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

Chapter 11:
Okay, let's really study this time

It was another morning and another day. Naruto still felt tired from last night's events. He had only been able to get two hours of sleep at most. Just getting out of bed almost made him trip. He had really turned lazier over the years.

Shikamaru would be proud.

He had work early in the morning. It was the only reason he would be waking up at this ungodly hour.

'Nino and the others should be heading to school today…...'

Hopefully there weren't anymore problems. They really needed to start their studying, after all. And Fuutarou couldn't help them if they were sidetracked by other issues.

'Let's just have hope.'

Yesterday was over with. Today was going to be a different story. Hopefully a brighter one.

Naruto went through his usual routine. He took a shower, got dressed, and made himself some ramen to give him the boost he needed to get through this morning.

By the time he was getting ready to leave his apartment, he was already feeling energized. Ramen was definitely the best way to start the day.

He had his stuff ready in his bag when his phone started ringing. Right away he got a bad feeling, only because lately all his calls had only led to something troublesome.

That bad feeling only got stronger when he saw the caller ID.

It was Maruo. The man never called unless it was really important. And important usually meant problematic when it came to him.

Naruto still answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Uzumaki-kun. I hope I'm not disturbing your sleep."

"Not at all, sir. I'm actually getting ready to go to work."

"Wonderful news. An early morning is key to success."

Naruto disagreed, but he wasn't going to argue. His reasons for disliking early mornings were the definition of childish, after all.

"I must still apologize for calling you so early, but this could not wait."

Of course it couldn't.

"Is there a problem?"

"You could say that. I got a call yesterday informing me that Nino wasn't at school. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

Of all the things he could have asked.

'Dammit, Nino.'

Things might have been smoothed over, but her careless attitude was still biting him in the ass.

"Y-Yeah, there was a slight problem." Naruto tried to chuckle it off, but he knew it wasn't going to work. "It's nothing major. In fact, everything is good now! I'm positive she'll be in class today."

There was silence. Naruto had no idea if that was good for him or not. You could never get a good read on this man. It was kind of scary really. He might be used to it now, but it still unnerved him sometimes.

Maruo finally spoke again.

"I see. I hope this doesn't affect her performance too much."

Yeah, hopefully.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about there. Nino will be taking her studies very seriously."

A total lie. Naruto knew Nino probably wasn't going to make things easier for Fuutarou. He was going to have to do something about that too.

"That does put my mind at ease. Should I assume the new tutor did a good job as well?"

Something like that, yeah.

"He's very eager to help them."

That's all Naruto could say without lying through his teeth.

"Hmm. I understand. Then I'll leave it to you. However, the next time there is a problem, I hope you consult me. I don't want to be in the dark about these things, you know?"

Then maybe you should come to see your daughters once in a while?

That's what Naruto wanted to say anyway, but he held his tongue. If only out of respect for everything the man had done for the quintuplets. Even so, it was a touchy subject for him. It had been for many years now. Somehow, Naruto hadn't exploded yet.

So maybe he was a bit more mature now.

"Sure, I can do that. But I don't think you'll have to worry about anything like this happening again."

Again, hopefully.

"I see. I will take your word for it."

That should have been the end of the conversation. Under normal circumstances that is. However, certain things had changed.

"There is actually something I need to talk to you about."

Naruto hadn't planned on bringing this up to the man. At least, not yet. But this was as good a time as any.

"Oh?" He definitely sounded surprised. "Is there something the matter, Uzumaki-kun? If it's about money, then-"

"No, nothing like that." Naruto felt a little insulted. His finances were good thank you very much. But he put that aside. Now wasn't the time for childish reactions like that.

Not that the actual topic was any better. But it needed to be done.

There really wasn't a "good" way to bring this up, so Naruto decided to just come out with it and say it.

"I'm interested in dating one of your daughters."

There was a certain celebratory mood in the Nakano apartment that morning. Unlike the previous day, the five sisters were all on good terms with one another. There was no heavy talk, no fighting, and no running away. It was just their usual breakfast and lighthearted conversation.

