Things seemed to have settled down a bit between the girls. Yotsuba was still acting cheerful, the only difference being that she was much less available. She always seemed to be busy with something or the other. She was also almost never willing to help out. She often left a lot of work on Fuutaro's shoulders, who accepted it without blaming her at all. She always overexerted herself to help everyone, after all. It was a good thing that she was focusing on herself more.

However, with Fuutaro around, is when things were visibly different from before. Yotsuba always kept her distance. She started focusing on her studies again, but avoided him for anything else. As for Fuutaro himself, he was trying his best to divide his attention equally during tutoring sessions. He knew perfectly well that Itsuki needed more attention, since she was struggling, so he even offered her extra tutoring sessions, at no extra cost, of course. Nevertheless, when Nino was around, he could not help himself. They never flaunted it, obviously, but you could tell they were an item at a glance. He was harsher when she made mistakes, and more passionate with his praise. He constantly looked over her, and helped her out when she did not know something. Not that he did not help the others, but while sometimes they had to call out to him because he did not notice, Nino never had to ask him. He was always behind her as soon as she met a problem.

Fuutaro woke up, a bit disoriented. He felt like he hadn't slept at all. "Big bro! Today is Halloween! Don't forget!"

"I won't, don't worry."

"Don't. Forget."

"I know, I know. You're coming too. You better not forget your promise, too."

"Don't bother Nino and Itsuki. I remember!"

"Good. Father, can you bring her over or do I have to come back after school?"

"Sure, I can. How about you? When will you bring Nino over?"

"Someday."

"You brought her over while I wasn't here on purpose. I feel wounded my own son wouldn't trust me with meeting his girlfriend."

"Shut up. You said this same thing so many times I memorized it."

"You're always talking about her. You're always looking at that plushie, which I assume is a gift from her. I swear, she's a miracle worker. It's been so long since you've considered anything outside of studying, Isn't it normal I want to meet the girl who managed to get into your head like this?"

"I don't have time for this. I'm heading to school."

"Fuutaro. Don't strain yourself too much."

"Sure, sure. Bye." He left.

Isanari sighed. "He's trying way too hard. Nino, work your magic on him, please."

"Dad, why are you talking to yourself?"

Nino

At school, Nino noticed Fuutaro's hand was not moving much. He usually filled out way too many pages with notes over notes, but this time it seemed like he barely had the energy to move his pen.

During the break, she beckoned him out of the classroom.

"Fuu-kun, are you all right?"

"Of course I am. Why?"

"You don't seem to be. Be honest with me."

"I'm just a little tired… I've also had to study more, for the university test… It's not that big of a deal. I can manage it."

"I see." She pulled him down, and kissed him. "Does this help you a bit?"

Fuutaro blushed. "It definitely woke me up."

Nino giggled. "Jokes aside, let me know if there's anything I can help with. I know I'm not the best with this stuff, but if there's anything I can do, throw it my way."

"Don't worry about it. I can do it by myself."

"I am worried. You've got bags under your eyes. Let me do something for you."

"You're doing enough already. Just being around you is relieving my stress."

Nino blushed. "Don't try to smooth-talk your way out of this. I want you to rely on me a bit more."

Fuutaro sighed. "I guess there is something you can do. My Father has been stressing me out ever since I brought you home because he wants to meet you."

"So… you just want me to come to your place?"

"It would be a big help."

"You're acting like it'd be a problem for me. I would have already done it if you asked me. Anyway, you've got to stay at school after the lessons are over, right?"

"Yeah. Yotsuba asked me to fill in for her."

"I'll stay with you. I can, right?"

"You really don't have to."

"But I want to. Can't I spend a bit more time with my boyfriend?"

"We already go on dates almost every night…"

"Oh, you're right. Okay then. I'm not staying."

"…I see. That's… good." He put on his best poker face, but Nino looked at him so much, that she knew all of his slight changes in expression and what they meant. She could immediately tell he was faking it.

"You want me to stay. I can read it on your face. Well then, it's settled."

Fuutaro stumbled on his words a bit. It seemed like he wanted to tell her he could do it by himself again, but he gave up. He blushed a bit, and hinted at a genuine smile. "Thank you."

Nino smiled back at him. "I was so worried with making you fall for me I never got to properly care for you. I owe you this much, at least."

"…I love you." Fuutaro muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"N-nothing."

