Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Gotoubun no Hanayome.

Chapter 5:
From Humble Beginnings

Five years into the future, day of the wedding…..

"Naruto-onii-chan!"

Said blond paused and turned toward the voice. He smiled when he saw who it was.

"Raiha-chan! It's good to see you again!"

The high school girl happily ran up to him from down the hall, looking a bit winded. She engulfed him in a hug, which he was happy to return.

"I can't believe you're here! Onii-chan was worried you wouldn't make it. When did you arrive?"

"I just got in last night. There's no way I would miss this," Naruto told her as the two separated. "The bride would kill me if I didn't come."

His wife would too. He was surrounded by violent women. Coming to a new world hadn't changed that part of his life.

Raiha giggled. "I can believe that. Onii-chan told me that you were whipped."

That asshole…...corrupting Raiha's innocent mind like this. Unforgivable!

"By the way, do you know where he is? I came to give him the ring like he asked, but I can't find him anywhere. I can't believe he would forget the ring of all things. How irresponsible can he be?"

Oh, that's right. Fuutarou had called for her, hadn't he?

"I think he went to the chapel to oversee some last minute preparations and greet some of the guests. But you don't have to look for him. I can hold on to the ring."

Raiha gave him a puzzled look before it started to click. "No way! Onii-chan asked you to be his best man!"

Naruto nodded and chuckled. "Yeah. I was surprised too. I thought he would have picked one of his friends from high school, or college."

"Well, onii-chan doesn't have that many friends to begin with."

"Even if that's true, you don't have to say it so casually….."

Raiha could be brutal in her own way.

The girl pulled out the box of the ring from her school bag and handed it to him.

"But I'm glad he picked you. Even if he doesn't like to admit it, he does look up to you a little."

Only a little, huh.

Naruto looked at the little square box that he now held. Inside was the ring, a very important item for today.

"That so? It's news to me. The guy is always in his own little world."

Raiha smiled. "True, you two didn't have a good start. I still remember how he complained about the 'stupid looking older brother' after his first day."

The first day? Naruto looked a little miffed at that. He hadn't been that bad.

…..had he?

"But you have to tell me how you've been!" Raiha quickly changed the subject, too excited to notice Naruto's dejected look. "You've been in Thailand for the past few months, right?"

"Laos actually," Naruto corrected her as he pocketed the ring. "We were finally able to establish a hospital there. That's only the first step of course. There is a lot more we have to do. I have to fly back after the wedding."

Raiha pouted. "That's terrible. You can't stay just for a few days?"

Naruto patted her on the head. "Sorry, but I can't. Not unless I want everyone's efforts in the last months to be for nothing."

Raiha could understand that. Being in charge of your own company carried a lot of responsibilities. But it still sucked.

"I'm sure onii-chan will be disappointed."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Smirking, Naruto added, "I'm sure he'll be pretty occupied for the next week."

A sour look spread across her face. "Naruto-onii-chan, that's really gross."

Naruto coughed. The girl was sharper than he thought.

"I-I didn't mean it that way, alright. Just that he has the honeymoon and everything else to worry about."

That wasn't any better.

"You really disappoint me sometimes."

Oi.

"But what about you?" Raiha gained a sly smile. "Are you still in that honeymoon phase?"

Naruto spluttered. "W-What? W-Where did you learn that word!?"

"Technically, it's two words."

"That's not the point!"

Raiha beamed. "Oh, Naruto-onii-chan. I'm a growing lady. It's only expected that I know of these things. I can't stay a kid forever."

"That father of yours is a terrible influence."

"I don't want to hear that from the man who picked out his own wife's lingerie."

HOW DID SHE-!?

"Girl talk."

THAT ONLY RAISED MORE QUESTIONS!

Naruto fixed his collar, suddenly feeling very hot. "A-Anyway, if you must know, things are going very well between us."

Even though both of their jobs were very demanding, they still made sure to reserve time for themselves.

"Mhmm, I'm glad." Raiha smiled some more. "You two are perfect for one another. 'Course, you're not as great as my onii-chan, but you're pretty close."

