Of all the people crowded in the warehouse, perhaps the most surprised of all are the quintuplets, whose fear was cut short and replaced by the surprise of seeing someone they know come to their rescue, and of all the people it could have been, it's their classmate and hired tutor whom they've barely known for a few days. As much as Fuutarou looks different in that strange outfit, it's definitely him and his voice they hear that a certain sister finds unbearably annoying, even now.
Fuutarou simply stands there, looking around at everyone present whom he has left in complete silence by his surprise entrance.
"Who are you, child?" The head thug asks, setting aside the briefcase with the money and cautiously approaching the scene. His thugs, more than unsure, look utterly confused. For all they knew, a strange girl had walked in unnoticed and was now here, in front of them, apparently confronting them.
"I am the tutor of these girls". He replies without taking his eyes off Asamura. "And I think I was very clear that you leave them alone".
Asamura still stands still, hands about to tug at his pants not understanding what's going on before quickly recovering.
"Tutor? Huh?". He questions before standing up and shrugging his shoulders. "Mhmm, I don't remember anyone talking about you before".
"Look, you better get the hell out of here. I don't know what these girls mean to you, but if you think you can just walk up and rescue them you're fucking wrong". Says the boss standing next to Asamura. Both men now stand between Fuutarou and the quintuplets.
"I'm feeling lucky today, so if you don't want to be the sixth girl in my newly acquired Harem, I recommend you get the fuck out of here". Asamura snaps with venom in his voice.
Fuutarou places a hand on his hip and sighs wearily.
"God, I hate brutes who only think with the wrong head".
"Well, we warned you". Says the boss turning to his subordinates spread throughout the warehouse. "Hey you idiots! If you want to get paid, get rid of this brat!".
After the boss relayed his new orders, 9 thugs around him approach Fuutarou menacingly, including Asamura's driver, who joins the fray after a quick glance from his boss.
"...I don't have time for this". Fuutarou sighs before placing a clawed hand at his side. Moments later, with a rumbling hum, three Mexican pink luminous spheres appear floating above his palm, causing everyone, including the thugs approaching him, to stiffen at the sight.
Fuutarou, without giving them time to do anything else, throws the spheres into the air and they fragment into smaller spheres that rush at an imperceptible speed before piercing the chests of the 8 thugs and Asamura's driver. The dry sound of bodies collapsing to the ground is all that is heard now, at least until the white knight spoke again.
"Now you will tell me everything you know. I will not repeat myself".
The boss and Asamura blink, they can hardly believe what they saw, was that real?. This girl had just killed all their men with something that could only be described as magic, as unreal as that sounds. However, anger quickly overcomes their confusion and both men reach into the back of their jeans to draw their weapons, two M9 Berettas.
"F-Fuutarou..." Miku moans under her breath when she sees the new danger that appeared on the scene.
"It's over you idiot!". Exclaims the boss pointing directly at Fuutarou's head. "I'm going to kill you right here and now you fucking freak!".
"I'm going to fill your ass with lead, bitch!". Asamura shouts.
Fuutarou, however, seems completely unmoved by this even as he is being aimed directly with two guns to the head. Seconds later, the air thunders as the sound of the two guns firing in unison echoes through the atmosphere, the resulting echo causing the quintuplets to reflexively close their eyes and recoil as their eardrums vibrate painfully from the brutal sound amplified by the warehouse walls.
"FUUTAROU-KUN!". Yotsuba shouts in prey to worry once she reacts.
Quickly recovering, the quintuplets turn to look at the scene again, unable to believe their eyes.
Standing there, completely unmoved as he had been since the first time he appeared, was Fuutarou, with the palm of his left hand extended in front of his face holding between his index and middle fingers the bullets that had been fired without reaching their target.
"I-Impossible". Asamura mutters, having real trouble comprehending the situation.
'Did he just stop the bullets with his fingers?'
Was the thought of everyone other than Fuutarou, who looked at the shells between his fingers curiously before tossing them contemptuously to the side. The clinking of the shells sent a wave of fear towards both men.
"Shots. How primitive". Fuutarou says with amusement before snapping his fingers, causing the guns even in the men's trembling hands, unable to completely empty the remaining cartridge to begin to burn.
Literally.
A black colored fire erupted from the guns, causing both criminals to instinctively drop them with a frightened gasp.
The quintuplets watch totally stupefied as that mysterious fire melts the metal of the weapons in a matter of seconds, and that was not an exaggeration, even the typical resulting liquid obtained from the melting of the metal was evaporated due to the monstrous temperature of the flames, leaving two small scorched spots on the concrete. The resulting sizzle once the fire disappeared the same way it appeared, sent a rusty aroma everywhere.
The men, making use of what little courage they had left, still stood their ground even as their legs trembled in fear once Fuutarou approached them at a slow pace.
