HOLY SHIT! THIS STORY HAS FINALLY SURPASSED AFFECTION METER IN NUMBER OF FAVES! OH MY FUCKING GOD! WE ONLY NEED TO SURPASS AFFECTION METER IN FOLLOWS BEFORE FACING THE FINAL BOSS, GUYS! Yes, indeed, with the release of the previous chapter, this story has officially beaten Affection Meter in number of favorites, and now follows are all that's left. It's sad that RedGlitchFox discontinued his stories, but I suppose it is what it is. I hope that you all continue to support me and this story, because we are just getting started! More fluff and funny shenanigans are coming, especially with the debut of Maruo last chapter! Fuutarou and Itsuki better be careful, or they'll both be in trouble! Before we head into this chapter, I do want to remind ya'll that if you like this fic and want to see more of it, don't hesitate to add this story to your list of favorites/follows and tune in everyday for a new chapter. We are making sure that GOTOUBUN FLUFF REIGNS SUPREME! With that being said, let's head into the chapter!

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

Upon hearing those words, Itsuki's eyes widened in surprise, while Fuutarou only blinked for a few moments. Okay, that wasn't what he was expecting, because for some reason, he was already prepared for the worst which was Maruo telling him to stay away from his daughters. A bit pessimistic for his own taste, but can you blame him? The man before him had a death stare that's enough to make anyone nervous…

Anyway, it looks like he was safe for now, at least. As long as he doesn't screw this up by saying something weird or anything, it'll stay that way. He may have been wrong about what he thought this would be about, but it's still related to tutoring, so that's that.

Fuutarou cleared his throat so he could answer properly, while making sure that he wasn't straying away from Maruo's gaze. "Well, uh… I have no problem tutoring the rest of your daughters since I have offered to do the same for Ichika, while Nino seems to have no problem with it when she was talking about my position earlier," he explained, being careful not to speak too fast or too slow.

That got Maruo to raise an eyebrow in clear interest, before responding to Fuutarou's words. "Is that so? That's somehow surprising to hear, because I know my daughters can be too stubborn at times. Nonetheless, that is good to hear and it eases my worries on how they would take the news later on."

The young man chuckled to himself in an almost-sarcastic manner. If the girls were like what Maruo described them to be, it only meant that the soulmate bond had a lot to do with them not being stubborn. Heh, so they were hard-headed all this time, and he wasn't able to notice it because they were his soulmates. It's not like that was a bad thing, however. This most likely just saved him from possible headaches in the future when he starts tutoring all five of the girls like what Maruo wanted…

"Wait, Father!" Itsuki cried, waving her hands before her to try and get Maruo's attention. Sensing his daughter's distress, the man shifted his gaze from Fuutarou to Itsuki as she began to speak. "I simply want to clarify in case I am just hearing things, but… you want Uesugi-kun to be our tutor?"

Maruo nodded stiffly. "That's right. Since he is already tutoring you and Yotsuba, there should be no problem if he does the same for the rest of your sisters. That is, unless you want another person to take over Uesugi-kun's responsibilities?"

Itsuki was quick to shake her head furiously, not wanting to lose Fuutarou as her tutor. "N-No! No, we're fine with Uesugi-kun! He's been really helpful so far, and… I think, no… I believe we have a really good chance of passing our exams with him as our tutor!"

Maruo raised an eyebrow at his daughter's strange response, as if she didn't want Fuutarou to be replaced by anyone, before thinking none of it. Itsuki may have just gotten used to Fuutarou Uesugi being her tutor that she didn't want a new one all too soon.

"I expect nothing less from Isanari's son. That buffoon may have been a pain in the neck during our years in college but at the very least, he is raising his children well that they won't turn out like him," he said, shifting his gaze to the side momentarily with a look of annoyance on his face, being reminded of how Isanari used to annoy him so much.

"Actually, sir," Fuutarou spoke up, easily getting Maruo's attention since he was already implying that his next words would be about his father. "I think he is still a pain in the neck for me and my sister."

Everything went silent for the next few moments, to the point that Itsuki was starting to get worried because her tutor might have said something wrong! From how Maruo was simply staring at Fuutarou after he spoke, she could already tell that her father was already thinking about kicking her tutor out of here, making her stay away from him, or something similar to those!

It only gets worse from there, because Fuutarou was willingly staring back at her father without fear! How the hell did that happen?! Wasn't he feeling intimidated earlier? Knowing her father, Maruo won't take this lightly, but Itsuki didn't know what to say that can interrupt them from their impromptu staring contest…

...

...

...

