"Oh hey, this one looks pretty cute. Yotsuba, what do you think?"

The fourth quintuplet, turning upon getting her name called, hops on over next to her sister Ichika to check out whatever she's found; the two quintuplets are out on a small, impromptu shopping trip together, having gone to the shopping mall to check out some more choices for festival yukatas that they'll be wearing for the summer festival near the end of their break. Ichika ended up not liking the one that Nino had bought them earlier and so planned this shopping trip for today, and she ended up convincing Yotsuba to tag along since she didn't feel like going alone.

"What, what'd you find?"

Ichika shows her younger sister, holding up a somewhat baggy, transparent silk blouse. "Tada ~ what do you think?"

"Eehhh..." Yotsuba starts wearing an unsure expression and just shrugs. "It's...it's cute, I guess, just not on me. That's not really my style anyway, you know how I like to dress."

"I do, but it wouldn't kill you to change up your fashion sense, would it? You're certainly not going to be getting any boyfriends any time soon with what it's like now - and it certainly won't be getting Fuutarou-kun's attention any time soon, either."

Pouting strongly back at Ichika, Yotsuba doesn't respond with anything at first as she takes a second, much longer look up and down the transparent blouse.

"I don't even get the point of this. A transparent blouse? Just...why?" she wonders aloud as she reaches in for a feel of the fabric.

"I mean, what do you think is the point of, like, ninety percent of modern fashion? It's definitely not to be utilitarian, that's for sure. You think people wear those jeans that have those intentional rips in them to cool down their legs whenever they head out?" Ichika counters. "Besides, you don't know if you'll look good in this or not until you try it on, at least. Clothes like this help you make a statement, Yotsuba."

"Then in that case, I'd rather do that by helping people out. I'm not sure what kind of a statement wearing a transparent blouse is supposed to be..."

"Well, it's different from your usual altruistic motives, but c'mon, we're not here to get all philosophical on a Monday afternoon. Are you gonna try it on or not? If not, I'm just gonna put this away."

Sighing, Yotsuba accepts almost reluctantly, and the two girls head over to the changing rooms so that Yotsuba can try the transparent blouse on.

"See? I knew this'd look good on you. Really helps give you a much more grown-up vibe," the eldest quint beams as she looks on proudly, standing with Yotsuba inside their changing room. Yotsuba doesn't look as confident, naturally.

"You really think so? I think this looks a little weird, to be honest," Yotsuba mutters back, turning to Ichika so that she can get a better look.

"That's because you're not wearing something that'll match the blouse itself, which I'm not blaming you for since I'm the one who dragged you with me out here, so don't worry about that part. You just need to wear something that matches it, that's all," the older quint reassures the younger. Of course when you're wearing that black shirt underneath it's going to look a bit off - actually, why the hell are you even wearing a black shirt when it's the middle of summer?!"

"Hm? Wait, you sound like there's something wrong with that!"

"Yeah! You don't get hot in that thing?! Look at what I'm wearing!" Ichika gestures down at herself, indicating all the light colors she's wearing. "Itsuki told me before that wearing lighter colors should help a lot since darker colors absorb heat a lot better while lighter colors reflect heat better, and ever since, I've always worn light colors during the summertime."

But Yotsuba simply shakes her head. "Doesn't really bother me. Never has, actually. It probably has to do with the fact that I do sports a lot, so I guess I'm just used to it or something."

Ichika chuckles, amused. "And we're supposed to be quintuplets, huh. I guess you're right, it probably does come down to something like that. In any case, do you still want to give this a chance? I'll buy it for you, obviously, but you can try it on later after the summer festival or something."

Hitting her sister with another big shrug, Yotsuba relents. "Sure, I don't mind. I really don't know if I'll even wear it, though."

"Well, then on the off-chance you do end up using it, you can thank me later."

"Also, weren't we supposed to be looking for yukatas? How did we end up like this where you're buying me a blouse all of a sudden!?"

"Oh come on, we're on a shopping trip, this is just what happens! Don't tell me you've been spending too much time with Fuutarou-kun and you've been getting too much logic in your head? Who are you, and what've you done with the real Yotsuba who's always cute, clumsy, and a little logically challenged sometimes?!" Ichika lurches forward to grab her sister by the shoulders and proceeds to shake her very slowly back and forth.

"Hey, what do you mean by 'logically challenged'?!"

The two sisters exit the changing room giggling strongly; Ichika pays for the blouse first before leaving the clothing store with Yotsuba to proceed to the proper stores that have summer yukatas for sale.

"Yotsuba, this is gonna sound like I'm asking you this out of the blue, but has everything been alright between you and everyone?" Ichika asks suddenly as the two of them walk down the moderately populated shopping mall's second floor, with Yotsuba holding onto her bag that contains her newly purchased transparent blouse.

"H-Huh? Er, yeah, that...that is kinda out of the blue, did I do something?" Recoiling a little at Ichika's sudden heavy question after sensing Ichika's tone that she used to ask it, Yotsuba turns to her older sister as they're walking.

