Burning The Midnight Oil

Chapter 34

Tutoring 2.0

~Nino~

"Cheers!" the five girls shouted as they merrily clinked glasses. The sound echoed through the closed party room.

Nino swallowed her diet cola and sighed contentedly. She said, "Oh, this is heaven."

Yotsuba said, "No, this isn't heaven, it's the other place! They have so many choices I'm scared I'll make the wrong one!"

Miku scanned the center table filled with sharing plates of chicken, pork, noodles, fried rice, even cakes and sweets. "It's just dinner, no need to make such a fuss about it."

Yotsuba wined, "It wouldn't be so difficult if they hadn't brought everything out at once. Why did they have to bring dessert too?"

Ichika mused, "Indeed. Well that settles it, reverse dinner it is."

Nino said, "No! This is our first sister dinner in weeks and we gotta do it right. We gotta eat in good order! If we fill up on cake we're all going to regret it!"

Itsuki nodded, "You have a good point Nino. But the strawberries on that triple-chocolate cake have a better one."

Yotsuba went rigid as if just noticing the object of Itsuki's affections. "Oh, chocolate you say? Well I suppose starting there couldn't hurt."

Nino cried, "Weaklings! All three of you!"

Miku said, "Actually, I'm with them."

"This is totally not how dinner is supposed to go."

"Nino, these last few weeks have sucked. They sucked hard. I don't care."

Nino groaned, "Fine, fine. Reverse dinner it is."

"You don't have to start like us, Nino," Ichika said.

"And be the only one not eating cake? Not happening."

Itsuki happily took the cake and the serving spoon. She paused, "Oh, right. Who wants to cut it?"

Miku frowned, "Great. We can never get it right."

Yotsuba said, "It's okay, so some of the pieces will be different sizes, no big deal."

"But who gets the bigger one?" Miku said while glancing at Itsuki.

Itsuki wilted, "Why is everyone glaring at me? I didn't say anything!"

"Yet," Ichika quipped.

Yotsuba sighed, "We should've just invited Futaro, then we could divide by six. Easy peasy." She missed Ichika's strained smile.

Nino brushed it aside, "Not a chance, he's geeking out with Takeda about tonight's study session."

Miku asked, "The two of them geek out together?"

Nino lit up, "Oh definitely! I gotta tell you about this!"

Ichika said, "Itsuki, cut the cake and we'll make do. Nino, go ahead."

Once everyone had their cake and savored that first rich bite, Nino said, "So after Fuu started helping Takeda with tutor prep, they also started studying for the exam together. Only whenever they ran into a problem they disagreed on, they went at it, like, courtroom lawyer brawl with life and death on the line."

Ichika sighed, "Oh no, I can only imagine."

Itsuki nodded stiffly, "They actually used citations."

Miku said, "So what? Even we can do that."

"From memory."

Ichika laughed, "Nerds, the both of them."

Itsuki said, "If Takeda were a girl, I'd say he found his soulmate."

Nino glowered, "Watch it, sister."

"Come on, even you said that."

"I didn't actually mean it."

Ichika said, "I think it's cute. I always knew you'd be the possessive type."

Miku swallowed her cake and said, "While we're on the subject, how are things with you and Futaro?"

Nino stuttered, "Oh, who wants to hear about that?"

Ichika leaned in, "I'm a touch curious. Besides, isn't it natural for sisters to talk about their love lives?"

Normally yes, and Nino would have loved to talk with her sisters from sunrise to sunset about all the glories and irritations of romantic love with a bookworm. But it was different when two of those sisters happened to love him as well.

She never said this, but it must have spread on her face like broken egg leaking all over the plate. Miku said, "It's alright, you don't have to worry about either Ichika or me."

Ichika nodded, "Yeah, I think we're over it. Let's just talk as sisters."

Nino glanced between the two as if asking for confirmation, because once she started there was no going back. Itsuki and Yotsuba knew this, and the latter said to the former, "Here we go again."

Nino said, "Well, if you're sure."

What happened next can only be called 'dinner and a show'. Nino had a month's worth of stories kept hidden from her sisters, and once begun Nino would broker no pause or compromise. She didn't feel complete until everyone was caught up on each others' ongoings, it was part of sharing lives as closely as quintuplets can. She told them about her midnight confession, the love letter and confessing on the rooftop in the rain. She told them about their calamitous first date that somehow ended with a kiss on the cheek. She told them about baking practice and pop quizes and dancing with the beat. She told them everything she'd wanted to share with her sisters for so long. Her story was so long that all the cakes had disappeared by the time Nino finished her tale.

When Ichika finally had permission to speak, she could only say, "Woah."

Itsuki nodded, "Yeah. Welcome to the present."

Miku said, "That is nothing like in the shows."

"You have no idea. I don't know if it's just Fuu or if guys just don't know how to function. It's like having a child sometimes! This man didn't know how to make a reservation of all things!"

