Another daily update?! Only here in LanceSennin's stories, hahahaha! Last chapter, we saw Ichika giving Nino some advice on how to deal with her curiosity regarding Fuutarou, and Onee-san suggested having a talk with the guy. We'll be seeing that soon but not now, because Fuutarou himself is facing a really big problem! He knows Itsuki is his soulmate, so why did he feel the shock with Nino? Oh boy, that old man has a lot to answer for! How dare he ruin his perfectly good and wholesome relationship with Itsuki?! Let's see if he can manage to speak with that god and get the answers he need!

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

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

The pair of student and tutor were walking through the suburbs that led to the station, finished with their study session for the day. They were nearing their destination and at the same time, the sun was starting to go down. Itsuki's bright smile never left her face from when she left the school with Fuutarou, a clear sign that everything went well and the way she was latching onto his arm again was further proof of that. Fuutarou himself didn't mind her show of affection and occasionally snuck glances at the girl, before looking on ahead with a smile on his face.

"I already thought you were amazing, but the way you've helped me out today was beyond what I expected from you as a tutor. I'm beginning to feel that you're amazing all over again, Uesugi-kun!" Itsuki exclaimed, looking up at the young man happily.

Fuutarou blushed from that unexpected praise but turned away in order to try and hide it to avoid getting teased. From how this girl showed no hesitation to drive the dagger deeper after finding out that he didn't have any friends before her, he feared that she would tease him relentlessly every time she got the chance. "I-Is that so? I feel like you're overestimating my abilities as a tutor, Itsuki. I simply spent the majority of my free time last night devising a study plan that fits your learning capacities. Anyone would be able to do the same as I did, if they put in time and effort in the task at hand."

"No, I'm serious!" Itsuki shook her head and chuckled. "I felt really engaged throughout our session earlier, and our lessons are already clicking with my mind. Even if I forget some parts that we've discussed, I've written them all down so I can review them when I need it! I'm sure I won't forget anything even when I review what we've went over tonight!"

He smirked at her, thinking that it was time for some payback. "Heh, you sure it's not because Raiha made some snacks for us before I went down to business? Don't think I didn't see you and my sister laughing together while I was laying out my plan to handle your situation as my student."

"W-Well, there's no way I can ignore your sister's skill in cooking. She is really talented for her age, you know?" Itsuki sputtered, turning her gaze away to hide her blush before smiling up at Fuutarou again just moments later. "Anyway, I somehow don't feel tired at all, even if we ended our session a lot later than yesterday. In fact, I feel more eager to learn! I'm already excited for our study session tomorrow, Uesugi-kun!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Itsuki. We still have to go through our classes before that happens, just like all the school days that will follow after that. Also, there's no telling when one of our teachers might hold a pop quiz, so we'll see if you really remember our lessons once your knowledge gets put to the test."

"Mou, but I already prefer the way you teach me than our teachers at school, Uesugi-kun." Itsuki puffed her cheeks in a small pout, realizing that Fuutarou's words were true and that there could be a pop quiz that could take place anytime, even if classes had just begun. "I don't mean any harsh words to our teachers, but I prefer you to teach me over them. They explain things too quickly for me to understand most of the time…"

"Come on, aren't you overexaggerating a bit? Of course, our teachers won't cater to the whims of one student because they'll follow what suits the majority. I, on the other hand, have you as a single student and thus, I can adjust the pacing of our lessons to make it more suitable for your capabilities." Fuutarou explained, before releasing a light sigh. "Any other tutor would do the same if he was in my position, Itsuki."

"Oh, lighten up, Uesugi-kun. What's so wrong about receiving praise from me? Do you think I would be lying when I say that I think you're amazing?" Itsuki tried to explain her actions, before frowning a little at her tutor.

Fuutarou shook his head. "I'm not saying that you're lying, but I don't think I deserve too much praise, alright? Like I said, any other person can do the same as I did if they put in time and effort into something. Our situation just makes you think I'm more special because everyone else doesn't put in much effort into studying." He then looked down at the girl with a little smile on his face. "But… there's one person I know who takes her studies seriously, and that makes you special as well, Itsuki."

"W-What…?" The sudden shift in topic from him to herself was something that caught the redhead off guard, causing her to widen her eyes and to let go of his arm.

"You heard me," he nodded as if he was reaffirming his point. If he was going to be honest, he enjoyed how Itsuki kept on saying how good he was in his job and thought of them as flattering, but he couldn't risk it happening all the time. Itsuki might end up depending on him too much and he didn't want that. "You think I'm special? Well, you're the same. That makes us equal, and neither of us is above the other."

Itsuki thought about his words for a moment, before putting on a doubtful look and looked down on the ground. "But… I'm not like you, Uesugi-kun. All I can do is study hard… though I can never move forward. I don't have perfect marks like you do, nor can I even reach passing grades."

"That doesn't matter at all. Do you think I got perfect marks by doing nothing? No. I went through the same as you." He explained, before he then thought about an important event in his childhood. One that ended up changing his life forever. "I wasn't the same back then, Itsuki. You could say I was an arrogant brat during my childhood, until I met some important people who would change my life for the better. After I met them, I dedicated most of my time to studying and put in all of my efforts into becoming a better person than I originally was back then. Thanks to them, I became who I am right now."

