After the hectic first few days, things finally settled down for the sextuplets. The class' curiosity sated, all the stress that they had vanished as their peers adjusted to them. However, one person seemed to have inherited their agony. Struggling to maintain order with his newfound authority, Fuutarou not only had to deal with his previous workload but now the pestering of the rest of their class, particularly Takeda for some reason. Luckily, Yotsuba was there to pick up the pieces he can't handle on his own, though their priorities don't often align. He was worried about the next important event in the school calendar: the national mock exam; the fourth sister either forgot or subconsciously blocked the academic hurdle from her mind.
While the two bickered, the male trying to remind the class of the significance of this particular assessment as the ribbon wearer focussed on enjoying the upcoming school trip, the rest of the sisters seemed to be discussing something amongst themselves. Fuutarou eventually managed to get through his announcement, the teacher taking over and starting the day's lessons. The humdrum droning of the lecturer passed information, but only barely; the lack of engagement made the day seem faster than usual due to the students entering an auto-pilot state. The final bell rang out, snapping the students out of their stupor as they made their motions to their afterschool activities.
Fuutarou walked through the doors of Revival, the manager immediately called him out to the back of the store to assist with a few boxes. After putting on his uniform and adjusting the bowtie that came with it, he bent down to pick up a box as the door swung open once more. The manager assigned him to the back, having him take stock of everything in storage and cross-reference it from the log from a previous employee. Sacks of flour and sugar, several dozen eggs, multiple jugs of milk; all matching the list given to him. He sighed, opening the storage door and noticing a box out of place which he promptly picked up. On his way to talk to the manager, he met the gaze of one of the Nakano. "Oh. Starting today, huh?" He asked, walking past the girl while still carrying the container.
"Y-Yeah..." Nino answered, her usual confidence gone and replaced with a modicum of humility and unease. "Looks like they're letting me work in the kitchen right from the start." Trying to make small talk and failing, the second sister earned a snide comment from her tutor as he left to place the box away. Fuutarou then watched as she made her first cake of the day. The manager positively beamed at the sight of the cake, it practically glistened under the light of the kitchen. The tutor was somewhat miffed, a part of him hoping she would fail and taste the bitter reality of society.
However, neither he nor Nino could dwell on it. "We have a very important reservation for tonight." His voice turned serious, a chill running up every employee's spine. Perhaps it was warranted, seeing as their guest that night would be a revered reviewer that had descended in secret several times before; this was their first reservation. Steadying her hands, Nino took a deep breath as she began working in the kitchen.
"Excuse me, who made this dough here?" Her coworker asked, holding a bowl of dough that.
"Oh, I did."
"Manager. Something's off with the flavor." Those words introduced chaos to the kitchen. The redhead grit her teeth, throwing herself into her work to make up for her mistake.
"I'm taking my break." Fuutarou announced. heading out to the back to relax.
"Okay. Nakano-san, you should take a break too." The manager turned around, wiping the sweat of his brow as he looked at the new recruit.
"No," Nino replied stubbornly, whisking some eggwhites until they became stiff in the bowl she carried in her hand. "I can still keep going. Please let me continue." Her arms ached, but she pushed forward; the only bit of stress she felt was the pressure this reservation put on her during her first day. The manager paused, letting out a sigh before he turned to face her.
"May-san will be here soon. You better rest while you still can." The manager said, not wanting to leave room for the redhead's resistance. "This must've been particularly hard for you being the newbie, right? Sorry about that." He said apologetically, having Nino stop and sending her to the back room to rest with Fuutarou. Riddled with guilt, the second sister just stood there with her lips slightly trembling.
"Maybe I should go back and..."
"The manager said it himself, it's not your fault. It's 100% his fault for relying on a newbie." Fuutarou replied, revealing that he heard their conversation. He stood up, walking around the room and leaving Nino's field of vision. The sister now left alone with her thoughts, felt shame build up within her. To think that she, the one with the most expertise in the kitchen among her siblings, the one whose dream was to own a restaurant similar to this one, would trip up and make things worse; not even factoring the fact that she did this all in front of the person she confessed her feelings to. This was the most pathetic she's felt in a very, very long time. Thankfully her train of thought was diverted before those ideas could evolve into something much worse, a resounding ka-chunk from the door in the room taking her attention away. "Here, take a look at this. But don't stare too much." The tutor returned, carrying a heavy-looking box, though the fact that he's able to carry it means that it wasn't as physically taxing as it appeared.
Inside it was a few hundred Santa cake decorations. Since Fuutarou was working here during the previous winter, it was only natural that he'd know of this blunder; he admitted to committing the error. He set the box down in front of Nino, moving over to a desk to run his hand over a mark while describing how he tripped and fell on it. "What are you trying to say?" Nino asked, nearly stuttering due to the sudden shift in the boy's attitude.
