And we're back to your daily dose of fluff with LanceSennin! The first thing I wanna do is thank all of you once again for your continued support because as of now, WE HAVE FINALLY BROKEN THROUGH THE 400 MARK FOR FAVORITES AND FOLLOWS! WE ARE INCHING CLOSER TO SURPASSING AFFECTION METER, I CAN FEEL IT! Truly, from the bottom of my heart, I thank all of you for reading and supporting this story and I hope you all stay for more! Last chapter was purely Mikuism because she was in her first attempt to make Fuutarou look at her, which didn't end well. Tsk, tsk, she's gonna have to try harder than that! Other than Miku, we also get some Nino Train action but it's not much. Oh well, she has two dates with our boy, anyway! What's gonna happen in this chapter? Let's not waste any more time and find out!

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

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

The two youngest sisters could only watch Miku's retreating figure, while only taking notice of the frown on her face. Yotsuba and Itsuki looked at one another, as if they were communicating through their looks, before coming to a single solution in the end. They were both unaware of what caused her to be that way, and they couldn't help but ask out of concern even though they would most likely be ignored.

"Miku? Hey, what's wrong?" Yotsuba asked, only to receive silence from the third quint, which meant that she had no plans of answering anything else. It would be pointless to keep asking her, so Yotsuba turned to her younger sister instead. "What do you think happened with Miku?"

"I don't know… Nino, what happened to Miku? She looks angry with something… but it seems that she doesn't want to talk to anyone right now."

Itsuki shifted her gaze to the only other quintuplet besides them, who was with Fuutarou and also had her attention to the sulking Miku. From the serious look on her face, she may have an idea on what just happened with their sister… but one can't be too sure…

Nino gave Itsuki a confused look, wondering what exactly was her youngest sister talking about. "That's how she is most of the time, did you already forget? It's nothing important," she said while shrugging her shoulders.

"Is that so? She seems mad about something…" Itsuki replied. Although she understood what Nino said about Miku acting this way most of the time since she's always gloomy and all, she couldn't help but feel that something wrong happened and they were just unaware of it.

Nino sighed, before rolling her eyes in slight irritation. Knowing Itsuki, this little discussion will only continue until she's absolutely sure that Miku was fine, which will only take time and that's going to be hard because their sister wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"She's not, alright? She just wanted a drink, that's it. After I brought that fresh batch of cookies here, I saw her looking like she had some kind of problem, then I found out she was just thirsty."

"But… it doesn't explain why she looks angry and ignored Itsuki's question," Yotsuba spoke in a curious tone, wondering if there was something wrong with asking a question that would get their sister to look mad out of nowhere.

"Even if she's mad about something, it's nothing big. I mean, Miku's always at odds with me, but the arguments we have never escalate into real fights. Also, it's exactly like her to ignore us when she has a problem like that. Have you already forgotten what she's like when we tell her to come out of her room while she's playing her games at the same time?" Nino explained calmly, while also providing some context in her words so that she wouldn't sound far-fetched.

Both Itsuki and Yotsuba turned to each other, thinking about everything that their sister said and wondering if it was really the case. On one hand, Nino did make a point and it was normal for Miku to look gloomy. It was also true that despite the many times Nino and Miku would have an argument with each other, it would never break their bond as family.

On the other hand, the third quint literally had a frown on her face, which couldn't possibly mean anything aside from anger, or even confusion. Miku also didn't bother answering them when they tried asking her a question! However, perhaps the most confusing thing about this was that before she marched towards the kitchen, she was sitting beside Fuutarou the whole time… could he have something to do with it? Wait, that's impossible. Their tutor has been focused on their homework until now, and he didn't really react to Miku leaving his side.

Eventually, Itsuki shrugged her shoulders in defeat and let out a sigh. "I suppose that makes sense… but still, I'm starting to get worried."

Nino waved her hand, as if she was telling her sister that it was completely fine. "Don't worry, I'll talk to her. Maybe Miku just woke up at the wrong side of bed, that's all."

"Okay, Nino! We'll count on you, then!" Yotsuba exclaimed with her usual bright smile, before walking towards the staircase. The enthusiastic expression on her face then changed into a tired look and her shoulders slumped in defeat, which was surprising to see from someone like Yotsuba. "I think I need a change of clothes, but I don't feel like taking a bath right now…"

Itsuki smiled. "I think that's a good idea, Yotsuba. We can just take another bath after dinner. We've been wearing these ever since we got home, too! I just need to change, and then I can eat more of Nino's cookies!" The youngest of the quints followed Yotsuba towards the staircase, but before they could truly leave, they turned towards the remaining teenagers who remained in their places. "We'll be right back, Uesugi-kun! Nino! You better not leave without saying goodbye!"

With that, Nino kept an eye on her sisters until they finally disappeared out of sight, before turning her attention towards the young man who was sitting on the couch before her.

"I don't suppose you can tell me what was happening between the two of you earlier?" she asked whilst crossing her arms below her chest, before giving him a deep frown to show how serious she was.

"Like what your sister said, it's nothing."

