This story is my way of saying thank you for all the support everyone has shown both me and my QQ fics! This is dedicated to my first 100 followers for my story Return By Failure, it has been a pleasure bringing you the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it!
The winner of the poll was Itsuki so she will be our Mrs. Uesugi! That being said, if this turns out getting a great reception and I get a ton of requests to make a similar scenario for the other sisters then we might be visiting parallel universes in the future. However it would only be reserved for other milestones if that is the case. For now though, this will be a oneshot. I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Quintessential Quintuplets, they are owned by Negi Haruba, please support the official manga and the anime
Fuutarou Uesugi had no need for a morning alarm clock. Without fail, he would wake up every morning at the necessary time, get dressed, have breakfast, and then head off to work. Sure he may not have been anywhere near as strapped for cash as he used to be back during his adolescence, but his frugal ways were so implanted into his personality that he couldn't help but take advantage of a situation to save some yen.
*GURGLE*
Yep, with something as automatic as his wife's stomach loudly asking for a morning meal, an alarm clock would just be a waste of hard-earned money. As for why he could clearly hear this sound every morning without fail, let's just say Itsuki Uesugi was a cuddler.
After the black-haired man unbuckled his wife's arms from around his chest, he went straight to the bathroom. This absence of a body to cling to was Itsuki's alarm as she groggily rolled out of bed. Grabbing her glasses from the nightstand, she shuffled her feet into the bathroom to see her husband brushing his teeth. Then in a flash, she had successfully reattached her arms around the man.
"Good morning darling," she purred as she nuzzled her head against his back. Fuutarou just made an amused look into the mirror and finished brushing.
"Good morning dear, have a rough night? You seem to still be tired," he finally responded after rinsing out his mouth. He again unlocked her arms, but this time instead of casting them away, he kept them in his hands as he turned around to look her in the face.
"Just had a couple things on my mind regarding my students," she said while again ensnaring her husband in a hug. "Today I'm handing back their tests so we can review, and let's just say most of them better pay attention if they don't want to score poorly on the upcoming midterm exam."
"Hey don't be too critical of them, remember that you were in their position 13 years ago," Fuutarou said with a playful smirk, causing his wife to pout before she developed a smirk of her own.
"Ah, what happened to my ruthless tutor? Have you gotten soft over the years?" she teased, causing her husband's face to redden.
"Is that what you think of me? Fine then, I may have gotten a little soft, but so have you!" Fuutarou retorted before darting his hands towards Itsuki's stomach and tickling the poor woman. However, the redhead wasn't going to lose this battle as she purposely fell backwards into their bedroom, taking her husband down with her. Now that she was momentarily freed from his tickling assault, she quickly grabbed the foot of the disoriented man, causing him to tense up.
"No, please! You win! You win!" pleaded Fuutarou as she held his foot hostage. She gave a devilish grin as she sat up while still holding onto his foot. She hadn't discovered her husband's ultimate weakness until one fateful night during her first pregnancy when she was laying her head on his lap while both were enjoying a movie on the couch. She grabbed aimlessly at the ground for the remote to turn up the volume only to grab Fuutarou's foot, which caused an involuntary giggle from the man's mouth. During his whole life he had no idea that his feet were that ticklish, but from that moment on, Itsuki would never let him forget.
"You're lucky today is a weekday and not the weekend, otherwise I wouldn't be showing you mercy," the redhead taunted with a wide, playful grin. She then gave the bottom of his foot a little pinch before letting it go.
Before Fuutarou could call 'foul' on her, the couple heard a loud bang, followed by the voice of a young girl calling out for her mom in an exasperated tone. Reflexively, both adults gathered themselves and stood up. As they both left the room, the black-haired man whispered into his wife's ear.
"Are you sure you still want to have more kids?" he asked sarcastically, causing Itsuki to let out a small chuckle.
The couple cautiously entered the living room and were relieved to find out that not only was nobody hurt, but also that nothing was broken. Though there was the matter regarding the giant mess that now coated the floor.
Being the responsible big sister she was, Rena Uesugi was quick to explain that the twins got into a fight over who got to use the bathroom first and accidentally knocked over one of the shelves. Despite both twins having names that mean "wisdom", it appears that asking four-year-olds to be wise is too big of a stretch.
Still, Itsuki knelt down and picked up both Michiko and Kenzo and brought them to the couch to scold them. Meanwhile, Fuutarou got to work picking up all of the fallen books and picture frames. Rena helped her father at first, but like many six-year-olds with short attention spans, she quickly abandoned the project when her favorite aunt came down the stairs having been awakened by all the commotion.
"Good morning Aunty Raiha!" cheered the eldest Uesugi child as she greeted the young woman at the base of the stairs. Still in her pajamas and half-asleep, Raiha just silently waved at the little girl with a big smile as she anticipated the incoming diving hug.
"Good morning Rena-chan! You didn't cause this mess did you?" she asked as she twirled the girl around before setting her back down. It had become a ritual of sorts for the duo, but one that would likely end in the not too distant future as Rena was starting to get too big for Raiha to easily swing around. Fuutarou jokingly suggested Raiha just work out to get stronger so she could continue the routine, but all Raiha had to do was remind him that he would have to pay for the gym membership and home equipment necessary since she was still a broke college student living rent-free in their house, and that shut him up.
"No it wasn't me, the twins were fighting again. Kenzo was being a dummy, everyone knows ladies go first, even to the bathroom," Rena replied, getting a sigh from her father. Fuutarou turned his gaze over to the only other boy in the house and gave him an understanding and sympathetic look.
