THIS STORY IS NOW THE TOP 2 IN THIS WHOLE ARCHIVE?! WE ARE JUST BEHIND BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL?! AND ON THE QUINTS' BIRTHDAY TOO?! NANI?! Yes, indeed, ladies and gentlemen! Thanks to your continued support in such a short amount of time, this fic has now surpassed Affection Meter in favorites and follows and is directly behind Midnight Oil at the very top of this archive. 30 chapters ago, I made a promise that I will take this fic to the very top because Gotoubun fluff will rule, and that is exactly what I will continue to do even now when we are at second place! The Ace thanks all of you for your support up until now, and I hope you guys continue to do so!

Alright, last chapter was just Isanari being a damn bro in the second part of Maruo's flashback! Gotta hand it to him, he literally paired up his bro and Rena together and Maruo feels indebted to him. In this chapter, I suppose we'll find out Maruo's decision then! With that being said, let's continue into the birthday special of this story!

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

While he didn't show it, Fuutarou actually felt nervous as he waited for the older man to give his answer. How could he not be nervous, when all it would take is one or two words for him to never be able to see Itsuki or any of his soulmates again. Basically, he was making a very dangerous gamble with what he's doing right now, but he didn't care. Fuutarou kept a stern expression despite his nervousness, and the same was for Itsuki.

The poor girl has been worried ever since Maruo had caught them, because at any moment, her father could tell Fuutarou to leave and never return, and she didn't want that! That's why she tried to speak up for him earlier, only to get stopped by the young man himself and reassured her that it's going to be okay, which managed to calm her in that moment but it wasn't enough. She still felt worried about what her father might say, although that feeling may soon be put to rest when she and Fuutarou noticed her father taking a deep breath, meaning that he was about to say something!

"And what say you, Itsuki? Didn't you say that you wanted to be like your mother?"

Maruo spoke while shifting his attention from Fuutarou to Itsuki, causing the two teenagers to widen their eyes in surprise. Yeah, there's no denying that his words both confused and surprised them at the same time. He was just going to ask Itsuki a question like that?

The both of them were somehow expecting him to give a harsh answer by telling the boy to leave and never come near his daughter again, or even something with regards to teenagers and their uncontrollable hormones. Since he was a doctor, it would be understandable that he gives these two kids a lecture on their hormonal urges… yeah, that kind of thing, but no... he just… asked Itsuki a question.

That was it.

They even looked at each other, initially confused with what they should do until Fuutarou decided to just follow with it; he nudged his head in Maruo's direction, as though he was telling Itsuki to say something. The girl quickly realized it and stammered for a bit to find her voice and come up with an answer, before turning her attention back to her father.

"I…" she tried to say, only to stop for a moment to regain her bearings.

What was she supposed to say, exactly? Just the truth? Itsuki knew what Maruo was referring to, and she remembered that moment quite well, but she was somewhat worried about what her father would say. Nevertheless, Itsuki also knew that her father didn't like wasting time, so she should just answer while he's not frustrated or anything…

"I apologize, Father. I know that I said that to you and Mother back then and I mean every word of it. I do want to be like her, but I can't deny that I have feelings for Uesugi-kun, and…" Itsuki blushed deeply, realizing that there was no going back now and she was literally revealing her true feelings to her own father.

There's no way it can get more embarrassing than this.

She wanted to cover her face and just run away, but that wouldn't solve the problem. If anything, it would only make it worse and cause her father to tell her tutor to leave for good. With this in mind, Itsuki did her best to suppress her blush despite how hard it was for her to stay calm.

"…and I know that we are not supposed to feel this way, b-because we are student and tutor…! That's why… I will do my best to learn under Uesugi-kun, so that I will be able to pass all of my exams and elevate my grades. I will continue to do so until the time comes that I no longer need a tutor. W-When that happens, it s-should be fine for me to pursue a relationship with Uesugi-kun, right…?" Itsuki tried to explain as best as she could, but she couldn't help but surrender to her own embarrassment in the end and thus, she was left a blushing mess after her words.

Knowing how his daughter usually acts, Maruo wasn't surprised with how Itsuki began stuttering at the end of her words and focused on her answer instead. He wasn't surprised with her resolve either, since he somehow saw it coming. The only things that somehow took him aback was the fact that Itsuki seemed very confident in herself that she would do better in her academics with Fuutarou helping her, but perhaps that's because she really trusted him.

The other thing that surprised him was how Itsuki asked if it was okay to be in a relationship with Fuutarou once he's done being her tutor, as if she was entirely sure that there will come a time when she won't need a tutor anymore. Perhaps that was another sign of how she trusted the young man and it would explain why Fuutarou looked confident about changing his mind. Taking all these things into consideration, Maruo took a deep breath and closed his eyes, before uttering his next words.