Nino giggled. "All right. Let's head back to class." As they were heading back, she got closer to him and whispered in his ear. "I love you." He jerked back, looking at her, and she grinned. "Just in case I wasn't clear enough."

After school, she waited for him just outside of their classroom.

While he was walking out, Yotsuba brushed against his shoulder. "I-I'm sorry, Uesugi-san!"

"It's fine, Yotsuba. It's not a problem for me."

She stuttered a bit, then nodded and ran off.

"I'm not used to seeing her ask for help."

"It's a good thing, though, right?"

"Yeah. It's just that… No, never mind." She handed him a drink. "Here. I don't know what you like, so I just picked the same thing I got. Tea is supposed to give you energy, so I thought it'd be good."

"Yeah. Because of the caffeine."

"That's common knowledge. Wait, are you making fun of me?"

"No, no. Sorry. I'll accept it gladly."

"Humph. Still, why don't you tell me…"

"I don't have any preference. I'll take whatever I can get."

"I imagined that might be the case. Then I'll just get you to try different stuff until you have a preference."

"I'll look forward to it."

As everyone left, they went back into the classroom, and started cleaning. Just like last time, they were working perfectly as a team.

"You really are dependable."

"Heh. You shouldn't expect any less from me. I'm used to doing this."

"Yeah, I know. However, I think most people in our class would be surprised to see you working so aptly."

"What are you implying?"

"Your image gives off a different vibe. You have to admit that."

"Am I supposed to dress like a housewife?"

"That's not what I'm saying…" Fuutaro blushed. "No, never mind."

"What? Spit it out."

"It's… I'm glad I got to know this side of you. It's weird to say out loud… but, I like that there's something only I know about you. Well, excluding your four sisters, I guess."

Nino's face turned red. "W-what? You're starting to become more self-aware of what you're saying, I see."

"S-sorry."

"I also want to see a side of you that you would only show to me."

"There has to be plenty only you know."

"No, you don't get it. Something not even my sisters saw. That's what I want."

"Well… I don't know what I can come up with right now…"

"Humph. I'm not saying you need to do something weird right now. That's not what I'm talking about."

"…I'm not that dense. There's plenty I want only your eyes to see. I want you to understand you're really the only one I want to be with."

"Fuu-kun… I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so pushy, again. I'm over that."

"I never said you have to stop. Actually, I've been inconsiderate towards your feelings for the longest time, so… I owe you this much, at least."

Nino's face turned red. "T-that's..!" She took a deep breath. "H-hey, this isn't the place to flirt! W-we need to finish up!"

"The other times you didn't seem to mind the place." Fuutaro stopped, and stretched out. "Actually, I think I need a little break."

He got closer, and hugged Nino. He rested his head on hers. "W-wha-what?" Nino froze up. When did he get so handsy? He was not even able to kiss her when she straight up asked for it, last time she checked! "F-F-Fuu-kun!"

"Just a moment…" She did not know how to answer. She was not used to this. "This is something only you've seen, isn't it?"

"W-what?" That was all she could say.

"Is something wrong?"

"N-no. I-I'm just not used to this."

"Well, I'm tired, and this seemed like the best way to recharge." She remained still, and let herself be hugged. "Actually, I could fall asleep like this."

"I'd hate to be forced to wake you up."

Fuutaro laughed. "You're completely red."

"What did you expect? How are you not even slightly flustered?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm seeing you like this."

"Thank you very much."

"No problem." Fuutaro sighed. "I guess we better finish up here."

Fuutaro let her go, and turned around. She was still a bit flustered. Before focusing back on her work, she glanced at him again, and noticed his ears were red.

"Fuu-kun."

"W-what is it?"

"Just kidding. Why are you so worked up?"

"Y-you shut up! Weren't you red up to your ears just now?"

Nino giggled. "Yeah. I was."

They got everything done, and got out of the school.

"So, what are we doing now?"

"I don't know. I was planning to just head home and rest. Raiha's coming too, tonight, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Dad's bringing her over, so I don't have anything to do right now."

"Then, let's go."

"Yeah, okay."

They headed back home, hand in hand.

"We're home! Is anyone here yet?"

"Seems like no one's home."

"Hmmm." Nino stopped for a second. "Come with me." Nino grabbed Fuutaro by his wrist, and dragged him to her room.

"W-what are you doing?"

"It should be around here somewhere…" Nino started rummaging through her room.

"There are less plushies laying around, compared to the last time I was here."

"They're still here. I just moved them so there would be more space…There it is!"

