Burning The Midnight Oil
Chapter 31
The Future
~Nino~
Nino left her family in the living room and opened the balcony door. Futaro was resting on the railing speaking with Takeda. They turned at her entrance. She glared at Takeda, it was his cue to get gone. Futaro may outrank Takeda in every subject, but Takeda took gold in social graces. He readily caught her meaning and said goodbye to Futaro as he made his exit to her satisfaction.
Nino filled his vacated space on the railing and asked, "Were you two talking the entire time?"
"As opposed to standing around awkwardly?"
"You do almost everything awkwardly. It never bothered you before."
"Never knew I did it awkwardly."
"You still won't care now that you do. Now answer my question."
"Hmm? Oh, right. Most of it, I guess."
"Let me guess, about this dual tutoring deal with papa"
"Pretty much. We're figuring out how we can actually work together."
"What's left to figure out? You've been doing it for two weeks already."
"Only with prep work."
"Right. Tutoring."
"No, it's prep. That's only one side of the coin. Prepping and tutoring are different. See, once we have the materials planned, we-"
"Stop, stop, that's enough. It's your job help us pass our classes and your teaching method is nowhere on those test."
"You asked."
"I ask a lot of things. You should know I never ask you to make your answer an impromptu lecture."
"Fine. Short version: we're working on it. Might be a bumpy start."
"Hmph. We wouldn't have that problem if we just had you."
"Well you don't, so learn to live with it. Stop complaining about Takeda."
"But it's so much fun!"
"Not for me. And don't even think about treating him like you did me. He's here, we live with it."
"Fine. Fine. I wasn't gonna be that mean again. Only you get that kind of attention," she grinned, sliding closer, "You wanna know what the five of us agreed on with papa? It's pretty important. Go on, ask me."
"You're moving back here?"
"What? How did you know?"
"What else would it be? When you said the five of you wanted to talk with your father alone and asked Takeda and I to wait here, I figured you were ready."
Nino grumbled. Sometimes Futaro was so clever he took the fun out of surprises like a child finding his birthday present in the closet.
"Did you finish what you set out for? Not just me being your tutor again. Did your father acknowledge your efforts?"
"He did. Just not the way we wanted." She felt Futaro watching her quietly asking for more. She looked far off into the darkened horizon and continued, "He says he understands why we felt we had to run away and live on our own. He says he sees how much we've grown as people and how much effort we've put into ourselves and our studies. He says we've matured. But he still doesn't approve. He says it was wrong of us to leave and ignore his wishes. He says we could have grown as people without disobeying him and that all this was unnecessary. But he's wrong. We needed this. He just won't see it."
Futaro nodded, seeming to understand, "He doesn't change his mind easily."
"Or at all. He's always been stubborn. Like he always thinks he knows best. He doesn't though. Not this time."
"But you're still moving back?"
"We are, everyone agreed. Even if papa doesn't completely understand, and even if he doesn't even care to try, he acknowledged the change in us. He said he was impressed that we sacrificed so much to prove a point and he sees how our efforts changed us. It's enough. But even if I'm moving back home I'm not giving up. Someday we'll make him understand why it matters. And even if the others are satisfied and won't help me, I'll do it myself."
Futaro mulled her words for a moment, then asked, "Do you ever wonder where you'd be right now if you'd made a different choice? If you hadn't left and settled on another tutor your father chose, how would you be different?"
"Well to start, the five of us in class with you would be as awkward as a couple breaking up on a cruise stuck in the same cabin." She hoped that would make him laugh. It didn't, he still looked somewhere far away she couldn't see. She tried to find where he was looking in the distance. She continued, "But really, I don't know. If we had a different tutor, maybe we'd still study and maybe we'd pass. Or maybe one of us would fail and we'd transfer to that other school, just like last time."
Futaro thought about it and shook his head, "No, you wouldn't have failed."
"We cut it close as it is."
