From the events of the previous chapter, it looks like Fuutarou is taking the Nino Train as his next route, hahaha! Ribbonmania, Ichika's VIP Show, and Mikuism will have to wait, but not to worry! They will get their respective routes eventually, but for now, Fuutarou has to conquer Nino's heart first. Will she fall for him easily? Or will she continue being stubborn in typical tsundere fashion? There's only one way to find out!

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

Disclaimer: I don't own the Quintessential Quintuplets, or any of its characters...

The two teenagers continued to stare at one another for the next few moments, although they had different reactions to the shock that they experienced just now. Fuutarou was gobsmacked, quickly being reminded of the sensation he felt when he met Itsuki yesterday. He knew how it felt like, as well as what it meant.

"W-What the hell is this…? This is the same thing I felt when I met Itsuki… the shock that that oji-san had told me about!" Fuutarou thought to himself. "Why am I feeling it again? I already met my soulmate— no way. Don't tell me this girl is my soulmate? Itsuki's sister?! Why do they look alike? This can't be Itsuki, right? No, that's impossible, maybe she has a twin or something... wait a second, I thought Itsuki was already my soulmate?!"

While Fuutarou was overwhelmed with so many questions right now, Nino was struggling with her conflicting emotions, which obviously involved the boy who was standing before her.

"W-What is this I'm feeling…? Why is my heart beating so fast?!" Nino questioned herself, while putting her hand right above her chest to feel the rapid pace of her heartbeat. Her cheeks were also heating up, yet she couldn't bring herself to look away for whatever reason. "T-This guy… I can't be feeling this way because of him… r-right? H-He's someone to get rid of, I… I have to make him stay away from Itsuki, but… but why does he look so hot…?! Wait, what the hell is even wrong with me?!"

Unable to bear the warm feeling in her heart that was making her feel like this, Nino shook her head and ran off, keeping her gaze on the floor to hide the raging blush on her cheeks. This left Fuutarou in his place, wide-eyed and still shaken from this sudden revelation that just transpired.

"What… the heck is going on…?"

Was the lone thought in the young man's mind, somehow unsure if he was only dreaming just now, or it really happened. His mind was still overrun by many questions, to the point that it wouldn't be surprising if he experiences a breakdown at any moment. Just when he was beginning to accept the fact that Itsuki was his soulmate and willingly went through with it, the universe decided to throw her sister towards him who also happened to be his soulmate, all because of the shock that they felt together. It couldn't have been a simple electric shock, because it's not like there were were any live wires or sockets around. Meanwhile, this recent development didn't go by unnoticed by the other students who were still in the classroom and caused a mixed reaction among all of them.

"Did you see that girl? She ran away from seeing Uesugi-kun's face…"

"Maybe he's cheating on Nakano-san with her! Just look at how that girl was blushing a while ago!"

"I don't think so, since she was telling him to leave Nakano-san alone."

"Maybe Uesugi-kun did something to her that made her run away…?"

As usual, Fuutarou didn't pay any attention to his classmates and simply stared at the door where Nino had gone through just now, while finally coming to one single conclusion in his mind. There's only one way to resolve this, and he knew who to confront about this issue!

"That oji-san better have some answers ready when I talk to him," Fuutarou deadpanned in his mind.

~~XoXo~~

"Uesugi-kun! Thank you for saving me a seat!" Itsuki called out to her tutor with a bright smile, placing her tray on the table and sitting on the opposite side of where Fuutarou was.

"I told you that I would, remember?" He couldn't say it out loud right now, but he was glad Itsuki was here after the… little fiasco that happened between him and her sister earlier. Man, that caught him off guard so much that just by seeing Itsuki here was enough to calm him down a lot more. Of course, he'll still have to tell her about her sister, though. Maybe he can find out if Itsuki knew that her sister was looking for him earlier, but right now, he'' enjoy his soulmate's company.

He felt like he could eat in peace with Itsuki around.

