Happy birthday to the Nakano quintuplets 5/5!
Although of course one of them has a birthday a day later...
Itsuki: T-T-That classified information!
Miku: Literally people just have to read the endnotes in the manga volumes to find out...
Ichika: Could we say that Itsuki-chan was so busy absorbing mom's nutrients that it came at the last minute?
Nino: Pff, I won't deny that was funny.
Itsuki: What a twisted joke!
Fuutarou: Itsuki baby must have weighed like a ton.
Itsuki: MMMOOU! STOP BULLYING ME AND LET'S START WITH THE CHAPTER!
The sound of a refrigerator motor hummed in Uesugi Fuutarou's ears as he observed its contents by sliding his sharp golden eyes across the long rows of plastic-packed meats. The white light at the top of the refrigerator caused his pupils to constrict to let in the optimal amount of light. He's been standing here for almost 10 full minutes, deciding what would be the ideal meat for Raiha to cook for tomorrow's dinner. Maybe some ground beef for some meatballs? Pork for some Tonkatsu? Or is some burgers better? It's certainly been a while since they last had burgers, plus it would serve as an apology for interrupting their Sunday outing with Raiha. Although ground beef and hamburger meat are essentially the same thing...
Or well, I guess he already made up his mind.
Grabbing two packages of ground beef, which unsurprisingly is cheaper than the package of hamburger meat by perhaps not being compacted into a disk, Fuutarou checks that the contents of the packages are enough for the two members of his family before depositing them into his shopping basket. Fuutarou makes a memory in case he needs to buy anything else while he's here, shopping at the Ozeki supermarket...Hmm maybe another pack of pencils. For some reason, his supply has been running out at a faster rate since he dabbled in this whole business as a private tutor for the Nakano family.
Despite everything he spent with Raiha, he still has a good amount of money left over so that he doesn't need to worry about food in his pantry for a few days, of course, he'll worry about that when the day comes that he needs to deposit the amount for the monthly debt payment at the end of this month, but doing the math with what he expects to receive from his weekly salary, there shouldn't be any problem.
As Fuutarou's blue hair swings back and forth behind his back as he heads for the stationery aisle, the tutor can't help but glance down at his black sneakers as he ponders a bit.
5,000 yen for each day, multiplied by X amount of days I teach the girls in a week. Fuutarou can't help but click his tongue softly out of annoyance at himself. In retrospect, it was fine for him to accept that amount of money...he was right. Technically he had only taught two of the five quintuplets under his tutelage. Fuutarou didn't think much of it at the time, but if he had received his payment in physical money, he most likely would have refused it.
He didn't feel it was right for him to receive payment for five female students when he only taught two of them. Sure, this morning that number reached three students, but that didn't make him feel any better when he considered that one of the girls was replaced by two students, making him practically gain only one new disciple. Fuutarou sighed, it definitely didn't sit well with him to be rewarded unfairly. Sure, you could justify it with that that wasn't Fuutarou's only job, but that would just be wanting to justify getting paid for almost risking the lives of those he was supposed to protect. He would have to talk to Marou to clarify this issue and, naturally, be more cautious with his spending from now on now that he intends to correct his fixed and in his consideration unfair 5x7 salary.
With that thought in mind, Fuutarou held the packet of 5 pencils in his delicate hand, looking at it for a second before returning it to the shelf to instead take a single individually sold pencil from a small jar on the shelf below.
"I'll buy it for you".
"Forget it".
Recognizing the person who owned that voice even without even turning around, Fuutarou simply turned around and started walking down the aisle as if he had never encountered...
"Ah come on, Fuutarou-kun! Here, here. Your Onee-san will buy it for you".
Rushing to position herself at his side, Nakano Ichika simply smiles at her tutor with the packet of pencils she had been holding until a moment ago in her hand.
"You don't have to, I can buy it myself, you know that?".
"And why didn't you buy it instead of exchanging it for that lone pencil? Isn't it more cost effective this way?". Said the older sister as she pointed a slender finger at the pencil still in Fuutarou's hand before waving the pencil packet in front of her face.
"By tomorrow, that pencil you have will be gone and you'll have to come here for another one".
"I manage my pencils well enough to make them last as long as possible".
"But since you're teaching us now, the time your pencil wears out will increase exponentially".
Arching an eyebrow to crown his dumbfounded face, Fuutarou turns to look at his self-proclaimed older sister despite being in the same grade.
"Do you know what that means?".
