WOW! The Nino Train showed no signs of stopping last chapter, to the point that Tomatsu and Hara were nothing but little rocks that can barely get in her way. She's looking unstoppable, guys! By the end of it, we learn that Nino really has a crush on Fuutarou now while he is starting to feel more comfortable while being around her presence. What's gonna happen here? Will the Nino Train be able to catch up to the Meatbun Monster Rampage? What about Ribbonmania? Let's not waste any more time and dive into this chapter!

Little Trivia: Tomatsu and Hara from the past two chapters are real life VA's, Haruka Tomatsu and Yumi Hara, respectively. Tomatsu-san provided the voice of Asuna Yuuki from Sword Art Online while Hara-san voiced Lilith Asami from Trinity Seven. Fuutarou's VA, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, is also the voice actor of Kirito/Kazuto Kirigaya and Arata Kasuga from those two aforementioned series. Yep, it's a reference! :P

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

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

"Fuutarou…"

The only thing Nino could do at that moment was look up at the young man before her with her eyes as wide as dinner plates, unaware that she just called him by his given name instead of her usual 'idiot' or simply 'Uesugi'. She wasn't even aware of her own surroundings, uncaring even if someone would pass by and see the two of them. Honestly, what she said earlier back in the classroom about thanking him was just a part of her plan to make him blush and it worked out well. However, this was different than earlier, more like the complete opposite since she was the one blushing between the two of them and she couldn't hide it from him in any way.

He thanked her and this time, he even smiled at her. It wasn't like the one he gave her earlier, where it was just out of simple gratefulness from the fact that he received a little gift from the girl. No, this was something different. She could feel how genuine his expression was, despite claiming that he wasn't fond of interacting with others.

Why? She wasn't Itsuki, so why the hell was he smiling at her like this?!

Nino felt her heart skip a beat from seeing him smile, to the point that she couldn't deny it even in her mind. She couldn't say that this was just another attempt by the boy to look cool in front of her because in truth, that was just the byproduct of her own tsundere protocols. Every time she would rant about how 'Uesugi was trying to look cool', it's only her stubbornness speaking for herself. Was this how Itsuki felt like whenever Fuutarou smiled at her? If so, now she was beginning to understand why exactly her sister had a crush on him.

Sure, he had many other qualities that Itsuki liked which involved being a tutor for her, but Nino didn't really care about that. Right now, she could only focus on the fact that Fuutarou only showed this expression of his when he was around people that he was comfortable with. He smiles whenever he's around Itsuki, right? Not only that, but he also didn't mind her sister being clingy towards him and even welcomed her open displays of affection.

Now, it was as clear as day.

Fuutarou… was comfortable while being around her.

Nino couldn't stop herself from blushing once again, becoming taken aback from the conclusion that her mind came to. How? Why?! Was it just because she gave him that bento?! Anyone could do something like that for him, not just her! She helped him with Tomatsu and Hara earlier in the classroom? Itsuki or any of her sisters would do the same as she did! Besides, all that she's done was snap at him and yell unnecessary things, even if that was just her trying to deal with her conflicting emotions. That's not even counting their first encounter, when she told him directly to his face to leave Itsuki alone.

How could he overlook all of that?!

"Nino? Are you okay?" Fuutarou asked, removing his hand from the top of her head before waving it before her eyes, realizing that she's been out of it for about a minute now. What exactly could she be thinking about? All he did was thank her for what she did for him, nothing more.

"H-Huh? What…?" Thankfully, Nino was quickly brought out of her inner thoughts and back to reality. The girl blinked a few times and shook her head to recompose herself, before focusing her gaze on Fuutarou, who was staring at her in confusion. "W-What were you saying again?" she asked, somehow forgetting what they were talking about after solely focusing on her thoughts until now.