Such a nice way to insult someone.

Naruto was about to respond until his phone went off. Reaching into his pocket, he looked at the caller ID. It was from Fuutarou.

Naruto answered it.

"What-"

"Where the hell are you? You suddenly disappeared! I can't handle all these guests on my own."

Someone was grumpy.

"Calm down. I was just going to congratulate your wife-to-be, and then I ran into Raiha-chan. You're lucky she got here with the ring on time, or else your wedding would have been fucked."

"I wouldn't have used such vulgar language, but yes."

Yay, Raiha-chan was on his side.

"Just get down to the chapel. Putting up with all these people is your job."

Still so anti-social. Naruto wondered how he was still friends with him sometimes.

"Fine, fine. Raiha-chan and I'll be there in five."

"I take it he's panicking?" Raiha said after Naruto ended the call.

"Not panicking. More like stressing. He wants this day to be perfect." Naruto grinned. "That's why I know I can trust him."

Raiha shook her head but didn't respond. Initially, she had been afraid of her brother's future. Would he make a good husband? A father? Him forgetting the ring of all things hadn't help quell her fears. But hearing Naruto say that he trusted her brother, well, it was really reassuring for the young girl.

"Come on." Naruto motioned for her to follow. "We should get going."

Raiha smiled. "Yes."

Her beloved brother's wedding was finally here.

Present time…..

It was a new day, a new week, and with it came new problems. Heck, they were starting a new school today, but that wasn't why Ichika was stressing out.

"We have to talk."

This was why.

Ichika knew this talk was coming. She had sensed it a mile away. She thought she knew her sisters well, so it wasn't hard for her to figure out that Nino wanted something from her. When she suddenly walked into her room this morning, Ichika knew she had been right on the money.

Why couldn't she have been wrong?

"You look good," Ichika said, smiling as always. She was of course referring to Nino's new school uniform. Ichika was in hers too. Only Itsuki's hadn't come in yet, so she was going to have to wear their old school uniform for today.

Nino didn't answer for a moment. She looked a bit miffed by the state of Ichika's room, though. It was a total mess. For someone like her, it was terribly annoying and even a bit uncomfortable. But she ignored it for today.

"We have to clear the air between us. That, and I'm also here to make sure you don't try to pull off anymore of your dirty tricks from now on."

Now that was just hurtful.

Ichika schooled her features. "I don't know what you mean."

She did. This had been brewing for the last couple of days. Ichika was well aware of this. The only thing she didn't understand was why Nino had waited so long for this conversation. Maybe she had been trying to build up her courage? Or figure out a way to approach her?

"You can stop faking. A lot of annoying stuff is about to happen, so let's clear the air before then. I want to make sure you're serious about this. I was hoping you would try to talk to me first, but I can see now that isn't happening."

And by "annoying stuff," Nino was of course talking about that new tutor of theirs. Nino knew Naruto wouldn't approve, but she wasn't going to just stand by and let some outsider meddle with them either.

Ichika tried to find an escape. She knew it hadn't worked before, but old habits die hard.

"We're going to be late-"

"Then talk. Or we will be late."

Ichika frowned. Nino wasn't bluffing. They didn't need to be sisters for Ichika to figure that out. Among the five, Nino probably cared the least about school. Ichika was in the same boat, but she still put the effort now and then.

But fine. If Nino wanted to talk, then they would talk.

"After what you did on Saturday, I don't think you should be trying to act like you're better, Nino."

"Huh?" Nino's face was dismissive. "What are you talking about? We've been through this. I did exactly what I said was going to do. I didn't pull any dirty tricks."

"I-I didn't do anything wrong either."

The crack in her voice gave her up.

Nino knew this too. "I was tired of the lies, that's why I helped you last time. But don't think I'll do that again."

"And what makes you think I even need your help?" Ichika said in return. "I believe I was clear too. I'm serious about my feelings."

Nino looked smug now. "The events speak for themselves. You were only able to confess, and that was with me cornering you. Do you think you can do what I did? Do you think you can get closer to Naruto? Kiss him even?"

