Chapter 17

A few days later…

Just as what happened in my previous life, our homeroom period started with the announcement of the yearly school trip for the second year students. Our homeroom teacher passed out pamphlets with details regarding the trip, and so far there hasn't been any changes to it as far as I could see.

Our teacher would give out the usual spiel about the trip, that is was our well deserved reward for surviving our midterms and that it was the time for us to relax and all that stuff, but if memory serves me right I did everything BUT relax on that trip. I didn't pay much attention to what the teacher was saying because I had already known what he was going to say. It had already gotten to the point where he was asking for volunteers to take charge of the test of courage to be done on the first night of the trip. I raised my hand knowing full well that my classmates would force it onto me regardless.

Our teacher seemed surprised but tried his best to hide it. "Oh, you wish to volunteer, Uesugi? I didn't expect you of all people to volunteer, but I'll leave the test of courage in your hands then. Is anyone else willing to join him?"

Itsuki was about to raise her hand, but I stopped her from raising it. "You're afraid of these types of things, aren't you? Don't volunteer for this, I wouldn't want you stressing yourself over something you aren't comfortable with."

She was about to retort when she saw me holding her hand. She turned bright red and nodded slowly and quickly moved her hand out of mine.

Anyways, after I volunteered it seemed like no one wanted to join me. I expected as much, and besides, I knew Yotsuba was going to be keeping me company along with the representatives of the remaining classes. And after a couple more reminders about the school trip, classes finally began and weirdly enough passed in the blink of an eye.

I stretched and got out of my seat. Itsuki had stood up as well and looked at me. "Uesugi-kun, I hope you don't mind asking me this, but why did you volunteer for the test of courage? Normally you would have just kept quiet and not bother with this kind of thing."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I volunteered because I would end up being in charge anyway. People usually give me these kinds of jobs since they themselves don't want to deal with it. So might as well hurry it along and offer myself as tribute, and to be honest I don't really mind."

Itsuki looked a little concerned but nodded. "Alright, as long as you aren't being forced to do it, then I won't be worried about it, and… thanks for stopping me from volunteering. I would not have been of any help to you and the others if I did. But how did you know that I easily get scared? I'm sure I haven't told you about it."

I smirked, "Let's just say that I learned a thing or two about you guys just by observing you."

And with that, we made our way to the library for our daily tutoring session. Yotsuba and the others were already at our usual table. She saw us and waved. "Itsuki! Uesugi-san! Over here!"

We waved hello to everyone as we sat down.

"School trip! School trip! I can't believe were all going on a trip!" squealed Yotsuba in excitement.

Nino gave an annoyed look and pinched both sides of Yotsuba's face. "Shut it! We already know we're going on a school trip, so could you quiet down a bit?"

"Hey now, let's not get rough here. Don't you guys think we're drawing in too much attention with all the stuff the two of you are doing?" said Ichika as she tried to calm Nino down, but to no avail.

"If anything, it's you who's drawing in all the attention." said Miku as she assisted Ichika. "With you starring in that drama series and with Fuutarou being a recurring character, everyone's eyes have been on us…"

I shuddered at the thought of me being an actor. "You don't have to remind me. With all the preparation for the shoots and tutoring I barely have any time to rest. I seriously hope that my character disappears early into the series so that I won't have to act so much anymore!"

"Oh don't be such a killjoy, Fuutarou-kun." said Ichika as she slapped my back. "You're starting to develop a fanbase now, it would be such a waste if you disappear now!"

"They only like him because of your hair and makeup crew. I mean who wouldn't like him if he had blond hair, blue eyes, and a decent personality? I mean based on the character description, poster, and trailer, anyone would think he's a heartthrob!" argued Nino.

"I didn't know you were such a fan of the series, Nino." I said as I observed how analytic Nino was regarding the series, if only she was like this with her studies too…

"Geh! I just wanted to support Ichika! That's all, and I guess you too since you helped us get this far anyway." She said with a somewhat defiant look.