"I've taken the wrong cake order to a customer's table. And I can't even count the number of plates I've broken. Compared to all that, your mistake is nothing."
"Are you...trying to cheer me up?" Fuutarou reached for his hair, hiding his face from Nino as he thought of his response to her question.
"N-No! I'm just telling you how harsh work can be. After all...I'm your senpai here..." He stared her in the eyes, shocking the sister and seemingly shorting out her brain for a few moments. Nino muttered something under her breath, looking at him as her body seemed paralyzed.
"Uhh...sorry for worrying you." Finally regaining some composure, Nino turned her head to the side to avoid eye contact. "It must be hard to work with me."
"That's how I gained experience during my different jobs. But I came to a realization every time." Fuutarou began packing up the small Santas. He paused, staring at the cardboard top of the box. "I'm a man who can't do anything but study." His words got Nino curious, causing her to step forward to attempt to close the emotional distance by closing the physical distance. "I'm only smart...top of the grade...and someone who easily handled tutoring six of his classmates..."
"You seem awfully confident about one of those points you just mentioned." Nino was unconvinced by his humble claims. "And it wasn't like you didn't have help from Mutsumi."
"Even still, I think that aside from those things I'm useless. With all my attention focussed on studying, I had cut off all human relations aside from my family. As you saw, I didn't have a lot of experience in anything other than academics. So when I received my first confession...I didn't know how to respond." Fuutarou spoke with a solemn face, this situation pushing him out of his comfort zone. Nino looked at his face, regaining a bit of her confidence while savoring the fact that she was the first person to confess. "But I think I've arrived at my answer."
"Wait. I already know you don't like me. It's a given since I've always been so hard on you. But don't decide just yet." Nino's resolve back and stronger than before, she stomped up to him with a determination that reminded him of her intensity during their first meeting. "We're working together now, but I haven't gotten my feelings across so I want you to know more about me. I will make you know how much I love you, Fuutarou." She smirked as her face turned a light shade of pink. Eventually, once their emotions died down, the two made their way back to the kitchen.
"Good timing you two! May-san is arriving soon, but there are a lot of other customers here. We could use some help out front."
Fuutarou went ahead, leaving Nino listening to the other employees worry about the reviewer that would arrive any minute now, though the redhead didn't let him get away without a bit of teasing. "Get ready, Fuu-kun~" Fuutarou blushed, his ears turning crimson. Playing with his hair to calm his nerves, he noticed the door swing open as a foreigner entered the store.
"Bonjour. Je voudrais une tarte au chocolat." Blonde hair, green eyes, and a square pair of glasses, the customer threw Fuutarou for a loop for a moment before he realized that he could simply ask the manager for assistance.
"Manager. Can I talk to you for a bit?" Fuutarou asked as the door swung open a second time. In walked a woman with tacky sunglasses and a mask, May-san had arrived. "You've got to be kidding me..." He struggled to stifle a laugh, seeing Nino doing the same as she confidently strode to the critic. However, one person's laughter wasn't muffled. Short, soft, chortles escaped the blonde as her eyes watched Nino interact with the masked reviewer. The second sister looked over at Fuutarou, blowing a not-so-subtle kiss his way.
"Ah, my apologies. I'd like a chocolate tart." His customer's order snapped Fuutarou's attention to her before he went off to retrieve it. The staff grew silent, the only noise in the building coming from the customers and a few occasional clicking sounds from their phones. The time came for Nino to clock out, waving goodbye to her coworkers while apologizing for her blunders. She arrived home, meeting gazes with Yotsuba and Mutsumi who were both sitting at the kotatsu doing their individual activities; watching a nightly anime and soldering some wires respectively. Yotsuba noticed her arrival first, shutting off the TV to get her sister some water after a long day's work.
"Did you ask him?" Mutsumi asked, adjusting the goggles while rubbing the area around her eyes.
"Ask him what?" Nino replied, setting her things aside while looking around the surprisingly neat abode.
"Birthday." One word was all Mutsumi needed to say to make Nino embarrassed, nearly dropping the glass that Yotsuba handed her on the fourth's way back. "Oh come on." She sighed as the door opened with Itsuki's arrival. "Well, I'm not going to tell them." Mutsumi removed her goggles, revealing a single green contact on her right eye. "Goodnight!" She chuckled, cleaning up and unplugging her soldering iron before retiring to her futon.
A/N: Haven't had to use my french lessons in a long time. Tried my best to return the perspective back to Fuutarou instead of focussing on Mutsumi. Grats to jellyjace for our little game last time. Next up, chapter 116