Woop! Woop! What's this?! Another daily update from me! I want to thank you all guys continuing to support this story, because this has now surpassed Quintessential Maids in follows! It may not be a big achievement to you but it is for me! We are getting closer to reaching that 300 mark, and the faves tally is slowly climbing up as well! Please continue to support me and this story, as well as the whole Gotoubun archive so that we'll be strong enough to withstand the test of time and for other people to notice us. As always, if you love this story and want to see more, please don't hesitate to fave/follow this fic because it really helps out a lot, and we are constantly looking forward to taking this to the very top! Fluff will triumph no matter what!

Alright, nothing happened much from the last one, except for undeniably good fluff! It ended with Fuutarou willingly showing Itsuki and Yotsuba affection by hugging them, which is pretty shocking if you didn't see it coming from a mile away. What's gonna happen here? Let's find out!

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

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

"Uesugi-san, are you sure you don't wanna go home yet?" Yotsuba asked her tutor while raising an eyebrow at him in confusion. "We're already at the station and Itsuki's done calling Ebata-san, so he should be here at any moment now."

Fuutarou only shook his head, an amused smile showing on his face. "I cannot do that. As long as you two are still here, waiting for your ride to arrive, I have to stay and keep an eye on you. You never know when something might happen to you two and not to mention, the sun's already down."

"W-We'll be fine on our own from here, so don't worry. It's not like we're completely alone, see?" Yotsuba gestured towards the other people who were with them in the station. Oh yeah, it was during at this hour where workers start going home to their respective houses after being done with their shifts. "You should head home already, Uesugi-san. Raiha-chan will get worried about you if you keep her waiting!"

"Raiha is aware of this the moment we left my house and I just sent her a text in case she was getting worried. Though I doubt that such a thing will happen, since she already knows from the moment Itsuki and I began our tutoring sessions, that it is my responsibility as a tutor to make sure she gets home safely. Now that you have me as your tutor, my responsibilities stretch towards you as well. Therefore, I cannot leave until I am sure that both you and Itsuki are inside the car that your butler drives."

Fuutarou explained in a calm voice, explaining all the sensible reasons on why he should stay here for now. Yotsuba frowned and gave him a big pout in response, unable to fight against his logic when she had nothing to give.

After sharing a little heartfelt with the two girls on the road leading to the station, he did tell them that they needed to keep on going because Itsuki and Yotsuba still had to get home and such a thing won't happen if they kept on hugging in the middle of a dark street with no one around. Afterwards, they continued onward to their destination with the two quints resuming their conversation from earlier, discussing their sisters' possible reactions when they found out more about their mother, while Fuutarou watched them from behind in peace.

Sometimes, he would turn towards Itsuki and other times, it would be Yotsuba. It didn't really matter, because his mind was thinking back to that hug he shared with these two girls and how he chose to be a part of it instead of letting them do as they wished. There was a weird feeling inside his chest the whole time, but it didn't distract him or anything.

In fact, that particular sensation contributed to making him blush while they were hugging one another, but it didn't matter that he felt embarrassed during that moment. What he felt from embracing two of these quintuplets was way superior than the embarrassment brought by it, and so he didn't care.

Hugging these soulmates of his… felt good.

"What's with that look? Do you really want me to leave already?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her pouting face. Why did she seem eager for him to leave? Did he do something wrong?

Yotsuba blushed and quickly turned her gaze away, feeling flustered over what she just did. "N-Not really…"

The way she answered his question slowly clicked in the young man's mind, causing him to flash a little smile, before placing his hand on top of her head.

"I see you're starting to be a lot more honest with what you want, Yotsuba," Fuutarou acknowledged, patting her head softly. "That's good, just keep on doing it. It may not be a part of our tutoring sessions, but it's a lesson you'll learn as you go on with your life."

While the girl was smiling in a shy manner at his gesture of affection, Yotsuba's thoughts were vastly different compared to what she looked like on the outside. "I-Is this really okay…? It feels good to be a lot more honest with what I feel, but… it doesn't take back my own mistakes after that day when we met you. It's like I'm doing something wrong… because Itsuki likes him too…" she said internally, sneaking a glance at the young man before her.

