Happy Birthday Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki! Yes, you heard correctly, it's the Quints' Birthday! The self-proclaimed Ace of this Archive, Lance, forced all of us to publish a chapter on May 5th. With that in mind, enjoy Chapter 13!
"Uesugi-san! I have a question!" Yotsuba exclaims loudly while raising her hand.
"What is it, Yotsuba?" Fuutarou, who had just been helping Itsuki with one of the worksheets from school, stands up and walks over to get a closer look at what she was pointing at. Leaning forward and over her shoulder, he blinks before sitting down beside her.
"How did this Nobunaga-guy come up with such a horrible name like 'Demon King of the Sixth Heaven'?" Yotsuba asks while pointing at a drawing of a Daimyō in her textbook.
"That is not of relevance. You should be focusing on the main events and characters during the Sengoku Era. The exam on Japanese History will be all about that." Fuutarou explains while flipping her textbook to the next page, gesturing at the text that was all about Oda Nobunaga and his influence over the Sengoku Era.
Suddenly, Miku, who had been sitting on the couch without saying a word, speaks up. "This name was a reference to a figure in Buddhism who ruled the world by manipulating people's desires. Nobunaga used this name as a way to intimidate his enemies."
Yotsuba and her sisters look at Miku, their faces displaying their obvious amazement. They couldn't believe that she was showing interest in their tutoring session, even listening to whatever Fuutarou and Yotsuba had been talking about! Fuutarou, on the other hand, was already expecting something like this. He chose Japanese History for a specific reason after all, and it was clear that her interest had now been piqued.
Fuutarou turns to the headphone-wearing quintuplet with a smug expression on his face. Upon meeting his gaze, a blush immediately rising to her cheeks as she attempts to become one with the couch. Maybe if he avoided a few more questions, played a few more tricks, she might decide to give in and join them.
To draw everyone's attention back to him, Fuutarou clears his throat loudly. All the girls turn to him in unison, minus Miku who was pretending to be focused on the book in her hands. He pretended not to notice it was upside-down, smiling to himself. He knew that Miku was paying attention to whatever he was saying, even if she pretended to be focused on something else. "So, can anybody tell me when the Sengoku Era officially ended?" Fuutarou asks the group.
The girls nervously look at each other, silent conversations going on as he scratched his head in slight confusion. Did they really not know the answer? He wasn't expecting this, but he'd roll with it anyway.
"Nobody? Really?" Fuutarou sighs. While this question was most likely child's play to Miku, the others would still need to know the answer to whatever he was asking. It was either that or fail.
"The siege of Osaka..." Miku mumbles quietly, so quietly in fact, that only Fuutarou noticed the answer, and he knew that he just had to give her another push.
"You should know this event. It is very important!" Fuutarou exclaims, not exactly faking his disappointment but exaggerating it. In just a mere two seconds, Miku jumped to her feet, book flying off to one side as she answered his question.
"The Sengoku Era ended with the siege of Osaka!" Once again, everybody turned to Miku, whose face was currently a bright red color due to her embarrassment. "Sorry..."
"Wow, Miku, you know so much about this topic. Don't you wanna join us?" Yotsuba asks excitedly. "Yeah, why don't you study with us?" Itsuki asks with a small grin on her face.
Miku shakes her head timidly and returns to the couch. She wraps her arms around her legs and hugs them tightly, concealing her face from view. He grimaced internally, wondering if he was going too far before pushing the thought aside. He would apologize if it got out of hand, but this looked like it was gonna work.
Still, he was a little surprised that this wasn't enough to get her to join them. But with the help of another cheap trick, he could pull it off. Hopefully.
"Next question: Which member of the Toyotomi clan died at the Siege of Osaka?" Fuutarou asks the girls, anticipating their reactions even before they start looking anywhere but at him. Sighing, he pretends to be irritated.
"You really don't know it? It was Toyotomi Hideyoshi!" Fuutarou snaps loudly, emphasizing the name even as he watches for a reaction from Miku. While the rest might not know, his answer had been a lie. Toyotomi Hidehori, the son of Hideyoshi, was the one that died at the Siege of Osaka. Miku obviously knew that, and as an avid lover of Japanese History, she wouldn't accept him spreading such misinformation. Especially not to her sisters.
