Here we are again in another daily chapter! Just a quick heads-up, guys. I apologize if chapters look too short to you, but I have limited myself to a maximum of 4k words per chapter, and it will stay that way for the remainder of the story. I can't let myself get carried away again, lol. Next, I want to thank every single one of my readers again, for continuing to support me and this story, because you guys give me motivation! We are ALMOST about to surpass Five Equal Angels in number of favorites and even follows, so if you haven't done it already, add this story to you faves/follows because we are constantly looking forward to taking this fic to the very top and it really helps me out a lot. Of course, you can change your minds about it later but regardless, Gotoubun fluff will rule! With that being said, let's head into this chapter!

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

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

No sound whatsoever came out of both girls for a while, not after what Itsuki just asked Yotsuba. There's no way that the fourth quintuplet can answer such a question right away, just after contemplating her earlier actions at the station. Things were very quiet between them too, with only the sound of the car's engine in the background as they were being driven home by their butler and their father's secretary, Ebata.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, Yotsuba clenched her fist and took a deep breath, before turning her head to face her sister in order to give her answer.

"I… I like Uesugi-san too…! I'm sorry, Itsuki… I can't—no. I don't want to hide it anymore," Yotsuba said, feeling extremely nervous about this to the point that her voice became quiet by the end, but managed to push herself into getting her intentions clear. "I don't just see Uesugi-kun as our tutor and friend… to me, he's more than that."

The girl finished her words with her face turning deep red, because her emotions were all over the place right now. She just told her sister what she truly felt for Fuutarou, and was nervous about how Itsuki was going to react to this because it was her who had feelings for their tutor first.

Much to her surprise, Itsuki only stared at her for a few moments after she spoke, before releasing a sigh. "If it makes you feel better, I like Uesugi-kun as well. I have just been hiding it from everyone else. You can say that Ichika was right about me, hehe…"

"Yeah… I know… I heard you say it earlier," Yotsuba nodded, remembering how Itsuki straight-up confessed her feelings for Fuutarou while they were walking towards the station earlier.

"I was supposed to tell you about it after Uesugi-kun talked to me. Believe me, at first, I didn't want to because I wanted to keep it a secret from everybody else… at least until I'm comfortable enough to have a relationship with a boy, preferably when my grades finally grow higher," she continued to explain, leaning back against her seat now that Yotsuba gave her the answer she wanted. She then turned to give her sister a smile. "However, Uesugi-kun spoke with me about the importance of being a family, and how we can trust one another even in times of hardship.

Yotsuba smiled in return before doing the same as Itsuki, leaning back against her seat and then continuing in her words. "Well… the same goes for me, Itsuki. We're family and we can trust each other! If you want to keep this as a secret from everyone else, I won't tell. But that doesn't mean we can keep it forever, though."

"You're right, and I will do the same for you, Yotsuba. If you want to keep it a secret from our sisters until you want to tell them, then I won't say a thing. But now I'm curious. What exactly do you like about Uesugi-kun? Are you sure you like him in that way?"

The ribbon-wearing girl looked surprised that her sister continued to speak about this topic without reacting much to what she just found out. It just seemed strange that Itsuki didn't have anything to say about her developing feelings for the same boy whom she liked…

"Wait… you're not mad that I… like Uesugi-san just like you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Itsuki in confusion.

Itsuki blinked and went silent for a few moments after Yotsuba said those words, as though she was thinking deeply regarding the matter. "I honestly don't know. I feel that I should, for obvious reasons, but it's not like Uesugi-kun and I are in a relationship for me to say anything. In fact, I somehow feel relief instead of anger," she shrugged.

"Eh…? What do you mean?"

"I mean that it's only you, Yotsuba. At the very least, it's my sister who likes Uesugi-kun and not just any other person. I suppose it's because we're family. I don't really know what I'm saying, but do you at least understand what I mean?"

"I guess so…" Yotsuba nodded slowly, before looking down and then taking a deep breath for everything that she was about to say. "Uhm, alright… well, I know that we only met last week, but… I can't help it, Itsuki. All the things you said about Uesugi-san when you first told us about him… they're all true. Remember when I first met him? I thought he would just ignore me because you said he doesn't like to be around other people."

