IMPORTANT NOTE: I recently revised this so I advise all story followers to read from the beginning again before reading this latest chapter.


Chapter 11

Just Wanna Believe You Baby

When Fuutarou rolled up to the rear entrance of the restaurant and switched off the engine he didn't go inside right away. Instead he sat there quietly for a few minutes before lifting a leg over the bike and putting the kickstand down. He took off his helmet, hat, and gloves before sitting back down sideways on the seat. He stared into the night, going over all the events of today.

Wow.

That was the only word he could use to describe it.

Wow.

If that was what it was like to go on a date with a girl, to talk with her, laugh with her, have fun with her, dance with her, hold her in his arms, to feels her lips on his, and overall just... being around her, then he really had been missing out. He was honestly upset with himself for having ignored this kind of thing for so long.

His date with Nino had been the complete opposite of the one with Yotsuba, but that had been due to his indifference. He had ignored her instead of paying attention to her. Then he had the gall to ask her to marry him when it was over. Thinking about now he was honestly disgusted with himself. That was probably the dumbest and the most disrespectful thing he had ever done in his life. It was no wonder Yotsuba lost control punched him, even though she shared much of the blame herself.

With Nino it was completely different.

He intended to do things right this time, but he ended up learning a lot more than he thought he would. There were so many emotions running through him right now it was impossible to make sense of it all. How could going on a date with Nino, a girl who had given so much trouble in the beginning, make him feel so... alive? Had he really shut himself off that much over the years? Had he really been that scared to become closer to a girl after what happened last time?

Ever since he learned of the tragic of the girl from junior high one of his goals for this day was to bring Nino back to life and he succeeded, with the help of her sisters of course, but he succeeded in more ways than he'd expected. Not only had Nino forgiven him, she actually went as far as to kiss him. Again. To show him that she still had those feelings for him despite all he had done.

She was a lot more forgiving than he expected her to be. That alone spoke volumes.

The others quints might not been as forgiving. Ichika had been right all along. Nino's love for him truly was genuine. He couldn't believe how blind he was not to see it when it should have been clear from the beginning. Just as she stated that she would never find another guy like him, he didn't believe he would ever find another girl like her even if he spent a lifetime trying.

Nakano Nino really had turned his world upside down from the moment they met.

His thoughts strayed back to the kiss she'd given him tonight and his fingers rose to touch his lips. He could still feel hers lips on his. The warmth, the promise they held, the wanting that it had woken within him. He never knew that such a thing could bring such strong feelings.

Was this what love was like? No, it was only a natural reaction on his part. A man being attracted to a woman was natural thing, it didn't mean it was love. That was something that had to be discovered over time.

On that thought he inwardly nodded to himself. He now understood what the quints' grandfather had been trying to say to him.

Love didn't happen right away. There was no such thing as love at first sight. People who believed in that had a very naive point of view when it came to love. That had been his mistake, his biggest mistake, when it came to the quints. When he first met Yotsuba, not knowing who she really was back then, he had openly admitted that she was his first love. His first crush. That was the stupidity of a child, one that he never grew out of. A fantasy he created to help justify his reasons for doing better.

And where did that lead him? Nowhere.

He had just blindly believed that it was destiny. He didn't know anything about her because he never took the time. He just wanted someone by his side so he could have that mental support he had lost when his mother died. God, if his mother could see him now she would be disappointed with the way he turned out. He essentially insulted her memory by trying to prove that he was be the best at everything instead of just trying to be his own man. He really had been that weak and pathetic.

On his date with Yotsuba he'd been selfish, impatient, and arrogant. With Nino... he simply decided to relax. And it felt... great. He ran his fingers over his lips again. He wondered if it would be like that the time he and Nino-

He suddenly froze. He wanted to go on another date with Nino? Yes. Yes, he did. He did want to be with Nino again. He wanted to experience all those feelings he felt today. However...

He sighed heavily. There was still Yotsuba to deal with. Not only that, he also needed to speak with the other quints, especially Itsuki. Learning that she had feelings for him after all this time had been a real shock.

As he sat there he wondered. If he went on a date with any of the other quints, would he feel those same emotions as he did with Nino?

"Looks like you had a good time."

Startled from his thoughts Fuutarou turned to see his dad standing there with Wakamura right beside him.

"How long have you two been there?" he asked.

"Long enough to see that you've got a lot on your mind," said Wakamura.

The manager pulled reached inside the back door and pulled out a steel chair while Isanari came to Fuutarou's side and leaned on the backseat of the bike. Wakamura placed his chair to Fuutarou's right and sat down backwards on it, placing his arms over the backrest.

"Have you and Raiha been here all today?" he glanced inside the restaurant.

"Your boss offered us a free lunch after you left," his dad explained, "We then hung around town for a while before coming back to have dinner while waiting for you. Raiha's inside drawing on a coloring book right now."

"We were talking in the kitchen together when we heard you roll in," said Wakamura, "We noticed right away how quiet you were. So, talk to us. How did it go?"

"It went..." he had to pause, "better than I expected."

"Did Nino forgive you?"

"She did. We had a really good time. It's been a long time since I felt this happy."

When he said no more Isanari rubbed a hand on his back.

"What's on your mind, son?"

He took a breath before asking, "Dad... you said that you loved and accepted everything about mom. What was it about her that you loved the most?"