"No, no, it's not something you did or didn't do. How should I say this, I've just noticed that recently you've, uh, mellowed out quite a lot, that's all. I'm not saying that's a good or a bad thing, just an observation."

While Ichika is saying this, Yotsuba quickly realizes the truth behind Ichika's observation - she hasn't been her usual energetic, happy-go-lucky self lately, to the point where even she herself can recognize her sister's observation as accurate.

"...now that you mention it, you're actually right," the fourth quint admits pensively, moving her free hand to hold the bag strings with both hands. "I haven't been acting normal as of late, have I."

"Oh, so you know too?"

"Why, was I not supposed to?"

"No, no, it's just that...well..." Ichika hesitates too, struggling briefly to come up with a safe way to say what's on her mind. "...let's just say that normally if I asked you a question like that, you'd go, 'Really? I didn't even notice at all!' or something like that."

Yotsuba seizes this chance to lighten the mood by repeating what her usual reaction would have been. "Really? I didn't even notice at all!" she exclaims, and the two sisters share another laugh together, though this one doesn't last nearly as long as their previous ones earlier that day. "...how long have I been acting, uh, not like myself, do you think?"

"Well, I don't know exactly when you starting mellowing out; all I know is that it feels like lately you've calmed down a lot, but...that's putting it lightly."

"You don't need to make anything sound lighter than it should be, Ichika. Please just tell me what's on your mind."

Caught off guard mentally by these suddenly serious words from her younger sister, Ichika rebounds quickly after a short pause. "Sure, then let me do that. Basically, I'm talking to you about this because recently, I feel like there's been, like...a kind of...sad vibe about you, like something's bothering you. I don't know if that's really the case, but if it is, is it something you're comfortable talking about with me if that'll help you cope with it, or...?"

Yotsuba takes another pause of her own, and this time it seems to be quite the lengthy one, giving Ichika some time to organize her thoughts. The eldest quintuplet is being truthful about her estimation on when exactly Yotsuba's behavior has changed, as Ichika does not remember exactly when her younger sister began acting more pensive in her every day behavior, to use her own words. Clearly this change in behavior isn't detrimental to Yotsuba's health or anything, and it hasn't disrupted any of the girls' daily lives much, if at all, but Ichika has found it strange that Yotsuba's behavior would change this drastically in such a short period of time, however long this period of time really is.

Ichika is struggling to identify the cause of this change. It can't be because of their sisters or any familial trouble; sure, the fight that Nino and Itsuki had recently was probably the worst fight those two got into in their lives, but not only did it not involve Yotsuba directly in any way, but Yotsuba herself didn't seem too bothered by that; she even followed Nino that night to make sure that Nino would be okay, ignoring the events that transpired after, of course. And there doesn't seem to be any more recent trouble between any of the quintuplets either, at least none that Ichika can tell, and she's the most socially gifted among them. So it can't be their sisters, most likely.

Then what about Fuutarou? Is there something going on between the two of them that she doesn't know about? As social as Yotsuba is herself, she's never stuck around any one group of friends for very long, mainly because of her habit of constantly helping all sorts of people out and making promises of assistance to them all that inevitably gets her into some hot water when scheduling conflicts or conflicts of interest arise. Her own sisters are her only friends she hangs out with regularly, and that's obviously because they're family. The one exception these days would have to be their tutor, Uesugi Fuutarou, so he's the logical answer to Yotsuba's change in recent behavior.

But if it's really because of their relationship, this must have happened very recently, since Ichika doesn't feel like it's been too long since Yotsuba's been acting more and more pensive; it feels like this started some time after their first trimester finals, but she can't be too sure on that. She knows for sure that Yotsuba up until around that point was still her usual energetic Yotsuba self, so it clearly can't be something because of Fuutarou first becoming their tutor or anything like that. Well, actually, no, there's a chance that it could be something from earlier this year, and Yotsuba's just kept silent about it all this time and the cracks are finally starting to show. Ichika is also aware of Yotsuba's feelings towards Fuutarou, which she's noted on more than several occasions in their previous interactions together, typically during their study sessions.

"It's...just the usual worries. It's nothing new, really," Yotsuba finally answers with a smile that is struggling to maintain itself; while it might not look like it is, its true nature can't escape Ichika's own eyes.

"Usual worries...you mean like studying and such?" Ichika carefully responds; she could just name-drop their tutor right away, but it'll be more meaningful if Yotsuba brings him up herself rather than Ichika, as that would confirm her suspicions that Fuutarou is indeed the source of Yotsuba's woes. The most she can do is what she's doing now, which is to lead Yotsuba into mentioning Fuutarou without mentioning him herself directly; and sure enough, this small gambit pays off with Yotsuba shaking her head quickly and going straight to the topic of their tutor.

"Not studying, no. It's...more about Uesugi-san, but..."