"The… thing you pierce your ears with?"

"Yeah, that. I kept it around. I want to try again."

"How come?"

"I don't know. A lot happened. I want to see if I can do it now. Besides, aren't you curious to see how I would look like?"

"Do you even have earrings?"

"Let's worry about that later. Now do it!"

"…All right."

She sat down, and he got in position. He carefully handled her ear, and started closing in with the needle. She was so scared she started trembling. Why was she doing that again? What was she trying to accomplish? She just charged in without thinking. She thought she would not be so anxious if she didn't think about it.

She suddenly felt Fuutaro's hand on her shoulder. "Hey… are you sure you want to do this? You're trembling. I don't get why you're so fixated with this."

"I… I don't know. Maybe I just want to prove to myself I can do it."

"Huh. Well, you don't need to. There's no reason to force yourself."

"Still, I…"

"I don't really understand why these earrings are so important to you… but if you have to force yourself this much, it's not worth it. If you ever actually feel ready, I'll be the one to do it for you." Fuutaro interrupted.

Nino did not answer.

"You know… I wanted to make something clear. You told me you wanted to become better for me… but I love you just the way you are. I love how you're so passionate you come off as inconsiderate. I love how you put your all into anything you do. I love your short hair, and the ribbons you always use. I love your eyes, your mouth… even your ears."

"Fuu-kun…" She got closer to him, and rested her face on his chest.

"What is it?"

"I want to hear your heartbeat."

"What's it sound like?"

"It's beating really fast."

He lifted her up, and did the same.

"Yours too. I can feel every beat…"

She wanted to get even closer to him. They fell back onto the bed. Nino started caressing Fuutaro's face.

She also loved him just the way he was. How he is always hiding a caring person under layers of selfishness. How he always speaks his mind openly and often says things without even realizing what he is saying. She loved the feeling of his weak and slender body when he hugged her, just as she loved his face, which was completely different from her ideal prince's, and how it felt in her hands.

"Nino…" He started closing in on her face. He got closer, and closer, and their lips locked together. This was the first time he took the initiative, and kissed her. It felt so much better because of it…

"I'm home!" They heard a shout, coming from downstairs.

"Yotsuba?!"

"Big broo! Are you here already?"

"R-raiha-chan?"

They jumped out of bed so quickly, they tumbled down onto the floor. Nino let out a small whimper. Before they could get up, Yotsuba was already opening the door.

"Nino? Are you—" She had Raiha on her shoulders, too. Her face turned red, and she immediately shut the door.

They rushed out of the room, and apologized profusely.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. B-by the way, thank you for filling in for me at school."

"S-sure, no problem. After all you do for everyone, it's really nothing."

An awkward silence filled the air. Raiha caught Nino looking at her, and blew a raspberry in her face.

"I tried stopping her, but she was already up there before I even noticed."

"I-Ichika! You're here, too?"

"I was already here when Yotsuba arrived."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I assumed no one was home. I didn't want to shout. Honestly, though. You should consider the time and place for those things."

"S-sorry."

Ichika giggled. "I'm just kidding. Stop standing around there and come downstairs."

"Y-yeah. By the way, Yotsuba, how come you're with Raiha?"

"Oh. I just happened to meet her and your father along the way. He said he was in a rush, so he trusted me with her."

"I see."

"I brought the movie. Where are Itsuki and Miku?"

"I don't know. They weren't here when we arrived. Besides, isn't it a bit too early?"

"Yeah, you're right. It is a horror, after all. We need to set up the right mood for it…"

"I was thinking, I can't imagine you starring in a horror movie could end well, considering your track record." Fuutaro commented.

Ichika pouted. "Humph. I actually was casted as one of the bad guys, you know."

"Really?" Nino asked. "So we'll get to see more of you during the movie, right?"

"Don't worry about that, there'll be plenty of me to feast your eyes on. Speaking of that," Ichika pulled out a bag. "They let me borrow the costume I wore for the movie!"

Nino beamed. "Oh, wow! Let me see!"

"Hehe, I knew you'd be interested. But what about you, Fuutaro-kun? Aren't you curious to see how a girl would look like in a costume? You can't deny it anymore, you know."

"T-that's not…"

She got closer to him. "What's wrong? Are you imagining how I'd look like in it?"

"Ichika! What are you doing?" Nino butted in.

Ichika giggled. "You're jealous, aren't you?" She looked over at Fuutaro. "He seems to be pretty happy about that."