"Nope, but don't I sound smart when I say it?". The older sister is all smiles as she winks a playful blue eye at Fuutarou, sticking her tongue out a bit to emphasize her goofy expression.
"Too good to be true, I guess". Fuutarou says with a sigh. "Anyway, you've got a point there, I'm not going to deny it".
Turning down one of the hallways, Fuutarou asks the question on his mind.
"What are you supposed to be doing here? Aren't you supposed to have an audition?". Said the tutor turning his head slightly to question his student.
"Yep, that's right. Since this store isn't that far from the apartment, I agreed to meet Oda-san in the parking lot later, and since I still have about 40 minutes left before my audition, I wanted to come here and buy myself something to drink in the meantime". The girl said before pointing her finger at something in front of her.
"Ah, look, here's the drink cooler!".
Picking up her pace a bit, the older quintuplet positioned herself in front of a conventional beverage cooler you'd find in any supermarket, followed closely by Fuutarou.
"Let's see, what will be good? Hmmm..." placing a hand on her chin while leaning a bit, the girl slides her gaze through the grates containing various cans and bottles in search of her favorite drink, but on second thought...
"Hey, Fuutarou-kun! Guess what my favorite drink is?". She said turning to her tutor with her hands behind her back.
"Why?"
"It's a game. If you can guess which of the drinks in this refrigerator is your Onee-san's favorite, I'll give you a prize". Closing her eyes in a happy expression, Ichika hums as she steps back a bit, tacitly forcing Fuutarou to participate in this impromptu game.
Sighing and guessing correctly that she probably won't leave him alone until he gives in, Fuutarou looks at the contents of the refrigerator, analyzing what might be to Ichika's liking based on her personality.
"Let's see...it seems to me that sloths drink water from rain and dew".
"Ha-ha, that's funny". Ichika said placing her hands on her hips with a little pout. "I'll give you a hint, my sisters say I got vibes from that drink".
"Let's see, what drink could someone suffering from a severe case of narcolepsy like...Maybe this one?".
Opening the refrigerator door, Fuutarou reaches for a glass bottle containing:
"Frapuccino, uh?". Ichika said placing a hand on her chin Gotham detective style. "Ding, ding, ding! How did you know?". After accepting the bottle from Fuutarou's hand, Fuutarou just shrugs.
"My other option was an energy drink, but I think that's more Yotsuba's style and we both know she doesn't need it. Plus since you're a sleepyhead, I figured you'd rather embrace that drowsiness rather than disappear altogether".
"But what isn't coffee supposed to wake you up?".
"Well, I've read that it has the opposite effect on some people by propagating their sleepiness. As in my case, when I needed to stay awake, coffee did nothing but sedate me like a tiger having its molar operated on".
"That's my tutor for you, teaching us things when you least expect it". He said giving him a friendly tap on the shoulder. "Anyway, since you got it right on the first try..."
Suddenly changing her voice to a much more seductive one, Ichika, who was wearing a short beige plaid skirt and a sensible black sleeveless blouse, slid a well-manicured finger across her lower lip, making her fingerprint shine a bit due to her lip moisturizer.
"I said I'd give you a reward, so tell me...what do you want me to do?".
Mimicking Miku's indifferent look to perfection, Fuutarou just looked at Ichika with his eyes rolling.
"What's wrong? Is that too...bold a request for you to say out loud?". Stepping closer as her heels echo on the ground beneath her feet, Ichika slowly closes the already small distance between her and Fuutarou while, as the icing on the cake, she gently sways her hips to try to make her long bare legs magnetize Fuutarou's yellow pupils.
Which doesn't work.
"Let me buy you that Frapuccino"
"...Huh?". Successfully breaking her act, Ichika arches an eyebrow.
"Since you're going to buy me that pack of pencils against my will, at least let me make it up to you with that drink. That evens the terms between the two of us". With nothing more to add, Fuutarou rounded on the girl and continued on his way to the cash register.
"Fuutarou-kun is no fun at all". Pouting softly, the older quint resumed her pace to stand to Fuutarou's right.
"But changing the subject, I didn't ask you, what are you doing here? I didn't expect to run into you in this supermarket".
"I just came here to buy tomorrow's dinner, that's all". Said the hired tutor lifting the shopping basket in his right hand a little.
"Suspicious, I have to say". Ichika said in a tone that matched her words. "You're not following me, are you?".
"What need do I have to do that when I already told you the city is safe?".
"Still, it seems too much of a coincidence to me. Do you live far from here?".
"No. I live a bit far from downtown, I came here because coincidentally this supermarket has better prices on meats in my opinion".