While she may be stupid, it didn't mean that Yotsuba was completely unaware of what's happening in her surroundings. Even though they were sharing a heartfelt hug earlier that anything else seemed like they didn't matter, Yotsuba heard Itsuki's words and she doubted that they'll leave her own thoughts anytime soon.

"Hey, where's Itsuki? She was just supposed to send a text to your butler, right? She's taking too long 'sending a text' for some reason..." he asked, removing his hand from her head before giving the ribbon-wearing girl a confused look.

"Itsuki? Hmm…" Snapping out of her thoughts, Yotsuba began to look around and hummed to herself, before she saw the familiar long red locks that no doubt belonged to her sister who was sitting on a nearby bench. "Oh! There she is!"

Yotsuba pointed towards the bench where Itsuki was sitting, and Fuutarou gave her a quick word of thanks before walking towards the youngest quintuplet who seemed strangely quiet even though she was likely done contacting their butler…

"What have I done? I can't believe I said those words when Yotsuba was still with us! How could I be so careless?! I swore that I wouldn't tell them of my feelings, but I spoke of it nonetheless!" Itsuki panicked in her thoughts, her cheeks becoming as red as her hair as she buried her face into her hands. Because of this, she was completely unaware of a familiar presence sitting beside her. "Mmmuuuuu, now everyone will know I do like Uesugi-kun! I'm so stupid! Muuu, stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid…!"

"Oi," he held the girl's shoulder and shook her gently, which was enough to snap her out of her thoughts and direct her attention towards him instead. "You okay? You were spacing out for a moment there."

Itsuki blinked upon seeing Fuutarou sitting beside her, which didn't last long because her mind once again shifted back to the words that she accidentally blurted out earlier. The young man raised an eyebrow when Itsuki turned away from him out of embarrassment, before speaking in a nervous tone.

"I-I'm fine. There is no need to worry about me, Uesugi-kun…"

Yep, something was indeed wrong.

Fuutarou folded his arms across his chest and leaned back into his seat, sending the girl a look of suspicion. "I doubt that. There's something on your mind, I can tell. You think I won't be able to take notice of your own gestures during our study sessions? I may not know you as much as your sisters, but being around each other for a week gives me enough time to figure out if something's bothering you."

The girl stared incredulously at Fuutarou for a few moments, wondering how he managed to come to that conclusion right away. He was right, they had only spent one week with each other so far, so how could he be aware of how she acts that quickly? Then again, he was the same person whom Itsuki called 'amazing' a handful of times now, so this shouldn't even be surprising.

"I suppose you aren't my tutor for nothing…" she murmured.

"Of course. Now would you mind telling me what's on your mind?"

Itsuki continued to stare at him for the next few moments, her expression seemingly unreadable before she let out a deep breath that she had been holding up until now. It managed to calm her down from her embarrassment, before making up her mind in what she wanted to do.

"Okay," she breathed, straightening her posture before turning towards the young man with a blush on her cheeks. Looks like her embarrassment wasn't completely gone just yet. "Uesugi-kun, y-you know that I… l-l-like you, right…? M-More than a friend…"

"Yeah, I know. I haven't forgotten what you said to me that day. What about it?" He nodded in response to her question, before his eyes widened in realization. "Wait a minute, are you planning to ask me out? Is that why you're here sitting alone?"

Itsuki's face flared up to the point that she was emitting steam from her ears, before she twiddled her fingers nervously. "W-Well, I… I wouldn't mind p-pursuing a relationship with Uesugi-kun, but… I don't think it's the appropriate time for that… at least until my grades have elevated…"

That was a lie.

Deep down, she wanted to have Fuutarou as her boyfriend, but couldn't be assertive enough to ask him such a thing. It's why she couldn't say that sacred four-letter word to him when she confessed her feelings.

His look of realization suddenly turned into his usual impartial expression. "Don't worry, I was just messing around with you to see how you'd react. If you had not looked embarrassed, I'd have thought something happened to you and get worried for real. Good thing you did, now I have nothing to worry about," Fuutarou explained, his lips curving up into a small smile that showed relief.

And just like that, Itsuki's flustered expression turned into a massive pout, puffing her cheeks as much as she could before scowling at the young man beside her.