Argh, this silence was unbearable! She better do something to resolve this before it gets any worse! She didn't want her father nor Fuutarou to go against each other in any way!

"Uhm… is there a —"

Before she could finish her question, Maruo was already standing directly in front of Fuutarou, patting the young man's shoulder like a proud father while Itsuki looked on in total confusion.

"I have a feeling that you and I are going to get along quite well, Uesugi-kun," Maruo allowed himself a very small smile that almost no one can notice, but considering the fact that Itsuki was his daughter, she was able to notice it clearly.

Fuutarou nodded, flashing a smile of his own as he accepted the weird but blunt show of affection from the older man. He certainly didn't expect this to happen, but who cares? He was safe from death and it seems that he's gained the favor of the quints' father! Phew. He didn't really know what exactly happened, but from the looks of it, saying that Isanari regularly gets on his nerves made him receive a positive reaction from Maruo, if this could count as one.

Maybe it's because Fuutarou could understand what he felt about Isanari… and this young man was his old classmate's son! It doesn't get any better than that!

Oh dear, this trope regarding the main character and the family of his love interest was widely known in the realm of anime and now it was happening to him!

"I am honored, sir."

Maruo shook his head, retaining the smile on his face that could rival his own death stare in terms of scaring people off, but Fuutarou didn't look affected by it. After all, he would rather take a smile than a death stare from his soulmates' father, now that he got a good look at the man.

Seriously, though… how did Isanari even manage to even befriend this man? He looked like he was capable of sending grown men crying just by staring just like Cheerful Rena did five years ago… after all, he could remember her words about inheriting that stare from her Papa…

"You don't have to be so formal with me, Uesugi-kun. Just call me Father."

The young man blushed for a moment because of the implications brought about by such a thing, before nodding anyway. It's better if he doesn't say anything and just goes along with what the guy wants, unless he risks Maruo being displeased with him and eventually losing his favor!

Nope! Gotta stay within this man's good graces, if he even had them…

"Uh… if you insist, Father," he said with a tiny smile on his face.

Unfortunately, for the girl who was with them at the moment, all she could do was look on at the ongoing interaction with an incredulous expression on her face. Being one of Maruo's daughters, she knew her father very well and that included his demeanor and overall personality around other people.

Seeing him literally smile at someone he just met was… unsettling.

"They are actually getting along?!" Itsuki shouted mentally, almost at the point that she thought she was going to faint. "Father is just letting Uesugi-kun call him like that?!"

Poor girl.

To add more to the horror she felt, Maruo continued to smile at Fuutarou as if the young teen was his own son. To be honest, it shouldn't even be that weird, since their parents knew one another which meant that their families had some kind of connection. Still, after years of knowing how her father was like upon meeting new people, this interaction he was having with Fuutarou was almost comparable to Kyoko Hori learning that Izumi Miyamura was the one who brought her little brother home, which was also the first time they met.

...

"I recommend you watch Horimiya, by the way. After Gundam, I'm definitely gonna watch—"

...

Shut up and get out of here, old man. No one asked for your recommendations.

Despite her current state, Itsuki was able to say something in order to deal with her own confusion and she definitely wanted answers right now, although she still looked taken aback from what she just witnessed.

"Father…? What is the meaning of this?" she asked slowly, which immediately got Maruo's attention as he turned to look at his daughter.

"It is nothing too big, Itsuki. Uesugi-kun simply proved to me that he is more interesting than what I thought of him to be. Even though his father is the biggest buffoon that I have known in my life, it seems that Uesugi-kun isn't following his footsteps at all," he explained as if he was a proud father looking out for his surrogate son, which only sent the girl into a deeper state of shock.

Well, considering he was friends with Isanari back then, maybe he can be considered as Fuutarou's uncle, or perhaps even godfather…

"I am honored you think of me in that way, Father. Should I go back inside and tell the girls about your decision, then?" he asked, turning his head back for a moment to look at the door to the penthouse.

Truth be told, he should really be getting home by now and buy that pizza for Raiha and his old man, but… it would be risky because Maruo might want to talk to him some more and it would be disrespectful to cut that short. Still, there was still the fact that Miku was still there and if he goes back inside…

All of his hard work would be for nothing… it would make him want to cry…

Much to the boy's immense relief, Maruo only shook his head. "There is no need. From what I see here, you're about to go home and Itsuki is going with you. Am I correct to assume that you are already done with tutoring Yotsuba and her?"

Fuutarou nodded, before glancing at Itsuki slightly with a look of amusement on his face. "Yes, although I have no idea why Itsuki wants to go with me, Father. I already know my way around here, anyway."