"I see, I see, they certainly have good prices here". Said the girl taking a fleeting glance inside Fuutarou's basket. "Then I guess it's actually a coincidence".
"That's what I'm saying".
Finally reaching the cash register area, Ichika handed her bottle of Frapuccino to Fuutarou, lining up behind him in the short line as she held the pack of pencils. After they both paid for each other's products with their respective credit cards as they had agreed, they both left the supermarket. Walking a bit into the parking lot, both teens decided to wait for Oda-san at the entrance facing the main street.
"Here you go". Taking the bottle of Frapuccino out of his shopping bag, Fuutarou hands it to Ichika and likewise, she hands the packet of pencils to her tutor, who puts them away before starting to walk down the street. "Thanks for the pencils, good luck with your audition".
"Wait, Fuutarou-kun. Do you really have to go? Why don't we chat for a while while Oda-san arrives?". Ichika says as she hurries to grab Fuutarou's shoulder. "He should be here soon, so it won't take long".
With no real reason to refuse, Fuutarou turns around and looks back at her.
"What can we talk about, though?".
"Oh, I know! How about you help me rehearse my script?". Pulling her phone out of her skirt pocket, Ichika quickly opens the Pdf's app and hands it to Fuutarou. "I already went over it with Yotsuba this afternoon, but it never hurts to have a little extra review, right?".
"If only-".
"You put that much effort into studying?". Interrupting and completing Fuutarou's sentence, Ichika lets out a chuckle. "You really take that study thing seriously, huh? Here, your line is Sensei's, since you're my tutor and all, the role suits you perfectly".
"I never said I'd accept".
"Aww, come on, please help me Fuutarou-kun!". Using a couple of fingers of the hand still holding the device, Ichika begins to gently tug on the sleeves of her tutor's white school shirt.
"Ehhh, isn't it okay for your student to want to develop her memory skills? That can't be good".
Stinging him where it hurts the most, Fuutarou can do nothing but reluctantly snatch the cell phone from Ichika.
"Only I can read the script".
"Okaaa~"
After briefly navigating a finger across the screen, Fuutarou quickly locates his dialogue.
"Let's start".
"I'm ready...".
The carefree expression on Ichika's face almost immediately transformed into a determined face after a soft sigh, causing Fuutarou to blink slightly in response.
"Congratulations on graduating".
"Thank you for everything, Sensei".
From what Fuutarou understood, the scene Ichika was auditioning for was a typical touching scene at the graduation of some school movie.
"I'm glad you were my teacher, and I'm glad I was your student". The calmness in the quintuplet's tone, perfectly mimicking the smitten schoolgirl who developed feelings for her teacher that Ichika was supposed to play, gave a completely different air to the Nakano, so much so that Fuutarou could almost see Sakura's petals falling in front of the young girl's face to perfectly complement the scene.
Almost.
"Mmh? What's wrong?". Ichika said with a smile after seeing her classmate stare at her with blank eyes. "Can it be that my acting came to move you?".
"No, I just thought that role doesn't fit you at all".
"You sure don't miss any opportunities, do you?". Arching an eyebrow, Ichika finally opens her Frappuccino drink, giving it a couple of gulps before letting out the typical groan of satisfaction as she felt the cold liquid go down her throat.
Before anyone could say anything else, the lights of a car approaching down the street caught the attention of both teens.
"Ah, that's Oda-san's car".
"Great". Handing her phone to the quintuplet, Fuutarou watches as Ichika flashes him a happy expression adorned with a smile.
"I'm leaving, Fuutarou-kun. Thank you for the drink. Wish me luck!". She said while making a western gesture of good luck by crossing her fingers with one hand.
"Hey".
PLAP
As Ichika walked away down the street doing her own work in approaching Oda-san's car, Fuutarou calls out to her, and just as her face turned in his direction, her cheeks were caught by two small but firm hands. If Ichika lacked the sense of sight, she probably would have mistaken her tutor's hands for Nino's touch.
Fuutarou simply looked at her silently with the girl's face still trapped between his hands much like a venus flytrap would.
"Hueh?". Was all he could articulate as she felt her cheeks being gently pinched.
"I'll give you a piece of advice, take off that plastic smile".
"Aha, ahaha... Eh?". Having let go, Ichika could only awkwardly back up a few steps before looking utterly incredulous at her tutor.
"I'm no expert in the world of acting, but I think your character could do with you dropping that fake smile you probably put on as a mask to hide your true feelings".
