Last chapter, we saw Fuutarou accepting his fate as someone lucky enough to have five girls as his soulmates, which will somehow make his relationship with Itsuki a lot more complicated than before, because Nino has now entered the picture. Still, damn that old man for letting himself get distracted by watching anime. Now he made things a lot harder for Fuutarou, but it looks like our boy will have to deal with this on his own. we then saw him talking with Nino by the end of the chapter and they were seen by some students, which caused Fuutarou to run away with her. Let's see how this unfolds in this brand new chapter of wholesomeness!

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

Fuutarou led Nino through the school corridor, occasionally sneaking glances behind him to see if there were any students who could see them. While doing so, he noticed the girl whose hand he was holding remained silent with her head down, in an attempt to hide her blushing cheeks from him. It was a clear sign that she was feeling embarrassed and she didn't want to show it. He ignored this for now, turning his attention back to finding a place where they could hide in.

His eyes locked on to a particular room near the staircase, making him grin in triumph. "The lab! Perfect, it's always empty when it's lunch period. Nobody's gonna think of going there at this time of the day," he thought to himself. Looking back one more time to make sure that nobody could see them, he slipped into the laboratory with Nino.

Once inside, Fuutarou finally let go of her hand and wiped the sweat off his face, before taking a seat on one of the chairs so he could rest for a bit. After all, he wasn't used to doing too much physical activity for an extended period of time and having to run all of a sudden took a toll on him. "I'm sorry if I surprised you with that, but I couldn't think of anything else to do at that moment. Wait it out for a few minutes, and then you can leave. I'm sure those fools are on our trail, looking for us so they can have more reasons to continue the rumors."

While Nino understood his words, she still had her head down for a few moments, although it wasn't because of embarrassment anymore. She was looking at her hand, the one that Fuutarou held, and how it was turning cold with every second passing by. It's like his hand was the sole reason why it felt so warm just a while ago, and she found herself missing that feeling already. It was so comforting that Nino couldn't deny how good it felt, even though she had the strength to do so. Somehow, she wanted to experience it all over…

Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't avoid talking about it. There's no way she'll admit it to his face that his hand was so warm that she wouldn't mind holding it again!

"Why did you do that…?" she asked quietly. Despite what she felt about holding his hand, she couldn't understand why he had to lead her all the way here. As a matter of fact, she could have just ran away when she saw those students earlier. She just froze up in that moment, allowing Fuutarou to take the lead and take her by surprise. But even so, he could've left her there and just walked away without a care in the world! Why did he have to bring her along, which made Nino confused.

"Why did I do what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"D-Don't play dumb with me! You know what I mean!" Fuutarou only looked more confused at her words, which made the girl clench her fists. Her fiery personality was already beginning to return, desperately wanting to know the answer behind his actions. "Why did you have to bring me here?! I didn't need your help at all! I was about to run away when I saw those idiots, you know?! You didn't have to bring me along, so why?!"

"That's what you want know?" he said, somehow looking disappointed that she would ask such a shallow question. Despite that, he gave her the answer she wanted without hesitation. "I did it because I didn't want you to be a part of those rumors going around the school. I'm sure those guys thought that you were Itsuki from a distance, but who's to say that they won't figure out that you were a different person?"

"Of course they won't recognize me! In case you don't know, we look exactly alike, idiot! They'll just think I'm Itsuki, so it's nothing!"

"No, it's not. In case you don't know, Itsuki is already the subject of rumors around here about her dating someone like me, but I'm sure you are already aware of that. It's how you found me in the first place, correct?" he asked, and took Nino's silence as the answer that he needed. "Let's assume that they think you are Itsuki, having a conversation with me, all alone in the hallway. It changes nothing. Your sister will still be the subject of rumors around here. As her tutor and friend, I can't tolerate that and I'm sure you want the same. Am I right?"

Nino could only look at him with wide eyes afterwards, silenced with his answer because it was true. There's no way she could deny her way out of this now. She gave a slow nod, while turning her gaze elsewhere to berate herself internally for thinking of such a thing. He was right, even if she lets those students think that she was Itsuki, it would only cause her sister to have a harder time around here. The same thing would happen if any of her sisters was in her place right now.

"On the other hand, in the very slight chance that they figure out you're not Itsuki, it would be bad for you, nonetheless. A new rumor will start spreading around here, with you as its subject. I'm sure that my own reputation will become more complicated should that happen, rumors about me hanging out with two different girls, but I can handle it since I'm not one to give a damn about rumors. However, that's not what I'd be concerned about because my attention would be on you if that's what happened."

"M-Me…?" Nino asked quietly, letting out a gasp when Fuutarou stood up from his seat and slowly walked towards her with a serious look on his face. That expression alone caused her blush returned full-force, and she was forced to take some steps back out of nervousness.