As usual, Nino had cooked for them. There were times they took turns of course, but Nino wanted to be the one to do it today. It was probably her way of trying to say "I'm sorry" for her recent actions. Not that anyone was complaining. Nino was the best cook among them, after all.

Still, they could see that Nino was in a very happy mood. Even when compared to Ichika.

"Something good happened, huh." It was Miku taking a guess. She was the only one who had missed last night's proceedings, after all. Even Yotsuba had played a role.

Nino smiled. "You could say that."

She still vividly remembered the kiss on the cheek from last night. It wasn't the same as a kiss on the lips, but it was definitely major progress! The reaction she got from Naruto had only made it that much sweeter for her.

Ichika felt like pouting for some reason.

"Who cares about the details!?" Yotsuba raised her fork. "We're all together again! That's all that matters!"

Itsuki agreed. "Yes. Hopefully something like that doesn't happen again."

They all agreed on that. Even if it had only been for a day, it had been painful to be separated from one another.

"We can start focusing on our studies again!" Yotsuba cheered. "Ichika and Nino were missing yesterday, but today we're going full throttle!"

Nino almost blanched. "Ugh, I forgot about that."

That new tutor was going to be coming back today. That really soured her mood.

Miku was thinking along the same lines. "He didn't look like he was going to quit."

"Come on, you guys!" Yotsuba pouted at them. "He's not a bad guy! He definitely means well. We should at least give him a chance, right?"

"Eh, what's this?" Nino gave her a bored glance. "You taken a liking to him or something? Got a crush?"

Yotsuba's face turned redder than a tomato. "O-Of course not! How could you even say something like that!?"

"It was just a joke, jeez. Don't take it so seriously."

Maybe, but Yotsuba's rapidly beating heart didn't take it that way.

"Well, I'm sort of a lost cause." Despite her words, Ichika didn't seem worried in the slightest. "I don't think it'll make a difference if I show up or not."

Itsuki huffed. "He's a total stuck up know-it-all. I don't need his help to pass."

Miku didn't say anything, but it was obvious that she was agreeing with the two.

Nino had to raise an eyebrow at their reactions. This was sort of unexpected for her. She didn't think the others would take such a dislike toward the new guy. She was a bit curious to know why they were acting so negatively, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Only Yotsuba looked gloomy by their words. "Don't say that. What's the harm in at least trying to get along?"

"I just don't think he'd be able to help me," Ichika said, looking apologetic. "I don't want to waste my energy on something useless."

It was a bit harsh, toward Fuutarou and herself. But Ichika meant it. She was sure she would get nowhere. That's why she'd rather focus her energy on building her career. She was sure that was the responsible thing to do.

Yotsuba couldn't accept that, but she knew she wasn't going to convince them otherwise. That's why, in a rare moment of brilliance, she thought of another way to get them to understand.

"You might not like it, but I'm sure Naruto-sensei will make you stay whether you like it or not."

Realization dawned on the other four.

Miku looked away with a scowl. "That guy."

She couldn't force her way around him. No way. He was far too strong for that.

"Yikes." Ichika smiled weakly. "I had forgotten about that."

Itsuki looked down at her lap, her face full on pout mode. "It's not fair. Even if we try to escape, I'm sure he'd just find us and drag us over here."

Nino was living proof of that.

Speaking of said girl, she was staring down at her plate with the same kind of annoyance as Itsuki. She knew Yotsuba was right on the money with this. Naruto was definitely going to make sure they participated in these tutoring sessions. He was annoying like that.

'I really shouldn't put too much thought into that anyhow.'

Yeah, Nino knew she had to stay positive here. She had made more progress than just a kiss on the cheek.

She had a date to look forward to. So many possibilities started running in her head, making her giddy again.

The other four sweatdropped when they saw Nino start to giggle to herself. She had been doing a lot this morning. It was almost creepy.

No, wait. It was definitely creepy.

"Disgusting." Miku's face was full of disdain. Why shouldn't it be? Romance was so stupid.

Nino snapped out of her fantasies before looking at Miku with annoyance.

"Oh, shut up. I'm allowed to dream."

"About what? How you're going to fail?"

