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Important Notice: I have recently added new scenes both at the end of Chapter 18 and at the beginning of Chapter 22. I highly advise everyone to read them before reading this chapter for they both will play an important role later on in this story.
Chapter 25
All The Best I Can
Izumi's old friends and teammates finally arrived at her place just after noon.
Miyu was the first, bringing Lita with her. Izumi greeted them at the door.
"Hey there!" Lita gave her a hug, "Japan sure hasn't changed. Hard to believe I haven't been here since we graduated from high school."
Izumi chuckled, "Japan surely hasn't missed you, considering all the trouble you caused back then."
"Yeah," Miyu chimed in, "You were always grumpy at something. Or someone."
Lita shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm Italian. I'm always grumpy."
The three shared a laugh before her face turned serious.
"So what's been going on here? Miyu said that you spoke with Yotsuba yesterday. How is she doing?"
Before Izumi could answer they were interrupted by a new voice.
"Ooooh, look! If it isn't The Italian Gorilla!"
Miyu started giggling while Izumi chuckled. Lita rolled her eyes as she recognized the voice.
Placing her hands on her hips she said, "Ooooh, look! If it isn't Itchy Nose!"
There was a long pause before she turned around. A moment of silence passed before they all started laughing.
Three more of their old teammates had arrived. The first was Ichinose, Ninoko, and Miyu's older sister.
"How ya doing, Fake Super Model?" Lita came over and gave her former doubles partner a hug.
"Pretty good, Muscle Woman," Ichinose greeted back, the two of them reverting back to their old insults that they used to throw at each other during high school.
"I see you're still that fake makeup, except it's all over you now."
"Ah, you know it's not true. I worked really hard to get this tan."
Then they heard someone else say, "Are those two going at it again?"
"Yep," said another, "Didn't take them, did it?"
They turned to see two more of their teammates who had just arrived.
"Hey!" Ichinose cheered, "It's Yoshi and Sushi!"
While the rest went over to greet them Izumi remained at her door, smiling deeply as the memories came back to her. It had been eighteen years since the entire team had last seen each other. She, Lita, and Yoshi had all gone pro while the rest moved on to other things. They had kept in touch over the years, but this was only the second time they had gotten together for a reunion. The first time had been a sad one, for it was when Rena passed away.
"Did you bring your famous sushi?" she heard Lita say, disrupting those sad thoughts.
"Of course!" the woman they liked to call Sushi held up a big bag filled with bento boxes, "It wouldn't be a reunion without my famous sushi."
Yoshi held a big bag of her own and announced, "I also brought plenty of udon."
Finally they turned to the former team captain.
"And how's our tennis star doing?" Ichinose asked.
"You should've won that French Open," Sushi shook her head, "That was so hard to watch. You had it right at the palm of your hand."
"And then you blow your knee a couple of years after that. So sorry about that," Ninoko sighed, "I know that wasn't the way you wanted to end your career."
Izumi smiled fondly at them, "Thank you. I'm glad for your support, and it's good to see you all again. Thank you for coming on such short notice," she gestured inside, "Come on in, everyone. We got a lot to talk about."
While Yoshi and Sushi prepared lunch Izumi took those who hadn't been to her place before and gave them a little tour, showing them the tennis courts down below and talking about her career as a professional tennis layer. Later, after they all settled down in the living room, Izumi decided to get right on topic.
"I assume the rest of you have been brought up to date on what's been happening?" she asked.
"We have," said Ninoko, "Although some us are still having a hard time believing it."
"Did they really abandoned their apartment and moved a rundown one just to keep their tutor with them," Sushi's eyes said it all.
"They did," Izumi confirmed.
"Wow," Ichinose shook her head, "To think they would go that far, Rena would've been furious."
Miyu looked over at the picture table and reached for the one Izumi had shown Yotsuba.
"You know..." she sighed heavily, "I still think about that night when we all found out."
The others nodded solemnly, remembering that night too. It had such a huge shock, running into Rena like that and seeing her condition.
"It was definitely a huge surprise when we saw her girls for the first time," Ninoko smiled.
The other smiled too, remembering that very moment.
"Miyu told us that you gave Yotsuba her very first tennis lesson yesterday," said Miyu's sister.
"I did," Izumi grinned when she saw their eyes light up.
"Did she enjoy it?" asked Ichinose.