"I don't know much about you because Itsuki's the only I have met from your sisters, but she told me that you're pretty stubborn. That's not a bad thing, however, because I'm pretty stubborn myself. If those students had known you were Nino and not Itsuki, it would be really bad for your reputation and that's not something that you'd want to happen, right? You'd be uncomfortable with rumors about you going out with someone like me if they start spreading around the school and from what Itsuki said about you, I am somehow worried of what you will do if that happens."

As soon as he said those words, the girl thought about dating the boy who was also Itsuki's tutor, which only caused her blush to deepen. From her reaction, it was clear that she didn't dislike the idea. Her tough exterior fell for a moment, letting her thoughts speak for what she truly felt inside. "I-I wouldn't mind those rumors…" Nino muttered under her breath, turning her gaze to the side, which didn't go unnoticed by Fuutarou.

"What?"

"Nothing!" she quickly shook her head, banishing that thought as quickly as she imagined it before the young man could catch on. She quickly put on a scowl to hide her embarrassment, forcing herself to look into his eyes without showing any sign of her demeanor faltering from how close they were to another. "I get it, okay?! Y-You don't need to spell it out for me..."

Fuutarou stared right back at her for the next few moments, before breaking the tension between them by walking towards the door. This caused Nino to let out a sigh of relief that he didn't do anything further, while simultaneously feeling a little disappointed with him. Why didn't he do anything? He literally had her cornered and his presence looked intimidating, he could've slammed his hand into the wall and dive in for a kiss… and she wouldn't mind going along with it…

Wait, what?! No, she shouldn't be having those thoughts! First, being fine with rumors about her and Fuutarou going out, now she was wondering why he didn't take advantage of their situation?!

"I shouldn't be thinking this way!" Nino thought to herself, slapping her cheeks with both of her hands to try and snap herself out of her current state. "Why am I even like this?! I just met this guy yesterday! I can't be having a crush on him! Sure, he's pretty handsome and his hand is really warm, but that's it! Wait, no! I'm just doing it again!"

"You can go on ahead. I think we've spent enough time inside here," Fuutarou said, taking a quick glance outside if there were still people within the corridors. After making sure there were none, he stood aside and looked at the girl. "I'm pretty sure those students got tired of looking for us, so it should be safe for you to leave."

"Oh, thank god…" Quickly forgetting about her embarrassment in favor of leaving this place, Nino let out another sigh of relief as she walked towards the door. Before she could leave though, she noticed how Fuutarou didn't look like he had any intention of getting out despite his words. "Wait, what about you?"

"I'll leave this place after you do," he answered while folding his arms and giving her a small nod of permission. "Just go, I'm sure Itsuki and your other sisters are waiting for you at the cafeteria."

"Haaa?" Nino asked him, a frown forming on her face out of suspicion. She didn't know the reason for him doing such a thing, when he already said that there weren't any students around anymore. Did he dislike the idea of being with her? Just thinking about it was pissing her off already, whether it was out of anger at his assumption, or frustration at his way of thinking. "Why do you have to wait for me to leave? What's so wrong in walking with me when we're both going to the same place? Do you think I still hate you, or something?"

Fuutarou shook his head. While she does make a good point, it was still risky to do. "It's not like that. Even if there's nobody around the hallway right now, you can never be too sure if we'll see another student along the way. If that happens, we'd only end up doing what we're trying to avoid. Go on ahead, I'll be fine."

"Hmm…" Nino narrowed her eyes for a moment, looking like she was in deep thought. Who did this guy think he was, acting all chivalrous like this? She could see it in his eyes, he was already hungry and waiting for her to leave wasn't gonna do him any good. "Seriously, you… stop acting cool…" Nino said in her thoughts, walking up to the young man with a serious look on her face and stopped before him. Fuutarou raised an eyebrow at her while she placed her hands on her hips.

"I told you, I'll be fine. Go meet your sisters already," he sighed, knowing what was exactly on Nino's mind. She can't seriously be thinking of doing that, can she? It was basically risking them getting seen by other students, for crying out loud!

"Shut up. You're coming with me, whether you like it or not." While having a small blush on her cheeks, Nino quickly grabbed his hand and led the way out of the room, pulling Fuutarou along with her. She kept her gaze in front and didn't bother looking behind, fearing that the young man would see her blush.

"You know that this is crazy, right?" Fuutarou asked rhetorically, though a small hint of red on his cheeks could be seen up close. Why wouldn't he be blushing? A beautiful girl was holding his hand, and he could definitely feel her tightening her grip for some reason. The only explanation he could think of was that their bond as soulmates must be affecting her even more by now, and she wasn't doing anything much to resist it. "You're going to risk us getting caught by other students."