"Like you have any room to speak." Nino scoffed. "And for your information, I was thinking about the date I have with Naruto."

Ichika almost fell to the floor in a coughing fit.

"Y-Your what-!?"

Itsuki sighed and looked away. She just knew Nino wasn't going to be able to keep her mouth shut about that.

Nino shot Ichika a smirk. "Yeah, that's right. I asked Naruto out on a date, and he said yes."

That wasn't exactly how it had gone down, but Nino didn't mind bending the truth a little. It was childish, she knew, but anything to make Ichika flustered.

"I-Is that so?" Ichika did her best to smile. "Funny thing. I asked him out on a date too, and he said yes."

You could just hear the pin dropping in the room.

'T-They're going to fight, aren't they?' Yotsuba thought with sweating bullets. And just when things were going so well this morning.

It took Nino a couple of seconds, but she was able to regain her composure. It was obvious she wasn't happy, though.

"I…..see. I didn't think you would do that."

"I thought I was pretty clear before." It was Ichika's turn to be a little foxy now. "I'm serious about this."

Just like Nino, Ichika was bending the truth here. She hadn't been totally honest with Naruto last night, but she wasn't going to share that. Catching Nino off guard was more than a reward for her.

"W-Well, it's not like he's dating either of you yet, so I don't think there's anything wrong with that…..." Itsuki trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

"T-That's right!" Yotsuba chimed in. "I'm sure Naruto-sensei is just doing this to make sure he understands his feelings better!"

But Nino and Ichika already knew this. They didn't need Yotsuba telling them something like that for them to understand. And most of all, it was as Itsuki said. Neither of them was officially dating Naruto at the moment. Getting frustrated over something like this…...it didn't make sense, but it's how they were feeling right now.

It was like whatever progress they made was suddenly thrown out the window.

Miku sighed. Romance was totally stupid alright. She still chimed in.

"I don't think you two fighting between yourselves is going to fix anything. In the end, it's Naruto's decision, right? Heck, he might not even choose either of you."

Miku's words stabbed right through both of the girls, whose shoulders dropped in total dejection.

"T-That's right," Nino muttered. She hadn't thought of that possibility, but Miku was right on the money. Naruto hadn't answered their confessions yet. He could still totally reject them.

Ichika puffed out her cheeks. "You're so cruel, Miku."

She didn't need to hear something like that!

Miku just shrugged. "Hey, I'm just trying to stop another fight from breaking out. Besides, do you really think you're the only girls interested in him?"

Her words made them freeze up. Even Itsuki and Yotsuba looked at Miku with wide eyes.

Nino didn't want to make assumptions just yet, though.

"What are you saying, Miku?"

The girl stood up from the table with her plate in hand. "Isn't it obvious? I'm sure Naruto has more people in his life than just us. It wouldn't be strange if there's another girl out there who also likes him. She might even already be planning on snatching him away."

Her explanation didn't make Nino feel better.

Ichika could only gape.

But once again, they had to accept Miku's words as the truth. It was another possibility they hadn't considered, but they had to now.

Nino frowned. 'Another girl….'

'…interested in Naruto-kun….' Ichika bit her lip.

How annoying.

Miku gave them one last glance before walking off to clean her plate.

'Are you sure you're not that girl?'

She ignored that question.

This left the other four sitting at the table with a depressing atmosphere.

Most of all, it left Yotsuba feeling more guilty again. Miku's words only made her realize how problematic she was being. Again. It definitely felt like she was betraying her sisters by just thinking about her feelings. At the same time, she couldn't just come out with something like this either. Especially when Yotsuba didn't fully understand it herself.

'And Uesugi-san…..'

It took all of Yotsuba's willpower to stop herself from yelling out in frustration.

That was how breakfast ended for the quintuplets. Not with a bang, but with a whisper.

"Ah, I feel like I could fly right now!"

Even though business was slow as usual, Naruto couldn't catch a break at all. Not when he had Ken screaming in his ear every couple of seconds.

Asagi was reaching the end of her patience too.

"Shut up already, you perverted oaf! We get it, you're happy! Now move on!"