His dad took a moment to recall the memories of his beloved wife.

"Well... for me... it was her courage. She never back away from a challenge no matter how difficult it was and she wouldn't let anything, not even her family, stop her. Her choosing me against her dad's wishes was a prime example of that. No matter what struggles we went through she stayed with me. That's why I could accept her as both my lover and my wife. Her love for me was that strong. I could never find another who could replace her."

"I see," Fuutarou turned his attention to Wakamura, "Boss, you asked me which one of the quints had the most effect on me, made me feel something. I thought about it long and hard and I realized that it was Nino. However..."

Wakamura raised a brow, "However?"

"I'm..." he frowned a little, "I'm not exactly sure how I really feel about her. When I was with her today, it really made me happy to see how happy she was. I never felt that way before. We even shared a kiss-"

"Oooh," both of them grinned.

"Be serious, okay?" he rolled his eyes, "She's not the first one who's kissed me but hers, along with some of the others, were always forced and unexpected. Sexual assault if you want to put it that way. This time though... it was much different. I never thought that kissing a girl could be so..."

"Intoxicating?" said Isanari.

"Stimulating?" said Wakamura.

"Guys..." Fuutarou growled.

"Relax!" Isanari slapped his son's back, "We're just messing with you."

"You don't have hide it though," said Wakamura, "We're all guys here."

"Ugh," he rolled his eyes again, "Alright, fine. It did ignite something in me, and it actually scared me for a moment. I'm very confused right now. Do I really have feelings for Nino? Or am I just reacting the way guys normally do when they're with a girl? This is all still very new to me."

"Ah, I see what you're getting at," Wakamura thought for a moment, "Let's start from the beginning. When you first met Nino, what was she like?"

Fuutarou thought back and made a little laugh, "Well, she was absolute you-know-what to me in the beginning," he turned to his dad, "You remember how I used to come home and complain about her all the time?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't shut up about it. It actually made me really curious about her."

Fuutarou snorted, "You wouldn't think that way if you knew half the things she to me."

"Such as?"

"Well, for one thing, she did drug me. Twice."

Both adults blinked, "Drugged you?"

He quickly explained both incidents.

"Wow," Wakamura laughed, "She's scarier than I thought."

"So that's why Itsuki brought you home earlier than expected that one time," Isanari grinned, "You were caught sleeping on the job!"

Fuutarou ignored him, "The thing is, I was never comfortable around Nino because of how she behaved in the beginning and it was like that for a while. From the day we met she did everything to make my life miserable. I was always on edge whenever she was near me. I never knew what she would say or do. Then all of a sudden she confesses to me, the last girl I ever expected to do. It left me even more confused than before. I couldn't understand why she would fall for a guy like me."

"But now you know," Wakamura pointed out.

"Yes, I do. Now that I know her entire story everything is clear to me now," he smiled, "Ichika was right. We really do have a lot in common. She's as stubborn as I am and she isn't afraid to speak her mind. The only difference between us was that she always went into the heart of the problem and did what was needed, whereas I always went to to great lengths to avoid them. If I wasn't such a moron I probably would have liked her right away. Am I making any sense?"

"You are," Isanari assured, "Love does have a way of coming from the last place you'd expect. That seems to be the case with Nino."

"And remember what her sister said too," Wakamura pointed out, "Nino understood you better than anyone else."

Fuutarou nodded, "She saw me for who I was and accepted me. Or at least that's what she thought until she saw otherwise. But she's forgiven me now," he paused for a moment, "There's one other thing. While we were talking Nino mentioned that she wasn't convinced that a relationship between us would have worked out in the end. Having thought it over I find myself wondering about that too. I'm not trying to think too much but... could a serious relationship really work given our history?"

"Do you still hold the things she did to you against her?" asked his dad.

"No."

"Then there you go."

"What do you mean?" Fuutarou frowned.

"It means that you no longer care about what happened before. That no longer matters to you."

"It means that that you very much care for Nino as she is now. Not who she was before," put in Wakamura.

"Remember what I said about why I married your mother?"

"You accepted everything about her and loved her for it," Fuutarou recalled, "I know what you're getting at. I do accept Nino for who she is now, but it that enough? Let's say me and Nino got married in the future. Could we make it work?"

"That's for you and her to figure out," said Wakamura, "What's important is that you respect for who she is. If you were to get married, you can't go changing bits and pieces and expect her to be okay with it. Would you be happy if Nino turned into one of the other quints?"

"Like Yotsuba for example?" asked Isanari.

He didn't have to think about it for long.

"No," he said, "That would be like me asking her to give up her pride."

And pride was the only thing that had kept her going for this long.

"What's happening to you right is that you're basically playing catch up," said his dad, "The girls have already figured out their feelings for you while you're still trying to figure out your feelings for them. If you do have feelings for Nino, there's only one way to find out. Spend more time with her by going out with her."

"That's what I want to do," Fuutarou agreed, "but it's not going to be that simple. I need to speak with other quints first before I do anything else, especially Yotsuba. We haven't really broken up, we just put our relationship on hold. What I was thinking of doing was going on another date with her."

His dad frowned, "You really think that's a good idea?"

"I know it sounds foolish but it's the only thing I can think of to really find out for sure. I need to know if these feelings are real. I want to know if I can feel the same way, if not more, for Yotsuba. Plus... I think Nino understands this too. She said she would help me get back together with Yotsuba."

