Chapter 14
The time currently showed at 7:45 PM and Fuutaro already arrived in front of the restaurant that will be his meeting place with Ichika. He took a peek inside the restaurant and there were some amounts of people in there compared to the day where he skipped school with her. He still can't believe that he returned to this place again, knowing how costly this restaurant was and even his monthly allowance or even three months combined can't even paid for the cheapest food. But thanks to his tutoring salary from quintuplets' father, his allowance significantly increased and the rest of the salary went to the family savings or to pay family debts. Even with his current savings, he still needed to borrow some money from his dad because most of his allowance already had been used to treat the quintuplets for their parfait this evening.
It was already ten minutes since he arrived. There was no sign of Ichika arriving and not a single mail coming from her. Five more minutes before the promised time and Fuutaro took a seat on a nearby public bench, waiting for her to showed up. He was thinking about what she was going to say to him when they were in the restaurant. It was still bothering him ever since he left his house and he can't get it out of his mind.
Will she going to say something important to him? Or she just wanted a casual dinner to celebrate their success? Or the most unexpected things Fuutaro can think of, will Ichika going to said her feeling and tell him that she loves him? The last thought really made him anxious and it reminded him when Nino confessed to him out of nowhere, which made him flustered for a few days after.
But this time, it was different than the one where Nino confessed. This time, Fuutaro had this "uncertain" feeling for Ichika, lingering in his heart, which made him more anxious and flustered than ever. The more he thought about it, the more he got uneasy and wanted to know the answer as fast as possible. He decided to not think about it for a moment because it really made him uncomfortable and loses his composure.
"Where are you right now, Ichika…?"
"Five more minutes before 8 PM…"
"What exactly are you going to tell me…?"
"Is it gonna be something important? Or something casual?"
10 minutes left before the promised time and Ichika been walking at faster pace than usual to the restaurant. She didn't expect that she was going to be this late because she overslept and the talks with Nino really took most of her time. She had been walking very fast ever since she left the apartment and it really made her tired. Ichika stopped walking for a while to rest her tired feet and catch some breath. She then spotted a public bench near her and decided to take a seat for a while to rest.
Sitting on the bench, it was really a great feeling for her because she can feel a big relief in her feet and the nighttime air was really refreshing to breath as she inhaled a lot amounts of air into her lungs. While resting, Ichika was thinking about how she was going to pay for the restaurant bill because she had been very short on money and this month paycheck will not arrive until end of the month.
She opened her wallet and there was not much money left inside. Ichika suddenly remembered that she had some more money in her savings back in the bedroom, but she forgot to took it with her because she was in hurry and worried on getting late. She sighed seeing the state of her wallet and put it back in her bag. There was an anxious expression on her face as she thought on how to pay the food if she was short on money.
"What should I do…"
"I don't have much money left in the wallet..."
"Should I change the place for our dinner…?"
"No… I can't do that…"
"Fuutaro-kun will be angry at me if I changed the place at the last minute…"
"Then, it can't be helped… I need to order the cheapest food in the menu…"
"If it's possible I will not order a drink to reduce the cost…"
Ichika then stood up from the bench, feeling good enough to continued her way to the restaurant. There were only seven minutes left before 8 PM and she started to jog so she will not be late.
She was also thinking on what topic she should brought up to avoid the awkwardness and suspicion from Fuutaro. All the topic she had in mind already been talked in this evening at the parfait café and she can't really think about another topic to talk. Ichika didn't want to get all silent when eating with Fuutaro because the whole situation will be awkward and she can't really afford her whole plan got ruined from awkwardness.
"What topic should I talk to him…?"
"I can't really think of a good one because all of the good topics already been talked this evening…"
"I can't afford my plan got ruined just because there is not a single topic to talk…"
As she kept jogging, an idea suddenly popping in her mind and she thought of a topic to talk. Ichika thought this topic should be good enough to brought up and she was sure that Fuutaro will enjoyed this talk.
"I have one in mind…"
"Let's just hopes it works…"
"I'm pretty sure Fuutaro-kun will enjoy talking about this one…"
It's been twenty minutes of waiting for Fuutaro and he confirmed it by looking at the clock on his phone, which showing at 8:05 PM. It was already past the time they supposed to meet, which made Fuutaro wondered if Ichika ever going to showed up and there was not a single mail or calls coming from her, saying that she will be late or something. He had been thinking, should he call her? Asking where she was right now? Or should he wait for a little longer? Fuutaro decided that he going to wait for a little longer because he believed in Ichika and he knew that her words can be trusted.
Two minutes later, Fuutaro can heard someone calling for his name. He recognized that voice who called him and let out a big sigh, finally feeling a big relief after waiting for so long.
"Ahh… Fuutaro-kun…!"