"Is she interested?" asked Yoshi.
"Very much so," replied, "But like I told Miyu yesterday, let's not get our hopes up just yet. There's a lot of things Yotsuba has to do. And she's gotten off to a good start so far."
Lita looked at her, "Such as?"
"Right before you arrived I got a text from Maruo. Apparently they arranged to have Nino go on a date with Fuutarou today. It was also Yotsuba's idea."
"Oh," they all said.
"So where do we go from here?" asked Lita
"Well, let's see what happens first before we do anything," Izumi leaned forward, "In the meantime, here's what I propose to do..."
Meanwhile the other four quints went to the mall for lunch and then hung around to pass the time before heading back home around the time school would be ending. They didn't want to run into one of their friends or classmates. They wanted as much time to themselves before Nino returned.
When they returned to the apartment the first thing they saw was Yotsuba's suitcase sitting next to the couch and her school bag sitting on top of one of the cushions, brought in by Ebata at Yotsuba's request. She hadn't really unpacked while staying at their stepddad's place because she believed that she would return to her sisters soon. What caught their eye, however, was the backpack sitting next to her school bag and the handles of the two tennis rackets sticking out of it.
"Ah, good," Yotsuba did a quick check to see if all of her stuff was there, "Ebata-san didn't forget anything. Can you carry my bag for me, Itsuki?"
She lifted the handle of the suitcase and slung the backpack over her shoulder before going upstairs. The rest followed, curious about this sudden change in Yotsuba.
"You really are taking tennis lessons," said Ichika once Yotsuba had settled in.
She looked at them and gave one of her goofy smiles.
"Oh, yeah," she chuckled, then glanced at Ichika, "Was that you was spying on me from the bushes at school yesterday?"
"Oh! You saw me, huh?"
"I wasn't sure at first, but yeah. How did you know I was there?"
Both Ichika and Itsuki explained to them how they found out.
"Oh," Yotsuba laughed, "It seems my old track team captain is still somewhat obsessed with me."
"So what got you into tennis all of a sudden?" Miku asked the question they been wanting to ask.
"Yeah, you've never shown that much interest in sports," said Itsuki, "What changed?"
"Well..." Yotsuba unzipped the backpack and took one of the rackets. She sat down on her bed and looked at it thoughtfully, "To be honest, tennis is the one sport I've always been interested in, but have never gotten to try out. Not to say I didn't enjoy all the other sports, but when I picked this racket for the first time... something just... clicked in me. Like some beast suddenly awoke inside me. I know, it sounds silly, but that's the only way I can describe it. Every time I learn something about tennis I get more and more excited. I'm eager to learn even more."
Miku suddenly chuckled, "Ririko said the same thing."
Yotsuba looked at her, surprised, "Ririko? The tennis shop's daughter? How do you know her?"
"Miku's made some friends while you were away," said Ichika.
Miku explained the whole thing to Yotsuba.
"Oh," Yotsuba smiled proudly at her, "I'm glad to see that you're finally making friends."
"Yeah," Miku blushed a little.
"Did you buy that racket?" Itsuki pointed to the backpack, "Along with all that?"
"Actually, no. Izumi-san gave me this one," Yotsuba took out the other racket, "This one I bought at the shop, along with everything else in here."
"You use your own money?" Itsuki frowned, obviously concerned.
"No, Izumi-san gave me the money to use. Even when I tried to refuse she insisted. She wanted me to have newer equipment, including this other racket. She didn't want to use the one she gave me, at least for the time being."
She gave a brief explanation of the two rackets and the difference between them.
Itsuki's frown deepened, "I don't get it. Why would she give a racket she didn't want you to use?"
Yotsuba shrugged, "I don't know, she just told me to keep this racket because it belonged to me. Speaking of which, you saw her yesterday, didn't you?"
"We did," said Ichika, "She was the one who told us that our treatment of you was what caused you to act the way you did."
"Uesugi-kun's friend was also there," added Itsuki.
Yotsuba's brows rose, "You mean Chiori-san?"
"She told us about Fuutarou and how his mother's death affected him," said Miku, "I was really shocked when she told us."
"Same here," Yotsuba nodded, "I never once thought that he took it that badly. It's no wonder he never talked about her."
"She told us that you had got an athletic scholarship from an American college," said Itsuki, "Is that true?"
"Yeah, it is. In fact, not that you mention it..."