"I just can't help it~" Ken didn't heed her words and only got more enthusiastic, even to the point of wiggling in place. "I was finally able to clear Ayumi-chan's route last night! It was just as glorious as I imagined it was going to be! She's totally earned a spot in my heart~"

Naruto didn't even need to ask. "You're still wasting your time with those games?"

"It's not a waste of time, you uncultured swine." Ken snapped at him. "I'm sorry that we can't all be like you and have a hot harem waiting at our side."

Why was this still a thing?

"You know, you still haven't spilled the beans about that." Asagi switched her focus to him. "Did someone confess to you or what?"

Seriously?

"Why are you worried about something like that?"

Asagi smirked. "I already heard the whole story. You asked for dating advice. From Ken of all people! I just know there's something going on. And I need to know what that is"

Ken grumbled. "I don't like the way you said that….."

He could give out good advice sometimes!

Naruto let out a sigh. They weren't going to stop bugging him about this, were they? Well, it's not like things were the same as before either. He could be more honest now.

"Yeah. Someone confessed to me."

Two people in fact.

Ken nearly collapsed to the floor, holding his chest like he was having a hear attack.

"So my worst fear has finally come true…..!"

This was your worst fear!? What the hell?

Asagi whistled. "Impressive. I thought Ken might have just been acting paranoid again, but I guess even a broken clock is right sometimes."

She just loved to lay it on him, didn't she?

"But come on, start talking. Who is it?" Asagi leaned in closer. "Is it someone from your gym?"

Pfft, as if. Naruto was sure everyone there was frightened of him. Well, except for his personal trainer of course.

"No. You've met them before. It's Nino and Ichika."

"S-So it's two of them." Ken slumped over, like a man without the will to live. "I was always joking when I said you had a harem. You didn't have to go and make it true. Are you trying to destroy my very existence?"

Amusing, but no.

"First of all, I don't have a harem." Just to make that clear. "Secondly, I'm not dating both of them." Wasn't that illegal? "I'm not even dating one of them."

That made Asagi and Ken look at one another in confusion.

"You're not?" Asagi didn't understand. "So you rejected them?"

"No. I…." Naruto scratched his cheek. "I'm sort of unsure about what to do still. I've known them for a long time, but I never actually saw them in that light. But recently, that's started to change. I'm positive there is something there. But I don't know what that is. Or who to choose."

Asagi had to smile. "So you're taking this seriously. I'm impressed."

She never would have imagined that she would see Naruto acting like this. Before, he was always against the whole idea of even thinking about dating.

'Looks like you've changed, huh.'

Asagi wondered what had happened to change his mind, but she wasn't going to push the issue. She knew Naruto was sensitive about certain topics. This just happened to be one of them.

"H'mph, you better take this seriously." Ken's whole demeanor changed from before. He was no longer depressed, but….content? "You remember what Hayato-san said, right? The emotions of others aren't to be messed with."

"I'm aware." A customer walked in, which Naruto turned to greet. But not before giving his friends some parting words. "That's why I'm going on a date with them."

Ken looked ready to murder someone.

"YOU SON OF A-!"

Asagi dragged him to the back of the store before he could finish, all the while shaking her head.

Naruto just chuckled to himself.

It was always fun to crush his friend's spirit.

Itsuki was ready to set the world on fire. Overreacting you say? Totally not! Not in these annoying circumstances.

"I'm just saying, you looked totally unsure on today's quiz. I'm guessing you didn't do well, right?"

Itsuki felt her hands twitching. If she had a weapon right now…..

"If you only told me what subjects you were bad at, I could have drafted a-"

"Why are you following me!?"

Itsuki's outburst made Fuutarou freeze, but only for a moment. He then deadpanned.

"What do you mean? We're going to the same place, right? So why shouldn't we walk together?"

The two were out of school already and were heading to the apartment so their tutoring session could begin. It was logical, perfectly so. That didn't stop Itsuki from fuming, though.

She was already at her wit's end from having Fuutarou approach her all day at school. It was always the same. He was always asking her about her grades and what subjects she needed help with. To say that she was flunking just about every subject was too embarrassing to admit, so Itsuki ignored him.