"If Itsuki and I have another child, I really hope it's a boy. Kenzo really needs another male to hang out with at home since work usually limits the time I'm actually available. Otherwise I fear he'll probably look for male camaraderie with his classmates, leaving me all alone to fend for myself against these girls," thought Fuutarou as he finished picking up the remaining fallen objects. He truly loved all of his kids equally, but he felt a special connection with his son considering that for a time, between his sister and the Quintuplets as well as his firstborn daughter, he was starting to think he was destined to be the only male in his family outside of his father and his father-in-law.
Itsuki finished her lecture by raising her hands to pat each of the twins' heads lovingly before standing up from the crouching position she had previously taken. It was perfectly timed as soon as she stood up straight, her stomach rumbled again and rather loudly this time. She blushed a bit in embarrassment from how audible it was and made her way to the kitchen only to realize Raiha had already beaten her there and was already beginning to make breakfast.
"Raiha, that's really sweet but don't you have an 8am class on Fridays?" the red-headed woman asked as she tried to intervene and take over for her sister-in-law. However, Raiha confiscated the spatula Itsuki just picked up and gave her a smile.
"The professor is sick so class was cancelled. I don't have another class today until 1pm," she said as she turned on the stove.
Itsuki just bowed in appreciation and headed to the dining room counter that was attached to the kitchen and took a seat. She already had her work bag leaning against it on the floor so she grabbed some of the tests she was going to give back today and rechecked what most students got wrong so she could focus on what to go over in class first. Meanwhile, Fuutarou returned to his room so he could get dressed for work like he originally intended to do before Itsuki and the kids distracted him.
The three Uesugi children all sat down at the dining room table and silently waited for breakfast, each one passing time in their own way.
Rena took out her homework and reviewed it to make sure she had gotten every question correct. Itsuki couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic when she peeked over and saw those determined yellow eyes that she had gotten from her father scanning the paper for mistakes. While she was a bit of a scatterbrain, seeing that she inherited her grandmother's name and her mother's long fiery red hair and ahoge, she had already proclaimed she was going to be a teacher when she grew up. Fuutarou found this both cute and fitting given the circumstances, but Itsuki was a little more hesitant, having been in her daughter's position and knowing the hardships of trying to emulate a parent. Still she fully supported her and would always support her so long as that goal was what she truly wanted to do and not something she felt obligated to do.
Michiko, the elder of the twins, had brought a coloring book to the table and was working rather intently on coloring within the lines and making sure the shading from her crayons looked as smooth as possible. The black-haired girl was already extremely interested in art and had already started tracing some of her favorite pictures from her coloring books in hopes of being able to one day draw them on her own. She surprised her parents by how serious she was about this four months ago when she asked for her hair to be cut so she wouldn't have to worry about it getting in her eyes. Granted, her exact words were "can you cut all of it?" but it was still a really proud moment for the couple to see their daughter so passionate about something at such a young age.
Kenzo, the younger of the twins, arrived at the table a little bit after his sisters as he was trying to decide which picture book to read before picking one at random. Unlike his older siblings, Kenzo was a bit more active and rambunctious which further caused him to clash with his much more introverted sisters. While the black-haired boy preferred playing games and doing physical activities, he also loved books that took place in fantasy settings. The book he was looking at right now was one set in a world where magic existed, animals could talk, and races such as elves, ogres, goblins, dwarfs, and orcs lived in harmony with humans. It was part of a popular book series about some isekai protagonist, though this subset of books, which was a birthday gift from his Aunt Ichika, was specifically aimed at younger kids since the original series had much more adult themes.
Raiha had breakfast ready just in time for Fuutarou to return in his usual business suit. While some people might claim he settled far below what he could have achieved such as being a doctor or a lawyer, the black-haired man was perfectly happy with his decision to be a financial consultant, as it combined his passion for helping those in need, studying, and planning into one job where the pay was still good and he had a little more flexibility with his work hours so he could spend more time with his family. One look at his father-in-law told Fuutaro all he needed to know about the struggles of trying to be an active parent while also being a highly rated doctor and he did not want that type of life. This job also had the added benefit of allowing both him and his wife to stay close with Miku and Nino since the Nakano Diner was one of his first clients.
"Where do you think you're going?," called Raiha as she caught Fuutarou trying to leave without eating breakfast. Acknowledging he had been caught, he stopped in his tracks and turned back towards his sister while pointing at his wristwatch.
While Raiha obviously couldn't read the time on the watch from how far away she was currently standing, she knew her brother well enough to know he was trying to convey that he was running late after having to clean up the twins' mess earlier. She sighed and told him to wait just a minute while she got some food together so he could take it with him.
Itsuki walked over to her husband and gave him a quick goodbye kiss on the lips. When their lips parted, Fuutarou noticed she was holding back her urge to laugh, prompting him to roll his eyes as he asked what was on her mind that was so amusing.
"Oh, I'm just thinking about whenever Raiha has her own family. Considering how much of a mom she acts like towards you and father, I'm wondering if her husband will be just as whipped," Itsuki said with a teasing grin that she then buried into his chest to suppress her oncoming laughter.
Fuutarou wanted to deny what his wife said, but he knew there was no point since she was likely right. He personally blamed his father for being unable to properly take care of them, forcing Raiha to grow up a lot faster and take on more responsibilities. In hindsight, he guessed he'd could have helped out more at home to lessen her workload but his obsession with being the top student had really blinded him during those years as not doing those chores meant more time to study. At the very least it was super fortunate that Raiha was a genuinely compassionate person so whoever did end up becoming her husband would always know she would always have his best interests and wouldn't be manipulative. Guess Pops did do something right.
Itsuki retracted herself from Fuutarou as Raiha arrived with a plastic container filled with the omurice she had made as well as the necessary utensils. He thanked his sister even though he was a little disappointed that he would probably have to throw this perfectly good container away when he was done eating since there was no realistic way he would hold onto this through the entire day. Thankfully it was at least one of those containers you get when you order takeout and not their actual tupperware so it lessened the blow.
