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Chapter 6
The Final Calm Before the Storm
Friday was the day of Yotsuba's big date with Fuutarou.
Having decided to go to a theme park together Fuutarou was to pick her up after he returned home to change. After they separated Nino suddenly announced that she wanted to do some shopping at the mall. Ichika knew the real reason why and told Itsuki to go with her.
Nino simply didn't want to be there when Fuutarou arrived. Whether it was because she didn't want to face him or because she was afraid she would do something foolish was uncertain. Either way, it was clear that she didn't want to ruin Yotsuba's special day. It only made Yotsuba feel worse than before, but she had to stay positive for Ueusgi-san.
"I noticed Fuutarou was at your side after the incident with Miku happened," Itsuki said to Nino as they strolled through the mall, "Did he say anything to you?"
"No," she bluntly replied, "He just asked me how I was before taking me over to the nurse's office."
Nino's arm had sustained some light bruises and her movement was somewhat limited, but it didn't appear to bother her in the slightest.
"He wasn't even upset?"
"He was, just not as upset as Takeda."
Itsuki inwardly sighed. She had hoped that Uesugi-kun would show some concern for Nino's well being, but it appeared he had remained indifferent as always. She then thought back to the conversation she and the others had about Nino.
It was strangely quiet around the dinner table.
Before Fuutarou had made his choice, before he had even entered their lives, they were lively at dinner time. They would go over how their day went, make jokes, tease each other, and when Fuutarou became their tutor they would always talk about him
Now, the atmosphere had completely changed. There was hardly any conversation between them. It felt as though their home had become a graveyard.
The most noticeable change was Nino. She was usually the most lively one at the dinner table. Now she barely spoke a word. She hadn't lost her appetite, but her cooking hadn't been the same since that night. At times it felt like she was forcing herself to do her usual tasks. She was even eating her food a lot quicker than usual, as though she was impatient and wanted to finish first. In fact, it had been like that for the past week.
"I'm going to turn in early guys," she said, taking her plate over to the sink. Just like before
Everyone watched her quietly. Nino was never the first one to go to bed. She was always the last.
Itsuki and Ichika glanced at each other, faces grim. Nothing was said as Nino placed her plate inside the dish washing machine.
"Just rinse your plates and put them in there," she said without looking at them, "I'll see you in the morning."
She went straight to her room. The rest sat in silence and waited until the door clicked shut before they looked at each other, all bearing the same expression.
"Is it me or does Nino seem like she's trying to avoid us?" asked Miku, keeping her voice low.
"No," Ichika shook her head, "It's not just you," she glanced over at Yotsuba before standing, "Let's put our dishes away and clean up. Then let's do some studying to pass the time."
The big sister side of Ichika had come out and no one argued. They took their time rinsing their plates and putting them in the dishwasher before spending the next hour going through Fuutarou's worksheets for the day. After they were finished Miku went upstairs to put her book back in her room while the others put their stuff away and waited on the couches for her to return.
"Her door's locked and her light isn't on," she whispered, "I think she's asleep."
"Let's keep our voices low anyway," Ichika waited for everyone to settle down before looking at them all, her eyes serious, "Guys, I'm really starting to worry about Nino. Ever since that night she just hasn't been herself it feels like it's just getting worse," she turned to Itsuki, "Did you speak with Fuutarou today?"
"I did," Itsuki nodded.
"And?"
"He's at a complete loss. He has no idea why Nino is acting like this. He himself looked really confused."
Itsuki went on to explain what had happened between Fuutarou and Nino during the winter camping trip.
"I remember," said Yotsuba, "Our time out there had ended and he wanted to make sure you guys were safe."
"He found Nino all alone and when she nearly ran off a cliff he saved her," Itsuki further explained, "Then she saved him when he nearly fell off himself."
"Oh, really?" the others were surprised.
She then explained how Nino had mistaken him for someone else and how it led to the events at Nino's apartment.
"So that's what happened," Ichika went into deep thought.
"What about you?" Itsuki asked her, "What did you learn from Nino?"
"Plenty," Ichika paused for a moment, "She told me that sometime after you and Nino had that fallout and she left to live by herself she found Fuutarou-kun outside her apartment building one day, drenched because he had fallen into the lake and looking completely lost."