I raised my arms in defeat. "Alright, alright. Enough with the chitchat, we've got more important things to discuss."

"Like the school trip!" said Yotsuba, a huge grin on her face.

"Oh yeah, did you guys hear about the bonfire they do at the end of the school trip? Apparently, it's said that you'll be bound by fate for life with the person you dance with, no wonder guys have been confessing left and right lately…" said Nino, causing Ichika to tense up a bit.

"No! The school trip talk can wait." I said, annoyed, but the look on the quints faces really showed how excited they were for the school trip, so I sighed and gave in. "Fine, let's not study today then and talk about the school trip."

All five of them jumped with joy as today's tutoring session was cancelled. Ichika hooked her arm around mine and smiled. "And with that… Onee-chan says we all go shopping for the upcoming trip! We don't have much time before the trip, after all.

I looked at her in shock, "Now wait a damn minute! Don't drag me into this! I don't have any money on me right now! And even if I did, I'd much rather use it on something more practical like textbooks!"

"You're no fun, Fuutarou-kun! But fine, since you don't want to spend any money, we'll pitch in and get you an outfit you can wear, how does that sound?"

All the quints nodded, even Nino seemed to be on board with it! I sighed and nodded, "Fine, we can go on a shopping trip, but wait Ichika, don't you have a meeting with Oda-san in 30 minutes? I'm surprised you even showed up to our session today."

The color drained from Ichika's face as she remembered about her meeting. "I… I knew that! Just wanted to ask Miku-chan something before I left is all!" She then turned to Miku, "Miku-chan! It seems like another guy is trying to confess to me, could you please reject him in my stead? He asked to meet with me in 30 minutes but like what Fuutarou-kun said, I have a meeting to attend to!'

Miku nodded and gave a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I don't mind." She then got her bag and pulled out a wig resembling Ichika's hairstyle and put it on. "I'm ready for every possible quint escape plan!"

"You're the best, Miku-chan! You guys can go ahead! I'll catch up to you guys at the mall." Ichika hugged Miku tightly before leaving for her meeting.

Seeing as there wasn't anything stopping everyone from leaving, we all started packing up. Nino, Yotsuba, and Itsuki headed off to the mall while I stayed back with Miku.

"Fuutarou? Why aren't you going with Nino and the others?" asked Miku, surprised that I was walking with her towards Ichika's classroom.

"Confessions can get a little messy, let's just say that I wouldn't want anything bad happening to you or Ichika. Don't worry, I wont butt in unless absolutely necessary. Besides, who wouldn't want a little support when putting out a performance?" I say casually.

Miku blushed and didn't say a word. We eventually arrive at Ichika's classroom, and just as in my previous life, Maeda was waiting inside. I didn't reveal myself but I gave Miku a pat on the back, "You got this." I whispered before she entered the room.

Maeda looked flustered when Miku entered the room. "N-Nakano-san! You're here earlier than you said you would!"

"My schedule freed up, so I got here a little earlier, is something wrong? You seem really tense, Maeda-kun."

I knew what Maeda was going to say, heck, even Miku had a vague idea on what was going on. Maeda cleared his throat before bowing. "I like you, Ichika Nakano! Please dance with me for the school trip bonfire!"

And there it was, Maeda's confession. Miku looked flustered but this was all within her expectations. "Thank you for asking, Maeda-kun, I'll give you my reply next time, I need to gather my thoughts about this…"

"I want to hear it now! I won't be able to sleep at night until I know your answer. I know this sounds crazy, but please, I need to know if I have a chance."

"I… I can't, Maeda-kun. I'm sorry…"

"But why? You're still single, aren't you? And I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty good-looking guy!" said Maeda as he had trouble processing everything. Seeing as how this was going bad really quick, I had to butt in already.

"It's because she's dancing with me, man. I asked Ichika to dance with me long before you did." I say as I walk into the room, much to Miku's surprise.