Waving goodbye to both the ladies and then his kids, Fuutarou finally walked through the door and began jogging to his train. He would have to wait until he was riding it to his office for him to eat.
Itsuki returned to her seat at the counter but then noticed the time. It was now her turn to be running a little behind. She took one inhumanly large scoop of her breakfast and shoved it in her mouth before running to the bedroom to get changed. Raiha couldn't help but bring her hand up to her face and cover her mouth to stifle her chuckling. Even after all these years, Itsuki's appetite still amused and amazed the young woman. What was even more amusing is how little it fazed the children as it was nothing out of the ordinary for them.
Seeing that Itsuki's second serving was mostly untouched, minus the big hole that was left behind just a minute ago, Raiha made a to-go container for her sister-in-law and even topped it off with a little extra rice.
Now in her usual conservative business attire, Itsuki walked back into the kitchen to see her food gift-wrapped and ready to go. She quickly sprinted around the counter to give Raiha a huge hug before gathering all of the tests she had taken out along with her food. She gave each of her kids a big hug all while holding the food container and then went out the garage door as she got in her car and drove off to Asahiyama High School.
Running late was a relative term for Itsuki as she arrived at the school 45 minutes before class started. She usually liked to be there a full hour early so that she could leisurely get everything set up for the day but she wasn't feeling the need to rush things too much today since all she had planned was the review.
Getting out of her car and walking into the school, she saw a few students already waiting around on campus. She didn't recognize them so they must have been first-year students. She was a homeroom teacher for some of the third-years and taught science to all of the second-years, which put her in a good position to help students with their big post-graduation decision. It was also the same roles her mother had when she was a teacher, although the subject her mom taught second-year's was Japanese instead of Science.
She entered the faculty office where she immediately beelined for the work desk in the far back corner. While it was a bit of a pain to have to walk so much more on a daily basis than any other teacher, the benefits of being near the wall and thus by an electrical outlet were too great for her to ever consider changing her setup. After all, it was super handy to be able to have a small mini fridge right under your workdesk!
While some of the more old-school teachers initially disliked and were jealous of this special exception, even a few calling out Principal Takeda for giving special privileges to the young attractive female teacher, the benefits became abundantly clear to the rest of the teachers extremely fast when they noticed how much more empty space was available in the teacher's lounge refrigerator now that Itsuki's several food containers were no longer there. In the end, everyone agreed this arrangement actually benefited everyone.
Itsuki had worried that when Principal Takeda retired at the end of last school year that she might lose this privilege when the new principal was instated. Though that fear went away quickly…
"Good morning Nakano!" came the voice of her new boss as she slammed her hand down on the desk in perfect sync with her words. A little over a semester in and Itsuki was still having a hard time believing that her old cram school teacher Shimoda was once again in charge of her. Talk about a small world.
"Good morning Shimoda-san, and it's Uesugi now," answered the redhead. She had lost count of how many times she has had to correct her on that. Itsuki was starting to wonder if this was being done on purpose to tease her. Shimoda always did have a 'unique' sense of humor.
"Oh yeah, don't forget to mention to your students about thoroughly rinsing those test beakers before putting them away, remember we have to give them back to the University at the end of the month," the principal reminded Itsuki, causing her to facepalm to hide her noticeable embarrassment.
There was an accident at the start of this semester when Itsuki's shirt got caught on one of the cabinet doors when she turned around too quickly to break up a fight that sprung up in her classroom. As a result, quite a few things flew off some shelves, including the majority of the schools testing beakers. While Itsuki profusely apologized and offered to pay for new ones, Shimoda just waved it off as no big deal since the school was already in the process of getting newer equipment anyway. She was good friends with a university professor who had a spare set they wouldn't be using this semester so she loaned them until their new ones came at the end of this month. That being said, Shimoda was still going to tease the redhead about it whenever possible.
Itsuki noted it down as the principal walked off. They wouldn't be using the equipment again until the middle of next week so there was no point in telling the students today. That being said, she'd use her free period today to make sure they were properly cleaned.
She started to open the to-go container Raiha made for her, but then realized she had much less time than she realized. She took a few bites and put the rest in the mini fridge as she grabbed her things and went straight to her homeroom classroom.
After unlocking the classroom, Itsuki placed her bag on her desk and took out all the tests she had previously graded and began separating them by class. She was usually a lot more organized than this, but after several interruptions while trying to record the most frequently missed questions, she had gotten more haphazard when putting them away. It didn't take her too long though as she completed her task just as the first few students started entering the class.
As she brushed some hair out of her face, she realized she had some rice on her cheek from when she was hurriedly eating just about 10 minutes ago. Making sure not to smear any makeup, she quickly and stealthily began to wipe her mouth while using her cellphone as a mirror. Thankfully it was only a few grains so it was easily dealt with in time as none of the students who had already entered seemed to have noticed.
It wouldn't have been the first time if her students did catch her with food on her face. It happened way more often than she'd ever like to admit during her first year teaching. Part of that was her getting used to the faster than expected pace of being a teacher, while some of it was also just carelessness about what she should and shouldn't bring to eat while on the job.
As the class began to fill up, she remembered that college entrance exams were only a few months away so she quickly printed off a sign-up sheet for tutoring sessions and hung it by the whiteboard at the front of the room. She always made sure to offer this service to her homeroom around this time of year and even accepted tutoring sessions for those not in her homeroom, though it was rare to get someone from out of her homeroom since the other third-year teachers soon followed her lead and offered the same service.
If she did get someone from outside of her homeroom, it was usually a student that grew close with her during the prior year and trusted her. There were a few instances where members of her infamous "fanclub" would sign up, but with the amount of rigorous prep she put them through, you can bet they didn't get the experience they wanted.