Yotsuba went over to her desk and opened a drawer.
"Here it is," she took it and brought it over to Itsuki, "Take a look."
Itsuki held it in her hand while the other two leaned over to see.
"University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill," she read aloud, "Where's that at?"
"It would be on the east coast of America," Ichika explained.
Itsuki gasped, "That's literally the other side of the world!"
"Why there of all places?" asked Miku.
"Because Izumi-san was the one who sent it," answered Yotsuba.
Three jaws dropped and she explained the entire thing to them.
"She's been following your sports career this whole time?" Ichika, like the others, was stunned.
"Yep," Yotsuba nodded, "It started right after that soccer game. The one that Mama came to watch. Apparently I inherited her athleticism according to her."
A long moment of silence passed.
"What else did she say about her?" asked Miku.
"We've been wondering lately what Mama was like when she was our age," said Itsuki.
"Yeah, so have I," Yotsuba sighed.
From there she began to tell everything Izumi-san had told her about their mother, including how she met her.
Back at the cherry blossom festival Fuutarou and Nino forgot about everything and had fun together. They got involved in everything. They visited every shop, participated in every game, and watched every little show there was to see.
Fuutarou let Nino guide him around since she knew more about these things than he did. As she did he watched her. Seeing how much she was enjoying herself brought a great sense of happiness to him. He'd never seen her this happy before and he was having just as much fun.
They visited a stall that was selling homemade jewelry. Nino tried on some of the necklaces first and then held up some earrings to her lobes, striking some poses and asking Fuutarou how she looked. He grinned and complimented her every time. She eventually bought a pair of earrings that matched her ribbons and they moved on.
When they came across another stall that was selling a variety of different eye glasses Nino started laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"I used to wear a pair like that back in middle school," she motioned to a pair of glasses that looked like the very ones Harry Potter wore.
Fuutarou stared at them for an instant before he burst out laughing.
"Are you serious?" he honestly couldn't imagine her wearing such a thing.
"Yeah," Nino nodded solemnly, "I really hated them. That's why I switched to contacts."
He ended laughing even harder, but Nino wasn't the least bit embarrassed. Then he recalled that out of all her sisters Nino had the poorest eye sight. She always wore contacts, and because of that he suddenly remembered an event that happened between them not long after he first met the quints. He soon found himself grinning. Devilishly.
Nino immediately noticed, "What?"
"Oooh, I was just remembering that one time when I sneaked into your apartment to try and get my notebook back and you were sitting on the couch drying your hair and wearing nothing but a towel."
Right away Nino went bright red. He didn't have to guess what exactly she was remembering.
"Don't remind me of that!" her hands went to her cheeks, "That was so embarrassing!"
Unable to help himself, even though he knew he shouldn't, he started laughing again as the memories came back.
Because Nino hadn't been wearing her contacts she had mistaken him for Miku. She then started ranting about him while he had gone over to the shelf to see if his notebook was there, only for Nino to suddenly come up behind him to retrieve her contacts, still wearing nothing but a towel. He had felt her breasts press into his back as she tried to reach for them. As a result he panicked and ended up knocking down some of the books on top of the shelf. In an effort to protect her from getting hurt he had used his body to shield hers. Unfortunately he had landed awkwardly on top of her and it was only then that Nino recognized him. Itsuki found them right afterwards and it resulted in him getting a "Trial" from the others, with Ichika acting as the judge.
Later they came across Maeda and his girlfriend and decided to join them.
"Ah!" Nino suddenly pointed, "Look at that plushie!"
"OMG!" cried Ami when she saw it, "I want that!"
Nino turned on her, eyes narrowing, "I saw it first!"
"So?" Ami glared, "When I see something it's automatically mine!"
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah!"
A tense moment passed before the two girls turned to their boyfriends.
"Fuutarou!"
"Maeda!"
"Get that for us!" they both demanded.
Both boys stood there frozen for an instant, then Maeda sighed and took off his jacket.
"Better do as she says, pal," he told Fuutarou, "She won't forgive you otherwise. Trust me, I know."
Both girls had their arms tightly crossed and had looks that said they were not to be argued with. Seeing that he had no choice Fuutarou took off his own jacket and joined Maeda at the table.
As soon as it started, however, one thing was made absolutely clear.
Their aim is terrible! both girls stared in disbelief.