Fuutarou raised an eyebrow, as he couldn't help but be curious about what Nino had in mind after he spoke a while ago. What exactly caused her to forget what he was saying? Well, for sure, it was regarding her feelings towards him since he saw her blush while staring at him with wide eyes... however, what exactly was it about? Could it be that she was still feeling conflicted with what she feels and she was trying to sort it out? Or maybe she was planning something that involved confessing what she feels? Something like that shouldn't be hard to imagine when she fearlessly walked into his classroom and gave him a homemade bento in front of everyone else… plus, Itsuki had already confessed her growing feelings for him just a few days ago...

"Uh, I thanked you for making me a bento and for saving me back there?" he replied, raising an eyebrow at her. Oh well, whatever she was thinking about, it must have been really serious if it got her distracted enough to forget about his words.

"O-Oh, yeah…!" Nino's eyes widened in realization, before she cleared her throat in a futile attempt to save face and look serious once more. However, the two of them were well aware of what just happened. "Y-Yeah, it's only right that you feel thankful, haha! Remember, you so owe me for helping you back there! Do you know how embarrassing it is to say something like that in front of other teenagers?" she asked rhetorically.

With that, the two continued on their way to the cafeteria as Fuutarou rubbed the back of his head while being in deep thought. "I can only imagine how that must have been embarrassing for you, so I can't say that I know. But you do make a good point about saving me from Tomatsu-san and Hara-san, so what is it that you want me to do?" he asked, looking towards her as a serious expression formed on his face. He may not look like it, but he was someone who pays back his debts no matter how impossible they may seem to be.

"What I want you to do? Oh, that's easy!" Nino closed her eyes and smirked, before looking up at Fuutarou with a bright smile that managed to catch him off guard once again. "Let me join you for lunch!"

Fuutarou needed a moment to recompose himself after seeing Nino smile. Did she just smile at him? Or better yet, did she just show him another emotion other than anger? He couldn't have been dreaming right? Okay, he was very much awake and he was sure that his eyesight was doing fine, which meant that he wasn't seeing things! That means Nino really smiled at him!

She smiled at him.

What has gotten into her? Did the deep epiphany that she seemed to have had earlier affect her in any way? It surely had something to do with him, there's no denying it! But back to the point, Nino really did smile at him and it made him feel flustered at seeing her like that. Why wouldn't he be? It was literally the first time he saw her smile like how Itsuki does whenever she's showing him affection. Speaking of which, even though Itsuki and Nino looked exactly the same and he had already seen his student smile a handful of times, he couldn't help but think that they were very different from the other. Fuutarou couldn't explain it in simple words, but one thing was clear from all this.

That soulmate bond was winning over Nino's stubbornness and her snappy personality. Whether that was something he should be happy or worried about was an issue that he'll have to deal eventually, especially if this girl was just as affectionate or even more so than Itsuki.

Turning his attention back into reality, he sent Nino a questioning look, as if he was asking her if she was serious. "That's what you want from me? You're not gonna ask me to buy you food or something like that?" he asked, trying to make sure if the girl wasn't trying to joke around with him.

"Heck no. Why the hell would I ask you to buy something for me when I already know you're broke? Besides, I'm sure the most expensive thing you can get is probably the cheapest I can buy!" Nino scoffed, before she shook her head to show that she was serious. "I'm saying no to that, because I just want to sit at the same table with you!"

Fuutarou nodded slowly. Alright, he could understand her reason for not choosing to make him buy something, but seriously? Sitting with him at the same table? He didn't really want a repeat of the other day, where they ended up having to be seated at the same table, which didn't really benefit either one of them and ended up in her walking away because she couldn't stand him...

"Sure, I see nothing wrong with that, but do you really want to sit with me at the same table?"

Nino rolled her eyes, wondering what was with him and all these questions he was asking. "Jeez, are you worried about me being uncomfortable around you? It's not like you're eating that boring lunch that you order everyday, so I'll be fine! Besides…" She winked at Fuutarou, making him blush again from how she looked cute while doing so. Holy crap, what's with this paradigm shift in attitude?! It's like she's a completely different person and he didn't know how to react properly! "I need to know what you think about that bento I made! I swore that I'll make your taste buds melt with my skills in the kitchen, remember?"