Another event that was quickly approaching was the culture festival, which would take place a month from now. She usually trusted her class representatives to handle everything so she rarely interfered and during the previous seven years they never once disappointed. This year's group was no different as they had decided quickly on a food stall that would serve takoyaki. Though she did have a bit of minor PTSD when a few students spoke up about wanting to serve pancakes instead. Thankfully this small issue was quickly resolved. Even so, the woman still needed to tell Nino and Miku about that freaky coincidence later.
As the bell rang, Itsuki walked up to her podium and cleared her voice before speaking.
"Gooooood Morning class!" she announced with all the energy she could muster, to which the class responded in kind. Something the woman learned really quickly while on the job was that if she wasn't enthusiastic to start the day, how could she expect the same from her students. Even though she didn't technically teach this group of kids, the principle was the same as she still wanted them to start the day with a little pep in their step.
As she started rattling off morning announcements, she paused when she saw a student was patiently raising their hand. It was known goofball Hiro Nakamura, so Itsuki braced herself as she called on him to speak up.
"Hey Sensei, you still have some rice right here," the boy said while using his other hand to point to the corner of his mouth. This caused Itsuki to immediately flinch and pull out her phone to double check. When she realized that nothing was there, it was too late as the boy started laughing while the rest of the class did their best to stifle their laughter at her reaction.
"Damnit, so someone did notice this morning before I got it. Of course it had to be him," she thought to herself before calming herself down. This sort of thing would have flustered her for the rest of the day back when she first started teaching, but now she was a veteran at handling this type of childish teasing.
"Thank you for your concern Nakamura-kun, though it appears you were just seeing things. I know you always sit at the back of your classes, maybe I should talk with Owari-sensei about moving your desk to the front row so you can see better. After all, their handwriting must be hard to see from all the way back there."
It was common knowledge by third-years that Owari-sensei almost always called on students in the front row when posing questions so if you were unfortunate enough to be seated there you better have a good grasp on the material or else you'll constantly make a fool of yourself in front of the rest of the class.
The young man scratched the back of his head while frantically waving his other hand to indicate that the teacher had won this exchange. She gave a smug look as she noticed the class was practically in awe with how quickly she turned the situation in her favor.
Before long she finished her announcements, which included announcing that signups for entrance exam tutoring sessions were now open, and then handed control over to the class reps for the rest of the period. They mostly went over how to divide everyone's tasks for the takoyaki stand along with a few other minor things. Itsuki used this time to finalize her approach for the test review.
The bell rang again as the young teacher got up from her desk and headed towards her first second-year classroom for the day. Good thing she decided not to wear heels today as she would be walking a lot over the next few hours.
Reviewing the test seemed to go over well with the students as Itsuki was happily surprised with how attentive the class was being. While some teachers put the responsibility of learning from one's mistakes squarely on the students, Itsuki believed the opposite. She felt that even after the test was over that she still had a duty to reteach the material most commonly missed by her students. After all, if a great number of kids couldn't get the correct answer on a question, then she must not have done a sufficient enough job teaching it the first time and thus sought to correct her mistake.
Other than having a very receptive audience during each class, not much stood out from the ordinary for Itsuki. Well other than a few male students asking her after class if they could do some "extra credit" to help their scores. There was a time when the young teacher was naive to this blatant flirting from her students. Though after eight years of this, let's just say Itsuki borrowed a few pages from her husband's book on how to handle flirtatious students.
"Oh absolutely, give me a three page essay on any famous 20th century science experiment and I'll give you up to five points based on how well you explain the significance of the experiment and how it was done," the redheaded teacher said with an amused smirk, usually getting great joy when the young degenerates became crestfallen at how badly they messed up.
While she did have fun messing with her students, she did genuinely want every single one to succeed and would help them as much as was necessary. There was once a kid a few years back who had honestly made Itsuki's life a constant headache, even a few times writing inappropriately suggestive answers on assignments such as writing "Sensei's ass" as an example for something that had a gravitational pull.
While she did reprimand him for these events, when it came time for the final exams she still helped him. Itsuki had found the boy studying science by himself in the library and noticed he was getting visibly frustrated. When she went over and asked if he wanted her help, he explained that he never asked because he didn't feel he deserved it after how he treated her. To the boy's surprise, Itsuki pulled up a chair and they ended up spending the next hour and a half going over all of the sections that were giving him trouble, with the only condition being that the boy had to be 100% serious the whole time, which he agreed to. The end result was an impressive 85 on the final exam. He went on to place in the top 10 academically for his class during his third year and became one of those few third-years that sought her help for college entrance exams even though he had a different homeroom.
Itsuki didn't have a story anywhere near as good as that to tell from this school day, but she did get some exciting news when she read her texts during lunch. It appears that her husband had made reservations at one of the best sushi restaurants in town for just the two of them. Fuutarou rarely ever went to high class restaurants due to their price and the fact that he didn't get nearly as much out of eating fancy food as she did, so the implications were loud and clear for the redhead. She and husband were going to have a throwback date night.
Just because her husband was willingly spending money tonight didn't mean she should go overboard. So to help curb her appetite and help lessen the damage that would be done to Fuutarou's wallet later tonight, Itsuki decided to have a nice afternoon snack before heading home to get changed. Since it was in-between lunch and dinner, she easily found a parking spot and walked towards her destination. It was the same place she visited every Friday afternoon, though the reason for this habit had less to do with her and had more to do with the people she was visiting needing prior notice so they weren't caught short-staffed and thus causing a delay in other customer orders.
As Itsuki walked through the entrance and set off the door chime, she was greeted by two redheads who looked nearly identical to her. Though closer inspection could easily tell them apart as years of independence had made each woman adapt their own unique style. Still, they would always be sisters and nothing would change that.