"She did, huh?" Wakamura slowly, "She must really love you if she's willing to do that after today."

"There's one more thing," Fuutarou took a breath, "No matter who I choose, or what choice I make, things are going to change between me and the quints. I'm not sure if I want that."

Isanari shook his head, "That's unavoidable, son. Things are going to change whether you want them to or not. You can't keep clinging to the past because you want everything to remain the same. That's how this whole thing started. Some of you were unable to let go of the past and look what happened? Everyone got hurt in the end."

It was true. Him, Nino, and Yotsuba had been stuck in the past since in their own way during all this time. Nino didn't want things to change between her and her sisters only to realize she was going nowhere in her life and she had to change for the better. Yotsuba had been unable to accept the past because of her misplaced guilt and had paid a heavy price for keeping everything a secret. As for him, he was never able move on past the death of his mother and he didn't realize it until it was too late. Ironically, he had mentioned before that the past didn't matter. That had been a lie on his part.

"Sometimes in order to obtain something you have be willing to give up something," his dad went on to say, "Take your mother for example. She gave up her privileged life to be with me because that's how much she loved me. It wasn't easy but we pulled through. Together. With Nino, she was able to break away from the cage she had trapped herself in thanks to you. She came to accept you because she saw a connection with you. She was able to put aside her pride for today and be herself because she wanted to be with you. All of that shows just how much she loves you. In time, you will come to understand this yourself. Once you do, you will know what your true feelings are."

Fuutarou said nothing and instead slowly bobbed his head.

Isanari patted his back again, "This is your call, son. You deal with it the way you want to."

"Just take it one step at a time, okay?" reminded Wakamura, "You don't need to rush things."

"And even if it all doesn't work out in the end, you will have learn something from them and you won't keep making the same mistake again."

"Yeah," Fuuratou agreed, "I understand now. Thanks again for all your help."

As they stood, Wakamura gestured to his bike.

"What did you think of the bike by the way?"

"Oh!" Fuutarou laughed and ran a hand across the handlebars, "Very nice! I'm not going to lie. I really enjoyed riding this. Thanks for letting me use it for today," he paused for a moment before adding, "You know... now that I really think about it, I actually wouldn't mind owning one of these one day."

The manager's eyes lit up, "Well, in that case, in you really want to get into cruiser bikes but need some expert to guide you, I'm your man! Feel free to ask me anything. I'll be more than happy to show you the ropes."

"Thanks!" Fuutarou shook his hand, "I'll definitely take you up on that offer."


When Nino opened her eyes the next morning she smiled and stretched, feeling very refreshed. It had been a long time since she'd slept so well.

As she stretched she saw the bracelet dangling from her wrist. Her smile widened and she spent the next few minutes playing with it as the fogginess of sleep left her body. She had done the same thing last night after she went to bed. Fuutarou's sister had made such a simple yet beautiful gift for him to give. It had touched her so deeply she could only love him even more.

It was enough that if Fuutarou did choose to be with Yotsuba after all she could accept it and move on. She was now content with accepting whatever decision he made. She got to have her date with him, that was enough for her.

But is that all you really want?

She shoved the thought away. She'd spent too much time being selfish. She had to respect Fuutarou's own feelings regardless of the outcome. He had shown that he changed and that he cared very much for her. It didn't necessarily mean that he loved her. Time would only tell when he finally figured things out for himself, be it now or several years later.

Sitting up on her bed Nino glanced at the clock. It was just before seven. Perfect. Her sisters usually woke around eight at the earliest during the weekends. After the little celebration they had last night, however, they probably would prefer to sleep in.

Grabbing her phone she sent a quick text to Ebata, telling him that he didn't have to come and make breakfast today. She wanted to surprise her sisters by doing it herself. To show how grateful she was to them. Ebata replied back with a thumbs up emoji as she got dressed before thanking her for giving him the day off. With a grin, Nino opened her door and stepped out quietly.

A quick glance downstairs confirmed that no one else was awake and she went downstairs. After making a quick trip to the bathroom to wash her face she made her way to the kitchen and opened the fridge to see what ingredients there was. She wanted to make something very special. A quick scan of the fridge followed by a childhood memory gave her an idea of what to make for breakfast. Taking out the ingredients, Nino got to work.

An half an hour later her sisters seemed to have been aroused by the smell of food, for they all came down at once.

"Hmm," Ichika grinned as she stretched, "Something smells good!"

"You decided to make us breakfast for us," Miku smiled brightly.

"I wanted to returned the favor for you guys helping me yesterday," Nino grinned at them, "I felt that this was the best way to do it."

"Whoa! You made pancakes?" Yotsuba was like a little child again.

Itsuki was already drooling, "I can't remember the time last we had pancakes. Are they all different?"

"They are," Nino pointed to the five different sets of pancakes she'd made, "While I looking through the fridge I suddenly remembered how Mama would sometimes make us different kinds of pancakes. So I thought, why not do that for old times sake? So, first we have raspberry pancakes for Itsuki."

"Thank you," the youngest quint was trying not to lick her lips.

"Chocolate chip pancakes for Yotsuba."

"Oh, boy," Yotsuba rubbed her hands in anticipation.

"Strawberry pancakes for me. Blueberry pancakes for Miku."