Yotsuba said, "That's definitely a Futaro thing."

"Well here's a guy thing: you can never trust them to read between the lines. If they aren't given a line-by-line instruction on what you want, they will mess it up. I'll spend so much time explaining how I want something done that it'd be easier to just do it myself."

Itsuki mused, "That's less of a guy problem and more of a Nino one."

"Oh don't you go there."

Ichika said, "I don't think it's fair either. Aren't we the same when it comes to academics?"

Nino fumed, "You'll understand once you get boyfriends."

Itsuki blinked, then said, "Oh, don't count on that. You just want someone to commiserate with."

"And why is that a bad thing?"

Yotsuba said, "I don't think it is. But you really are being too harsh, don't you think? You didn't list the positives, like having someone to reach the top shelves, winning you toys like Mister Nuzzles-"

"Dry humping?" Ichika chimed in merrily.

Nino blushed and said, "How did you-"

"Raiha's insta."

Nino pouted, "We weren't dry humping. It was just making out."

Itsuki muttered, "Sure looked like more."

"Well it wasn't, so zip it."

Itsuki glanced knowingly at Yotsuba and said, "You know what? I remember something else happening that night."

Miku and Ichika looked up. Nino tried thinking about what else happened that night and blushed furiously when she remembered.

Yotsuba said, "Oh yeah! Nino, tell them about the-"

"No."

"Aww, come on!"

"No, we don't need to bring that up!"

Ichika said, "Nino we sat through no less than three instances of you describing make-out sessions with Uesugi. You owe us. So what is it?"

Nino didn't want to share, she shook her head hoping they would give up. Itsuki was having none of it. "Nino, want me to tell them?"

"No."

"Well too bad. You two notice that Futaro never checks out any girls?"

"Not really. Is that true?" Miku asked.

"It is. Well that night, he proved he's a man after all."

"How?" Ichika asked.

"Nino was cooking in the kitchen and Futaro was behind her cleaning up the floor. He looks up and just stops. Stops and stares."

Yotsuba added, "Magic. Spell."

Ichika and Miku took a moment to process the image, then burst out laughing. Nino buried her face in her hands and said, "Stop it." They didn't. Miku almost fell out of her chair.

Itsuki said merrily, "And that's how we discovered he's a butt guy."

Nino huffed and looked up, saying, "Yeah yeah, he's a perv just like any guy. Case closed. Move along now."

"Do we have to? I'm sure there's more to tell." Ichika leered.

Nino distinctly remembered his hands trailing down her backside by the recycling bins under the moonlight. They must never know. But her face gave something away and Ichika said, "Oh, so there is. Come on little sis, spill it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nino said.

Miku smiled slightly and said, "Nino, you're as bad a liar as Yotsuba."

Yotsuba hissed, "Ooh, that's bad."

Miku grinned knowingly, "I noticed you've added more squats to your morning routine. Would that have anything to do with it?"

Nino frowned, saying, "Cut it out! That has nothing to do with it!" It did. "And besides, nothing else happened, we just had to set boundaries. That's all."

Ichika's glare searched for something more, but she gave up and said, "I see. Well it is all pretty romantic. I'm glad you're doing well."

Miku added, "Kissing does seem like a nice benefit. It looks fun."

Ichika showed a rocking hand and said, "Eh, it's alright."

Yotsuba asked, "Hmm? What do you know about kissing?"

Ichika's cheeks tinged pink, she said, "Oh nothing much."

Itsuki pulled out her phone and said, "Ichika, you want to tell them or should I?"

Ichika blanked and said, "Oh, so you know."

"Of course I do."

"Know about what?" Miku asked.

Ichika sighed and said, "My kissing scenes."

Nino shot to her feet and exclaimed, "You've done kissing scenes!?"

"Just two."

"Since when?"

"Oh, the first one was last January? I forget, it was a bit part for some show I barely remember."

Yotsuba blushed, "Wow, uh, so was he cute?"

"Who said it was he?"

Itsuki blushed harder, "Ichika!"

"Oh alright, he was. Another no-name like me. It might have even been his first kiss as well. It was, well, hardly fun, to be honest. Too many people on set watching at once, you know?"

Nino pointed towards Itsuki, "You have the clip?"

"Of course I do."

Ichika gestured for everyone to settle down, "Now now, no need for that here."

"Yes here!" Nino said. "Itsuki, play!"

Ichika's pleas did nothing to halt her curious sisters. She was forced to endure their sighs as Itsuki played the short clip of her scene. Ichika was dressed in a bikini with a long skirt, one of many around a campfire. She leaned in with a handsome boy in an open Hawaiian shirt and hair with too much product for someone visiting the beach. Their kiss was tender and short. Nino and Yotsuba squealed.

Nino said, "Oh my god! That's adorable! It looks so natural, to think that was your first kiss!"