Itsuki could only listen to her tutor explain an important event in his life and for some reason, she felt a tug in her heart when Fuutarou mentioned that he met 'some important people' but ended up ignoring that feeling. It's not something she should be concerned about because it was a private matter.

"You see now, Itsuki? I'm just like you, because you and I do our best in what we want to do. If you think I'm special, then look at yourself in the same way. It doesn't matter that you have grades that are unsatisfactory because that's my job. To me, the measure of a person's success doesn't depend on the result he gets in the end, but rather the road he takes in order to get there. There are people who are born rich, and there are people who become rich thanks to their efforts." Fuutarou raised his hand to keep Itsuki quiet in case she was thinking that he had any ill intentions. "Now, before you get angry with me for making it seem like I'm calling you out because of your status, hear me out. I would personally choose to be a part of the latter and be recognized for my hard work while enjoying the fruits of my labor. But what about you? Would you choose to be known as someone successful because of her family, or someone who worked hard in order to achieve success?"

Itsuki remained quiet for a few moments, looking like she was contemplating her answer before giving him a firm look. "I… I would choose the same as you," she states with her voice full of resolve. "I want to be someone who can stand on her own, without needing to depend on anyone else. I want to be seen as the person that I strived to be, and not how I am in my current state."

"Exactly," Fuutarou shot her a grin before wrapping an arm around her figure and pulled her in a side hug. This action caused Itsuki to blush, especially now when they were literally side-by-side. "Now you know what I mean when I said that we are equals. Neither of us is more special than the other, because we both aim to work hard, and we do our best to achieve what we want. But if you really insist, then the both of us are special since , like I said, we are equals. Does that sound good?"

"Being on equal grounds with you…" Itsuki murmured, a big smile slowly forming on her face as she leaned against him even more, relaxing in the warm comfort provided by Fuutarou's body. "I like the sound of that, Uesugi-kun. I really do."

The way Itsuki looked up at him with a satisfied smile, added to the fact that she was directly against his body, was enough for Fuutarou to temporarily forget about the God of Love and the question that he was going to ask the old man…

"I'm glad," was his simple reply to her words.

…about him feeling the electric shock upon making eye contact with Itsuki's own sister, when he already found his soulmate in her.

~~XoXo~~

Fuutarou was walking home with a look of contentment on his face, satisfied with the overall events that happened today. Sure, his day may have had some minor disturbances like Nino, Itsuki's sister, telling him to stay away from his student and the boring classes they had to go through, but the pros outweigh the cons here. Itsuki and him were able to hold their first tutoring session, which was a success and now he was heading back home after taking his student to the station.

His hand went up to touch his right cheek, and Fuutarou couldn't stop himself from smiling upon thinking back to what Itsuki did just before leaving.

"I still can't believe that girl can make me feel like this, but I'm not going to complain." Fuutarou thought to himself, remembering how Itsuki gave him another kiss on the cheek before he left, which caught him off guard again and caused the girl to giggle in amusement while his cheeks had turned red. The only thing he could do afterwards was hide his face and walk away, while waving his arm weakly in response to Itsuki saying goodbye to him.

Fuutarou's eyes then snapped wide open, remembering something important that he needed to deal with. His mind immediately went back to that 'fateful' meeting he had several hours ago… when he met Nino and experienced the same electric shock that he felt when him and Itsuki locked eyes for the first time.

"I can't forget about that! I need to ask that oji-san about what I felt! That girl can't be my soulmate when Itsuki already has that place!" Fuutarou said internally, panicking in his thoughts since he didn't know how he could possibly talk with a god. "Damn it, how can I call him? It's not like that guy has a phone! Do I just fall asleep and wait for him like how he appeared in my dream? Wait, I'm not even at home yet, and there's no guarantee that that would work! Uh, should I pray like what most people do? No, where could I even find a place to do that?!"

As if the universe was listening to him at that very moment, Fuutarou then found himself standing in front of the entrance to a shrine. He frowned in confusion and looked behind him, wondering if he made a wrong turn somewhere.

Nope, he knows this street well, because it's the road that he takes everyday while going to school. He wasn't lost or anything, this was the right route in going back home.

Wait... does this mean that this shrine was always there, and he just didn't notice? Or was this done by the old god because he heard his plea about needing to ask a question?

Anyway, there's no time to waste! He had to talk to the God of Love before this issue blows out of proportion!

Fuutarou quickly made his way to the shrine and along the way, he saw the kanji for love (愛) on a nearby sign, which could only mean that he was at the right place! Now assured that this place was directly connected to the old god that he met in his dream, he stood directly in front of the entrance with a confused look on his face.

"Alright, now what do I do to call him? Scream out his name? No, no, that would make me look stupid since he didn't tell me his name and I don't know if he even has one. Close my eyes and hope for the best? Well, I could try that but maybe I'll save it for last." He rubbed his chin in deep thought, before snapping his fingers with the next idea that popped into his mind. "Got it! I'll pray like any other person since this is a shrine and maybe he'll hear me if I pay my respects."