"You look happy, I'm guessing you had a good week at school?" asked Miku as she immediately got her sister something to drink as the youngest sister sat down at the bar where her two older sisters were currently standing. Nino was currently drying some glasses and putting them away while Miku handed Itsuki her tea before heading off to another table to deliver their order.
Itsuki took a long sip and savored the flavor as she waited for Miku to return since she was the one who had asked the question. When the third sister returned, Itsuki could no longer hold her giddiness inside.
"School was fine, but I'm more excited about tonight, Fuutarou is taking me to that sushi place downtown."
Nino nearly lost her grip on the glass she was cleaning as she had to take a second to wrap her mind around what was just said. Miku was also trying to comprehend this seemingly esoteric gesture.
"Mr. Tightwad is taking you to that place? Do you think..." asked Nino before a blushing Itsuki cut her sister off to confirm.
"Yeah, he's definitely trying to set the mood. He did ask me last night if we planned on having any more kids," Itsuki hinted at causing Miku's brain to short circuit. Meanwhile, Nino just put her hands on her hips and gave a sarcastic chuckle as she rolled her eyes.
"Well it's about damn time, you had the twins nearly five years ago. I know you've had your hands full recently with having Raiha live with you guys, but what happened to you bragging about how you were going to have five kids. I wasn't the best at math during school but I'm pretty sure you only have three."
Nino's sarcastic rant caused Itsuki to develop a wistful look on her face. It's true that during her first pregnancy she told her sisters she planned on having five kids, but life started getting busy pretty quickly. After the news came that they were unexpectedly going to have twins, the couple agreed it would be best to hold off a bit before trying for the next one since they were ahead of schedule now. Yet both of them had become content with their life while waiting and there was a feeling that maybe their family was big enough. That's what made Itsuki so estatic when Fuutarou brought the topic back up last night.
"Well I'm a lot more mature now so the exact number of kids doesn't matter as much anymore. We will continue to try and have kids until we are fully satisfied," Itsuki proudly replied. Both sisters turned to her and smiled until Miku started cracking up, prompting the other two sisters to ask what she found funny.
"Since you said the exact number doesn't matter, I was just imagining how ironic it would be if you ended up getting pregnant with quintuplets," Miku meekly replied, feeling a tad ashamed for ruining this moment. However the moment was gone for good when Nino started laughing hysterically about the possibility.
Itsuki just sat there trying to imagine the scenario but she couldn't wrap her mind around it at that exact moment. Regardless, she knew how she felt.
"Doesn't matter, I will always love and take care of my children, whether it be three, four, or even eight."
This caused Nino to stop in her tracks and just gaze at how mature her younger sister had become. Even though she was the last of the Quintuplets to be born, she had always acted the most grown up among them while they were kids and even now she was showcasing her maturity in the face of sisterly teasing.
As Nino and Miku went back to serving the other customers, Itsuki took a look at the menu and noticed they had a separate menu for daily specials. This in itself wasn't odd, but was odd was the fact that soda was specifically listed on the Friday specials. Wondering why they would waste valuable space on the card, she brought it up when Miku returned.
"Oh, we finally got that soda fountain installed last weekend," explained the third sister even though that didn't really answer Itsuki's question for why it was listed as a daily special. That's when Nino came in to explain.
"You know how for the longest time the only sodas we were able to get stocked were the ones made locally? Well because we had to buy and supply them ourselves we had to charge for refills. However, we finally have a way to offer the big name brand sodas and we no longer have to charge for refills."
The logic behind Nino's statements made perfect sense, however Itsuki still had no idea why it was a daily special. When she brought this up, it was Miku who responded.
"Since it's a new addition, we decided to only offer it on a limited basis at first before eventually incorporating it into our regular menu. For the time being, you can only order from the soda fountain on Fridays," she stated very carefully and methodically as if she was reading off of an invisible script.
The teacher started sensing something fishy was going on so she looked at the drink section of the regular menu and then back to the specials menu. What she discovered triggered a disgusted sigh to involuntarily come from her mouth.
"You're charging 100 yen more for the soda fountain than the regular local sodas!?" Itsuki exclaimed, causing Nino to cover the youngest sister's mouth with her hand to silence her.
"I know it looks bad, but remember you get unlimited free refills," Miku tried to convince her sister. Itsuki wasn't having it as she ripped Nino's hand off her mouth and continued her rant in a more hushed tone so as not to disturb the peace.
"Isn't the profit margin already insanely higher for a soda fountain than buying regular soda cans? Free refills should be a courtesy, not an upcharge. I'm really disappointed in you two."
"Oh, you're disappointed in us?!" retorted Nino as her expression started growing more and more incredulous. "Well I hate to break it to you, but this was all your husband's idea."
This caused Itsuki to pause before face palming and slowly shaking her head. Her expression had softened greatly as a smile actually sprouted on her face.
"Of course it was," the teacher said with an amused chuckle. Miku quickly relaxed, happy that this confrontation was over, but Nino wasn't ready to let go just yet.
"Wow, I know it's your husband but that's one hell of a double standard you have there. You're disappointed in us, but you're fine with it if it's his idea?"
"Oh don't worry, I'll make sure to punish him for giving you that idea later," Itsuki replied with a suggestive smirk on her face. Both diner owners just shook their heads and went back to work.
Over the next hour, Itsuki ordered a few "snacks" and also chatted with her sisters when they were available. She finally made sure to tell them about how her homeroom was running a takoyaki stand and that a few students suggested they serve pancakes instead. While Nino gave an amused chuckle, Miku's entire body stiffened up as Nino had to shake her a few times to bring her back to reality.
Another 10 minutes passed before Itsuki realized she had a text from Raiha. Picking up her phone, she read the message and immediately froze, which caught the eyes of her sisters.