"Get away, get away, get the hell away from me!". Asamura shouts the moment he realizes that Uesugi is heading towards him, but to the tutor dressed completely in black, he doesn't care about his demands.
"Hey, I don't want any trouble. I have nothing to do with your business, girl". Pleads the boss raising his hands in surrender. "This bastard here hired me to kidnap these girls, I don't know what business he has with them or where he knows them from, I just did the job. That's all I know, I swear, so leave me out of it".
"I-Idiot! Don't leave me like this!". Asamura mumbled before nervously turning back to Fuutarou, who was no longer in front of them.
At a speed that no one in the room could catch, Fuutarou appeared right in the middle of both men, who recoil from his sudden presence before Fuutarou extends a hand towards the former gang leader's face.
"Then take a nap". From that outstretched hand a kind of yellow-colored smoke billowed out, and the next moment, the man fell fast asleep on his back with a dry sound.
Asamura is now completely alone and terrified. With a liquid stain appearing on his pants, the man drops to his knees.
"P-please! I beg you! T-these girls, me-". The man begins before his voice is inexplicably cut off as he silently moans in pain due to his throat forcibly closing for a few seconds before opening again. Asamura gasps spasmodically trying to catch his breath.
"I see...a curse". Fuutarou mutters with a hand on his chin. "Apparently whoever you work for doesn't want you to open your mouth. Interesting."
Approaching him, Fuutarou's silhouette looms over Asamura, who looks up in fear.
"Who are you working for? what do you want with these girls? Surely you don't want them just because they're pretty".
Asamura struggles with his words before growling angrily. "No! What am I supposed to do!? I'll never say a word, you damn witch!".
Fuutarou turns his head and fixes his gaze momentarily on Nino and Ichika, who at this point have managed to awkwardly sit up to watch the scene unfold in its entirety. The girls shrink back a little at the yellow eyes silently analyzing them. A little further over, Fuutarou sees the rest of the quintuplets and manages to catch a glimpse of Itsuki's state, causing him to grunt softly before returning to the pathetic attempt at man at his feet.
"If you tell me everything you know, I'll kill you without you suffering".
"N-Never! D-Don't underestimate me!". Asamura shouted. "I will never sell out my master!".
"I see". Fuutarou said with a shrug. "It will be the hard way then".
Without another warning to give, Fuutarou threw a right hook to Asamura's face, causing it to bend horribly as some drops of blood and saliva splattered on the floor. Before he could recover, Fuutarou threw another hook, bending his face in the opposite direction.
Some quintuplets found themselves silently satisfied at the sight, while others were shocked that Fuutarou's frail silhouette had such monstrous strength.
"AAAAAAAAAAGH! W-WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!?". Screaming in a state of utter panic, Asamura clutches his face while spitting out a pair of bloody teeth. "H-HOW!? AAAAAAAAAH MY FACE IS BURNING!".
"You beat up my students, so I returned the favor". Fuutarou begins. "And answering your question: speed up the speed of your thoughts". The tutor's golden gaze penetrates the soul.
"The pain of those blows you felt for hours".
The deathly icy tone of voice, caused not only Asamura, but also the quintuplets behind to swallow saliva in terror at the implications of his words.
"Last chance, would you tell me something? any names or a clue?".
"W-Wait wait! Th-these girls are- Aaargh!". Again, Asamura's throat constricts in on itself, this time much more intensely than before to the point where new drops of blood begin to drip from his lips and his face takes on an unnatural blue color. After the effect ceased after a few long seconds, Asamura falls unconscious, finally giving in to all the exhaustion both mental and physical that he has been subjected to.
It was a pitiful sight.
Looking at both men lying on the ground, Fuutarou sends them a deep frown of disapproval before getting to work. Inspecting the belongings of all the gang members, including his two men of interest, Fuutarou robs them, taking their wallets and cell phones as well as those of the quintuplets that were confiscated during their abduction, stuffing everything into his stomach for inspection later.
Using a razor retrieved from the ex-boss's jacket, Fuutarou breaks the bridles holding the limbs of the quintuplets, who are in complete silence, afraid even to utter a single word.
Once done, the Nakano stand up while moving and massaging their joints sore from both the prolonged awkward position and the partial blockage in their circulation. With Miku having the most difficulty of them, Ichika and Nino help her to her feet.
They follow silently waiting for instructions from Fuutarou, who is finishing with Itsuki's bindings, gesturing for her to look directly at him so he can examine the severity of her wound, fortunately the bleeding has stopped and it's not serious.