The reddening of Ichika's cheeks was the only answer Nino needed.

"Besides, victory is already within my sight." Nino looked even more smug. "You saw what happened last time. He wasn't able to resist me. I just have to set up that situation again, and I'll snare him then and there."

Ichika's blush grew. "N-Nino, that terminology…..."

"What? Is there something wrong with what I said?"

"A-Are you a succubus now? Is that what's happening?"

That's what it felt like.

"A succubus?" Nino thought about it and then grinned. "Well, I don't dislike the title. I think it's perfect given the situation."

Oh no. Ichika was only giving her more traction. And without meaning to! But what could she do to stop Nino at this point?

'She's got her target locked on….'

Nino had her on check. It was embarrassing, but also admirable. But is that what Ichika should be doing? Just be straightforward like Nino?

'A-And k-k-k-kiss….N-Naruto…..?'

The thought alone was enough to make her head spin. Saying she was going to do it, and actually doing it were two separate things.

Nino's eyes danced with mirth. "See~ You can't win, Ichika."

Ichika's shoulders started to shake. Was it in anger? Ichika couldn't be sure. It wasn't an emotion she felt often. She preferred being laid back and friendly. It made it easier to get along with people. But Nino was pushing all her buttons. Most of all, she was questioning Ichika's feelings.

That's not something Ichika was willing to allow.

"F-Fine." She was still blushing, but Ichika pushed through it. "I already said I would be giving this my all. I'm not going to go back on my word. I can promise you that, and you'll regret it."

Ichika expected Nino to be annoyed, or to lash out in some fashion at her. But instead, Nino smiled. It took Ichika by surprise.

"I'm glad." Nino nodded to herself. "If you kept it all bottled up, I'm sure it would have only been painful for you."

'Don't tell me she was…..'

It was just like on Saturday. Ichika had been the one to try and mess with Nino's confession, but instead of punishing her Nino had helped her. And she was doing it again.

Ichika had totally misinterpreted Nino's actions. And after claiming that she knew her sisters well too. How embarrassing.

"Well, I'm glad I was able to confirm your resolve." Nino ran a hand through her hair as she smiled coyly. "But like I said, it won't mean anything. I'm already one step ahead of you."

Ooooooooor maybe not. Now, it looked more like she was totally looking down at her.

Ichika sweatdropped. "You just had to say that, didn't you?"

At least the air wasn't so heavy between them. They may be interested in the same guy, but that was no reason to sever their relationship because of it. That's the last thing Ichika wanted. She was confident Nino didn't want that either.

"That's all I wanted to say." Still smiling, Nino faced the door. "As long as you stick to your word, then-"

"I won't accept it."

Nino and Ichika stopped when the bedroom door was suddenly opened, only it wasn't by Nino.

It was Itsuki, who stood on the other side. An embarrassed Yotsuba and deadpanned Miku were with her.

"T-This isn't what it looks like!" Yotsuba exclaimed, flailing her arms around like a wild animal. "We totally weren't spying on you just now! Promise!"

Miku almost slapped her head against the wall. "Yotsuba…..'

Why was she such a terrible liar?

"Yeah, that's not gonna work," Nino said, sighing. She hadn't seen this coming, but she really should have. They were all nosy.

Itsuki stood her ground. "You're still planning on going through with this nonsense, Nino? And you, Ichika. I thought you were better than this."

Nino turned her sharp gaze on her. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." Itsuki crossed her arms. "Don't you think this has gone long enough? I may have overlooked your actions over the weekend, but enough is enough. It's time to grow up."

Grow up? Grow up?

Nino was right in front of Itsuki in an instant, the two glaring at the other.

"You have no say in what I do, Itsuki. So keep your nose out of my business."

Ichika, Miku, and Yotsuba all glanced at one another, now worried. This wasn't like before. It seemed like Itsuki's tolerance level had reached its limit. She was putting her foot down.

And Nino wasn't having it.

"Who I decide to date is my decision," Nino added, some anger bleeding into her voice. "I don't have to consult you for anything."

It was unintended, but some of Nino's inner resentment was coming out too.