"Well so much for my date night with Fuutarou, just found out father came to visit the house unexpectedly and is staying for dinner," she said with a hint of disappointment at the fact she wouldn't be eating sushi tonight. That being said, it had been four months since she saw the man so she was excited to catch up with him.
Meanwhile both Nino and Miku let out audible gasps as their mouths hung wide open in utter disbelief. Itsuki looked at her two sisters in confusion before realizing the misunderstanding that was currently happening.
"No no no, I meant my father, not our father. Sorry about that," Itsuki apologized as she nervously scratched the back of her head. Her two older sisters finally relaxed at this revelation. The idea of Mauro Nakano dropping by one of their homes completely unannounced would have been so out of character for him it could have only meant there was a family emergency. This made a lot more sense now that they knew the perpetrator was Isanari Uesugi.
Itsuki thanked her sisters for the wonderful meal and called the sushi place to get their reservations moved to tomorrow. She also called Raiha and told her not to let Fuutarou know about his dad being here, to which her sister-in-law reassured her that she had said nothing to her brother. Getting into her car, she braced herself for what was going to be a completely different than planned but still equally interesting night.
Traffic downtown was just as congested as you would expect for a Friday night. Thankfully Itsuki did get pretty lucky with the traffic lights so she was just able to park outside her husband's office building just in time for him to walk through the front door.
The first thing she noticed was how exhausted the man looked. His hair was a bit disheveled and his tie had been loosened more than once. The second thing she noticed though gave her a chuckle as still in the man's hand was the to-go container he received this morning. Looks like despite complaining that he wouldn't be able to keep it through the whole day, it looks like he still found a way.
As Fuutarou entered the car, he leaned over and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek before buckling himself into his seat. He then went to work in a flash as his tie was tightened back up and his hair was as neatly styled as it was when he left that morning. It was so instantaneous that Itsuki momentarily thought she imagined his earlier appearance. That is until two familiar strands of hair escaped the comb over and stuck straight up. It seems Fuutarou didn't notice this so Itsuki decided not to bring it up.
"How was your day dear? Did the test review go well?" the man asked his wife as they began driving off.
"Yeah it went really well! They all seemed to appreciate it, though they might have also just been happy they didn't have to do any assignments right before the weekend," answered Itsuki before changing topics. "However, I'm more interested in how your day went today. How did it go on your first day working with Yotsuba?"
On cue, a long, drawn out sigh escaped her husband's lips. She expected this would happen. After retiring from a decorated career in track and field, Yotsuba was in the process of starting the second stage of her career as she planned to open her own flower shop next spring. It was only natural that she contacted Fuutarou to be her financial consultant on the project. There was some optimism that she would just stand back and let him handle everything but Itsuki knew that was just wishful thinking. When it came to plants, Yotsuba was not only passionate but also rather opinionated. Fuutarou claimed he could handle her, so Itsuki just kept her mouth shut and waited eagerly for the sparks to fly.
"I have no idea where to even begin, but it's probably best I don't get started on a giant rant right now. I'll tell you later this weekend," replied Fuutarou as he tried to find his inner peace.
"No please tell me all about it!" insisted Itsuki. "Traffic is pretty bad so we'll be here for awhile and besides I've been patiently waiting to hear all about how this would go and how you would try to handle her." Fuutarou turned to look at his wife and saw a huge smug grin on her face that was screaming 'I told you so'.
"I'll admit, I underestimated her assertiveness on certain matters, but sooner or later she'll have to realize she has to make compromises."
Itsuki snuck a quick glance at her husband when he finished that statement and felt overwhelming pride in her heart. The fact he mentioned "compromises" really hit home for her how much he has grown and matured not only as a consultant but as an adult. During his first few years on the job, it wouldn't have been uncommon for him to say "they'll eventually see it my way" or other similar phrases when disagreements popped up. As much as she loved their childish teasing of one another, the thing she loved most about Fuutarou was his willingness and ability to grow and mature alongside her. It was for this reason that any and all doubts of their marriage eventually faltering vanished from her mind as there was no doubt they would be with each other for the rest of their lives.
Fuutarou went over all the different conversations he had with Yotsuba from where she wanted her greenhouse and how big she wanted it, to how or where she would even get her inventory. More than a few laughs were shared between the two of them as they slowly but steadily made their way through traffic.
Around the time traffic had returned to normal, Fuutarou noticed something: they were going away from the city. In fact, they were heading in the direction of their house. Perplexed, he brought up his observation to his wife, who immediately tensed up before giving him an answer.
"Sorry I didn't tell you this darling, but I went ahead and moved the reservation to tomorrow night. I thought on it and figured you would probably have a rough first day consulting Yotsuba so we're just going to head home for tonight and relax," she informed him while lying through her teeth during the second part. It seemed to work as Fuutarou actually began to look relieved.
"Thank goodness you moved the reservation, that was the most important thing, after all" he said with a smirk, earning a playful slap on his arm from his wife. Itsuki then decided to make her counterattack.
"You know, even though we are skipping out on the fancy dinner, that doesn't mean we have to skip all of the fun activities tonight," she said in a rather sultry voice which immediately washed away all exhaustion from the black-haired man.
As they pulled into the garage, Itsuki began to realize she may have laid it on too thick because Fuutarou practically jumped out of the car and went towards the door already having taken off his tie.
"Wait Fuutarou!" Itsuki called for the man just as he opened the garage door. However it was too late.
"Hey welcome home! I see your wife must of told you I'd be here, seeing as how you look so excited to be back home."
"ITSUKI!"yelled Fuutarou. However, his wife had already stealthily snuck past him and had found refuge in the kitchen as she began helping Raiha make dinner.