Ichika said, "Well technically it was my fifth."

"You rehearsed?" Miku asked knowingly.

"No, just different takes."

Itsuki asked, "Did it feel weird having your first kiss be on the job?"

"Well, a little, but I was expecting it. A lot of the girls I work with had theirs just like that. It's all part of the industry."

Yotsuba shrugged, "Well, at least he was cute." Suddenly she gave the briefest squeal like a mouse spotting a cat in the corner. She rummaged through her purse.

Miku asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah, sure. But..." she looked up sheepishly, "Does anyone have a pad to spare?"

Nino rolled her eyes and was the first to pull one from her bag. Yotsuba took it with thanks, "Sorry everyone, be right back."

The sisters loaded their plates with their proper dinner while waiting for Yotsuba to return. When she came back, she said, "This is the worst. I hate surprise visits from Aunt Flo."

Nino chided, "Why aren't you ever prepared? It wouldn't matter if you just carried a few yourself."

"I thought I had, guess I left them in my other bag."

Nino said, "It's fine. You having cramps, too? I have medicine if you need it."

Yotsuba shook her head, "No, I'm alright. It's not so bad now." Nino took some pills out for her anyways and made her swallow them.

Ichika asked, "Is a boyfriend any help with that?"

Nino shot back, "You think I tell him about my period? He'd be as helpful as soiled underwear."

Miku said, "Maybe we should ask dad for birth control."

Yotsuba asked, "Why would we do that?"

Miku looked around at everyone's confusion, "You really don't know?" Everyone shook their heards, and she said, "Some birth control helps with periods and cramps, like, making them hurt less. Some get rid of periods entirely."

Itsuki exclaimed, "Wait, that was an option?"

"I heard so. You didn't know?"

"No!"

Ichika mused, "My, that would be so nice."

Nino said, "We gotta learn more about this right away."

Ichika said, "Oh, well maybe you should think a bit more carefully before asking dad about that."

"Why no-oh."

"Yeah, he might take it the wrong way."

Nino crossed her arms and said, "That's not fair."

Yotsuba said, "Guys don't have to deal with it at all. Sometimes I think it'd be easier if I were a boy instead."

Itsuki said, "You say that now, but boys have their own issues, I'm sure."

Nino said, "Sure they do, but they can't compare to all the crap girls put up with."

Ichika said, "Well, it sure hurts them getting hit in the groin."

Nino said, "So? Everyone hurts when hit in the crotch. They just make a big fuss over it while girls suck it up and deal with the pain."

Miku said, "Cut it out already, there's no way we'd know if it's just the five of us talking. It's not like any of us understand what it's like to be a guy."

Yotsuba mused, "You're right, Miku. If only one of us was a boy we could compare, no problem."

Ichika said, "Say, that's a fun idea. Wouldn't it be fun to have a brother?"

Nino said, "Oh definitely! I'd love having a brother!"

Ichika asked, "But which one of us would make the best brother?" She seemed surprised when everyone looked her way. "Where'd this come from?"

Miku said, "If we're gonna have a brother, it should be a big brother."

"Yeah, but I'd make a terrible boy. I'm far too feminine!"

"You wouldn't be if you were a boy," Miku shot back.

"Alright, fine. Let's take birth order out of it and just assume whichever one of us was a boy was born first. Agreed?"

Yotsuba said, "Alright, in that case I vote Nino!"

"What!? Why me?"

"You're super outspoken," Yotsuba began.

Itsuki continued, "And you have no problem taking charge."

Miku finished, "And you'd be super protective of us. All good traits to have in a big brother."

Ichika clapped, "So it's settled! Nino's a boy!"

Nino crossed her arms, "Hard pass. If you're too feminine to be a boy, Ichika, then I'm on another level. I think Yotsuba would be the best brother."

"Me? I can't see why."

Miku said, "I can see it. You're very strong and energetic. You could probably get an athletic scholarship if you were a boy, it's harder for girls."

Ichika waved her off, "No, Yotsuba's far too nice to be a boy. She'd be a complete pushover."

Yotsuba said, "I guess you're right."

Ichika gestured to prove her point.

Itsuki asked, "What about Miku?"

Miku said flatly, "No way."

Nino said, "Yeah, she's much too mellow to be a boy. That can work for girls, but it's a disaster for guys."

"What about Futaro?" Itsuki asked.

Nino said, "And look how close he was to lost before I got with him." Miku and Ichika glanced at each other and grinned, making Nino scowl.

Yotsuba turned to Itsuki and asked, "Well that just leaves you. What do you say? Wanna be our big brother?"

"I want that as much as I want my period to come early."

"Well, you do get it over with sooner-"

"Meaning not at all."

Nino said, "That's a shame. You are the most level-headed of us."

"And I can manage that as a girl, thank you kindly."

Miku said, "I guess it's a good thing we're all girls, then."