Fuutaro blushed, and turned his eyes away.

Nino's face turned red. "O-oh, so that's what you were planning!"

"Hehe. My acting got much better, didn't it?"

"You got me, I have to admit that."

"Well, anyway, I actually need a hand putting this on. It's pretty complicated."

"Really? Let me help you! I wanna see how it works!"

"Sure. Let's go."

Raiha suddenly spoke up. "I want to see it too!"

Ichika pat her head. "Well, you can come too, if you want. It's nothing too special, though, I'll just be dressing up."

"That's okay."

"Well then, we'll be right back. Don't peek, Fuutaro-kun!"

"Ichika! Come on!" Nino pushed her away, as Ichika kept laughing.

Fuutaro

"So… Yotsuba… have you chosen a university?"

"I have. A sports university out of town."

"Oh, ok. That suits you. So, you're going to leave, too, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm."

The conversation died down immediately.

"Uesugi-san, I'm sorry. I messed things up. I need to thank you… I mean, you didn't even tell Nino about what I did. That said, could you please forget everything?"

"Yotsuba… I thought I was the one who messed things up. I was a bit shocked, but I'm not angry with you, at all. However, I can't just forget everything. I'd feel bad if I left matters unfinished. It's still my job to guide you towards university, remember? I've got to make sure you make it there without regrets."

"You're way too persistent. You already know by now. I fell in love with you. But I didn't want to take away everyone else's happiness. So I thought if I could sacrifice my own, everything would be fine. But honestly, I still love you. I feel stuck. I really want to be happy for you. But I can't. Everyone gave it their all, and because of that, they learned something, and they were able to accept what happened. Meanwhile, I just feel stupid."

"Yotsuba. Can you tell me, why you fell for me?"

"W-what? I-I mean, for the same reason as everyone else. Why do I have to explain it now?"

"Just try to."

"Well… You're nice… you've always helped us, for no reason…"

"Is that it?"

"No, wait a second…" Yotsuba started thinking.

"If you think about it it's pointless. I didn't help you for no reason. I was paid to help you. It was all in my best interest."

"I mean… you did way more than you had to…"

"You were the one helping me. I was just doing my job. Yotsuba… you fell in love with me five years ago, right?"

"F-five… what are you talking about?"

"You're terrible at lying."

"I'm not. I have fooled everyone. You're the one who can always figure me out."

"What do you mean when you say that? You fooled them in what way?"

"You all think I'm selfless. You never blame me for anything wrong I do. In reality, while I say all that, I'm the most selfish, when no one is looking."

"So, you fooled them in the sense that you don't love them? You know that's not true. Why would you feel so guilty towards someone you don't love? Why would you try so hard for someone you don't love?"

"That's not… That's different… I lied to them…"

"It's normal to want something. It doesn't matter how hard you try to convince yourself you don't want it. Eventually you'll contradict yourself. So, be honest with me. You fell in love with me, five years ago."

"Okay. I did. So what? What does that change?"

"I also might have had a crush on you. I mean, after all, meeting you completely changed my life. But can you really fall in love with a person you meet for one day, as a child?"

"W-what are you implying...?"

"There's also something else you need to know. I've known you for two years now. Even if you were to go back in time, and tried to… win me over… as your sisters did, I would have still fallen in love with Nino. Nothing could change that."

"That hurts to hear, Fuutaro… Why would you say that now…?"

"I'm sorry."

Yotsuba got up, and locked herself in the bathroom.

Soon after, Ichika, Nino and Raiha came back downstairs.

"We're done!" Ichika looked around. "Where's Yotsuba?"

He did not turn around. "In the bathroom."

"…Okay. Well, it took us a bit of time, but we managed to get the costume on."

"Was it really that hard?"

"Well, take a look." She grabbed onto him and forced him to face Nino.

His face turned red. "W-why are you wearing the costume?"

Nino blushed. "I-Ichika convinced me."

"I didn't want her to have Ichika's costume!" Raiha butted in.

Ichika giggled. "You're funny, Raiha. Anyway, go on, Fuutaro-kun. Tell her how she looks."

"It-it… It looks good, obviously. Of course it looks good."

Nino's face turned red.

"Ooh, bold, aren't you? Well, as far as I know, you might have seen her wearing even less."

"I-Ichika! You know that's not true!" Nino shouted out.

"How would I know that? All I know is that while I was in the living room, you were…"

"Stop, stop, stop, you don't need to say it!"

