And we are back to another daily dose of fluff with a new chapter! In the previous chapter, the Nino Train bounced back its absence with TWO BIG MOVES! First is Nino asking Fuutarou to be her date for the festival, and the second is buying him a kimono! Better watch out for those when they happen because they are gonna be really good! As always, if you liked this story and want to see more fluff, do not hesitate to add this fic to your favorites/follows because we are constantly aiming for the very top! With that being said, let us move to the chapter!

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

"Excuse me, out of the way…!"

Fuutarou shouted towards practically everyone who was in the hallway at the moment, causing most of the students in that area to turn towards him while the ones who were blocking his path moved away to let him through. He quickly glanced behind him to see if there was someone or even a group of people following him, but it seemed like there wasn't. This wasn't enough to make him relieved, however, and only made him feel more determined to get away.

"They may follow me anywhere, but they can't go somewhere only males can enter!" he said internally out of triumph, seeing the nearest restroom and quickly making his way inside.

Why was he running away?

Well, as soon as classes ended and lunch break began for the students, Itsuki had told him that she would be eating lunch with her sisters today instead of him, and Fuutarou gave her a nod of acknowledgement after that. He still wondered why she keeps on doing such a thing, when it's her choice on who she wants to eat lunch with. Anyway, as soon as Itsuki left though, that was when it happened.

He was approached by several of his female classmates with one intention in mind, and that was to invite him to have lunch with them, just like yesterday. Apparently, without Itsuki around, the other girls of his class saw it as an opportunity for them to exploit. The young man was overwhelmed with their pleas that he almost wished Kami-sama was there to silence them again, but that would have been too much of a risk considering the events that transpired yesterday. Yeah, there's no telling what Nino might do to his classmates this time. So, he decided to deal with the situation on his own.

It didn't go well on his part.

He quickly realized he couldn't make them understand through words, even when he tried to give them one of his signature bored expressions. In fact, it only seemed to motivate them even more in getting him to agree to what they wanted. What the hell was going on with them?! It reached the point where they were getting too close for his own good…

He felt thankful that none of his soulmates were like that, even Nino, despite her being assertive in what she wants...

And so, he decided to resort to the one thing that he can do to escape them, but hated because of what it meant for his own body…

Running away.

After grabbing his bag and bolting out of the classroom, the girls who were trying to ask him out followed behind with no hesitation at all and chased him down the hallways of the school. His current situation sucked, but it was one of the consequences brought about by that dumb rumor about him and Itsuki.

Damn it, he'll never be able to spend his lunch period in peace if girls keep on trying to ask him to eat with them! In fact, he was already tempted to ask Itsuki if it's possible for him to eat lunch with her sisters altogether! Surely other girls would stop bothering him if they see him with the rest of his soulmates, right…?! Right?!

Yeah, no.

That was a bad idea. It's already bad enough that other students were making up rumors about him and Itsuki, but what about him and all of the Nakano quintuplets? He didn't want to think of all the crazy things that the people here would say if they were seen altogether.

He wouldn't do such a thing to his soulmates!

Damn, the young man simply kept on surprising even himself with every passing day, as he can't deny the growing attachment he was feeling for those quintuplets. Maybe after finding out that they were the same girls whom he met five years ago only added to it…

"I think what Nino did yesterday only made a lot more girls interested in asking me to eat with them… I still can't blame her for that, though. Tomatsu-san and Hara-san wouldn't have stopped if it weren't for her intervention. This sucks, but I'll have to deal with it," Fuutarou thought to himself, leaning against a wall in order to catch his breath before walking towards the sink so he can quickly wash up his hands. If he was going to stay here until those female classmates of his give up on bothering him, better make the most of it!

Unfortunately for him, there was a girl who entered the restroom with a smirk on her face from seeing the boy here. It seemed like she was also unaffected by the mere fact that she just entered the male's restroom, all because he was here and she can finally talk to him.

"So you're the boy that my sister is interested in… so far, I'm not seeing anything that stands out from you, but I suppose Itsuki-chan also didn't fall for you right away~" she spoke in a teasing tone, leaning against the wall with an amused smile.