He turned his head to the source of that voice. Fuutaro can saw from afar that Ichika was finally arrived and waving her hand to him. Ichika then ran up to him and when she reached Fuutaro, she immediately took a seat next to him. Fuutaro can saw that she was panting and catching her breath at the same time. There were also sweats flowing down from her hair as Ichika still panting with her head lowered. With a puzzled expression, Fuutaro asked to her if she was okay after all that running.
"Oi… Are you okay? What's with all the running?"
"*pant* Ahaha… I was late, right? Sorry about that…" Ichika weakly laughed as she apologized to Fuutaro for getting late, still panting from the tiredness. "I've been running and jogging ever since I left the apartment… *pant* *pant* I'm so tired…"
"Did you oversleep or something?" Fuutaro said with a flat expression as he turned his head from her. "I'm pretty sure that you're not going to show up and prank me just for fun."
"Don't say it like that, Fuutaro-kun…!" Ichika responded with a frown. "I'm a person of my words and I always keep my words and promises."
"Heh…! Glad that you're that kind of person. I've been thinking of going home in ten minutes if you didn't show up," Fuutaro smirked and then showed a faint smile after hearing Ichika's assurance
"But I did show up, right?" Ichika said with a smile, winking her left eye. "So no going home for you!" she then pointed her finger to Fuutaro and shook it.
"Yes, yes…"
Fuutaro stood up from the bench and went to the nearby vending machine to buy a cold water for Ichika. He then returned to her and put the cold bottle on Ichika's right cheek. The surface of a cold bottle startled her as she felt a cold tingling sensation on her right cheek and it made her surprised. Fuutaro chuckled seeing her reaction and gave the water bottle to Ichika as she accepted it with a pout on her face.
"Ughh… You really surprised me…"
"Well… Your face is really "fantastic" when you get tired. So, I thought a good cold water can fix that up," Fuutaro said with a smirk as he sat down again on the bench.
"Stop that, Fuutaro-kun…" Ichika drank the water bottle with a visible flustered expression on her face.
Ichika can feel a big relief and refreshment as she drank the water because all of the running really made her tired and thirsty. It did not take her long to emptied the bottle because of her thirst and then Ichika leaned back a little to relax her back. Fuutaro can still saw some amount of sweat on her face and he pulled out a pocket tissues from his pocket and offered it to Ichika.
"Here… Use this to wipe those sweat from your face."
"Ahh… Thank you." Ichika accepted the pocket tissues and took a few of it.
"By the way… Why did you show up late? Did you really overslept or forgot about our dinner?" Fuutaro asked with a small grin, with a teasing tone on the last sentence.
"That's rude, Fuutaro-kun…" Ichika turned her head to Fuutaro, showing another frown to him, "No, I had a little talk with Nino before I leave. But that little talk turned out to be longer than I thought… Then, you know the rest."
"Hmm… Is that so? I hope it's nothing serious knowing that Nino can turn a little talk into something serious."
"Ahaha… It's really nothing serious. It just some chit-chat between us sisters," Ichika weakly laughed after hearing Fuutaro guessed their talk. "Sorry Fuutaro-kun… I can't tell you about that talk. It's a secret between me and Nino."
"Then, if you're done resting, how about we go inside?" Fuutaro stood up from the bench and turned around to look at Ichika. "We've already past of our promised time and we don't want to delay it even further, right?"
"Yeah… You right. Then, let's go!" Ichika also stood up from the bench as they walked together to the restaurant.
Fuutaro and Ichika made their way to the restaurant front door and entered the place. The two were greeted by the welcoming staff and Ichika told the staff that she already booked a table for two people in this evening by phone call. The staff then checked the reservation book and there was a reservation for two people under the name of Nakano Ichika. The staff confirmed her reservation and then guide them to their table. The two took a seat at their reserved table. Not long after, the waitress came and gave them the menu book for them to order.
Fuutaro noticed that the restaurant atmosphere at the nighttime was really different compared in the morning. He can saw that the lighting in this place was much brighter at nighttime, there was a live small orchestra performing on the stage, and the amounts of customer at nighttime really made the place livelier. This kind of atmosphere kind of reminded him of the school cafetaria, albeit quieter with more elegance feelings in this place.
After observing the restaurant, Fuutaro looked at the menu book. Even though, he already saw the menu before, there were still some surprise and uneasy feelings when he looked at the price. He narrowed his eyes and sighed a little from these unreasonable and overpriced pricing in this place. After looking at the menu for half a minute, he immediately closed the menu book and told the waitress for his order. Fuutaro already knew what he was going to order and there was no point on looking at the menu book even longer because it made him even more uncomfortable from seeing the price.
"I want a chicken steak and a mineral water. That's all I'm going to order."
"Yes, I will write your order, sir." the waitress nodded and wrote the order on the paper note. "Then, what will your order going to be, ma'am?"