Fuutarou's golden eyes sent a slight shiver down the older quintuplet's spine, making her tense slightly in response.
"Wh-what...?".
"The smile you put on a moment ago...you didn't make me fall in love, if I'm being honest. Though like I told you, that's just my opinion". The shrug from her tutor brought Ichika out of her shock.
"Are you helping me, Fuutarou-kun? I thought you were against this whole thing". She said lightly moving the bottle in her hand before taking another sip.
"Considering you plan to go so far as to have gone to your audition during the festival, you'd start sneaking off to do this anyway. Besides I wouldn't want to antagonize you or anything. That wouldn't be ideal if I want to do my job properly".
"But still I didn't think you'd be able to see a small detail like that. Your Onee-san is surprised..."
"You're giving me too much credit, it's not that I was able to notice it, it's just that I noticed that your smile was different from Itsuki's, Miku's or Yotsuba's, and quite different from this morning". Fuutarou pointed a finger at Ichika's lips, causing Ichika to slide her fingers along the corners of her mouth in contemplation.
Ichika opened her mouth to respond, but realizing that she wasn't ready to be displayed like that, she could only close her mouth quickly making a small bubbling sound.
"I know you're nervous, but calm down. The hard part where you're supposed to get your family's approval is already done, right? The rest should be a piece of cake since you've been rehearsing". Fuutarou explains as he walks over and places a hand on her shoulder. "It's similar to an exam, it won't matter if you know the whole study guide by heart because your nerves will play tricks on you".
"Well...I guess you're right, I hadn't thought of it that way". After analyzing her probably predictable analogy, Ichika sketched a small smile of amusement as she caught the meaning perfectly.
"Last night at dinner, I told them all in great detail about my job". Quintuplet begins as she momentarily looks up at the night sky. "They were surprised".
"I guess they were".
"But it was one less burden!".
As if echoing Fuutarou's advice, the smile that graced Ichika's pink lips was definitely different from all the ones he's received for a while now. A sincere and pure smile of Yotsuba's caliber that could almost be mistaken for a radiant star in the sunset firmament reaffirming its brightness as the girl closed her eyes happily.
And like a mirror, the ghost of a smile formed at the corners of Fuutarou's lips.
HONK HONK
Like a stampede of African animals bursting into a luxurious office, the mingled sound of a car horn along with its running engine caused both youngsters to break their momentum as they turned toward the street.
"Ichika-chan! There's a bit of traffic tonight, so we have to go now!". Shouted from inside the car a well-dressed man with a parted hairstyle and a mustache adorning his face.
"Coming!". Before walking to go around the car and climbing into the passenger seat, Ichika turned around to say goodbye to her hired tutor.
"I'll see you later Fuuta-".
Which was nowhere to be found anymore.
"rou-Kun?..."
Turning her head from left to right to both sides of the sidewalk, the girl confirmed that his presence vanished like dust in the wind. Probably one of her magic tricks? He sure knows how to leave in style.
"Ichika-chan!".
After snorting a bit in amusement, Ichika, without much to do about it, could only whisper to the night darkness before hurrying into the vehicle.
"Good night, Fuutarou-kun".
...
"Itsuki"
...
"Itsuki!"
...
"ITSUKI!"
After a couple of frightening finger snaps near her left ear, Nakano Itsuki blinks a couple of times to snap out of her little trance.
"E-Eh?" The younger quintuplet says awkwardly as her cognitive nerves analyze and process her surroundings to determine the situation she's in.
"Geez, are you even listening to me? I feel like I'm talking to Miku or something". The recording of her own voice, sweetened with annoyance and irritation reaches Itsuki as she poses her sapphires on the mirror in front of her. Her reflection sends her a scowl as she folds her arms waiting for a response.
"I deeply apologize, Nino. I wasn't paying attention, what were you saying just now?". Itsuki asks in a low tone as she sends an apologetic look to her elder, who only lets out a terrible sigh.
"God, seriously, what the hell is wrong with you? You've been on cloud nine lately".
"I-I've just been thinking about things, you know..." Itsuki looks down at her tray of food. The bustling sounds from everywhere in Asahiyama's cafeteria confirm Itsuki's current location. It has been some time since classes ended, however, instead of going home or doing anything else, Nino and Itsuki had decided to come to the cafeteria for a little snack before heading home.
According to what Nino's new friends told her and what Nino herself shared with Itsuki, the school cafeteria is still on duty even after school in order to provide food for both the teachers and academic staff who stay behind to settle their affairs, and the various students from the clubs that operate after school hours; mostly the sports clubs, who, by their physical nature, will definitely come to get some food to refill the tank.