Fuutarou, hearing a girl's voice in the same restroom where he was in, immediately felt both embarrassed and desperate at the same time. What the hell?! Did girls have no sense of shame these days?! THIS IS THE MEN'S RESTROOM, FOR GOD'S SAKE! The world must be in a horrible state right now if girls can take a stroll wherever they wanted, even in a place that's supposed to be for guys only!

His first thought was to run away and hide in another place, thinking that one of his classmates found his location and proceeded to bother him again, before he stopped to think about what he just heard. What did she say again? Did she just mention Itsuki? He couldn't have made a mistake in hearing her, right? Wait a minute, who exactly was this girl that just entered the restroom out of nowhere?

"Who's asking?" he spoke, keeping his gaze on the sink just in case.

"I am," the girl giggled in a teasing manner, before walking over towards his side with her hands behind her back. She leaned her body to the left, aiming to get his attention but he still kept his gaze on the sink instead. "Hey, you may have heard of me from Itsuki and my other two sisters whom you already know, but we haven't actually met each other yet. My name is Nakano Ichika. It's a pleasure to meet you, Uesugi-kun~"

Fuutarou felt immensely relieved that it was just one of Itsuki's sisters, leading to him letting out the deep breath that he had been holding in. He was safe! He didn't need to run away! Okay, that's one problem thrown out of the window, but one still remained.

Ichika was in the restroom with him, and this girl was one of his soulmates.

Fuck.

Alright, no need to panic! He can handle this with no problem at all! If he was able to handle three girls and their overwhelming displays of affection like making a bento, hugging, and kisses on the cheek, then he can handle this! Even though this was the first time he met her and they will both feel the shock as soon as they make eye contact with each other, Fuutarou somehow felt confident in himself because he already went through this three separate times before!

Okay, just take a deep breath and overlook the embarrassment he was feeling at the moment! Keep himself calm and collected, that's all. Then everything will be okay by the end of this!

"Yes, I have indeed heard about you from your sisters, Nakano-san. Since you seem to know my name already, I suppose there is no need to tell you who I am. However, that would be rude in your case, since you introduced yourself properly and therefore, I must do the same," he explained coolly, focusing his attention on washing his hands. "My name is Uesugi Fuutarou, and I am in the same class as your sister, Itsuki."

Ichika hummed in clear interest, before she eyed him up and down slowly as if she was inspecting him. "Hmm, so you really are respectful like Itsuki-chan said… I suppose that's only one of the many reasons why she likes you."

"Enough about me for a second, let's talk about you. Couldn't you have picked a better place to introduce yourself, Nakano-san? Did it really have to be in a restroom?" he said in a deadpan tone, while trying hard not to blush because of their current situation. This caused Ichika's eyes to widen in realization, while her own cheeks flared up out of embarrassment. "Please do not tell me that you are somehow more of an idiot than two of your sisters that you accidentally walk into men's restrooms at times…"

"Naw, don't worry! I just wanted to give you a good surprise, that's all... believe me, I'm embarrassed as well, now that I realized it," Ichika laughed nervously, while trying her best to keep her own blush in check. Maybe this was something she didn't think about thoroughly. "Don't worry, I just want to talk with you for a few minutes! I won't take too much of your time, I promise."

He raised an eyebrow, but still refused to look at her for now. "Really? And what did you come here for?"

"Well, I wanted to see for myself what you were like, because two of my sisters have done nothing but say good things about you. Even Nino, who normally holds grudges against almost anybody whom she thinks is posing a threat to the family, stopped thinking bad about you a few days after she met you. She was even fine with letting you come over to our house without even thinking much about it!" she exclaimed, before nudging his arm with her own. "Ne, ne, how did you do it? Do you have a secret? Don't worry, you can tell Onee-san about it~"

"I see that your sisters said some very interesting things about me but I can assure you, I am a simple student who also happens to be a tutor to two of your sisters. I believe they simply admire a few traits that I exhibit, which can also be shown by other people if one chooses to do so."