"…"
There was no voice coming out from Ichika's mouth as she looked at the menu book very intensely. A serious expression, accompanied with some nervousness, were visible on her face as she flipped every page of the menu book. Ichika didn't expect the price of every food and drink in this restaurant were very expensive. She didn't notice how expensive the food was the first time she and Fuutaro ate at this place because at that time, she had enough money to pay for most of the food and drink in the menu. But this time, where her financial situation was the opposite of last time, the realization of the prices made Ichika really nervous and uneasy, feeling afraid that she can't pay the bill in the end of their dinner.
"Whoa… The food and drink in this restaurant are surely very expensive…"
"Why did I just realize it now…?"
"I can finally relate to what Fuutaro-kun feels everytime he buys a food…"
"I guess I need to cut my unnecessary expenses and save even more money from my paycheck…"
As she kept flipping the menu book, her eyes caught the cheapest food available in the menu, which was a chicken steak and the cheapest drink available was a glass of mineral water. Knowing those two items were the cheapest in the menu book, Ichika decided that she was going to order those two items. She actually didn't want to order a drink to reduce the bill, but the feeling of thirstiness still lingering in her throat, so she needed a water to relieve the thirst.
"Chicken steak… huh? I guess it's okay because it's the cheapest food in the menu…"
"I don't want to order a drink… But, I'm still thirsty…"
"It's fine I guess…? Since it's just a mineral water…"
"Umm… Let me have a chicken steak and a mineral water," Ichika said to the waitress with a slight hesitation tone in her voice.
"Yes, let me write your order…" the waitress nodded and wrote Ichika's order. "So let me repeat the order, two chicken steaks and two glasses of mineral water… Is the order correct?"
"Yes, it's correct," Fuutaro said to the waitress, confirming their orders.
"Understood, please wait for your order as we going to prepare it. Then, excuse me."
The waitress took their order and left their table to process their order. Fuutaro took a glance at Ichika, wondering about her having the same order as him. He always saw the quintuplets, including Ichika, always ordered a fancy and expensive food. The last time they were in here, Ichika ordered a salad and milk shakes which were much expensive than a chicken steak and mineral water. So why did this time she ordered a chicken steak? Knowing that chicken steak was the cheapest food in this restaurant and was nothing special for a girl like her, it felt kind of strange for him because Fuutaro expected Ichika to order much fancier food and drink.
Fuutaro also saw Ichika's face when she looked at the menu book. There were a nervous and surprised expression on her face everytime she looked at every page of it. Fuutaro then deduced that she might be short in money because Ichika told him that her usual paycheck arrives in the end of the month and today was still far from end of the month. Adding that she had a responsibility to pay for the apartment monthly rent and the other four's living cost, Fuutaro was pretty sure with all that factors, Ichika definitely didn't have much money left. He wanted to ask her about it, but decided to keep quiet, knowing that she won't admit it and told him to not worried about it.
"From the looks of it, Ichika is definitely in short of money…"
"Should I ask her about it…?"
"No… Even if I ask her, she will not admit it and just said everything is fine…"
Looking back at him, Ichika noticed that Fuutaro wore a navy-blue jacket and a white branded T-shirt that she picked at the department store last month. She stared at him for a moment and Ichika thought that Fuutaro definitely looks cooler and more charismatic wearing that clothing. For everyday, Ichika always saw Fuutaro wearing the same clothing in their tutoring session, which was his school uniform, consisted of white collared shirt and black pants, sometimes with a blue teal cardigan sweater if it was the time to wear a winter uniform. So right now, him wearing other clothing than his school clothing was a refreshing sight to Ichika. Unknown to her, her cheeks starting to blushed as she kept on staring at him, ensnared by his new charm from his clothing.
"That clothing…"
"Isn't that the one that I picked for him last month…?"
"It's a refreshing sight to see him wearing other clothes than school clothing…"
"Fuutaro-kun definitely looks cooler and more attractive with those clothes…"
Fuutaro noticed that Ichika been staring at him with a smile and it made him immediately uncomfortable. He had been stared by Ichika for the second time today and he really wondered, was she wanted to talk about something? Or was there something on his face that makes her keep staring at him? With a flustered face, he cleared his throat and stared back at her to gain her attention. The throat clearing from Fuutaro surprised Ichika as she got startled from it.
"Oi… What's wrong with you? Is there something on my face that made you stared at me like that?"
"Ehh-uhh… No, that's not it! Your face looks fine as always," Ichika said with a surprised expression and followed with a chuckle. "It's just that you looked more fashionable with those clothes. That's the clothes that I picked for you last month, right?"
"Ahh… That's right. You said to wear a good clothing, right? This is the only good clothing that I have right now," Fuutaro said, looking at his clothing. "I have to say, you really have a good taste in fashion, even in the male's fashion, Ichika. I even start to like this clothing that you picked for me."