"Yes, I… I suppose I did say that, didn't I?" Itsuki chuckled nervously, before bowing her head in apology. "I apologize if I ended up causing you to feel nervous around Uesugi-kun."

Yotsuba only giggled, before shaking her head to let her sister know that she was completely fine. "Anyway, I was really surprised that he already treats me like a friend after we told each other our names. I remember thinking if he really didn't like being around other people, because Uesugi-san seemed so nice! He was willing to answer everything that I asked him, and he didn't look angry or bored with me the whole time. That's when I understood why you're so amazed with him, Itsuki."

"W-Well, I don't like Uesugi-kun solely for how he treats me as a friend," Itsuki folded her arms and looked away with a small pout, which could hardly be taken seriously because of the red hue on her cheeks. "It's more than that. He is hardworking, passionate, and he didn't become intelligent from being born that way. Uesugi-kun reached the point where he is now because he always strives to improve himself. I somehow see myself in him, or rather the person that I want to be."

"You mean Uesugi-san is your type?" Yotsuba asked with a teasing smile.

Itsuki snapped her eyes open, as the blush became as deep as the color of her hair. "Uhm, I… I wouldn't exactly say 'type', but…!"

"It's okay, Itsuki. I understand," the fourth quintuplet giggled once more as she patted her sister's shoulder. "To tell you the truth, making my own grades higher wasn't the only reason why I asked Uesugi-san to be my tutor…"

"What is the other one?"

"I… wanted to be close to Uesugi-san," Yotsuba was hesitant to say it at first, but was able to recompose herself after taking another deep breath. "At first, I really thought I was only hoping for him to help me with school, but… earlier, while we were at the station with him, I thought about everything that I did today… especially the times when I hugged Uesugi-san's arm…"

"Ugh, it's a good thing you brought that issue up! I was really confused with your demeanor several times, Yotsuba! You were clinging to Uesugi-kun's arm while we were heading to his home, while we were going through our tutoring session, and you hugged him completely when we were heading to the station!" Itsuki exclaimed, pointing her finger at Yotsuba in a scolding manner. "I didn't know if you were just being yourself the whole time, but now I'm relieved to know the true reason behind your actions."

"Ehehe… sorry about that…" The fourth quint rubbed the back of her head, grinning in embarrassment while shifting her gaze to the side.

"Never mind what happened. Let's get back to what we were discussing. Continue what you were saying about Uesugi-kun while we were still at the station."

"Right, uhm… so yeah, I thought about everything I did, and… I realized that I liked him too. I didn't really want things to be like that because… you already like him, and… I didn't want to ruin your relationship."

Itsuki shook her head. "Yotsuba, my feelings don't matter right now. I simply want to know what led you to kiss Uesugi-kun earlier, because that's the moment where you accepted what you truly feel about him, right?"

Yotsuba nodded slowly. "I guess…"

"Then what happened? Did you somehow have an internal conversation with yourself that led you to kissing Uesugi-kun on the cheek?"

"It's more than that. You remember how I told you that Uesugi-san ended up in the clinic earlier because he had to rest his arms and legs?"

"Yes, and that was because you hugged him in the middle of the school grounds with a lot of students watching, which led to him carrying you away from there!" Itsuki scolded her once again, while Yotsuba could only raise her hands in defeat because she had no excuse for her actions that time. "But what does this have to do with coming clean about your feelings for Uesugi-kun?"

"Uesugi-san talked with me about doing what other people want me to do and what I want to do," she explained, while Itsuki could only raise an eyebrow at her in confusion. "While I was there, I told Uesugi-san that I'll stay by his side so he won't be all alone. Then, he told me that I should just attend my classes and leave him there. He looked really serious about it, so… I decided to just go and do what he wanted me to do, but… he stopped me."

Itsuki's eyes started to widen as she listened closely to Yotsuba's words, realizing that this was the answer that she was waiting for. Everything from here on out was what led to Yotsuba doing what she did at the station earlier. It's also strange… Fuutarou wanted Yotsuba to leave yet stopped her at the last moment? There has to be a reason why he did such a thing, because he couldn't have contradicted himself… right?