"But you'd have found a way. I struggled teaching you quints until I had all five of you together. Once you were all committed to passing and helping each other get there, you were on the right path. I don't doubt you would've kept it up without me."
She huffed, "You don't give yourself enough credit. We'd go right back to before if you weren't herding us like lemmings."
"That's not true, you've already changed. You would pass, I'm sure."
"Cut it out, I know my sisters better than anyone and I'm saying we would've failed."
"If you say so," he said weightlessly. What was with him? He was a flat tire tonight. She needed to pump him up again.
"Which is why I'm so upset with papa. He can't just shackle us with another unknown like Takeda. It's irresponsible."
"Not this again."
"Why not? We went through all these months living in that crumbling apartment so we could keep you as our tutor. Our only tutor. We studied until our brains planned prison breaks outta our skulls so we'd win papa's wager and he just hires Takeda anyways! If anyone asks me we should show him the door and get back to what works."
"You five failed those first two exams under me."
"And then we got our rhythm! Think about it, it took months to work out the kinks in our relationship, and don't give me that look, I know I may have given some pushback here and there."
She waited for Futaro to make a comment there. It was the natural flow of their conversation, the push and pull that gave their relationship life like the tides nurturing land and sea. He didn't. This irked her more than anything he might have said.
"The point, if you'll let me finish, is that we're finally a lean, mean studying team and there's no need to mix it up!"
Futaro shrugged.
"Don't just shrug! This is a big deal! What if we can't focus because Takeda's blinding us with his sparkle and we fail our final year? Even papa couldn't save us with a transfer at that point, and I am not repeating a year."
"It's already decided. We'll have to make the best of it."
"I don't get it. Why aren't you more upset? You more than anyone should know we don't need that poser."
"Miku wants him to stay."
Nino grumbled, "Yeah, I heard. I still don't get it."
"Maybe she prefers working with him."
Nino stumbled on her words. Futaro finally spoke in something other than a bored monotone, but he sounded lost. His voice fell like a taut rope suddenly snipped and falling lifeless to the floor.
"I don't think he even wants the job. He stays because for some reason he thinks he has to, and even so he was ready to quit today. But he stayed when she asked."
"That doesn't mean anything, she probably just thinks it'll help you to have an assistant. I know you don't need one, but maybe it'll be fun. Like having a pet. That's perfect! Just think of Takeda as your pet. If he starts acting up we can take him for walkies or spray him with a bottle." She imagined Futaro rewarding Takeda handing out their assignments with a bone-shaped treat and a head pat, saying, "good little assistant." She laughed. She hoped it was infectious. It wasn't.
Okay, seriously, what was going on? This was a darn good night! Hardly perfect, she admitted, but they came away from the table with almost everything on their wish list. Futaro was back in their full fold with good pay. She and her sisters were moving back home and would all live under the same roof. And even papa was willing to acknowledge their love and give them a chance! It could've gone better if he approved of them outright, but baby steps were better than backtracking. She had no idea what papa was thinking about testing Futaro as a 'potential son-in-law'. Was that what had him in such a funk? It must be, she decided.
"Look Fuu, I don't know what papa's getting at with this errand gig he's forcing on you, but it's nothing to worry about. I won't let him abuse you if he tries. And he's not even offering to pay you extra for it, so feel free to ignore it."
Futaro was quiet. His face didn't change. He was somewhere she couldn't reach. Nino fumed, "What's with you? Why are you being so mopey over this? I said it'll be okay! I'll help-"
"It's not that."
"It's not? Then what is it?"
She was mad at him for all his silence. What was he keeping from her? His dad kept shouting about the Uesugi family 'no secrets' policy. Was she not worth including in that? Did he know how much it hurt if she wasn't?
Finally he said, "Can I tell you something?"
You better, she thought. "Of course."
"And you won't tell the others. Until I do."
"Alright, I won't."
He took a long breath and began, "It's the reason I study so much."