Nino shook her head furiously and tightened her grasp on his hand even more, almost as if she was afraid he would pull away. "J-Just shut up, alright? I don't care about that right now. Let 'em do what they want... I-I'll even tell them that I'm Nino and not Itsuki…"

"Have you gone mad? Why the hell would you do that?" Fuutarou's calm demeanor broke for a moment, his eyes widening at her words. That was faster than what he thought! Earlier, he clearly noticed that she still had that same fire in her personality but now it's gone?! Was that bond between them as soulmates just that strong?

"H-Hahaha, you still have a lot of things to learn about me!" Mustering up her courage, Nino turned her head to look at him with a smug grin, although it couldn't be taken seriously with the blush that was still present on her face. "I don't really care if rumors about me start spreading around here, you know! Because that's all they are, just rumors! They don't know shit about the real me!"

Fuutarou didn't bother replying to her because his full attention went to their hands that were still joined together, but that wasn't all. His gaze darted towards Nino's fingers interlacing with his own, making him widen his eyes even more while his blush darkened.

Was this girl… also impulsive like her sister was?

~~XoXo~~

"So Nino, how did your talk with Itsuki's tutor go? You sure took your time with him, huh~?" Ichika asked, now that Nino was finally with them, lunch tray and all. In all honesty, Itsuki was the only one who was still eating among them which showed just how long it took Nino to get to the cafeteria.

"Ichika, what are you trying to imply…?" Itsuki asked innocently, while munching on a piece of tempura. "What did Nino do with Uesugi-kun?"

"Aw, there's no need to get jealous, Itsuki-chan." Ichika giggled, enjoying the redness that sprouted on Itsuki's face as soon as she said that her sister was 'jealous'. "It's just that Nino took too much time in what she wanted to do, when she was only supposed to talk with Uesugi-kun. We told you earlier, didn't we?"

"Oh, right! Now I remember!" Itsuki exclaimed, remembering how she was confused that Nino wasn't with them to eat lunch, which then prompted Ichika to tell her that their other sister wanted to speak with her tutor. "Though… I still don't understand what Nino wanted to talk to Uesugi-kun about. Did she want to tell him to stay away from me again?"

Yotsuba was the one to speak this time. "Nino just wanted to see what Uesugi-san was like, but the rumors about him around here were really different from the things you told us, Itsuki. So, she went to Uesugi-san personally and saw for herself what he's really like."

Itsuki raised an eyebrow, giving a confused look at all of her sisters. "Didn't I already tell all of you what Uesugi-kun was like? Did you think I would be lying about what I said regarding him?"

"No offense, Itsuki, but we thought you were being too biased when you spoke about him," Miku replied coolly. "It was just strange how you kept saying nice things about him because we've never seen you act that way, so we thought there was something wrong."

"And that's why Nino told Uesugi-kun to stay away from me? She wanted to know more about my tutor, but ended up hearing those rumors instead?"

Ichika shook her head. "Actually, it's not like that at first. Nino just wanted Uesugi-kun to stay away from you because she doesn't trust him, and then you had that little discussion with her about your tutor yesterday. Remember?"

"I guess… but what is this about her talking with Uesugi-kun earlier?"

"Well apparently, Nino admits it to herself that there's more to your new friend than what she thought, Itsuki-chan. So she decided to find him when lunch period started and have a proper talk this time, because Nino just wanted to know more about him. Maybe she even apologized to him personally for what she did yesterday. Isn't that thoughtful of her? She's normally not like this!"

"I see," Itsuki nodded slowly, before turning towards Nino. A big smile then took over her face, feeling proud of her sister's actions. She wasn't stubborn and actually chose to do the right thing this time! "If that's the case, I'm happy that you cleared things up with Uesugi-kun, Nino! If you don't mind me asking, what did you two speak about?"

"Yeah, Nino. I believe it's about time you start talking about what you found out about Uesugi-kun~" Ichika teased, as all pairs of eyes on the table went towards Nino.

Unfortunately for them, the girl they were currently questioning only had her head down and had not moved at all. Her food remained untouched, and she could only be grateful that her long hair ended up shielding her face from her other sisters, which hid her total embarrassment from the realization of what happened between her and Itsuki's tutor/crush just before getting to the cafeteria.

"I held his hand, I held his hand, I held his hand, I held his hand…" Nino repeated in her mind over and over, her face becoming red to the point that she was starting to emit steam, all while subconsciously thinking about how she held hands with Fuutarou as if they were a couple.

How was that for some Nino fluff? Fuutarou didn't waste time at all in this one, and he ended up making Nino blush several times in this chapter! Guess that soulmate bond is quickly taking over Nino, and her tsundere side is becoming weak. Will it continue to be that way, though? The Nino Train is charging on with full steam, but can it catch up to Itsuki's monster headstart?! Man, what else will happen in this route before we head on to Mikuism, Ribbonmania, and Ichika's VIP Show? Those three are gonna be left in the dust if Itsuki gets too far and if Nino will throw away her restraints to become more assertive. I can't wait for the next chapter!

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

-Lance