"He then told me that it's not like he didn't want me around, but it's more like he thinks it's better if I just go to class. At first, I was confused with what he was saying, but I finally understood what he meant when he told me that I should do what I really wanted to do instead of doing what I think people want from me."

The fifth quintuplet hummed while trying to process everything that she heard from her sister. "That… is quite confusing, to be honest."

"I know, right? I'm surprised I can figure it out! Anyway, Uesugi-san also said that I should treat him like a friend if we're not studying together… because that's how he sees you when he's not being your tutor, Itsuki."

"I-Is that so…?" Itsuki murmured, feeling bashful regarding Fuutarou's words about her.

"Yeah… I thought about those things while we were at the station earlier, and… that's when I decided to be honest with what I really want to do. That's what led to me k-kissing Uesugi-san before leaving. When that happened, I felt really happy. I think I felt happier than I've ever been before, because I chose to do what I really wanted to do…" Yotsuba finished her explanation with a smile, before releasing a deep sigh due to what this meant for her younger sister. "I'm sorry about this, Itsuki… I'm a bad sister, liking the same guy you have a crush on—eeehh…?"

Yotsuba was cut off from her words when Itsuki leaned forward and gave her sister a hug, which confused the ribbon-wearing girl to no end. Wasn't Itsuki listening to her? The two of them liked the same guy, there's nothing to be happy about regarding that!

"Itsuki…? Why are you hugging me right now?" she asked, looking really confused with Itsuki's actions.

Hearing those words caused Itsuki to be aware of what she was doing, and she quickly pulled back as a result. Yotsuba was surprised to see a smile on Itsuki's face, which was the last thing she expected to see from her sister at the moment.

"O-Oh, I apologize for this, Yotsuba… I just can't help but feel happy for you!"

"Happy for me? Why…?" Yotsuba can't help but tilt her head in absolute confusion. How was Itsuki happy for her? She didn't get her sister at all, or at least she was missing something. "You're not mad that I like Uesugi-san too?"

"After thinking about it, I don't feel angry at all, Yotsuba. In fact, it would make me sad if you never told me about this! At the very least, I am now aware that you really do have feelings for Uesugi-kun and this clears up my confusion about what you were doing all along."

"But what about you? Don't you want to be Uesugi-san's girlfriend because you like him?"

Itsuki's smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with a flustered look, as she began twiddling her fingers out of embarrassment from imagining herself and Fuutarou as a couple. "Well, I-I wouldn't mind if Uesugi-kun a-asked me out, but… I believe he's not yet ready for a relationship, because he's entirely focused on helping us instead. As our tutor, it's his priority to make sure that we pass our exams…"

"So… that means neither of us can do anything right now?" Yotsuba asked in need of a confirmation of some sort. Itsuki's words made sense; if Fuutarou wasn't ready for a relationship, then they have to respect that and just wait for the right time.

"Not exactly," the long-haired quint shook her head with a smile. "You could tell Uesugi-kun about your feelings like what I did."

Yotsuba's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, shock overtaking her entire being to the point that she leaned away from Itsuki while waving her hands before her in a frantic manner. "Woah, I-I-I can't do something like that! T-That's too much…! You shouldn't be telling me to do that either!"

"Trust me, Yotsuba. It will make you feel a lot better if you decide to be honest with him, like a huge burden will be lifted off your shoulders. It's what I felt when I confessed to Uesugi-kun in the past week. It felt relieving that I didn't have to hold it in for long. You don't have to worry about me because right now, telling him what you really feel is more important."

If it was possible, Yotsuba's eyes widened even more with this revelation, almost reaching the point where she might fall over out of shock. Itsuki already confessed? What the hell was she doing then? Her sister and Fuutarou must be in a relationship already! She was only getting in the way!

"You already confessed to him?! L-Last week…?! What did he say?!" she sputtered, quickly asking for an answer from her sister.

"That's right, and now it's your turn. Tell Uesugi-kun what you really feel, but don't rush yourself. Take your time in building up the courage you need to talk with him about. It may be relieving to let out what you really feel but it does take a toll on you, because that is what I felt when I confessed to Uesugi-kun."