"I do love blueberries," Miku beamed.

"And last but not least..." Nino gave an exaggerated sigh, "Plain ole pancakes for Ichika. Sorry, there weren't any bananas."

"Eh," Ichika waved it off, "I'll stick to my plain ole pancakes, thank you very much."

Everyone laughed. It was good that things were finally getting back to normal.

"I haven't put butter or whip cream on them yet," Nino pointed to the bathroom, "Why don't you guys wash up while I put in the finishing touches? Breakfast should be ready by then."

"Sure thing," Itsuki gestured the others to follow.

"Good to see you cooking again, Nino," Miku smiled at her, "We really missed it."

Nino smiled back and went back to work. Ichika came back later and offered to set the table. During that time she had a private word with Nino.

"Are you going to make something for Fuutarou-kun?" she asked.

Nino froze for an instant before looking at her.

"I'm only asking," Ichika assured her, "It would only to be fair to do so after yesterday."

She thought about for moment before saying, "We'll see. If he comes here again I'll definitely make something for him. I've already thanked him though for yesterday."

"Hmm," Ichika said nothing else.

The remaining quints finished their washing and sat down at the table, eagerly awaiting for Nino's specially made breakfast for them all. When she finally brought the plates over and set them down, complete with orange juice, everyone oohed in delight.

"Wow!" Ichika was impressed, "I don't think we've ever seen you put this much effort before!"

Nino grinned, pleased with herself, "I guess I was really in the mood this morning."

She sat down in the center chair, Itsuki and Ichika to her left and Miku and Yotsuba to her right. Together they said, "Itadakimasu!" before digging in.

"By the way, Miku," Nino said a short time later, "Those sandwiches you made were really good."

"Thank you," Miku pouted a little, "I still would like to actually cook something one day."

"You'll get there," Nino assured, "You just got to keep trying."

"Maybe she just needs to get inspired," put in Ichika.

Nino noticed a mischievous glint in her eye but she ignored it.

"So what's been happening lately with you guys?" she asked instead, "I've kind of been on vacation for the past few weeks."

"Oh, nothing much. Same as always. However..." Ichika grinned devilishly, "It seems that Miku has been getting rather chummy with Takeda lately."

Miku almost choked on her drink, "Ichika!"

"What? We've all noticed. You came back with him when we had go to the hospital."

Nino looked at the third quint curiously, "You and Takeda?"

"Ugh..." Miku rubbed a hand over her face, "Look, it's not what you think. After the fallout we had with Fuutarou I was spending some time alone when Takeda found me. We had a long talk before he took me over to an arcade to help cheer me up. There were other couples there and..." she suddenly started laughing before pulling out her phone, "This happened."

The others leaned in as Miku started playing a recorded video. In it was Takeda and four other high school boys from a different school. The quints started laughing when they saw the group was dancing to the famous Michael Jackson song "Smooth Criminal". Takeda was in the center and he was able to pull off Jackson's dancing routines flawlessly, including the famous moonwalk.

"Wow," Ichika was impressed again, "That boy sure can dance."

"I know," Miku laughed again, "When I saw that I had to recording it all."

"I think we may have to keep an eye on him from now," Ichika winked at the others, "Otherwise, Takeda-san might try to steal you away from us when we're not looking while also having to fight off Fuutarou-kun."

Miku shook her head, "Yusuke wouldn't do that. He has no grudge against Fuutarou and he has a great deal of respect for me."

When she was greeted with silence she looked up to see that her sisters were all staring at her strangely.

"What?" she blinked at them.

Setting down her fork, Nino placed her chin on top of her fist, placed one finger on her cheek, stared straight at Miku, grinned, and slowly said, "Yusuke?"

Miku went beet red as she realized her blunder.

"Miku..." Ichika was trying not to laugh, "You just called Takeda-san by his first name. Without any prefixes either."

"And you immediately came to his defense," Nino leaned closer, "Is there something you want to tell us?"

Miku suddenly stood, clearly flustered, "Excuse me, I have something-"

"Uh-huh!" Yotsuba yanked her back down, "You're not going anywhere!"

"Cat's already out of the bag," Itsuki's voice took a motherly tone, "Spill it. What's going on between you and Takeda? Are you two secretly dating?"

"No, we're not!" Miku waved her hands, "Honest! We're not! It's just that... Takeda-san... confessed his feelings to me earlier this week."

"Really?" the other quints were taken by surprise.

"I asked him why he's done so much for me and... apparently he's had a crush on me for quite some time," Miku explained to them about Takeda's struggles, his concerns, and his feelings for her.

"So that's how it is," Ichika chuckled, "It seems that I was right about him liking you. It's very clear now that he cares a great deal about you. It's no wonder he got so upset when that girl attacked you. Later on, when he saw that you were sad, he couldn't bring himself to walk away."

"I know," Miku nodded, "I don't mean to think badly about Fuutarou but... the simple truth is that Takeda has shown much more respect for me than he did."

"That's true, but that goes for all us too," Nino grinned at her, "It's good to see that somebody was looking out for you. Have you answered his feelings yet?"

"No," she replied, "I still need to sort things out with Fuutarou out before I do, and he understands that too."

"Yeah," Yotsuba agreed, "Each of us are going to need to have a private talk with Uesugi-san."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we will," Itsuki grimaced, "But we shouldn't rush things like we did last time. Once he's ready he'll come see us."