True, she did make it clear earlier that she wanted to know what he thought of the food she made. While he had no problem giving his verdict on the special lunch that he received from the girl, he was more worried about her. Yeah, he still didn't seem convinced that Nino wanted to eat lunch with him. It sounded more like a convincing joke rather than what she wanted…

"Alright then, I suppose there's no harm in eating together, although I'm curious. Itsuki told me that she will be eating with your other sisters today for lunch. Don't you want to join them?" he asked, thinking that this should be the last question he asks her. If Nino's answer remains the same, then she really is telling the truth…

The girl sighed to herself. Why the hell was he still asking these questions? Can't he just shut up and get used to her company? He knew that she didn't really hate him, right? What's wrong with being around her? Didn't he get used to Itsuki quite easily? He can get used to her presence too!

Okay, to be fair, her sister never walked up to Fuutarou and told him to get lost or something…

"Oh, come on, I can sit with whoever I want to! I don't just spend lunch with my sisters all the time, you know?" She puffed out her cheeks and gave him a little pout, before it gave way to another smile as she grabbed his arm and hugged it just like how Itsuki would. "Come on, let's hurry, Fuu-kun!"

...

What.

...

The.

...

Hell.

...

"Uh…" Fuutarou widened his eyes at this, just when he thought to himself that Nino was really serious about sitting with him at the cafeteria. He overlooked the way she referred to him for now, in favor of being both confused and flustered from the way that Nino grabbed a hold of his arm.

What the hell?! This has gone too far! That soulmate bond must be seriously messing with Nino's mind right now! This was too big of an attitude shift, even for someone like him, who used to be a delinquent in the past! He could already tell! This girl was way more affectionate than Itsuki, and there's no way for him to know if that was something he should be worried about or not.

Fuutarou couldn't stop his cheeks from reddening at this, but he was still able to mutter out something as a response to her action. "You're clinging… to my arm…"

"What? Is this a problem for ya?" Nino's smile disappeared as quick as it appeared, now giving Fuutarou a dirty look that made her look like she was daring him to say something wrong. Despite this, her cheeks were flushed red, a sign that she was also feeling quite flustered but bravely pushed forth with what she wanted.

Fortunately, Fuutarou was able to choose his next words wisely, but it didn't stop his face from becoming red and turning his gaze away to keep himself from giving in to his embarrassment. Okay, deep breaths... and he'll be able to get through this. Itsuki has done this many times already, he can handle this with no sweat! "I'm just asking. Is there any particular reason why you're clinging to my arm like that? Not that I mind, since Itsuki loves to do this for some reason and I am quite used to it."

Nino gave him an even bigger pout this time, before her frown became deeper than before. However, she didn't seem like she had any plans of letting go of his arm and the only thing she did was hug it tighter. "Why do ya have to make things more complicated? I'm doing this 'cuz I want to! I can always punch your arm instead, you know?" she retorted.

The young man raised his free hand as a sign of defeat, showing that he didn't want any trouble. Well, it looks like Nino really did seem keen on having lunch with him, but now he had a new problem in the form of this girl being clingy towards him! Where the hell did this come from?! Has the soulmate bond truly gotten to her? It would be the only way to explain Nino's behavior recently: making a bento for him, declaring that he was hers in front of many students, wanting to eat lunch with him, and now she was hugging his arm into her chest!

They were all taking place one after another and Fuutarou felt unnerved by it. In every action that Nino did today, he was caught off guard and had a look of shock on his face each time! This was even more than when Itsuki did unexpected displays of affection towards him when they first met, because Nino and him didn't exactly start out in the best way.