Both Yotsuba and Itsuki blinked, remembering that time when "Rena" first appeared.
"Nino took him to her apartment and as he was cleaning himself up they started talking," Ichika went on to explain, "He told her that he had encountered someone he thought he would never see again see and was now gone forever."
"That was me," Itsuki confessed, taking Yotsuba by surprise.
Ichika stared at her, "Pardon?"
Itsuki explained the whole thing. When she was finished Ichika looked at them both in disgust.
"Oh, my God," she groaned before glaring at Yotsuba, "What else have you been keeping from us? First you lie to us about your relationship with Fuutarou-kun and now you tell me that you had Itsuki to do you a favor because you were too scared to do it yourself? What is it with you, Yotsuba? This is the very reason why Nino resents you right now!"
"Please," said Itsuki, "It's wasn't her fault."
"Of course it's her fault! Why didn't you ever talk to us, Yotsuba?" she then glared at the youngest quint, "Why didn't you tell us, Itsuki?"
"I promised her that I wouldn't."
"We're sisters! We shouldn't keep secrets from each other! Weren't you the one who told us that?" suddenly her eyes narrowed, "Just whose side are you on anyway?"
"No one's," Itsuki vehemently shot back.
Both Miku and Yotsuba sat there stunned. Ichika and Itsuki had never gotten into a heated argument before.
"Yotsuba approached me because I was the only one she could trust," Itsuki explained.
Ichika snorted, "You mean the only one who would help her without question."
"Yotsuba had her reasons!"
"Those reasons were completely selfish, Itsuki! Surely you must have known that! You should have told her that she needed to confront Fuutarou-kun herself. Not do it for her!"
"Yotsuba would've just run away if I had done that."
"So do it again! And again! Until she finally listens. How do you expect her to overcome her problems if you don't make her face them?"
"You don't know what her problems are."
"How could we, when you kept it a secret all this time?"
"If she had approached you, especially you, you would've taken advantage of her. Just like you did with Miku."
Both Miku and Yotsuba gasped and Ichika stiffened.
"You really think I would have been dumb enough to make the same mistake twice?" she was clearly outraged by Itsuki's accusation.
"You've always been the most selfish of us, Ichika," Itsuki shot back before pointing to Yotsuba, "I only did it to help Yotsuba. Mama would have done the same thing."
"Oooh," Ichika slowly shook her head and wagged her finger, "I seriously doubt that."
The tension was near the breaking point. Both Miku and Yotsuba could see that if they didn't do something to defuse the situation it was going to escalate into a fight.
"I know you were the closest to her, Itsuki," she went on, "but I think you're trying way too hard to be like her."
Itsuki looked back at her with blazing eyes.
"I've watched you over the years. Everyday you try to act like her, dress like her, and you want to follow exactly in her footsteps by becoming a teacher like she did. I'm personally not against it but you know what? I'm not sure how she would have felt about you wanting to be exactly like her. She became a teacher because she had to. For our sake. Why do you want to become a teacher? So you can exactly like her? Is that really your dream? Or is it just a selfish desire?"
Itsuki's hands started to form into fists.
Ichika then pointed to Yotsuba, "You're treating her like she's your daughter. She isn't! Yotsuba is your sister, Itsuki. Our sister. You decided to help her without ever consulting us, going as far as keeping her secret when you should have told us right away. So I will ask again. Whose side are you on?" then her eyes widened, "Or is it because you were jealous of Nino because she's been the real mother of the family and not you? Is that why you did it? To one up her?"
Itsuki shot to her feet, face red with anger.
"How dare you! That is not true and you know it!"
She started to approach Ichika and the other two quints jumped to their feet, holding out their arms in an effort to keep them separated.
"Stop it, you two!" Yotsuba begged, "Stop it! This isn't helping!"
"Yes, please! Stop!" cried Miku, "We're here to talk about Nino, not to fight among ourselves. Don't forget that she's just upstairs."
All four looked up at Nino's bedroom door. A minute passed, but there was no indication that Nino had heard them.
Together they let out a breath.
