Chapter 5: Trust

Miku went to open the front door of her and her sisters' apartment. She was expecting a certain Warrior of Light to enter their home today. It was tutoring day afterall!

When she opened the front door, there he was, in all of his nerdlike glory. "Hey, Miku! How ya doing?"

Miku blushed and looked the other way, "I'm doing fine. Thanks for asking. Come in." Seeing Fuutarou greet her so casually caused Miku's heart to race. She was still reeling from the other day where she hugged him. She can't really explain how, but somehow her own tutor managed to get his hands on her heart. She had never had feelings for anyone before. So this was a completely new experience for her. And as it was, she didn't have the courage to be open about her feelings yet. She was a beginner in this. She doesn't even know how Fuutarou would even react to one of his own students falling in love with him. If she says the wrong thing, he might want to quit!

"Thanks for having me. So are all of your sisters here?" Fuutarou walked in their luxurious apartment. He was always fascinated by just how big it is. That's probably due to him living in poverty for most of his life. But that still didn't take away from it.

He noticed that Miku had avoided looking at him when she addressed him. He then saw a hint of red on her cheeks. Was she already falling for him? That was fast. He didn't expect their relationship to progress that quickly. He doesn't know when exactly she fell for him in the original timeline, but he doesn't think it was as early as this. Or maybe she did, but being the dense idiot he was, he just never noticed it until much later.

"Y-Yes, they are all here. I'll go get them and let them know you're here. You can set up and wait here while I go do that." Miku really needs a second to get away from Fuutarou before her heart bursts out of her chest. She didn't want to embarrass herself and do or say something in the moment that she may regret later.

"Hold on."

"Eh, what's wrong?" Miku turned around to face Fuutarou who had a serious expression. He gently grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"Is everything alright, Miku? You seem… I don't know how to describe it, but something seems to be bothering you. I noticed it as soon as you opened the door and greeted me. You do know that if there is something wrong, you can tell me right? I may be your tutor, but I'd like to consider us as friends as well. You don't only have to talk to me about studying. We can talk about anything you want. I'm a person just like you. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a freak who only cares about studying and getting good grades. If there's anything that is bothering you whether in regards to studying or anything else, let me know. Okay?"

He was not going to make the same mistake that his future self made. His error was that he failed to realize Miku's true feelings for him and only acknowledged later on during the Sister's War. It ended up hurting her in the long run. It is disrespectful to not acknowledge these girls' feelings for him as soon as he could. That's the main reason why he confessed to Yotsuba and Ichika as soon as he saw them. He was going to play with their heart strings. He just isn't that kind of guy.

'Is it really that obvious? Oh no what do I do?! He's already suspecting that there's something bothering me? Do I just tell him the truth? Yeah that would be a real genius move, Miku. Just tell the guy who is your tutor that you've already fallen for him even though it hasn't even been a month since you two met. He definitely isn't gonna get weirded out by that! But wait a minute, Fuutarou is an understanding guy. He understood my self-esteem issues and even helped me find the motivation to study and be the best that I can be. And on that same day in lunch, he told me, Yotsuba, and Ichika that there is nothing wrong with falling in love and studying. These times aren't going to last forever. So maybe I should be honest with him? Oh if only it were that easy.'

As Miku was going through her mental crisis, Fuutarou realized that it just wasn't going to be as simple as Miku flat out telling him exactly what she was feeling. 'If only it were that easy.' He then decided to try out a new trick he learned recently. He sent out a small wave of Light energy towards Miku. She immediately calmed down as all of a sudden, she felt calm and peaceful. It felt as if her worries were completely gone. She felt serene. Fuutarou was emitting an aura that she couldn't explain. But it made her feel safe.

'Nice! It worked just like I intended!' Fuutarou had been experimenting with his powers whenever he had the chance. One thing he found out he could was that he can manipulate his Light in various ways. Whether it be to attack or defend. One way he can use it is to lower the tension of the surrounding area and bring peace to the people in that area. It was a very convenient trick that he can use whenever the girls start arguing. Yeah it might be cheating, but if the Gardener gave him superpowers, he was going to use them damn it! And he was pretty sure this qualified as a responsible use since he was using it to help another person.

