Things are heating up thanks to the events of the last chapter, don't you agree? While we got some Nino fluff that will inevitably make her fall for Fuutarou even more, we see the Ribbonmania route finally open when Yotsuba made her presence known and locked eyes with our boy, causing them to feel the electric shock! But that's not all! Yotsuba seems like she remembers him from back then, and she implied that all five of them met him? Interesting. Well, now that they are linked as soulmates, what's gonna happen from here? Let's find out!

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

Fuutarou raised an eyebrow when Yotsuba had taken a step back, as if she was trying to deliberately distance herself from him. Her face was in total shock, and her mouth was left hanging open. Okay, this was something that he didn't expect, because this wasn't like the times when he met Itsuki and Nino. While those two simply looked shocked upon meeting him, Yotsuba seemed like she's just seen a ghost… a ghost of her past.

Yotsuba took a few steps further back, which had gotten the attention of Nino and Itsuki as well, who both raised an eyebrow at their sister's strange actions. Nino didn't waste any time and jumped straight to the point, already worried that something might have happened to Yotsuba.

"Hey, Yotsuba. The hell's wrong with you?" Nino asked while frowning in confusion. Her sister was never like this when meeting other people, because she was always beaming with energy and radiance that almost nothing can make her feel unnerved… until now, it seems. Still, what exactly is the reason why she's like this?

"I… I…" The ribbon-wearing girl struggled to say, looking at both her sisters before turning her attention back to Fuutarou, as she gulped out of nervousness.

Oh no, her sisters had noticed her expression and now they were confused! She can't let them know that she remembered something important from their childhood, not when it would potentially ruin the bond between them as sisters! She could still remember that day as if it was yesterday, as well as what happened between them and that blonde boy they met. If Itsuki finds out who he is, she might end up hating him and she didn't want that! It might break Itsuki's poor heart if that happens since she was really happy with her relationship with Fuutarou! And even if she doesn't, Nino might do something that will jeopardize their relationship just because she wants to! She had to cover up her little mistake, quick!

"I need to go to the restroom for a bit, I'll be right back…!" Yotsuba closed her eyes and laughed in an embarrassed manner, not making any effort to hide the blush that sprouted on her cheeks. She didn't waste any time and ran for it, but not before waving her arm in farewell. "It was nice meeting you, Uesugi-san! I'll be right back, I promise!"

As he watched the girl leave, Fuutarou couldn't help but be confused. Did he do something wrong? Did he scare her off? The only thing that happened was the electric shock they both experienced and while he was only caught off guard for a bit, Yotsuba seemed like she was hit by a tidal wave of some sort. This gave him another thing to think about, because compared to Itsuki and Nino's reactions when they met him, there was something about Yotsuba that seemed off. There was no denying that she was also one of the soulmates that the old man told him about, but it didn't feel like it for some reason.

Okay, he was sure that he's still new to these things, and there's no need to overthink it. He may now be aware that Itsuki and her sisters are going to be his soulmates thanks to that old man literally telling him about it, but it's not like it would be easy for him. The old man may have said that girls fall in love at first sight, but Nino wasn't like that so far! He'll have to work his way through this just like any other schoolwork, if he even wanted to have any chance of preventing their possible deaths. Of course, there was also the possibility of him developing feelings for Itsuki's other sisters, but that's a story for another time.

"What the hell did you do?" Nino turned her attention from Yotsuba towards Fuutarou, sending him a frown while thinking that he had something to do with her sister suddenly leaving out of nowhere. Why wouldn't he? Yotsuba was talking with him up until she said that she needed to go to the restroom. It was too strange for her not to notice!

Her words quickly got the attention of Itsuki, who didn't appreciate the fact that her sister was accusing her tutor of something he didn't do. "Nino, Uesugi-kun didn't –"

Fuutarou stopped her midway through her statement, raising a hand as he turned his attention towards Nino. "What exactly did I do that could have caused your sister to leave all of a sudden? I greeted her? I looked somehow intimidating that I scared her off? I agreed to meet her? I'd like to hear the reason from you, if you don't mind."

Nino looked surprised at how calmly he refuted her accusation, before shaking her head furiously. She didn't feel in the mood to argue with him any further, not when she had something else in her mind right now. "Ugh, whatever! I'm going to Ichika and Miku's table since Itsuki's already here and she's the one you've been waiting for, right? I'll just be a bother if I stay here, right?" Nino stood up, continuing to frown at the young man.