A vein was about to pop on Maeda's head as I entered. "Huh? Who the hell are you? And don't go around casually using Nakano-san's first name like that!"

"The name's Fuutarou Uesugi, Ichika's tutor and co-star on the Quintessential Bride. With you being so drawn to Ichika I would have thought you would have known who I was. But anyways, I asked Ichika to the bonfire dance a few days ago while we were at work. And she said she would dance with me."

Maeda then looked at Miku, "Is this true, Ichi- I mean, Nakano-san? Are you really going to the bonfire with this plain looking dude?"

I felt an arrow stab through my heart when he called me plain, but Miku nodded. "Yes, Fuutarou-kun asked me after we did our first table reading for the pilot episode. It was quite sudden, but I said yes and promised that I would dance with him during the bonfire."

"Awww damn it, I can't believe I lost to this plain looking guy…"

"Fuutarou isn't plain!" Shouted Miku, "He's cool, and smart… and he at least has manners and is very respectful, unlike you! You ask a girl to come here and suddenly ask her to dance with you, and you have the gall to insist that she choose you over the guy she wants to dance with? I love him, and I'd definitely choose him over you, Maeda-kun."

Maeda and I blanked out for a bit after that last bit, "Eh?" was all we could say before I came back to my senses. Seeing as it had come to this, I sighed and went with Miku's narrative. I held Miku by the hand and smile. "Yeah, she'll choose me, her lover, over you. Sorry about that, man."

Miku blushed but still remained in character. "This is why I have to reject your confession, Maeda-kun. Fuutarou-kun and I are dating right now, and I'm sure you'll find another woman aside from me, so don't let this get to y-"

"Then kiss." Said Maeda sternly as he balled up his fists.

"Excuse me?" asked Miku as even she was surprised by this.

"If you really are lovers, you wouldn't mind kissing right here and now, right? I mean, kissing should be normal for you two by now, right?"

"I couldn't possibly do it right now!" said Miku as she shook her head wildly, her face reddening with each passing second.

Maeda looked annoyed, "So you two aren't lovers after all, you li-"

"Fine, if that's all you need as proof, I don't mind." I said as I held Miku by her chin and leaned in, my lips inches away from hers. Miku resisted at first, but she eventually relented. I've already kissed Miku once before, and I sure as hell can do it again, although I wish it were under better circumstances...

My lips were literally a centimeter away from Miku's at this point. She closed her eyes and prepared for her first ever kiss, and I did the same. This was probably going to be the first highlight of my reincarnation story, but then suddenly a loud sound interrupted us.

BANG!

Maeda had slammed his fist onto the desk beside him, leaving a small indentation in the metal. "Alright, alright! I get it! You two are dating now." He said with a defeated look. "Damn it! All I wanted was to get a girlfriend before the school trip! Am I going to stay single for the rest of my life now?"

I let go of Miku's face and walked up to him. "Hey man, its not the end of the world, we still have a lot of time to enjoy it. Who knows? Maybe you'll meet your future girlfriend at the bonfire itself, you'll never know."

Maeda looked up to me, hope glimmering in his eyes. "You really think so? Man, I never thought you'd be the one to cheer me up!" With him being reinvigorated, he put his arm over my shoulders and smiled. "You better treat her right, Uesugi!"

"Oh I'll make sure to do so, Maeda, you can count on me."

And with that, Maeda left the room, leaving only me and Miku in the classroom.

Miku then tugged on the sleeve on my shirt. "Fuutarou… just so you know… that was all just part of the act. I… don't really love you or anything like that! I do respect you and cherish you as a friend though, please don't misunderstand!"

Miku then hurriedly left the classroom to catch up with Miku and the others. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I then saw a message from my father.

"Raiha collapsed while she was at school today, seemed like she had a really high fever and didn't tell any of us. Bring back some medicine if you can. Thanks."