Ichika said, "Yeah. It's easier that way anyways."

"Let's see who still feels that way after having kids," Nino said.

Itsuki mused, "You know, I remember Futaro mention something during one of our science lessons. Twins are statistically more likely to have twins themselves. I wonder if it's true for quintuplets."

The table went silent as each sister quietly wondered if they were at risk. Nino wondered if it might be worth risking papa's wrath to ask about birth control after all. Just to be safe.

Yotsuba said, "Well, whoever goes first, we'll be rooting for you. I can't imagine much of anything past graduating, if that's even possible. I never thought about being a mom or anything so big."

Itsuki said, "Neither have I. It doesn't seem in the cards for me."

Miku looked surprised, "I always figured you'd be one of the first. You and Ichika are so mature, I'm sure you'd be good parents someday."

Ichika said, "I'm not thinking about family at all. If I want to make it in the entertainment industry, family is hard, especially as a woman. I thought it'd be you too, Itsuki. And with you wanting to be a teacher and everything, I thought you must be good with kids and it was a natural fit."

Itsuki smiled sadly, "I just don't see it happening. Sorry to disappoint." She looked to Nino and said teasingly, "I guess it's all on you, Nino. Give Futaro a surprise."

"Or five," Miku quipped behind her glass.

Nino blushed and waved her off, "As if that's ever going to happen."

Ichika shrugged, "I'm sure mom thought the same."

Nino said, "You're making a big deal out of nothing. Even if there was a chance, it's still gotta be less than one in a million."

Miku muttered, "Thank goodness."

Yotsuba asked, "You ever wonder what things would be like if we were normal sisters? Like, Ichika born first, Nino a few years later, so on?"

Ichika grinned, "Little Itsuki would be so tiny."

Yotsuba nodded, "I could carry her on my shoulders!"

"You already do that," Miku noted.

Nino shook her head, "I can't imagine what that would be like. It'd be too different from everything we know. That's what makes us so special. Being identical quintuplets is who we are. We share the same memories at the same points in our lives, I can't replace that. Like, remember our first trip with mom? Or the first time she let us join her in grandpa's hot springs?"

Ichika nodded, "We must've been adorable. We shared everything. We had the same favorite food, the same favorite song, the same first crush, the-"

"Wait wait wait! Hold the front door, when did we have our first crush?" Yotsuba asked.

All the girls looked at her as if she lost her head and rose as a duhallan. Miku asked, "Seriously, Yotsuba?"

"What? Am I forgetting something?"

Nino sighed, "Remember that movie we saw when were were six-"

"Seven," Itsuki corrected.

"Right, seven. You gotta know this, Yotsuba, come on. Weekdays in Paradise? Remember?"

"Umm...walk me through it?"

Miku closed her eyes and said, "Maybe you'll remember the scene. The one where the guy first appears. It starts in a library. The camera glides through the entrance to the library desk where this librarian is checking the stamps inside some books."

Ichika continued, "Suddenly we hear this deep, suave voice coming from the camera, trying to get her attention."

Itsuki followed, "She looks up, and she's this young, pretty librarian, probably some up-and-coming actress like Ichika. She pauses when she glances up, she's looking through her glasses and her eyes are so big, green and wide it's like she's just seen the heavens open and she stares ahead open-mouthed like a pretty fish."

Nino finished, "Then the camera turns to follow here eyes and we see this guy, and he is such a man! Strong jaw, slender eyes, sharp cheekbones, tall and big, and he's got this little smile like he knows exactly what she's thinking-"

Yotsuba lit up, "Oh! Oh! I remember now! Then we all looked at each other and said, 'I like this movie!' We tried to rewind it to see it again, but it was live. So we had to convince mama to buy it for us and that was a tough sell."

Nino nodded happily. It was their first shared step into womanhood, a shared sexual awakening. It was one of her most treasured memories of bonding with her sisters. "He was the first guy besides grandpa we saw who wasn't icky. He was dreamy. I still think of him when I think 'man'."

Miku said, "Same. Hey Ichika, maybe you'll get to work with him someday."

Ichika said, "As fun as that may be, that movie was old even when we saw it. Who knows how well he aged. I'd rather he stay perfect like he is in memory."

Yotsuba nodded, "So that explains why I never fell for Futaro, I couldn't remember."

"Huh?"

"I mean you all remembered and you ended up falling for the same guy, it can't be coincidence."

Miku frowned, "Itsuki didn't either."

"Proud to be the exception," Itsuki thrust her fist high in victory.

Ichika said, "You know, it's been a while since we saw that movie. We should see it again sometime."

Nino grinned, "Wanna catch it tonight after studying?"

Miku said, "Why not? It'll be fun seeing him again."

Yotsuba said, "Oh goodie! I still can't remember all the details, it'll be fun!"

Itsuki just nodded and smiled, saying nothing.