What started out with Nino telling him to stay away from her sister now evolved to her pulling off one display of affection after another that he couldn't keep up, and Fuutarou felt like he was going to explode in embarrassment more and more after each time.

"There is no need. Now what about that name that you just used to call me?" he asked, keeping his voice calm as he tried to tone down his blushing cheeks.

*ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!*

Okay, time to turn his attention to the name that she just used for him. "Fuu-kun", eh? Not a bad nickname, and it was just his name being shortened to its first syllable. Good, that means he's not being referred to as someone or something that wasn't him. He's never had someone call him like that before, making Nino the first and only one to use that nickname. Now, the question is, was he fine with it?

Fuutarou Uesugi's verdict: Ok.

There was nothing about the nickname which he had problems with. It was short and concise, and he could get used to hearing it eventually. Furthermore, it was still essentially his name, just shortened into its first syllable so he could understand that it was him who was being referred to. It wasn't anything like the boring nicknames that everyday couples use to call each other, which only made it better.

Let Nino continue using it? Sure.

*HE HAS GIVEN HIS VERDICT! END OF ALERT!*

The red-haired Nakano groaned loudly, wanting to facepalm so hard right now but still managing to keep her cool. To some degree, Nino could understand why he was confused. After all, she caught him by surprise with all these things that she did ever since walking up to him in the classroom and he must be feeling overwhelmed from it by now. Plus, the nickname that she called him with indeed came out of nowhere, and it must have caught him off guard that he needed to know what's the reason behind it.

Alright, fine!

But this was the last question that she was gonna answer!

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Ugh, well I can't keep calling you 'Uesugi' forever, can I? Calling you 'Fuutarou' is too long for my tastes, so I made a nickname for ya! What, have you never had a nickname before?" Nino asked while raising an eyebrow at him.

"No," was his short and simple reply.

Nino turned her head to the side in a haughty manner, while keeping her hold tight on his arm like a possessive girlfriend. "Hmph! Then get used to it! I'm calling you that from now on, got it?! Now come on, let's have lunch together!"

Fuutarou only sighed as Nino walked ahead, making it seem like she was dragging him along with her. Oh boy, the reactions of the students in the cafeteria would be priceless when they see them like this, but he was sure by now that Nino didn't care. If anything, he was sure that she'll just surprise him again by shouting out that he belonged to her in front of those students, and lead to further complications down the road. Yeah, that would make his situation even harder than before...

Was it really a shift in her attitude, then? Nino still seemed like she hated him by making his school life more complicated than it already was and giving him headaches that he would surely experience in the future...

"You know what? Forget it. I'm not going to say anything else. Do what you want," he said in his thoughts, as he tried to distract himself by thinking of the meal that the girl prepared for him instead of her holding on to his arm which would undoubtedly make him blush if he did.

Apparently, this sudden shift in Nino's attitude was just the beginning.

DAMMMMNNNN! The Nino Train just keeps on charging ahead, huh? At this rate, she'll definitely be able to catch up to Itsuki! First, the bento, then the declaration she made, and now eating with him during lunch?! That's a big shift in her personality just like what Fuutarou said! Not only that, but she HUGGED HIS ARM THE SAME WAY ITSUKI DOES! This girl has no fear at all! If that's not enough, she just called him with the iconic nickname that she uses in the later parts of the manga and said that she will use it from now on! WHAT ELSE IS SHE GONNA DO? Oh my god, how will her sisters react to this? What's gonna happen when they eat lunch?! See you in 24 hours, guys!

Nino: Fufu, Itsuki's not the only one who's going after Fuu-kun now! I'm the one who's taking Fuu-kun's heart! I'll make him fall for me no matter what!

Itsuki: Nino, I'm the first girl that Uesugi-kun has met and I have already confessed my feelings for him. If anyone is taking his heart, it will be me! *pouts*

Okay girls, save the rivalry for the next time, please? I need to close the chapter already...

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

-Lance