Despite that their dates made valiant efforts. In the end Maeda won. Ami squealed in delight as Maeda handed her the prize while Nino stood there pouting and refused to look at Fuutarou.
"Uh... sorry," he held up his palms, "I did my very best."
After a while Nino smiled at him, "Yeah, I suppose you did."
They then came across another stall that offered people to do water color paintings. Nino joined in and started painting different kinds of flowers. Fuutarou was impressed to see that she was actually a really good artist.
"How are you so good at that?" he asked.
"When we were little Mama would always buy us these water coloring kits," a sad look came to her eyes, "It was good way to pass the time and not think about all the hardships we were going through."
After doing six different paintings Nino kept two of them for herself while the rest were hung up for display.
The biggest highlight of the day came after they returned to their picnic spot. After putting away their souvenirs Fuutarou was about to ask what she would like to do next when he saw that she wasn't there. He looked around and spotted her joining in on the dance crowd as a new song started to play. Mesmerized he walked over to the lawn.
Nino was not a bad dancer. While there was no kind of routine she moved gracefully, almost like a ballerina. As she twirled around she spotted Fuutarou and waved at him to join her. He raised a hand and shook his head, not because he didn't want to dance but because he wanted to watch her a little while longer.
Then somebody shoved him from behind and he stumbled forward.
"Get in there, dumbass!" he head someone say.
He recovered his footing and looked over his shoulder to see Nino's friends standing there. Yamada glared at him while Otori stood there giggling. He only managed to send a glare back at them before Nino caught him in her arms and swept him away.
He soon lost track of time and space. His body seemed to move on his own as everyone was dancing, but his eyes were entirely on Nino. He let her guide him through the dance and he was able to pick up on it. Incredibly he did not step on her toes even once.
They did one dance together. Then another. And another. Each time Fuutarou got better at it. Soon he was able to keep pace with Nino. Together they spun, twirled, whirled, and a few times he actually lifted her into the air at the right moment. He had never actually danced before, yet he was enjoying every moment of it. He wondered if he would ever dance like this again, and with Nino.
How many dances did they do? Neither one knew, but neither did they care. They were lost in each other's arms. When the last dance they found themselves looking at each other's eyes as they recovered their breath. They were oblivious as the crowd cheered at the band for their performance. After a while they released each other. They were both a bit sweaty and their faces were flushed, but they were both very happy.
"That was a lot of fun," he said.
"Yeah," she gasped.
"Shall we take a break?"
"Yeah," Nino chuckled, "I think we should before we collapse.
The pair made their way back to their picnic spot. Reaching into the basket he handed her a water bottle.
"Ahh," Nino sighed after taking a long drink, "That hits the spot."
Fuutarou removed his shoes and flexed his toes, "I think my feets are going to be sore for a whole week."
"Oh, sorry," Nino chuckled, "I forgot that you don't exercise much. Once I started dancing I just couldn't stop."
"Don't worry about it. I'm glad that you've been enjoying yourself," he suddenly chuckled, "I guess that makes up for the time when Kintarou left you hanging during that winter trip."
"Oh, yeah," she eyed him as she remembered, "He never showed up."
"Yeah, sorry about that," he grimaced, "Truth be told I was going to dance with you that night, but then I got locked in the shed with Ichika."
"I remember. How did that happen anyway?"
"We were helping bring out the wood for the bonfire. Everyone was so excited they locked us in without even bothering to check for anyone inside. We had to sit there and wait until someone came by."
"Hmph," Nino shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I'll let you off the hook for that."
Fuutarou looked at her and the secret grin on her lips. He was really happy that he brought her here.
"Looks like they're getting ready to pack it in," Nino pointed over to where some of the tents and canopies were starting to be taken down.
Fuutarou looked at the sky before glancing at his watch, "Sun is starting go down too. We should head back soon before it gets dark."
The music band started playing one final song after it was announced that the festival would end soon.
Quickly slipping his shoes back on, Fuutarou stood and held his hand out to her.
"Shall we have one dance before we go?" he offered.
Eyes shining she took his hand, "Sure."
Hand in hand they went back down to the lawn. It was a slow romantic song this time so they simply copied the other couples by holding each other close. Both of them could feel their hearts beating as they slowly turned in a circle. They couldn't see each other faces, but their cheeks were touching.