These were the moments Nino lived for. Quiet, carefree time spent with her sisters. She didn't worry about her reputation or her boyfriend or her grades, she didn't even worry about the future. Here life was solely lived in the moment. So she didn't think about how their final year in school was coming to an end and the five would someday go their separate ways into the world. Those were thoughts for another day. For now her family was complete in this little private room. Her little world was still small, but it was whole.

~Miku~

Miku didn't know how things worked on the other side of the table. Itsuki wanted to stand in the instructor's role someday. Miku remembered trying before, but she was fine where she was. Still, she recognized the struggle Futaro undertook as their tutor. His job acceptance came with an avalanche of unexpected responsibilities for five wayward young women on the verge of academic failure. But through hard work, a helping of patience and keys to unlock a few hearts, Futaro managed to bring them to the table and help them succeed.

And all of those troubles were just a warm-up for today, because Futaro did not like to share.

Futaro and Takeda arrived at the same time and immediately did everything possible to stay out of each other's way. Miku didn't know how two people could teach at once. There was only ever one teacher leading class at a time, at most there was a teaching assistant waiting on the sidelines. It appeared both men came to the same conclusion. Futaro would teach first and Takeda would answer any questions they had individually as they worked, and after three subjects they would switch. It was a good way to avoid locking horns, which Nino and Itsuki was sure would happen anyways.

Futaro gave them a short quiz to gauge their progress. He gave it to all five of them, but Miku suspected Futaro wanted to see how Ichika and Miku progressed under Takeda. Would Futaro feel bad if they actually improved? But if she did worse, then Takeda would know and he would feel bad. She told herself to stop thinking that way, this wasn't supposed to be a contest between the two. She would try her best. And Takeda had looked so sad that night. She didn't want to let him down again.

Futaro graded their tests. He was frowning. What did that mean? He showed them to Takeda and he frowned too. So much disappointment all around.

Takeda stepped back and Futaro progressed with his first lesson. He started with science, then math. Miku missed his familiar teaching style. After two weeks it was like walking down a well-beaten path. Futaro was strict and disciplined and demanded the same of his students, and after months of struggle he finally earned it.

It was all going quite well until social studies.

Futaro chose East Asian history as their focus for tonight. He wasn't even five minutes into his lecture when everything went out of control.

"The Chinese dynasties maintained incredible wealth and control over their sphere of influence. Chinese imperialism influenced territory as far as-"

"Uesugi? A moment please," Takeda said. "I don't think you mean to refer to the Chinese sphere of influence as imperialism."

"I certainly did."

"Uesugi, you know what imperialism is, right?"

Nino sighed and went to the kitchen.

Futaro rolled his eyes, "I'm familiar with the term, are you?"

Takeda strolled around the table with his finger in the air, wagging it to the beat of his voice, "If you were, you'd know that what scholars commonly refer to as imperialism is more applicable to the forms of government practiced by Western powers."

"And Japan and China."

"Japan yes, China no."

"What would you call it then?"

Nino returned with bags of their favorite snacks. She handed them out and said, "Buckle up and enjoy the flying sparks, this will take a while."

Takeda said, "That's actually an interesting question. We normally refer to imperialism as a national body exercising a form of governmental control over another less-than-sovereign nation, so at first it appears China fits the definition."

"Because it does."

"But, Uesugi, but China's diplomatic relationships were far less an exercise of power and more an exchange of culture and influence. There's a reason China referred to its neighbor states as 'little brothers'."

"Including the occasional invasion and occupation, like all imperial powers."

"The specifics matter, Uesugi. The specifics make the difference."

Ichika asked, "Is this going to take long?"

Itsuki shrugged, "They keep going until they run out of steam." She patted Yotsuba's hand, the girl was leaning forward like a spectator at a title match.

Miku said, "Should we stop them?"

Nino shook her head, "They gotta get it out of their system. Wanna play cards?" Nino was disappointed when Ichika and Miku were more interested in watching the academic drama unfold.

Twenty minutes. They argued over the definition of imperialism for twenty minutes. They would have continued well into the night if Nino hadn't raised her hand and called, "Time!"

The two stuttered to a stop. Takeda asked, "Time?"

"Social studies is over. On to English."

Futaro checked his watch. "Oh. I guess..."

"We did it again," Takeda sighed. "Agree to disagree?"

"No, agree to pick up again later. You are wrong."

"You! No, don't you start."

Yotsuba had watched the debate unfold with rapt attention. At its conclusion she clapped vigorously, shouting, "Magnificent!"

Futaro said, "I hope you learned something, at least."

"Not a thing!"

Futaro glowered and sat down while Takeda took his place in front.

Takeda was proof that intelligence did not follow a single linear path. If Futaro and Takeda were the top students in their year, they each took very different routes getting there, and it reflected in their lessons. Futaro was a military general, a reflection of an old Sengoku warlord who would readily behead the ill-behaved retainer on his battlefield. Takeda, while strict, was more fluid with his lessons. Whereas Futaro's lessons were easily compartmentalized, Takeda tried to make his topics blend into each other.