"Let's settle down, okay?" Miku waited until the rest sat back down before saying, "Look, I'm not trying to take sides here, but Ichika's right. You shouldn't have kept it a secret, Yotsuba. I really don't understand why you had to."
Yotsuba swallowed nervously, "Because... Because I wanted to give you guys a fair chance. I didn't want to take advantage of the fact that I knew from before."
She saw Ichika watching her and fought to keep herself from cringing. Obviously she didn't believe her.
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore since Fuutarou-kun chose you in the end," Ichika leaned back on the couch and gave a huge sigh, a hand over her eyes, "I'm sure you already know this but Nino really resents right now, and for good reason. She went out of her way to help when you really needed it, and you betrayed her."
"I know," Yotsuba swallowed again, "I know."
"I just hope it was all worth it, Yotsuba. Nino will support you, as will the rest of us, but she's never going to look at you the same way again," Ichika looked at the youngest quint, "Same goes for you, Itsuki. You better hope that their relationship works out, because if it doesn't and Yotsuba ends up taking it badly you're going to be partly responsible."
Itsuki sent a defiant glare at her but said nothing.
Then Yotsuba spoke, "Guys, there's something I need to ask you about," she waited until she had their attention, "Nino told me that I wasn't the only reason why we transferred. Do you know what she was talking about?"
All three sisters all gaped at her, completely forgetting about the argument they just had.
"Wait... you didn't know?" Itsuki was stunned.
"No... she didn't," Miku placed a hand on her head and moaned, "We never did tell Yotsuba the other reason why we transferred. Remember? Nino told us not to."
"The other reason?" Yotsuba was confused, "What other reason?"
Ichika sighed and said, "Two weeks before we came to your rescue, Nino got caught up in something really bad at school."
When she was finished Yotsuba was horrified by what she had just heard and jumped to her feet, "Why didn't you say anything to me?! I could have put a stop to it!"
"She wouldn't let us get involved," said Miku, "and she didn't want to cause any problems for you. She felt that she should deal with the matter herself. You know how stubborn she can be."
"She really tried but..." Itsuki shook her head, "In the end she just couldn't take it anymore."
Yotsuba sat back down and hung her head, "My God. If only I'd known..."
She now understood why Nino was so angry. She really had robbed her sister of what was probably her best chance of finally getting the one thing she wanted. A chance to find true love. She remembered what Takebayashi had told her before. She really could have pushed Nino to the edge.
"There's something I need to tell you," she hesitated before admitting, "I actually lied to you earlier about why I came home. The truth is, on my way back home I ran into Ueusgi-san's old friend. The one who came to see him at the festival."
"You mean the one with the hair clip?" asked Itsuki.
"His old friend?" Ichika was confused.
"You weren't there when she came by," Yotsuba explained, "Her name is Chihori Takebayashi. She's known Uesugi-san since they were little. We were having ice cream together and I told her that Uesugi-san had asked me out."
She went on to explain what Chihori's reaction had been after she was told how it happened.
"She was concerned and upset? With Uesugi-kun?" repeated a surprised Itsuki, "Why?"
"Apparently there's a lot more about him that we don't know about, according to her. I mean, have you noticed throughout this whole time that Uesugi-san had never talked about his past even once?"
Her sisters blinked as they thought back.
"No..." Itsuki rubbed her chin, "Now that you mentioned it he hasn't. All he's told us was that he was a bad kid at one time and that his mom was dead."
"What exactly did his friend say?" asked Ichika
Taking a deep breath Yotsuba told them about the other girl from Fuutarou's past. When she finished her sisters had all gone pale.
"I... I don't believe it," Itsuki shook her head several times, as though she couldn't accept it, "Uesugi-kun... really did that? That's... that's disgusting!"
"I can't believe it either," said Miku, "There's no way he would do something like that!"
"I find it hard to believe too," Ichika looked at Yotsuba, "Are you sure that girl wasn't lying? It almost sounds like she has a personal grudge against him."
"That's what I thought too," she replied, "but no matter how many times I think about it I don't think she was. It was hard to doubt her too because... well, think about it. What do we really know about Uesugi-san? His friend has known him far longer than we have. Who would know him better besides his own family? And when you consider how he always acts around us it falls right in line with what she said. Not once has he ever openly shared what his feelings are when it comes to us. Not once have we ever asked him. In fact... when he confessed to me that night... he never said that he loved me."