'What's going on? Why do I feel so calm?' Miku looked up to see Fuutarou's golden eyes. She never really paid much attention to them before but now that she was calming down, she just realized how beautiful they were. For some reason, they looked even more vibrant than usual. Just looking into those eyes made her feel so much better.

"Miku… do you trust me?"

Miku's eyes widened at that question, "Eh? What do you mean, Fuutarou?"

"You know exactly what I mean. I know you're smart enough to understand what I'm asking you. It is a simple question. Do you trust me? Not only as a tutor. But as a man."

Fuutarou's question was indeed straight to the point. But Miku was not expecting him to be so blunt. She does trust him as a tutor. She did tell him the other day that she believed that he can get them all to graduate. But as a man? Well they haven't known each for that long. But even so… there was something about him that felt like he is trustworthy. Just the way he is willing to help them anyway he can. Regardless if it's related to studying or not. If her father had hired any other tutor, she doesn't think they would be as caring as he is being right now. He has no obligation to go out of his way to make sure she is doing fine outside of studying. Or that he has her trust.

Miku decided to just screw it and hug him right then and there. If one of her sisters catches them in this position, then she'll deal with the consequences later. But she has to do this now or else she might never get the guts to do it again.

Fuutarou welcomed the hug with open arms. She had already done this so he wasn't going to get caught off guard like last time. He hugged her back and petted her head as well.

"Fuutarou… I don't know how to put this into words. But I've had these weird feelings everytime I think about you. I think this goes beyond our relationship as teacher and student. Or even friends for that matter. I know you probably think I'm weird for having a crush on a guy I just met. And that guy being my tutor of all people. That's why I wanted to try and hide it. But if you're being honest about what you said… that I can come to you about anything… then I see no reason in keeping this to myself. I told you my secret passion about Sengoku warlords. If I can trust you with that, then maybe I can trust you with this. Even though it is super embarrassing! Please don't hate me. I don't want this to ruin our relationship. I don't want to lose you!"

There. She did it. She laid it all out there for him. She's now waiting for the rejection. For the embarrassment. For him to say, "Miku, are you insane? You know that's inappropriate between a student and teacher! I'm sorry but if that's how you're gonna be then I quit! Have a nice life."

She was on the verge of tears. She immediately regretted what she said. How could she be so stupid? Why would she confess? There was a 0% chance of him not rejecting her!

She heard chuckling. Then she heard a deep sigh.

"Is that it?"

Miku looked up at him in confusion, "Huh?"

"Is that really it? Is that what you're so worked up about? You really think I would hate you for that? A gorgeous girl confessing her feelings to me? Just what do you take me for?"

"G-G-Gorgeous?" Miku's brain was about to short circuit. She doesn't think a boy her age had ever called her gorgeous. She's always been an introverted and shy person. So she never really gave anyone the chance to socialize with her to the point where they even called her that. But here was the man who had stolen her heart, almost effortlessly, calling her gorgeous.

"You know you never answered my question."

"What?"

"Do. You. Trust. Me."

Miku nodded, "Yes, Fuutarou! I trust you!"

Fuutarou smiled, "Alright then. So you'll believe me when I say… I like you too."

Badump

Badump

Miku's face now resembled the color of her hair. She thought she must have been dreaming. She could've swore she was hearing things. Why wasn't Fuutarou calling her insane and quitting? Why wasn't he rejecting her? Did he just say that he liked her?!

"You're not serious, right?"

Fuutarou's eyes glowed as it seemed like sunlight was coming out of them.

"Oh, I'm very serious."

A/N: I will not lose to you LanceSennin. You are my eternal rival. And I won't allow myself to fall behind to you! So if you're going to do daily updates, so FUCKING BE IT. If you can do it, then I can do it too. THIS IS WAR! This story will now get updated EVERY FREAKING DAY until I COLLAPSE.