"Indeed, you said that you would." Itsuki giggled and uttered the phrase of thanks before she began to eat. While she was gobbling up some broth from the miso soup she bought, Itsuki noticed that her tutor was once again surviving on a very cheap meal. She sent Fuutarou, who was eating peacefully, a thoughtful look before cutting off a portion of the katsu that she had on her tray. She then picked it up with her chopsticks before handing it towards her not-so-secret-crush. "Here you go, Uesugi-kun."

Fuutarou looked up to see the redhead smiling sweetly at him, while handing a portion of her katsu at him. To save Itsuki's arm from getting tired, Fuutarou took the katsu from her, but was left giving the girl a confused look.

"You're giving me food again?" he remained silent for a few seconds, before shrugging his shoulders then popping the tender pork into his mouth, enjoying the crunchy and salty goodness that he rarely gets to experience. Yep, he'll be happy to have Itsuki as his girlfriend in the future, if he'll be able to experience this most of the time. "I guess I owe you two big meals now," he concluded, because it was the only way he could think of how to repay Itsuki. She loved to eat, right? Maybe he could save up some money to buy her lunch, or him and Raiha can work together to cook a meal when they hold a tutoring session in the future…

"Oh, you don't owe me anything, Uesugi-kun. I simply wanted to give you food as your dear friend, that's all." Itsuki shook her head, insisting that her actions were just an act of kindness from her.

"This just feels wrong, in my opinion. While you've gone out of your way to give me some food for the second consecutive day, I, on the other hand, have nothing to give you. It hurts me for some reason, now that I think about it," Fuutarou crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head in disappointment at himself.

"Don't say that, Uesugi-kun. You are my tutor, and what you will be giving me is knowledge through the lessons that you will teach me. We have already had a very productive first day, did we not? I trust that you'll be able to continue like this, Uesugi-kun. You know that Raiha-chan is also cheering for you, correct? You're my dear friend, and I trust you as my tutor. Furthermore, I..." Itsuki blushed, before shaking her head. It was too embarrassing for her to tell him that she liked him in such a public place. "A-Anyway, the things that I will learn from you will be far greater than any kind of food in the world, Uesugi-kun." Itsuki explained, all while retaining her smile, before she realized the words she just said and caused her to flush in embarrassment. "Actually, hold on! It wouldn't be greater, but close, I'm sorry."

Fuutarou listened to her speak the whole time, going as far as to pause in his lunch so that Itsuki wouldn't be interrupted. Once she was done, the only thing that the young man could do was chuckle in amusement.

"You're pretty wise for the youngest sister in your family. You almost reminded me of Raiha with how she gives me advice." Since Itsuki was finally done speaking, Fuutarou went back to eating his lunch. "But you make very valid points, Itsuki. Now I know that I mustn't let you down, and that I have to do my best as your tutor. I may not be able to pay you back with any material, but I can make sure that you'll be able to pass your exams through my lessons."

"That's the spirit, Uesugi-kun!" Itsuki cheered on, slurping on the strawberry milkshake that she ordered belore giving Fuutarou a smile. "I can't wait for our study session later on! I'm excited to learn more from you!"

Fuutarou returned her smile with one of his own, before suddenly remembering something important. "Oh, speaking of which," he should tell Itsuki about what happened earlier before it could slip away from his mind. "One of your sisters came up to me earlier, just when you left the classroom to make a call."

Itsuki raised an eyebrow in interest. "Oh? Who was it?"

"Well, I never got her name, but…" He thought about the appearance of that girl whom he met earlier and surprisingly, he could remember what she looked like all too well. Whether it was because he had a good memory or the fact that the girl was also his 'soulmate', he didn't know. "…she had long hair like you… even longer, I think? She had butterfly ribbons on her head, and she literally looks like you. Was that your twin sister, Itsuki?"

The redhead nodded, quickly realizing the identity of the one who approached her tutor. "I see you've met Nino. She's indeed my sister, though we're not twins. It's more than that, actually. We're quintuplets."

"Quintuplets…? That means there are five of you."

"That's right. It's the reason why we look alike, and it's also why I wanted you to start referring to me by my given name. If you had met my sisters while still calling me 'Nakano-san', it would have been confusing."

