Chapter 10: I'll take you there

"Oh is that it?" Fuutarou asked casually, "Sure, I got nothing else better to do today. I've already done my studying. Why not?"

Itsuki gasped, "R-Really?"

"Of course! Like I said, I can't refute a request from one of my dear students."

'Did Itsuki just ask big bro out? He's playing it off so casually. Is he really that dense that he doesn't realize what she just asked?!' Raiha thought she would never see the day when a girl asked her brother out. And a pretty one at that! It seems like his tutoring gig is paying off in more ways than one.

'But does he see her as a woman? Or is she only a student to him? Onii-chan, you better not break this girl's heart!'

Itsuki couldn't believe it. He actually said yes. It almost unnerved her just how casual he was about it though. She assumed he would have much more of a reaction when one of his own students is literally asking him out.

'Maybe he misinterpreted? He might think I'm just asking him to accompany me to the fireworks festival tonight and doesn't see it as an actual date. If that's the case, then he's more dense than I initially thought! But I'm not complaining. A start is a start, and I rather have it like this than for him to flat out reject me. If he doesn't see it as an actual date, then I'll just ease him into it…'

"Not that there's anything wrong with it, but is that all you came for, Itsuki?" Fuutarou asked the redhead. He knew why she initially came here and didn't want her to forget.

Itsuki face palmed, "I can't believe I almost forgot! No, that isn't the only reason I came here. I have something to give you."

Itsuki reached into her purse and handed Fuutarou an envelope, "My father left your pay with me."

Fuutarou grabbed the envelope and slowly opened it up to find a bunch of 1,000 yen bills in it. Even though he already knew what to expect due to his memories, having so much money in his hand at one time and at one place just filled him with awe. He's been in poverty for so many years now that having this amount of money in his hands felt like a dream.

"Five thousand a yen a day for each of us. That's fifty thousand yen for two days." Itsuki explained to Fuutarou and Raiha. The latter was just as much in awe as her brother. So much so that she quickly ran up to the photo frame of their deceased mother.

"Mother, my big brother has finally made good use for himself! I hope you're proud of him!"

Fuutarou sweatdropped, 'Why is she acting like I haven't had any part time jobs before…'

'Nevertheless, if this is how much I'm gonna get paid on a consistent basis from now on, then our debt should be cleared off in no time. And then we won't have to live in such pitiful circumstances anymore! Thank you Uncle Maruo for this wonderful opportunity. I will continue to do the best I can!'

Fuutarou smiled as he looked towards Raiha, "Yo little sis, is there anything you want? Whatever it is, I'll buy it for you."

"Eh? Onii-chan… don't you want to spend some of it on yourself? It's your hard earned money after all."

"Nah, I got everything I need. I don't really care all that much about material items. I'm mostly doing this job to help out you and Dad and to make sure the Quints graduate. As long as that happens, then I'm content."

Itsuki was impressed with Fuutarou's humility. Most people would have immediately thought of spending all that money on themselves. But his primary focus was helping his family and making sure that she and her sisters graduate. None of it was selfish motivation. For a man as intelligent as he is, he isn't nearly as egotistical as she thought he would be.

'Uesugi-kun…'

Itsuki is glad that this is the kind of man that she fell for.

"Well… if you insist.. Can we go to the arcade?!"

"Onii-chan! Look at all of the coins! There's so much!"

Raiha shouted to her brother with glee. She had just won one of the many arcade games and was rewarded with a bountiful amount of gold coins.

Fuutarou grinned at her excitement, "Nice job! Keep going at it! Try to get as many as you can!"

"Yosh! I'll get all of the prizes!"

Raiha proceeded to venture out to as many games as she could get to in her quest for gold coins. Fuutarou laughed as her little sister did her best to beat every game possible at the arcade.

"Raiha-chan's enjoying herself."

Itsuki had tagged along with the two siblings. Raiha had asked if she could come with them to the arcade and there was no possible way that the Nakano could resist her cute face. Plus, she wanted to spend more time with Fuutarou so it was a win for her, either way.

Fuutarou nodded, "Raiha has a hard time because of our family situation. Due to our mother's passing, we have been in debt for many years. So our financial situation has not been the best, to put it lightly. I'm sure there are many more things she'd like to do. I'm going to grant all of her wishes. It's up to me to give her the childhood that she was never able to have…"

Itsuki gasped in shock, "I'm so sorry Uesugi-kun, I didn't know that your mother-"

"-It's okay, Itsuki. It was a long time ago so I've already gotten over it. Raiha was barely a year old when she passed, so she doesn't remember much about her. She's had to live pretty much her entire life without a mother. I want to give her all of the things she couldn't have due to our mother's passing. I know I could never make up for a mother, but I'm going to do the best I can as her big brother."

Itsuki smiled sadly at her tutor, 'He's trying to shoulder all of the burden on himself…'

She then reached out and grabbed his hand. She entangled it with her own. Fuutarou was surprised at the act. He looked at his student's sky blue eyes in confusion.

"You don't have to put all of that responsibility on yourself, you know? I'm sure that Raiha has always appreciated you and everything you've done for her. With or without money. She loves you because you are her big brother and that's all that matters to her. You don't have to be making a certain amount of money in order for her to appreciate you. All she wants is for her big brother to be there for her. So don't stress yourself, okay?"

Fuutarou nodded, "Thank you, Itsuki. That means… a lot. I guess for so long, I just felt… powerless. Powerless to help her and my father. Powerless to save my mother from her illness. Powerless to get us out of debt. And now that I have the opportunity to finally help out and give back… it just makes me happy. More happy than you could imagine."

Fuutarou did indeed have power now. Both figuratively and literally.

"That's so sweet of you, Uesugi-kun. Well if that's the case, then I'm glad that you finally feel like you have power now. Don't worry, Raiha-chan will be fine. But she isn't the only one that you're helping. Don't forget about me and my sisters. Your presence is beginning to change something in the five of us. Even though it's only been for a short time, I am happy that you've become a part of our life. We're counting on you to get us to graduation!"

The Warrior of Light gave her the brightest smile he could muster, "You bet! There will be no flunking out on my watch! You can count on that!"

Seeing Fuutarou's smile made the girl blush slightly. There was always something about that damn smile that made her heart skip a beat. But it also filled her with hope and happiness. If this had been a week ago, she probably would have fainted due to embarrassment. But not anymore. She had promised herself that she was going to make her move today. And now was not the time to get cold feet.

She proceeded to do something that even caught the Gardener off guard. Itsuki reached her up and kissed Fuutarou on the cheek. This caused the Warrior of Light to widen his eyes in surprise as he too began to blush. He touched the spot where she kissed him with his hand.

"I-I-Itsuk?"

She smirked as she whispered into her tutor's ear.

"Hey, Uesugi-kun… you wanna know a secret? You have to promise you won't tell anyone though~"

Fuutarou gulped, "O-O-Of course! You can trust me with anything."

Itsuki decided that it was now or never.

"I'm in love with you~"

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