It was a new day in the Uesugi household, the day was as quiet as could be, with the sun shining down on it. Since it was the middle of October, though, it was quite cold. Fuutarou was snuggled in his futon, finally getting his much deserved rest. He would open his eyes for the first time in hours to see his alarm clock. He looked at it for a bit, realizing that it was probably the weekend, and with that, he went back to sleep...Wait, no.

Fuutarou:"Wait a minute!"

The boy exploded out of his futon and grabbed his alarm clock feverishly. It was Monday. Fuutarou was sleeping in on a school day.

Fuutarou:[Ah, crap. I knew I was tired from yesterday's festival, but to sleep in like this!? I could have sworn I put the alarm! Shiiiiit, my perfect attendance!]

In a complete panic, Fuutarou rushed to his closet, but soon he heard a voice outside.

Raiha:"Dad! Brother's awake!"

Fuutarou:[Raiha? Come to think of it, why didn't they wake me up?]

As soon as Fuutarou threw on his shirt, he bolted for the door. But, once he opened it, he felt a large pressure on his stomach, causing him to fall down. He looked down to see Isanari had tackled him.

Fuutarou:"What the hell, pops?"

Isanari:"You're not going anywhere! Raiha's orders!"

Fuutarou:"Don't give me that!"

Fuutarou did his best to crawl towards the door.

Isanari:"Don't make me supplex you, boy!"

Fuutarou:"Why are you so hellbent on stopping me!?"

Then, Raiha got in front of him.

Fuutarou:"Raiha! What's the meaning of this?"

Raiha:"You're taking the day off, and that's final!"

Fuutarou:"Huh!? But I-"

Raiha:"No buts! Yotsuba called me to say that they were all staying home as well. Their dad let them take it off to unwind. He said that because there's no principal, he can also make it so your attendance won't be affected."

Fuutarou:"Huh!? All five of them are staying too…?"

Raiha:"Yep! So be a good big brother and rest!"

Raiha then signaled for Isanari to get ready. Fuutarou was put in a lock, set for a supplex.

Raiha:"Or else."

Fuutarou:"...If I wasn't so proud of you, I'd get so mad!"

Raiha:"Just take the day off, okay? I'll be leaving for school soon, so I don't want you to worry me. You kept going on about passing out in the middle of the day. I don't want that!"

Fuutarou:"Raiha...Let me go, pops."

Isanari:"You won't run away?"

Fuutarou:"No...Besides, you're killing my back."

Fuutarou was then let go.

Fuutarou:"...Gah, I know it's good for them to take the day off, but...Ichika needs to study for the finals quickly, Nino's career path is extremely hard and Yotsuba is still new to acting...Maybe I should text them some homework-"

Raiha:"Brother!"

Fuutarou:"Geh! Fine! They probably wouldn't focus anyway...Kind of awkward with how we promised to meet each other...But she needs her rest."

Fuutarou sat himself down in a comfortable position.

Fuutarou:"Fine, I'll...I'll take a day...I'll take a day *cough* *cough* I feel like I'll spit out blood."

Isanari:"How is it that hard for you?"

Fuutarou:"I'll *wheeze* I'll take a day off!"

Fuutarou was panting, this had clearly taken a lot out of him.

Raiha:"Brother's weird."

Isanari, who was leaning against the wall, heard a knock downstairs, signaling for someone to come out.

Isanari:"Huh, wonder who it is."

Isanari opened the door and looked down the balcony. Immediately after, he rushed back inside and closed the door.

Isanari:"Fuutarou! Run!"

Fuutarou:"Why?"

Isanari:"It's the exterminator!"

Fuutarou:"The what?"

Now, the knock was right outside, on the door Isanari was leaning against.

Isanari:"Eek!"

A deep voice could be heard on the other side.

Maruo:"Is Uesugi Fuutarou home? I would like to speak with him."

Fuutarou:"It's the exterminator!"

…

Maruo and Fuutarou were both inside a limousine in complete silence. Fuutarou had not been told where they would go. It was at this moment he tried to prepare a will to let his family get his tutoring money as a final goodbye.