"Fuutarou-kun? Why, did something happen?" the older quint feigns a small amount of surprise to keep the conversation as organic as possible. "Did you get into an argument or something?"

"No, no, no, nothing like that. I'm just...I've just been getting more and more worried for him, that's...that's all." The fourth quintuplet squirms a little, shifting the bag in her hands around. "You know how he hasn't been around for a while to tutor us because he has his other things to take care of, right? I guess it's putting me on edge, now that, you know, he's not around as much as I'm used to."

Ichika offers a short, dry laugh. "Yeah, you're right about that one. Having him around constantly for the good part of the last half a year makes it almost odd to suddenly not have him around as much anymore. But he'll be back to tutoring us once school starts back up again. Besides, we've made him promise us to come to the summer festival with us, remember? So you'll see him again then."

Yotsuba again gives Ichika that same fragile smile, this time accompanied with a moderate nod in a half-hearted attempt to mask its true nature, which again does not work on someone like Ichika, who decides to take a more assertive approach to the conversation now.

"Do you want to see him more often, then? Since you don't seem all that reassured that he's coming with us to the festival," the first quint points out.

"Yes, actually, but more so because I just want to make sure he's okay," Yotsuba replies swiftly this time. "Him not being with us physically, whether it's because we're not seeing him at school or because he's not tutoring us at home, is reminding me more and more that his real occupation isn't being our tutor, it's being a mage. And even though we have an idea of how dangerous his work can get, we don't truly know how dangerous it is. So...how should I say this, um...him not being here since the start of summer break made me eventually realize that for as long as he's not with us in person, he's working his job as a mage, which means he might be getting hurt or otherwise putting himself in danger somehow."

"I mean, we've seen him in action before, right? I don't think you need to worry about a guy like him; he really looks like he can handle himself just fine."

"I know, I know...I shouldn't have to worry about him...and honestly, it's not really the fact that he might put himself in danger that bothers me; it's more that we can't look after him whenever he's not here."

"Look after him? He's the one looking after us, at least when our studies are concerned," Ichika chuckles. "Actually, more than that, really, since he's a bit more than just our tutor. Not just that, but what's worrying about him going to do for him?"

"Well, I mean..." Yotsuba blushes a little at her sister's point. "I mean more in terms of making sure he's eating properly and stuff. I know that there's nothing we can do for him to help him directly with his magework, but...there are still other things that he just doesn't have the time to take care of that we can help him with, you know? When he was tutoring us, we were able to convince him to stay and eat dinner with us; that way, he was at least having one good meal a day. We even managed to convince him to stay over at our house sometimes, and on those nights he'd actually get some good sleep. Now that he's off on his own again, I just can't help but worry about his well-being."

Ichika gives Yotsuba a small, almost helpless shrug. "But like, he's already told us that he's lived his life like that for a good while now, so clearly he's used to it."

"Right, but...that - that doesn't mean that he should continue those kinds of habits," the fourth quint asserts. "That's like us saying that we're used to having bad grades and that there's nothing we can do to raise them, so we'll just keep getting bad grades at school, and by now we know that's obviously not the case, now that we have Uesugi-san with us to help us."

"But you can't compare our situation with Fuutarou-kun's; his responsibilities as a mage in this city and our responsibility to improve our grades are two very different things, just on the basis that he's risking his life out there for his work when all we have to do is stay put at home and study," Ichika argues back.

"Is that so? Then along that logic, aren't we making Uesugi-san's work even harder on him just by wandering around outside like this just because you wanted to go on a little shopping trip when we ought to be studying at home instead?"

Ichika rolls her eyes a little. "...you're not wrong, but then again, you're here with me too when you could've told me to go on my shopping trip by myself so that you could stay home and study."

"That's why I specifically said 'we'; I already know that I'm just as guilty as you are. It's just that..." Yotsuba sighs lightly, looking off to her side somewhat as the two of them continue to walk through the shopping mall, though their gaits have slowed significantly thanks to their intensifying conversation. "...you've been really busy lately with your work, so we haven't had much time to hang out. Not just me, but the others, too. I get that it's summer break and you have a lot more time these days since we don't have school to go to for now, but..."

"Yeah, that's part of the reason why I asked if you wanted to come with me," Ichika smiles faintly. "So you see? We both want to do things that directly conflict with the other party's interests. Fuutarou-kun isn't eating and sleeping properly because of his work and that bothers us, while we're out and about going to places we shouldn't be since that's potentially placing unnecessary burdens on him, burdens that we've seen actually manifest when we get kidnapped and dragged off somewhere."

"I get that, but I want to do something about it. That's better than just letting things be as they are - at least, that's what I think."

With a big sigh, the eldest quint shrugs again, this time with a much greater degree of helplessness. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; this's just what you've been like for the past couple years."