Her sisters blinked, "He didn't?"
She shook her head, "He just asked me how I felt about him and then thanked me for always being by his side."
One by one the four quints started to realize that they really didn't know anything about their tutor.
"Well..." Itsuki hesitated, "If what that girl says is true, then what do we do about it? Do we ask him ourselves?"
"No," Yotsuba said firmly, "I will ask him myself."
Everyone looked at her, surprised by her commitment.
"I'm the reason why Nino is like this now," she explained, "This is something I have to do. I have to find out for myself without any of you interfering. Since I'll be going on a date with him soon I'll ask him when we're alone. I'll ask him how he really feels. About me. About all of us."
Nino and Itsuki spent the next few hours they going from shop to shop. Itsuki wasn't interested in buying anything. She was basically just tagging along while paying close attention to Nino's behavior.
As for Nino it was obvious that she was only passing the time for as long as possible. She kept taking her time going over item after item, even looking at things she never had an interest in. It was frustrating to see her acting like this. Itsuki wanted to have a personal talk with her, but what could she say? There was really nothing to talk about. All they could do now was to wait and see what would happen next. She wondered how Nino would have react if she had heard the story about Uesugi-kun's past.
At some point Itsuki's phone beeped.
"Ichika just texted me," she announced, "They just left for their date."
She saw Nino go still for an instant.
"Good," she kept moving on, keeping her back turned, "I hope they have a good time."
Itsuki could hear the torn emotions in her voice. She quickly changed the subject, "She also asked if we could bring dinner home, give you a little break tonight."
"That's fine," Nino hesitated before saying, "Itsuki, can we sit down for a moment? There's something I want to tell you."
She now had Itsuki's full attention and she followed her to a nearby bench. They sat still for a few minutes, Nino gazing unseeingly into the distance. Then she spoke.
"I'm going to announce this to the rest later but I want you to be the first to know. After we graduate, I'm going to move. Far away from here."
Itsuki's jaw dropped. This was not what she expected to hear.
"Why?"
"Because I can't stay here anymore."
She opened her mouth to protest when Nino raised her hand.
"I know what you're going to say. I'm being childish, and I probably am, but I fear that if I stay here any longer I'll only end up causing trouble. Not just for them, but for all of you."
Itsuki was confused, "Why do you think that?"
Nino lowered her head and sighed deeply, "Because every time I look at Yotsuba I'll always have this deep resentment towards her for what she did to me, and every time I see them together I'll keep wishing that it was me being by his side and not her. I know I'm acting very selfish, but I can't help it. That's how much Yotsuba's betrayal hurt me. I went out of my way to help her, and that's how she thanked me. Taking the one thing I only ever wanted. I'll never be able to see her the same way again."
Itsuki felt her heart stop. This was exactly what Ichika had predicted. She was seeing it for herself. Yotsuba's betrayal had hurt her that badly. What was worse, she had virtually done the same. Again she wanted to say something, but what. They would soon be going their separate ways. She had to respect her Nino's decision even if she didn't agree with it.
Realizing this she swallowed and said, "If that's how you really feel, Nino, then... I won't stop you. However, Uesugi-kun is not going to be happy about it."
She only shrugged, "He won't be responsible for us anymore once we graduate. Whatever we do from there will be none of his business."
Silence passed between them.
"Well, at the very least, can you at least reconsider? Please?" Itsuki gently begged.
"I'll try, but my mind is already made up."
"Alright," Itsuki checked the time, "We should head back soon."
She was now secretly glad Nino hadn't heard the story from Uesugi-kun's past. If she had... it would have devastated her. However, Itsuki was afraid of what would happen when Nino finally did learn of it.
Fuutarou arrived right on time. Ichika let him through and he found her waiting at the door.
"You still wearing the same clothes?" she frowned in disapproval, "Come on, man. This is a special day for you and Yotsuba. At least wear something nice for a change."
Fuutarou only shrugged, "I don't see the point in dressing up for something like this."
