSennin for the encouragement!) That being said, I agree with the sentiment that the first chapter felt more like a prologue so to make up for it, here's chapter 2! Hope you all enjoy!

Author Note: As I said in Chapter 1, Quintessential Honeymoon will remain my top priority, but since I'm trying to stay faithful to canon and make it as realistic of an after story as I possibly can, it takes more time to research, write, and edit those chapters. What I'm saying is that there will be times it feels like I'm favoring one story over the other, but just know that I'm taking both seriously, it's just that this story plays by it's own rules. I have full creative freedom over this content and don't have to fact check the manga on everything so it's easier to makes these chapters. Anyway, thanks for listening to my rant and I hope you enjoy today's chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Quintessential Quintuplets, they are owned by Negi Haruba, please support the official manga and the anime

Chapter: 2

Fuutarou quickly grabbed a pen and some paper as he started writing down everything that he remembered. He was still unsure of what exactly was going on, but he was a problem solver; he would write it all down and figure it out.

After looking over the notes he had written down, he deduced that there were three potential explanations:

Explanation number one was that he had the original nightmare, woke up, and then fell back asleep, where he then had a lucid dream before finally waking up again just a minute ago. This seemed like the most logical choice, but the fact his phone read the exact same time after both dreams directly contradicted that. Thus disproving the idea he fell back asleep.

Explanation number two was that he just experienced some Inception situation where he had dreamed about dreaming something before experiencing it again in his dream. As wacky as the idea was, it would account for the recurring wakeup time. Yet it felt way too convenient and didn't explain the fact that he felt everything that happened, especially during the second "dream".

Explanation number three was that he was stuck in some time loop cycle. While this was something that sounded like some plot device from a science fiction story, it technically wasn't theoretically impossible, and would explain why he felt physically and mentally exhausted despite just waking up since he technically lived through those hours at school. He also could not shake from his head that numb feeling he experienced when shaking Itsuki Nakano's hand.

That handshake was the deciding factor for him, as explanation three became the working hypothesis for the young man as he yet again prepared for school. Going through his morning classes, evidence mounted to support that hypothesis as classes unfolded exactly like they had the last two times, with even something as insignificant as the English teacher hiccuping during the middle of that blonde boy with the sparkles (Fuutarou didn't really attempt to know anyone in his class by name, it would just be a waste of brain storage) giving an answer in class. It was decided: his working theory was that he was stuck in a time loop cycle.

That handshake became the control for his experiment, if he removed any and all physical contact with this Nakano girl, would he be free of this repeating cycle? It wasn't a guarantee as while he did remember swatting her hand away during the first loop, he didn't recall actually shaking her hand. However that could be irrelevant as the handshake might turn out to be inconsequential altogether. There was also the possibility that the first loop really was just a premonition, or that simply interacting or being around her was what triggered this cycle.

To avoid the fated lunch meeting he had experienced twice before, he decided he would skip lunch for today and spend it in the library. His stomach protested, but it wouldn't be the first time this poor boy had to skip a meal. In fact, his nearly empty wallet probably thanked him.

As he arrived at the library, he felt faint at the sight before him, hoping his eyes were simply playing tricks on him. Itsuki Nakano had for some reason decided to head to the library during the same loop he decided to do the same. Maybe this was because she couldn't find someone to sit with and didn't want to sit alone? Also, why did she have a pair of purple headphones around her neck when she didn't before?

It ultimately didn't matter to Fuutarou, as he made sure to sit in the opposite corner of the library and ignored her as best he could. Luckily she also kept to herself as lunch came and went without incident. He hurriedly got through the exit to avoid bumping into her and reached his homeroom as he let out a big sigh of relief. After sitting down at his desk he noticed time remained normal, giving him hope that by avoiding all contact he had escaped the cycle.

That is until it dawned on him that he had forgotten one giant detail that was revealed exclusively during the second loop. He berated himself as soon as he saw the redhead standing at the front of the class, ready to introduce herself. Fuutarou prayed to whatever deity that was willing to listen that she wouldn't pick a seat next to him. Luckily they listened as she ended up picking a seat that was a couple rows behind him. It was a big improvement but he wasn't home free just yet. He'd need to quickly get his belongings together and dash for the exit as soon as the final bell rang. Fate seemed to intervene and save him as she immediately went to a different desk as soon as school ended and started talking to some other girl in class who already had her history book out.

"Yes, I'm free!" Fuutarou cheered to himself as a wave of relief washed over him. It seems she found someone else to tutor her for this loop after all. She was no longer his problem. Yet wave after wave kept pummeling him. He had thought of the feeling as a good thing but as it kept persisting it began to muddy the world around him. Fuutarou could only stare at the washed out image of Itsuki trying to learn from the girl she had befriended. Was that girl not capable of being her tutor? That answer became clear when he flashed forward and saw the redhead bring up her test sheet. One look at the first page told him she got nearly every question wrong. Then he woke up again on his futon.