The fourth quint grins sheepishly. "Pretty much, but you get where I'm coming from with this. I'm not saying that I want to change our lifestyles completely, of course, since that's too extreme, and I certainly don't have any authority to tell Uesugi-san how he should live his life and how he should handle his work. I'm just saying that...I'd like for him to come visit us regularly again so that we can help him with the things that he usually can't take care of as well on his own. Because the way things were before summer break, I don't think you can argue that they were disrupting his work at all, because if they were, he wouldn't hesitate to let us know."

"Oh c'mon, you don't know that. I even bet you that Fuutarou-kun's too nice of a guy to turn us down - as in, the only reason why he eats dinner with us is because he knows he might end up hurting some of your feelings if he declines."

"But it's not like he eats with us all the time; he's said no quite a few times before. I think he's only stayed over to eat dinner at our place around half the time."

"Well yeah, like I said, he can't decline all the time, so sometimes he stays over and sometimes he doesn't." Ichika clears her throat quickly. "Also, Yotsuba, you seem to be forgetting something pretty important in all this."

"What's that?"

"The fact that sometimes, even when people look like they need help, in reality they sometimes don't even want it," Ichika points out. "And I'm thinking there's a good chance that Fuutarou-kun is that kind of person. Why else did he say that he's lived the life that he has for quite a while up until this point?"

"M-Maybe, but...but I'm more inclined to believe that he just didn't have anyone to turn to for help in the first place. Because think about it - he's a mage, and he told us that mages don't really like each other, and that he's no exception. He can't ask his family for help because they're most likely not mages themselves - like, we've gone on vacation with Raiha-chan and she didn't seem to know exactly what Uesugi-san does for a living, though she does know that he works really hard, but that's about it..."

But Ichika stands her ground, shaking her head. "Nah, I think that's just how he is. He's the type of person who prefers to just rely on themselves for everything. People who are like that are usually really stubborn, and it's hard to change their minds on things, especially when it has to do with how they live out their lives."

Suddenly stopping, Ichika waits for Yotsuba to realize and turn around to face her, and when she does shortly after, the oldest sibling says calmly, "Yotsuba, I'm aware that you care about Fuutarou-kun a little more than what normal friends should. I'm not trying to claim that you like him or have feelings for him the same way that the others do, but it's clear to me that he's at least a little more than just a friend to you at this point. So what I want to ask you is this: are you concerned about him because you like him, or because you want to repay him for all the hard work that he's done for us? Or, worse, you feel like you need to?"

The two sisters stand still in the middle of the corridor, seemingly oblivious to the standard ambience that being inside a shopping mall provides until Yotsuba gives an answer that Ichika is waiting for.

"...I do want to repay him. Even if he's just someone Dad hired to protect us, the fact that he's done far more than just teach us and help us get better grades still warrants something from us to him. We've sometimes gotten presents for our teachers at school at the end of the school year, the ones that we liked, right? I think it's no different here, and that should be a better analogy than the one I used before, too. It's not like we have to give our teachers anything because they were just doing their jobs, but sometimes we want to give them a little something back in appreciation of their efforts. Same thing with Uesugi-san; strictly speaking, he's just hired to be our bodyguard who also doubles as our tutor since he can do that too, so we don't need to do anything for him in return, but it's not like we shouldn't, either. So what's the harm in doing so?"

"The harm? The harm's that you're letting it preoccupy you to this extent. The Yotsuba I know is always cheerful and always energetic, and she's always making the days of everyone around her better just because of how she is. But I haven't been seeing that Yotsuba around lately, and I was wondering if you happen to know where she's gone and why."

Once more, Yotsuba does not answer immediately, allowing Ichika to press the point.

"Like, before we knew Fuutarou-kun, you'd always run around helping people constantly, to the point where you were a part of basically every single sports club and team back in middle school because you'd always volunteer yourself as a ringer or a sub for teams who needed one. But at least then, no matter how busy you were, no matter how often you were helping other people out and oftentimes getting yourself in trouble in the process, you always had a smile on your face and you took everything in stride; you had the look of someone who truly believed that everything they were doing was worth it. And even when we started having Fuutarou-kun come in as our tutor, you were pretty much the same, and it's only been since the start of summer break that you've been like this. But that's exactly what's making me concerned: something about you worrying about Fuutarou-kun is bad enough that it's actually changed your behavior."

Motioning to Yotsuba to keep walking so they can talk while making the rest of their way to their desired destination, the first quint continues her point.

"Let me be clear about this, though: I'm asking you this specifically because I'm your sister, and as your sister I'd be lying if I said that I'm not at least a little concerned myself about how much you're worrying over our tutor. Maybe it's because you like him, and so you're treating him differently than you do anyone else, even us, which is fine. I don't know; that's why I'm asking. Maybe I'm just worrying over nothing, but ideally that's what I should be doing; I'm just trying to make sure that this isn't like a sign of anything worse."

Yotsuba smiles faintly again.