"Relax, you're going to be fine". Fuutarou tells her in a calm tone in an attempt to comfort his student. Itsuki can only nod fearfully before watching as a sort of turquoise colored watery ball appears in Fuutarou's right hand. Unlike the pink magic ball, the intrinsic, serene glow it emitted almost convinced Itsuki that this would not hurt her, though she could not be completely sure. Nakano 1 through 4 had similar feelings of worry about what might happen to their youngest.
Fuutarou gently moved his hand to place it on Itsuki's head before crushing that ball with his fist, causing it to explode like a water balloon. The liquid it seemed to be made of fell on Itsuki's head and shoulders, who reflexively tensed up waiting for the typical sensation of having her clothes wet.
Which did not come. She hadn't gotten soaked.
Itsuki watched in amazement as the area of her nose lit up with a soft blue light. After that, she suddenly felt a sense of physical relief run through her entire body from head to toe, especially in her face. The stinging pain of her broken nose disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. Itsuki carefully touched the bridge of her nose and gently slid her fingers to the tip, feeling no pain, she touched it a little harder.
It was intact.
Sure, she could still feel the dried blood around it, but that paled in comparison.
"Better?"
"...Yes, it's... better now". Itsuki nods and mumbles, unable to look him directly in the eye.
"Is anyone else hurt?". Nodding after helping Itsuki to her feet, Fuutarou turns to the others to see if he has to repeat the process. "What about you, Nino? You got slapped and pulled pretty hard, and you, Miku? Your foot doesn't look good." Fuutarou asked pointing to the bruise on Miku's left foot.
"I'm fine..." Says Nino scornfully with a mumble, with Miku just shaking her head fearfully.
With a blank expression, Fuutarou just sighs before summoning another pair of those healing spheres again, this time in both hands and throwing them at Nino and Miku's face with a lazy motion. The spheres burst again as soon as they reached their target and both sisters feel the itch on their cheek and foot respectively, disappeared completely with the same glow of soft light.
"U-Uhm... I-In fact-". Ichika, remembering something, interrupts her contemplation of the strange liquid that cured her sisters before timidly catching Fuutarou's attention, who interrupts her once he knows what she will be referring to.
"Don't worry, I already took care of that man". Fuutarou assured. "It's okay, he won't wake up until tomorrow, so I'll send him home once I'm done here".
The first sister could only murmur in assent before lowering her gaze to the pavement. Ichika clung to her confusion in pursuit of not feeling miserably guilty. Her sisters don't say a word and simply look at her with concern.
Fuutarou sighed internally at her reaction, she had a lot of explaining to do, though on the bright side of things, she wasn't the only one and she probably got the easy part.
"Alright, we're leaving. All of you come closer to me". Without much choice, the quintuplets complied with his request, gathering in a circle of 6.
Fuutarou folded his arms and braced herself for what was to come. Just as he did with Raiha, a bright blue circle appeared at the feet of the group, squinting at the glow of the light emitting from the circle as they gasped in awe.
Fuutarou turned around momentarily and fixed his gaze on the wooden box where the briefcase with the million yen still lay. Despite his financial situation, he was definitely not going to use dirty money that was about to be used in the white slave trade, so with a wave of his hand, the black fire from before appeared again, this time inside the briefcase. In a matter of seconds, the fire subdued the paper money before disappearing, leaving some charred ashes that were blown away by the night winds coming in through the loading dock. With that done, Fuutarou lowered his gaze to the shadow cast by the box.
"Clean up this mess and take care of Ichika's friend". He said casually.
Fuutarou talking to something or someone out of nowhere was more than enough reason to stand back and let it be.
With nothing else to do, the hired tutor finally activated the spell and just like Raiha, in less than the blink of an eye, the quintuplets' line of sight was replaced by the living room on the highest floor of their skyscraper.
Staggering at the abrupt change in location, the quintuplets scan their surroundings.
Had they just teleported? The answer seemed obvious.
"...that... was that magic?". Against all odds, the fourth sister speaks first as she hugs her arms. "Does m-magic really exist, Uesugi-san?".
Well, she had just asked the question that no one dared to verbalize.
"Yes..."
For a person who didn't want to use magic again, he had been quite hypocritical with himself. Is this what masturbation addicts feel when they relapse again after a couple of days of abstinence? As a magical creature, abstaining from using magic...yeah, maybe that makes sense.
Standing in the living room, Fuutarou notices that Nino and Ichika haven't bothered to go to their rooms to change clothes, probably because they, like their sisters who had just sat down heavily on the couch, are having trouble processing tonight's events and need answers. While understandable, this means that both sisters' ripped yukatas reveal how broad Nino's chest is and how curvy Ichika's bottoms are, or so it was until they both realize it and use the small blanket on the armrest of the couch that the sisters quickly share so that they can all cover themselves and bring each other comfort with the warmth of their bodies.
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Yeah, no one really knows how to start the inevitable conversation.