Today Takeda taught them language, both English and Japanese, and if Miku had her way Takeda would never switch. Takeda's flexible approach worked very well with language. And there was something else.

Yotsuba mouthed, "Kew-yin-tuh-sen-shial. Kew-yin-tuh-sen-shial."

Takeda noticed and said, "Having trouble, Nakano?"

"Kew-yin-tuh-sen-shial."

"Say it with me. Quintessential. Quintessential."

Everyone stopped and looked at him. Nino said, "Where did that come from?"

"Um, sorry Nakano?"

"You sound like those guys in the movies!"

"What guys?"

"The bad guys! The bad guys in all those foreign films!"

Takeda blinked, then understood, "Ah, my accent? It's English. Queen's English, to be specific."

Itsuki asked, "Can you say something in English for us? Like a full sentence?"

Takeda humored her, saying, "Would you look at the time, I must be off to the train station before I miss supper."

Yotsuba smiled, "Wow, that was amazing! Where'd you learn to do that?"

Takeda said, "I studied in England for two years while in primary. My mother and father thought early English education was a good investment."

Nino said, "Well it seems to have paid off." Futaro rolled his eyes and got back to his own studies when he wasn't needed.

Takeda had so much to give. He was so talented, in a different way from Futaro. She felt she'd wasted so much of his time. She wanted to prove him wrong about her. She wanted to show him that all his efforts were worthwhile.

But Takeda had his own difficulty. Not so much with his material, he was clearly getting the hang of tutoring the Nakanos, and five instead of two wasn't the hardest change in routine. It was something else entirely.

"Ah, just one moment Nakano, I need to help Nakano with her translation."

"Oh, that's not quite right Nakano. Check Nakano's transcription and compare."

"Good effort, Nakano, but we need to go over this definition again. I think Nakano over here is having the same problem."

"Takeda?" Miku asked.

"Yes, Nakano?"

"Would it be alright, I mean perhaps it would be less confusing, if you used our first names here?"

Takeda blinked, then said, "Ah, I'm not sure if that's entirely appropriate. I mean, we haven't been working together that long."

"Please!" her distraught sisters begged as one.

Miku said, "How about we use your first name as well? Then it won't be as awkward."

He thought on this for a moment, then agreed, "Okay. Miku. All of you, call me Yusuke."

She didn't expect her name on his voice to sound like the spark of a match in silence. She ignored it and followed Takeda, no, Yusuke, into their next lesson.

He instructed them to read a short story about a girl who was being awarded a series of medals for being such a good child. But after the award ceremony, a wolf breaks into the village and hunts for prey. The girl hides in the bushes, but the wolf hears the clinking of her medals and eats her up.

Yusuke asked them to summarize what they thought the meaning of the story was. Ichika said it was that no matter how good you are, it won't protect you from nature. Yusuke said that was wrong. Nino said it was about how being good was overrated and that it got you hurt. Yusuke said that was closer, but still not there. Then he asked Miku.

She said, "I think it's ironic. She goes through all that trouble to be good, but in the end being good is the thing that got her eaten by the wolf. If she hadn't been good she wouldn't have those medals, and without the medals she wouldn't have been heard."

Yusuke nodded appreciatively and said, "Huh. Looks like you got it, Miku."

There it was. That was all it took to make Miku hope again.

~Yusuke~

"I'm looking at their results from the mock exams," his father said.

Yusuke fought his racing heart as he leaned over the railing on the Nakano's balcony. He said, "Oh, I see. Father, how were they?"

"Which two were your students?"

"Ichika and Miku Nakano."

"And the rest were Uesugi's?"

"Yes, sir."

"His students scored higher than yours."

"Did they now."

Yusuke's heart shut and his mind went blank. He knew what was coming next. It was as familiar as the feel of wind on his face, or wetness in rain. It was as inevitable as the creeping hand of time over his shoulder dragging him into an unwelcome future. He prepared, but it hurt all the same, because for all his preparations his father held the sharpest knife to wound his soul.

"I have your scores too, Yusuke."

"And, how are they?"

"You did well. But not good enough for the top ten."

"I see, sir." One more bullet to bite.

"When will Uesugi make up the exam?"

And here it was. He stepped on the land mine, "He's not taking it."

"He can't?"

"He won't, and no one is forcing him."

His father's silence only delayed the inevitable. When it came, even while numb he would feel.

"He would have beaten you."

"We don't-"

"He beat you already. His students outperformed yours. Didn't you have the smart ones? Why, Yusuke? Why do you keep disappointing me?"

"I don't mean to sir."

"Do I ask too much?"

"No sir."

"So why do you keep failing to deliver?"

Yusuke had no answer to give. At least, none that would satisfy his father.