"I see… that's your decision, then."

That answer immediately caused both teenagers to become more nervous than ever, because it sounded ominous more than anything else. Fuutarou was already preparing himself for the worst, even though he was having a hard time accepting that he will never see Itsuki or his soulmates again. It's something that he can't accept, especially after remembering the words spoken to him by the old god!

He has to make all of them happy, or they'll face an accident and die! If this had taken place a week ago, he wouldn't care, but this was different now! He didn't want any of them to die, not while he can do something to prevent it! There has to be some way he can still convince Maruo to change his mind!

Luckily for him, Itsuki already had that dealt with because she didn't want Fuutarou to be away. Hopefully, her father listens to her and Fuutarou won't be replaced or anything! "Please don't replace Uesugi-kun, Father. He has been a really helpful tutor to Yotsuba and I so far, and it would greatly affect us if he is gone. We don't want—"

Itsuki stopped in her words as soon as she saw her father raise his hand, which also caused Fuutarou to pay complete attention to the older man. "You do not have to worry about that, Itsuki. I will not tell Uesugi-kun to leave you or replace him with another tutor but make no mistake, I don't condone this relationship you are planning right now. I will, however, give Uesugi-kun a chance to prove himself and his words. He is your tutor and it will stay that way until his services are no longer needed. You are both mature enough to separate your emotions from your responsibilities as student and tutor. Do I make myself clear?"

Fuutarou's eyes widened in surprise, while a big smile immediately formed on Itsuki's face upon hearing Maruo's answer.

"Yes, Father! Thank you!" she exclaimed, before leaning forward and giving the older man a hug out of relief and gratitude, which caught him by surprise. Regardless of how Fuutarou was just there with them, Maruo wrapped his arms around his daughter in a little hug, before gently pushing her away. After all, this discussion wasn't over yet because Fuutarou was still here with them.

The young man before him still looked surprised with the answer he received, before thinking more about what he just heard. Maruo won't be replacing him and he will stay as the quints' tutor, which is a good thing. Another thing was that the man said that he doesn't approve of the possibility of them going out together… for now? Wait, what did Maruo mean by that? Does it mean that he's indirectly giving his blessing or something?!

Fuutarou cleared his throat, which easily got Maruo's attention as he began to speak. "If I'm not mistaken, Father, you said that you 'do not condone of the relationship we are planning right now'. Does that mean you'll accept it in the future?" he asked, making sure to hide the hopeful tone in his voice, while also causing Itsuki to blush and turn to her father with a dumbfounded look.

Hey, you can't blame him for being like this. This was like his only chance to get back on Maruo's good side, and he wasn't going to waste it!

"I'll give you both the benefit of the doubt. Whether I accept or not, it remains to be seen. I may trust you to lead my daughter to her graduation, but I don't entrust you with her future. You are my daughters' tutor and that is it. That responsibility falls upon me as her father," Maruo explained while folding his arms across his chest.

Well, he kind of saw that coming.

At the very least, Maruo didn't tell him to get lost or anything like that, right? This means he can still see the girls and have a chance in forming a relationship with them, right? That's what he understood from Maruo's words, because he didn't give any absolute answer to the question he asked. It's more like the man left it open to be answered in the future, and his actions would be the factors behind it.

No matter.

His attention wasn't directed to romance for now, anyway. He had a promise to fulfill to Yotsuba and Itsuki, and it now involved the rest of their sisters. He'll just have to work hard as both a tutor and friend to these girls to get the older man's acknowledgement!

"I understand," Fuutarou spoke, bowing his head. This was already more than what he could ask from someone like Maruo, anyway. "Thank you for understanding, Father."

Maruo scoffed, rolling his eyes in annoyance before sending the young man another death glare. "Don't thank me, because I haven't accepted anything yet. Now then, shouldn't you be on your way now, Uesugi-kun? I recall you saying that you need to go buy dinner for your family, or did you not?"

"M-My apologies!" Fuutarou quickly panicked upon being reminded of it, while also berating himself in his mind for nearly forgetting about it. After bowing one more time, he sent a quick but embarrassed grin towards his student. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Itsuki!"

"B-Bye, Uesugi-kun…" Itsuki blushed as she watched the young man rush towards the elevator, quickly disappearing out of sight. The moment he was gone, the girl turned towards her father, who was staring blankly at her.