"Hehe. All right."

They suddenly heard a voice from upstairs. "You're all here? When did you arrive?"

"We've been here for a while, Miku…"

"Oh. Wait, Itsuki hadn't noticed either, right?"

"She's here, too?"

"I'll go call her."

She went into Itsuki's room, and the two of them came downstairs. Raiha ran up into Itsuki's arms. "Itsuki!"

"Raiha-chan! You're as cute as always!"

"By the way," Miku interrupted. "Nino, why are you wearing that costume?"

"C-can't I?"

"It's weird. You're the only one who has it."

"Well, it was actually mine. It's the same one I used in the movie. I wanted to see her turn red in front of Fuutaro, so I convinced her to wear it."

Miku nodded. "Oh, I see."

"Hey, I'm still right here! I can hear you!"

"However," They ignored her. "I don't see how it would work in a horror movie. I mean it's not scary."

"Yeah, I know. There was a ton of make-up involved. You'll see once we actually get to watching the movie."

Yotsuba finally came on out of the bathroom.

"You're back. Is everything all right?" Fuutaro asked.

"What are you talking about? I just had to take a quick break."

Fuutaro felt really bad. He just dumped her for good, and she came back in full force, as if nothing happened. However, he thought he had to say it. The last time he had the chance to say it, he did not, and Yotsuba suffered because of it. He found an opening, and took the chance to speak to her. He had not considered she would have had to come back, and confront all of them. Although, it might have been a good thing. She could not run away any longer.

"Well, that's good."

Yotsuba cut him off. "So, are we going to watch the movie?"

"I don't know…" Ichika answered. "Nino brought up a good point. We need to set up a good atmosphere for it. I mean, the moon is about to come out soon enough, so we don't have to wait too long any way."

"So… what are we going to do for now?" Itsuki asked. "I'd say we could study a bit more, but Raiha-chan is here, so…"

"Since when was studying all that's on your mind?" Fuutaro interrupted her.

"Oh, I don't want to hear that from YOU of all people…"

"Well, I wasn't the one who spent almost the entire festival studying…"

"Ugh, you're so irritating!"

Raiha tugged on Fuutaro's clothes. "Don't be mean!"

"All right, all right, sorry."

"Well, anyway," Ichika interrupted. "Let's find a way to pass the time. If no one has a better idea, we could play cards…"

"I know!" Miku suddenly exclaimed. "I just bought a new board game!" She went back into her room, and came out with a big box with a samurai on it.

"A board game? Well, the theme is definitely what I expected you would like."

"Hey!" Miku pouted. "It's not a bald, fat man, now, isn't it?" She said, jokingly.

"I still remember when you didn't want anyone to know what you liked."

Miku smiled. "It's thanks to you I made it this far." She took a deep breath. "That's also why you didn't have to tell me you're sorry. I want Nino to hear this too… I'm not sad you didn't choose me. So you don't need to force yourself to try and act like nothing changed."

"Miku…" Neither Fuutaro nor Nino knew what to answer.

However, Miku quickly cut the tension in the air. "You weren't good at hiding it, either way."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Don't even try." Itsuki backed Miku up. "You're so obvious, anyone could see right through you in a second."

Nino and Fuutaro blushed.

Miku laughed. "All right, we need to divide in groups to play this."

Miku went on to meticulously explain the rules of the game. The game was meant to be played with two groups of three, and another person alone. Raiha ended up being the one who understood better than anyone else did.

They let Raiha choose the teams, on the condition that she would not choose Miku, otherwise the match would already be decided before it started. She chose Itsuki and Fuutaro, so the other team was Nino, Miku and Yotsuba. Ichika volunteered to be on the single person "team".

While playing, Fuutaro got distracted again. That was happening a lot, lately. First, her eyes caught his attention. And they slowly went down, and down… and something else caught his attention. He shouldn't be staring at her like that… but she said she did not mind, right? Although, last time was different. He was just appreciating her. This time, some kind of switch inside of him had been flipped…

"Ouch!" He felt a kick on his shin. "What was that for?"

"Talk about being obvious…"

She totally saw him.

"What happened?" Nino asked, blissfully unaware.

"N-nothing! I hit my foot on the table!"

"Oh. Okay."

He cooled down a bit. It is better if she does not know, after all. This could not be what she meant, last time. He silently begged Itsuki for mercy, but she did not answer. He decided to hope for the best. Maybe she would not tell. Before he focused back on the game, he felt a cold chill down his spine. He looked over, and saw Ichika with a devilish grin on her face. From that moment on, he feared for his life.