Fuutarou was feeling really strange right now. He never held a girl like this before, yet it felt so nice. When the dance was over they found themselves looking at each other's eyes again before they separated and applauded the band.
"We better head back," she said.
"Yeah," he agreed. He didn't like traveling in the dark.
Returning to their spot they quietly put everything away. Nino pulled her high boots back on while Fuutarou put on his jacket and his cap before they headed back to the parking lot. When they arrived they found their friends waiting for them.
"Going home?" said Maeda as he helped placed the basket and Nino's hat on the back rack.
"Yep, it's about time we left," said Fuutarou as he straddled the motorcycle.
Nino's friends hugged her again.
"I'm so glad you came," said Otori, "It was so good to see you again."
"Are you going to come back to school next week?" asked Yamada.
"Yeah... I think so," Nino nodded, "I'll have to since the final's coming up."
"Hey," Ami chimed in, "How about I take a picture of you and Uesugi on the bike with your phone? You know? Something to remember by?"
Nino glanced at Fuutarou, who shrugged.
"I don't see why not."
"Okay," Nino handed her phone to Ane.
The girl took a few steps back while Nino turned around to figure out where she should pose with Fuutarou. But as she did her feet suddenly caught each other and she lost her balance. Luckily she was near enough that Fuutarou caught by reflex and she landed on his lap. They found themselves staring at each other again, blushing furiously.
"Hey, that's perfect!" squeled Ami, "Put your arms around his neck, Nino-chan!"
"Uh..." Fuutarou's lips twisted as he chuckled nervouslt, "Well?"
"Y-Yeah," Nino grinned a little as she pulled her body up to settle more firmly on his lap.
Both of them tried to relax as Ami adjusted the camera.
"Okay! Smile you two! Big smile!" she hit the button twice, "Perfect!
She ran and handed Nino back her phone, "That's a really cute picture of you two!"
They looked down at the picture and surprised to see that they were both giving very nice smiles. They looked so... natural together.
"It is a nice picture," said Nino.
"Yeah," Fuutarou agreed, "Um... would you mind getting off my lap now?"
"Oh, yeah, Sorry!" Nino jumped off.
Fuutarou started the bike while Nino climbed on behind him. After putting on their helmets they waved goodbye to their friends.
"We'll see you later," said Fuutarou as he revved up the bike.
"I'll call you guys!" Nino said to her friends, "Have a safe trip back!"
"You too!"
The friends waved until the bike was out of sight. They stood there silently for a moment, feeling very happy with today's events. Then Ami pulled out her own phone and quick dialed a number before putting it on speaker.
"Hello?" came a voice.
"Hey, Itsuki-chan! It's us," replied Ami as the others gathered around, "They just left a moment ago. Did you get all the pictures we sent you?"
"We did. Thanks for keeping an eye of them. How did it go between them?"
"We saw them have a long talk after they arrived, but they didn't get into any fights or arguments."
"I did have to push Uesugi-san around a couple times though," said Yamada, "But everything worked out in the end."
"Ha ha, that's good. How was Nino the whole time?"
"She was happy," replied Maeda, "Very happy."
"They were both very happy," put in Otori.
"That's good to hear. Thank you so much for agreeing to help. You don't how much this means to us."
"Not a problem, Itsuki-chan," Ami smiled proudly, "We're glad it all worked out in the end."
On the way back Nino tapped Fuutarou on the shoulder.
"What's up?" he yelled over his shoulder.
"Can you pull over for a minute?" Nino gestured ahead of them, "I want to watch the sunset."
Glancing ahead, Fuutarou saw that the sun was just starting to set over the hills. Seeing that it was a nice view he pulled over on a turnoff and switched off the engine.
They took off the helmets and together they watched the sun slowly descend. He felt Nino leaned against his side and he moved his arm around her back without thinking. He felt her head touch his shoulder and as if by instinct he leaned his closer to hers. The minutes ticked until the sun finally slipped out of sight, but neither made a move. They sat there quietly for a little longer until Nino suddenly moved and the next thing he knew she was standing right in front of him, staring into his eyes.
"Fuu-kun..."
She placed her hands on his face and leaned closer. He made no attempt to stop her. He closed his eyes and their lips touched.
The kisses Nino had given him before had been sudden, forced, and she had been nervous every time.
This time, however, it was the complete opposite. This one was warm, gentle, and confident.
