ANNOUNCEMENT: After 9 weeks (63 days) of daily updates, this is where my record stops. As of now, the daily updates will halt, so you can't expect more tomorrow. It's nothing big, I just want to take a rest for a while. Even the Ace of the QQ Archive is human, hehe. Yes, I'm the Ace, got it? For two months, I have been consistent in all my chapters and I have stuck to my deadline in publishing chapters! I AM THE ACE OF THIS ARCHIVE AND NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT AWAY!

There is no need to worry, I will still write while I'm taking a break, I just won't be uploading the chapters I am done with... yet. Once I'm done with my little vacation, I'll return to updating daily for more daily doses of fluff for all of you. In the meantime, you guys can support my friends' fanfics, like XenoTime39, LucXelf, PickleNugg, and Mr. Narrative! If you want, you can also join our Discord server (link below) because I'm always active there and we can hang around together. There, I've probably said enough, so I'll just end this here. Again, daily chapters are gonna stop for a while because I want to take a break. With that being said, let's head to the chapter!

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link (for early access to the next chapter and those willing to donate): [https : / / www . . com / lancesennin]

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

While Fuutarou berated himself inside his mind for being a clueless idiot who was unaware of what's happening around him, Itsuki rubbed her hands together and just remained in her place, while keeping her eyes on the ground. She was unable to look at her father out of shame, embarrassment, and shock all at the same time.

She couldn't believe it.

Her own father saw her doing… doing such intimate acts and they all happened right before him!

It's all over for her. There's no way she can face her father with a straight look after this, and it's a fact that most teenagers out there would agree with this statement, especially those whose parents were as strict as Maruo.

The older Nakano continued to send the two of them a serious look accompanied with his current demeanor, even though this was his daughter he's facing. After all, a parent should be always be ready to teach their child a lesson if they weren't being obedient…

"If I didn't know any better, you and my daughter are interested in one another as more than tutor and student. It would also explain why Itsuki hasn't let go of your hand until after I pointed it out, even in my presence."

Both teenagers turned pale, because Maruo just straight up summarized their relationship without even knowing it. After just a week of hiding it from everyone else, her sisters and now her father knew about what she wanted to stay a secret all in one day. What's crazier is that both literally happened one after the other, and it's almost as if it was a miracle that Itsuki had not fainted or probably collapsed from taking this all in.

In response to her inner thoughts, Itsuki kept her head down and stepped away from Fuutarou a bit, feeling more ashamed than ever. She was sure that her father was disappointed in her now… he must be.

Maruo shifted his attention towards Fuutarou solely, narrowing his eyes dangerously that sent a chill down the boy's spine. "I have to warn you, Uesugi-kun. I don't trust other people that easily, especially when my family is concerned. Your father knows that very well, even if he is an idiot. Since I supposedly chose you to be my daughters' tutor, you should be aware of this as well. Don't make me regret my decision to trust you."

The young man looked down while gritting his teeth, asking himself how did it come to this. He was now completely backed into a corner with no way out, because if he tries to deny it any further, there's an almost-guaranteed chance that Maruo's opinion of him would come crashing down! That's the last thing he wanted to happen, because things were already going so well earlier! It all turned into the opposite direction when the older man noticed that he and Itsuki were holding hands!

Fine.

If that's how it's going to be, then he had no other choice!

Whatever happens from here on out, he can at least take pride in saying the truth. Whatever Maruo chooses to do with him, that man won't be able to say that he was a liar or anything, or he will hold it against the man.

"Now I'm going to ask you again. What is your relationship with my daughter? Tell me the truth, or this conversation between us never happened," Maruo warned, giving the young man one more chance to explain himself and the relationship he has with Itsuki, which was obviously not just student and tutor.

Fuutarou closed his eyes and internally braced himself for what he was about to say next. Forgive him for this, Itsuki, but there's no other way to go about this other than saying the truth!

"I apologize, Father… but I… but I do like your daughter."

Itsuki's eyes widened to massive proportions, as she turned towards her tutor with an incredulous look on her face. The blush on her cheeks skyrocketed as well, making her whole face as red as a steaming tomato.