"Hehe… Thank you!" Ichika said with a wide smile, feeling happy, knowing Fuutaro liked the clothes that she picked. "If you wanted to go on clothes shopping, don't forget to ask me to come along, okay? You really need some advice on the fashion choice, knowing how bland your fashion sense is."
"Yeah, yeah… I've been thinking of doing some clothes shopping before the school trip. How about you come tagging along with me?" Fuutaro said, offering Ichika to come with him someday on clothes shopping.
"Hehhh… Is that so? Then, don't forget to ask me on that day, okay?" Ichika replied with a grin, winking at the end of her sentence, "By the way, Fuutaro-kun, did you notice something different about my clothing?"
"Hmm… Well, first is you wear a glasses…" Fuutaro said, holding his chin with his right hand as he looked at Ichika with a narrow eyes. "Did your eyesight starting to gone bad? You've been wearing a glasses on a multiple occasion recently."
"Hehe… No, my eyesight is still healthy as ever!" Ichika responded with another grin, with her finger pointing at her eyes. "I don't know why, but I'm starting to take a liking on wearing glasses."
"Well, I would say you look good on wearing a glasses and it suits you well," Fuutaro said, complimenting her looks with a faint smile.
"Then… I think I'm going to start wearing glasses everyday, so you can compliment me everytime you see me!" Ichika said with a cheerful expression, feeling happy from Fuutaro's compliment. "Then what else you can tell from me?"
"You're wearing a coat? It's rare seeing you wearing a coat…" Fuutaro continued to guess again as he saw Ichika's coat on her chair. His eyes then caught the clothing that Ichika wore and it was a familiar sight for him. "Hmm…? Wait, that sweater… Isn't that sweater the one that you bought last month when we skipped school?"
"Ding-dong! You're right! Is this sweater look good on me?" Ichika said with a big smile, giving a checkmark gesture from her finger.
"Yeah. That sweater definitely looks good on you," Fuutaro answered with a smile of his own, complimenting her good looks and fashion of choice.
"Hehe… Thank you!" Ichika thanked Fuutaro as her grin turned into a smile and a small blush formed on her face from his compliment. "Oh look, our food is finally here!"
The two can saw the waitress was bringing their foods and drinks on the tray. The waitress then put each of their food on their dining table. Fresh and cooked from the kitchen, the chicken steaks were served in front of them and a glass of water was positioned next to their plate. The smell of the chicken steak was really captivating for both Fuutaro and Ichika as they grabbed a knife and fork to prepare to eat their food.
"Ittadakimasu!"
"Ittadakimasu!"
Both of them cut the chicken steak into small pieces and ate those small pieces. For Fuutaro, the taste was still the same like the last time he ate it, which was very good. The chicken steak texture was very soft and tender which made it easy to chew, and the finishing was perfect. For Ichika, the chicken steak tastes good, but nothing special because she already tasted much better chicken steak in the other restaurant.
Nevertheless, they both enjoyed their chicken steak, especially for Fuutaro because it was a very rare opportunity for him to eat such high-class food. As they kept eating, Ichika then thought it was the time for her to carry out her second stage of her plan, which is to brought up a certain topic so the situation won't get awkward as they ate.
"Hey, Fuutaro-kun…"
"Hmm… What is it?"
"Hey, I've been thinking that we should skip school again sometimes, you know?" Ichika said with a playful smile as she took a drink from a glass of water. "With the mock exam already over and there's no more exam in the near future, it's finally time to relax a bit, don't you think?"
"Oi, oi… Don't get me started on this again…" Fuutaro answered with an unimpressed voice and a head shook. "Even if the school abolished mid and final exam, studying is still important so you can succeed in the working world. Besides I already promised to myself that I will guide you all in your study until the graduation day, where you five will have a big smile and joyful expression on your face when graduating." he then continued to eat his chicken steak.
"*sigh* Stubborn and cold as always I see…" Ichika sighed hearing Fuutaro's statement and followed with a small chuckle. "But still, your resolve is very strong, Fuutaro-kun. Don't worry about us because we all will do our best in our final year so we can see that proud face on our beloved tutor!" she then gave him a playful expression and a wink from her right eye.
"Heh! It's good hearing that positive vibes from all of you," Fuutaro said with a smirk because of Ichika's compliment. "Still, I'm not worry that much about all of you because you all showed a very big improvement compared to the first day when I met you five."
"Hehe… It's good to hear that Fuutaro-kun finally admits our hard work!"
"Especially you, Ichika, you already showed me that you are more than capable and even exceeding my expectation on the school academics. I would say with extra studying and more dedication to it, you can even match my grades and even be on par against me on the academic aspect," Fuutaro said, praising Ichika's efforts and smiled when saying she can be on par with him.
"No, thank you…" Ichika said with a not-so impressed face from Fuutaro's compliment. "Unlike you, Fuutaro-kun, I still know how to enjoy life and did you forget that I still have my acting job?"