"Eh…?" Even with that answer, Yotsuba could only tilt her head in confusion, because it wasn't enough. Itsuki noticed this and laughed softly, before shaking her head in amusement.

"Don't worry, like what I said, we are not in a relationship. I simply told him because… it felt right. It felt right that I didn't have to hide it for very long, and the best part of it was that Uesugi-kun didn't turn away from me at all or hurt me in any way. He was considerate of what I feel, and gave me a response that we were both fine with. We both know that a relationship is not our priority at the moment, but we are both aware of our feelings towards each other. I'm sure Uesugi-kun would do the same for you, Yotsuba! Your feelings will only continue to bottle up inside you if you don't tell him about it."

Yotsuba could only stare at Itsuki in both awe and wonder, while also thinking about everything that she said, slowly taking all of the information into her mind as if it was a lecture. She couldn't help but be curious, though. How exactly was her sister okay with revealing all of this to her? Isn't this supposed to be a private matter? Whatever her reason was, she wanted one thing, it seems.

For her to confess her feelings to Fuutarou.

Yotsuba never thought that she'd see the day where Itsuki herself was giving advice when it came to romance.

She let out a deep sigh, surprised with her own self that she was actually doing this, before looking up at Itsuki with a small smile.

"O-Okay, I… guess I can give it a go…?"

"That's the Yotsuba I know!" Itsuki clapped her hands together in delight, before flashing a more eager look afterwards. "Now that that problem has been dealt with, how do you think we should tell our sisters about everything that we learned about Mother?"

Being reminded of everything they learned from Isanari today, Yotsuba shared the same look of excitement with Itsuki before she raised her arm as if she was answering a teacher's question.

"Oh! Oh! I have an idea…!"

~~XoXo~~

Yotsuba let out a deep sigh, remembering well what she and Itsuki discussed last night, where they became aware of each other's feelings for the same boy. To her own surprise, it didn't end badly for either of them and they even opened up regarding that same topic. It didn't create a rift between family members and if anything, it simply led to a deeper sense of understanding within them.

She couldn't be any more happier that Itsuki didn't become angry with her, while also feeling touched that her sister would even help her confess! The least she could do for Itsuki in return would be not having to ask Fuutarou to accompany her to the festival as her date.

It was already mind-boggling that the youngest among them didn't mind one of her sisters developing feelings for the boy who also caught her interest.

"I don't have to ask Uesugi-san to be my d-date, but… I'll follow what Itsuki told me and I'll confess my feelings at the festival!" Yotsuba thought to herself, flashing a small smile of determination as she reverted back to her earlier demeanor, full of smiles and energy.

Meanwhile, Fuutarou only stared at her in confusion, wondering what she was thinking about. No, he wasn't going to ask her about it unless she brought it up, because it seemed like a private matter. However, that didn't stop him from wondering what exactly could have made her go quiet earlier, before going back to normal.

Perhaps it had something to do with that kiss on the cheek that she gave him last night?

He mentally shrugged, deciding that he'd deal with that little problem when it's brought up by Yotsuba herself. He totally forgot about it for a moment because of… recent developments, but he wasn't going to talk about it right now? Who knows, Yotsuba may not be ready to reveal what she meant by her action should he choose to talk about it…

Yeah, it's better to wait until she brings it up herself.

Woah. This chapter was pure Ribbonmania and Meatbun Monster Rampage, ladies and gentlemen! Canon is buried further underground, because WE HAVE NOW CONFIRMED THAT YOTSUBA LIKES HIM AND ITSUKI IS THE FIRST TO KNOW! Who would've thought? On the bright side, Itsuki didn't look angry with this and even went out of her way to convince Yotsuba to confess her feelings! HOLY SHIT, SHE IS GOING TO CONFESS AT THE FESTIVAL?! FIRST, GOING WITH NINO AS HER DATE AND NOW FUUTAROU WILL RECEIVE A CONFESSION?! THIS IS GETTING MORE AND MORE INTERESTING! WHAT ELSE IS GONNA TAKE PLACE AT THE UPCOMING FESTIVAL?! What's gonna happen next for the other girls? Find out tomorrow!

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

-Lance