Last chapter was pure Ribbonmania and Fuutarou just can't catch a break, lmao. Just after dealing with Nino a few days ago, he now has to deal with Yotsuba hugging him out of nowhere with many people witnessing it! If you're asking why he ran away instead of just telling those students who saw them to leave, it's simply the lesser of two evils. If he told them to fuck off, his reputation will just become worse and further complicate his life in the school. He had no choice but to run away. What's gonna happen next? Is it still Ribbonmania time? Why is the title of the chapter like that? Why am I asking you all these questions? Let's get right into it!

Oh, and Fox, make sure to credit me if you translate. That's all.

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

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

Fuutarou could only sigh as him and Yotsuba walked through the hallway, passing by many students along the way who were either staring at them, or whispering amongst themselves about what they were seeing. He wanted to take the girl's hand and run away again, but he knew that he didn't have the strength to do such a thing. So much for carrying Yotsuba to get away from the prying eyes of other people, huh? It only ended up in him being escorted to the clinic and risking themselves getting seen, anyway.

"Itsuki will definitely have a harder time around here… I'm such an idiot," Fuutarou hung his head and groaned. "I can't even protect her from stupid rumors coming from the mouths of idiotic people.

"Don't blame yourself, Uesugi-san! I'm sure Itsuki will understand when she finds out that you needed to get to the clinic!" Yotsuba sent him an encouraging smile, trying her best to pay no attention to the people around them but from the small blush on her face, it was clear that she was feeling a bit shy from their gazes. Her eyes then widened upon realizing something important that concerned Fuutarou himself. "Oh right, I have to tell her about this after I bring you there! She must be getting worried for you because you're not in class yet!"

"I could still attend class, you know. There's nothing wrong with me, I'm just tired. A few minutes of sitting on a chair will surely get me back to full strength, and there will be no need for you to tell Itsuki about all of this. I'll tell her myself while you can head to your own class."

Yotsuba shook her head and started to speak as if she was scolding him, but she didn't look angry or anything. "I can't do that, Uesugi-san! You need to rest on a bed, not a chair! I don't think the teachers would also let you be in class if you're like this. Me and Itsuki can just tell them that you needed to rest in the clinic. I'm sure they'll understand!"

He rolled his eyes and sighed. Yotsuba did make a good point, however; if he was sitting on a chair, he'd likely fall asleep and get scolded for being tardy. Plus, the only place in this school with beds was the clinic. Yeah, he was just being stubborn and didn't want to ruin his perfect attendance record.

"Fine. But I'm not staying there for long. There's no way I can waste time lying down on a bed while Itsuki is in class. That will only ruin my image as her tutor," he argued, but didn't say anything more about the issue on the way to the clinic.

~~XoXo~~

"This is the first time I've been here, if I had to be honest," Fuutarou commented on his situation, removing his arm from around the girl's neck and slowly lied down on the bed. Well, as much as he wanted to attend class instead, he couldn't deny that he was slowly feeling better now that he could rest his limbs properly.

The moment Fuutarou let himself rest, Yotsuba took a nearby chair and sat down beside him with a smile. He noticed her action and quickly sent her a little frown of confusion.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked in a serious tone.

"I'm here to watch over you, Uesugi-san!" Yotsuba answered with a salute, giving him a determined expression.

Fuutarou shook his head, before closing his eyes to try and calm himself. "Don't even think about it. Attend your classes and leave me be. You're just wasting time here when you should be learning. I'm leaving this place later, anyway."

Yotsuba pouted and shook her head stubbornly. There's no way she can leave him right now! She had to stay with him until he can walk on his own again. "No way! It's my fault why you're like this, Uesugi-san! I have to take care of you, maybe until you feel a little better."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head once more. "How exactly will you take care of me? It's not like I have a sprain or something. You'd be wasting your own time instead of mine if you stay here."

"Hmm…" Yotsuba put on a thinking expression, trying to come up of something that she can do that might help her tutor. Within a few seconds later, an imaginary light bulb appeared on top of her head as she thought of an idea. Her expression switched into one that showed her enthusiasm. "Maybe I can keep you company until you can leave!"

Fuutarou stared at her for a moment as if he was reading her expression, before sighing in defeat. This girl seemed like her energy will never run out, and he wasn't in the right state to keep on arguing. Seriously, did she not care about attending her classes and thought he was more important? Maybe this is the reason why she gets the lowest grades among the Nakano quintuplets. Anyway, he just wanted to rest right now and this was the perfect opportunity for him to do so.

"Whatever. Do what you want to do."

He closed his eyes and leaned back against the pillow, feeling the fatigue of his limbs gradually disappearing now that he was on a proper bed. Before he could fall into the land of dreams, however, he felt someone's hand running through his hair slowly, causing him to open his eyes slightly to get a quick glimpse of who it was.