Already Nino sensed that whatever Futaro was going to say, it was deeper than she was ready for. She tensed like a cliff diver peeking over the edge and feeling how far a fifty meters really was before the leap. She braced herself as best she could for Futaro's confession.
"It used to be I couldn't care less about school, or at least anything academic. You remember that picture of me in my notebook from back when I had bleached hair? That's who I was. Just a punk thinking he was cool."
"You thought right. You were dashing!"
"I was. I was popular back then, too. Everyone knew my name, I hung out in almost every clique. But I was never close to any of them. Like, I had a hundred friends and no one to care for. Every friendship I had was shallow. When people started grouping up I was always the last one to join, or I'd be alone. That's what happened during a class trip. Everyone paired up with their best friends and I went off on my own. It made me think about what I really wanted."
"But you found an answer, didn't you?" Nino asked.
He nodded, saying, "I wanted to matter to others. I wanted to be the person that made a difference in someone's life, someone people can relied on. I thought studying was the best way to become that person. So I went at it as hard as I could. I stopped dying my hair and wearing flashy clothes because it was all a waste of effort. I ignored everything that wouldn't improve my grades. I thought I was on the right path once I started scoring hundreds. I thought that when I graduated I would live my dream. I would matter."
She nodded, "Sounds like you're well on your way."
"Am I?" he asked seriously.
Nino finally caught the string she needed to follow his train of thought all the way back to dinner. She remembered her papa's harsh analysis of his character, his direction and his prospects, and how it all amounted to nothing. She hated it. That kind of thinking had no place in their lives. She said, "Is that what's got you down like a kicked puppy? You can't let my papa get to you, he was just trying to rattle us so we might give up."
"That doesn't mean he was wrong."
"He is!"
"If he was, I could've said something back. I would have stopped him. But I couldn't," he paused, then finished in a voice without fight, "I still can't think of anything to say."
Because Futaro believed it, Nino thought. Papa won.
She grabbed his arm and said, "So what? It doesn't mean anything. He-"
"It does, Nino. It does to me."
"But why? You're the one letting it!"
"I know. But I can't help it. You father saves lives every day, Nino. Even when I berated him for not taking better care of you, he just finished saving someone's life and he was about to do it again. He's important to people in ways I can only wish I was. So if he thinks I'm worthless, that means something, right?
"I thought that if I studied hard enough, if I learned everything the teachers told me to, I would achieve my dream. I thought that once I finish college I'd have all the things I needed to make it happen. But when he asked me what I'll do, what I want to specialize in, I don't know. How could I be so stupid, I'm an idiot for not planning ahead. I thought studying until I had perfect scores was enough. But it's not and he knows it. And now I don't know if all this studying was worth it."
Nino had a thousand things to say, and a hundred of those were adjectives for his thick-headed ignorance of everything he'd already accomplished that'd make him reconsider the breadth of her vocabulary. But she couldn't say a word. She'd seen Futaro livid, frustrated, agitated and conflicted. In every state he never lost his assured determination that he was moving towards his goal. Save once. That day he came for her after falling in the pond. He'd looked so broken and lost like a salaryman holding a pink slip that she'd pitied him for the first time. But even then he'd come for her. He'd pursued his dream against all her struggles. He looked empty now, like her papa ripped his hope away with the same surgical precision as removing tumors.
Was this how he'd found her all those weeks ago? She could never forget. She'd been so tired and made so many mistakes, and she saw a future where her sisters finally left their home and her sight, leaving her all alone. What had he done for her then? What did he need her to do now? How could she show him that his dream wasn't dead?
Her hand slipped down his arm like a vine crawling a post. She found his hand and took it. It felt so cold, as if his blood chilled to ice with his will. He didn't seem to notice. She wrapped it between both her hands and brought it to her lips, breathing warmth between them. Then she told him her greatest fear and hoped it shared her fire into him.
