Disclaimer: This is fanwork based on the manga the Quintessential Quintuplets (Go-Tobun no Hanayome), by Negi Haruba. Its setting, characters and plot belong to its rightful creator. I write this only for fun and as a little writing experiment.

WARNING FOR ANIME VIEWERS: Currently, the story is following the events of the manga beyond chapter 32. If you don't want to be spoiled, STOP READING.

The Ekiden Crisis

The great Nakano powers of the Old Continent were in a precarious position. The Kingdom of Nino had abandoned their mutual alliance, international tensions were increasing and the efforts to explore and colonize the New Continent had come to a halt.

At the other side of the ocean, the Futaro clans allied with the Nakanos worried. Their ambassadors had painted a grim picture, and they feared they could not count on the heirs of Rena for help. In order to improve relations with the Kingdom of Nino, they made a most unusual decision: they would send envoys to the fabled Kintaro tribe and convince them to join their council with the Nakanos.

Problem was they could not find them anywhere.

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The truth of the Kintaros

In the year 44, a new embassy from the New Continent arrived to the Kingdom of Nino. This time, they had brought with them envoys from the tribes of the North, including the Kintaros that the Ninians sought so much.

At first, it seemed that the embassy would achieve a great success. The ambassador of the Kintaros was given a place of honour, and the finest chefs of the royal court prepared a sumptuous banquet in celebration for the encounter. The ambassador made vows of alliance and urged the Queen of Nino to mend her relationship with the other heads of state. And, for a time, his petitions found friendly ears.

However, the more time passed, the more the scholars of the Kingdom noticed that something was off. These Kintaros were not exactly like the ones they had encountered during the Northern Expedition, and the ambassador was suspiciously up to date about things and events that the Northern tribes should have not been aware of. In the end, the ruse was exposed: the "Kintaro envoys" were Futaro diplomats in disguise. When looking for the Kintaros, they had discovered a terrible truth: instead of the mighty horde described by the Ninian explorers, they had been a weak Futaro offshoot who, in a vain attempt to emulate the glories of the Isanari, had met their end some years ago.

The Kintaros were gone. And with them, the chance to entice the Kingdom of Nino.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Old Continent, the Republic of Yotsuba was facing its own crisis.

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The Ekiden League

Yotsuba was the strongest and the wealthiest of the merchant republics in the Old Continent, but it was not the only one. There were others, specially on the coast of the Mare Scola, and together they formed the Ekiden League, which provided them with a common market for their goods and a military alliance in times of war.

The Republic of Yotsuba was a member too, and contributed greatly thanks to their vast fortune, their merchant fleet and their war galleys. But when their focus changed to the New Continent adventure, their relations with the League soured.

Things got worse when the Republic of Eba was voted in new head of the Ekiden League.

The Council of Eba had ambitious plans for the League. They wanted to take a more proactive role in international affairs and use their military resources to expand their influence and trade routes. To achieve those goals, however, they needed the money and the might of Yotsuba behind them. And for a time, the Nakano Republic complied. They knew that many of their fellow members resented the fact that in the last few decades they had paid more attention decades to colonization efforts far beyond their shores than to the affairs of the League, and thus wanted to showcase their commitment.

Sadly, it soon became obvious that the new direction of the Ekiden League was consuming everyone's resources for little gain. Large campaigns were carried out with almost no planning or preparation, but every time the Republic of Yotsuba raised their objections, they were outvoted by the Republic of Eba and their allies.

Noticing the Yotsuban doubts, the diplomats of Eba increased their pressure:

"Listen, o great powers of Ekiden. There is no doubt that the Most Serene Republic of Yotsuba is the best of us, the heirs of Rena, the rulers of the waves. They were born to lead the League to glory. We are but their heralds, the proud custodians of the legacy of Ekiden. Unfortunately, we still see hesitation in the hearts of many. With that kind of attitude, we cannot hope to keep control of the Isle of Running and our other positions in the Eastern Sea. We demand, no, we beg that Her Most Serene Duchess and the Council of 428 show their commitment and fight with us! For Ekiden!"

But the Republic of Yotsuba could not keep up with the League's increasing demands. And when they formally refused to join the latest naval expedition to the Eastern Sea, the other members, led by the Republic of Eba, voted for a drastic measure: since Yotsuba did not honour their commitments, they would take away their member rights and privileges and blockade their ports, until they acquiesced to their rightful demands.

And thus, in the year 46, the naval blockade of Port Yotsuba began.

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The First Battle of Port Yotsuba

At first, the Serene Duchess and the Council of 428 refused to ask the other Nakanos for help. Matters of the League should be solved internally, they said, and it was believed that diplomacy would be enough to stop the blockade.

It was not.

For months, the capital city of Yotsuba found itself unable to send ships outside their port. There were some feeble attempts to break the blockade by force, with their galleys, but the enemy fleet was too well positioned and used their superior numbers to keep the Yotsubans in check. Yotsuban merchants saw how their trade plummeted and the city became dependant on a single land route for supplies. After all, their land was scarce and they needed to import the majority of their food.

Seeing this, the Ichika Empire, the Church of Miku and the Itsuki Commonwealth decided to intervene. Surely, the Republic of Yotsuba had not asked for their help, but the prestige of the Nakano dynasty was on the line. After Nino's departure, their position was shaking and the unexpected success of the blockade by a minor player such as the Republic of Eba was sending the wrong messages to the international community.

Unfortunately, the help they could provide was not much.