The quints finished their breakfast and were in the process of cleaning the table when Itsuki's phone suddenly rang.

"Good morning, Papa!" she answered, "Checking in on us?"

A moment later her cheerful smile suddenly vanished.

"What?! What happened?"

Her sisters froze in their spots. Just when things were getting back to normal, something else had come up.

"Are they okay?" Itsuki listened to their stepfather before she nodded rapidly, "Alright, we'll be right there."

She ended the call and announced, "Uesugi-kun's home was invaded last night and it caught fire. Both he and his sister are fine. His dad was injured by the intruder but it's nothing serious. They're at Papa's hospital right now and Uesugi-kun wants us to come over right away. He says it's urgent."


Ebata came to pick them up right after they got dressed and in ten minutes they were at the hospital again. It seemed only yesterday that they were here for the untimely death of their grandfather.

The receptionist told them that Fuutarou and his sister were in a private lobby while his dad was still being treated by Maruo. A nurse guided them there, where they found Fuutarou and Raiha, still dressed in their nightclothes, along with someone else.

"Takeda-san?" Miku was surprised like everyone else, "What are you doing here?"

"Same reason you are," he answered, "Your stepdad called me and said to come over right way because Uesugi said it was an emergency."

"Are you okay?" Itsuki stepped forward, "Hey, Raiha? It's me."

Raiha had been clinging to her brother tightly with her little face hidden in his chest. When she heard Itsuki's voice, she raised her head. As soon as she saw her she let go of her brother and threw herself into Itsuki's arms sobbing.

"Hey, hey," she cooed, "It's okay. You're safe now."

"She's been like that since it happened," said Fuutarou, "She was really shaken up by the whole event. Takeda and I have been trying to calm her down."

"I can understand," Itsuki rubbed Raiha's back, "Everything gonna be fine, Raiha."

"No, it's not!" the little girl cried, "We lost everything! Our home is gone! Burned!"

Itsuki looked at Fuutarou, "Is that true?"

"I'm afraid so," he sighed, "During the scuffle between the intruder and my dad something caught on fire and our entire apartment burned down along with half the building itself. What we're wearing is all we have left."

"Oh, man," Yotsuba shook her head, "I am so sorry."

There was a knock on the door and everyone turned to see Maruo, Isanari, and two men in suits enter the lobby. The two men introduced themselves as detectives from the police department.

"How's your arm?" Itsuki pointed to the sling Isanari was wearing.

"Ah, it's nothing," he smiled, "Just a slash. Nothing critical was damaged. I can take this sling off tomorrow."

Fuutarou stood, "Well, now that we're all here, I think it's time I explained what happened in full detail."

He waited for everyone to get comfortable while one of the detective took out a notebook.

"Okay, son," he said, "Start from the beginning."

Fuutarou cleared his throat, "I woke in the middle of the night, I'm not sure what time it was, needing to go to the bathroom. However, I immediately sensed that a stranger was in my room. I have the no idea how he got in."

"Probably picked the lock," Isanari suggested, "It was a cheaply built apartment so it would have been easy."

"Before I could do anything the intruder placed one hand over my mouth while placing a knife at my throat with the other," Fuutarou ignored the collective gasps, "He threatened to kill me if I raised my voice. Then he started asking me questions, about the girls I once tutored. Specifically... you two."

He pointed to Nino and Miku.

"Us?" both girls blinked.

Fuutarou nodded and continued, "He asked me what I knew about them, like the places they went to or the things they did. I told him that I didn't know because I wasn't that close to them and that I had been fired as their tutor recently. He seemed to believe me and he suddenly relaxed. That's when I hit him, dad showed me how. The blow I struck was enough to stun him and I yelled out before running out of my room."

"I came out and saw the intruder," said Isanari, "I told Fuutarou to protect Raiha while I took him on. During our scuffle I think one of our lamps sparked and set fire to the wall. The guy then slashed my arm and escaped. The rest you know."

The detective took down notes before asking, "Did you see the man's face?"

"No," Fuutarou shook his head, "I could see him hovering over me but it was too dark for me to see his face."

"He was wearing a mask anyway," put in Isanari.

"I see," the detective turned his attention to the quints, "Do you know why the intruder was asking questions about you?"

"Actually, I think I can answer that," said Fuutarou, "Having thought it over myself there's only one person I can think of, which is why I asked my friend to come here so he could hear this," he turned to Takeda, "I think your ex-fiance may be behind this."

Everyone blinked in surprise.

"You mean Kuba-san?" Yusuke looked dumbfounded.

"The girl who attacked Miku?" said Yotsuba.

"Before I struck the guy he said something," Fuutarou explained to Yusuke, "Something like, 'That boy is going to regret going against her'. When I thought it over I'm pretty certain he was talking about you. Think about it. Who else would have a grudge against Nino and Miku? Especially after what happened in school?"

"Oh, my God," Yusuke went pale, "You might be right."

"Kuba-san?" said the other detective, "Are you by any chance talking about Kuba Kayoko?"

Everyone turned to them.

"You know her?" asked Miku.

"We do. Or rather, we knew her grandfather when he was still alive. He passed away recently, in this very hospital I believe."

"I remember," said Maruo, "I was his doctor at the time. When it was clear that his time coming she was the only one who saw him. She never let her parents talk to him even once. They didn't even make a single protest."