Drawing a parallel to the day he gave them the diagnostic test, the quintuplets are sitting on the couch, with Fuutarou standing in front of them.
"What the hell was that all about, Uesugi?". Nino, unable to contain himself any longer at the tide of questions crossing her mind and at the awkward silence, looks at Fuutarou with pleading, sharp eyes. Her voice noticeably trembles, whether from stress or anger is unknown.
Still unsure of what to do or what to expect next, the quintuplets wait for Fuutarou to construct his answer to her sister's question.
With a heavy sigh, Fuutarou looks directly at them. "I have a lot to explain, but let's start from the beginning. Ichika".
The sister nods at his call and looks at him as she snuggles a little more into the blanket.
"I don't know how many times I've told you this, but I have no right to interfere in your personal affairs. However, circumstances make me have to ask you who was that man you were with at the festival and where were you headed?".
"W-wait a minute...how do you know that?". Ichika asked nervously. Fuutarou raised a hand towards her to stop the girl's mind from jumping to hasty conclusions.
"I was just hanging out visiting the festival together with my sister until I saw that they were having trouble". Fuutarou says calmly. "Ichika, I don't mean to expose you in front of your sisters, but as part of my job, I need to know what you intended to do".
"L-Like what part of your job?". Nino shouts, leaning forward a bit as she covers her chest with the blanket. "Stop. You're saying this is all Ichika's fault!?".
"Don't put words in my mouth, Nino. Like I said, I have to know". Fuutarou reprimands, making the second sister bite her tongue. Actually, she was also curious as to what her sister had planned to do with the warehouse guy.
She wasn't the only one. Five pairs of eyes bore into Ichika waiting for her response and she can't really tell for sure which of them all put the most pressure on her person.
Ichika sighs, there was no point in hiding it anymore.
"I...I swear I didn't mean to do anything wrong". Ichika begins, looking at some dead spot on the glass table in front of her. "That man is my colleague from my part-time job, Oda-san. I...was planning to sneak out of the festival and go with him to a movie audition".
Ichika only tenses at the looks she knows her sisters are giving her, waiting for her to elaborate.
"Half a year ago, at a talent search competition at our old school's acting club, a manager, Oda-san, approached me and offered me this job". Ichika explained without taking her eyes off the crystalline surface.
"So that's your famous secret part-time job". Itsuki murmured, to which Ichika just nodded in silent affirmation.
"So the time I saw you get out of a mystery man's car..." Miku pointed out once she connected the dots in her head.
"Yeah, that's what my secret part-time job consists of, I'm an actress. Under your guidance, I've been offered a number of roles, mostly for low budget movies as a background extra, or just modeling props and clothing for small stores". Ichika pauses to allow herself a painful smile.
"Those last ones couldn't even pay the rights to my image, so my face never came up. But a couple of weeks ago, I heard that there would be a casting call today for a big-budget movie role, which meant I could finally make my debut...that's if I had participated".
Ichika's voice cracks, the girl finally overtaken by the sea of feelings and emotions she has been exposed to.
"I thought I had become the reliable big sister when I started working on this. I decided not to tell them anything until I got results, stayed silent and ignored our tradition of watching the fireworks together. I'm sorry, I have no right to complain, please forgive me". Ichika brings her hands to her face in an attempt to calm her tears. "I'm a horrible person, I chose a stupid audition over my family. If I hadn't... If only I hadn't been so selfish, we all would have been at the festival together and none of this would have happened".
The prey in Ichika's eyes let loose in droves, drowning in her misery. Or that is until the stranger in the room spoke again.
"I think that's not the case at all, Ichika". Fuutarou says, they all look at him confused. "It wouldn't have mattered if all of you were together like you were supposed to be, since you're all in danger".
"W-What do you mean by that, Fuutarou?". Miku asks.
"I haven't been completely honest with you. The reality is this, your father hired me not only to be your tutor . I'm also your bodyguard".
"Bodyguard?". Yotsuba asks placing a hand on her chest. "What are you protecting us from?".
"A few days ago, your driver, Ebata-san, was found murdered in his car after dropping you off at this building".
"Oh...oh, my...". Itsuki covers her mouth with both hands in horror. "E-Ebata-san..." Now it's Itsuki's turn for her eyes to crystallize.
The others show similar reactions. Despite being their chauffeur, he was close enough to them that even the older man was invited to hang out at Grandpa's hot springs together with the family, so receiving this news was another low blow of the many in the past few hours, especially for Ichika as her mood is the most sensitive at the moment.
"T-That assassin is coming after us, then?". Making use of her title as the smartest of the quintuplets, Miku deduces. "That's why chief hired you?". Fuutarou nods in affirmation.
"Yes. After seeing the strange circumstances in Ebata-san's death, your father deduced that that killer isn't just a bad guy who's after you because you're daughters of a rich family. It's likely to be someone like me...a magician, I mean".