"How do you plan to fix this, Yusuke."

"I…" He searched for something desperately. "I'm teaching all of them. All five of Doctor Nakano's daughters. We made a deal last Saturday." He didn't mention Uesugi. That was inviting a greater disaster than this already was.

"I see. Yusuke, you've done nothing but fail to meet my expectations all year. This is your last chance to change that."

"Yes sir."

"Fix this, Yusuke. Or I'll have your mother speak with you personally."

No he wouldn't. He wouldn't risk her knowing he couldn't handle their son himself.

"I won't let you down sir."

His father grunted and hung up. Yusuke's hand holding his phone dropped over the edge of the balcony.

He bought himself a reprieve from his father's wrath with news of tutoring all five girls. But leaving out the part about Uesugi means the debt will come due. And when it does it will be paid with interest ten times over in anger and pain. Yusuke knew this. He wasn't scared or apprehensive. He felt nothing. What was the point in fearing what you can't avoid?

He felt something slide along his fingers. He flinched and found he was holding nothing. He looked over the railing and saw his phone tumbling down, down, all the way to the ground. It was fascinating watching it catch the light on its journey. Yusuke counted three, four, five. He couldn't hear it hit concrete, he only saw it bounce over to the grass and become lost.

He searched the dark ground below for a sign of his phone, not really caring if he found it. It was something other to occupy his mind, a meaningless escape from the nothing he wanted to feel.

He didn't notice the door to the balcony open, nor did he notice when one of the girls called his name. He did notice when the girl leaned over the railing beside him and said, "Watcha looking at?"

Takeda blinked, then tried to smile with grace he kept polished like fine china in a cabinet. He said, "Ah, I seem to have lost my phone."

"Lost? How could you lose it here-oh, oh! Down there!" She leaned over the railing and swiveled her head like a searchlight. Then she said, "Wait here, be right back!"

She was gone before he thought to ask who she was or what she was doing, or even which daughter she was. He looked inside and saw four of the girls with Uesugi wrapping up their lesson, as they'd been doing before he excused himself to take his father's call. They didn't notice him. All eyes were on Uesugi. One of the girls had her hand on his arm. That one must be Nino. They were all so close. Months together would do that to anyone. What was he doing mixing himself up in all this? He didn't belong here. But the place where he did belong strangled him.

He looked below and saw a bright dot emerge from the building, it dashed to the grass. What did she expect to find? It'd be broken anyways. It didn't matter, he'd just buy a new one before father noticed. He wouldn't miss the few photos and notes on the device, everything was replaceable.

The girl scavenged through the grass for over a minute using her own phone as a flashlight. Then she reached down to grab something and jumped excitedly like an aerobics teacher before sprinting back inside. In what seemed too short a time for an elevator ride the door opened and she joined him on the balcony with her prize.

She presented it like a birthday present, "Tada! You won't believe your luck! It still works!"

Yusuke looked at his phone. The back glass was shattered and part of the wiring was exposed. He checked the front screen and unlocked it with his finger. The front glass was the cobweb inside an abandoned storage shed, but it worked.

"That's incredible," he said.

The girl nodded, "I couldn't believe it when I found it. I mean you'll probably want a new phone eventually, but at least you didn't lose anything. A couple years ago my sisters and I went on vacation at the beach and I forgot to take my phone out of my top when I went swimming. It was probably damaged in the water anyways, but it fell out while I was like thirty meters off shore. I tried to find it for over an hour, but it was gone. It sucked losing all those memories. Thankfully Nino collects all our photos pretty often so I didn't lose that much. But it's the worst, isn't it?"

Yusuke blinked and tried to keep up with her torrent of speech, it was like waking up falling down a slide at a water park. He said, "Ah, it really is."

"Can I see?" He handed her his phone and she played around with it, "I think everything still works, I couldn't test it when it was locked, but-bwa!" She stuttered as the flash lit up her face. She said, "Er, sorry, I didn't know that button controlled the camera. I'll just delete...no, no that part of the screen is broken. Sorry."

It was so comical that something broke though the numbness inside Yusuke. He chuckled and said, "No, it's fine. Thank you for finding it."

She nodded, "Of course. It's the least I can do, really. You were super helpful when they wrote all those nasty slurs about my sister on her desk. Actually, you were the only one to help. So it meant a lot, to all of us. I think that's why my sisters were willing to accept you as a tutor with Futaro."

Was that what it was? He hadn't thought much of it. It was none of his business, really. So why had he done it again? Was it because he felt he had some debt to Uesugi for helping him prepare for his job? Or was it because he heard Maeda's voice in the back of his head like the baseline of his soul saying, 'because you're a good dude'? Or was it because he knew what it was like to be diminished and made into less than you wanted to be, and seeing someone torn down in class felt like a secret mirror pointed towards himself? Or maybe he was going too far and it was none of that. Maybe he was following his father's advice after all. Be their leader. Who cared?