"Mmmmuuuuuuuuu…! Uesugi-kun, why are you teasing me at a time like this…?! Did you only want to see me embarrassed?!"

He shook his head slowly and placed his hand on top of her head in an attempt to calm the girl down, which was proving to be a challenge when her pout still remained on her face even after patting her a few times. Yikes, maybe he pushed her too far this time?

Okay, a mental note for next time... there's an appropriate time for teasing and a proper choice of words as well…

"Seriously, though… why are you asking me if I remember what you said to me that day?" he asked, trying to continue the conversation between them, just in case Itsuki wasn't angry with him anymore…?

Itsuki retained the pout on her face for the next few seconds, before turning away with a huff. "When I went home after our first tutoring session, my sisters wanted to learn more about you, but you already know that. Then, Ichika quickly jumped to the conclusion that I… h-had a crush on you, and my other sisters started asking me if it was true. However, I hid it from them because… I didn't know how they would react if I did tell them…"

That was another lie.

She was just shy, and it was the first time she ever liked a boy in her life due to her sole focus being put on her studies until she met Fuutarou. Her sisters surely would have made a big deal out of it if they knew, especially Ichika and Nino.

The young man nodded as he removed his hand from her head, understanding what Itsuki wanted to explain so far. "I get that, but what does that have to do with you asking me about what we talked about last week? Are you planning to tell them tonight?"

"No, I…" she hesitated for a few moments, unsure of what she should say. The pout on her face was already gone, which was replaced by a look of uneasiness. Despite that, Itsuki was able to calm herself enough to utter her next words after taking a deep breath. "When…when we were h-h-hugging each other earlier in the street, I… I accidentally let it slip that I liked you, and... I'm sure that Yotsuba heard me saying it. Essentially… she's now aware of what I feel for you. I don't even know why she hasn't talked about it yet…"

Fuutarou blinked, feeling that was a bit anticlimactic considering the effect that it was having on Itsuki a while ago. "That's it? You're afraid of Yotsuba telling everyone about what you said? Honestly, she doesn't strike me as the type of person who would reveal secrets and I'm pretty sure she won't expose her own sister to anyone," he said, completely sure that the ribbon-wearing girl wasn't someone to be worried about.

"I-It's not that…! I don't believe Yotsuba is that kind of person either, and I would never think of her like that! I just didn't intend for anyone else to know, but… I ended up doing the very thing I didn't want to happen," Itsuki explained, before chuckling grimly at her own misfortune as she focused her gaze on the floor. "Nothing has changed about me, it seems… I'm still as stupid as ever…"

He then placed her hand on her shoulder, shaking the girl a bit to direct her attention towards him, but she couldn't face him for some reason. "Come on, you're feeling depressed over this? So what if Yotsuba knows? You'll just have to live with it because there's no taking it back now. You can always talk with her about what you said and tell her not to reveal it to anyone else, even your other sisters. You're family, aren't you? She'll listen to you, I'm sure."

"How do you know, Uesugi-kun?" she asked quietly, keeping her gaze on the floor.

"I don't," he answered simply, which was enough to get her to turn towards him with a surprised look. Fuutarou's uninterested expression then shifted into a more serious one, as he began to explain his answer. "No one knows how things will turn out in the end. Whatever decision you make in your life, there's no telling if it'll lead to something good or something bad. I simply believe that your bond as a family is stronger than a secret like that. Don't you think the same as well? Or do you have no faith in your own sister?"

Itsuki was left wide-eyed after Fuutarou's words that she couldn't find an immediate answer to his question. While she was left speechless, his words had slowly registered into her mind, especially the part about her bond with Yotsuba as a family being stronger than a secret that involved her having feelings for Fuutarou.

He wasn't wrong, because ever since the beginning, Itsuki only had her sisters to rely on when she needed help. After their mother died, their father had dedicated so much of his focus into his work that it rested in them barely being able to spend time together as a complete family. As a result, only the five of them stood against the challenges that came their way.

A worthless secret like that wasn't more important than her own sister. Besides, it's not like it was something big. Going back to her words earlier, Ichika was already suspecting her of having possible feelings for Fuutarou, which meant that the idea might have been in Yotsuba's mind already. What she said earlier during that hug they all shared shouldn't even be that surprising then, because it only confirmed Ichika's suspicions about her.