Fuutarou was shocked by the effect it had on him, and before he realized it his arms slid around her waist and pulled her closer. She made no protest. Instead she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck.
The kiss deepened and Fuutarou felt something flair inside him. He wanted to have more moments like this with Nino. He wanted her like a man wanted a woman. He was so shocked by what he felt at this very moment. He had never felt this way before. How was it that this girl had such an affect on him?
After a while they gently released their lips.
They both stood there, eyes closed, their foreheads touching, and silently breathing. Nino's hands were on still his shoulders while his hands were still on her hips. Finally he forced himself to look at her again and waited until Nino's eyes met his once again. Her throat moved and she gulped down some air.
"Thank you... for doing this for me," she whispered, "I forgive you... for what happened."
"Yeah..." he swallowed, "Thank you... and you're welcome."
A minute passed between them.
"If..." her eyes lowered and he saw her hesitate, "If you're still interested in Yotsuba, I'll see what I can... what I can do... to help."
He felt his heart stop. He had forgotten that he was technically still Yotsuba's boyfriend. They were going to need to have a talk about their relationship and where they would go from there.
"Y-Yeah," he suddenly didn't feel well, "We better get going."
Nino said nothing as they rode the rest of the way back. When he announced they were almost there he felt her arms tightened around him. She really didn't want to let him go. She didn't want this to end. He discovered that he felt the very same way. He didn't want to let her go either, but he had to for the time. There were other matters that he had to sort out.
They finally arrived at the apartment building. Nino took her hat and the picnic basket before coming over to stand before him.
"Well, I guess I'll see you at school next week," she said.
"Yeah, I guess so," Fuutarou smiled, "I had a lot of fun today, Nino."
She smiled, "I did too. I always remember it. Well... see you later."
She turned and walked to the entrance. Fuutarou was about to ride away when his elbow touched something in his jacket pocket. He let out a curse as he remembered.
"Wait, Nino!" he sighed with relief when she turned back around, "Come back for a moment."
"Did you forget something?" she asked when she was by his side again.
"I almost did," he grinned, "Hold out you arm for a moment."
"My arm?" she blinked in confusion but did what he asked.
In one swift motion Fuutarou took the object from his pocket and wrapped it on her wrist.
Nino stared in shock. Around her wrist was a bracelet similar to Fuutarou's. It was made of green, white, and purple fibers and dangling off of one end was a butterfly that resembled her hair ribbons.
"Fuu-kun..." she gasped.
"I asked my sister to make another one," he grinned nervously, "I thought it would be a nice gift to give to you. As a way to thank you for all you've done for me."
"It's... it's beautiful," she smiled happily, "Tell her I said thank you."
"I will. Have a good night, Nino."
With that he gunned the engine and sped away.
Nino watched him go, her heart pounding like crazy. She looked down at the bracelet and she felt tears coming down her cheeks. Now that she thought about it she had never really spoken to Fuutarou's little sister. She would have to change that sometime.
She made her way back into the apartment suite and found her sisters gathered around the dinner table. Apparently they had ordered Chinese for dinner.
"Hey!" Ichika saw her first, "You're back! How did it go?"
The rest turned towards her, eager to hear how her date went.
"It..." she shrugged, "It was great! We really had a good time."
"I'm happy to hear that," Itsuki smiled and pointed to the table, "Are you hungry? We saved some for you."
"Thank you. I'll have it in a moment."
She set down her hat and the picnic basket and made her way to where Yotsuba sat. Her sister looked up at her with wide eyes and she took a deep breath.
"Yotsuba..." she swallowed, "About that time... what I said to you... I just want to say-"
She never finished her sentence for Yotsuba suddenly stood and hugged her tightly.
"It's okay," she whispered, "You don't need to apologize. I would've felt the same way too."
Her vision became a blur and she hugged her back.
"Thank you for giving me the push I needed to get past this," releasing her sister Nino looked at the others, "Thank you, all of you, for doing this for me. I'm fine now. Sorry for making you worry so much."
Miku came over and hugged her, "Welcome back, Nino."
As Ichika came in to do the same Itsuki looked down at her lap. Displayed on her cell phone was the picture of Fuutarou and Nino smiling together on the motorcycle from a different angle, secretly taken by one of Nino's friends.
I have to admit, she thought, they really do make a nice couple.