"U-Uesugi-kun…?!"

Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse than they already were, Itsuki was left speechless and a blushing mess as she watched Fuutarou tell her father his true feelings for her, unable to believe that he would actually do such a thing. Was he crazy or something?! Why was he revealing something that was supposed to be a secret?! Itsuki had no idea what her tutor was thinking at this moment, especially because he just revealed something that was supposed to be a secret almost nonchalantly.

Well, considering the fact that he was blushing and nearly faltered while saying those words, Fuutarou was clearly nervous about it. Also, it's not like she wanted to keep it as a secret from her father for very long but at the very least, couldn't Fuutarou have consulted with her about it before anything else? Of course she trusts her tutor, though she never expected him to come clean with his feelings out of nowhere!

Thankfully, it looked like she would get some answers from the young man, who turned towards her with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Itsuki, I would rather much be on your father's side than being against him. I can still be your tutor as long as I have his trust, and if this is the only way I can keep it that way, then I have no reason to lie. Fulfilling the promise I made to you and Yotsuba, as well as helping my family, is more important than keeping a secret that would be inevitably revealed in the end. Trying to hide what I feel for you isn't worth it for me."

The girl could only look at him in shock after hearing his words. The promise he made earlier to both her and Yotsuba was just as important to him as helping his family? He's not just saying that because he was her tutor and that he had to help her? She never would have thought that that was how Fuutarou truly felt; Itsuki thought that she already knew so much about him, but it turns out that she still had a lot more to learn.

Still, she didn't quite get his actions. Why? Why was it not worth it? Her father would surely get rid of him now that he knows of Fuutarou's feelings because as his daughter, Itsuki knew how protective Maruo can be. Being her tutor was nothing paled in comparison to that and Itsuki was confused by it, even if it was a lose-lose situation for them.

"Why…? Why is it not worth it…?"

Why would he choose to take the risk, if all that it means is for him to continue being her tutor? Because of the promise he made? How can that compare to the chance that they may never see each other again because her father would likely make him stay away from her and her sisters?

Like what happened a while ago, Fuutarou momentarily ignored Maruo's presence for now, not that it would matter anyway. The cat's out of the bag, so it wouldn't make a difference even if he gets nervous from Itsuki's father being with them.

He had nothing to lose at this point!

"You want to know why? Because you changed me, Itsuki," he admitted, causing the girl to blink in surprise. "You already know about this, but before I met you that day, I was just a student who never cared about anything else except for studying and maintaining my grades. But that changed when I met you and became your tutor, Itsuki. Ever since that day, my life has been a lot more fun, and it's not because of my family."

At that very moment, Itsuki felt her chest fluttering in happiness, although she couldn't show it on the outside. She already knew about these things thanks to the time that they have spent with each other, but to think that she actually had this big of an impact on his life… it was overwhelming, to say the least.

"T-That's too much, don't you think…?" she breathed out, still feeling doubtful that Fuutarou thought of her in that way.

Fuutarou only smiled as he continued in his words. "You have no idea how much things have changed for me ever since you came, Itsuki. Because of you, I now know how good it feels that someone genuinely appreciates what I do in school, and it's not because of those rumors going around. Because of you, there's someone willing to eat with me during lunch and it's not because they think I'm pitiful. Then, I get to tutor a pair of girls because she needs me to help them. That's enough for me to say that you've been a big part of my life already."

Truth be told, it was also because of her that she turned into someone who only focused on studying and nothing more. Well, her and her sisters because he made that promise with all of them, but the point still stands. It's funny and almost ironic that Itsuki, one of the Renas that he met five years ago, ended up changing him again.

Meanwhile, Maruo remained quiet in his place and while he didn't look like it, he was actually listening closely to the boy's words. Slowly, Maruo found himself being reminded of his own experience in this situation because for some reason, this whole scenario felt familiar for him.

"It couldn't be…" the man thought, vividly seeing a younger version of himself and his wife in Fuutarou and Itsuki's places, before it disappeared with a blink of his eyes. A frown formed on his face afterwards, but he didn't say anything for now and chose to remain quiet instead.