"Heh! I guess you're right," Fuutaro said as he grabbed his glass of water to drink. "Anyway, I heard that your upcoming film had received a good review on its premise and even your manager had told me that he was very satisfied by your recent acting. It's good seeing you finally moving forward in the acting world. Keep up the good work, Ichika."
"Thank you! You should come with me to the shooting stage sometimes. I bet you will enjoy being in there."
"Yeah… I will think about it sometimes."
There was a moment of silence after their fun and enjoyable talks as they continued to ate. Ichika happily thought to herself that her second plan was a success because she managed to come up with a good topic to talk with Fuutaro and he seemed to enjoy the talk. There were a smile and joy visible on her face, feeling satisfied that her second part of her plan worked out.
"Yosh… Second part of the plan is a success…!"
"Good thing that Fuutaro-kun able to enjoy the topic that I brought…"
"Now that we almost finished eating… It's almost time for the final stage…"
"Which is to confess to him…"
"Stay calm and focus…"
Not long after, the two finished eating their food and they felt full and satisfied by their food. Ichika checked her phone and the time showed at 9:00 PM, which already nighttime. She had been thinking that time flew by very fast and Ichika already promised to her sisters that she won't go home late knowing it might worry them and she just recovered from an illness. As she about to stood up to pay for the food, Fuutaro started a conversation with her, which prevented her to go to the cashier to pay.
"You know, Ichika…"
"Hmm… Know what?"
"Even though school skipping is unacceptable and definitely a big no-no, I have to admit that it is actually fun and enjoyable. I know it's weird coming from a guy like me, but breaking rules is actually fun... and also doing other things than studying, like playing in the arcade and singing in karaoke are actually enjoyable," Fuutaro said as he leaned back to his chair and stared at the ceiling at the same time.
"Hehh… Could it be, you're starting to become a delinquent, Fuutaro-kun?" Ichika teased him with a cheeky smile on her face. "I guess you're starting to entered the dark side because of our school skipping experience, aren't you?"
"Oi, oi… It's not like that…" he replied to Ichika with a chuckle. "You know, I'm going to tell you a little secret. Even though I'm a good for nothing and study maniac person that I am right now, I used to be something of a delinquent six years ago."
"I-Is that so? Then can you tell me more about it?" Ichika kind of surprised hearing Fuutaro's little secret and curious about it.
"Hehe… Looks like you're interested in my backstory, huh?" Fuutaro chuckled again, seeing her got curious from his backstory. He then crossed his arms and continued to tell his backstory. "Well… I used to not care about studying, which I found to be pointless. I always teased my friends and sometimes bully them… When I looked back at it, I'm not really proud of it. Also, I didn't care about school rules and always broke many of the rules, and I even bleached my hair blond because I thought it would look cool on me somehow."
Ichika was surprised on hearing Fuutaro's little secret. She didn't expect that six years ago version of him was the complete opposite of the current version of him. A delinquent who liked to break the school rules, not interested in studying, teased and bullied his schoolmates, and bleached his hair blond? Ichika can only smirked, trying to imagine six years ago version of Fuutaro. She can't really imagine the image of Fuutaro being a delinquent because she was already used to today version of him, which were a bookworm, socially inept boy, and sometimes can came across as an insensitive and cold person.
Right now, in her mind, Ichika wondered how did Fuutaro changed into the current version of him. Was there something happened between the six years ago and present time that made him changed into a better person? Or did he get into a trouble with a teacher or with his parents that forced him to change? Curious about the answer, Ichika then asked directly to Fuutaro about it.
"Then… What makes you change into a person you are right now, Fuutaro-kun?" Ichika asked with curiosity as she rested her right cheek on her right hand, wanting to hear more from him. "From what you said, you were really a different person back then compared to your current self."
"It's all started six years ago on my school trip in Kyoto. I broke up from my school group in the middle of the trip and went wandering on my own," Fuutaro continued telling his story and there was a cringe expression on his face as he remembered the part that he about to tell. "I was accused by someone on stalking and taking a photo of them without their permission. That person made a scene about it and attracted police attention. When I was about to get caught by the police, there was a girl, around my age, appeared before me and stood up to me saying that I'm innocent."
"Hehh… So you got caught of stalking someone, huh? You're really a bad boy back then, weren't you, Fuutaro-kun?" Ichika said with a cheeky smile, teasing Fuutaro about his backstory.
"Oi, oi… I haven't finished telling my story, there's still more for me to tell." Fuutaro felt annoyed from Ichika's teasing. "Anyway, that girl saved me from getting apprehended by the police. After I thanked her, she followed me on everywhere I go and I really got annoyed by her. When I told her to go back home or something, she said that she got separated from her family. Without anyone to know, she decided to follow me for the whole day."