Maruo:"We're here. You can stop."

Fuutarou:"Wait, I haven't finished my wi-"

Fuutarou then noticed where they were. They were next to a grassy slope leading into a river.

Fuutarou:"You gonna dump my body here?"

Maruo:"Just what is your opinion of me? Just sit down."

Fuutarou:"Uh, sure."

The two got out of the limo. Once it left their sight, Maruo walked towards the slope, with Fuutarou following suit. They both eventually sat down.

Maruo:"This is where Rena forced Uesugi and I to stop fighting."

Fuutarou:"Eh? You fought my dad?"

Maruo:"On occasion. He would usually win, I only beat him once with the help of Rena, but even then, she did most of the work."

Fuutarou:[That's one piece of information I didn't know about their mom.]

Maruo:"...I will simply ask. You know what you've done, correct?"

Fuutarou:"Yeah, I knew that this talk needed to happen the moment I made my choice. Couldn't help me from running yesterday, though."

Maruo:"Hm. Our conversation was interrupted, but that doesn't mean I forgot about it. Especially when I saw Miku-kun hugging you."

Fuutarou blushed a little.

Maruo:"You didn't forget my words, correct?"

Fuutarou:"Yeah, I was supposed to not get too close to them. Sorry, but I decided that wasn't enough. Even outside of Miku, I vowed to help them achieve their dreams. And if that means going against you, so be it."

Maruo:"I see, so you were prepared, I can respect that. In any case, you're fired."

Fuutarou:"H-Huh!?"

Maruo:"You'll be compensated for your time up to now. But your time as their official tutor is over."

Fuutarou:"Ah, I guess there were consequences…"

Maruo:"Now that that's out of the way, I would like to ask for you to help tutor my daughters as their friend."

Fuutarou:"Excuse me?"

Maruo:"It's clear you have failed as a tutor, going so far as to start going out with one of them. But it's far more forgivable if you were a friend. Their personalities are certainly expensive, however, so I will compensate you. Let's say, the same rate as before sounds good."

Fuutarou:"I see." [Could have opened with that, you know? Gave me a damn heart attack!] "Roundabout way, but I accept."

Maruo sighed.

Maruo:"I hate you."

Fuutarou:"Yeah, you've made that well known."

Maruo:"But it doesn't change the fact that you've changed their lives. It was made all the more clear yesterday, when I was eating with them. I could never imagine how much they could change in such a short amount of time."

Fuutarou:"They already had that potential inside of them. All I did was encourage them to take that step forward. I certainly didn't do much."

Maruo:"You're an anomaly for sure...I was a failure of a father. I shouldn't have the right."

Fuutarou:"You really think running away is the answer?"

Maruo:"Let me finish. I know that I have no right, but I want to atone myself. So much of my life has been drowned with sorrow of Rena's passing and revenge for her. But now, all of that is over. Rena died, there's no getting around that, and the man behind her sorrow will now be punished. If this had happened merely a year ago, I would believe my life had ended."

Maruo looked at Fuutarou once more.

Maruo:"But I want to keep living for my daughters."

Fuutarou smiled.

Fuutarou:"Good to see. All of you have suffered a lot...But I believe that hole in your hearts can be filled. I never really understood what my reason for existing was, and I never will. Rather, it's about finding your own purpose in life. If the world says that you're fated to continue suffering, then that world can burn in hell! I don't care what anyone says about me, because my path is the one I've chosen!"

Maruo:"...So that's how you see it...You sure remind me of your father."

Fuutarou:"Uh, in a good or bad way?"

Maruo:"Who knows...You know this talk isn't over yet."

Fuutarou:"Huh?"

Maruo:"I acknowledge you as their friend. But dating one of them is certainly crossing the line. I won't ask you to stop seeing Miku-kun, rather, I want to see your resolve."

Fuutarou:"My resolve?"

Maruo:"I've been called childish multiple times for my hatred, and I can't deny that. Not to mention that nothing I say at this point won't invite a comeback, I will willingly become as childish as possible."

Maruo got up and clenched his fist.

Maruo:"Fight me, Uesugi Fuutarou."

End of Chapter 124