"I don't want this school year to end. I'm terrified of next spring. Do you know why?"
He shook his head.
"Remember what I told you at the hotel? My sisters are stretching their wings. Someday they'll all fly away from the nest. Once we graduate things can't stay the way they are. Ichika will follow her career wherever it takes her. Itsuki's looking into colleges with good teaching programs, and the best ones aren't nearby. Miku and Yotsuba haven't decided, but I worry they'll go away too. And then it'll be just me. This house is too big to live in alone."
Futaro said, "You're still sisters, you'll always have each other."
"Maybe, but it won't be like before. We'll scatter all over Japan, maybe further. I know we can't stay this way forever. But...I worked so hard to keep us together. It hurts knowing it's going to end someday no matter what I do. I can't force them to stay. They don't shove it in my face or anything mean like that, but I can tell they're looking forward to their futures. And I don't know what I'm going to do when they're gone."
She touched his cheek and made him look at her. Do you see me, Futaro? Do you see the meaning in me?
"But I've been hopeful lately. Hopeful that maybe I won't be completely alone."
The normal spark in his eyes was missing. Could he see how she understood his struggle? Did he see the opening in her chest letting him glimpse her deepest fear? And did he see that she did this because of how much he mattered to her? Couldn't he see his dream inside her?
Futaro slowly took her hand touching his face. His gentleness reminded her of her mother in moments when her stress and worries were just far enough to forget, when she could just be their mom. Their wonderful, brilliant mom.
He said, "That night I found you-"
"I know."
"No, not that. That night, after I left the first time, I didn't go home right away. I went to a bus stop. My mother waited for my dad there a long time ago, and she thought about him when he didn't show up on time like he promised. She still didn't know what he meant to her at the time. But she thought about him, worried about him, until she fell in love. I went there because I wanted to find my own answers. I thought about you and your sisters and I asked myself what you were to me. And then I saw how you took care of your family, made their home, kept them fed, and I realized you live my dream every day. That's when I first noticed, I have feelings for you." Futaro almost smiled. Almost. "I'm still so far behind."
Nino shook her head, her chest swelling with heat of the embers from his story. "I've seen how your dad and sister rely on you."
"It's not the same. My family would survive without me. But your sisters, they'd fall apart without you. You're the glue keeping them together, helping them grow. Just look what happened every time you left." He hesitated, then he said, "I admire you, Nino. I wish I were more like you."
Darnit, Fuu! She was supposed to cheer him up, not the other way around! Why was he so good at being sweeter than sugar at the worst possible times? He was gonna give her diabetes at this rate. She flushed like a street light in the dark and hoped he would tone down his unnecessary charm so she could finish.
"And you think I don't feel the same about you?" She saw his hesitation. She saw him about to say how there wasn't enough of him to envy. She didn't let him finish that unnecessary thought. "I tried so hard keeping you away and you kept coming back. You kept barging into our lives until you made yourself matter, and after all the trouble you put us through you don't get to say it was meaningless. Listen Fuu, you're important to us. You never gave up on us when we gave you every single reason to and I'll be damned if I let you give up on yourself now. You're better than that. You're not someone we can replace."
"But Miku-"
"Is out of her mind if she actually prefers Takeda, which I doubt she does. She came back for you tonight. Remember that."
"I still don't know-"
"What you're gonna do. Neither do I."
"Don't you want to open your own restaurant someday?"
Nino hesitated, "I don't know. I used to think so, but working in the cake shop, seeing how your shop becomes your life, I don't know if I can do that. I like cooking for my family and for people I love, I only took the baking job because of you and because we needed money. I don't know if I can bring that to strangers for money. So I'm scared too. I don't know about college or degrees, or jobs. I don't know."
For a moment, she wallowed in the same despair as Futaro thinking about the darkness of her future like a night without stars. But in the absence of light, she had a flame of her own to light a path. She wouldn't give up on moving forward, not after starting. And she would not leave Futaro behind in the black.