"Hmm, so you don't have a high self-esteem despite what Yotsuba and Itsuki say… you really are an interesting person, Uesugi-kun," Ichika hummed again while keeping her focus solely fixed towards the young man, before shrugging her shoulders. However, that didn't stop the teasing smile from appearing on her face afterwards. "Alright, I'll believe you for now, but I'll be watching you closely, hehe~"

"So is that it? You sneaked up on me in this restroom just to see what I was like? That's such a shallow reason for wanting to talk to a person, you know?" Fuutarou turned off the sink as soon as he was done washing his hands, before pulling off some toilet paper from the nearby roll so he could wipe the wetness of his skin. "If you wanted to speak with me, you could've approached me peacefully and stated your intentions loud and clear. That would have been a better way of doing things, would it not?"

Ichika rubbed the back of her head, while turning her gaze away in a pointless effort to control her blush. "I'm sorry, I didn't think much about this, hehe… I just wanted to surprise you in some way and this seemed like a good plan, at least for me. I only realized this was hella embarrassing when you pointed it out, honestly."

Fuutarou, despite his back being turned on her, released a deep sigh and gave Ichika a nod of acknowledgement. "Very well, I forgive you. Just be mindful of the location you use the next time you wish to talk to me and please, do not try to sneak up on me like that again. I was already stressed from running all the way here and your sudden presence earlier nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Yes, I understand and I won't do it again, Uesugi-kun," she answered in a playful tone before bursting into a fit of giggles. "Oh, and just to let you know between the two of us, I guess you're kinda right about yours truly being an idiot~"

"I am aware. Itsuki already told me about the little problem that you all have, which is what led to me accepting Yotsuba under my wing so that I can help her elevate her own grades. Why are you telling me such a thing? Are you gonna ask me to be your tutor as well?" he asked, turning his head slightly to make it seem like he was glancing at her.

That caught Ichika off guard for a few moments, causing her to widen her eyes while her mind subconsciously pictured herself being tutored by Fuutarou along with her sisters. She then found herself not disliking the idea and looked like she was actually considering it for a few moments, before snapping out of her thoughts shortly.

"Ahaha, sorry, but I'm not really interested…" she laughed nervously, before realizing what she was saying and quickly tried to explain her stance on the matter. "D-Don't get me wrong though, Itsuki's been saying good things about you and while it's tempting to join her and Yotsuba to elevate my grades for a change, I'm focused on other things right now and... I don't have time for it. I'm sorry."

He shrugged his shoulders, not putting too much thought in the idea of tutoring Ichika. If she didn't want to, there's no need to force her.

"That's fine with me. However, if you do change your mind for some reason, you can either tell me personally or have Itsuki inform me. That being said, good luck in whatever you are focused on doing, Nakano-san."

"Hey, you call Itsuki and Yotsuba by their names, so why not me as well? You do know that 'Nakano-san' won't work since we're quintuplets, right? Just call me 'Ichika', Fuutarou-kun~" she pouted at him after his words, before it immediately turned into an amused smile.

Fuutarou remained quiet for a few seconds after she spoke, mainly because he was finishing up in wiping his hands, but not for long. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he placed the tissue he used in his pocket, planning on disposing of it properly later on.

This was it.

Showtime!

"Very well, Ichika," he said, before finally turning around and meeting her gaze, causing it to finally happen.

At that moment, both teens felt an electric shock travel throughout their bodies that it made Ichika widen her eyes, while Fuutarou managed to remain passive in his expression. After going through this event three separate times in the past (four times if you count the shocks he received in Kyoto), he was already used to this feeling but the same can't be said for the girl who was frozen in her place.

With this, Fuutarou Uesugi had claimed his fourth soulmate in Ichika Nakano.

AND THERE WE GO! HE HAS ACTIVATED THE ICHIKA VIP SHOW ROUTE! I REPEAT, HE HAS FINALLY MET ICHIKA, AND THEY'RE BOTH IN THE RESTROOM! CAN YOU GET ANY MORE AWKWARD THAN THAT?! HAHAHAHAHA! In any case, our boy has indeed met Ichika and made eye contact with her, sealing their bond as soulmates, and now only one remains! The Ichika VIP Show is now unlocked alongside Ribbonmania, NIno Train, and Meatbun Monster Rampage! What's gonna happen now that Ichika has finally joined the fray?! See you next chapter!

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

-Lance