Thus Fuutarou was all by himself in the living room with his father sitting on their couch and drinking a beer.
The Uesugi family assembled around the dining room table in preparation to eat together. The table was a long rectangle which comfortably seated three adults to a side. Both Fuutarou and Itsuki had agreed that no one would sit at the head of the table during dinner as adults would take up one side and children would sit on the other side. When Raiha moved in a few years ago she easily slid into the third spot on the adult side.
So now that there was a seventh person tonight, one person would undoubtedly have to sit at the head of the table. Against his better judgement, Fuutarou gave that spot to his father and instantly regretted it.
"I wish I would have brought my camera and camera stand with me, this would make such a great family photo. Heck it could even be the Uesugi family Christmas card," prattled Isanari once everyone had their food and began eating.
While they always ate dinner together when possible, conversation was always optional. If you wanted to talk about your day you could. If you didn't, then no problem. Fuutarou had come up with this policy to let the kids become more comfortable with expressing themselves on their own instead of being forced to do it like he had to when he was younger. If either parent sensed something was wrong they would confront that child after dinner and speak with them in private. If they didn't want to say something in front of everyone then they shouldn't have to.
Unfortunately Isanari believed the opposite, and now that he was seated at the head of the table he was going to use his position to find out how today went for his grandchildren.
"I got a 100 on my spelling test grandpa!" proudly proclaimed Rena, who, despite usually preferring to hang out by herself, never had a problem speaking her mind when asked.
"I'm proud of you kiddo, you definitely inherited your parents' brains," complimented Isanari as he moved onto Michiko. "How about you, what did you do today at daycare?"
Michiko, who also liked to keep to herself but wasn't as willing to talk when asked, just shook her head. This was what the kids were taught to do if it was something they didn't want to say aloud at the dinner table. Yet Isanari persisted.
"Come on Michiko, you seem troubled. Don't worry, we're here for you. We're your family, we'll support you no matter what. Just let it out and we'll deal with it together."
Fuutarou was about to get up from his seat and tell his dad to back off, but stopped when Itsuki put a hand on his shoulder. He then turned to see she also had a worried look on her face. This caused the man to take a closer look at his younger daughter. When he did, he saw what the other two adults saw: a little girl who desperately wanted to say something but was too afraid to let it out. Before Fuutarou could say anything, Michiko finally spoke.
"Kenzo got in trouble 'cause of me," the young girl finally revealed. As soon as she said that, Kenzo hung his head in shame. Fuutarou and Itsuki looked at each other trying to figure out how to proceed with this but again Isanari took charge.
"Is everything okay? Are either of you hurt?" asked the grandfather who had suddenly become very serious. When both shook their heads, he asked them to explain what happened. While Michiko stayed silent, Kenzo spoke up.
"This boy was picking on her. Putting his hand in front of her face so she couldn't see her coloring book, taking her markers from her," Kenzo explained. "So I..."
The young boy paused. He seemed ashamed of whatever he did. Itsuki finally couldn't take it anymore and ran around to the other side of the table and hugged both twins and patted their heads. Seeing Rena start to tear up in fear of what Kenzo might have done to protect his sister, Raiha also circled around the table and comforted her. Fuutarou, who was now standing, could only follow everyone's lead and ask the boy to tell them what he did.
"I...I... pushed him and he fell over and the adults saw it."
Suddenly uproarious laughter could be heard from the head of the table.
"POPS/DAD!" shouted Fuutarou and Raiha respectively in unison. Both were shooting daggers at the man with their eyes.
"Oh come on, that's it? That's all he did? Everyone had me scared that he sent a kid to the hospital or broke some antique or something else along those lines," he answered after finally getting his laughter under control. "He stood up for his sister and got busted, this isn't a big deal."
"You're ultimately right father, it wasn't like Kenzo did anything bad but he shouldn't resort to physical violence," countered Itsuki who was nearly suffocating the twins at this point with her deathgrip hug before finally letting go and turning to her son. "I'm proud of you for sticking up for your sister, but you went about it the wrong way. Promise me that if something like this ever happens again you'll tell the caretaker about it and they'll take care of them, okay?" The boy nodded as Itsuki then kissed him on the forehead.
Meanwhile, Fuutarou finally made his way over to the other side of the table and kneeled down right next to Michiko.
"Did you speak up and tell this bully to stop messing with you?" Fuutarou asked his daughter, who just shook her head. This caused the man to exhale before headpatting the girl. "I know you don't always feel comfortable talking to others, but if someone is bothering you then you should tell them to stop. It might not always work but if you don't tell them then they won't know they are bothering you." He then embraced the little girl as she promised she'd try to stick up for herself more.
As everyone settled down and returned to their seats, all Isanari could do was smile.
"Fuutarou, Itsuki, I'm proud of you two. You guys are well on your way to being much better parents than either I or Maruo ever were," he thought to himself as he resumed eating.
The family was in much higher spirits for the rest of the night.
They continued chatting even when everyone was done eating as they discussed a wide range of topics.
Raiha talked about some projects she was doing and how she already had an internship set up for once this school year ended. Since she was studying to be a Botanist, she really appreciated all the help Itsuki was able to give her since she was a science teacher. She was also super excited to hear Yotsuba was in the process of opening a floral shop and asked Fuutarou if there was any way she could help. Fuutarou told her he'd get back to her on that. Maybe she could determine if all the accommodations Yotsuba was asking for were actually necessary.
Meanwhile, Isanari had a big announcement to make.
"I'm going back to college!" the blonde man exclaimed with his chest puffed out in pride. However he didn't receive the fanfare he was hoping for.
"What do you mean by 'back', that would mean you went before?" asked Fuutarou with a perplexed look on his face. Isanari sighed and looked to Raiha to see if she was at least happy but she also gave him a confused look. Guess it was finally time to spill one of his longest-running secrets.