When the game finished, he suddenly felt an incredible urge to go to the bathroom. Why now of all times? He could not leave Nino with them… they were just waiting for the chance to tell her…

Luckily for him, Nino decided to take the chance to change into something more comfortable.

"Oh, you're both back. We've set everything up."

Fuutaro looked over at Nino, and blushed. "You're wearing a sweatshirt?"

"What's wrong with it? You already saw me with Miku's tracksuit. I decided to buy something like that myself, since it's actually really comfortable."

"Oh, right. I guess I'm not used to seeing you like this."

She got closer to him. "Fuu-kun, you seem worked up. Did something happen?"

"No, nothing. I don't know why you got that impression." He could not look at her straight in the eyes while saying that.

Itsuki glared at him.

"You two stop standing around and come sit down. We saved you a spot next to each other."

"Just so you know, I was against that." Itsuki added. Raiha repeated the same thing after Itsuki.

"Why would you be against that?" Nino asked.

"You don't know the half of it."

Ichika giggled. "I think she actually knows more than you would expect, Itsuki-chan."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry about it, Nino."

He sat down on the couch. There wasn't enough space for all seven of them, so Raiha sat on Itsuki's lap.

Fuutaro was not actually very much into movies. After the first date's failure, they actually never went to see a movie together. Therefore, this would be the first time he saw a movie with Nino. Well, Nino and five other people. While the movie played, he glanced at her a lot. He loved seeing her expression change as the movie went on. At a certain point, Itsuki got so scared she jumped onto him. He got startled as well. He actually had to switch places with Nino so that she could comfort Itsuki. She passed Raiha onto him, and he had to watch the rest of the movie with her sitting on his lap. His legs almost gave out. Meanwhile, Itsuki was cuddling with Nino… wait, when did he start having these kind of thoughts? It just kind of happened without him noticing. Maybe after he realized how good it felt to do that kind of thing. The same thing he thought of as useless for so many years.

"Ichika, that was great!" Nino was the first to comment, at the end of the movie. "I don't watch many horror movies, but you really were great!"

"Yeah. You were perfect for the role." Miku added.

"Why, thank you!"

"At the end I didn't know whether to be sad you died, or happy the heroes won." Yotsuba commented.

"Oh, I felt the same!" Nino continued.

Ichika giggled. "I think it was supposed to be a good moment in the movie."

"Well, it was still you. Itsuki, are you fine now?"

"Just a little bit more… I can't move right now…"

"Even Raiha-chan took it better than you."

"She's way more mature than she looks!"

"Raiha, what did you think of the movie?" Fuutaro asked.

"It wasn't scary! I wanted it to be scarier!"

"Raiha-chan… why would you do that to me…"

"Itsuki-san, why don't you like horror movies? They're so fun!"

"Ugh…"

"I'm sorry, Itsuki. She loves these things."

"Fuutaro-kun, how about you? What did you think?"

"I'm not really into movies, but, I can see you're really giving it your all. I'm glad you found something you're so good at."

"I knew you didn't like movies!" Nino commented. "Why did you want to take me to the movies on our first date, then?"

"Well, I knew you liked romantic movies, so that seemed like an easy answer on where to take you."

"Well, next time think about somewhere you want to go."

"You really took it to heart when I said not to hide it anymore." Miku commented.

"W-well, at this point, I have to admit it would be dumb to try to act differently. We're dating. It would be almost disrespectful to keep trying to act as if we weren't."

"Yeah. We promised to each other we would accept whatever happened, after all."

"I might have to commend you for breaking our game's rules." Itsuki commented. "Maybe, just maybe you had the right idea, when it came to being completely transparent. Don't let this get to your head, Uesugi-kun."

"Why would I? You all know I am the best tutor you could ever ask for already."

Miku laughed. "You shouldn't have said that, Itsuki."

"I definitely shouldn't have."

Fuutaro was glad to see everyone acting friendly again. It was a pleasurable atmosphere. However, all that was cut short when he saw Yotsuba still didn't look any better. But this time, he really had exhausted all of his possibilities. He told her everything he had to say. He could not help her anymore. She just had to figure it out on her own, or with her sisters. Still, seeing everyone's progress, he felt optimistic Yotsuba would move on too. It still was quite surreal to him that he would be the cause of three broken hearts. He hated the feeling of dumping them. But, after all, there was no alternative. Love is not something that can be divided.