The girls show varying degrees of reaction to that statement, the vast majority clenching the fabric of their laps or simply biting their lip to the point where they seemed to start bleeding.
"That's why I questioned Ichika about your affair, because I need to check that your friendships are not a threat to you, as I suspect that, whoever this assassin is, he is the boss of the one who hired those gang members to kidnap them. And from what they said, it was clear that they had been watching them for some time". Fuutarou explains.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Nino shouts, jumping to her feet and completely ignoring that her purple bra is back in public view, she begins her tirade.
"None of this makes any sense! How come we didn't find out about Ebata-san sooner if it happened right under our fucking noses? Why didn't papa tell us anything and kept telling us Ebata-san was so busy when he already...? That's fucking sick!".
"Your father used his influence and his staff to keep the case secret so that you guys wouldn't find out and wouldn't get scared".
"You sound like you've known him for a long time, Uesugi-san". Yotsuba punctuates with a doubtful look and a tone of voice uncharacteristic of her. "You lied that day to Itsuki and me, didn't you? You really don't know dad recently or am I wrong?".
"No, you're right Yotsuba. I've known your father for a few months..." Surprisingly the girls watch as Fuutarou looks uncomfortable at all things. "You could say he has been my benefactor after a certain incident".
"Incident?". Ichika asks, now calm enough to join the fray.
"Hey! Why the fuck didn't you tell us any of this from the beginning? If you're supposed to be protecting us, why wait until something like this happened to tell us who you really are and what your real purpose is? wait a minute! You haven't even told us who the fuck you are and what you want! OH, AND LET'S NOT EVEN TALK ABOUT FUCKING MAGIC EXISTING IN THIS WORLD AND YOU HAVEN'T DEIGNED TO GIVE US A FUCKING EXPLANATION!". Nino bursts out in fury, causing Ichika to grab her hand to calm her down and allow the conversation to keep flowing. Reluctantly, Nino returns to the safety of the blanket on the couch.
"Their father hired me for two reasons, the first: to help them improve their grades to the point where they can safely graduate high school and go to university and the second: to keep them safe and out of harm's way while I hunt down this magical assassin". Fuutarou begins in a matter-of-fact tone.
"And as for what I think they're most interested in, you're wrong about that, Nino. Magic doesn't really exist...in this world, at least".
"Wait...this world? y-you mean..." Itsuki says, swallowing saliva for what her tutor might say next.
"That mage and I, we're bugs in the system, aberrations that shouldn't exist, but do".
"Wait a minute! You mean you're not from this world or something?". Ichika asks with wide eyes. "You're like an alien?".
"No Ichika, I'm from this planet". Said a somewhat amused Fuutarou about Ichika's deduction before sighing. "This world is not the only one that exists, girls. There is another world, in another dimension, if you want to look at it that way. One where everything you ever imagined as a child is real. Magic, monsters, demons, angels, hell, heaven, harpies, orcs, elves, dragons, demon lords, heroes and whatever bullshit the entertainment world has instilled as a standard for what a fantasy world should have. For whatever reason, I ended up in that place and came back. Since then I've been trying to live a normal life, or so I hoped until this problem came up, which, by its nature, I can't ignore".
Fuutarou looks at the quintuplets, especially Nino.
"About why I didn't tell them anything from the beginning, well..." Fuutarou pauses before continuing.
"Hello everyone, it's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Uesugi Fuutarou, your father hired me because an assassin mage is coming after you, but don't worry! I acquired my powers in another world so you have nothing to fear since I will be your bodyguard and besides that, I will help you to improve your grades. We will learn and have a lot of fun!". Fuutarou said in the most animated and bubbly voice he could muster mimicking Yotsuba's style as he exaggerated his movements to make a point.
"I'm not a bad tutor!".
"It's okay, we get it!". Nino shouted as she repeatedly punched the air with her fists, causing a funny movement in a certain area. "Yeah, it sounds pretty ridiculous when you put it that way! But you were still able to do something ahead of time. For a bodyguard, you sure suck at it, why Itsuki got hurt!". Nino pointed a finger at Itsuki as she glared at the thing in front of her with a scowl.
"Yeah, I have no excuse for that. I had already arrived a bit before I appeared in front of everyone. I admit that I took advantage of her situation as bait to see if the guy who killed Ebata-san would show up, but it looks like he played it safe and used a third party to have them. Though on the bright side of things, that third party had a curse with him that seemed to hurt him every time he tried to say something important, so it's a solid lead to follow".
"It was lucky you were there to save us, though". Miku mentions, causing everyone to look at her for a second before lowering their gaze in contemplation, save for a certain someone who gritted her teeth.