"Yes, that's understandable," Fuutarou muttered, while his mind was heading to a different direction. "Was that why Nino and I felt the shock then? Because she looks like Itsuki and they're quintuplets? Wait, if that's the case, there wouldn't have been an electric shock because I already knew Itsuki... at least for me. But I clearly felt it, and I'm sure that girl did as well. Nino is a completely new person that I have met, and we felt the shock the same way when I looked at Itsuki for the first time… could this mean that… she's also my soulmate…?"

Fuutarou groaned internally and shook his head, noticing that he was overthinking this too much, when he didn't have much knowledge about soulmates and relationships. There was only one guy who could give him a straight answer, and he had every intention of speaking with that old god as soon as this day was over. If that old man can appear in his dream out of nowhere, then Fuutarou can surely call for him to come talk!

"I swear I'll be getting answers from that guy… did he somehow hear me when I said I didn't mind Itsuki being my soulmate and then he decides to give me another one?" he deadpanned in his mind.

"Why did Nino approach you, by the way? Was she looking for me by chance?" Itsuki spoke while munching on a dumpling, successfully snapping Fuutarou out of his thoughts.

"Close to that, but not exactly," he began to explain. "She told me to stay away from you because she doesn't want someone like me around. She went even as far as to try and threaten me with words. That's all."

After listening to Fuutarou's story, Itsuki was left pouting in her place from hearing of Nino's actions towards her tutor.

"No wonder she was mostly silent last night. She was thinking of my tutor's identity and most likely spent the whole morning gathering information around the school," Itsuki sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "I'm really sorry about her, Uesugi-kun. I didn't expect she would go this far to keep me away from you. W-Wait, how exactly did she know that you were my tutor? I never told my sisters who you were!"

"Remember what I said yesterday? That a rumor about us will obviously start getting attention around the school? I can bet that your sister heard about this and asked everyone around about the guy who was hugged by the newest student in school, before connecting the dots back to me." Fuutarou explains calmly, unsurprised with the tactic that Nino must have used to get to him. "That's quite crafty of her, if I have to admit."

Itsuki could only sigh once more. "Again, I apologize for my sister's actions, Uesugi-kun. I'll be having a talk with Nino later on about what she did and make sure she doesn't bother you again. I don't even know why she wants to separate us, when I made it clear last night that our relationship is simply tutor and student."

"Do what you must. But enough about that. I want to know if you are truly prepared for our first real tutoring session later on," Fuutarou states with a smirk. "Yesterday, you were bugging me to extend our session, but I wonder if you'll be able to say such a thing today."

"I suppose we'll find out as we go on, Uesugi-kun," Itsuki shrugged her shoulders, before flashing a big smile. "But it does not change the fact that I feel excited to learn more from you today! I also want to see Raiha-chan again!"

Fuutarou returned her smile with one of his own, completely forgetting about Nino and his issue regarding the matter of soulmates for the moment, in favor of seeing the happy look on Itsuki's face that he secretly loved to see. Eh, the talk he wanted to have with the old god can happen later. Right now, he simply wanted to focus on Itsuki.

"Somehow, I also feel excited. I feel excited and motivated to teach you, Itsuki."

~~XoXo~~

On another side of the cafeteria, a medium-sized table was occupied by four girls who looked exactly the same as Itsuki, with the only things keeping them different are their hair lengths, their accessories, and the expressions on their faces.

Ichika noticed that the table was getting quiet, which was rather uncomfortable; Miku was eating while having no care for what was happening around her, Yotsuba was too focused on lunch to say anything, while Nino was at a slow pace that it looked like she was barely hungry.

"Aw, come on, everyone. We're not usually this quiet, are we? Besides, it's not like yesterday when Itsuki-chan forgot to inform us about where she was beforehand," Ichika spoke up with a reassuring tone, although it seemed like she was forcing a smile to appear on her face.

Miku sent a bored look at her sister. "Even if Itsuki was here, there's not much difference. What's there to even talk about that doesn't have anything to do with school?"

"Well, I'm guessing Nino has something to say, since she told me that she was going to go and see Itsuki-chan's 'friend' earlier. Come on, Nino, tell us something." Now this was something worth hearing. Itsuki never told them about the identity of her tutor/friend and they respected her decision, but it doesn't mean they won't try and find out more about the mystery person on their own. After Ichika spoke, both Miku and Yotsuba turned towards the girl with butterfly ribbons on her hair, expecting an answer in typical Nino fashion.

