Burning the Midnight Oil

Chapter 4

Silent Treatment

~Futaro~

Things hadn't made sense.

It should have been easy as hopping back on a bicycle. He sat at his desk, turned on the lamp, broke out his book and followed the words on the journey to enlightenment. He could feel rote pulling him into routine, on any other night he'd have fallen into practice without trouble like the well-oiled machine he was. But he carried his problems home with him and they glazed over his eyes like a blindfold. He'd given up and gone to bed, hoping that by morning it would fade like a dream after breakfast. In fact his dream had been so pleasant, a warm summer day at the beach with his references, that he loathed returning to reality where the ugly truth still waited to confront him. He dreaded their inevitable class, would the two of them manage to share a room today without burning it down?

"Brother, you're doing it again," Raiha said.

"What?" he said lowly.

"The face."

"What face?"

"The face! You know, the one you used to make when you sucked at studying."

That face? That was from back when he started taking his studies seriously and he struggled to catch up. He didn't do that anymore.

"There a problem you can't solve, Futaro?" his father asked.

"No."

Father looked to Raiha, "What was it I said the other day?"

"No secrets!"

"Right. Futaro, something on your mind?"

"Thank you for the meal. I'll be going." Futaro stood and took his dishes to the sink.

Raiha said, "Hey! No escaping! Dad, he's making a run for it!"

Futaro grabbed his bag, "Gotta go, see you tonight." He laced his shoes and was out the door moments later. He needed time alone, time to process this. The walk to school would have to suffice.

"Futaro!"

He turned and saw his father outside in his sandals. "Dad, I'll be late-"

"No you won't."

"I'm class rep, I have to be in early."

"You can spare a minute, if the class falls apart without you for that long, you're a crappy rep," he began, his eyes narrowing like lassos hogtying his focus, "If you want to keep this to yourself, fine. You're a growing man, I expect you to start handling things on your own. But we don't ignore each other in this family."

He stepped closer, Futaro felt small in front of his father standing like a sentinel sure in his post. "It's not your business, dad."

"Do you know how long you stared at the same page last night?"

"What?"

"How long?"

"I...what are you getting at?"

"Seventeen minutes."

"You counted?"

"Yup. You weren't studying, something's in your mind like a brain termite."

Futaro scoffed, "What do you know about studying? You were a straight C student right through graduation."

"I don't need an A in trig to tell you've got something on your mind," he said, then grinned and pulled Futaro a bit closer, "You might think you gotta handle whatever's eating at you all by your lonesome. And maybe you do. But we're a team, the three of us, and we're here when you need us. Don't go forgetting that." He let him go, wishing him well at school and making him promise to be home for dinner tonight.

If his father's words were meant to inspire him to feeling better, they failed spectacularly. So much so that he left in a worse mood than before. There shouldn't be a problem in the first place, let alone one that bubbled through his pores and infected his home like a miasma. His father and sister had enough pressures in their own lives, and they still smiled effortlessly. Was he the gloomy black sheep? And how did his father expect to help him? He imagined the stunned expression his father would have if he told him everything, he wouldn't have the slightest clue what to say! How could he, none of it made any sense!

He wished he could go back in time, back to the night at the Nakano's where things began falling apart. He'd pick up his books and storm out into the rain without looking back. Maybe if he got lucky he'd catch cold and have to stay cooped up inside. Think of all the studying he could do! And if the Nakanos dared to disturb him with well-wishes he'd wish them away, and if they persisted he'd sneeze in their general direction. Then he could return and things would be back to normal. Nino would still be aggressive, encouraging his attention, but in a predictable way like a moth bashing a lightbulb. Things could fall back into a routine and he could forget this ever happened.

But time travel was an impossibility and pining to change history was unproductive. He entered the school grounds and braced himself for whatever Nino, or her sisters for that matter, brought with them. He hardened himself like a sheet of ice crusting over in the cold.

He entered the classroom, it was almost empty save for a few early birds, including Takeda. The charming boy shot him a winning smile, it bounced off Futaro's frozen heart like a fly on a window.

Students trickled in by the minute. Futaro ignored them in favor of his books. No one bothered to greet him, even as the class rep he wore an invisibility cloak, which suited him just fine. He needed new distractions like he needed a sunburn.

Speaking of distractions, the Nakanos arrived.

"Morning, Uesugi!" Yotsuba greeted with her usual merriment. He wondered if anything could dampen her spirits.