"Yeah, I recall something like that too," said Yusuke, "When I first met Kuba-san her parents seemed to be very scared of her."

"She most likely got that from her grandfather. He was pretty terrifying too," said one detective, "He and granddaughter were also very close. Her father, his son, is considered a weakling."

"We been investigating the Kuba family for several years," explained the other, "We suspected that the head, Kayoko-san's grandfather, was a member of the Yukaza, or at the very least had connections to them."

"The Yukaza?" Ichika gasped.

"The Japanese Mafia?" Fuutarou couldn't believe it, "You're kidding me."

The first detective turned to Takeda, "You friend said that Kayoko-san was your fiance? Is that true?"

"It is," he nodded, "We were engaged until she and her friends came to our school and attacked Miku-san."

He explained the whole incident, including what led to it, to the detectives. Miku also explained that Kayoko knew that Fuutarou was the quints' tutor at the time. When the two teens finished the two men looked at each other with deep concern.

"I don't know about you but that sounds like motive."

"I agree," the first detective turned to the others, "If she's taken over the family business that makes her extremely dangerous. She's probably been using her men to spy on all of you, tracking your movements and such. She probably sent that man over to your tutor's place to extract information from him, only he blundered by letting his guard down."

All the girls went white and the words sunk it.

"I don't believe this," Nino shook her head and looked at Yusuke, "All this because you rejected her? This is just too much to believe."

"I agree," said Fuutarou, "This is too extreme, even for her. It's like she has a deep personal grudge against you."

"Does your family have any history with the Kubas?" the first detective asked Takeda, "Have they done business with them before? Had any heated disagreements?"

"No, at least as far as I'm aware of. My dad has made me attend all the important meetings, but I wasn't even aware of the Kuba family until I was introduced to their daughter."

"I see," the detective wrote that down, "Is there anything else you can tell us?"

When no answer came he nodded and closed his notebook.

"We don't have enough to charge her if she is indeed involved, but it's enough to bring her in for questioning. Regardless, the good news is that she's going to have to lay low for a while. Once we question her she'll know that we're onto her and she also knows that her entire family is under investigation. That said I highly advise all of you to be very careful. Don't go anywhere by yourselves. From what you've told me Kayoko-san can be very unpredictable, which makes her dangerous. However, it could lead her to doing something reckless and getting caught in the act. Rest assured though that we'll keeping an eye on her," he turned to Maruo, "We can also place officers around your neighborhood to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious, with your permission of course."

"I would appreciate it," Maruo agreed, "However, I don't live in the same apartment building that my stepdaughters do."

After he gave the detectives the address of the quints' apartment, they excuse themselves and left.

"So..." Fuutarou blew out his breath, "What we do now?"

"We do as the detective says," said Maruo, "Until this whole is resolved I don't want you girls going anywhere. Personally I would like to take you somewhere safe for the time being but with the final is coming up that's not going to be an option. From now on Ebata will drive you to school. Anything you need I'll have it delivered to you."

"In other words we're going to have to stay in quarantine," muttered Nino, "What a way to spend the last days of high school."

"I don't like it anymore than you do," Maruo admitted, "but I don't want to take any chances. Your mother would never forgive me if something happened to you."

"I can't believe this," Takeda was short of breath and gave everyone a pained look, "I'm sorry, everyone. It looks like I got you mixed up in something that quite frankly was none of your business. All because I was seen talking to Miku-san."

"It's not you fault, Yusuke," Miku said right away.

"She's right, it isn't," said Ichika, "To be honest I didn't expect that girl to let the whole thing go. We were probably bound to run into her again at some point. So please, don't feel guilty for what you did."

"You're right," Yusuke gave a little smile, "Thanks."

"What about Uesugi-san and his family?" said Yotsuba, "Everything they had was in their apartment. They have nowhere to go."

"I'm already taking care of that," said Maruo, "Would it be alright for you girls if Fuutarou stayed in your apartment again? At least until they can find a new place?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" Itsuki said before anyone else, "He is our friend after all."

"Good," he looked at Isanari, "You and Raiha can stay at my place. There's plenty of room for you there and I won't have to pay you a visit to look at your arm."

"Sounds good," Isanari agreed.

Fuutarou was about to say something when Miku suddenly spoke up.

"If I may," she waited until she had everyone's attention, "I realize this sounds sudden but... I think Takeda-san should stay with us as well."

Everyone blinked in surprise while Yusuke stared at her. This was the last thing he expected to hear.

Miku quickly explained, "If that girl is behind this, he could be in danger too. She could decide to go after him instead of us. And since he and his dad are not on speaking terms..."

"Actually... she has a good point," Yusuke rubbed his chin, "Much as I hate to say it I can't rely on my dad to protect me. The moment I mention this to him he'll just wave it off and say that I'm overreacting. Not to mention our house isn't exactly state of the art when it comes to security. I would actually like to take you up on that offer, if it's okay with you."

"I have no objections," Maruo looked at the quints, "Do you?"

"Not at all," Ichika smiled at Yusuke, "He is Fuutarou's friend after all and we do owe him for helping Miku. We'll be glad to take you in."

"Thanks," he smiled back, "The only problem is trying to convince my dad."

"I'll go with you and talk to him," said Maruo, "He'll listen to me."