"Did you not hear what he said!? This bastard here was about to let us get raped by that idiot! What back guard or whatever the fuck does that? Clearly we can't trust him even if he made that damn dramatic entrance and saved us". Surprisingly, Nino stutters, unable to keep her cheeks from flushing once her brain fully registered what she herself was saying.
Letting out one of many sighs already tonight, Fuutarou rests his hand on his hip. "About that. If it wasn't for the shit that happened tonight, I would never have told or shown you guys anything about this side of me at all".
"You never wanted to show us?". Asks a wide-eyed Yotsuba. "But why not, Uesugi-san?".
"Not just because it would change their behavior around me, which is already inconvenient if I want to do my job as their tutor properly. But because, as you could see, magic is dangerous. Yes, it is true that a fantasy world where magic is the norm exists. And unless you are literally born and live there, you would never think that such a thing really exists unless you are fucking drunk or doped up. But like everything else, there are exceptions like me, who had the bad fortune to fall into that hell and had the good fortune to come back to this side". Fuutarou says frowning as he speaks.
"And let me cut off any silly ideas you're having right now. Magic and that world aren't pretty at all. It's not a place where some idiot gets reincarnated, becomes a hero who has to defeat the demon lord of the day and gets a harem of voluptuous girls along the way. No. It is a hostile and dangerous world where only the law of the strongest rules. So you'd better not come to me and ask me anything about it".
"But still, why not? can you...tell us more about it about how you got to that world or what's there? even just a little bit?". Surprisingly Miku asks, leaning forward a bit more in her seat. Her action was repeated x4.
"I just told you no...agh". Fuutarou sighs in exasperation as he gently massages his hundred. "Well, I guess I can satisfy your curiosity since you know who I am. A moment ago I defined myself as a mage, but that term is not quite correct. You see, I will tell you a story..."
Before the attentive eyes of the quintuplets, who were looking at Fuutarou, they thanked their brains for not blinking to witness what happened in a split second. Her magical tutor deformed in less than an instant and where before was a human figure, now was...
"That time i got reincarnated as a slime".
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"EEEEEEEEH?!".
Five identical voices scream as loud as their lungs can as they stupefiedly rise from the couch, further expending their seemingly infinite reserve of "astonishment".
"W-W-What the fuck!? What is that thing!?". Nino shouts as he recoils at the sight of such a strange creature. One that looks like any slime you'd find in any anime or video game in your catalog. A circumference with a diameter of a basketball the same color as the hair of Fuutarou's human form. Its transparent composition allows the girls to slightly see the glass table where it has jumped to with a soft boing.
"Uesugi-san, is that you?". Asks a cautious Yotsuba as she slowly approaches so she can inspect her...tutor?.
"D-Don't come closer, Yotsuba!". Says Nino awkwardly trying to stop her sister from being bitten or worse.
"Yes, Yotsuba, it's me. Don't be afraid". Fuutarou says in the same flat, simple voice he's had since they've met him, which was kind of a relief and allowed the Nakano's to let their guard down a bit.
"W-Well, for some reason this big revelation explains a lot of things once you analyze it with a cool head". Ichika says as she crouches down on the side of the low table to give Fuutarou her own glimpse, her back to the large glass windows. Backstage, Fuutarou extinguished a few Meggido spirits so he wouldn't have to see Ichika's big heart.
"Sugoi..." Fascinated, Miku slowly reaches out her right hand so she can touch the slime.
Reaching her target perhaps too soon, Miku feels the smooth yet slimy and somewhat cold texture of Fuutarou.
"Woah, Uesugi-kun". Already getting involved, Itsuki also approaches to see Fuutarou's new appearance. "How can you talk? I-I mean, can you see us?". Asks the younger quintuplet driven by her scientific interest while also placing a curious hand on Fuutarou, quickly followed by Yotsuba once she got over her shock.
"Stop, how is it that you work? I-I don't want to sound smug, but you don't seem to have a brain..."
Fuutarou actually couldn't help but let out a wry laugh at her remark.
"A slime's body consists of a mass of completely identical cells. Each individual cell can function as a brain cell, a nerve cell, or a muscle cell. So they are not only touching my body, but also my brain".
"Mou, Uesugi-san, what a pervert!". Yotsuba says comically with a pout. The girl starts poking him with a finger as if to reprimand him.
"Cool" Compliments Itsuki absorbedly as she thought about the implications of such biology. "So, if I'm correct, if each of your cells can fulfill three different modalities when needed, doesn't that mean you don't need to sleep?".
The quintuplets turn to look at Itsuki and after feeling her being stared at after her little Infodumping, the younger sister blushes fiercely as she pushes Fuutarou's hand away.
"S-Sorry, I-I just-". She stammers as she covers her reddened face with her hands.