The rest filed past him to their seats, greeting him in turn. Nino came in last. He wasn't sure what he expected, a glare maybe, or some harsh words following up last night. She wasn't the kind of person to hold back. So when she passed his desk as if it were empty, Nino once again defied his predictions. It only made him angrier.

Class began with the usual Monday fanfare of groans and yawns from his less motivated classmates, meaning all of them. The teacher asked Futaro to pass out today's written assignment. When he got to Nino he held out the paper. She didn't notice, her eyes casually scanned her textbook for something of greater importance than him. He shoved it a little closer, she ignored him the same. He gave up and dropped it on her book before moving on.

So it continued for the rest of the school day. Whether it be passing each other in the halls or running on the track, she ignored his very existence almost professionally. He found himself fuming over his lack of attention and glancing at her several times to catch her in the act. He failed every time, her eyes were always looking somewhere else, never at him, and he chastised himself for looking foolish. He promised himself he couldn't look again, that he'd ignore her the same way. But he wanted to catch her looking, and that want built into a need until he couldn't resist checking just one more time, always feeling like an idiot when he failed. Then the cycle would start again.

She must still blame him for last night. Why? How was this supposed to be his fault? It wasn't his fault he overheard her, if she wanted to keep it private she should've kept it in her head! Where did she get off throwing their entire relationship out the window every few weeks and then getting angry when he had the gall to ask about it?

Fine, he decided. She wanted to ignore him? Let her! He could use the quiet. She might even ignore him long enough for him to get used to it, wouldn't that be a nice change?

He had his plan the moment the final bell rang. Afternoon tutoring was minutes away and he knew exactly how he'd handle it! If Nino wanted to play the silent sister, all the better. Lessons could proceed quicker than ever before. Maybe this would all work out after all.

Miku was the first to arrive, at least it better be Miku. He's become more suspicious since the hot springs incident. Incidents, he corrected. "Hey Miku, glad you're here."

"You are?"

"Yeah, you can get started first," he said and took out a test, if he staggered them out it'd be easier to grade them as they finished one by one.

Miku asked, "I want to ask you something."

"Huh? Sure, what is it?"

"Can you recommend a book for me?"

He glanced around the library, "Something dealing with history?"

"It's up to you."

"You have to give me something, otherwise you might hate it."

Miku stepped closer, "How about one you liked?"

"I'm not sure my tastes match yours."

"Please?"

Futaro sighed and headed towards the stacks. He scanned the dust jackets until he found what he was looking for and pulled it out. He handed it to Miku, saying, "Here, ever heard of historical fiction?"

"Yes."

"I read this in first year. It's a little dry, but you'll recognize a lot of the characters. Let me know when you're done with it."

"I will," Miku said as she opened the book's dust jacket. She scanned the library stamps and found his name, then turned the page.

If all his relations with the quintuplets were as straight-forward as with Miku, he'd sleep as sound as a baby after a mother's lullaby. She showcased a genuine desire to improve, if he presented her with a problem without the answer, she'd have it the next morning. Her growing initiative was well received, and he knew that if he were to disappear for any reasons, Miku would be the one to keep up the pursuit of knowledge, and it made him feel proud seeing how far she'd come. Not that he planned on leaving, there was still work to be done and he wanted to be the one to see it through.

The two returned from the stacks and found Ichika and Itsuki at the table. Ichika watched them emerge and her lips curled into a sly grin, like a snake coiling, "My, what were you two doing back there?"

He was about to chastise Ichika for her teasing, but Miku said first, "Nothing," and quietly walked to her seat holding the book to her chest.

Ichika eyed him and raised a package, "I bought bon-bons. Want one?"

"Put those away, no eating in the library." Ichika looked disappointed and set them aside, Itsuki watching the package closely as she did.

"I'm here!" Yotsuba announced.

He said, "Indoor voice, library."

She covered her mouth, "Oh! Sorry! I'm here," she said in a forced whisper.

So much for staggering them. He asked them, "Where's Nino?"

Yotsuba raised her hand. Futaro said, "You don't need to raise your hand this time, Yotsuba."

"Oh, right. I saw Nino leaving the school. I tried to stop her, but she told me she had to go...wait, she didn't tell me anything!"

"Indoor voice!" Futaro scolded.

She covered her mouth again, nodding, "Okay! Uh, so I don't think she's coming back."

Itsuki asked, "Did she say anything to either of you?" Ichika and Miku shook their heads.

Futaro pinched his nose and sighed, she'd go this far? Well forget her then! If she wanted to get off the train to success, let her! He had four more to carry to greatness!