"What do you have in mind?". Nino asked in a considerably calmer tone than she had used earlier to reprimand Itsuki. It didn't take Professor Layton to figure out what was bothering her sister and if she wanted to help her in any way, she would have to deal with her patiently to get her to open up to her.
Itsuki only sighed before looking down momentarily at her tray.
"I think I'm a little overwhelmed, the past weekend, it was maybe a lot for me..."
"For all of us, I'm not going to lie that even I find myself quite dazed". Commented Nino scratching her cheek with her finger at the light coming out of this topic.
"I'm pretty confused right now, to the point where it's starting to get a little annoying".
"Heck and you think it doesn't for me? Seeing you act all meek and distracted isn't nice at all, you look like some weird aftermath of Miku". Nino commented arching an annoyed eyebrow. "If you keep acting like that, it won't be fun to tease you for eating too much."
"W-What does that have to do with anything right now!?". Asked a pouting Itsuki.
"For god's sake, you bought two damn loaves of bread! Call me Sherlock". Nino replied pointing her sharp fingernail at Itsuki's tray in front of her.
"They were the last ones they had, okay? It didn't seem right to buy just one and let the other one go to waste". Itsuki argued as she complemented her explanation by taking a small bite of one of her breads.
"What are you supposed to be eating anyway? It looks a bit like Meronpan". Nino said as she looked at the familiar bread in the star quintuplet's hands.
Itsuki chewed her mouthful a bit and swallowed before answering.
"It's called Concha, it's a typical sweet bread from Mexico, sometimes it's compared to Meronpan which is from Japan, but the two are radically different. Meronpan is crunchy, while Concha is quite soft. Although both are good, I prefer the Mexican Concha a thousand times for its much more pronounced flavor, which can be vanilla or chocolate. Plus I find their patterns quite a bit more elaborate and beautiful than those of the Meronpan". Itsuki said while giving a small panoramic glance at the engravings on the crust of the bread similar to a seashell, which gave it its name before taking another bite without bothering to hide her craving for that vanilla flavor on her palate.
"...For some reason...I feel like you said a thing or two that might lend itself to double entendre during your little monologue". Nino commented with a gruff smile as a comical bead of sweat crowned his forehead.
"W-What? B-but what did I say?..." Itsuki's cheeks tinged pink, preparing to explode with embarrassment as she herself went over her own words carefully looking for any faults in her language.
"Forget it, it's nothing". Nino said casually as she took a sip from the straw of her ice soda. "But I'm surprised you can give that kind of speech about food considering how low your grades are, or maybe it's because it's about food that you can".
Puffing out her cheeks again, Itsuki straightens up. "Studying and eating are two different things, it's only natural to be...better at one than the other...". Suddenly, Itsuki's tone loses strength throughout her sentence before her own expression relaxes, looking the same as before when she was deep in thought.
Before Nino had a chance to say anything, Itsuki beat her to it.
"Hey Nino...what...do you think about Uesugi-kun?". She asked as she gave the girl in front of her a look that asked for nothing more than an honest answer.
"You already know, don't you? We literally talked about it all through breakfast yesterday".
"We did? Geez...I wasn't paying attention then".
"Yeah, we all noticed. You didn't talk to us until this morning, yet you still keep letting it bother you".
Itsuki sighs a little defeated as she lets her shoulders slump a little.
"I can guess that you still don't like him, right?".
"No". Nino's blunt reply caused Itsuki to snort a little amused.
"If I'm being completely honest with you...I'm not sure if I want to keep having him as my tutor..."
Comical
If the reader of this fanfic could see Nino's face right now, they would most likely squirm in discomfort at how quickly the second quintuplet's expression changed once her familiar uttered those words. Nino's frown quickly dissolved into a confused expression, which changed to dumbfounded, which changed to that of a child who is eager to receive confirmation from her mother that they will be going to the amusement park despite having told her several times before breakfast.
"Really!?". It was fortunate that the plastic cup in front of Nino was enough of a deterrent for Nino not to lean over the table to almost kiss Itsuki.
"I-I mean, I'm still not sure!". Waving her hands frantically for being surprised by that reaction from Nino, Itsuki quickly tries to explain herself. "I mean...that incident at the warehouse..."
Once again, Nino's expression transmutes back to a more neutral one as she sees Itsuki's hands on the table begin to tremble.