Itsuki looked at her sister in deep worry, glancing at Fuutarou for a moment before turning back towards Nino. She didn't want to leave her sister like this but at the same time, she can't just leave her tutor alone. Why can't just Nino get along with him? What exactly was preventing her sister from treating him like a normal person? The only thing she could do at this moment was play the role of peacemaker between them and hope that it wasn't anything too serious.

"Nino, do you still hate Uesugi-kun?" she asked nervously.

"Haaahh?" Nino immediately turned her attention towards Itsuki, sending her sister a confused look. "I don't hate this guy, Itsuki. We already talked about this kind of thing yesterday, remember? He just pisses me off, that's it." She huffed, trying to look as haughty as she could which made Itsuki sigh in relief. With that issue resolved, she turned her gaze towards Fuutarou, who simply had a neutral expression on his face. "By the way, is that the lunch you're having every day? Seeing you eat that little of a meal is just uncomfortable for me."

"Thank you for the concern, but I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine with what I eat and I'm thankful for even having something for lunch," Fuutarou spoke, sending her a nod of acknowledgement, which showed that he wasn't angry with her or anything. "Besides, unforeseen circumstances were the only reason why I needed to bring you here. You don't need to worry about being at the same table as me anymore."

"Hmm…" Nino narrowed her eyes further at him, before continuing on her way. While walking away from the table where Fuutarou and Itsuki were, Nino could only shake her head in disappointment upon reminding herself of the lunch he ate. If that was what he had to eat as 'lunch' everyday, then he surely wasn't kidding about being poor. This is what he eats everyday? He almost looked pitiful, if only he made it more obvious with his actions. "Stupid. You're never gonna survive that long with food like that…"

"What could she be thinking…?" Itsuki said in her thoughts, keeping her attention focused on Nino for a few more moments before turning towards her tutor with a curious look. Right, she still needed to know why Nino was here when she wasn't even having lunch with him in the first place. "How did you end up on the same table with Nino, Uesugi-kun? You said something happened before Yotsuba and I got here?" she asked.

"We met each other earlier while I was trying to find a table. I don't know what got into her at that moment, but she randomly shouted out my name while we're in the middle of dozens of students having their lunches. It should be obvious what happens afterwards," Fuutarou explained with a sarcastic chuckle, which caused Itsuki to sweat-drop after hearing what her sister did.

"The students here stared at the both of you, didn't they?" Itsuki asked, quickly earning a nod from Fuutarou and made her sigh in disappointment. "I can't say I'm surprised with her. Nino has a big tendency to let her emotions get the better of her most of the time, though I suppose I'm not one to talk about such a thing. And so, you led her here to keep the students' attention away?"

Fuutarou shrugged, leaning back on his seat. He wanted to put away his tray because the sight of it was making him uncomfortable when he was already done eating, but that would be disrespectful on Itsuki's part when she just arrived. "It was the only way to save both of us from unwanted attention. Honestly, I would have led her out of here completely but since I had my lunch tray in hand, a secluded table would be sufficient."

"So, does this mean there's going to be rumors about Nino soon?" Itsuki laughed nervously, feeling unnerved of what would be her sister's reaction if rumors about herself and Fuutarou begin to spread around the school.

"I don't think so. She called me in the same way that you do, so it's more likely that they thought Nino was you because you're quintuplets. They have no idea who she really is," Fuutarou sighed deeply and placed his hand on top of Itsuki's head, ruffling her hair for a bit which allowed him a few moments of calmness that he could feel with this girl being near him. "I apologize for this, Itsuki, but it seems like you'll become the subject of attention around this place for much longer."

"No, I-I understand why you did such a thing, Uesugi-kun." Itsuki shook her head and looked up at him with a bright smile, not minding his way of showing affection and welcomed it happily. "It all happened at a moment's glance and you had no choice but to resort to what you had in mind at that moment. Furthermore, I would be very upset if you had left without even telling me first," she finished her statement by puffing her cheeks in a little pout while narrowing her eyes at her tutor.

Her response caused Fuutarou to stop in his action, looking somehow nervous because her words were true. He would've left Itsuki here without her knowing where he was if he had led Nino out of the cafeteria. "I suppose," he said while looking to the side, removing his hand from her hair. "But aren't you worried for your own sake? I'm fine with these people making up crazy things about me because I couldn't care less about what they do, but what about you? Are you fine with your name being talked about in this school everywhere you go?"