"Fine! Whatever! Let's-"

"Futaro!" Yotsuba said, pressing her finger to her lips, "In-door-voice!"

Futaro stared, then sighed in defeat. He handed out the tests and said, "Just start already."

~Nino~

She loved this little cafe in the corner of the mall. Stepping inside was passing through the door into a new world, a place meticulously crafted to suit her refined tastes. And the price of admission was cheap, one cup of coffee came with a table for as long as she cared to stay. Lately even this small luxury had become harder to justify given their thin budget. But she finally had money to burn and she wanted to taste a bit of her old life.

She found a small table upstairs overlooking the rest of the cafe, swooping in just as a young man finished the dregs and packed his bag. She cleaned it with a napkin and sat, breaking out her own study materials and settling in to a very un-Futaro style of learning. She rubbed her tired eyes, she was having trouble focusing today.

Occasionally she'd tire of her company and look down to the cafe crowd. Part of the fun from the second floor was watching the people coming and going, picking up on subtle hints in their gestures and clothes that colored their lives. She spotted a carefree girl in a yellow dress sipping tea with her friends. That had been her not long ago. Now her mind was diluted with questions, worry and stress, those carefree afternoons were gone from her life. Would she ever live them again?

A couple walked into the shop. They lingered just far enough from the counter that the employee hesitated to ask for their order. The girl's arm looped through the boy's, she hugged it closer and whispered while looking at the menu. The boy smiled and pointed, whispering back, the girl shook her head and pointed at something else, laughing as she did.

She couldn't picture herself that way, not anymore. Even if Futaro fell for her, would he ever be that kind of romantic? Could they enjoy those cute couple moments together? She didn't think so. Yet when she tried pondering going with someone else, that unknown face shifted back into him. Her heart wasn't giving up yet in spite of his string of blunders.

Someone else walked in, someone she recognized. Itsuki scanned the lower floor, then glanced up before Nino could hide. Nino cursed as Itsuki stormed up the stairs like a hero taking a castle. Why did heroes storm castles? To rescue maidens or slay dragons. Which was she here to do?

"There you are."

"How'd you find me?" she groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"Lucky guess," Itsuki said, taking the seat across from her. "We used to come here a lot together, the five of us."

"We used to do lots together."

"You're the one who came here alone, Nino."

"And? I can't enjoy a latte by myself anymore?"

"You don't look like you're enjoying anything."

Nino scowled, "I happened to be having a wonderful time at my favorite cafe before your inquisition."

"Oh please, you suck at lying to me."

"Why are you-!" Nino paused, she noticed people glancing their way. She seethed and lowered her voice, "What're you doing here?"

"Did you forget about study hall?"

"Nope."

"So you just skipped?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Are we tracking attendance now? I didn't want to go today, what of it?"

"Are you tired?"

"Huh? Where did that come from?"

She motioned to her eyes, "You look..."

Nino opened her makeup case and checked herself in the mirror. She'd rubbed away the makeup around her eyes, revealing thin dark lines resting beneath then like crescent moons. She scowled, then took her brush and covered them up.

Itsuki frowned and said, "It doesn't do any good after I've already seen it."

"Whatever. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Let me guess..."

"Don't, not in the mood."

"Something with Uesugi, right?"

"I said I'm not in the mood."

"It couldn't be with any of us, we were fine this morning."

"Are you listening? Shut up!"

"You've been avoiding him all day. And you skipped study hall, so-"

"You're assuming things. Why would I care about anything with that guy?"

Itsuki glared in annoyance, it unsettled Nino. "Oh, so it's nothing? Really?"

"Yeah, really."

She knew this look, it was Itsuki's 'go for the jugular' look, "So blowing him a kiss at work is nothing?"

Nino blinked, "Aw crap, you saw that."

"And joining him in the hot springs, that was nothing too?"

She blanked like falling into a pool of bleach, "How did you..."

"We were talking, I was on the other side. I'd ask what you were doing there, but it wasn't hard to figure out."

Nino felt naked, like she'd been delivered on a silver platter in all her shame. But then she wondered, why was Itsuki there, with Futaro, in the hot springs? Walls be damned, she hated the idea. She seethed, "I can't believe it, you too!?"

Itsuki frowned, "What?"

Nino huffed, crossing her arms, "Great. Just great. That's four of us now."

"...Four?"

"You didn't know? Oh, you'll love this. It isn't even just us, it's Miku and Ichika too."