Fuutarou kept his gaze directed towards the sisters' homework, and didn't bother looking at Nino in order to give his answer. He was almost done with what he's supposed to do, so why would he ruin it? Once he's finished with this, he'll finally be able to leave and he won't have to worry about Miku anymore! Okay, before that happens, Yotsuba and Itsuki have to be here so that he can say goodbye in a proper manner. He may want to leave in order to avoid Miku's gaze, but he's not going about it in a disrespectful manner.

Nino laughed, before looking at him as though she was asking him if he was serious. "Really? That's how you thank your savior after she covered up for you while Miku was clearly pissed with you?" she spoke sarcastically.

He shook his head and let out a small sigh. Yep, he saw this coming. "I have nothing to say, and she was not 'pissed', as you put it."

Of course, his words were a lie.

Miku finally caught on to his little act and she now knew that he was only faking not being able to look at her. He obviously denied the accusation when she brought it up earlier and she didn't really believe him, but it's not like he had a choice. It was a really good thing she didn't do anything extreme like forcing him to turn towards her, and she simply moved away from him because of frustration most likely.

Okay, not a good start to his relationship with Miku because she was surely mad at him, but he can just make it up to her tomorrow somehow. He just didn't want the shock to take place today, but the next day is another story. He'll have no problem staring at Miku all day long tomorrow, to the point that he'll end up making her flustered from his gaze!

*insert cliche villain laugh here*

"Fine, don't tell me," Nino groaned in frustration, before holding out her plate of cookies in front of him again. Fuutarou glanced at it for a moment, before deciding to humor the girl. He reached out to take another cookie and then popped it into his mouth, savoring its sweet and chocolate-y goodness. However, at that same moment, she leaned in closer towards him, before speaking in a low voice that won't be heard by anyone else aside from him. "Hey. Don't forget what we're doing on Saturday, alright?"

He shook his head, before he took another cookie from her plate and munched on it slowly. "I haven't. In fact, I'm already wondering what I'm going to tell my family when that day comes and I suddenly dress up to go somewhere that has nothing to do with studying, because they'll surely question me regarding that topic. Well, whatever happens, it will result in them thinking that I'm going on a date anyway."

"E-Ehh…?!" Nino blushed hotly, her face immediately turning as red as her hair. For a few moments, the girl had no idea what she should answer him because it would all lead to the same outcome, and that would be herself having a giant blush on her face. Nino remained speechless until she shut her eyes tightly and prepared herself for the worst. "W-Well… just tell them that you're really going on a date! But don't tell them my name or anything!"

"I thought you agreed with me that it's not supposed to be one," he reasoned out, remembering what Nino told him earlier this morning about the two of them going shopping together. It was just a joke on his part, mainly because he only wanted to mess with the girl for the fun of it.

"It isn't, but if you can't think of anything that'll explain things to your family, then just tell them it is! They don't need to know who you're going with!" she fired back with a little glare, although it couldn't really be taken seriously because of the blush on her cheeks.

Fuutarou wanted to laugh at her, because at this point, it was obvious that Nino was only avoiding the worst case scenario in which she will personally get involved. The worst case scenario would be revealing her name to his father and Raiha, and then they'll proceed to embarrass him and Nino. Well, Nino, most likely. Because of everything that happened when Itsuki and Yotsuba met his old man, he's already gotten used to the teasing. However, Fuutarou didn't do anything at the moment because it will likely end up making things worse than they already are, more so because Nino was the girl he was with.

"You know, they'll eventually see the kimono that you're planning to get me and once that happens, they'll find out that it's you who bought it. Even if they don't figure out that it's you, they'll ask your sisters about it and it ends the same way, only worse. My old man and Raiha still figure out that it's you, and your sisters will find out we went shopping together."

Nino was left silent after his explanation, with every word feeling like it was a punch to the gut because he was right. She couldn't even find an appropriate response this time, and simply kept her eyes shut even more until she finally pushed herself to speak.

"Urgh, just let me deal with that myself! You don't need to tell them anything about me, It'll just be worse if you and I tell different stories and my sisters will end up hearing about it…" she cried, feeling embarrassed to the point that her face was hidden behind her hair.

"Sounds good," he nodded, satisfied with that plan. At the very least, when either one of them gets caught in the act, the other one can jump in to help out and explain the situation before it blows up.

Nino then shook her head in an attempt to get rid of her blush, before changing the topic to something more important. "Anyway… do you think you can find your way here on your own? Now that you know where we live, I'll expect you to show up on time if you know how to get here."

Fuutarou nodded again, before bringing out a pen so he could start writing his corrections on Itsuki and Yotsuba's work. He was almost done, and all he needed now was point out the mistakes they made as well as the correct answers to their respective questions. With this, his two students will be able to review their homework and compare their answers afterwards.

"Yes I can, though I need to know what time you want me to go here and wait for you."

"Don't worry about that, I'll text you a message before the weekend. I have to make up an excuse to tell my sisters too," she leaned closer towards him, before smiling and then sending him a wink.