Ichika let out an exasperated sigh, "You just don't get it, do you? A date is a very special thing for a couple and you want to make a good impression," she then noticed that he was carrying a gift package in his arm, "What's that? A gift for Yotsuba?"
"Actually... no," Fuutarou explained where the package had really come from.
"Really? That's unexpected," Ichika gestured for him to follow her, "Come on in, Fuutarou-kun. Miku's just right here."
Miku was lounging on the couch reading a book with her injured ankle propped up on a couple of pillows. Yotsuba, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. Neither, he noticed, were Nino and Itsuki.
"They went to the mall to do some shopping," Ichika explained when he asked before pointing upstairs, "Yotsuba should be about ready. I'll go check on her."
He simply nodded and she went upstairs.
So Nino isn't here, he thought, I thought she would at least want to thank me for helping her out yesterday.
Even after that incident Nino had spoken very little to him during their study session. It was getting really frustrating that he still couldn't get through to her. It was as if they had gone back to the time when they first met. Putting Nino aside from his thoughts, he turned to Miku.
"How's your ankle doing?"
"Better," she smiled, "I'm able to walk around a bit today but I still need help going up and down the stairs."
"That's good to hear," as he stepped closer he noticed the title of the book she was reading, "A History of the Takeda-clan?"
"Oh, yeah," she laughed through her blush, "I... I got this at the bookstore the other day. It's really fascinating to read."
"Hmm. Well, speaking of Takeda," Fuutarou handed her the package, "This is for you. From Takeda."
She stared in surprise, "From... Takeda-san?"
"Yeah," Fuutarou gestured downstairs, "I found him standing at the entrance when I arrived. He was pacing back and forth and mumbling to himself. When I asked what he doing here he said that he wanted to give this to you but felt that it would be rude to show up unannounced. He asked me to deliver it to you instead and ran off before I could say anything."
"Oh," Miku blinked several times, "I-I see."
"Hey, Uesugi-san!" The fourth quint came barreling down the stairs, dressed in her usual overalls and sneakers, "You ready to go?"
"Yep."
"Okay, Fuutarou-kun," Ichika ordered, "Be sure to have Yotsuba home by eight. If she ain't back by eight-o-one we'll be coming after you."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Fuutarou rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, I'll have her home in time. Take care, Miku."
"Have fun, you guys," she waved.
Ichika watched them go with a grin on her face, but when the door clicked shut she turned to Miku with a serious expression.
"You think she'll be able to do what she said?" she asked.
"If what she told us the other night is true, she'll have to," Miku shivered, "I just hope it isn't. I don't want to believe that Fuutarou could be someone like that."
"Same here," Ichika sent a quick text to Itsuki before sitting down on the couch next to Miku's feet, "So, did he tell where that package came from?"
"Oh, yeah. He did," Miku hesitated.
"Well, don't keep me in suspense," Ichika insisted, "Open it."
Knowing that her sister wouldn't let her be until she did Miku slid off the ribbon and lifted the lid.
"There's a card here," she lifted it up from the bubble wrap protecting the gift inside.
"Well? What does it say?"
With nervous fingers she opened it.
"To Miku-san," she read aloud, "I'm sorry if this seems out of the blue, but I feel responsible for what happened yesterday so I wanted to give you this. You can keep it if you like or you can give it back later. Hope you're doing well. Yusuke."
Now openly curious she removed the bubble wrap... and her breath caught. Inside was a pair of headphones exactly like the one she once owned but were bright red in color. With trembling fingers she lifted it right out of the box.
"Wow," Ichika was impressed, "That was very nice of him."
"Y-Yeah," she moved the headphones around and when she saw the symbol decorating the earmuffs she almost burst out laughing.
"Hey," Ichika observed, "It even has the same symbol as the wallpaper on your phone."
"Yeah, it does," Miku grinned.
What Ichika didn't know was that the symbol was actually the four black diamond crest of the Takeda-clan. It was such an pleasant surprise that Miku couldn't stop grinning. Takeda-san must of had these headphones specially made for him to show his family's pride. He was now letting her have them in exchange for the ones she'd lost.
"You know, Miku," Ichika interrupted her thoughts, "If I didn't know any better, I think Takeda might actually like you."