Itsuki waved her hands desperately trying to clear the air, "Wait, back up! It's not like that, I've got no interest in Uesugi!"

"Then why were you-"

"I can talk to a guy without having the hots for him!"

Nino blinked, "Oh, so you...was that all? So you're not-"

"No. Ew. No."

"That's good, then. Good."

A minute passed in silence, neither of them sure how to break it. Then Itsuki ventured, "So...I knew about Miku, but Ichika?"

Nino exploded, "I know, right!? Where did that come from? Andromeda?"

"That makes three out of five of us. You don't think...it can't be contagious, right? I don't want to be infected."

"Eat me, Itsuki."

"I think I'm safe. He's a decent friend, but there is no way he'd be my type. Ever."

Nino sighed, "That's what I thought, too."

"So what happened? You talked about wanting a fairy tale romance, prince in shining armor and all. And Uesugi is...not that."

"At all, I know."

"So?"

"So, I still love him."

Itsuki froze, "...Love?"

"Yeah. And for the record, I don't even really know why. He's not this dashing knight slaying monsters, he's a nerd who cares more about learning than girls and romance. But every time I needed a knight, he was there. Even after I was a jerk to him, even after we stopped paying him."

"He's planning to collect someday, though."

"Who's tracking that? He isn't, I've never seen him marking the days." Nino sighed, resting her head in her hand, "Like I said, I don't know why I love him, but I'm sure that I do. I feel like...like he and I will fit together if we get close enough. I'm weird, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you are." Itsuki stole her latte and sipped it, "But, I think I understand. He's reliable, and passionate, I guess. And he is tall, and not ugly, so that's a plus."

"He needs a new haircut though. Did you know his sister cuts his hair?"

"No way! She's so talented!"

"No, no she's not, that's what I'm saying. Would you let her cut your hair?" Itsuki was silent, and Nino grinned, "Point."

"Whatever. Well, if Miku and Ichika like him too, there must be something attractive about him. Technically, Yotsuba and I are the weird ones for not seeing it," she paused, "You don't think..."

"Yotsuba couldn't hide it if she did."

"I didn't think so. But still, the three of you liking the same guy, I don't see that ending well."

Nino sighed, "I know. To tell the truth, it already got a bit ugly."

"Is that why you skipped today?"

"No, that's between me and him."

"Well, it'll only get worse if one of you actually starts dating him."

"I don't think so. I mean, we're sisters. That's way more important than any guy. Way more."

"So if Ichika dated him, you'd be fine?"

"Yeah. Of course it'd suck, but I'd get over it. And she'd better do the same for me."

"For all this talk, you don't seem to want anything to do with him now."

Nino sat back in her chair, "Because he's an insensitive idiot. He made me feel like a moron."

"He does that every day at study hall."

"I mean emotionally."

"Okay, what happened?"

Nino sighed, "You really want to hear it?"

"Lay it on me."

Nino leaned in and told her everything from Friday night to now. She found herself eager to talk about this, like she was an over-inflated balloon ready to gush the moment someone loosened her string. She talked until she was red in the face, her pitch rising as her lingering frustration entered her tone like hot sauce as she described last night.

Itsuki listened patiently and nodded, "You're right, he's an idiot. And so are you."

"What? How is this my fault?"

"I didn't say that, and it's both your faults."

"No, it's not!"

"You really don't get Uesugi, do you?"

"Of course I do, he's the one-"

Itsuki held up her hand, "Listen. Do you remember the time Yotsuba asked Futaro a question about the English word tide?"

"No."

"Well Uesugi explained it was the ebb and flow of water levels affected by the moon's gravity. Yotsuba said that didn't make sense, this passage was dealing with cleaning. He didn't answer right away. He went quiet, then checked his books for twenty minutes without saying a word. Then he made a big show after he found the answer, how the passage was talking about a brand of detergent."

"Oh, that. I remember now. His eyes were...scary. What does that have to do with anything."

"So Uesugi is a problem-solver and he works alone. He doesn't share anything until he understands it and he obsesses over it until he does. Of course he'd react that way."

"But he wasn't supposed to hear-"

"And what if he didn't and you suddenly changed overnight? He'd do the same thing!"

She huffed and crossed her arms, "That is not my fault. Why does he have to dissect every detail? I was trying to do something nice for him."

"Well, good intentions are just that: intentions. You both went about this the wrong way."

Nino leaned back and looked at the ceiling. She still didn't feel like she did anything wrong, but she tried seeing Itsuki's point. Maybe she had a clearer perspective as an uninterested party, or maybe she was just better at picking out those little details.