Consult her? Yeah, right. Like Itsuki ever did the same with her choices. Or any of the others for that matter. They were always following their own path, doing as they wanted. For once, Nino had decided to do the same. So why was that so wrong?

It wasn't. Nino knew she wasn't wrong about this.

"You know why it's wrong." Itsuki saw things differently. "He's like our big brother. If you do this…..."

It could mess with their whole dynamic. It was one of the few things Itsuki feared in this world. Why? Because she didn't want to lose the safety Naruto presented them with. All of them. He cared about them equally, but a relationship? That would jeopardize everything. Itsuki knew she wasn't being very fair. In a way, she was just substituting her mother with Naruto. Putting that on him was asking too much.

But she couldn't let it go either. Itsuki was willing to be selfish when it came to this. Because…...it wasn't wrong. She was sure of it.

"I've been struggling with my feelings for a while," Nino explained. "I wasn't sure if I should even tell him about how I felt."

'That would have saved me some trouble,' Ichika thought with an internal sigh but kept it to herself. This wasn't about her.

"But I've already come to a decision. This is my romance." Nino smiled softly. "There's no point if I don't find happiness. That's why I'm willing to do anything."

"A-Anything?" Yotsuba squeaked.

"Yes. Confessing probably isn't enough for that idiot. That's why I'm going to kiss him."

'Yikes.' Miku had to turn away. She wished Naruto good luck with that…...no, wait. Bad luck. Yes, bad luck was better. It's what the idiot deserved.

"E-Eh!?" Both Ichika and Itsuki almost shrieked at Nino's declaration while Yotsuba was a blushing mess.

"Y-You really are bold, Nino," Yotsuba said while fiddling with her fingers. She still couldn't believe how far Nino was taking this.

"Like I said, I've been thinking on this for a while now." Nino walked past the shocked Itsuki. "That's why I'm not going to hesitate. Even if I have to knock down the competition."

That last part was meant for Ichika, no doubt about it.

"I still won't let you!" Itsuki shouted, finding her voice again. "This is definitely a mistake. You're making a mistake, Nino! That's why-!"

She wasn't able to say more. She couldn't. Not after Nino turned back to her to slap her on the cheek.

Yes. Slap her. The slap was strong enough to redden Itsuki's cheek, but that was the least of her concerns.

Nino had slapped her. She had actually slapped her. Her own sister.

"N-Nino!" Ichika couldn't believe what she was seeing. Nino would never do this…...so why?

Miku was just as startled. Her normal stoic look was gone, her face displaying a varying amount of emotions. They ranged from disbelief to worry.

Only Yotsuba was able to step in between Nino and Itsuki. "Y-You two! You have to stop this!"

"I'm not the one who thinks they can order other people around," Nino said bitterly. "You're fine going off on your own, but it's suddenly wrong when I do it?"

"Going off…..?" Ichika didn't understand. "What does that mean, Nino? She's not….."

No. Ichika couldn't finish that sentence, because she knew it would just be another lie. Not a willful one this time mind you, but a lie nonetheless. She was already keeping a secret from them, after all.

Itsuki didn't care and didn't hesitate to slap Nino back just as fiercely. "You're just being a kid! Do you think your actions don't have consequences!?"

"I'm being a kid…..?" Nino made to slap Itsuki again, but at the last second Miku intervened and stopped her.

"That's enough, you two," she said. "Hitting one another isn't going to solve anything."

"T-That's right!" Yotsuba chimed in. "We should be getting along, not fighting like this! It's what Naruto-sensei would want!"

"It's the only way to talk some sense into an ignorant person!" Itsuki exclaimed.

"Speak for yourself!" Nino shouted back. "I'm not doing anything wrong! You think I need your approval? Don't think too highly of yourself!"

Yotsuba scrambled to say something, anything that would put a stop to this. But she couldn't think of a single thing to say.

Miku was having similar problems. All she could do was stop Nino from slapping Itsuki again, but that proved to not be needed when Nino stormed out of the room.

"Forget it. I don't have to explain myself to you!"