"But someday, I will know. I might keep baking and open a shop. Or I might decide to do something completely different after I graduate. Same with Miku and Yotsuba. So what? We can't all be Ichika and have a budding career before we're even adults. We can't all be Itsuki with multiple degree plans in her drawer. And I'm glad you're not. You're Fuu, and you've got a million possibilities. Who else has so many paths open? So explore them! Explore everything and find what you wanna do! And I'll be right beside you cheering you on the entire way."
She looked at him with all her fire like a flamethrower blasting him in her heat, and she said, "So you don't you dare imply that you don't matter. Not to me. Never again. Or I really won't forgive you."
She hoped he understood. He had to. Because it was same for her. She needed to matter to have a home of her own. Could Futaro see that she lived with the same fear? And she had to know that she could help him see how much he mattered in her life. If she couldn't, then she wasn't important enough to him. She couldn't stay with someone like that. So she waited for him to see, to acknowledge her.
Then his eyes found new light like moonlight glittering over the sea. They sparkled like multifaceted crystals behind ancient light from somewhere long forgotten. He was beautiful when he smiled, moreso when it was her that brought it back. He took her hands firmly and said...nothing. He had no words. She was the one who could awe him to silence with love.
She marveled with him in their shared moment. Every passing second she engraved this memory into her heart, one she could look back on in moments of doubt and remind herself of the immense love that exists. This was real. This was what she wanted. If she lost so much else, she would have this.
Futaro looked away, he was so cute when he was shy. He said, "All that studying...it wasn't for nothing. It got me here." To be your tutor. To meet your sisters. To meet you.
He wanted to kiss her then. She could tell. He was easier to read than a billboard advertising 'all things must go'! His feelings were too fresh to hide. She hoped he never learned.
She leaned in close inviting his kiss. Come on, Fuu. I went far for you today, show some effort in return. She closed her eyes as he moved. She felt the air shrink between them like flowers reaching for sunlight after a long spring rain. His hands circled her hips like a snake coiling prey. She waited for the spark their touching lips inspired.
"Pardon my interruption."
His hands left her hips so quickly she questioned her understanding of physics. They turned sheepishly to the door where her papa was standing unperturbed.
Futaro's voice rose a pitch as he said, "Ah sir, no need to apologize. We're in your home after all."
"Indeed. And while we're here it seems prudent to lay out conditions for your entry. Understand that I tolerate your presence, Uesugi, I do not welcome it."
"Ah, of course. Sir!"
Fuu, show some backbone!
"To begin, hands and...other body parts off my daughter at all times inside. I accept I have limited control over your behavior outside these walls, but while you are here, avoid any unnecessary contact."
Nino sighed, "Papa, isn't that too strict?"
"I expect you to observe propriety while in this home according to my standards. And my standards are quite strict."
"I'm gonna hold his hand inside, papa."
"And nothing more. Second, you are not to be alone in this house with my daughter. Any of my daughters."
"What are you implying, papa?"
"Nothing without cause. I'm aware that certain unfortunate incidents tend to arise in your presence, Uesugi."
Futaro swallowed hard. Even Nino thought papa had a point.
"And third, you may enter my daughter's room with her permission." This one shocked both of them, until, "And if you do, the door stays open. Are we clear?"
"Crystal!" Futaro said far too loudly.
Papa nodded. Then he asked, "Uesugi, do you have a driver's license?"
"Er, no. Just a motorcycle license."
"I see. Get one by the end of the week."
"Why does he have to do that, papa?"
"Mister Ebata would like a few personal days. I'm happy to provide him a substitute. Uesugi, practice well. Don't scratch the paint." He turned to Nino and continued, "Nino, pay for it."
He turned to leave. Just before closing the door he said, "And Nino, I have one request for you."
"Papa?"
"I do not want to be a grandfather for many years. Please consider my wishes."