"Okay, we definitely need a family conversation to put that matter in the trunk. You just need to bring it up, don't force yourself to remember". Her older sister's firm, yet comforting tone helped Itsuki regain her train of thought a bit. Though of course, Nino herself finds herself massaging her left shoulder a bit with her right hand, making sure her arm massages her chest as a side effect.
"Well, that happened, then, we all saw what he did. Uesugi-kun is a murderer, Nino. Knowing that...I'm not comfortable with the idea of having to continue in his private tutoring."
Now feeling bad about trying to monopolize her sister's mental state for her anti-Fuutarou cause, Nino finds herself watching the ices float in her glass as she listens to Itsuki's explanation.
"Uesugi-kun lied to us,Nino. He wasn't honest with me when I met him in this cafeteria, he wasn't honest with me or Yotsuba when he lied about not knowing about this tutoring thing until the last minute. He may be, well, a monster or whatever, but that doesn't exactly help. How can I trust someone who disguises himself as someone he's not just to accomplish any weird goal?"
"That's what I said all along, but as usual, I'm the crazy one". Nino said scornfully as she rolled a small lock of her hair between her fingers. "Gosh, it wouldn't hurt for them to listen to me sometimes, I'm one of the older sisters too, you know?".
"This beats even you, though. Besides, it didn't help that your argument was so flimsy".
"Flimsy my ass, I had perfectly logical reasons to be suspicious of him, I mean, don't you know all the shit that gets talked here at school about him?".
After Itsuki shook her head with a slight sense of deja vu, Nino sighed noisily.
"They say that guy, had a sex change operation and went from being a boy to...what he is now, you know? He's lucky he's not into makeup or anything like that or it would make him really creepy".
"...And how could that be suspicious?". Itsuki asks arching an eyebrow as she takes another bite of her bread.
"I mean, I thought the bastard was able to stoop so low just to get close to girls! I've heard a couple of cases of guys pretending to be gay just to befriend girls and have them change clothes in front of them at some sleepover or something because they take it for granted that they're not interested in them that way".
"So you thought that might be the case because, uhm, well, he looks like a girl?".
"Yes!".
"A-At least I can give him credit in being honest with me regarding that particular topic and clarifying his gender to me". Itsuki said before taking a sip from a carton of milk to wash out her mouth. "I guess within reason you don't have to worry about that anymore, because, well, it's a slime...".
"This conversation got pretty weird way too fast..." Nino said taking a long sip from her glass of ice.
"Not to mention that it's a bit of an old-fashioned idea". Itsuki said sweating a drop. "I didn't think you were against the transgender community, Nino".
"N-No! I-I'm not against it! It's a fucking booger, for god's sake! I don't care what people do with their lives. What I'm against is my sisters getting hurt in any way, or do I have to remind you of what happened at Black Rose?".
At that mention Itsuki tensed terribly as she noisily swallowed another mouthful. Under the table, she rested her right hand in her lap and covered her knuckle with her other hand.
"I-I wish you hadn't, though".
"Sorry. Anyway, the point is that I agree with you, we can't trust that guy at all".
At this point, Itsuki looks up slightly to look at the top of one of the large windows in the school cafeteria.
"I jumped the gun on my opinion of him and his tutoring..." She muttered more to herself than to Nino.
"You're breaking my heart". Suddenly, the voice of the person starring in their conversation appears standing next to their table, staring at them blankly. "At least give me a chance to defend myself".
Startled by his unexpected appearance, both Nino and Itsuki startle briefly in their seat before the former sends a scowl at this new presence.
"You can't be serious, Itsuki!". And next to him, sporting a worried expression was Yotsuba. "You're being too hasty!".
"The only thing I rushed into was believing that Uesugi-kun would be the tutor I need to improve my grades. What a terrible error in judgment on my part". Itsuki said to her elder with a slight frown.
"But like Uesugi-san says, you should at least let him talk before you make a verdict like that". Yotsuba says throwing a quick glance at Fuutarou beside her before turning back to her younger. "Why are you condemning him so suddenly?".
"Isn't it obvious? Uesugi-kun isn't who he said he was, he's a criminal...no, worse than that, he's a monster!". Realizing that she probably raised her voice a bit too much, everyone including her looked around to see if they had caught the attention of the students around them. Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case, so making sure to level her voice, Itsuki continues. "Literally speaking. I can't trust my education to someone like him".
Sensing that Yotsuba had something to tell her youngest about that, Fuutarou quickly grabs her shoulder, silently telling her to let him handle the matter.