It wasn't like they bothered to talk to her either.

"Ah, Nino!" Ichika was about to run after her, but stopped. Could she really help Nino right now? With everything else that was happening?

'Doubting myself like this…..'

She really was the worst.

Itsuki didn't say another word. She simply walked out after Nino had left the apartment. This only left Ichika, Miku, and Yotsuba, the trio unsure of what to do about this situation.

And so, this was how the first day of their new school lives started.

"I'm gone for one weekend, and you start dating? Without telling me about it? How do you think that makes me feel? I thought we were friends!"

"Look, Asagi, I don't know what that idiot told you, but that's not how things are. And why are you even calling me at eight in the morning!?"

It was Monday, and Naruto wanted to sleep in. After dealing with so much homework last night, it's what he deserved.

"This is the only time I can talk. Unlike you, I actually have to go outside for my education."

"Yeah, and you sound soooooo much happier than me. I totally envy you right now."

Annoyance aside, Naruto still got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. He didn't feel like cooking, so ramen it was. It was more delicious than anything he could make anyway.

"Whatever. Don't change the subject. I want details. Who's the girl? Where did you meet her? She's not twelve, right?"

Okay, what?

"I think you got me confused with Ken," Naruto said in a dry tone.

"I just have to make sure you don't go down the wrong path. We already got Ken for that."

"Says the girl who takes pleasure in hitting him."

"It's not pleasure, dumbass!" Oh wow, he could just see her blush through the phone. "You and I both know he deserves it sometimes!"

"All I know is that you start to smile when you hit him. It's cool. We all have our secrets."

"I'm hanging up now."

And that's how you do it. Easy as lemon pie…..wait, was that the right phrase? Or was he butchering it?

'Probably butchering it.'

Whatever, he didn't care enough to find out.

"I'll grill you later. I got class anyway."

So she was still gonna bug him about it? How fun.

"I'm hanging up on you."

"What-"

And so, he hung up. He always kept his word.

Putting that mild annoyance aside, Naruto reached for one of the drawers where he kept his precious ramen. He was going to have to restock soon. He made sure to never hit the danger zone, i.e. he always had more than eight ramen cups in his kitchen at a time. It just made him feel safer.

Yes, safer. Shut up.

Naruto was about to start preparing his five star meal when the doorbell rang.

Now this was strange. The only visitors he ever got were either Ken or Asagi, but they were busy. And the quintuplets started their new school today, so it couldn't be them either.

Hmm. Ninja mode, activated.

'Hehehe, ninja mode.'

He cracked himself up sometimes.

But before he could open the door, or ask who it was, or anything, the door opened and an angry Nino stormed inside.

Naruto's face turned blank.

"You know, it really defeats the purpose of knocking when you just let yourself in."

Wait, no. That didn't really mater. The bigger question was this.

"What are you doing here, Nino? You have school!"

"Shut up." The girl plopped herself down next to the small round table, her face expressing just how annoyed she was right now. "I didn't come here to get more lip from you."

Okay then. Angry Nino had appeared. It was time to trudge lightly.

After closing and locking his door again, Naruto sat next to the fuming Nino. He absently noted that she was in her new uniform. It looked good on her.

"So are you gonna tell me why you're angry?"

The last time he saw her she had been all sunshines and rainbows. She had also been trying to feed him, in front of everyone else, but that was beside the point.

"Don't wanna talk about it."

There went that approach.

"You know you can't stay here, right? You have school-"

"I'm not going to school today."

Naruto's lips thinned. "What?"

"Are you deaf?" Nino rested her head on the table. "I said I'm not going to school today. I came here because I need a place to hide."

And think.

"You can't do that, Nino."

Naruto knew saying that was only going to set the girl off even more, but he didn't care. He needed to put his foot down.

And sure enough, Nino raised her head and turned her eyes on him. They were darker than usual, a sign that she was not pleased.

"And why can't I?"

"First of all, you have to go to school."

"You hate school."

She wasn't even going to let him finish.