"I suppose," she relented, "Why did I fall for a weird one?"

"Beats me. Maybe you should forget about it."

"No," she said too quickly, "Not gonna happen."

"So stop complaining."

"Isn't that one of the benefits of having sisters? I thought sharing was healthy."

"It is, just not too much," Itsuki grinned, then said, "You know, you've got your work cut out for yourself with him."

"What do you mean?"

"Just something I picked up on. You notice guys checking us out, right? Their eyes dip just long enough to get the full picture? And maybe a little more if they don't care about getting caught?"

"Yeah, it's annoying. But that's what guys do, isn't it?"

"Well get this: Uesugi has never done that."

Nino scoffed and tried to think of a counter example, and realized she couldn't remember any. "No way..."

"Yes way. I don't know if he's mastered eye contact, but he's never checked any of us out, at least I've never seen it. Have you?"

"No, now that you mention it. Not even in the hot spring. I mean, I was wearing a towel, don't get me wrong! But he, he didn't look."

"There was one time I thought I saw him looking at your legs-don't get excited Nino, he was just looking at his student notebook you had in your pocket."

Nino glared, "So you think he doesn't see any of us that way? Like, we're not attractive to him?"

"I don't think that's it. I've never seen him look at any girl that way."

"My, what a gentleman," Nino said mockingly.

"You think if he looked closer, he'd be able to tell us apart by now?"

"Doubt it," Nino said as she bitterly recalled his questioning her identity the other day. There was plenty he could say to hurt her if he wanted. He could call her stupid, shallow, a burden, anything like that would make her wince like a blow. But that one question asked so effortlessly, as if it barely mattered which sister he was meeting, it irked her like wearing a different shoe on each foot.

And just like falling in love, in an instant she decided what she wanted. She would make him notice her without the need for that damn question. Who am I? You'll see, Futaro. You damn well better see.

"Itsuki, finish my latte. You're coming with me."

She downed the cup and asked, "What are we doing?"

Nino grinned, hiding her fear, "You're making sure I go through with this no matter what!"

~Futaro~

Today would be different, he told himself. He wasn't going to worry about anything quintuplet-related until after class, and then only for two hours of focused study. And at no point would anything Nino-specific disturb his concentration. He wasn't going to worry about her silent treatment or her skipping afternoon tutoring. He'd work with what he was given and go from there.

It felt good to arrive to class optimistically. He could look forward to lecture and learning, and no one, specifically someone, was going to take that away.

Ah, the quintuplets were arriving. He waved hello as they passed. But something caught his eye. He glanced up and saw something glistening beneath Nino's hair, tiny emeralds on each ear that caught the light. So she actually went through with it. Good for her, he thought.

He thought nothing more of it for the rest of the day. He felt bloated with all the knowledge he absorbed, it was beautiful! Later, as he entered the library to prep for study hall, he found one of the sisters already in her seat. She turned, she wasn't wearing any of their standard accessories. But he caught that same green sparkle in her hair.

He pulled out a paper and handed it to her, "You missed this yesterday. Finish it quickly."

She took it and set to work without comment. But as he took his seat and watched her leaning over her paper, he caught a warm smile on her lips.

What happened? Why was she smiling? What did he do? Why? Why? Why!?

In an instant all of his resolve to ignore their antics melted like a fallen ice cream cone on a midsummer's day. A question of why she changed again capstoned the unsteady pile he'd discarded, and that tiny weight toppled the mountain into a landslide that buried his focus.

He stood and headed for the stacks. He needed time to think, to get away from her and all this uncertain change. It was too much to guess, too many distractions. But the walls of written knowledge brought no comfort and his mind was still dragged into disorder. And he realized he would never get it back until he solved this.

Futaro was tired of it, he realized. He couldn't work properly until he was certain what was going on, and it was taking too long to figure this out on his own.

He needed to talk with someone.

A/N

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who's provided feedback for this story so far, and in particular those who took the time to validate its worth before others. Those that I can reply to, I have, and some have responded anonymously and so I cannot reply to you personally, but know that your comments have been a boon to myself and my desire to write. Sometimes writing feels like throwing bottles with notes stuffed inside into a sea of broken glass, and it's been encouraging to hear back from those who found my bottle and found what story I had to tell as being worth their time. So I'm going to keep going with this, and I hope you'll continue giving my work a chance, and that this story will live up to what it can be.

Chapter published March 28th, 2019.