It's not like she couldn't entrust something important to her sisters too. The five of them all had different secrets, ones that they can entrust with the others and those that they kept to their own. Neither Yotsuba nor any of her three other sisters would ever think of revealing personal stuff to other people too, because first of all, a secret is supposed to be kept and second, they were family!

"Very well, Uesugi-kun. You've convinced me," Itsuki breathed out, standing up from her seat and facing him with a more serious expression on her face. "I will talk with Yotsuba about this and let her know about… me having feelings for you… we'll keep it as a secret between the three of us…"

Fuutarou could only shake his head in amusement. Even while trying to put on a more serious demeanor, Itsuki couldn't keep it together for very long and her cheeks began to darken as a result.

He stood up so that they were face-to-face with each other, before giving her a small nod. "That's fine with me. Yotsuba is my student like you, and I trust her as well. Though, I could only imagine how she would react once she finds out about your little secret."

Itsuki let out a chuckle, before shaking her head. "Ichika already gave her the idea that I have feelings for you, so I don't think it'll surprise her that much because it will only confirm our sister's words in her mind. But knowing her, she will be enthusiastic upon learning about it."

Fuutarou chuckled as well, and everything was quiet between the two of them afterwards until that familiar voice radiating with energy rang in their ears.

"Itsukiiiiii! Ebata-san is here to take us home! Let's go!" Yotsuba cried out from the path that led to the streets, where a black car was parked along the sidewalk. The girl could already tell even from a distance that it was indeed their ticket home.

The fifth of the Nakano quintuplets glanced at her sister for a few moments, before turning back towards her tutor with a little smile on her face.

"I suppose this is where I say good night to you?" she asked with a knowing smile on her face.

Fuutarou sighed, folding his arms as he already knew what Itsuki was trying to do at this point. However, he did have a smirk on his face that showed his amusement. "I'm already fine, so just go. Your other sisters may be getting worried for the two of you by now, so I'll just be keeping you at bay if you don't move along already."

"That may be so, but still…" Itsuki giggled, before she stepped forward and leaned closer to him.

*chu*

The girl smiled and pressed her lips against the young man's cheek in a soft kiss, which surprised Fuutarou for a bit before letting her do what she wanted, albeit with a blush that was visible on his cheeks. Itsuki had already done this before, so he wasn't as surprised as the first time she kissed him.

After only a mere two seconds, Itsuki stepped back with a loving smile on her face, which was the complete opposite of her earlier demeanor while they were having that little discussion about Yotsuba.

"Thank you, Uesugi-kun," she said sweetly.

He rolled his eyes playfully and began to speak, with the smirk on his face being the obvious sign that he was enjoying this. "Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. Now, would you get a move on? You're making your butler wait for you while you're still here talking with me," he said, the blush on his cheeks remaining there up until now.

Itsuki giggled at this and not long after, Fuutarou began to laugh as well, enjoying each other's presence for the last time until tomorrow at the very least. However, this particular moment wouldn't last long, not when the familiar voice of Yotsuba Nakano rang in their ears out of nowhere.

"Uesugi-saaaan! Before I forget…!"

Yotsuba was too fast for either one of them to notice the ribbon-wearing girl running towards Fuutarou with a big smile on her face.

*chu!*

Just when the young man had started to turn his head towards Yotsuba's direction, it was already too late because she was right beside him. The girl then grabbed his arm and went to her tiptoes before she planted a soft kiss on his cheek, making his eyes widen to massive proportions out of complete disbelief.

What a severe case of Monday Blues for Fuutarou Uesugi.

WELP, NOBODY SAW THAT COMING! RIBBONMANIA IS ABOUT TO CATCH UP TO THE NINO TRAIN AND THE MEATBUN MONSTER RAMPAGE! Just right after Itsuki kissed him, Yotsuba swoops in and kisses him as well?! Dudes, just what is exactly on her mind, hahaha! This is too much for Fuutarou to bear, honestly. Keep in mind that she also knew about Itsuki's sudden confession last chapter, by the way. And yet, she chooses to kiss him. Hmm, this is truly becoming interesting, I wonder how this will affect the next chapter? Stay tuned!

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

-Lance