Naruto sighed. "Yes, I hate school. But I still did it. I'm still doing it." Even though he'd rather not. "There's also the fact that you need it more than I do. You transferred because you failed your last exam. Don't tell me you forgot about that. Now that you have a fresh start and a new tutor, you should be making sure you don't fail again."

"Like I told you, we don't need a tutor!" Nino raised her voice a little, her anger rising up again. "Not that it matters anyway. I'm sure Itsuki won't have a problem getting chummy with him."

Itsuki? Why was Nino singling her out?

'The two must have had a fight.'

It was the only conclusion Naruto could arrive at. But this was surprising. Itsuki and Nino usually got along. It was Nino and Miku that were like oil and water.

"What happened-"

Naruto wasn't able to get his question out before Nino practically threw herself at him. The two fell back to the floor, practically in the same position they had been a couple of days ago.

'Not this again.'

Unlike before, Naruto was calm. Was it because he was used to Nino's behavior? Not exactly.

Nino either didn't notice or didn't care as she looked down at him. "I don't want to repeat myself a third time. Instead of talking about boring stuff, we should pick up where we left off."

Nino hadn't been bluffing with Ichika. She already knew what she had to do to win. It was easy for her.

But as she leaned in for Naruto's lips, Naruto grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her back. Nino stared back at him, confused.

"No."

His voice was steady. Nino realized the difference between this Naruto and the one from before. He wasn't phased by her actions in the slightest.

"You're not thinking clearly, Nino," Naruto said. "You're only doing this to take your mind off what's troubling you."

And he wasn't going to partake in her game.

"You….."

Nino looked like someone had just punched her in the gut. It felt like that too. No, it was more painful than that.

"Forget it."

Nino quickly got off him and ran out the apartment, not able to face the blond right now.

Naruto didn't go after her. It was the first time he had seen Nino look like that since her mother's death. It was a face he had been hoping she would never make again. It paralyzed him.

'Fuck.'

So the only thing he could do was curse.

Uesugi Fuutarou was on a mission. It was probably the most important mission in his seventeen year old life so far.

And he was already close to screwing it up.

For you see, earlier today he had the misfortune of running into the new girl at school. She had seemed troubled about something. Not that Fuutarou had cared all that much. Or at all. His studies were far more important than worrying about some random girl.

Sadly, this same girl had transferred into his class…...and was apparently the one he was supposed to tutor as part of his new job. His precious little sister had called him to tell him about this, but only after he had dismissed her rather harshly.

But it wasn't his fault! They had bumped into one another at the cafeteria. She seemed to be in a bad mood about something, but after catching one glimpse at his last quiz she had cheered up a little, just enough to ask him for help with her studies.

…...his studies were important, but he really should have said yes instead of rejecting her outright. Why? Because she was the ticket to getting his family out of debt.

'Let me just apologize dammit.'

That's why he was following her right now. It could be considered stalking, but it wasn't really! He had a job to do, so following her to her home was only natural.

Okay, that sounded way better in his head. Promise.

And so here he was, following this girl from street to street. Fuutarou would have already tried to apologize, but unfortunately she wasn't alone. There were two other girls with her, and approaching her when there were other people would just be awkward. Well, it was going to be awkward regardless, but Fuutarou didn't want to deal with other people.

Most of them were too annoying and simple-minded. Yeah, he didn't have any friends. But so what? He didn't need something like friendship. It was only a distraction.

"Are you having fun?"

Fuutarou's heart nearly stopped when one of the other two girls approached him out of nowhere. He was sure he was well hidden behind the sign of the convenience store the girls had stopped by, but he was spotted real fast.

"Fun?" Fuutarou coughed into his hand and stood straight. "Yeah, something like that."

"Oh, I see. So you have fun staring at high school girls. I understand."

Did she really?

"L-Look, just don't tell your friend Itsuki-chan about this, okay?" For some odd reason, Fuutarou noticed something familiar about this girl. Not that he had ever met her before. She wore their school uniform, but it wasn't like Fuutarou knew any other student. Not even those in his class.

He was secretly proud of that fact.

"I suppose." She pushed some of her hair out of her eyes and made to walk away but not before giving him some parting words. "She's not my friend, though."