"Very well, Itsuki. When I was checking your grades, I realized that your best subject is science". Fuutarou's slime compliments her, waving happily like jelly and causing the rest of the quintuplets, save Nino and Itsuki herself, to giggle in amusement at how ridiculously cute it looks. "But yes, your statement is correct. That just means I'm ten times more efficient when it comes to studying!".
"You really turned a moment like this into a fucking science lesson? I can't believe it..." Says the second sister with irritation as she folds her arms.
"Well, since you're all gathered here voluntarily, I won't pass up the opportunity to teach you a thing or two as part of my job".
Going over the last few minutes of the conversation in her head ,Ichika frowns when she notices something.
"Wait a minute, Fuutarou-kun. You said you were unlucky to fall into that world and if I didn't hear wrong...you said something about being reincarnated?". Ichika asks. "Did you...die?". The wariness was evident in her voice at how delicate this topic can be. As much as the quintuplet feels quizzical she is actually asking this with all the seriousness in the world.
The other members of her family wait intently for his answer as they remove their hands from Fuuutarou's body and sit back down on the couch to give him some space.
"...Yes, Ichika. I used to be a human, an ordinary student like you. That day, when it all started, I was on my way home after borrowing a couple of books from the school library, until I heard someone shouting behind me in the middle of the street. When I turned around to see what it was about, I saw some motherfucker yelling something about wanting to kill everybody or some shit like that, I really stopped paying attention to that as soon as I saw the hunting knife in his hands as he was coming fast towards me. It all happened so fast, by the time I turned around the guy was already a few feet away from me and what had to happen happened...when it happened, the fucker just dropped the knife and ran away. He was probably on drugs or something, so it was lucky, or unlucky that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time".
At his explanation, the quintuplets pale as cold sweat runs down their foreheads, especially on the fourth sister, Yotsuba, who covers her mouth in horror as some tears started to fall down her cheeks with a choked whimper.
"Unfortunately, it was already quite late, so there was no one who could help me. So I didn't make it, I fainted and...died. Or so I thought. When I woke up again, I was, well, this". Fuutarou said as he gave a couple of graceful bounces before returning to his human form clad in his black robes, who stood in front of the glass table again, once again being the wall between the Nakano and Fuutarou.
"And from there, the rest is history".
"So, you're saying that when people die...they reincarnate in that world?". Itsuki asked in a trembling voice.
"Hmmm, even I can't say for sure. According to some locals who I asked about it, reincarnation is common enough that you wouldn't find it strange. There are those who reincarnate with only a part of their memories due to a powerful will, and there are others who retain every memory of their past lives. But a reincarnate from another world was something unheard of. According to them, a normal soul, by itself, would have no hope of surviving a journey through the realms. It would dissolve midway, taking its memories with it. Someone who retains their entire mind and is reborn as a monster, creatures made of magic, was something they thought impossible until they met me. So even in that world I'm a pretty rare anomaly".
"That sounds pretty fucked up". Nino commented as Itsuki scratched her cheek with a finger trying to make sense of everything she was learning.
"You're telling me." Fuutarou mentions before clapping his hands to end the conversation. "Well, that's it from me, I've talked enough about magic at this point. It's not a topic I like to touch, so don't expect me to talk about it again anytime soon and as I said before, don't ask me about it either". Fuutarou sternly warns the girls.
"Having said that, I want you guys to stay home tomorrow so I can spend the rest of tonight and tomorrow making sure the coast is clear. We don't know if these guys have some sort of plan B or something after all. I'll be sure to bring you the class notes and corresponding assignments requested by the teachers, so don't worry about that. Tonight was a very difficult night for everyone, so you should take the opportunity to rest".
The quintuplets only nod in affirmation before Fuutarou turns to Ichika. "And by the way, Ichika. My erhm...assistant, already took care of your manager, will wake up at home safe and sound. The alibi is this: he had a lot of work late and fell asleep at his desk, so he couldn't take you to that audition. He'll think everything that happened was a dream so just play along".
Tacitly deciding that asking about this assistant wasn't a good idea for now, Ichika just nods his head slightly. "I thank you, Fuutarou-kun. And not only for that, but for, you know, saving me and my sisters tonight..."
"You literally don't have to, it's my job". Fuutarou said with a shrug. "Besides that, have at it".
Reaching into one of his pants pockets, Fuutarou pulls out five cell phones and places them on the table so everyone can retrieve theirs.
"I took the liberty of saving my phone number, so if you need anything, give me a call and I'll be right over".
"Hey, what right do you have to do that without our permission?". Snarls Nino retrieving her iconic phone with erect bunny ears.
"If you don't want us to keep in touch via phone like anyone else, then I can communicate with you via telepathy. Just be warned that I will not be held responsible if my voice echoes in your mind at the wrong time".