"Look Itsuki, I understand that you're still a little upset about everything that happened this weekend. I take responsibility for it, but I ask you to carefully consider your position. Considering that your grades to date have been quite poor despite your willingness to study diligently, you need a tutor to help you address that problem and honestly, I want to help you".
"In that case, take responsibility for your actions in that incident. I no longer agree to join you and the others in tutoring".
"But, Itsuki, we have been working so well so far!" Yotsuba argues. "Have you already forgotten how interesting Friday's session was?".
"I was a bit blinded by my initial excitement. In retrospect, a single session is not enough to properly determine the quality and teaching ability of a tutor". Says Itsuki in a firm tone. "But I am mature enough to consider the efforts of others, so let's take it as a trial session that unfortunately did not meet my expectations".
"So what do you plan to do to improve your grades?". Fuutarou asked arching an eyebrow.
"You don't have to worry about my studies. I am confident that I will be able to study on my own and make sure my grades support my ability to study individually as I have been doing until recently. But you can be sure that I will not try to sabotage your work, Uesugi-kun. If Yotsuba and the others feel it is the right thing to be instructed by you, I will respect that. But it's not the same for me".
"That! Tell him Itsuki!". The hitherto silent Nino who has so far remained on the edge of her seat watching her sister fiercely reject Fuutarou, shouts with a raised fist while taking a sip of her drink, much like some baseball fan when their favorite player hits a homerun.
After Fuutarou throws a scowl at Nino, she simply sticks her tongue out at him in response.
"Aren't you the one who said when we first met that you're not the type of person to judge others just by their appearance?". Fuutarou asked calmly. "Why don't you give me a chance to continue to tutor you now that you know what I am? After all, I said I wanted to meet your expectations".
"You clearly didn't meet them, forget that, please. As far as I'm concerned, our interactions so far haven't happened". Itsuki said throwing one last scowl at her now former tutor as she takes back the sweet bread she had been eating. "Now if you have nothing else to say, please step back so I can get back to focusing on my food".
With nothing more to say once Itsuki crisply ended their conversation, Fuutarou sighed. "Still don't hesitate to ask me for help if you need it in the future. Come on Yotsuba, let's go back to the library with the others to help them finish their homework".
His plan was foiled by the sound of a phone call on the fourth sister's cell phone, when the girl pulled it out of her pocket, Fuutarou could read the name of the person contacting her on the screen.
"Basketball club?"
"Haha, I almost forgot, I still had to do something with someone". Offering a nervous smile to her tutor, Yotsuba lets the ringing of the call continue to ring as she puts her phone back in her pocket in an attempt to dampen the growing annoyance in Fuutarou's golden eyes that stare at her with emptiness in their orbs. "See you in a bit, Uesugi-san! Go ahead without me!".
Watching the ribbon girl run out of the cafeteria as fast as possible to stay out of trouble, Fuutarou wonders how on earth that girl has already managed to establish a relationship with the basketball club strong enough to even be considered a replacement, being that this is technically her third day in Asahiyama. And while Fuutarou had no way of knowing, the social butterfly fluttering its wings around Nino wondered the same thing.
Oh well, perhaps it was Yotsuba's own Samaritan nature that earned him that kind of social caliber that Nino honestly did not envy. A smile of deep arrogant satisfaction invaded her lips as she watched Fuutarou leave the cafeteria with a miserable aura around him having lost his loyal student Itsuki and seeing his study session partially ruined by Yotsuba's absence.
Meanwhile, the named Itsuki, oblivious to her surroundings for several minutes now, fizzled out her bad mood after having finished eating her vanilla Concha and almost finished with the other bread she bought.
At least until silently her eyes gravitated towards Fuutarou's blue hair before slowly dropping to the ground with a bit of melancholy.
Yotsuba ran and ran for quite a while until she reached her destination. The orange rays of the shy sunlight that was already starting to hide sent the tint that indicated it was a very good time to go home. While slowing down, Yotsuba used the back of her hand to wipe the beads of sweat accumulated on her forehead. She may not even be gasping for air due to her lung resistance, but not that that exactly makes her immune to her system activating the sweat to cool her down.
Walking a bit until she was in front of one of the many specific doors in the club building, Yotsuba opened it without hesitation.
"Yo girls! how are you?". Yotsuba briskly greets the occupants of the room: four girls dressed in Asahiyama's basketball uniform. Some possessed towels around their necks and others were drinking water to rehydrate after their training session.