Her heart skip a beat. Deep down she had suspected the possibility because of how he behaved around her the last two days, but she hadn't wanted to pursue the idea since she was still in love with Fuutarou.
"Did you... really think so?" she asked innocently.
"I would say so. Fuutarou-kun did tell us after all how upset he was when you got hurt. He even carried you all the way to the nurse's office himself."
Miku blushed furiously, "Please don't remind me of that. It was so embarrassing!"
"Aw, come on," Ichika teased, "You should be happy! It not everyday a girl gets to be carried like a princess."
"Oh, stop it, will you?!" Miku turned away, trying to hide a smile that was bubbling on her lips.
"Well, in either case, you might want to ask him sometime about why he keeps doing this for you. First the book and now the headphones."
Miku frowned and lifted her book, "What makes you think he bought this for me?"
"Come on, Miku. I saw the price tag. There's no way you could have bought that by yourself."
"Alright, fine. He did buy it. He's just being generous, that's all."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"Ichika..." Miku sighed, "Let's be serious for a moment. Don't you think it's too soon for me to show interest in another guy when there's still Fuutarou to deal with?"
"But Fuutarou has already rejected you, Miku," Ichika gently reminded her, "You can't keep holding onto him forever, hoping that he'll suddenly change his mind. You'll have to move on at some point. Once we graduate and we may never see most of our classmates ever again. That includes Takeda as well. So if I were you I would talk to him ASAP, otherwise you may end up regretting it later."
It was true, Takeda-san had been unexpectedly kind to her. There had to be a reason for it. She should at least give him a chance to explain himself. However, she wanted to wait until this whole thing with Fuutarou was over before she made any decision regarding Takeda. She looked at the headphones again and smiled once more.
Ichika, meanwhile, got up and went over to the window. She became lost in thought as she stared out into the city. With everything they had just learned about their tutor she couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to turn ugly.
A storm was undoubtedly approaching.
"So, Uesugi-san! What do you want to do first when we get there?"
Fuutarou gave a nonchalant shrug, "Whatever you want, Yotsuba. This is your date after all."
She nearly stopped in her tracks. This was her date? Shouldn't it be their date? Why did he make it sound she was only dragging him along?
The bus arrived at their stop a short time later. The moment they'd settled down in their seats, Fuutarou suddenly asked, "Have you done your study sheet for today?"
"Uh... no. Not yet. I didn't have time to since I had to get ready for the date."
His eyes flashed, "That's unacceptable, Yotsuba. The finals are coming up and I can't have any of you slacking."
"I know, I know," she waved before grinning, "Relax, Uesugi-san. For once let's just forget about studying and have some fun today."
"You really think I can do that when the exam less than a month away?" he let out what sounded like a growl, "I told you this should have waited until school was over. We shouldn't be wasting our time like this."
"It's just one day, Uesugi-san," Yotsuba couldn't believe how irritated she was getting, "You can afford to take a little break."
"If this was just a mock exam, I would agree. But this is the final, the last test we'll ever have in high school. I want to make sure everyone, including myself, pass it."
She had to admire his determination. However...
"Is it really that important, Uesugi-san?" she had to ask.
"Of course it is!" he sounded offended by her question, "If I fail this exam everything that I've worked so hard for will be for nothing. I want pass this final exam with a perfect score! Anything less is unacceptable. It's that important to me, Yotsuba. I have to succeed. I have to be number one."
Yotsuba's jaw dropped. She felt like she was listening to herself from five years ago when she thought the exact same way.
"Do you know what you want to do after high school?" she asked.
"Not yet, but I'll figure something out."
She got the impression someone else had already asked him that question and he didn't want to talk about it.
"Right now I just want to get this over with," he said.
At those words she froze. So this whole thing really was just a waste of time for him? A nuisance? Nothing but an distraction from his precious studies?
She didn't know what to think, then she'd reminded herself that this was still a new thing for him and that she shouldn't judge him too harshly for it. It was the first time she was alone with him without the interference of her sisters.
The rest of the bus went by without further conversation. The silence was awkward.
The most disturbing moment came when they arrived at the amusement park entrance. As expected for a Friday the line was long. As they waited Yotsuba glanced over at her boyfriend and found, what must have the hundredth time, that he was glancing at his flash notes again.