Or tried to. But the boy didn't seem to get the hint and still pestered her. Or maybe he did, and he was just being stubborn like her.

Itsuki didn't care. Either way, he was annoying and she didn't want to deal with him anymore.

Fuutarou still pressed on. "Look, we can put the past in the past, right? Helping you out is more important now. So stop being so whiny."

Whiny? She was being whiny!?

If looks could kill, Fuutarou would be a puddle on the side of the road from the way Itsuki was glaring at him.

"I really hate you."

Fuutarou nearly scowled. Damn his lack of social skills. They were really failing him right now. Just how the hell was he supposed to win this girl over anyway?

Itsuki simply kept on walking. Fuutarou made sure to follow. But the distance between the two of them was obvious. This still didn't deter him, though.

"The rest of your sisters are going to be there today, right?'

Naruto had promised him to get them all to come, but Fuutarou wasn't overly confident. Not after witnessing the emotional shit storm that took place yesterday.

"How should I know? Don't talk to me."

It was Fuutarou who glared at Itsuki now.

'Damn this girl….'

She wasn't going to make this easier on him. Not at all.

The pair didn't exchange any more words, which suited Itsuki just fine. They arrived at the apartment complex a few minutes later. Itsuki was almost compelled to just lock Fuutarou out of the building, but she knew she couldn't do that.

Naruto was going to be here, after all.

The two rode the elevator to the appropriate floor. There was more silence. It was unbearable for Fuutarou, but talking to her wasn't going to help him right now. He had to bide his time.

They were soon at the door to the apartment. They stepped inside.

Fuutarou was honestly expecting the worst, but he felt like he had hit the lottery when he saw Ichika, Miku, and Yotsuba already waiting for them in the living room.

'T-They're here!'

Even the one that had been missing before!

But wait, there were supposed to be five of them. So where's the fifth one?

'Did he fail?'

That's what Fuutarou was assuming, but Lady Luck smiled twice on him that day when Naruto and Nino emerged from the kitchen together.

'Hallelujah!'

If Fuutarou was a lesser man, he would be hugging Naruto right about now.

"Yo, you're finally here." Naruto greeted him warmly while Nino was already giving him the stink eye.

Fuutarou's eye twitched.

'S-She doesn't like me?'

Already!? How the hell had that happened!?

"We're all accounted for, Uesugi-san!" Yotsuba saluted him, her face brimming with excitement. "Naruto-sensei got everyone like he said he would."

And Fuutarou couldn't be more thankful.

"We were totally forced to be here, though," Miku said with puffy cheeks. "I tried to lock the door to my room, but…."

Naruto's face was cheerful like Yotsuba's.

"A lock isn't going to stop me, Miku~"

Miku could only pout.

"T'ch, that's what he did to me too," Nino complained as she took her place with the others on the sofa. "So annoying. A lady's privacy is very important, ya know?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Not with this, it isn't."

"Stingy."

Whatever.

"Anyway, I brought them to you like I said. It's your turn to teach them." Naruto slapped Fuutarou in the back. It was meant to be reassuring, but the boy was left gasping for air.

"J-Just how strong are you, you gorilla!?"

"Ahahaha, my bad!"

Stop smiling, you blond idiot!

Nino smirked. "What a weakling. Can't even handle one slap, huh?"

Fuutarou already knew he wasn't going to get along with her.

Naruto looked at Nino, his eyes narrowing. "Play nice. Remember. I'm watching."

Nino just huffed. He didn't have to make it sound like she was going to kill the guy.

"Well, we're all here. We might as well do something, right?" Ichika tried to play it nice. Mostly because there really wasn't any other option.

"I'm sure he can't do anything anyway." Itsuki crossed her arms, still angry that she had to be here. "He's in the same year as us, after all."

'Yeah, just keep talking.'

Fuutarou wasn't going to dwell on her attitude right now.

"First things first. Yotsuba! Did you finish the packet I gave you?"

"A-Ah….." Said girl blushed a little. "A-About that…."