"Hold on, everyone," Fuutarou interrupted, "What about clothes for us? This is all we have."

"Oh, yes. I didn't think about that," Maruo looked at Isanari, "I have some old clothes you can wear. They should fit you."

"We can give some of our childhood clothes to Raiha," said Ichika, "We may have to adjust them a bit but they should fit her. As for you, Fuutarou-kun, it looks like we'll have to go out and buy you some new clothes."

"Hold on a second," Yusuke stepped closer to Fuutarou, "Stand up straight for a moment."

Fuutarou stood still while Yusuke took measurements with his hands.

"Yeah," he nodded after he was finished, "One of my older nephews went to our school a few years ago. We have a couple boxes of his old clothes, including his uniform. You're the same size as him so I'll bring them over when I come to their apartment."

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Fuutarou gave everyone a big smile, "Thanks for helping us out. It really means a lot to us."


After deciding on what to do Maruo had Isanari and Raiha stay behind in the hospital, saying that he would return for them, while he and rest left in the limo. After Fuutarou and the quints were dropped off at the apartment, Ebata took him and Yusuke to the Takeda house so the blonde teenager could gather his things.

Fuutarou took a moment to look over the apartment and grinned.

"It almost feels like I haven't been here in years, even though it's only been a few weeks," he sat down on the couch and yawned, "Is it alright if I take a nap? I haven't had any sleep since the incident."

"Go ahead," Ichika smiled, "It'll probably be a while before Takeda returns. We'll keep quiet so you can sleep."

"Thanks everyone," he accepted the blanket Yotsuba handed him and within moments he was sound asleep.

Nino glanced at the clock, "It just turned eleven. I'll start preparing lunch."

Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki went back upstairs to gather some of their old clothes for Raiha. A short time later pair of boxes were placed near the door. The three went back to their rooms while Ichika and Nino stayed below.

An hour later Yusuke arrived, carrying a suitcase in one hand, pulling a larger one behind him, and there was a laptop bag over his shoulder. Behind him was Ebata pushing cart that was filled with three cardboard boxes and a large shopping bag. Ichika raised a finger to his lips, showing him that Fuutarou was still sleeping.

"Thanks for your hospitality," he kept his voice low, "I'll take it from here, Ebata-san. Thank you for your help."

Ebata gathered the boxes made for Raiha before he bowed to Ichika, "If you need anything, just call me."

After he left Ichika helped Yusuke place the boxes and the shopping bag near Fuutarou before Yusuke started opening up his suitcases.

"You moving in?" Ichika joked.

"Just for a little while," he reached inside one, "Hey, Nino-chan. Do you do any crock pot cooking?"

"Crock pot?" Nino shrugged, "I've done it a couple times but I never got that much into it."

"Hmm," Yusuke handed her a cookbook, "I found this while I getting my nephew's clothes. My mom liked to use crock pots. I thought you might like to take a look at it. It's an older book but it's got some nice recipes in it."

"Thank you," Nino ran a hand over the cover, "I'll definitely check it out."

"Is that coffee I smell?" he sniffed.

"Yeah. Would you like a cup?"

"Please, with cream too."

"So how did it go with your dad?" asked Ichika, "I imagine he didn't take it too well?"

"Nope," Yusuke thanked Nino as she handed him his drink, "He got pretty upset, but... heh, your stepdad is pretty scary when it comes to persuading people."

"Oh, trust us," said an exasperated Nino, "We know it all too well."

A door opened upstairs and they looked up to see Miku stepping out.

"Hey!" she smiled at Yusuke, "I thought I heard your voice."

"Hey, Miku," he waved, "Come on down. I got a few things for you."

She came downstairs while Yusuke reached into his suitcase again and pulled out three more books.

"What are those?" she asked when she closed in.

"A couple of history books along with a strategy guide for Shogun II. I found these really helpful when I first started playing. I thought you might like to have them."

"Thank you," Miku looked them over, "Oh! I've been wanting to buy these two history books!"

Behind them Ichika glanced at Nino and raised an eyebrow before jerking her head towards the two. Grinning, Nino stifled a giggle.

A groan had them all turning to see Fuutarou stirring from his sleep.

"Hey, sleepy head," Ichika went over to him, "You feel any better?"

"Yeah, I do," Fuutarou rubbed sleep out of his eyes and sat up, stretching, "Hey, Takeda. You just get here?"

"About ten minutes ago," Yusuke pointed to the boxes, "Those are the clothes my nephew had. There's even some underwear in it and a pair of shoes. Not sure if they're your size. Also, that bag there has all his text books. They're the very same ones we have in school. I also dropped by the convenience store and bought some writing utensils for you along with some notebooks."

"Oh, thanks," Fuutarou went over and sorted through the bag, "Yep, everything's here. Thanks a bunch, Takeda. I'll pay you back sometime."

Yusuke waved it off, "Don't worry about it. I'm just helping a friend. You do look like you could use a bath though."

Fuutarou looked down at himself, "Yeah, you're right. I even smell too."

"Here," Yusuke reached into his suitcase once again and tossed him a bottle of body wash, "You can keep that. I got my own."

"Thanks again," Fuutarou opened one of the boxes and picked out a set of clothes, "I'll go through the rest later. Anyone need to use the bathroom?"

Everyone shook their head.