Fuutarou took a deep breath and straightened himself, before clapping his hands together in the normal praying position. He closed his eyes and focused on the appearance of the old god whom he met, doing so for the next few moments until he felt that this idea wasn't likely going anywhere. Who was he kidding? This is ridiculous.

"Am I even doing this right? I don't know if this will be enough to get that oji-san—"

"What are you doing?" a deep and powerful voice said from behind him.

"AAGHHH!" Fuutarou screamed in his place out of both shock and fright, while nearly tripping himself as a result. He quickly turned around, where he saw the same old god that he had been thinking of; his appearance was the same from the dream he had where they first met, sporting a traditional kimono and had a big wooden staff in his hand. "Oji-san? Is that you?"

"I should be reprimanding you for calling me in such a disrespectful manner, but you know what?" The old god started his statement with a threatening look on his face, before shrugging his shoulders. "I don't care anymore. Call me however you want."

The young man looked down on the ground while rising to his feet, now assured that this was the same old man from his dream and not anyone else. A really inconvenient way of showing himself, but at least he was here, right? "Sorry. I had no other way of addressing you."

"Never mind that. You said you wanted to ask me something, and I heard your plea. So, I led you here to be able to talk without being interrupted. What is it that you want to ask, Fuutarou?"

"I need to confirm something. When I met Itsuki yesterday, I felt the shock that you spoke of and I'm sure that she experienced the same," Fuutarou rubbed his chin and thought hard about what he observed so far. "Based on what I felt and what you told me about two nights ago, Itsuki is my soulmate. There's no other way to explain how she developed feelings for me in a span of a few hours. Even I admit that I have began to develop feelings for her in that amount of time."

"That is correct," the old god nodded. "Itsuki Nakano is your soulmate."

"If that's the case, then why did I feel the same thing when I met her sister today? She can't possibly be my soulmate when Itsuki and I already felt the electric shock yesterday. I believe it must have been a mistake. The reason might have been the fact that they are quintuplets, and it could be either you or I that has mistaken Nino for being Itsuki and caused the shock to happen again."

"Oh, that? There's no mistake that took place, Fuutarou. Nino Nakano is your soulmate, that's why the two of you felt a shock throughout your bodies," The old god clarified as though nothing was wrong with what he said.

The young man was silent for a few moments, the deity's words slowly registering into his mind instead of understanding it already, which was quite surprising for someone like him. Whether it was because the topic was about romance or the god's statement was something he didn't understand, his reaction soon became instantaneous.

Fuutarou's eyes slowly widened as soon as he realized the implications of what the old man said, to the point that he thought he was just hearing things. He blinked a few times, before doing it at a rapid pace as if he weren't able to register the thought of Nino being his soulmate… when he already has Itsuki. The old god is messing with him right now… he must be… there's no way Nino is his soulmate! Why else would Itsuki act like a loving girlfriend while she's around him?! There's no way he can throw away what they had, even if they had just met yesterday! Itsuki was now important to him, damn it!

"What…? Y-You can't be serious… I know what I felt when I met Itsuki, and I know she has feelings for me. You can't tell me otherwise," Fuutarou defended, while he couldn't help but feel that this situation was ironic. When he was first told about meeting his soulmate, he didn't want anything to do with it but now, he was defending the fact that Itsuki was the one he formed a bond with. That didn't matter though, because she was someone important to him by now.

The old god shook his head. "There is no need to worry. Itsuki Nakano is also your soulmate, Fuutarou. Both her and Nino Nakano are two of the five soulmates that you will eventually encounter."

…

…

…

Only the howling of the wind and bristling of leaves could be heard for the next few moments, which was a sign that things weren't looking good. Everything was too silent, as if it was the countdown for something catastrophic! Fuutarou was left silent once again from the deity's answer, probably even more than his earlier reaction. It looked like he was about to faint at any moment too, as he could only utter one simple response in return.

"Eh…?"

Poor Fuutarou. Looks like his situation's only gonna get more complicated with the bomb that the old man dropped on him. Five soulmates? Any guy would break down from that knowledge… I know I would. There's no telling how he's gonna react, except for the next chapter. Will he break down completely? Or will he succumb to his fate as a guy with five soulmates? Bruh, why did his situation have to be like this? The old man better have a good explanation for this. At the very least, Itsuki's presence made this chapter wholesome, right? That's Itsuki for ya! THANK YOU, MEATBUN MONSTER! YOU SAVED THIS CHAPTER FROM BEING A TOTAL MINDFUCK FOR FUUTAROU!

Itsuki: I didn't want Uesugi-kun to suffer completely from having to know such a controversial thing, which is why I am included in this chapter! Seriously! Why did the God of Love have to give Uesugi-kun 4 other soulmates, who all happen to be my sisters?! Uesugi-kun is mine! *pouts*

I don't know, Itsuki. Guess we'll find out next chapter if you're gonna have to share him with your sisters…

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

-Lance