"Hmm… So there's a girl that took interest in you, huh?" Ichika mumbled with a wondered expression. She didn't expect there was a girl that interested in Fuutaro before. "Ahaha… Well, it's really unexpected hearing this from you, because the Fuutaro-kun that I knew is really hopeless on catching girl attention. I guess the past version of you was really cooler than you are now." she then laughed after comparing the past and current version of him.
"That's rude, Ichika. It's just that the current version of me is not interested on getting a girl and I valued study more than any other things in life," Fuutaro said with an unimpressed expression, feeling annoyed by Ichika playfully mocking him.
"Yeah, yeah… Then, please continue. I want to hear more from you."
"*sigh* So this girl kept following me for the whole day, right? At nighttime, we found a shrine and decided to rest on the bench nearby. I told her to catch a bus so she can go back to where she stayed, but that girl didn't have any money left because she spent all of her money on good luck charms for her sisters," Fuutaro recalled his six years ago memories with a weak smile on his lips, feeling nostalgic about it. "So I decided to stay because I felt kinda bad for her. She then told me that her family was poor and struggling, and the reason she bought those charms was to help her family condition. She said with those charms, she will study very hard to get smarter and will work very hard to earn money to help her family."
"…" Ichika only looked at Fuutaro in silent, hearing every word that came out from his mouth.
"I was amazed by her maturity and because my family was in the same position as her family, I can relate to what she said. My mind was opened from her words and from that on, I promised to myself that I will study very hard and will be useful to my struggling family, so I can help my family out of the debt and to make Raiha happy in those hardship times. We made a resolve to study hard for our family and then we prayed at the shrine so our wish can be granted someday…" Fuutaro then closed his eyes and there was a serious expression on his face from telling this part of his backstory. "Thanks to her, I changed from a no-good delinquent to a person that I'm now and I'm really grateful to her for changing my way of thinking…"
Ichika repeatedly nodded hearing this part of Fuutaro's backstory. So there was a certain girl that he met six years ago and that girl's words really changed Fuutaro from a delinquent to a person he is now. Ichika really admired Fuutaro's determination to change into a better person and because of that determination, she can saw that he was really an amazing and a good person. She then wondered on what happened to that girl because Fuutaro didn't continue the story and stopped in there.
"Hey, Fuutaro-kun, what happened to that girl afterward? Did you ever meet her again after that?"
"Hmm… I can't remember clearly, but if I'm not wrong her father or her teacher found her after we prayed and took us back to the inn she was staying. While waiting for my teacher to come to pick me up, she showed up again in front of the spare room that I'm in. Since I was bored at that time, I asked her to play cards with me for the rest of the night."
"…" Ichika narrowed her eyes and putting her right hand on her chin after hearing this part of the story.
This part of the story seemed familiar to Ichika. If her memory serves well, she also happened to be in Kyoto six years ago, on a school trip with the other four and her mother. While on her school trip, she happened to meet an unknown boy in the inn she was staying, who asked her to play cards with him for the whole night and that boy became her first crush.
This thought made Ichika widened her eyes after she recalled her six years ago school trip. Could it be the boy that she met six years ago in Kyoto, the one who asked her to play cards with her, and the one who was her first crush… was Fuutaro? She remembered the boy who played cards with her, matches the description of Fuutaro on six years ago, a delinquent looking kind of boy with a blond hair. She thought to herself, was the boy that she met six years ago really Fuutaro? Or was it just a coincidence that the boy that she happened to meet had the same description like him? Ichika's face expression immediately turned into a serious expression as she further thought about the possibility that she might already met Fuutaro six years ago on Kyoto.
"The boy who I met 6 years ago…"
"Could that boy be him…?"
"That I really met Fuutaro-kun at that time…?"
"Is it really true…?"
"Or is it just a coincidence that I met a boy with the similar description…?"
Fuutaro then noticed that Ichika fell silent with a serious expression on her face. He thought to himself that she was really unpredictable because she showed a lot of expression since the first time he met her. Knowing that Ichika was an actress, Fuutaro thought that she should be capable to make many kinds of expression, such like sadness, angriness, happiness, worry, and other expression. This thought made him chuckled because he knew Ichika was a good actress and her expression that she always showed was very impressive. Fuutaro then teased Ichika about her sudden change of expression.
"Oi, Ichika, what's wrong? Did your stomach get upset or something?" Fuutaro said with a smirk and there was a teasing tone on his voice.
"…"
"Uhh… Hello…? Ichika, can you hear me?" Fuutaro asked her again and this time he snapped his finger in front of Ichika's serious face to gain her attention.
"Ehh-uhh… W-What's wrong, Fuutaro-kun?" Ichika got startled from his finger snapping in front of her face.
"*sigh* I should be the one who asked you that… What's wrong with you? Did you feel sick again?"
"Uhh, no! I'm okay, there's nothing serious. It just that I happened to remember something important," Ichika answered with a weak grin. "By the way, Fuutaro-kun, what happened to that girl after your school trip? Did you ever meet her again?"