At this point, Fuutarou had accepted that he was without a doubt stuck in a time loop cycle. The key now was to figure out what was triggering it. In the pit of his stomach, he feared that the trigger was Itsuki failing the social studies test, but he wasn't ready to accept that as fact just yet. What if he doesn't meet or see her at all? Considering she would be placed in his homeroom, there was only one way to test this out and it would cost him his perfect attendance record. However that was a small price to pay if it meant this endless nightmare would end. Plus he was feeling pretty tired at this point as he had lived through this day either two or three times (he was still unsure about the first "loop") in a row without getting to rest.

Pretending to be ill, Fuutarou told his sister Raiha he was too sick to go to school and she believed him with blind faith. After all, what reason would her brother have to skip school when it was the most important aspect of his life. She made him some porridge and then left to go to her school.

Fuutarou looked at the porridge, thankful for such a loving and caring little sister, and yet at the same time also a little guilty he tricked her so easily. Nevertheless, today would hopefully, finally end if he had cracked the code to this riddle. As he went to lie down on his futon, he felt his world getting darker as existence faded from him while he was closing his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself at his desk. Hoping this was just a dream, he looked behind him to see Itsuki struggling yet again with her test as the background deformed around her and the rest of the class. Fuutarou had one final thought before that loop ended.

"It looks like I have no choice but to make sure she passes."

After ordering his lunch, Fuutarou made a beeline for his usual spot and waited for Itsuki to arrive. He had spent most of the morning trying to come up with strategies and approaches to make sure things would go smoothly and that he could help the girl pass this cursed test.

However for some reason she had not shown up yet. This caused Fuutarou to internally panic as maybe quickly claiming this table scared off the girl from approaching him. After all, the previous meetings had occured when both were simultaneously attempting to claim the table.

The nervous young man let out a sigh of relief when halfway through the lunch period she finally came by and asked if she could sit there.

"Absolutely, I'd be happy to sit with you," exclaimed Fuutarou a little too excitedly, as his nerves were getting to him after thinking he had messed up again. However, he kept up this unusual energy and peppiness as he had less than half the time as before and needed to make up for that lost time.

"My name is Uesugi Fuutarou, you can call me Fuutarou," he immediately blurted out as soon as she had sat down. Fuutarou was usually a calm and confident person, but to Itsuki, he was presenting himself as a stereotypical nerd who got too excited about the fact a pretty girl was acknowledging his existence.

"Hi, my name is Nakano," she said weakly, a little creeped out by him. She'd usually have people call her by her first name so as not to get confused for one of her sisters, but she was hoping that talking to this boy would not be a common enough occurrence to warrant that.

Fuutarou was taken aback by her exclusion of her first name, which caused him to panic even more.

"So it sucks you have to take that social studies test tomorrow, even though you might not know the material."

"How do you know that?" she asked as her expression contorted into some fusion of annoyance and disgust, with a bit of fear thrown into the mix. At this point Fuutarou considered just getting up and walking away, waiting for the next reset so he wouldn't have to go through any more trouble. However, he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"Oh sorry for jumping to conclusions, I had heard from some classmates that our social studies teacher was going to force the transfer student to take the test anyway, claiming they should know this information since he's behind in his lesson plan. As for why I assumed you were that transfer student, well I deduced that from the fact you aren't wearing our school uniform."

Fuutarou mentally patted himself on the back for that long-winded yet reasonable explanation, as it seemed to cause the girl to lower her defenses, even if just a little bit. However her reply was not what he expected.

"I see you're very perceptive, well except for the fact I'm not the only transfer student but that's not really important. However you should know that though I'm new here, it doesn't mean I'm desperate for just anyone to become my friend. Just some advice for you for the future."

Yep, Fuutarou took one look at Itsuki's face and knew there was no chance in hell he'd break the cycle this loop. However, before he reset things, he decided to probe a little more into her mind.

"My apologies, I wouldn't say I'm socially awkward but I do admit I tend to come off rather strongly. Could you give me a few more tips on how I could have better approached introducing myself to you, you know for future use?" he lied through his teeth. His pride hurt, but if she relented, this would be valuable information.

"I still have a lot of food here I need to eat and very little time, but if you don't mind me eating between sentences, I guess I could give you a few pointers."

He nodded as she proceeded to alternate between eating and talking. She said that a calmer demeanor made herself calmer and the same applied to the nervous demeanor he gave off earlier. She also stated that confidence was key, he seemed like a smart guy to her and that could be an attractive feature for finding friends, but that he shouldn't overly show off or act pretentious. She also added a few other small things right before the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. Fuutarou thanked her and immediately walked away, filing away all the information he had just gained, including a few facts about what she in particular looks for in friends. He strided away confidently as the familiar feeling of fast forwarding returned.

A single glance at Itsuki, struggling to finish her test, left the young man with a small smirk on his face. He had studied the situation many times and had all the materials to make things work. This next loop would hopefully be his final exam.