"God, I hate you! I'm keeping your fucking number". Nino lowers her gaze in embarrassment as she finds no counterargument before turning her head away and turning her nose up with a hmph!
Nodding with satisfaction, Fuutarou turns to look at all the girls once more.
"I'll come right away tomorrow as soon as school is over. Since it will be our first official session, I won't waste a minute on it. Also, as for those of you who have not been encouraged to participate in tutoring yet, I don't want you to think that I am charging you for what happened tonight, I want to make it very clear that even though it is my job to help you study, that does not give me the right to decide over you and force you to do something you don't want to do. I want you to attend tutoring of your own free will. Not just because my family and I need this job, but because I really want to help you, so if you decide not to attend, at least let me work, okay?".
"Phew, but how infuriating. I don't promise anything". Nino says still with her head turned as she folds her arms...before remembering how thinly covered she is and how much her attributes stand out, pulling the blanket over himself again.
"I will attend". Miku states quietly.
"Well, I said myself that we should give you a chance, so, okie dokie". Ichika says. "But are you sure about us skipping school tomorrow? We are new students, after all, besides what will dad say?".
Fuutarou just fiddles with the lapel of his short-sleeved trench coat as he talks. "On the bright side of things, that's going to be my problem..."
For some reason, the quintuplets sympathized with him a bit.
"Well, I'll see them tomorrow. My sister should have finished making dinner by now, so I have to finish up quickly to go home for dinner. Have a good rest".
And with that Fuutarou started walking towards the entrance of the apartment.
"Just a moment". Yotsuba finally said after a while. "You're not going to teleport like you did before?".
"Just because I can do that doesn't mean I do it all the time, I only did it so you guys could be safe in your apartment. So don't worry, I'm going to use the door whenever I come here".
Yotsuba feels the urge to get up from the couch and dismiss him properly, however, she notices that her tutor gives Ichika some sort of weird look before disappearing down the hallway leading to the foyer. They all notice that and feel Ichika squirm uncomfortably from her place for some reason.
And they know very well what that reason is.
Once they hear how the apartment door confirms that their tutor is on his way to wherever, the quintuplets don't get up from the couch right away, but are strangely silent as they look at Ichika, careful not to make her uncomfortable.
"I screwed up big time, I can't look at them fa-".
"Oh, for the love of!"
Bursting out, Nino gets up from the couch and plants himself in front of Ichika, pointing a questioning finger at the surprised quintuplet.
"Why didn't you tell us anything? You're partially to blame that we couldn't all be together so we could kick those guys' asses and that idiot came to do his magic show".
The other sisters just stand up and surround Ichika's seat from all directions.
"But it was also my fault for not telling them the location of the meeting point".
Ichika widens her eyes at Nino, who averts her gaze in embarrassment.
"I'm sick of my terrible sense of direction getting the best of me, since I ended up leaving the festival grounds and..." Itsuki says dejectedly as she stands to Ichika's right. "I couldn't have found the terrace even if I had Google Maps".
"I failed too, someone stepped on my foot at some point and I was an easy target". Miku says as she ducks her gaze. She stands in front of Ichika and to the left of Nino.
"Hehehe". Yotsuba laughs nervously as she slides down the couch to sit on Ichika's left. "I apologize too, I was focused on being looking at the stalls without a care in the world until I was cornered in an alley".
"T-Telling me how you were kidnapped isn't helping me feel any better". Ichika says nervously.
Suddenly, four pairs of arms pounce on her, as uncomfortable as it sounds, the opening quintuplet now has her back against the back of the couch, fighting her weight to the fourth power.
"Just shut up Ichika". Nino snorts, wrapping her arms around whatever she's hugging. "You said it yourself. You'll always be our reliable, mature big sister no matter what". Nino said warmly, in stark contrast to the tone of voice she's been using for the past few hours, to which the others nodded in affirmation.
"Remember what mom always said: if one of us makes a mistake, then all five of us were going to get through it together. If one is happy, then all five of us would share that happiness". Itsuki says, burying her face in Ichika's shoulder.
"Besides the Joy".
"Sadness".
"Anger".
"...And love". Ichika murmurs, wrapping her arms around her sisters once each has said her part.
"Everything would be divided into five equal parts, because we are five parts of a whole". They all say in unison. Each one feeling their hearts warm under the pyrotechnic fire of the fraternal embrace. Now in the privacy of the thirtieth floor of the skyscraper, inevitably, each quintuplet is finally able to let go and turn on the tap of their emotions, transforming them into tears that flow tracing paths down their pink cheeks, releasing all the stress, anger, relief, confusion, happiness and other complicated emotions. Little by little, the tension in their bodies gradually fades until they carefully break the embrace and decide it's time to prepare dinner.
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