"Ah, Nakano-san, it's good to see you". A short-haired brown girl whose right eye was completely covered by her hairstyle topped with a funny ponytail behind her neck greeted politely. "Thanks for the other time. We didn't mean to take you out of your way the weekend after your transfer, you must have been busy".
"Ah, don't worry about it, Hondo-san! Fortunately I had the day off, so it wasn't a problem". Reassures Yotsuba with a smile. "You've all been working very hard".
"We can't deny that". Replied another girl with short black hair and bangs. "It was a pity we didn't win the tournament, but we sure gave them a fight with you being there."
"Haha, you give me too much credit". Yotsuba commented scratching the back of her neck a bit uncomfortably at being praised by her teammate in this way.
"Before you arrived I was just telling the girls that it was lucky we decided to warm up a bit before practice in the school yard instead of in the gym like we always do, otherwise we wouldn't have noticed you when you were in your PE class on your second day".
"Yeah, you being new and all we didn't want to look like headhunting vultures or anything, but it was also lucky that the coach tipped us off that you were frequenting the sports clubs a lot, so we wanted to go and ask".
"Yeah, boy was that lucky! At my previous school I was also in one or two sports clubs, so I couldn't sit still". Yotsuba said with a small smile after recalling how she became known among her classmates.
The fact that she was "debuting" as a replacement in a tournament for the basketball team would probably make the rumors about her spread to the other sports clubs and they would start to get closer to her, which, she wasn't particularly worried about preventing it from happening.
"I bet it would". Hondo-san said with a friendly smile. "Then, since you came here after my call, I don't want to waste any more of your time. Tell me Nakano-san, have you thought about our proposal to join the club?".
"Yes, and I appreciate the invitation very much". Yotsuba said all at once.
"Well, that's great-!". Hondo-san was suddenly interrupted once she saw Yotsuba bow deeply.
"But I'm really sorry, I can't play with you guys. I understand the club is going through a very bad time, but I have an important commitment after school". Straightening up once more, Yotsuba continues to smile. "Though of course I'll always be able to help you with replacements in matches".
After analyzing her words carefully, Hondo-san had no choice but to sigh.
"I understand, in that case we can't do anything. Although I think your talent is wasted outside of the team". Said the girl offering her a smile.
Unconsciously placing a warm expression on her features, Yotsuba lowers her gaze a bit to look down at her navy blue school socks.
"There's someone who always supports me despite my lack of talent...Anyway, I'm already running late, so here I say goodbye girls!".
"Ah, right. Take care of yourself, Nakano-san. Thanks for your reply". With a hand wave from all the occupants of the room, Yotsuba closed the sliding door again before turning to leave down the hallway, letting out a small "Phew" as she did so.
'There are people who always support me despite my lack of talent...'
That's what Yotsuba wanted to tell Hondo-san, however, the image of a certain tutor crossed her mind midway and before she knew it, she had voiced her sentence in the singular.
'There is someone who always supports me despite my lack of talent...
There is someone who always supports me despite my lack of talent...
There is someone who always supports me despite my lack of talent...
There is someone who waits for me in spite of my lack of talent...
Is it right to say that now?
Is it even right to think about that?
Because he clearly doesn't seem to remember me.
And I wouldn't blame him if he doesn't...
I have no right to blame him if he doesn't.
There's no way he has a place for me in his memory after all he had to have lived through'.
What in a million years would make me believe that I'm so special?
Did anyone really think I wouldn't update on this special day? Well how wrong you are if you did my dude!
Man, I'm feeling a little nostalgic as I write this. A little over two months ago I saw the movie at the cinema, it was a very personal experience as my classes were cancelled just as I was on my way to school and I decided to take the opportunity. Upon arriving at the theater, I was the only one in the room, but that only made the atmosphere more special. I even still have the package of cookies I bought while watching the show. Why am I telling you this? Well, I understand that not only is today the birthday of our favorite waifus, but today is also the canonical day of Fuutarou and Yotsuba's wedding. I haven't really reread the manga since I finished it almost a year ago and I feel like I would have to for the characterization of this fic, but man, rereading the wedding chapters out of curiosity still gives me a lot of mixed feelings. Both happiness for the winner, and melancholy for the other girls; not just because of the romantic theme, but because we practically watched them grow up until they each found their place in the world. A third season will soon be released that will adapt what wasn't seen in the anime, so we'll definitely still have these fierce girls for quite a while, which is a relief. I can already say that this manga has marked an important point in my life like no other franchise has. Anyway, enough from me, I just wanted to share this with you guys and anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Take care.
See you soon, bye.