"It was not like that..." Miku mutters to herself, slightly confused. 'How can he say something like that? He should know that Toyotomi Hideyoshi died years before the Siege of Osaka...' She thinks to herself while turning her head to stare at Fuutarou, watching as he proceeds, seemingly oblivious to his error.
"Hideyoshi is known as the second 'Great Unifier' of Japan," Fuutarou continues to talk about the man, observing Miku get more infuriated even as he talks.
"It wasn't Hideyoshi who died..." Miku whispers, this time at a louder volume. Ichika, who had been sitting closest to Miku, could now hear her. The eldest quintuplet's eyes darted from her clearly fuming sister, then to her tutor, wondering what he had done to upset her this time.
"After the death of Nobunaga, he was the first person to unite all of Japan." It wouldn't take much longer until Miku would correct him, and almost on cue, he was interrupted by a shout.
"It was not like that!" Miku exclaims loudly. For the third time, those sitting at the table turn to look at her. Upstairs, Nino opened her door to check what was going on, before closing it once more.
"Huh?" The girls all look at their sister, surprised at her bold declaration. Did she want to join their tutoring session? Fuutarou stayed calm, avoiding her eyes even as a smug expression formed on his face. His plan was working out!
"It is true that Toyotomi Hideyoshi is known as the second 'Great Unifier' and he is the first general to ever unite all of Japan, but he didn't die at the siege of Osaka! At that time, he had been dead for seventeen years. It was his son Toyotomi Hidehori who died at the siege of Osaka!" Miku elaborates on her answer, getting off the couch and striding forward, positioning herself in front of Fuutarou.
A short moment of silence followed before he looked up with a teasing grin on his face, meeting her gaze. "Are you sure you don't want to join us, Miku?"
Hearing this, Miku instantly blushes, realizing that she had played herself. Covering her face with her arms, she stumbles backward. "I-I...um...I didn't mean to..." she mumbles before she turns to the stairs, breaking into a run. A door can be heard opening and closing, suggesting that she went into her room to hide.
"That didn't work out as planned..." Fuutarou mumbles while looking up at the second floor. "What do you mean, Uesugi-kun? What plan?" Itsuki asks, confused.
"I tried to get her to join us by purposely posing questions that she would know and answer. Unfortunately, it seems like it's backfired," Fuutarou explains and then shakes his head, "In any case, let's forget about that. She will join us eventually. Let us focus on studying for now, ok?"
Yotsuba suddenly raises her hand again. "What is it, Yotsuba?"
"I need more help with this topic!" She exclaims cheerfully. Fuutarou could only wonder why she was still so bubbly despite the fact that they had shown that only Miku knew anything about Japanese History. At this point, not even this sleepover could save their grades. Nonetheless, Fuutarou would do his best to improve their grades. "Alright, what questions do you have?"
"Okay, that's enough for today," Fuutarou states calmly after about two and a half hours of studying non-stop. The three sisters looked like they were about to pass out, and his head was starting to feel like an overinflated balloon.
"So much information in my head…I think it might explode…" Yotsuba mumbles as she stretches, leaning backward.
Ichika puts her hand in front of her mouth whilst yawning. "I am so tired, I could go straight to bed and sleep…" She trails off as she makes a pillow with her arms, eyes closed. He had half a mind to poke her awake but decided against it. They all needed rest, and they had even worked for it.
"Well, if you want to, you can do that. It is pretty late, after all." Fuutarou notes, checking the time using the clock that was hanging on a wall in the living room. It was 9:20pm, and while early, it was a good time to go to sleep considering they were planning on waking up early. "May I use the shower before I go to bed?"
Itsuki nods and then points at the door leading to the bathroom. "Of course you can. Take all the time you need." She explains while Ichika straightens up again, apparently awake. "If you want, you can come to my room afterward and sleep in my bed. There is plenty of room for two, Fuutarou-kun∼"
Fuutarou blushes and the memory of what happened earlier resurfaced. Great, now the image of Ichika about to kiss him was stuck in his head. There was no way he was going to sleep in the same bed as her, even if a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his father called him a spoilsport. "Don't worry, I-Ichika. I will just sleep on the couch, I have no problem with that."
"Uesugi-kun, there is no need to sleep on the couch. The three of us agreed that we would not let you sleep on the couch, especially since you have helped us so much so far. So if you want, you can sleep in my room. I have no problem with that." Itsuki explains while turning to her sister. Unsurprisingly, Ichika had a smug smile on her face.