This was really starting to frustrate her. Ever since they got on the bus trip Fuutarou had kept glancing at those notes as if his life depended on them. He spent more time with those damn notes than he had with her. By the time they reached the front gate Yotsuba finally had enough.
"Uesugi-san, please put those away," she asked as politely as she could, "We're on a date. We're about to enter the park and I want to spend time with you."
"I need these for my studies, Yotsuba."
Losing her patience she snatched them from his hand.
"Your studies can wait," she said firmly while trying to be playful at the same time, "Let's enjoy ourselves until it's over."
"Yotsuba..." Fuutarou's voice took a scary tone, "Give those back right now."
Ignoring him, she started to slip the notes into one of her chest pockets, "I'll keep them safe until-"
He suddenly snatched her arm and spun her around sharply.
"Now, Yotsuba. Give me back my notes!"
Her eyes widened and her breath hitched. The look on his face frightened her. She could see the anger in his eyes for having his notes suddenly taken away. He was like a father who was witnessing own child being kidnapped before his eyes. Then she yelped when she felt his hand squeeze too tightly.
"Uesugi-san!" she gasped, "You're hurting me!"
Her cry seemed to reached him for he quickly loosened his grip.
"Sorry," he apologized, but he didn't let go, "I want my notes, Yotsuba. Give them back right now."
Seeing how startled she was, he quickly said, "Please," as softly as he could.
Swallowing, Yotsuba silently handed them back and watched as he snatched them away, holding them closely as though they were the most precious thing in his life. When he looked at her again there was no warmth in his eyes, only a warning.
"I didn't mean to yell at you," he said, "But please, don't ever do that again. You don't know how important these notes are to me."
More important than me? she wanted to ask, but shoved the words back down.
She felt her eyes burn but she forced herself to keep her composure.
Uesugi-san has never done this before, she reminded herself again, Just be patient with him.
But when she glanced behind her again Fuutarou had gone back to reading his notes again, as though the incident had never happened.
She looked away in disgust. This was supposed to be her special day with Uesugi-san, the guy she loved for so long, yet in just the first hour she found herself wishing she was somewhere else and not here, with him. She wanted to be happy, instead she already felt miserable.
Throughout the rest of the day they went to every ride and attraction the theme park had to offer. Throughout that time she watched Fuutarou's behavior very closely, just as Chihori advised her to. She wanted to see if he was enjoying his time with her and what his reactions would be.
Nothing. He just didn't seem interested at all. He hardly said a word. He just gave a casual answer whenever she asked him something. It wasn't as if the rides or the attractions were boring or tedious, at least by her standards, it was just that Fuutarou was indifferent to pretty much... well, everything.
On one hand she shouldn't have been surprised, seeing how secluded his life was before he became their tutor, but even she thought he would open up, just a little, for today. The fact that he was acting no different than he usually did at all other times was really starting to make her see him differently.
The main focus of her frustration, however, were those flash notes. Those damn notes! Not matter where they were or what they were doing he was always reading them, even when they sat down to have lunch. Sometimes she would try to strike up a conversation, hoping to divert his attention enough that he would put them away for good, but to no avail. She just couldn't seem to get through to Uesugi-san. His body was here, but his mind was somewhere else entirely.
She couldn't decide what upset her more. Fuutarou's indifference or that their date hadn't gone the way she'd imagined. The fact that she was upset was a real surprise to her. The most she had ever gotten was being annoyed at things she didn't understand or caused her to become confused, but this was something else. All she wanted to do was to spend some time with Uesugi-san. Why did it feel like he was so far away when he was literally right next to her?
In an last minute ditch effort she looped her arm around his, hoping to surprise him. Instead he just looked at her then at her arm before carrying on like it was no big deal. He wasn't even acting embarrassed like most guys would be.
Yotsuba could not had been more stunned. He had been all flustered and confident when he came to her that night at the festival. What had caused him to change so much in just over a week? Was it because of what happened between him and Nino?
On that thought she asked him, "Hey, Uesugi-san? I just want to say thank you for helping Nino when she got hurt."
"Hmm," Fuutarou gave a small nod before he suddenly asked, "Do you know what's going on with her?"