"Well… After the school trip, I never saw her again… until she suddenly appeared before me on last year, at the park that I usually go."
"Is that so? Then, it must be good that you finally meet her again, right?"
"Yeah… We had a little chat for some times talking about how our life turned out ever since my school trip. That girl said, for a person to grow into a better version of themselves, they need to forget about the past, keep moving forward and face the future. After that, she said that I will never going to see her again and then she left and disappeared…" Fuutaro then closed his eyes after telling Ichika the last part of his backstory. "I guess that's it, hell of a story, huh?"
Ichika can only gasp after hearing Fuutaro's backstory of the girl that he met. So that girl really changed him into a better person and the determination from him also played a big factor on his transformation. In her mind, she needed to thank that girl because thanks to her, she fell in love with the current Fuutaro that was sitting in front of her right now, the Fuutaro that was smart and always helped her in her study, and always supportive in her acting career. Even though sometimes he came across as insensitive and cold person, Fuutaro cared for her by giving useful life advices that she needed.
"Hehe… It's definitely hell of a story. But still, it's kinda tragic, don't you think? She met you again and then disappeared from your life."
"Yeah… But what she said was definitely true. Ever since the school trip, I always thought about her everytime I looked at photo of us together and wanted to meet her again someday," Fuutaro said. "Once again, her words really opened up my mind, that there's no point to dwell in the past because you will never grow and always held back by it. So to be a better person, I need to look forward to the future and face whatever life has to throw and offer to me."
"Really… You're really a great person, Fuutaro-kun. I wish you a good luck on your future. Also, don't forget that I will be there to help and support you, so you can reach a good future, okay?" Ichika praised Fuutaro for his determination and she showed a grin, telling him that she will always support and help him.
"Heh… Thank you. Same as you, I wish you good luck on your acting career, Ichika. I hope that you can become a successful actress in the future and don't forget, that I will be there to remind and hold you back from doing reckless things and going overboard," Fuutaro thanked Ichika with a smile of his own and told her that he will also support and help her on her acting career.
"Yes, yes… I'm counting on you!" Ichika responded and then stood up from her seat. "Then, Fuutaro-kun, can you wait here for a while? I'm going to the cashier to pay for our foods."
"Yeah… Got it."
Ichika took her coat with her and headed to the restaurant cashier to pay for their foods and drinks. At the cashier, she asked for the bills and the staff there gave her the receipt of their orders. When Ichika looked at the receipt, her eyes widened and she gasped from the shock because of the total bills that she needed to pay were 21,000 Yen. Ichika, with a nervous face, opened her wallet to check again how much money she had left, hoping her earlier checking was wrong and she had enough money to pay. No matter how many checking she did, there were only 10,000 Yen and some coins left in her wallet.
"What should I do…?"
"There are only 10.000 Yen and some coins left in my wallet…"
"This is really bad…"
Freezing in place with an anxious face, Ichika never thought that she will be in a situation where she will not be able to pay for something, especially in this situation where she treated someone. Looking at her wallet once again, her eyes spotted her usual credit card that his father gave to her and she thought with this credit card, she can pay the bills and the problems will be solved. Ichika shook her head because she promised to herself and to the other sisters that they will not accept any financial aid from their father, including using the credit card that their father gave to them.
There was a conflict in her heart whether she should use the credit card or not. If she used the credit card, she will be able to pay this expensive bill without a problem. But if she didn't use the credit card, there will be trouble between her and the restaurant because she didn't have enough money to pay and it will be embarrassing to be seen by Fuutaro. After some moments of hard decision, she decided she will use the credit card because she already promised to Fuutaro that she will pay for his food and can't afford to get into a trouble with the restaurant. As she about to use the credit card, Fuutaro suddenly appeared next to her and took the bill from her hand.
"Hmm… 21,000 Yen, huh?" Fuutaro mumbled from seeing the bill and then opened his wallet, pulling out exact 21,000 Yen. "Here's the payment for our food." he gave the money to the cashier to pay for the bill.
"Thank you, sir. We hope you enjoyed your food. Please come again to our restaurant in the future." the cashier staff accepted the money and gave a slight bow to them.
"Ehh…? F-Fuutaro-kun…?" Ichika said with a surprised face to him, who still standing next to her.
"Really… You could've chosen much cheaper place for our dinner, you know?" Fuutaro said with a sigh as he put his wallet back into his pocket. "But still, no matter where we ate, I will still pay for our dinner because you've already done more than enough for me, Ichika. Now it's my turn to pay wherever we're going, okay?" he turned around to Ichika, looking at her with a semi-serious expression.
"Hehe… Thank you! You're really a gentleman, you know?" Ichika thanked him with a smile and a blush on her cheeks.
"*sigh* Whatever you say… Anyway, let's go." Fuutaro started to walk to the restaurant front door.