"Eh? Wouldn't you rather wanna join me, Fuutarou-kun?" Ichika asks while gently grabbing his hand. "Don't you wanna spend time with your Onee-san?"
He tried his best not to let his panic show on his face, removing his hand from her grasp while snatching up his bag. He walks to the bathroom and opens the door. "I'm gonna go take a shower now."
Fuutarou walks into the bathroom and closes the door behind him. The bathroom itself was split into two separate rooms. The first contained a toilet, two cupboards, and a mirror in between those two and two basins right below those. The second room was separated from the first by a glass door that you could not properly see through.
Fuutarou sighs and takes out the towel he had brought with him. He lays down the rest of his stuff in the first room and then enters the second room. He was surprised by what he was currently seeing. He'd rather call the bathtub a small pool rather than a bathtub. Carefully locking the door behind him, he takes off his clothes before filling the bathtub with warm water.
When it was finally filled with enough water, he slowly enters it and lays down. The warm water was relaxing and was an excellent way to recover from the stress of dealing with those girls.
He didn't want to take too much time in the bathroom so after relaxing for a few minutes, he grabs the shampoo on a nearby shelf and begins to lather himself with it when suddenly, he heard someone walk into the first half of the bathroom.
Fuutarou didn't pay too much attention to it, assuming it was just someone who needed to grab something, before jolting at a sudden knock on the translucent door. "Fuutarou-kun, are you enjoying your bath?" A familiar-sounding voice asks. Considering the way the person was addressing him, he knew it had to be Ichika. "Yeah, I sure am. I never bathed in such a big bathtub."
"Really? Do you want me to come in and wash your back? Or maybe I can give you a massage?" She suggests teasingly, leaving Fuutarou to blush profusely. Yep, this was definitely Ichika. Same old trickster.
"No, you don't have to do that. I will be finished in a few minutes, then you can have your turn." Fuutarou hurriedly states even as he begins to rinse himself off.
"Oh, I don't want to go into the bathtub. Showering before bed is bad for your health. I just wanted to chat with you for a bit." She explains. Fuutarou turns to the glass door, pausing in his ministrations, and sees her silhouette sitting right next to the door. He swallows slightly. "I see, what is it that you want to chat about?"
Without hesitating, Ichika threw him a curveball. "Would you rather sleep in Itsuki's room or in my room?" How, and why, did she come up with a question like that?
Oh, right. Just a few minutes ago, they both asked him to sleep in their rooms, he almost forgot about that. But he really didn't want to answer that question. Not because he was too embarrassed to answer it, but he had a feeling that any answer to that question would be wrong.
"Can I ask you a question instead, Ichika?" Fuutarou asks while thinking about what she had mentioned to him just a couple hours ago. "Yeah, what is it?"
He takes a deep breath to calm himself down and then throws out the question. "Why am I stuck in your head?" Fuutarou couldn't see Ichika's reaction to his inquiry, but if she was anything like him, she would be surprised. She chuckles, seemingly nervous.
"Just forget about it, it isn't that impor-" Ichika answers and he can see her shaking her head until he chooses to press further. "It isn't important? Well, even if it isn't to you, it's important to me. So could you please tell me why?"
Ichika remained silent for a few seconds and from the way her head tilted, he knew she was now looking at the ground.
"You know, you really are a special person, Fuutarou-kun. If it means that much to you, I'll tell you why you've been stuck in my head." Ichika begins to explain while leaning backward, resting her head on the door.
"You may see us as spoiled rich girls, but that wasn't always the case. Before our mother died, we lived in poverty. Our mother did everything to make us happy. She would take us to the fireworks each year, she would always buy us birthday presents even though she didn't have the money to, and she would always make sure each of our wishes would come true in some way. She really did try her best.
But apart from her, there was never a person who really cared about us, who really supported us. Never. We would get helped by people here and there, but there was never a person who put as much of their time and effort into helping us after she died.
Even father isn't as caring as her even though he really tries his best. After all, he just has too much work to do. And while our grandfather shows us as much affection as he could, even though he also supported us financially when we were still living in poverty…in the end, he couldn't come close to mother.
And then I met you, a person who was willing to help us not only with our studies but also with personal problems. Problems like putting a modeling career over your own sisters.
In the very moment you shouted at me, you opened my eyes to what I had done wrong. I felt like I had finally met a person that really cared about my sisters. A person that really cared for me.