He looked up at her for a quick moment, before giving her a smile of his own. "Alright then, I'll wait for you."

Fuutarou then went back to writing down the corrections on his students' work, while Nino only watched him do so with a thoughtful look on her face. She was deep in her thoughts at the moment, with one guy in particular being the main focus of it all.

"I can't believe I really asked him to go with me to the festival… as my date, no less. I really did that… even though Itsuki likes him…"

It's not like Nino asked that question to separate him from Itsuki, she wasn't cruel like that. It's more of making her move while no one else was, which wasn't wrong at all, right? She simply had the opportunity to ask and did it with no hesitation, which led to this. Now, she was planning to buy him a kimono this Saturday so he can attend the festival as her date, but was that it? There should be more to that, because there's no way she'd ask Fuutarou to accompany her to the fireworks festival without reason!

"So… that's it? I…I really like him…?"

For some reason, she herself wasn't shocked from reaching that conclusion. If anything, she was somehow expecting it after thinking about everything they went through in the span of a week. At first, there was no doubt that she didn't like him and wanted him out of their lives, but after the second time they met, Nino slowly found herself developing some kind of attachment to Fuutarou. From the moment they met, she could never get him out of her mind for some reason, but instead of denying it all, she let their relationship run its course.

"When did I even start feeling this way for him…?"

There's no way in hell that she would make a bento for just anyone, but she made one for him. He was the only one who received something like that from her, aside from her family. Other than that, she helped him out several times, which surprised even herself. From the time when she dragged him along with her to the cafeteria up to the moment when she saved him from his classmates, there's no doubt that she's looked out for him ever since they were on better terms with one another.

And then… they held hands as well.

"I get it now… that's why I've been feeling this way when I'm around him…"

Whether it was during the time that they were running down the hallways with Fuutarou pulling her with him or earlier when he offered her his hand as they walked through the school grounds like a couple, the main point was there. They've held hands more than once now and in both times that it happened, Nino felt her chest flutter that it made her feel nothing but happiness. During the first time it happened, she was confused with what she felt but by the second time they held hands, she felt happy to the point that she ended up being disappointed that they had to separate from the other.

"…I'm sorry, Itsuki."

Actually, she didn't even need to apologize. Why would she? Itsuki may have a crush on the guy, but has she made a move on him to deepen their relationship? It's simple logic, actually. When you love someone, don't hesitate to pursue it, no matter what. It's what happens in real life, and that is exactly what she's going to do when she gets her time with him. Maybe Itsuki wasn't making any kind of move because she didn't want her studies to be interrupted, though that wasn't her problem to think about.

Hesitating about things like this wasn't in Nino's vocabulary either!

But wait…

What about the promise she made back then to her sisters? The promise that she would keep them together as a family no matter what, and that nothing will ever come between them. Nino made that promise after their mother died to reassure her sisters that they will always stay together as a family… if she does this, then she's basically letting Fuutarou into their lives out of her own free will.

"Isn't Fuu-kun already involved with us, though?"

Nino didn't find anything wrong with that particular thought.

He was a good guy and she was wrong about him. She made a mistake, which she can admit openly because that's what happened on the day she met Fuutarou. Itsuki trusts him and Nino saw that as enough reason to entrust Fuutarou with her sister's safety the second time they talked. There was also Yotsuba who did the same recently and so far, he's done nothing but help her family.

That's not even counting the fact that he's willing to help all of them with the rumors at school, even at the cost of his own reputation going higher, which is what he didn't want to happen in the first place.

"Heh… so it's really come to this, huh? Fine."

And in that moment, Nino Nakano reached a decision that will forever change her relationship with Fuutarou, depending on what will happen when that day arrives.

She wasn't going to back down now.

Whatever answer he gives her, she'll confront him head-on and say everything!

Nino stood back and looked down at Fuutarou, who was quietly correcting his students' homework as a look of determination spread across her features. It looked as if a fire was burning brightly in her eyes, which reflected her current resolve while she pursed her lips together.

"At the festival… I'm going to confess to him!"

HOLY FUCKING SHIT! NINO HAS NO CHILL! GIRL, GIVE YOUR SISTERS A CHANCE! RIGHT WHEN YOU THOUGHT SHE'S ONLY GOING SHOPPING WITH HIM AND THEN MAKING FUUTAROU HER DATE, NOW SHE'S PLANNING TO CONFESS?! NANIIIIII?! Okay, enough of the dramatic flair and let's take this all in. The Nino Train is still charging full-steam ahead, and she'll most likely overtake Itsuki once and for all once they go shopping. Not even kidding, because think about it. That's three moves she's about to play, and they're all damn big, with all of it culminating in her plan to confess at the festival! I wonder if Itsuki can maintain the lead, because what Nino has in mind is way bigger than leaning on Fuutarou's shoulder and giving him ice cream. This doesn't look good for Yotsuba too, since she's also planning to confess at the festival, don't forget that! Oh man, two confessions at the festival... Fuutarou has his hands full. How will this play out? Stay tuned tomorrow!

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

-Lance