"Unn…" Ichika nodded as she followed him from behind. "Oh, Fuutaro-kun, there's a place that I need to go after this. Can you accompany me to go to that place?"
"Yeah, no problem. Where are you going anyway at this night?" Fuutaro said, turning his head to Ichika, who already next to him.
"It's a secret! You will know once we arrived there," Ichika answered with a playful smile, not wanting to tell their next destination.
"Oi, oi… What's with playing secret with me? Fine, I will not ask further of this, so surprise me on where we going," Fuutaro said with a smirk, feeling kind of amused by Ichika playing secret with that playful expression.
"I'm sure you will be surprised! Just follow me, okay?"
Fuutaro and Ichika walked out from the restaurant and heading to the place where she wanted to go. On the way to that place, she was still thinking about Fuutaro's backstory where he met a girl in Kyoto six years ago, especially the part of the story where he met the girl again at the inn and asked her to play cards with him. Ichika can now remember clearly, that her memory of six years ago was not wrong and she remembered that she played cards with a boy that matches the description of Fuutaro on six years ago
She then thought, if that boy was really Fuutaro, she only met him at the inn and played cards with him, never met him before in other places. Fuutaro said that he met that girl again not long after her father or her teacher took them to her inn and that span of time sparked a question in Ichika's mind.
"Let's say the boy that I met was Fuutaro-kun…"
"I only met him at the inn… Never met him before in other places…"
After some intense thinking, Ichika finally reached a conclusion that Fuutaro must have met her and Yotsuba six years ago. If her deduction was correct, Fuutaro didn't realize that he met two different persons on that day, where he met Yotsuba on the first time and for the second time, he met Ichika. Because on that day, Yotsuba got separated from her sisters and her mom, and finally reunited again at the nighttime after she was found by Maruo. Ichika also remembered that Yotsuba told her and the other three, that she was with a boy for the entire day when she got lost and she also said the boy was in the other inn room, the same boy that Ichika played cards with.
"That's right…"
"Yotsuba said that she was with a boy when she got lost…"
"She then said that the boy was in other room… Not far from our room…"
"Then, I happened to meet that boy and ended up playing cards with him…"
"If I connect Fuutaro-kun's story and my memory of six years ago…"
"He must have met me and Yotsuba on that day…"
Even after reaching a conclusion, Ichika was still not sure of it because there were no concrete proofs to support her thought. She then shook her head, putting aside that thought for a while. Because right now, she had one very important thing in mind, the final stage of her plan, which was to confess to Fuutaro. Her heart was beating faster as she unconsciously blushed and there was a gentle smile on her face as she saw Fuutaro, who was walking next to her.
"I can think about that later…"
"Right now… There's more important thing to do…"
"The final stage of my plan…"
"Which is to confess to him…"
"So please wait for it… Fuutaro-kun…"
"This feeling of mine… I will say it to you…"
For Fuutaro, he was kind of glad that the dinner turned out to be a normal dinner. He had a strong feeling that Ichika going to tell him about something back then, or even going to say that she liked him. But it turns out, she didn't even tell him anything and everything went normal. Fuutaro was glad that he was overthinking things and he can feel the uneasiness in his mind slowly fading away.
But still, Fuutaro had this small feeling in his heart that his thought might be wrong and this situation might not over yet. He won't feel easy about his thought until they both went home on their separate ways and he can finally put this bothering thought behind. Fuutaro then looked at Ichika, who was walking next to him with a smile and cheerful expression on her face.
"I'm glad that I was overthinking things…"
"There's no way that a girl like you would fall in love with me…"
"But still, I have this small feeling that this is not over yet…"
"I hope I'm wrong about it…"
"I won't feel easy until we both part ways and go home in separate ways…"
A/N:
Chapter 14 is finally finished! I did a lot of re-reading and editing than usual for this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed it!
So yeah, because of Fuutaro telling his backstory and six years ago school trip, Ichika realized that she might've met him six years ago, although she was not sure about it because lack of concrete proofs to support her deduction. This part of the story will play a big part for the future storyline, so it's not just an insert to make this chapter more interesting.
For the next chapter, I'm sure you already know, the next chapter will finally be Ichika's confession to Fuutaro! The chapter is almost done but I'm going to re-read, edit, and proofreading it a lot so it can be the best chapter as possible. I don't have certain timetable for it release but if I feel it's good enough, the chapter will be released as fast as next mid-week or weekend.
As for the review response:
-Rosalina:
Haha, I can see why it's your favorite part. Yeah Nino was really awesome in this chapter. Her action and words really showed that she's pretty much a fair person.
-Kraft:
Yeah that part was the main scene for that chapter so I make sure to make it to be impactful and the best as possible. Don't worry, I will make a chapter dedicated to each quintuplets in the future, so make sure to tune in for that part!
If you like the story feel free to review, follow, and favorite it.