"I-I just wanted to make sure you know your way out…!"

"Whatever you say…"

Maruo raised an eyebrow at the interaction between the two teenagers, as it reminded him of a familiar feeling from before. "I see. Do not bother, I will inform my daughters about this myself, since I also wanted to check on how they are doing at the moment. More importantly, can I expect that you will be returning tomorrow to tutor all of them?"

Fuutarou thought about that question for a moment, instead of answering right away. It would be pretty hard to adjust his approach from teaching two girls to all five of them unless he pulls an all-nighter. Even if he does that, however, there was still his little situation with Miku. By now, he was pretty sure that that girl was mad at him for completely ignoring her, so he'll have to deal with that before focusing on his responsibilities as a tutor once again. Who knows what Miku might do at school tomorrow? It's either she doesn't do anything because she doesn't care, or perhaps a small chance of her pulling something off as some kind of payback or anything…

Yep, it's obvious. He won't be able to hold a tutoring session tomorrow, and he'll have to tell Maruo that. Fuutarou had a feeling that the older man won't be pleased with that, but the more rational side of him argued that not telling the truth would only get a worse reaction. Like the logical and reasonable person that he was, Fuutarou chose the smarter answer of the two.

"May I have a week to prepare for it, Father? I should be able to start tutoring all of them after the festival that's happening this weekend," he asked in a sincere tone, making sure that everything he was saying was nothing short of the truth. "I'll need time to go over everyone's strengths, weaknesses, and how I should approach this. I don't think it's within my abilities to adjust from teaching two to five girls in one night, especially when your daughters are all bordering failure."

Itsuki turned towards the boy with an almost-pleading look on her face, as if she didn't want him to go away for that long. How could she not feel this way, when she's been having a blast recently? Being able to study and understand her lessons was something she wanted to happen for a long time and now that she was able to achieve such a thing, she didn't want to let go of the person who made it possible.

She didn't want him to leave!

"You won't come by tomorrow, Uesugi-kun?"

Fuutarou looked at her with a tiny smile on his face, as if he was expecting this kind of reaction from the girl. "Itsuki, I know you have a lot of faith in me as your tutor, but even someone like me has limits and I can admit them. Tutoring you and Yotsuba is something I can handle because you were my only student until your sister joined us yesterday. Now that I have to adjust once again and teach all five of you from now on, it would take me time to figure out how to do it."

The youngest of the quints was left silent after his explanation, knowing deep down that he was right but because of that, she couldn't look up at him. Itsuki wanted to say that she didn't want him to stop tutoring her even for a day, but she couldn't say that with her father watching them. Besides, there's no way she could ask him that. It would be too selfish of her, especially now when her father wanted him to tutor all of them… it would also be too much for Fuutarou to handle, like what he said.

There's no way she can ask him to work harder just because she wanted him to continue teaching her.

While she bore a sad look on her face, the young man with her felt like he got punched in the gut from seeing her in this state. Because of this, Fuutarou ended up temporarily forgetting that Itsuki's father was literally there with them, as he placed his hand on top of Itsuki's head in a comforting manner and caused her to look up at him in surprise.

"I will still be your tutor, and that will not change. Believe it or not, I do enjoy tutoring you. However, I just need time to sort everything out, because I will do everything that I can in order to help you and your sisters. It'll be only until the festival, alright? I hope you don't slack off and forget everything that I have taught you within that span of time."

Itsuki blushed for a moment, before releasing a deep breath. She felt a lot better now after hearing Fuutarou reassure her along with the headpat she was receiving from him. It brought her out of her sad state and got a small smile from the girl in the process, making the young man sigh in relief.

What a way to spoil the girl, Fuutarou.

"Okay… I understand, Uesugi-kun."

Meanwhile, both teenagers still seemed that they were unaware that someone else was watching them, as if they were in their own little world. Maruo raised an eyebrow at their interaction once again, before getting reminded of the same feeling he felt a while earlier. He didn't say anything to interrupt them for now, and simply looked on curiously because of a particular reason.

Strange… why did it feel like he's seen this scenario before, when this was clearly the first time he met Isanari's son?

Things are going smooth so far, it seems... damn, this Maruo is a lot softer than the canon version, don't you think? Canon Maruo would never let Fuutarou call him 'Father', because he's one cold guy, lol. And all it took was Fuutarou talking bad about his own dad! Hahahaha! Itsuki looked so confused for a moment too, lol. If this looked too short for you, guys, sorry about that. I'll make it up with the next one, hehe. After all, I have to keep an eye out on the word count before they surpass the limit. Until then, see you tomorrow!

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

-Lance