"Oh, that? It was nothing. Anyone would've done the same."

The girl scratched her nose awkwardly, "Well, they didn't. I kinda felt like I was alone up there. So I'm glad that when Futaro stepped down as class rep, everyone picked you. I wouldn't want to work with any of the other guys, honestly."

Oh, so this was Yotsuba. The so-called 'dumbest of the five'. Strange how that didn't feel important now.

He said, "Well I hope I can live up to your expectations."

"You don't need to worry about that, I don't have many expectations anyways. I mean, not that I don't think you'll do great, just that I'll be glad whatever you do. Ah, can I try again?"

He waited for her to start, then he realized she was actually waiting for his permission. "Er, sure. Of course."

"Okay! I think you're gonna be an awesome class rep, and with the right attitude you'll blow Futaro's performance out of the water like ocean fishing with cannonballs!"

Yusuke thought her smile radiated warm sunlight.

Yotsuba continued, "So, the reason I came out here, and I didn't mean to disturb you, but I wanted to get you caught up on all the class reppy stuff you need to know. But I guess we got sidetracked. So how about we meet tomorrow during break?"

A chance to meet with this ray of sunshine again? He could use the warmth. He said, "Of course, I'm sure there's a lot I need to know."

"Definitey! We still need to set up for the class trip and get everyone's permission and groups It's gonna be fun! See you then!" She turned, then hesitated and said, "And Takeda? Oh, sorry, I mean, well, if I can call you Yusuke."

"You can," he said.

"Okay Yusuke."

He liked the way his name sounded in her voice.

She continued, "So, if there's something bothering you or something you wanna talk about, you can count on me. I'm not much good at most things, but my sisters say I'm a good listener when they can get me standing still."

Yusuke put on his best smile and said, "Thank you, but I'm alright. This," he said and held up his phone, "was just an accident. Everything's alright."

She stuttered, then smiled awkwardly, "Ah, okay. Well, the offer stands. I'm here to help. Goodnight Yusuke! Come inside before you catch cold!" she said and went back inside.

His father told him how important it was to read others in order to be their leader. He wasn't a natural at it, he had to work at it for years to be as good as he was. Sometimes he saw things in others that he didn't expect. Some of it made him feel like he was more open than he should be. When he saw Yotsuba, he knew that she saw something behind his plastic smile. She saw into the uncertainty behind it that he worked so hard to hide. And he could tell that something in her remembered that feeling and reached out to understand.

Yusuke looked away from the group inside and unlocked his broken phone. He turned on his camera and looked at the most recent picture. The flash caught her in a moment of stupor like she was about to sneeze. This woman was a bundle of warmth and kindness and blanket of acceptance. She saw past his defenses and glimpsed his most private insecurity and seemed to say, that's okay, I have it too. And yet I am alive and genuine and happy. Yusuke felt like he was sunbathing in the dead of night.

He stared at her picture and gave a rare, pure smile.

Yusuke fell in love.

A/N

I remember that some readers found parts in the last arc began to run slower than the rest of the story. Momentum in storytelling is a subjective feeling, and while I understand that many prefer stories that keep constant motion forward and that there is great value in maximizing every scene to forward the plot along, I like slow boiling scenes, even ones that seem to add nothing. That's why I wanted a scene with the five sisters just being sisters again. I wanted to bring them together for something happy, just being a family, after all they've been through. Of course there are elements that will play into the plot in the future, but the real point is just to have a break with the Nakanos. I hope you enjoyed it.

Because this next part may earn some curses thrown my way. There is a trend in the fandom (or at least a strong segment that doesn't pair Miku with Futaro directly) to pair Miku with Yusuke after being rejected by Futaro. I have one major problem with this: Yusuke in the story has almost no character. He is boring, too thin and without development. He was rapidly introduced as a challenge for Futaro and quickly sidelined a few chapters later. I saw so much potential in him as a real foil to Futaro, which is why I've added my own spin on his background and motivation. But that same background makes him seek something else in a partner that Miku can't provide. Instead she finds hope in him similar to how she saw it in Futaro before, while he finds a new reason to smile in Yotsuba.

You can imagine where this is going to end. Welcome to the third arc. And Yusuke, welcome to the chaos that is the Nakano family. Learn to love the chaos.

In seriousness, this love triangle is fuel for their own growth and self discovery. A major theme I try to portray is our conflicting expectations of love versus our actual needs for love. This love triangle is a means for several characters (not just those three) to come further into themselves and grow. It's just a shame that not all growth can be painless. Call it growing pains.

More to come soon, and hopefully sooner than this one. This chapter was light on actual romance between the main couple, but we'll have more of them (and Futaro's family) in the next chapter. Thank you to everyone for your great reviews, I loved reading them when I got back online. I look forward to reading your next reviews and working on the next chapter.