She gulped, already feeling that she was in trouble now that Fuutarou was gone. She could already tell from a mile away that Maruo was disappointed in her, and she knew exactly why.

Maruo mentioned it earlier, the words she spoke about many years ago, when their mother was still alive. She had declared that she wanted to be just like her mother Rena, which led to her studying as hard as she can despite her shortcomings, and yet this happened.

"F-Father, I… I want to apologize…" she tried to say, only to be stopped by her father's voice easily.

"I am not angry with you, Itsuki. I am, however, intrigued that you developed an attachment to Uesugi-kun in a romantic way even though you have not shown any interest in this topic before. I wonder what could have caused you to be like this," he explained while releasing a sigh.

Thinking that her father was still mad and she was being scolded, Itsuki kept her head down out of shame.

"I-I can explain, Father—"

"Heh. There is no need to explain, Itsuki. I understand your situation well. As hard as it is to believe, your mother was somehow like this in the past."

A ghost of a smile then appeared on the man's face, breaking his serious expression for what seemed like the first time in forever, and all it took was Fuutarou leaving! It was something that didn't go unnoticed by Itsuki's eyes, and it caused an immediate reaction from the girl.

"Eh…? Did…Did Father just laugh…?!" Much to her own shock, Itsuki heard a little chuckle from her father, causing her to look up with her eyes becoming as wide as dinner plates. Was she just seeing things?! There's no way that her father just laughed, right?! It felt too impossible to happen!

"Well, since you are a teenager, I supposed you've reached that age where you think about these things."

...

...

...

Did he just make a dad joke...?

Itsuki was even more shocked that her father was joking around, but it didn't stop her from reacting in an involuntary way to the implications of his words. There's no way that she had feelings for Fuutarou because of those urges!

"N-No…! No, it's not—!" she quickly denied with a burning red face while waving her hands before her frantically, only to get cut off by her father when she noticed him shaking his head as if he was amused for some reason.

What the hell is going on, really?

"We shall discuss it another time. For now, let's head back inside as I still need to tell your sisters about Uesugi-kun being your tutor altogether," he said, keeping the rare smile on his face as Maruo turned his attention to the penthouse.

The girl still looked confused with her father's strange demeanor, but nodded nonetheless because Maruo had a point. Since her tutor was on his way home, she should be getting back inside. Okay, she didn't get to accompany him to this building's exit like what she wanted, but it's way better than Fuutarou being replaced with another tutor.

Yeah, it's a really good thing that everything went well and Fuutarou was still their tutor. She was terribly worried about what might have happened to conclude that little argument between him and her father, especially after that heartfelt talk she had with her tutor, but yeah.

Itsuki can now let out a sigh of relief that her father and her tutor reached an impasse in the end. There's no need for her to think about the 'relationship' thing right now because of how embarrassing it is, and she was completely focused on her studies, anyway.

"I-I understand."

With that, Itsuki turned around and walked towards the door to their penthouse. She found it strange, though. Just a while ago, her father seemed like he was displeased with Fuutarou and herself having feelings for each other, but now he was teasing her like any normal dad would? Also, it somehow felt like he had calmed down from his deadly-serious state a while ago. What could possibly be going through Maruo's mind at the moment?

Unbeknownst to her, Maruo was actually thinking about her and Fuutarou, particularly how those two kids were close to each other. No, Maruo wasn't displeased like he was earlier and in fact, that was just an act to scare the young man off because he needed time to take this all in. He wasn't angry at Fuutarou either, which was a complete surprise. There's no way he can hate that kid after how he observed his and his daughter's actions around each other.

"Rena… it appears that our daughter has inherited more than just your appearance," he thought to himself, remembering his late wife for a moment.

There's no doubt about it. The reason why Fuutarou and his daughter's earlier interaction felt familiar was because he experienced it before… with his wife, Rena.

It's ironic how Itsuki thought that she failed in her words to be like her mother, only to act almost similarly as she did.

Phew. Looks like Fuutarou's luck saved him again, because Maruo didn't tell him to get lost or anything like that! He'll also stay as the quints' tutor, and that's the good news! The bad news is that Maruo doesn't approve of Fuutarou and his daughter planning a relationship, for now, at least. Who knows? Maybe he'll be fine with it in the future, but we'll see. It's worth noting that Fuutarou never mentioned anything about the other girls and only Itsuki. This might be a problem when the whole harem makes their individual feelings known. ALSO, DID YOU SEE THAT ENDING?! MARUO MADE A DAD JOKE! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!

Non-virgin Maruo rules!

And with that, I'll see you guys next chapter! Once again, happy birthday to the Nakano quintuplets and thank you all!

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

-Lance