Another Quintessential Quintuplets story focusing on Ichika, trying to shed light on a certain feeling of hers to that led up to a certain controversial thing she did in Chapter 74 of the manga/Episode 21.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Quintessential Quintuplets.
"Who would have guessed, Futaro, you would be the one I would fall in love with?"
Ichika's blue eyes were shining as she gazed at the image displayed on her cell phone screen. It showed a certain blue-haired young man sleeping soundly in her own lap. It had been taken on the evening of the fireworks festival; shortly after this person had entered the lives of the pink-haired young girl and her beloved sisters.
A small smile was on Ichika's face - which was filled with intense hurt. She lay back on her bed and rested her head against the pillow. Her held her phone above her face as she kept her gaze fixed to the man in the picture - who happened to be her tutor.
"The girls would always say I could have any guy I wanted. I suppose that's true since I'm becoming more and more recognised as a famous actress. Getting to work alongside good-looking actors and gaining male fans comes with my job."
With her one hand holding her phone before her, Ichika rested her free one against her chest - before closing her eyes upon feeling her own heartbeat.
"And yet, of all the guys in the world, the only one out there I want to be with ... is you, Futaro."
Ichika opened her eyes again. They were filling with agony as she looked at the picture of Futaro on her phone. Nothing had been the same for her and her siblings since he had entered their lives to become their tutor. She had first taken great pleasure in teasing him and deliberately playing on his nerves - but as time had gone by, she had felt her own feelings for him slowly changing.
"I never thought you would be anything more than our tutor," the eldest quintuplet murmured. "Always obsessed with studying and cramming education down our throats. That's all I ever saw you as to begin with - but I now realise there's more to you than that."
Ichika listened to the rapid hammering inside her chest. The intense speed it was going at caused her cheeks to heat up. Her heartbeat always went into overdrive whenever she thought wistfully about Futaro - and even when he was close to her.
"I know now the only reason you want us to study so hard is because you care about us." She managed a small smile. "You're not just sticking with us to get money out of teaching us; you genuinely want to see the five of us succeed. You wouldn't be the considerate person you truly are deep down if you didn't help us with our schoolwork - or through our personal troubles at home."
The heat within Ichika's cheeks increased. They were now a deep shade of red as she mused over her feelings for her mentor. She thought about he had gone from someone she had enjoyed joking with and fooling around in front of - to someone who had become very precious to her.
"That's the kind of person you are, Futaro," she whispered. "And that's why .. I love you..."
The moment Ichika said her last three words, a single tear escaped from her eye. It ran down the side of her face to fall silently onto her pillow. She lowered her hand holding her phone, still laying on her bed as she stared dejectedly up at the ceiling.
"I love you..." she repeated in a low voice. "...And nothing can ever come of that."
Ichika closed her eyes again, but that was no enough to stop her tears leaking out. She pictured the moody blue-hearted person - who she had found himself falling for. How she wished she could enter a relationship with Futaro and be the one to make the grumpy young man happy.
There was no way Ichika could ever see it happening.
Not with the other girls she lived with - who all looked up to her as their big sister.
As the young woman opened her eyes again, she pictured the identical faces of her siblings against the ceiling above her. They were all smiling down towards her. The joyful expressions they were wearing reminded Ichika of how important it was for her to put her sisters' happiness before her own.
"I can never be with you, Futaro. No matter how much it hurts, I have to stay with my sisters and take care of them all."
The beating of Ichika's heart continued as agony crept through it. She was reflecting back on how she had taken it upon herself to look after her siblings when they had lost their mother. That was why she was always overworking herself with so many acting roles in order to keep a roof over their five heads.
"How could I possibly abandon my sisters to go chasing some boy?" she murmured. "I wouldn't be fulfilling my role as the big sister if I did that. Mom would be ashamed of me."
Still resting her hand over her wounded heart, Ichika closed it into a fist. The images of her siblings's face were still hovering above her, although two of them came down closer - pushing into her further why she couldn't be with the one she loved.
"Besides, Futaro, there's no way I could be with you - when my own sisters love you too."
Ichika gazed at the images of her sisters' faces which had neared themselves to her. They happened to be the two that had fallen for the same person as her. They were the sisters who were total opposites of each other; one being loud and hot-headed, the other quiet and shy.
"Miku was the first to love you," Ichika commented, thinking of the most soft-hearted of her sisters. "She turned to me to find out what I thought of you as a person. It was as clear as day to me that she wanted to be with you. I urged her to go after you and be happy - despite the fact I was also falling for you."
Ichika's lips trembled. She felt bad about being in love with the same person as her tender-hearted sister. She had wanted to see Miku find happiness with Futaro - but how could that be possible when she felt the same for him?"
"Then there's Nino," she went on, thinking of the loudest of her sisters. "She's the last person I would've expected to fall for you. The two of you are always butting heads with one another - so imagine my shock when I overheard her confessing her feelings to you. She even came to me later to ask for advice on how she could win your heart. She had no idea she was asking for help from someone who had fallen for you too. She made it absolutely clear to me that she was going to stop at nothing to take you - just like a runaway train of love!"
s always whenever Ichika referred to her sister in such a term, an picture of a steam locomotive with Nino's face at the front raced through her head. She squeezed her eyes shut tight to try to erase it. Upon opening them again, she saw that the images of her sisters had disappeared.
All except for one, which lingered all alone above the pink-haired girl, sending a kind, supportive smile down towards her.
Ichika frowned, reflecting on what she had talked about recently with this sibling. Normally, the eldest of the quintuplets was always passing advice to her young sisters - but this one had spun the tables on her.
"Yotsuba told me I should do what I want," she said softly. "She tried to encourage me to go after what makes me happy; to think of myself for a change."
Ichika held the cell phone before her face once again. She looked at the picture of Futaro sleeping in her lap. He was the one thing the oldest quintuplet wanted more than anything. To be with the person she loved would make her so happy - yet she couldn't bring herself to go after him.
"I can't do that..." she murmured. "There's no way I can take you for myself, Futaro. Not when some of my own sisters are also in love with you."
The pain in Ichika's heart continued to creep through. It was taking its toll on her over not being able to be with the person she loved. Trying to control it, the eldest quintuplet pressed her hand tighter against her chest. She tried to concentrate on putting her sisters' happiness before her own as her tears kept pouring out of her eyes.
"I have to stop this. I need to quit fantasising with this idea of Futaro being with me," she told herself stubbornly. "I need to focus on my sisters and keep my love for him under control - before it ends up taking control of me..."
So that's the story. Here, I've emphasized on how selfless Ichika has been towards her sisters, always taking care of them and putting their needs before her own - which is exactly what led to her reckless action of impersonating Miku to take Futaro for herself. Trying to stifle her own happiness for the sake of her siblings caused her to eventually lose control - which is what I think those who give her backlash for her action fail to realise. They also seem to overlook the fact that she was remorseful for her actions and went straight back to her true selfless personality. These are the things about Ichika's personality I wanted to bring up in this story to give her some sympathy and help her haters see she's not the horrible person she'd made out to be.
Well, thanks for reading. Hope I managed to bring some justice for Ichika. Also hope you enjoyed the story. Bye for now! :)