"...it's because...Uesugi-san's such a unique friend in terms of the situation he's in. Like, I get that my behavior's changed a little and that's alarming you, but...Uesugi-san is leading a kind of life in which his life could be in danger at any moment. It's dangerous enough for us, and we're not even directly involved, so how much danger do you think he has to go through?"

Ichika opens her mouth to respond, but she stops herself when she realizes what exactly Yotsuba is hinging her own argument on, which she promptly explains anyway.

"I've helped out a lot of people like you've said, but so far I haven't had the experience of knowing someone like Uesugi-san closely enough to know that he works a really dangerous job; he's the first person like that that I've known. And I'll even double down on this whole thing: I want to help him in any way that I can, anything that he asks for. He's saved our lives once already, and for me and Nino, more than once, so if he ever asks anything from us, we're not exactly in a position to refuse, are we?"

"Then thank God he hasn't done that, otherwise we're gonna have another serious problem on our hands. And, for the record, yes, you still can refuse, depending on what he asks out of you. I know you like helping people but saying that's a bit much, don't you think? You were already a big enough doormat helping out literally every sports team in school since you didn't know how to say no."

"But I already said that Uesugi-san is unique in his circumstances, so you can't compare him with all those sports clubs from school," Yotsuba points out, which causes Ichika to chuckle somewhat bitterly and roll her eyes again while muttering "Okay, Yotsuba..." "Like, forget any feelings I have for him; my problem is that I don't even know where to begin helping someone like him out. What can I do exactly that he would find helpful? Well, things that he can't take care of on his own, and luckily for me, he does have a few of them, like having proper meals and getting good sleep. I can at least talk to him and convince him to take better care of himself, but that's literally it. I can't fight like he can, I can't run around the city at night like he can..."

Yotsuba's gaze has slowly but progressively dropped lower and lower, to the point where now, her eyes are fixed at a near-perfect forty-five degrees down at the shopping mall floor.

"It's...really different...when you know someone you care about constantly puts themselves in danger, and it hits even more differently when you know that they're doing it for your sake," she elaborates quietly. "And I think the part that I have the most trouble dealing with is the fact that Uesugi-san makes it seem like it's an everyday thing for him, most likely because it really is. Itsuki's told us about the time when he got hurt protecting her that one time, right? That he got stabbed in the stomach somewhere? At least with everyone else I help out, I don't really need to worry about them dying and so I can never see them again. I mean, not saying that that can't happen since accidents can happen too, but Uesugi-san dying is just way more likely, you know? And even if you're right, Ichika; even if you're right about how Uesugi-san really is the type of guy who prefers doing everything on his own, it...it honestly kills me knowing that I can't even begin to help properly him in the first place. Everyone else...I know exactly the kind of help that everyone else needs when they ask me for it as long as it's not something related to studying, so I can provide that. I have no clue what Uesugi-san would want in the first place. I mean, we did give him that smartwatch and I know he's been using it ever since we gave it to him, but...giving him another smartwatch or something probably isn't what he wants now."

"We could give him money," Ichika suggests half-jokingly, but Yotsuba immediately shakes her head.

"Do you really think he's the kind of person who'd take free money?"

"Yeah, sure! We know he and his family's in debt, right? If I were in debt, I'd take any free cash someone offered me any day!"

"But you're not him, though. Just because you'd do it, doesn't mean that he would, right? Even if he would take free money, he certainly wouldn't take it from us, since he's already contracted to work with us."

"Hmm, that's true, actually...and I did say that he's the type to not want help."

"And I don't want to give him things like cash or smartwatches or things like that. I want to do something that's more meaningful than just buying something for forty thousand yen and handing it to him and calling it a day. Heck, before we bought that smartwatch for him, I don't even remember the last time I helped someone out by just buying them something that cost more than ten thousand yen! I just don't...when I help someone, I feel like handing them money and calling it a day is kind of a cop-out, no?"

"Well, your preferences in helping people out aside, do you get the point I'm trying to get across to you here?" Ichika asserts back, starting to sound impatient with her sister. "You're worrying way too much about Fuutarou-kun to the point where the others are going to notice that there's something off about you too; I'm confronting you about this before they do because I get the sense that you want to keep the fact that you like Fuutarou-kun also a secret, at least for now. Am I wrong?"

Yotsuba says nothing.

"So you need to chill out on worrying about him all the time; I know it's easy for me to just tell you this, but realistically there's not much you can do right now when he's not around no matter how much you worry about him. The most you can do is trust that he can look after himself, and when he does stop by, then you can do whatever you want to make yourself feel better that you're taking care of him. I don't know, maybe you can even ask him yourself the next time you run into him if he really wants the kind of help that you want him to take, like having regular meals with us and fixing his sleep schedule, if he even has one. Having an answer like that straight from him should help settle your mind on this matter, right?"

Slowly nodding, the fourth quint slowly lets her usual smile creep back onto her face. "Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Sorry for making you worry about me like this, Ichika. Like I said, it's just...this's the first time I've had to deal with this kind of situation, so...I'm sure I sounded a little extreme to you when I was trying to explain myself earlier."