"Nino, you saw Itsuki's friend? What was he like?" Yotsuba asked, tilting her head innocently to the side.

"W-What?" Nino looked up to face her sisters, a confused expression on her face until her mind had registered Ichika's words a while ago. "Oh yeah, haha! I-I told that guy to leave Itsuki alone when I met him. He'll be out of our lives soon…!" she exclaimed, putting on a confident grin that looked like it would falter at any moment, and the blush on her face was too noticeable for anyone to take her seriously.

"That's not exactly what Yotsuba was asking, Nino." Ichika chuckled in amusement. "What was he like? Let's see if he's someone that Itsuki-chan would fall for, because I can totally sense that she has a crush! Why else would she text someone while eating dinner?"

An image of Fuutarou appeared in her mind, causing her to blush. "U-Uh, he's… he's fine, I guess…" Nino's eyes widened upon realizing her own words, as she shook her head to remove that image, in a valiant but futile effort to recompose herself. "Wait, no! He's a jerk! He can't even look at me when I'm talking to him! I don't even know what Itsuki sees in him!"

However, her attempt to save face wasn't believed one bit by her sisters, who were all looking at her in surprise because of her initial answer. Nino could only gulp, as she just dug her own grave.

"Ara, what do we have here? Nino has a crush on Itsuki's friend?" Ichika raised a hand towards her hand, before sending a teasing look at Nino. "This has surely gotten more interesting… two of our sisters liking the same guy… was he really that handsome to you?"

"N-No, I don't! I don't like that jerk at all! Shut up, Ichika!" Nino shook her head rapidly, but her blush never left her cheeks. In fact, her mind was travelling back to when she locked eyes with Fuutarou, even though she was telling herself not to.

"You're not doing a very good job of showing it, though." Miku pointed out, a hint of a smile showing on her lips at seeing Nino all flustered like this.

"I don't like that idiot! Stop making it seem like I do!" Nino continued to deny, glaring hard at her sisters to assert her point, but to no avail.

"But doesn't Itsuki already like him, Nino? Are you going to tell her about your feelings?" Yotsuba asked, causing a tick mark to appear on Nino's head, much to Ichika and Miku's amusement.

Nino gritted her teeth, slamming her palms on the table. "Again, I don't like him and don't care if Itsuki has the hots for Uesugi! I'll make him go away even if I have to beat it into him! We don't need someone like him around!"

Ichika tapped her chin, her smirk widening at this newfound knowledge. "Ah, so his name is Uesugi… I suppose you already know his name because you like him~ Why don't you tell us more, then? Our lunch might not be so boring, after all."

While Miku and Yotsuba turned towards Nino for answers, the girl being questioned could only slam her head against the table with steam rising from it, a clear sign of her frustration. However, her thoughts were clearly different much to her own confusion, and it was a good thing that her face was hidden because her blush only grew stronger.

"I can't be having feelings for that guy… I'm trying to keep him out of our lives here! But why does my chest feel like it's about to explode…?" Nino unconsciously placed a hand on her chest, feeling her rapid heartbeat while another image of Fuutarou appeared in her mind. "I…I just met him and I'm like this…?"

Even if Itsuki's Meatbun Monster Rampage is done, do you really think the wholesomeness will end? NO! That's what this story is for, lol. Itsuki will still receive fluffy moments because she is still his soulmate, and the Nino Train is just beginning. CAN'T STOP THE WHOLESOMENESS! Speaking of which, looks like the effects of the soulmate bond is quickly affecting Nino while talking to her sisters, but she is confused as hell from what she feels. This should be interesting, since she's a pretty unpredictable character at times. The question is, will she be in denial? Or will she give in to her feelings and go after Fuutarou? How will Itsuki react to that? What about the three other girls? Welp, the questions just keep on coming. Let's see if Nino can get over this sudden change in her feelings in the next chapter!

Goodbye... and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture*

-Lance