"I'm making lunch right now," said Nino, "It should be ready in a half an hour."

"Oh, good. I haven't eaten anything since last night. I'll be done by then."

A minute after he went into the bathroom, Yotsuba and Itsuki came downstairs. Yotsuba looked like she had just woken from a nap while Itsuki appeared to have spent time studying since she was wearing her glasses.

"Welcome to our home, Takeda-san," Itsuki greeted.

"Thanks for having me," he returned.

"Where's Uesugi-san?" Yotsuba noticed the empty couch and blanket.

"He's taking a bath right now," answered Nino.

Ichika looked down at Yusuke's suitcase, "What else you got in here?"

"Just a couple of video games consoles," he grinned, "Including a Wii U and a PS4."

Nino frowned, "You planning to have a party or something? Or are you just trying to impress us?"

Yusuke shook his head, "None of the above. I just thought I'd bring some things over to help lighten the mood. Keep our minds off of certain things."

"Oh, I see," said Itsuki, "I never imagined you being a gamer."

"Neither did I," Miku laughed, "I was surprised too when he told me about it."

The blonde boy looked around the apartment, "So this is where you really live? The first time I met you guys you were in that rundown apartment. Against your stepdad's wishes as I recall."

"Yeah," Nino and the rest cringed a little, "That was because we wanted to keep Fuu-kun as our tutor. That was also when we really started to get really selfish."

"Yeah, Miku told me all about that," he shrugged, "It's only natural when you're a teenager. Still, pretty nice place you got here, although a little too fancy for my tastes."

"Oh?" Itsuki raised an eyebrow, "What kind of home do you prefer?"

He flashed a grin, "This may surprise you but I'm actually more of a country boy than a city kid. Here, let me show you."

He opened up his computer bag and pulled out his laptop. Crossing the room, he sat down on the couch and turned it on. Miku sat down at his left and Yotsuba to his right while the rest leaned over the back of the couch.

"This is our country home up in the Yamanashi Prefecture, once known as the Kai Province, the ancient homeland of the Takedas," he started scrolling through the pictures, "As you can see, it's a very traditional Japanese house. It was built a hundred years ago, during the Taisho period. I spent most of my childhood here."

"Wow, that is a very nice house," said Nino.

"Hey! There's Mt. Fuji!" Yotsuba pointed.

Yusuke nodded, "When it's clear you can get a perfect view of it."

As he continued to scroll through they started to see some pictures of him in his youth.

"Is that your mom?" Nino pointed to the picture of portraying a little Yusuke and a woman.

"That's her," he nodded, "We used to play in the garden a lot when I was little."

"She's very beautiful," said Itsuki.

"Yes, she was."

A sad look came to Yusuke's eyes. Miku was tempted to reach and touch his arm but refrained herself.

"Whoa!" she stared at the next picture, "Is that you whole family?"

"Mostly on my mother's side, but yeah. It's a pretty big family. That was taken when I was seven."

The next picture they saw offered another surprise about Takeda.

"Is that you on horse?" asked Ichika.

"Yep," he smiled proudly, "That's my own horse, Chanpion. He's actually imported from Europe. Every other weekend I go up Yamanashi, mostly to just get out of town. One of the first things I do after I arrive is to take him out for a ride because he hates being cooped up in the stall. We own a nice spread of land so there's plenty of room for us to run around."

"Wow," said the quints.

"I always wondered what it would be like to go horse riding," Miku pouted, "but I think I would be too nervous to do it."

"Well, that's the first and most important rule when it comes to horse riding," Yusuke firmly pointed out, "Don't ever feel scared or nervous, otherwise your horse will feel the same way too."

She blinked, "They will?"

"Horses can sense whatever emotions their rider is feeling at the moment and it can really affect their performance when it comes to obeying your commands. If you're nervous he'll be nervous, but if you're happy he'll go anywhere with you without a care in the world. It's as simple as that."

"Oh... I see."

Ichika shook her head, "You really are full of surprises, Takeda-san. In less than an hour we know more about you than we did with Fuutarou-kun in almost three years. Not only are you a nice guy overall, but you're a top student, a gamer, a country boy at heart, a horse rider, and on top of that you can dance like Michael Jackson!"

"Oh," Yusuke chuckled, "Miku showed you that, huh?"

"I forgot to ask last time but... where did you learn to dance like that?" asked Miku.

"My uncle was a big Michael Jackson fan back in the day," he went back to the family picture, "That's him right there. Whenever I visited him as a kid he would always show off his dance moves. Eventually I picked it up myself and he taught me the rest. To this day he says I'm a better dancer than him."

"You know girls..." Ichika winked at her sisters, "I'm beginning to think we made a huge mistake not hiring Takeda-san as our new tutor. He's definitely far more entertaining than Fuutarou-kun."

"I heard that!" Fuutarou's voice came from the bathroom and everyone started laughing.


Maruo sat in his chair watching Raiha sleep on the couch. Isanari was upstairs sleeping in his bed.

He had to return to work soon, but he wanted to watch Raiha for a little while longer. In his hands was a picture frame that he had kept hidden inside a drawer for a long time. He hated the picture, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to throw it away because it was that important to him.

The memories came back to him and he sighed heavily. It was time, he thought. He couldn't stay silent any longer. It was time for everyone to know the truth.

Tomorrow, he decided.