"I wouldn't call it extreme, per se. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're actually the easiest to tell if you have something that's bothering you, Yotsuba, because if you start behaving a little differently, that's all it takes to know something's up. With the others, it's always a toss-up on whther something's actually bugging them or if they're just cranky for the day for whatever reason...anyways, we're here now, so you can help me pick something cuter for my yukata, since obviously Nino sucks at it!"

"Nino's going to be so mad if she knows you said that."

"I know."

The two sisters share a hearty laugh as they head inside the yukata shop.

"And that'll do for today. Good work today, Nakano."

Nodding and taking a quick stretch in her seat, the fifth quintuplet, the lone student in the small cram school room where she's just spent the last two hours studying with Shimoda, her assigned cram school teacher thanks to Mudou's referral, glances down at her notebook on which she's taken notes and practiced various problems in English, mathematics, and science.

"Man, I'm not gonna lie to you," Shimoda begins to chuckle aloud, mainly to herself. "It's quite surreal for me to end up teaching the daughter of my former sensei. Hell, I can't quite get over the fact that I'm calling you 'Nakano' when I'm so used to saying 'Nakano-sensei', you know?"

The mention of the honorific causes Itsuki to straighten up immediately in her seat as she fixates her gaze on her new cram school teacher; even the satellite hair on Itsuki's head seems to stand up at attention, so quickly does the quintuplet sit up at the mention of what can only be her late mother.

"Actually, Shimoda-san, about that," the quintuplet says quickly before the topic can get passed up. "I was wondering if you could tell me more about my mother. Earlier today, when we first met, you mistook me for her before we started class, so..."

"Aha, that's right, I did promise to chat about her a little bit after class, didn't I," the sharply dressed, sharp-looking cram school teacher with short, slick black hair named Shimoda notes as she takes a seat at the desk to the right of her new student. "Sorry for mistaking you for her earlier, by the way. You're just, like, the splitting image of the sensei I knew so well back when I was still in school; if I'd'a just stopped to think for a second, I would'a realized there'd be no way in hell it was her! Like, she's dead now, y'know? So of course it can't be her!"

Shimoda is about to have a hearty laugh, but she cuts herself short before she can get going.

"Ah shit, sorry for saying something like that, I just realized how rude that is. Do excuse me, I'm quite rude and insensitive if I don't keep myself in check as you might'a been able to tell already so far. Bad habits from back when I was a kid like you; your mom used to bust my ass over it too..."

Itsuki watches as her new cram school teacher slowly puts on a face partially filled with nostalgia.

"It's kinda sinking in, now that we're talking about this, that I'm teaching the daughter of Nakano-sensei. Must be some kinda weird twist of fate or somethin', I dunno," Shimoda laughs again, but there is no rudeness to be heard in her voice.

"So you used to be...Okaa-san's student?" the fifth quintuplet infers cautiously.

"That's right. And you asked if you could know more about her, right? Hmm...if I remember correctly, Nakano-sensei's been dead for the past...six years?"

"Yes, she passed away six years ago."

"Hm. Just outta curiosity, don't you know a lot about your mom anyway? I know six years is a long time for a kid like you, but..."

"Well, I still do, yes. But the thing is, I only know about what she was like at home, taking care of us," Itsuki explains. "So I clearly remember that she spent most of her time working, and what time she did not spend working, she was at home taking care of us or resting so she could return to work the next day. And because of her work, we actually could not spend that much time with her because it felt like she was always working. So I wanted to ask you what she was like before I was born...what sort of person she was like, what she was like as a teacher."

Shimoda gives a somewhat difficult sigh, averting her gaze a little too while adjusting her wide-rimmed glasses.

"Hmm...well, I can't say no now, can I. A'ight, I'll tell you as much as you wanna know," the cram school teacher declares, sitting back up after pushing her glasses further up her nose to a more comfortable position. "So I actually only spent a year with your mom as her student...I think it was my second year in high school, if I'm remembering right, yeah, it was. Back then, I was one of your rare female high school delinquents, so it shouldn't be a surprise why I talk the way I do. But anyway, when I got to my second year, my homeroom teacher ended up being your mom, Nakano-sensei, and let me tell you, she was one scaaaaary motherfucker, haha!"

"S-Scary...?" Itsuki stammers, taken back by this revelation.

"Oh yeah, scary as shit. Scariest teacher I'd ever had, as a matter of fact. I'll teach you a little something here as a little bonus for our lesson today; this's something I picked up from my years as a juvenile delinquent, some street smarts, if you will, but people who talk big and scary tend to end up not really being all that scary when push comes to shove, and that applies to everyone, not just to thugs and people you find out on the street. But the people who don't talk a lot and have that sorta look in their eye, the look that tells people who're lookin' at 'em that they're completely serious about what they're about to do, they're the scary ones. Your mom was the latter; she didn't talk much because she was dead serious in just about everything she did, and just in about every instance that I can remember, she didn't need to talk much in the first place. When she caught on that I was ditching class, she hunted me down herself. To this day, I don't have a damn clue as to how she could find me wherever I tried hiding. I tried hiding out in the bathrooms on the other side of campus, in the library, in other classrooms, even in a random cafe off-campus - every single time, she found me! And when she did, she dragged my ass right back to school and forced me to stay afterwards as a sort of detention-class, I guess, to make up for the class I'd ditched."