"..."

Now, how was he supposed to take that?

"Miku, come on! We gotta get home!" The third girl, who were a green ribbon, waved to Miku while Itsuki stood next to her without saying a word.

Fuutarou watched her go, still trying to process that last comment. In the end, he decided it wasn't worth it and quickly continued with his stalk-tracking.

Yes, tracking. Definitely tracking.

Fuutarou mentally sighed. He just knew this was going to be a long day.

'Holy shit, she's rich!'

Fuutarou couldn't help but gawk at the apartment complex Itsuki and the other two had arrived at. He had already guessed that Itsuki had to be loaded, her lunch being a big giveaway, but this was just too much.

'No wonder the pay is so well.'

Her background was the exact opposite of his.

Shaking his head, Fuutarou decided to push that aside and focus on the mission. Itsuki was already walking inside, which was bad for him. He wanted to smooth things out between them before their tutoring sessions began, but those two were still with her!

'Give it a rest already!'

They were in the way, and they didn't even realize it.

He was so enthralled in his thoughts that Fuutarou didn't notice the shadow sneaking up on him from behind.

"Come on, Itsuki!" Yotsuba was saying as they stopped by the main entrance. "You gotta cheer up!"

They had even stopped at a convenience store to buy Itsuki a snack, but not even that had helped.

"I'm not in the mood right now." Itsuki was frowning. She appreciated what Yotsuba was trying to do, really, but she wasn't in the mood for it. There wasn't a single crack to be exploited in her frustration. Today had just not been her day. First it was the stuff with Nino, and then that guy from school, that insensitive b-word, had insulted her. And after only knowing each other for a few minutes no less!

'To think I actually complimented him too…..'

The reminder was enough to make Itsuki rage more. It was a distraction from her current problem with Nino, but it wasn't exactly better.

Why did all of this have to happen today? Their new tutor was coming over, and here she was in a foul mood.

Yotsuba was once again stumped. She had been trying all day to get Itsuki to feel better but to no avail. Worse still, Nino hadn't come to school. And Ichika hadn't been much help through all of this. It was like she had been lost in her own little world all day. She had even ditched them after school, saying she had something she needed to do.

Everything was so infuriating right now!

Miku was silent. Unlike Yotsuba, she knew that none of this was going to help Itsuki. Only bringing her and Nino together could resolve this. Annoyingly, Nino had been absent all day, and texting her wasn't working either. That's why Miku was thinking of a new strategy.

"Let's just get ready for our study session today," Itsuki said as she took a step toward the entrance. As much as it pained her, they would have to make do without Nino and Ichika for today.

"W-Wait, what!? Hey, let me go!"

The trio paused and watched as how two figures came out from the bushes in front of the building. One was a familiar blond to them, and the other only Itsuki and Miku recognized.

"Naruto-sensei!" Yotsuba cried out, surprised to see him here. And in the bushes no less.

Miku was more focused on the fact that Naruto had the boy from earlier pinned to the ground.

"What are you doing?"

"This guy was following you three," Naruto said, his eyes narrowed. "Are you a stalker!? Start talking, or that arm is coming off!"

Yotsuba sweatdropped. "I-I think that's a bit too much….."

It really was!

Miku and Itsuki just watched out of morbid curiosity.

Fuutarou's whole body was in pain. How the hell did this guy have such a strong grip? Or was he just that weak? Wait, no. Forget that. He needed to answer before he lost an arm!

"I'm not a stalker, alright!" he shouted. "I'm here on business! I swear!"

Business?

Naruto didn't believe him. "Then why were you following these girls?"

"I'm their new tutor goddammit!"

Silence.

Naruto blinked as his brain processed those words.

More silence.

The blond then tilted his head.

"Come again?"

Fuutarou's grand introduction is finally here. After five chapters, it finally happened. Yay.

There were actually a lot more things I wanted to add (including a Naruto/Ichika scene), but this chapter was bloated enough as it is. I'm satisfied with getting to this part at least.

But yeah, guess what happens next. Or not. But definitely guess.

Till next time.