Itsuki turned her attention back to her lunch, gobbling up a rice ball before donning a more thoughtful look. She pictured herself in her mind, coming across a group of students whom she greets with a smile, only for them to start whispering about something before moving away. "I suppose I would be somewhat affected by everyone saying those kinds of things about myself, but I wouldn't pay further attention to any of it. Like you, I would not care about what they think of me, because other people simply do not know that you are my tutor and I am learning from you, Uesugi-kun. They do not know that our relationship is not what they think it is," she explained, sending a happy glance at the young man.

"That so?" Fuutarou spoke in a mock surprise tone, which almost seemed like he was doubting Itsuki's words before sending her a small smile of his own a few moments later. He just felt a lot more at ease with this girl and since they have already made their mutual feelings known, there was no need to hide things from her. Maybe it had something to do with her being the first friend he made in years, as well as being able to make him smile genuinely on multiple occasions now. "Good. But I want you to know that it doesn't change what I feel, Itsuki," he continued, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table.

After being caught by surprise for a few moments, Itsuki didn't hesitate to give him the brightest smile she could muster, before shyly leaning her head on his shoulder. The girl let out a smile of satisfaction, not because of the lemonade that she was drinking from, but rather the strange sense of comfort that she could only feel from her tutor. "I feel the same way, Uesugi-kun."

Things between them became quiet for the next few moments, creating a temporary state of peace that no one could possibly ruin. Fuutarou didn't mind her action and he was honestly tempted to wrap his right arm around her to pull her in a side hug, if it weren't for the sudden voice that rang in their ears.

"Uuuesuugi-saaaann!"

Both teenagers snapped their eyes open in response to that voice, but it was too late for them to do anything when Yotsuba appeared right behind them, before quickly wrapping her arms around Fuutarou's neck in a surprise hug. This caused Itsuki to separate from her tutor and stare at her sister in both surprise and confusion, while the young man himself looked more shocked than anything else.

Meanwhile, Yotsuba was only smiling happily as she slowly cradled Fuutarou's head from left to right while also giggling in a cute manner every few seconds, as though she was enjoying this. Fuutarou took a glance behind him, and he couldn't help but feel confused with her. Didn't she run away from him earlier? Why was she acting all cheerful and energetic now? What the hell was going on?!

After a few moments of being frozen in shock, Itsuki finally found the strength to say something, and the first thing that came to mind was her sister's sudden appearance. "Y-Yotsuba…?! W-W-Where did you come from?!" she asked incredulously.

"Huh? I said I was going to the restroom for a bit, didn't I?" Yotsuba responded as if nothing was wrong. She hugged Fuutarou tighter, unknowingly pushing his head into her chest, which caused the boy to blush and sent Itsuki a look of panic. "Now we can eat altogether! Don't leave me out yet, shishishi!"

"O-Okay, we can eat together, but please let go of Uesugi-kun already!" Itsuki cried, noticing her tutor's silent cry for help before quickly deciding to help him.

While Yotsuba seemed happy and cheerful on the outside, it was actually a little mask to hide the hesitant look she had inside. A sudden memory then came to her mind, where a young blonde-haired boy was surrounded by five red-haired girls with the same faces in the middle of an open field. The memory made her sad, but somehow happy at the same time for some reason. Immediately afterwards, Yotsuba thought of each of her sisters and herself in the places of those five girls and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I can't tell Itsuki and Nino that he's the same boy we met back when we were kids, but I can at least enjoy this feeling on my own…" she said in her thoughts, her feeling of hesitation disappearing to make way for a real smile, now that she finally met him again.

Hmm, this is truly interesting... three routes are now open, but Itsuki is still in the lead receiving some fluffy moments every now and then, so the ones that Fuutarou has to focus on are Nino and Yotsuba. Nino is gonna be tricky but there's already some foundation laid for their relationship to prosper. We'll just have to see where the Nino Train will lead from here. Yotsuba is still Yotsuba, though she's acting more direct than her canon self, because she just hugged Fuutarou out of nowhere even though he was sharing a moment with Itsuki. Interesting to see where that goes to. She also revealed some pretty important information this chapter, saying that ALL five of them met Fuutarou back then, but it seems like she's the only one who remembers it. She doesn't even want to tell her sisters about it... I wonder why? We'll just have to see where the Ribbonmania route will lead to, no? Tune in next time!

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

-Lance