What's up, my dear readers? It's your Ace here again, delivering comfort material for the poor souls who are saddened and traumatized by the movie. Don't worry, your savior is here and I will make sure to drown your sorrows away with FLUFF! Am I back to daily updates? Maybe, who knows? My next update isn't this, but rather an RAG fic that I thought of just recently. If you want to know more, join our Discord and hang out with us! With that being said, let's get on with the chapter!

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

"Hmm, hmm, hmm~"

Nino hummed to herself happily as she finished putting on the last of her makeup, all for the not-a-date shopping trip that she'll have with Fuutarou today.

Of course, she wasn't going to flood her face with makeup and make herself look like a doll in front of Fuutarou. Plus, that would only make her sisters suspicious of her and possibly give them the idea that she was going on a date, which wasn't true at all.

Thiswasn'ta date at all, nope. Nino knew better than to disguise a date with a lame excuse like going shopping for yukatas. Fuutarou deserved better than that and if they were going on a date, it should be somewhere better, like going to the movies or even an amusement park.

Besides, after she confesses to him at the festival, they'll be a couple and they can go as many dates as they want!

"Heh, if Fuu-kun wants to mess with me for what he said yesterday, then I'll mess with him too! He'll be so embarrassed when he sees this!"

Standing in front of the mirror, Nino looked proud of the outfit she chose for today: a white dress with a rose pattern while wearing a purple jacket over it. She also wore a pair of white sandals and carried a small shoulder bag with her. Lastly, she chose to tie her long hair into a ponytail, which only served to complement her overall look.

"All right! I'm all set!"

Smiling at her reflection, Nino walked out of her room and went downstairs, where Yotsuba was watching TV. She already saw Miku go inside her room earlier to play her videogames, so the other two must be in their own rooms, then.

"Yotsuba, I'm going out for a while."

Hearing her sister's words, Yotsuba looked away from the TV screen and saw the second quint dressed for something important.

"Uh, Nino? Where are you going?" she asked.

"I told all of you that I'll be busy today, remember? Well, here you go. I'll be going shopping with a few friends for yukatas. The festival is tomorrow, after all," Nino explained.

"Does that mean your yukata is too small for you now?"

"No, it still fits me. I'm not shopping for what I'll wear. I'll be helping out my friends pick their own and just hang out. It'll be boring if I just stick around here all day, not doing anything, you know?"

"Does this mean you won't be able to cook lunch for us later on?" came Itsuki's voice.

Nino turned around and saw their youngest sister walking out of the kitchen with a glass of orange juice. Looks like she wasn't in her room at all but oh well, this makes things easier. She wouldn't need to rely on Yotsuba to tell the others about why she's gone.

"Oh come on, there's still some leftovers in the fridge, Itsuki. I made sure to cook a lot last night because I knew that I won't be able to do it today. If that's not enough for you, you can always order take-out. I'll make it up to you later, alright?"

"I-I'm looking forward to it," Itsuki stuttered, feeling a bit embarrassed about being put on the spot regarding food.

"By the way, where's Ichika? Still sleeping?" asked Nino.

Yotsuba shook her head. "No, she's out."

"Out? Out where?"

"She said that she had something important to take care of. She didn't say anything about a place, though. She only said she'll be back before dinner."

"Alright, as long as she takes care of herself," Nino knew Ichika enough that she knew how to stay safe on her own, so she had no reason to worry.

Nino brought out her phone and only needed one look at the time right now to decide that it was time for her to leave. She didn't want to make Fuutarou wait too long for her to arrive, if he's already there, that is.

"Well, I better get going. I said I'll be meeting my friends at ten o'clock and I don't want to make myself look bad by being late. If Miku asks where I am, just tell her that I'm out shopping. I'll be home later this afternoon."

"See you later, Nino!"

"Take care of yourself, Nino."

Yotsuba and Itsuki bid their sister farewell as Nino did the same, waving her arm at them before walking out the door then closing it behind her.

~~XoXo~~

Fuutarou stared at his phone, particularly at the last message that Nino sent him about twenty minutes ago. She told him to wait at the mall entrance for her, and that's what he did.

He was just standing there for ten minutes now, as he looked around him a few times for a girl with long, red hair. However, up until now, there was no sign of the second quintuplet everywhere and it was almost ten o'clock.

Just as he was about to call Raiha to check up on her, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Fuu-kun! Fuu-kun!"

The young man turned his head to the direction of the voice, and Fuutarou couldn't stop himself from smiling upon seeing her, the girl whom he thought of as a goddess, as she walked towards him while waving her hand in greeting.

On the other hand, Nino smiled brightly upon seeing the boy that she had fallen for in so little time, happy that they were all alone without anyone else in the way.

Oh, how it felt good to say the nickname she had for him.

She couldn't call him that way yesterday because her sisters were around, so she had to refer to him using his family name the whole time. She was starting to consider calling him using his given name honestly, which she could probably do when they finally start studying together as tutor and student.

"Good morning, Nino."

"Same to you, Fuu-kun," she smiled back, a healthy blush on her cheeks. "How long were you here? Did I keep you waiting?"

"Not really. I just got here about ten minutes ago, so I didn't wait much."

"That's good," she chuckled, before stepping back and twirled around for a bit so she could show him her overall appearance. "Well? How do you like my look today?"

Fuutarou's eyes went wide, unable to stop himself from blushing now that he had a good look at her. He didn't notice it earlier, but now he did and he was taken aback at how Nino was able to pull off a ponytail flawlessly.

Well, this might not be the first time that she's done her hair in a ponytail, but still! Plus, the dress and jacket that she was wearing only added to her already-beautiful look and now it was getting hard for him to keep a straight face!