Despite knowing that her father understood every single one of his words, Fuutarou continued on because his priority at the moment was the girl standing before him. "Lately, I've been honestly enjoying our tutoring sessions and I'm doing my best to make sure you feel the same. That promise I made wasn't a joke that I came up with in the heat of the moment, because I meant every word I said. Just by being your tutor, you've already made my whole life turn around, Itsuki."

That got the girl to widen her eyes even more, and Fuutarou could have sworn that she was starting to tear up from everything she was hearing. It became more apparent when her lips began trembling, showing that her inner dam was about to break even though her father was right there with them.

"That's why it's worth it, Itsuki. It doesn't matter that your father now knows that I actually like you, because being your tutor is more important to me," he took a short glance at Maruo, before turning back towards the girl and made a bold move by wiping away the building tears in her eyes with his thumb, making her gasp. "I know it's only until we graduate from high school, so until then… can you allow me to continue teaching you?"

Is he turning into some kind of chad without even being aware of it?

And just like that, Itsuki was reminded of how she developed feelings for Fuutarou Uesugi in the first place. It's not because he was smart and had consistent high grades, but because he was someone whom she could trust and feel safe with. She could feel her chest tighten because of her beating heart, accompanied by her face heating up due to his action just now.

While Itsuki was at a loss for words for the moment, which Fuutarou didn't mind one bit, the young man finally turned his full attention back towards Maruo, who seemingly remained stoic up until now.

"Please don't misunderstand, Father. I do like Itsuki, but believe me when I say that I have no intention of asking her out or anything like that because I am solely focused on helping your daughter with her studies, and the same goes for Yotsuba. I will not let something as trivial as romance get in the way of my teaching. Their grades are my priority as their tutor, and they will only be jeopardized if I do such a thing to Itsuki."

Maruo stared at him for a few moments, staying quiet for a bit as if he was trying to take in everything that the boy said. However, it was clear that he already understood Fuutarou's main point, especially with the next words that came out of his mouth.

"Those are some bold claims, Uesugi-kun. Why should I trust you, knowing that you have your eyes on my daughter? As a parent, I should be cutting this conversation short and simply tell you to stay away from any of my daughters for good."

Itsuki gasped at hearing those words and was quickly sent into panic from the possibility of being unable to see her tutor again. It immediately stopped her from her speechless state and forced her to speak up before it's too late. No, she didn't want to be away from Fuutarou at all! She had to act quickly if she was going to change her father's mind!

"Father, please hear—"

Fuutarou quickly raised his hand to stop the girl from speaking, while keeping his gaze directed towards the older man to show his conviction in his own words.

"Itsuki, let me handle this."

The girl gave him an incredulous look, almost as if she was asking him if he was crazy or something. It was properly justified as well, because it's like Fuutarou was perfectly fine with signing his own death sentence. He was clearly out of his mind! What the hell is he thinking?! While she trusted Fuutarou in this, there's no changing her father's mind in times like this!

"But—"

"Trust me. I got this," Fuutarou cut her off again, this time turning his head slightly to glance at her. He then gave Itsuki a reassuring smile, one that caused her to freeze in her place, before he quickly faced Maruo again and left things like that between them.

If this had taken place a week ago, Fuutarou would never do something like this but after everything that's happened, there's no way he can let this go on. It's not just because Itsuki was his soulmate, he also didn't want to be away from her either. After how she and her sisters caused his life to turn around, he didn't want them gone from his life…

In fact, he didn't want to be away from any of them at all.

Well, that could've gone better. He really just straight-up told Maruo that he likes Itsuki... dunno if he's crazy or just a chad. Either way, it looks like he has a lot to answer for with this revelation, and Maruo's reaction should be interesting. Can we all just appreciate how Fuutarou went from awkward guy struggling in social interactions to a someone who's willing to face his soulmates' father? His luck has struck time and time again! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Let's hope that his luck doesn't run out, then! He's gonna need it to face Maruo, of all people. Again, this is gonna be the last of the daily updates until I return. I'll see ya in the next one!

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

-Lance