Oh no no no, do not walk away with that. Don't leave them alone! But it was too late, he was gone.
She couldn't look at him. Could he look at her? He better not! She must be red as a...well, red! Red like ketchup viewed her as competition! She buried her face in her hands and fought the unwelcome images and implications invading her mind. Was this your revenge, papa? Too cruel! Too cruel!
"My, your father sure is creative."
"Shut up."
"Whatever could be implying?"
"I said shut up!" Nino snapped, rising to his gaze.
He had to be as red as her, only he relished it. Dammit Fuu! Hide behind your hands like a normal person and let her get over this! Why did he have to pick now of all times to piece his confidence back together!?
"Why don't you fill me in? You seem to know what he means. He's your father after all."
"Futaro. Drop. It. Now. Before. I. Snap."
He grinned, "Come on, help me out here?"
Oh he wanted help? She'd give him help. All the help he needed loaded with peppers so hot even his undiscriminating tongue would burn!
She stomped her foot and faced him, "Alright Fuu, you wanna go there? Let's go there."
Futaro hesitated, "Eh?"
She rested her hand on her heart and said, "I'm flattered by your proposal, but I'm just not there yet. I need time to think on it."
"Proposal? What proposal?"
"Don't play dumb, Fuu. You basically asked for my hand today. Papa asked if you were serious about us leading to marriage and you said yes."
"That is not what I meant!"
"I'm flattered you see me that way, Fuu, but I need you to be patient while I consider my answer. Give me a few months...years...and maybe I'll favor you with my reply."
"This is payback, isn't it?"
"But don't think that means you can just stop trying, I said my reply, not a solid yes. You gotta earn that. But I'll give you plenty of chances to sway my mind and prove you're long-term husband material."
"Will you now," Futaro said, grinning wickedly. Nino blinked. He was not supposed to turn this one against her. He said, "Well okay, I guess my side's out there. I'm done."
"Huh?"
"It's a relief, really. No need for overpriced flowers or a string quartet. No timing the angle of the sunset on a balcony by the ocean. No getting on one knee and buying a ring worth two months salary. This was much easier."
"Hold on! I want all those things!"
He shrugged, "You did? Too bad, I already fired my shot according to you."
"Uh-uh, you're not getting out of it. If you ever propose for real, and get that handbook out and get scribbling, smart boy, I expect all that and more. I want a photographer, Fuu, gotta have memories, and I mean enough for a scrapbook just for this. And not a friend who fools around with a camera, I'm talking a photography team with all the bells and whistles! And of course I need to be in my best dress, so I'll need some warning. Just not too much warning. You gotta spring the question as a surprise. And you need a killer suit and tie to match the occasion if you want me to know you're serious."
"Again with the tie."
"Because then I can do this," she snagged his tie and forced him down, taking his kiss. Futaro struggled against her. When she let him go he gasped, "What are you thinking? He's gonna kill me!"
"No, he'll berate you. You'll live."
"Don't be so sure!"
"Besides, he told us not to do it 'inside' the house. We're not inside now, are we."
"He says he hates technicalities!"
"Quit being a wimp and be happy, Fuu. Aren't I worth it?"
She grinned when he grumbled, "I never said you weren't."
She loved this. She loved their banter and their gripes and how they always came back to their connection. She never felt attacked with him, their ribbing was safe like popping the kinks in her back. He challenged her to do better, and she did the same for him. They made each other grow. What would they become?
Futaro leaned in, "You wanna play it risky?"
"Don't I always?"
He winked and took her hand, then he kissed her. It was brief as a shooting star, yet just as lovely. They broke apart together and looked into the darkening city filled with artificial light and the eternal stars above. How many could she see tonight? Not as many as before. But the sky was beautiful regardless.
He said, "It's been a month."
"Since..."
"Since that night. If you hadn't noticed how tired I was, if you hadn't pulled back ad tried to help me, we may not be here."