I know that this all sounds silly, and I know that I probably shouldn't have compared you to our mother but nonetheless, I want to get to know you, Fuutarou-kun.
That's why you've been stuck in my head."
Fuutarou was quite surprised, not only because of her confession about their past but also because of the reason why she wanted to get to know him better.
"Yeah, that's kind of silly, Ichika. But it's also pretty cute too." Fuutarou laughs and then stands up. He grabs his towel and wraps it around himself. "Also, I already told you why I care. I care about you because that's what friends do, am I right?"
"Yeah, you are probably right." Ichika chuckles as well, getting to her feet. "In any case, I want to invite you to my first photoshoot, if you have the time to go. It's on Monday, the week after the exams."
"You really want me to go there with you? Shouldn't you invite one of your sisters? Nino seems like she would be interested in something like that." Fuutarou questions, bemused. Ichika had already gotten her first job as a model, and wanted him to be there?
"No, I want you to join me." Ichika clarified while walking to the door leading to the living room. "You don't have to answer right now, take your time. Also, I think you want to finish freshening up, so I'm just gonna leave. See ya." She leaves the bathroom, finally allowing Fuutarou to open the door and go back into the first room of the bath. He dried his hair and put on his pajamas, then brushes his teeth before packing up his used clothes and towel and opening the door to leave.
Not a single sister was in the living room. Did they already go to bed? Probably.
Fuutarou lays down on the couch, preparing himself for a night of restless sleep. He makes himself comfortable and then looks at the ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices one of the girls walk down the stairs. It was Itsuki, and she was wearing her red pajamas, decorated with yellow stars. "Didn't I tell you that we weren't going to let you sleep on the couch? You should be sleeping in a proper bed."
"I'm okay with sleeping on the couch. It's much more comfortable than our futons at home anyway." Fuutarou dismisses her words almost callously, turning away and hoping she would just let him be.
"I can't accept this. Please, come with me." Itsuki states while walking next to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. He sighs, but gets up and shrugs. "Well, I guess I can't decline that offer."
Itsuki beams at him and walks back up to the second floor, accompanied by the other teenager. Fuutarou looks at the door leading to Ichika's room. Hadn't she invited him as well? Well, it seemed like he would be sleeping in Itsuki's room. He didn't really care where he was sleeping anyway, so he was fine with this.
They enter Itsuki's room and close the door behind themselves. Fuutarou looks around at the room, noting that it was the same as the last time he had seen it. Which was actually a problem, because there was no futon or another bed for him to use…
Were they both sleeping in the same bed or was Itsuki going to sleep on the couch instead of him?
Fuutarou turns to Itsuki who had probably reached the same conclusion. Her cheeks were turning pink, he noted even as they traded uncomfortable looks. They held eye contact for a few seconds before simultaneously dropping their gazes to the floor.
"I-I will go sleep on the c-couch!" Itsuki exclaims while moving to reach for the door. She grips the handle and was about to exit before Fuutarou grabbed her by the sleeve. "You don't have to sleep on the couch. I will sleep on the couch, so you can sleep in your bed."
Itsuki lets go of the handle and turns back to face Fuutarou once more. "No no, you really don't have to. I don't have a problem letting you sleep here while I sleep on the couch. So just make yourself comfortable and have a good night, okay?"
Fuutarou shakes his head. "No can do. You will sleep in your bed!"
"Well, but I insist that you sleep in this bed!"
The two of them look at each other again without saying anything. Both of their faces showed that they wouldn't give up until the other surrendered and took the bed.
Suddenly, Itsuki blushes and nervously looks at the ground. "H-How about we…" She stutters, fiddling with her sleeves. "How about we just sleep in the bed together? There is enough space for the two of us." Itsuki looks up, grinning nervously.
Fuutarou blushes as well after hearing her suggestion. Did she really just suggest that they sleep in the same bed? Itsuki?
"F-Forget it. I will just ask-" Itsuki exclaims while grabbing the door handle again. And once again, she's interrupted by Fuutarou.
"I…um…I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with you…"
Author's Note:
Hey there guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
As you can see, The Exiled Darkness, I took your suggestion and made it reality. I thought it was a funny idea.
If you want, you can join the discord I and some other QQ Writers usually hang out on: discord . gg / V54pcwA
See you guys in the next chapter!