"I guess it's time to head home, now. Raiha, let's go."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Raiha-chan!"

Nino

Yotsuba declared she was tired, and headed to bed early. Nino said she wanted to talk to her, but she just said she did not have enough energy at the moment, so she decided to leave her be.

As Yotsuba went to bed, Ichika gathered everyone else around the table. Itsuki seemed a bit reluctant.

"Nino, I seriously can't believe you didn't notice him." Ichika started.

"What are you talking about?"

"He was staring at you." Itsuki continued.

"Really? Again?"

"What do you mean again?"

"You won't believe it. It was at work. He just stared at me, and then told me my outfit looked good. And it was totally out of place, too."

"That's stupid. Still, I guarantee it's nothing compared to this."

"He was like, hypnotized. He was staring right at your chest. I genuinely couldn't believe that was the same Fuutaro we've been with all this time." Ichika added.

Nino blushed, and crossed her arms. "M-my chest? Seriously?"

"Are you really surprised? So what were you doing in that bedroom?"

"I-Ichika! Itsuki and Miku didn't need to know!"

"Well, now we had to."

"L-listen, I don't really know myself. It was a weird atmosphere. I wasn't thinking straight anymore. I don't know what would've happened if we weren't interrupted… b-but it's not like… I don't know! I didn't expect him to just stare at my chest!"

"You look pretty happy about it." Ichika commented.

"Well… You know… It's kind of weird to think he looks at me in a different way than anyone else…"

"I know we all agreed you had to be more open, but you don't need to rub it into our faces."

"T-that's not what I meant to do!"

Ichika giggled. "I know, I know. I just wanted to tease you a bit more. I'm sorry."

"Hahh. Wait a second; I'm going to write to him right now."

"What?"

"Yeah."

She started typing a message.

"You really liked the sound of my heartbeat, didn't you?"

"What does that even mean, Nino?"

"It's hard to explain. He'll get it."

"There it is! He answered immediately! Let's see…"

"I'm sorry. Are you mad?"

"Well, are you?"

"What do you think? I already told you." Followed by a kiss emoji.

"Why are you even showing us your messages if we can't understand what you're writing?" Itsuki commented.

"It's more fun that way!"

He replied, saying sorry again.

Just remember that you're only allowed to be a perv with me.

She closed her phone, and they all headed to bed.

While she was laying down, she imagined him on top of her again. It was really unbelievable that that was the same Fuutaro who couldn't even answer her confession. The same Fuutaro who was the only guy who didn't look at her in that stupid costume she wore at the festival. And now, he had gotten so close their bodies were squished together. She remembered feeling her hands flow on his skin, her chest pushed against his, and… something… slightly pushing against her stomach. She hadn't noticed in the heat of the moment, but thinking about it again, her face turned red. It had to be that. She really got what she asked and even more, when it came to sides of him no one else knew about. He felt good, too, while kissing her, right? He had to. There was undeniable proof, pressing against her, in that very moment. That same feeling, which was almost imperceptible in that moment, became imprinted in her mind. She felt it as if he was still there… and as she went to sleep, only one thought echoed in her mind.

What would have happened, if they weren't interrupted?

A/N

This chapter was insanely hard to write. I had to write for so many different characters, and I had them interact in ways that forced their development, which made everything even harder. Raiha originally had a much bigger part in all of this, but I ended up scrapping all of it. I've gotten an idea I believe to be better to develop her, so it's going to happen in a different chapter. Now that I finished, I realized I kept her in even if she does not have too much of a purpose anymore. It may seem like it, but it will affect her in the next chapter i write focusing on her. Right now, though I just want to get the chapter out, since I already took way too much time to write it. Maybe i should've just delayed it, but i wanted to update on time, like i promised. A lot happened, even if I scrapped the Raiha part, so you can imagine how long it would have been.

By the way, if you noticed the titles, I tried to highlight two different aspects of love in these two chapters.

They need each other, specifically, and not necessarily with any sexual connotation. Just sensual acts, meant to show how much they love each other.

But they also actively want each other, and this time, It's a combination of many elements, all the more explicit ones too.

I think every aspect of a relationship is important. It would be stupid to disregard the sexual aspects of it. If you love someone, it's normal to want to get closer to them. And, well, that's the closest you can ever get to another person, and not just physically.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for reading.