Just as what he had predicted in his mind, Yotsuba was happily playing with his hair while sitting on the edge of the bed. So this was her idea of keeping him company? He couldn't even be surprised with this, because somehow, it's what one would expect from a girl like her. Again, he felt too tired to do anything about this so he simply let her do as she wished. It didn't stop him from satisfying his own curiosity, though.

"So this is your way of keeping me company?" he muttered, keeping his tone neutral to make it seem like he was neither pleased nor angry.

Yotsuba shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it's the only thing I could think of. I thought it would be better if I held your hand, but you're supposed to let it rest, so I went with your hair instead! D-Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"I didn't say anything. But if you want me to tell you what I think, it would be really better if you'd just attend your classes for the day. However, you're here beside me and I can't really do anything against that. I'll spare myself the trouble of speaking and just let you do as you wish."

"Uhm…" Yotsuba stopped playing with his hair at that moment, hiding a sad look to herself. Yeah, she should just leave him alone like what he wanted. Why is she even here? She was sure that he would take Itsuki's presence over her right now, since it was because of her that he's like this. She was really fortunate that Fuutarou had his eyes closed. "…if Uesugi-san doesn't want me to be here, then… I'll just be on my way."

Before she could get up from the bed, Fuutarou's arm shot up and grabbed her hand just as it left his hair. "What are you talking about? I didn't say that I didn't want you around," he spoke, opening his eyes to look up at Yotsuba, who turned her head around to meet his gaze.

"But, Uesugi-san said that he wanted me to go to class already…" she murmured in a quiet voice, which was still heard by the young man despite her attempt to hide it.

He shook his head for the umpteenth time while he was with her. "I said that I'd prefer it if you did, but what about you? You don't really need to follow my words."

"Huh? But… aren't you my tutor?" Yotsuba asked, facing him fully with a confused look on her face. Now she was confused. Since he was her tutor, she should follow his directions, right? It's what a teacher does to his students if they want to learn."

"Of course I am. However, are we having a tutoring session right now for you to treat me as such? As you can see, I'm not even in the proper condition to teach you anything. I've told Itsuki about this already, but not you, so let me make one thing clear. When we're not having a tutoring session, treat me as you treat everyone else around you. In return, I will treat you the same way that I treat Itsuki: as a friend."

"As a friend…" He saw her as his friend? But that can't be! Itsuki said that he didn't like interacting with others, which was why he ignores everyone else around him. In fact, she was sure that he only talks with Itsuki herself because she's the only one whom he saw as a friend. Yotsuba could only stare at the boy with wide eyes, being left in a state of surprise upon Fuutarou telling her these things as he slowly sat up. This snapped the girl out of her current state and was ready to help him, but it was already too late.

Fuutarou turned his body to face her, letting go of her hand before continuing in his words. "Now, let me ask you again, as a friend. What is it that you really want to do?"

"I…" Yotsuba blushed for a moment, before it gave way to another bright smile as she sat on the edge of the bed, just beside the young man. "I want to stay by Uesugi-san's side until he feels better… because he's my friend and I don't want to leave him all alone!"

After hearing her answer, Fuutarou gave her a genuine smile, which he had only shown to Itsuki so far. Yotsuba blushed slightly at seeing him smile, and he only chuckled before falling back down on the mattress to let his body rest. With this, Yotsuba went back to running her hand through his hair while her thoughts were somewhere else at the moment.

"He may have changed a lot from what he used to be… but deep down, Uesugi-san is still the same understanding boy we met back then."

~~XoXo~~

"Uesugi-kun, are you sure you're not feeling tired anymore?" Itsuki asked her tutor upon walking towards him, sending the young man a look of worry. Thanks to Yotsuba, she found out about him spending an hour in the clinic to rest his limbs.

When she found out that he pushed himself beyond his limits by carrying Yotsuba while running away, she became immensely worried for him that she was almost about to make a run for the school clinic to see if Fuutarou was okay. Fortunately, her sister managed to reassure her that he was completely fine and was simply taking a rest to let himself recuperate from the fatigue he experienced.

Itsuki was overjoyed to see Fuutarou enter the classroom during their second period, apologizing profusely for his 'tardiness', despite the fact that their teacher already knew what his situation was before he showed up. Itsuki was almost tempted to run up to her tutor and give him a big hug to express her relief, but thought better of it and remained in her seat. No, that would only lead to more trouble, especially if it took place in their own classroom. He did, however, give Itsuki a reassuring nod when he locked eyes with her on the way to his seat, which was enough for her.

"Yeah, don't worry. I feel all better now. Do you need something, Itsuki?" he asked, simply leaning back against his seat and looking up at the red-haired girl. Lunch break already began for them, so this should be something that's not connected to their studies.