"Uhm… y-you look really cute and… b-beautiful…" he stammered, hating the fact that Nino can make him feel this way but at the same time, he didn't mind it because she was Kami-sama.

"Fufu, it makes me really happy that you think that way. I made sure to dress up nicely for you today, you know?" she teased, leaning closer before giving him a wink.

He shook his head slowly. "You didn't have to do that, but I appreciate the gesture."

Nino flicked her hair back in a haughty manner. "Well, I wanted to because I wanted to see that reaction you have. But in your case? Ugh. Seriously? That's the best thing that you could have worn today? No offense, but your taste in fashion absolutely sucks."

The girl pointed to his whole attire, which only consisted of a green shirt, dark pants, and a pair of white shoes. In response, Fuutarou only sighed and rolled his eyes because even he could figure that out.

"You don't have to remind me, but I really don't care about something like that. First reason, I've never cared about what I wear in public, and whether I'm following a trend or not. Second, even if I did, I'm too broke to buy clothes for myself. I'd rather use money to buy what Raiha wants. Third, I don't know the first thing about fashion."

Nino grinned smugly, folding her arms under her chest and pushed her… Ninos up. If her goal was to get his attention using her chest, then she succeeded… for a few moments, at least.

"Well, you're lucky that we're only here to buy you a yukata that you can use for the festival. If I could, I'd help you pick out some clothes that would look good on you whenever you go out!"

"Please don't, you're already doing so much for me…" he sighed, while he was already crying mentally. "I don't want to be in Kami-sama's debt any more than I already have…"

He truly didn't deserve this goddess!

"I won't do it today, but who knows? Maybe I will in the future, but now we're focusing on getting you a yukata!" she giggled for a few moments, before grabbing his hand and holding it tight. "Come on, I know a place that sells the good stuff!"

With that, Nino led Fuutarou inside the mall and thus began their not-a-date shopping trip.

~~XoXo~~

The pair of student and tutor were at a diner, sitting on opposite sides of a two-person table and enjoying their lunch. Fuutarou insisted that they eat somewhere cheap when Nino offered him the opportunity to choose the place where they should spend their lunch.

Because of that, the young man was grateful. He knew that if Nino was the one chose a place, she would choose a more expensive restaurant because that's how she is, and Fuutarou wouldn't be able to handle that.

If it happened, then he'd feel the need to pay her back, no matter what!

Even if he gets buried deep in depth.

Kami-sama was just too generous towards someone like him when he didn't deserve it!

In any case, the shopping trip went well. Nino led him to a store that sells various kimonos and let him choose which one would he like to have, while reassuring him that she'll handle the expenses and that he didn't need to worry about spending money at all.

Despite that, Fuutarou chose a cheap one, which was a plain green yukata with a purple obi and presented his choice to his companion. In return, Nino only laughed at the yukata that he chose but didn't say anything more, which was good. If Nino had chosen to take charge and picked something herself, he wouldn't be able to stop her.

After she paid for the yukata, Nino asked him where she wanted to have lunch, and Fuutarou chose this place after they went around the mall in search of a restaurant to eat in. The cheap prices obviously attracted him to this place, but the food here was good.

"Nino," he called out to her, looking up from the hamburger and fries meal that he was currently eating.

The girl turned to him, shifting her attention away from her own food. "What?"

Fuutarou gave her an honest, genuine smile. "You really didn't have to do this, but thank you. If I could, I'd pay you back for this yukata you bought for me once I get paid by your father, but I can tell that you'll just brush it off and tell me not to worry."

Nino smiled, before bopping him on the nose. "Ha, you got that right! Consider it a little gift from me because you'll be our tutor in a few days. But if you really want to pay me back, then you can just be my date for the festival."

Fuutarou blinked upon hearing those words.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that…"

He had honestly forgotten that Nino asked him to be her date two days ago because so much had happened in so little time, and he was thinking about other things too.

Come to think about it, he didn't exactly give her an answer that time… when Nino stated that she wanted him to be her date, he had asked her why did she choose him in return.

He never said anything about agreeing.

…

…

…

Well, now that he had a yukata of his own, he didn't have any reason to refuse.

Plus, it should be okay, right? It was his soulmate who's asking him to go with her as her date, nothing wrong with that. However, there's just one little hindrance that might prove to be troublesome tomorrow…

"What about your sisters, then? Wouldn't they be suspicious of us if that happens?" he asked.

"Oh, don't worry about that. We'll only be together when it's time for the fireworks since we watch it together. Before that, we're free to do whatever we want. We'll be alone by ourselves for a while," she reassured him, before suddenly looking unsure of herself, "u-unless you don't want to be with me…"

Fuutarou was quick to shake his head no.

"No, no, I didn't say anything like that. I was just worried that the other girls might see the two of us together, which will be complicated to explain if it happens. But, it seems that you've got that under control," he explained.

"Then… you'll be my date for the festival?" she asked, her eyes brimming with hope.

He reached out to grab her hand, making her blush deeply at his bold action. Fuutarou wouldn't admit it out loud, but it honestly felt good to make these girls feel like this, and it's not just because of the fluttering feeling from inside his chest.

Plus, knowing that his soulmates were the girls he met years ago only made this better.

"Sure thing," he told her.

And the shopping trip has begun! As Nino, this isn't a date at all, because buying yukatas is just an excuse. A real first date should involve lovey-dovey moments and good places to visit, plus Nino hasn't confessed to him yet, but she will! And now she has the biggest opportunity to do so out of everyone! FUUTAROU IS NOW HER DATE FOR THE FESTIVAL! WILL SHE BE THE FIRST TO CONFESS HER FEELINGS? WILL THE NINO TRAIN GET TO THE STATION FIRST? Find out in the next update!

MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*

-Lance