Yotsuba blinked at him. He still hadn't figured it out? Shouldn't it be obvious by now? Or course he wouldn't have. He didn't understand anything about a girl's feelings because he has no feelings himself, just as Chihori said.
"She's going through a lot," she replied, "This hasn't been easy for her."
He rolled his eyes in annoyance, "That girl, I swear. I've never understood her. If she wants a boyfriend that badly why doesn't she just go out and get one?"
She froze, and to her astonishment she was visited with the strong urge to slap him.
How could he say something like that?!
She had never been the violent type, had never wanted to hit anyone before, but for him to say something so carelessly was enough to make her blood boil. Forcing herself to calm down she let go of his arm. Fuutarou paid it no mind and they continued on.
She tried to think of something else but the activity around her made it impossible. Numerous times she saw other couples roaming around. Unlike her, all of them were having good time. Both the boy and the girl were smiling, blushing, and laughing. Their interactions were so adorable and romantic she couldn't help being envious. Eventually she had to look away, but every time she did she was greeted by another couple doing the same.
One time she saw a guy who was totally devoted to his girlfriend. He was constantly teasing her and making her laugh. He even went as far as stealing a kiss from her which made her squeal in delight before she berated him that they were in public. It only made him tease her more, not caring who was watching them as he showed how much he loved his girlfriend.
Yotsuba looked at the ground as tears pricked her eyes. Why couldn't Uesugi-san be more like that? She wasn't even asking for much and she wasn't trying to be selfish. How could everyone else be so happy when she was so miserable?
She looked at him and once again he was completely engrossed in his note cards.
Where is the boy I met six years ago?
It really was beginning to seem that Chihori had been telling the truth after all. The boy she knew from childhood was no longer there.
She sniffed and turned her head away so she could wipe her eyes, but even that was enough to get his attention.
"Did you say something, Yotsuba?"
She quickly put on a cheerful smile and said, "Oh, no! Something just flew in my eye!"
The sun had set when they left the amusement park. Walking a little bit behind her boyfriend Yotsuba went over how the day had gone.
The date had simply been awful. She didn't have a good time at all. Nothing had gone the way she expected it to. It honestly felt the way Fuutarou had described it. A complete waste of time. It was just for one day and yet she couldn't get him to spend any quality time with her.
Fuutarou on the other hand seemed to be in really good spirits. He looked relieved, almost happy that the date was finally over. Not once had he noticed how depressed Yotsuba was. The fact that he could study while being in such a crowded area was truly remarkable. To anyone who didn't know him it was an incredibly unique skill, but to Yotsuba it just showed her that his studies were more important than her or anything else.
I guess it really was bad timing, she thought, Maybe we should have waited until the finals were over.
But was there really any harm in taking the day off? It wasn't as if Fuutarou was struggling with his grades either. He was already guaranteed to pass with flying colors. Wasn't that enough? Could he not just sit back and relax a little?
She wondered if he would be just like this when they got to college, provided that she herself went to college. Would he remain as the exact, obsessive student whose entire purpose was to study? At this point it was a given. Suppressing a sigh of disappointment she stepped up until she right beside and flashed him a huge smile, no longer caring how fake it looked.
"Um... Uesugi-san? Thank you for taking the time to go out with me today!"
"Yeah, you're welcome," he grunted, "although I still think it could have waited until after the final."
She kept the smile on her face while deep down she was hurt.
"Anyway, now that that's over with, there's something I want to ask you about before we head back," he looked around and pointed, "There's a little park over there, perfect for us to speak privately without interruption. Would you mind if we spoke alone? It will for just a few minutes?"
She looked at him, wondering what could possibly be on his mind after paying so little attention to her throughout the day.
"Okay," she nodded, "Sure."
Fuutarou took her arm and led her across the street. She quietly complied with him and he led them to a bench. The sprinklers must have gone off earlier for the bench was too damp for them to sit down so instead they just stood where they were. He looked around again to make sure they were really alone. Once he was satisfied he turned his attention to her, a serious expression on his face.
"This may seem sudden," he sounded nervous but determined, "but I may as well get this over."
He took a deep breath and, gazing intently into her eyes he said, "Will you marry me, Yotsuba?"