"You might not believe it, but I did get into college. However I decided to take a break after one year to help my wife take care of our newborn son."
Fuutarou's face fell upon hearing this, causing Itsuki to rub his back to comfort him. He knew his parents had him when they were very young but he never even thought they attempted college. Now it turns out he was the reason his father quit.
Isanari saw the depressed look he feared would appear on his son's face, so made sure to set the record straight.
"Fuutarou, don't let it bother you okay? I wouldn't change a thing. Besides, your mom was already sick when she had you. Who knows, maybe if I didn't step away from college and help her out she may never have lived long enough to have Raiha."
This caused the black-haired young woman to start tearing up as both she and her father got up from their seats and hugged the still sitting Fuutarou. As the embrace ended, Fuutarou finally found his voice and uttered something that caught Itsuki completely off guard.
"Pops, if there's anything we can do to make sure you graduate this time, do not hesitate to ask."
"Well if you're offering...," said Isanari with a grin on his face. "I'd need a place to stay since I couldn't possibly commute from my apartment in Kyoto everyday. How about I move in here?"
Immediately all color left Fuutarou's face as he clutched his chest and bent over the table. It was quite the convincing act, but Itsuki could easily tell her husband was faking it.
"Relax Fuutarou I'm obviously going to a university in Kyoto. I was just joking, no need to have a heart attack," the man said with a hearty chuckle.
"Yeah, well it might be a little too late for that," sarcastically retorted Fuutarou as he sat back up rather slowly for dramatic effect.
After both Itsuki and Fuutarou recapped their respective days, the family decided to play a board game. Originally they were going to watch a movie, but it was getting a little too late for the kids to watch a movie even if it was a Friday night. They decided to play Sorry!, which was another birthday present from Aunt Ichika, this time for Rena. That reminded Itsuki that she needed to catch up on that American Hospital Drama Ichika was starring in, especially since the last episode she watched ended on a cliffhanger where the dying patient revealed that he knew the main character's mother and where she might be able to finally find her.
Since the game was only for four players, they decided to pair up into teams. Rena immediately claimed Aunt Raiha. The two parents teamed up with the twin they consoled earlier, and Isanari played solo. The game was full of twists and turns but in the end Fuutarou and Michiko ended up narrowly claiming victory before Raiha and Rena. Itsuki then took the kids upstairs to their rooms for bedtime as Fuutarou and Raiha said goodbye to their father. Before the blonde man walked through the door, Fuutarou grabbed his shoulder.
"Thank you for what you did during dinner Dad, it seems I still have a lot to learn about being a parent." Isanari mirrored his son by putting his hand on Fuutarou's shoulder.
"That's the thing about being a parent, you never stop learning. You and Itsuki are amazing parents, those kids are truly blessed to have you. Just remember that no rules are absolute and that there are always times for exceptions"
The two men embraced before Isanari finally walked through the door.
"Aww, Onii-chan has turned into a big softie," giggled Raiha. Causing Fuutarou to slowly turn around and give his sister a curious look.
"Aren't you a little too old to still call me that?" he asked, causing Raiha's laughter to grow.
"Of course silly, I'm just teasing you. Good night Fuutarou!"
Fuutarou also wished his sister a good night as he dragged his body towards his bed. Thank goodness they decided to have their bedroom on the first floor for situations like this where he doubted his exhausted body could climb a set of stairs.
Quickly changing into his pajamas, he collapsed onto his bed and buried his head into his pillow.
Now that everyone else in the house was either asleep or in their rooms, there were no longer any distractions. Itsuki confidently walked into her room only to realize that earlier statement also included her husband.
"Hey, what about our fun?" she said as she crawled on the bed before reaching his body. She then nuzzled her head against his.
"I'm really, really sorry Dear. I'm just so exhausted, both physically and mentally. I promise I'll make it up to you tomorrow night okay?" the man drowsily said.
Itsuki could tell he meant every word about his being exhausted. She laid down right next to him and began cuddling him from behind. Then Itsuki had an idea.
"Sorry Darling, I know you're tired and want to sleep, but I did promise my sisters that I would punish you for that idea you have them to raise the price on sodas from the soda fountain."
Even though he was half asleep, he was both curious and worried about what she meant when she said punish. It didn't take him long to find out as he soon felt his wife kissing the base of his neck and moved upwards. It didn't take long for Fuutarou to fold as he turned to his other side, where he was now facing his wife.
"Oh yeah that. Well I guess I should accept my punis-" Fuutarou began to say before the two of them heard a loud crash from upstairs. Neither of them moved, hoping that maybe it was something crashing outside. Sadly that was just wishful thinking.
"Mom, the twins' bookshelf fell over!" reported Rena from the top of the stairs. Fuutarou and Itsuki just looked at each other and started laughing as Itsuki got out of bed.
"Are you really, really sure you still want to have more kids?" Fuutarou called out to his wife. Itsuki just looked over her shoulder and closed her eyes while sticking her tongue out at him like she used to do back when they were in high school.
After getting a laugh from her husband she ascended the stairs to the twins' room. Thankfully it wasn't too big of a mess so she had it cleaned up in less than five minutes. There was a small ray of hope that Fuutarou hadn't moved from his position and was still waiting for her but even if that was true she was starting to feel sleepy too.
She entered the room to find him turned back around facing the other direction. This was fine with her. She'd have the rest of her life ahead of her to enjoy her husband. For now, it was time to sleep.
Itsuki turned off the light and set her glasses on the night stand before crawling into bed. Then she wrapped her arms around her husband and immediately fell asleep.
Eyes still barely open, Fuutarou waited on his side until he felt the familiar feeling of his wife's arms wrapped around his body. Giving a small smile, the man fell asleep too.