What now!?

"I was going to finish it last night, I swear! But I accidentally fell asleep instead! And today during lunch, the girl's track team needed my help with some stuff. S-So I wasn't able to finish it then either….."

This girl…..

Fuutarou forced himself to not snap at her. Remember, he had to be nice here.

"Then what did you finish?"

Yotsuba dug out the packet from her bag before handing it over to Fuutarou.

The boy was quick to scan through the packet. It was halfway done, so it wasn't as bad as he'd thought.

However…..

"Just about every answer is wrong!?"

What the hell was this!? How much of an idiot was this girl!?

Yotsuba looked sheepish. "Ahahaha, yeah….."

There was nothing else to say about that.

Fuutarou held his head. Things had only just started, and he was already feeling exhausted.

"H'mph, Yotsuba is a special case." Nino gave Fuutarou a cold stare. "I'll just be upfront with you. We don't need a tutor. You have no reason to be here. The only reason we're here is because Naruto is forcing us."

From where he stood, Naruto frowned. He didn't say anything, though.

Fuutarou met her cold stare dead on. "Oh yeah? Yotsuba's poor performance says otherwise. And just today, I'm sure Itsuki failed-"

"D-Don't bring that up!" Itsuki cut him off with an embarrassed blush. "We didn't get our scores back yet, so there's no guarantee that I failed!"

"But you're not confident, right?"

"T-That has nothing to do with this!"

"It's got everything to do with it!" Fuutarou set his backpack down. He then rummaged through it before he found what he was looking for. "But alright. I had a feeling you wouldn't want to listen, so why don't you prove it to me instead?"

"Prove it?" Itsuki frowned and got her blush under control. "What do you mean?"

Smirking, Fuutarou presented them with different papers. "I made these last night. It's a test I based on our current lessons. To anyone who passes it, I promise to never talk to you again."

His proclamation got their attention right away.

"Seriously!?" It was Nino who was the most excited about this. "You mean it!?"

"Of course." Fuutarou looked at them. "I am not one to waste my time. I'll only deal with those that really need help."

His job was only to make sure they all passed. If he focused on the ones that were struggling the most, then his job would be that much easier! He already suspected Yotsuba wouldn't pass it, but the others were fair game.

"I'm a little surprised by this," Ichika said with a smile. "You're more daring than I thought."

At least someone complimented him.

Miku looked at Fuutarou. "What's a passing score?"

"Make it a fifty."

His answer made Itsuki frown. "You're really underestimating us, aren't you?"

Naruto silently shook his head. 'He really isn't.'

He could already see what Fuutarou was trying to do, and sadly it was going to blow up in his face.

'I guess he doesn't know yet, huh.'

All five of them were flunking.

Regardless, this was an interesting challenge and they all seemed eager to accept.

"H'mph, fine then." Nino grabbed one of the tests. "I don't want to do this, but if it means I never have to see you again then so be it."

It was harsh, but Fuutarou didn't care.

"That's right. Show me what you can do."

"We might as well." Ichika followed next, with Miku grabbing a copy as well.

Yotsuba tried to remain enthusiastic. "Yeah, let's do this!"

It was Itsuki who was left glaring at Fuutarou. "Alright, I accept your challenge." She took out her glasses from her bag and put them on. "I'll make sure you regret underestimating me."

Powerful words, but Naruto knew she wouldn't be able to back them up.

It seemed like they were the ones who were going to lose this face-off, but in reality it was Fuutarou who set himself up for failure.

After all, he had five girls to teach, four of which wanted nothing to do with him.

As they say, this was going to be an uphill battle.

And Naruto was going to enjoy it.

A mixture of canon with non-canon. How fun.

Sorry for the long absence. Stuff happens, but I ain't dead yet.

When I said I was planning on starting Fuutarou's romance, I didn't mean I was going to focus on it. Some stuff will remain the same as canon, and in those moments I'll just leave it at that and won't focus on it. I don't want to rehash the manga/anime. Not unless I have to.

But yeah, two dates incoming. I wonder how those will go. Will they get steamy?

...I hope so.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Till next time.