The Ichika Empire was not an important naval power, and they only had a small coastline in the Mare Scola. The Itsuki Commonwealth was a naval power, but they focused on the ocean between the Old and the New Continents. If they wanted to send help, they needed to have their fleet cross the straits and enter the inner sea. Long supply lines were a problem. As for the Church, their military might was not great.

Only the Kingdom of Nino held a sizeable naval presence in the Mare Scola, second only to the Republic of Yotsuba, but the other Nakano powers could not count with their assistance.

Still, time was running. If they did not take action, the Republic would succumb to their besiegers.

It was the beginning of the year 47. The initial battle plan was for the combined fleets of the Commonwealth, the Empire and the Church to assemble and break the blockade. But there was a delay and the Itsuki captains, seeing an opportunity, decided to start the attack on their own. It was a disaster. While the mighty galleons and carracks of the Commonwealth were perfect for the open ocean, they were too sluggish in the shallow and tranquil waters of the Mare Scola. Ebian galleys managed to surround the captain ship easily.

"Why did you do this foolish thing?", the Ebian commander gloated. "The Nakanos may be close, but Itsukis such as you cannot pretend to be Yotsubans. Your ships are different, your sailors are different, your captains are different. Go back to your Great Princess; we only want Yotsuba."

The Itsuki had no other option but to surrender. By the time the Ichikan and Mikuist vessels arrived, the allied fleet was in no position to break the blockade.

Then, a new fleet arrived.

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The Second Battle of Port Yotsuba

At first, the Ekiden League captains mistook the new arrivals for Yotsuban galleys. After all, while the capital city of Yotsuba was blockaded, they had outposts and colonies in other parts of the sea and it would not be the first time their forces there had tried to intervene. They would always turn back when the League showed a bit of muscle, and that was better for everyone.

However, expectations were shattered when, rather than stopping, the enemy vessels suddenly opened fire on the scouting detachment without warning.

It was then when the captains realized their mistake.

The ships were not galleys, but galleasses. Slower and heavier than galleys, yes, but also taller and armed with cannons. And while they bore the coat of arms of Rena, their heraldry did not show the four-leaf clover of Yotsuba, but the rabbit of Nino. The Kingdom had sent their fleet.

Unbeknownst to most, the First Apostle of the Church of Miku had travelled in person to the Kingdom of Nino in a desperate attempt to mend the alliance. There is no record of the conversation between the First Apostle and the Queen of Nino, but legend says that, after the meeting, the two women exchanged cups of tea and that Her Majesty asked Her Holiness to cut a bit of her hair, as a sign of trust and renewed vows. That was why she had ordered her war ships to come to the aid of the beleaguered Yotsuba.

Near the port, chaos ensued. Neither the Yotsubans nor the League knew why the Ninians had suddenly appeared. In the meantime, the Kingdom's fleet kept advancing; despite the initial shock and their firepower advantage, their numbers were fewer. The goal was to break the centre of the enemy formation before they could regroup.

From the bow of her ship, the Ebian commander taunted the Ninians:

"This is ridiculous! You are surrounded and outnumbered! This is a League matter, the Kingdom of Nino has no place in here!"

"You Ekidenians got carried away and ignored the will of Her Most Serene Duchess of the Nakanos. The moment you decided to blockade Yotsuba, that was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Let this be a lesson for those who try to harm the children of Rena. All hail the Queen!"

And they rammed the flagship of the Republic of Eba, sinking it.

After that, the blockading fleet dispersed, while Yotsuban galleys finally managed to leave the port and open a path towards the allied Nakano fleet.

It was a joyous occasion. Although it was not dissolved, the Ekiden League would never threaten Yotsuba's interests again, the Nakanos had shown the world that their power was not to be trifled with, and it represented a new time of improved relations among their states. A rather overenthusiastic writer called it "the highest and most memorable occasion that past and future centuries will ever hope to see". It was an exaggeration, but it depicted the general mood quite accurately.

Now, with their backyard in order, it was time for the Nakanos to focus again on the New Continent. Sadly, they were in for a nasty shock.

Author's notes:

This is (almost) the end of the Seven Goodbyes Arc in the manga, from chapter 43 to 47. Few chapters, but a lot of tension and action. I'm unsurprised that this is the longest chapter of the fic so far.

* The Ekiden League is obviously based on the Hanseatic League, although this one is supposed to be set in this world's equivalent of the Mediterranean Sea and composed by expies of the Italian city-states. Particularly, their efforts mirror those of the Venetians and Genoese against the encroachment of the Ottoman Empire and other actors in the Eastern Mediterranean. But the name itself, Ekiden, comes from the competition Captain Eba and the track team wanted to take part in: a long-distance running multistage relay race which can be as long or even longer than a marathon, invented in Japan.

* Naval warfare here is based, more or less, on galley warfare in the Mediterranean during the 16th century. The final battle was inspired by descriptions of the Battle of Lepanto (1571), the last great galley battle before the Age of Sail. Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote and one of the soldiers who fought there, was the one who said that about "the highest and most memorable occasion that past and future centuries will ever hope to see". And for the clash of flagships, just take The Battle of Lepanto, by the Filipino painter Juan Luna, and stick Nino's face on John of Austria.

* Although usually associated with butterflies due to her hair adornments, Nino's favourite animal is actually the rabbit, as shown in the extras of volume 4 of the manga. That's why her mobile phone resembles one and why the anime used it as her symbol. Yotsuba's symbol, in both the manga and the anime, is the four leaf clover, but her favourite animal is the camel (for those curious, Ichika's is the hippo, Miku's is the hedgehog and Itsuki's is the kangaroo).