"Thank goodness you're a light sleeper."
"When I look out there, I see all the other possibilities of how things could have turned out. Yet here we are. And I realize you're right, there's so many more chances to decide the future."
Nino winked and said, "I know. I can be quite convincing."
He said, "Everything's about to change again."
"I know."
"Are you ready?"
Was she? She wasn't ready to say she was for sure. But she didn't fear it the same way. She wouldn't barricade her family forever. They were free to make their own paths towards adulthood. But so was she. She felt the lines of her future in the hand she held. They were like two stars in the sky. Alone they stood directionless in a void. Paired together they made a path all their own through infinity. Nino will ride that road to its very end.
"Bring it on."
A/N
This one is important, so please pay attention.
The gap between chapters 29 and 30 is over 18 months. That is unfair to anyone following a story. I may write this story for myself and my own pleasure, but I publish it to share and so others who might enjoy it as well have that chance. But such gaps are unfair to readers, and with the last official content coming soon, who knows what the fandom will do. Many will move on to other stories and slowly forget about this series, and I don't want to leave this story unfinished for anyone. But there is still such a long ways to go. This chapter is the epilogue to arc 2, and I still have arcs 3 and 4 to write along with a shorter epilogue arc.
So I have an offer to anyone who wants an off-ramp in this story after following it for so long, but is unwilling to wait for more: consider this epilogue of arc 2 the end of the story. It's a decent ending in itself. There is still much to do, growth to be had, character relationships to explore, and it will come. But if you want to put the book down and shelve it, maybe even come back someday when it's more filled out, that's okay. I hope this substitute ending satisfies you. Feel free to leave forever or come back again someday. And for those that continue to read, please do so. I have much planned.
Speaking of the next arc, I have a quick word of warning, or an advertisement depending on your tastes. I have the first part of arc 3 heavily outlined, and chapter 36 is going to be smut, or lemon, or whatever we're using these days. It all serves the plot, and will not be quite what people expect of a sex scene, but it will be somewhat detailed. It won't be so surprising as to be different characters, it will be the leads. But it will go in a direction I hope will surprise. I expect many will be happy for such a scene, and no, it won't be the only one, but more will come much later. But for anyone who doesn't want to read anything graphically sexual, I'll try and give indication in chapter 35 when one can search for to skip it.
I will be offline for much of the next few months due to personal commitments, and I do mean offline. I may still have time to write chapters and update, but it will be brief and I wont' be able to interact when I do, so please forgive me for that. I can't promise to be consistent for the next few months, but afterwards new chapters should come more regularly.
I want to share a POV section I cut during outlining from this arc. I never drafted it, and I cut it for a very clear reason. Cut Ichika POV: Takes place sometime during chapters 21-23. Ichika decided to directly sabotage Nino's relationship with Futaro. She dresses up as Nino and tries to fool Futaro with bad behavior. But Futaro, loving Nino and recognizing her, knows that it isn't Nino and assumes it is Ichika, possibly Miku. He asks why she is doing this, and she runs away, fuming and more determined to sabotage them. End Ichika POV. I cut this because while I wanted to use a scene with them swapping their likeness to fool Futaro, it would enhance Ichika's role as a villain to a degree I didn't want her to go. It would be far more malicious to directly attack their sabotage their relationship as opposed to telling stories about them, which Ichika could more easily justify to herself. It was better for the story if Ichika acted in one specific way as opposed to attacking from multiple directions.
Quick note: I re-read my story and tried correcting all spelling and grammar errors. If you spot any, please let me know either via pm or review and I'll correct it.
Thank you to everyone who remembered this story. Your welcome back was a big boost to push me on. In general your comments have been appreciated, and I enjoy reading them. If you made it this far, please consider commenting and telling me what you think, it brings me great joy in my writing and it means a lot.
Chapter published: May 5th, 2022 (Quintuplet's birthday)