Shimoda chuckles again as the old memories regarding her former teacher run through her mind once more.

"She was unsociable as all hell. She might'a treated me a bit rough, but that's understandable given what I was like back then; she never tried humoring any of her other students either, even if they were well-behaved. Matter of fact, I don't think I remember seeing her ever smile once my entire time I knew her, to be honest..."

"...she...must have been quite scary to everyone else then, too," Itsuki remarks hesitantly. She doesn't remember ever thinking of her late mother as scary, but that may be because they were family. But Shimoda shakes her head.

"Naaaah. Yeah, objectively speaking, she was real scary. But the thing is, everyone who knew her, myself included, didn't see her that way. Even when she did drag my ass back to class, even if she did smack me a couple times on the head for being a jackass, I couldn't really bring myself to feel angry at her for longer than a minute."

"And why not?"

Smirking a little, the cram school teacher shakes her head again, as though in disbelief.

"This's gonna sound hella cheesy, but believe it or not, the reason why we weren't intimidated by her was because she was just...incredibly beautiful."

The youngest quintuplet blinks, also in sudden disbelief.

"...i-incredibly b-beautiful...?" is all she can blurt out.

"I guess you don't see it that way, obviously, since you're her kid and all. But yeah, she was just...that attractive of a woman, I guess. I dunno, just...something about her looks made it impossible to hate her for longer than a minute or two. I guess she was the perfect specimen of what they call 'stoic beauty'? Either way, she was so good-looking that even someone like me couldn't help but get charmed by her, and I'm not even a lesbian or anything. She was someone you'd see straight out of a fashion magazine or compete in those Miss World or Miss Universe pageants or whatever they're called. You need to understand: it wasn't just the kids in her class like me who were all enamored with her, it was the entire fucking school. All the boys, at least, God help you if you were a guy back when Nakano-sensei was teaching. Head over heels!"

"H-Head over heels...?"

"Haha, well, I guess I don't need to tell you that. You're her daughter, and I even mistook you for her when we first met today, so I assume you're pretty hot stuff yourself, no? I don't mean to be creepy or anything, but I daresay you're damn cute myself."

"Ah, uh, uh, n-no, that's - I am not really - !"

Shimoda gets a quick kick out of making Itsuki get all embarrassed over her own good looks.

"So yeah - she was just downright beautiful, probably the hottest woman in her age group you'd find in the entire city, and I certainly haven't seen anyone who comes close all these years later. But her attractiveness was just the start - whether she meant to use it or not, it drew in the attention of everyone around her, and from there, if they wanted to delve deeper, people soon figured out what Nakano-sensei was really like: a dedicated, caring teacher."

Itsuki always knew what her late mother's career was, but this is the first time she has ever heard anyone speak so highly of it, and as a result, Itsuki now finds herself awestruck by proxy, thanks to Shimoda's recollections.

"She was, without a doubt, the best educator Asahiyama High School had ever seen; no teacher worked as hard to make sure that the kids in her classroom got the very best education that could be offered. In all her years of teaching, no student outright failed any of her classes, even the ones who had consistently bad grades in the past or ones who were notorious for being held back grades due to failing test scores. In fact, basically all of those kids who had traditionally bad grades were able to turn their academics around completely and graduate high school safely with no further hitches; I'm one of them, by the way. When she was standing up there behind her podium to teach the class, you could feel the sheer conviction, the sheer dedication she had to teaching. It wasn't the vibe of someone who was just there to earn a living as a teacher; it felt like she was there to make sure that if you were in her class, you deserved to have the best in everything you did and the best life you could have for yourself, and that she was there to make sure it was gonna happen. Through teaching us, she didn't just care about the fact that we were her students, she taught us to help secure our futures and help steer us onto paths of success; that's what it felt like. Like I said, her good looks were only the surface of who she was; it was the bait to help draw us, her students, in. And once we took the bait, that's when we started to understand what she was working to do."

Shimoda now gazes directly into Itsuki's eyes, almost petrifying her with the sheer sharpness that her almost slit-like pupils exude.

"The biggest thing I remember with that one year I had with her was her chewing me out for not coming to class. But were it not for that one year, were it not for Nakano-sensei, I would'a never gained the respect I have for teachers and educators in general, to the point where I studied and worked to become one myself...and end up, one day, having the opportunity to return the favor to her even after she died by being able to teach you."

By the time Shimoda finishes her anecdote, Itsuki's blue eyes are wide open, unblinking. It is only when she finally blinks that she is able to break her own silence.