"I'm really glad you feel better now!" Itsuki smiled brightly, which he returned with one of his own. Truth be told, he had been feeling bored like always and while he secretly enjoyed Yotsuba's company in the clinic, he knew that he had no choice but to head to class eventually. Itsuki's presence was the only thing that made class bearable, especially when she actively participated in the teachers' discussions. "Anyway, I apologize for this, but I will be having lunch with my sisters today. They wanted me to join their table when I spoke with Yotsuba earlier. Therefore, I will not be able to join you today. Please understand," she bowed her head politely because he was still her tutor and she needed to show him proper respect.

He waved off her words, shaking his head in amusement. This girl was too diligent and polite for her own good. "It's fine, Itsuki. Your sisters are your family, and you can spend your free time with them if you want. I may be your tutor, but I'm not going to keep you from being with your sisters. In fact, why are you even doing something like this? Are we not friends outside of tutoring?"

Itsuki blushed for a moment, before straightening her posture to look as professional as she could to retain her composure. "W-Well, you are still my tutor and as such, I have to show you the proper respect as your student."

He shrugged his shoulders, personally amused at her reaction. "Whatever suits you. I suppose I'll see you later on then?"

Doing a complete 180, Itsuki went from having a serious demeanor to her smiling look once again. It was like at this point, she knew how Fuutarou talks to people and if he meant it as something good or not. It's likely the end result of spending time with the young man and getting to know more about him. "Yes! I will see you later, Uesugi-kun!"

Clapping her hands together, she gave her tutor one more smile before walking off. He kept his gaze on Itsuki's figure as she left the room, only to raise an eyebrow when he saw another girl approach his student. From the way that they shared the same hair color and overall appearance, it was obviously one of her sisters but he wasn't sure who it was. Aside from Itsuki, he has only met two of the Nakano quintuplets and there was no telling if the one outside the classroom was Nino or Yotsuba.

He didn't need to wonder about who it was any further, because one of them walked off with a happy look on her face, meaning that that must be Itsuki. The one who was left standing outside of the room made her way inside, with a serious look on her face. Fuutarou took notice of the butterfly ribbons that she wore on her hair, meaning that this must be Nino. He met her gaze, which means there's no need for him to guess why she was here.

She stopped just before the young man, matching his neutral look with one of her own. For some reason, she had her hands behind her back as if she was hiding something. "Uesugi Fuutarou," she said his name in a tone that was devoid of her usual fiery personality.

He gave her a nod in acknowledgement, before speaking in his normal voice. It didn't seem like she was here to antagonize him or anything, but there's no telling what could be in her mind right now. "Is there something you need from me, Nino?" he asked.

Nino retained a neutral look for a few more moments, before it faltered and somehow gave way to a look of worry that masked well with her current expression. No one could tell what she was really feeling, not even Fuutarou himself.

"I heard about what happened to you from Yotsuba. Feeling alright?"

Fuutarou widened his eyes for a moment, having caught off guard with her question. Did she really just show worry for him? He couldn't give a proper answer for the next few seconds, until he cleared his throat for him to answer. "Of course. I felt tired from carrying your sister, but that's it. She escorted me to the clinic afterwards, though we were seen by other students either way."

"So it's like what happened with me a few days ago…" she murmured, trying hard to hide the blush that appeared on her cheeks upon remembering how she held Fuutarou's hand and how he did the same for her. Luckily, Nino managed to shake it off in order to focus on what she was here for.

"Is that all? You wanted to know if I was doing alright?"

Nino pursed her lips together, bracing for her next words. It was time to do what she came here for. "W-Well, aren't you gonna head to the cafeteria already? Don't you want to eat lunch?"

The young man felt confused with her question, wondering why she was concerned over him eating lunch. He was suddenly reminded of Nino's sudden attitude change when they were in the laboratory a few days ago, where she ended up pulling him with her because she didn't want him to starve. She surprised him that day, because that was the first time that she didn't snap at him in any way and even showed worry for him in her own way by saying that she couldn't let him starve.

"I'm planning to leave in a few minutes, but I decided to rest for a bit more. Why would you need to concern yourself with such a thing, anyway?"

Nino's couldn't hide her blush anymore, despite doing her best to prevent acting shy, and she couldn't help but take her gaze somewhere else. She then removed her arms from behind and held them before her, revealing a bento that was wrapped in a small plastic bag.

"Here! T-Take it…!" Nino exclaimed with a blush, puffing her cheeks in a little pout as Fuutarou could only look at her in astonishment at what she was offering him.

Did the soulmate bond finally win over her stubbornness or something?

Would you look at that? More Ribbonmania goodness in the first half and we get the Nino Train in the second half! Like I said, Ribbonmania wholesomeness is always heartwarming, and it's fun to write Yotsuba. Looking forward to what she does next! Oh, and HOLY SHIT, NINO REALLY DID MAKE A BENTO FOR HIM! HOW WILL FUUTAROU REACT TO THIS? WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AFTERWARDS? Tune in next time!

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

-Lance