"Then it is decided," the quintuplet concludes confidently. "It makes even more sense why I have been studying this whole time. Shimoda-san, you see, I have always wanted to follow in my mother's footsteps, and after hearing what you had to say about her, I can see the sort of path I ought to take if I wish to continue doing so. I will become a teacher just like you and Okaa-san!"

Itsuki beams proudly back at her cram school teacher, only to be greeted with a stone-cold silence that quickly tears down this freshly gained confidence like a bulldozer barreling through a flimsy picket fence.

"And is that really what you want?"

Blinking again, but this time in quiet, shocked confusion, the high schooler feels her lips peel agape, but she is unable to say a word as she watches Shimoda inhale and exhale deeply while she herself runs a hand up through her short dark hair.

"Look...it's perfectly fine to look up to your mom, and there's certainly nothing wrong with wanting to be like the person you look up to, either. I mean, that was the case for me, too, clearly," the cram school teacher elaborates slowly. "But here's the thing: you only want to be like your mom, no?"

Another silence sprouts up between them, and when it becomes clear that Shimoda is waiting for Itsuki to give her an answer as though they're still in the middle of their cram lesson, Itsuki forces herself to blurt out,

"...um...I...I do...want to be like her, but..."

"You just told me that you want to follow in her footsteps, and that by studying for however long that you have, it makes even more sense to do that. But that tells me that you want to become a teacher because of your mom, not for the sake of becoming a teacher. Do you see what I'm trying to get at here?"

Itsuki does, and what little confidence she was still clinging onto is immediately shattered into oblivion by Shimoda's clarification.

"If you wanna be like your mom, there're plenty of other ways to do that, though obviously you'd know them better than I do, since you're her kid and all. That being said, no one should judge you for the kind of dream or aspiration you have - having a career in education can be fulfilling. It's a great job to have."

Leaning forward a little, Shimoda drops her voice relative to the distance that she closes to Itsuki, and it almost ends up sounding like a snake's hiss:

"If you want to become a TEACHER, that is."

Right after saying this, the cram school teacher recoils quickly and hops out of her desk.

"Whoops, there I go lecturing when I shouldn't again. Admittedly I've gotten a little too into this whole job of being a lecturer, so sometimes I take things too far for no real reason other than force of habit," she laughs again, heading over to another desk where her belongings sit to retrieve her phone and return to her student. "Here, let's exchange contact info; I know I don't look it, but I'm pretty honored to be able to run into the daughter of the teacher who set me on my own course in life. I'm sure you wanna hear more stories about your mom too, so we can meet up outside of cram school to grab food together or something."

After exchanging their contact info, Shimoda bids Itsuki farewell, as it is getting late and she needs to head home to rest for another full day at the cram school, leaving the quintuplet on her own to exit the cram school and step out into the late summer evening in the middle of the city.

Shimoda's blunt yet razor-sharp words linger in Itsuki's mind, biting into her very ability to formulate her own thoughts. As much as she doesn't want to admit it, Shimoda has a very good point: the main reason why Itsuki wants to commit to becoming a teacher is because of her mom. Shimoda herself made it clear that she became a teacher herself because Itsuki's mother inspired her to become one too, but rather than that inspiration being the basis for her future career choice, it was merely the catalyst that fueled Shimoda's desire to become an educator. Then is teaching not supposed to be for her? Now that she thinks more about it, Itsuki realizes that becoming a teacher with how her grades are now is a bad joke and perhaps one of the most far-fetched career choices she could aspire to have, so saying that she wants to become a teacher is more idealistic dreaming than anything else.

But then again, studying is basically all Itsuki knows. She has given up a potential social school life in favor of good grades, and this gambit itself hasn't proved successful at all, at least before Fuutarou showed up to put her and her sisters back on the right track. It feels like she doesn't have much of a choice other than to continue down this path that she's already set for herself, no matter how daunting the end goal of becoming a teacher seems, just because she's already spent so much time inadvertently going down that path that, in a twisted form of sunken cost fallacy, she might as well keep going so that she doesn't put all this time and effort she's put into studying to waste. But then again, Shimoda questioning her true motives unhinges even that sunken cost fallacy, because it forces her to remember that the reason why she started studying this much in the first place was because of her mother's death. But isn't that supposed to be another reason why she ought to stick by her newfound but shaky dream of becoming a teacher?

Itsuki didn't expect to be hit with this sudden existential crisis and with such force either, and so she's begun to walk almost aimlessly in the general direction of home, completely forgetting her plan to call a taxi home to avoid having to risk walking back home in the middle of the night. Normally there wouldn't be a problem with her doing this either, except she accidentally walks right into someone in her absentmindedness.

"I-I'm sorry, I was not watching where I was - "

The fifth quintuplet looks up, and towering before her is a blonde man in a red leather jacket and somewhat ripped jeans, his hands in his pockets.