Fuutarou rolled up to the rear entrance of the restaurant and switched off the engine. He put the kickstand down and lifted his leg over the bike, took off his helmet, hat, and gloves but did not go inside. Instead he sat there quietly for a while and stared into the night, going over all the events of today.
Wow.
That was the only word he could use to describe it.
Wow.
If that was what it was like to go on a date with a girl, to talk with her, laugh with her, have fun with her, dance with her, hold her in his arms, to feels her lips on his, and overall just... being around her, then he really had been missing out. He was honestly upset with himself for having ignored this kind of thing for so long.
His date with Nino had been the complete opposite of the one with Yotsuba, but that had been due to his ignorance. He had ignored her instead of paying attention to her. Then he had the gall to ask her to marry him when it was over. Thinking about now made him feel disgusted with himself. It was really the dumbest thing he had ever done in his life. It was no wonder Yotsuba had lost control and punched him. He fully deserved it too.
With Nino it had been a completely different experience.
He was glad that he did it right this time, but he ended up learning a lot more than he thought he would. There were so many emotions running through him right now it was impossible to make sense of it all. How could going on a date with Nino, a girl who had given so much trouble in the beginning, make him feel so... alive? Had he really shut himself down that much? Had he really been that scared this whole time?
Today he succeeded in more ways than one. Not only had Nino forgiven him, she actually went as far as to kiss him. Again. To show him that she still had those feelings for him despite all he had done. She was a lot more forgiving than he expected her to be. That alone spoke volumes.
Ichika had been right all along. Nino's love for him truly was really that strong. It was genuine. He couldn't believe how blind he was not to see it when it should have been clear as day. Just as Nino stated that she would never find another guy like him, he didn't believe he would ever find another girl like her even if he spent a lifetime looking.
Nino Nakano really had turned his life upside down from the moment they met.
His thoughts strayed back to the kiss she'd given him tonight and his fingers rose to touch his lips. He could still feel hers lips on his. The warmth, the promise they held, the wanting that it had woken within him. He never knew that such a thing could bring such strong feelings.
Was this what love was like? He wasn't sure, but it was a natural reaction. A man being attracted to a woman was a natural thing, it didn't entirely mean they were in love with that woman. That was something he had to discover in order to be sure.
He now understood what the quints' grandfather had been trying to say to him.
Love was something that grew over time. It needed trust and understanding. There was no such thing as love at first sight. People who believed in that had a very naive point of view when it came to love. That was what happened to Yotsuba. She had foolishly been in love with a man she didn't fully understand or trust. She just assumed they were made for each other.
The same went for him. Only he did far worse. On his date with Yotsuba he'd been selfish, impatient, and arrogant. With Nino... he simply decided to relax and have fun. And it felt great. He wondered if it would be like that the time he and Nino-
He suddenly froze. Did he actually want to go on another date with Nino? Yes. Yes, he did. He did want to be with Nino again. He wanted to experience all those feelings he felt today. However...
He sighed heavily. There was still Yotsuba to deal with. He also needed to speak with the other quints, including Itsuki. Learning that she had feelings for him after all had been a real shock.
As he sat there he suddenly wondered. If he went on a date with any of the other quints right now would it be the same as it was with Nino?
"Looks like you had a good time."
Startled from his thoughts Fuutarou turned to see his dad standing there with Toshiyuki right beside him.
"How long have you two been there?"
"Long enough to see that you've got a lot on your mind," replied his boss.
He pulled out a steel chair while Isanari came to Fuutarou's side and leaned on the backseat of the bike. Wakamura placed his chair to Fuutarou's right and sat down backwards on it, placing his arms over the backrest.
"Have you and Raiha been here all today?" he glanced inside the restaurant.
"Your boss offered us a free lunch after you left," his dad explained, "We then hung around town for a while before coming back to have dinner while waiting for you. Raiha's inside drawing on a coloring book right now."
"We were talking in the kitchen together when we heard you roll in," said Toshiyuki, "We noticed right away how quiet you were. So, talk to us. How did it go?"
"It went..." he grinned, "better than expected."
"Did Nino forgive you?"
"She did. We had a really good time. She was really happy."
When he said no more Isanari reached and patted his back.
"What's on your mind, son?"
He took a breath before asking, "Dad... you said that you loved and accepted everything about mom. What was it about her that you loved the most?"
Isanari took a moment to recall the memories of his beloved wife.
"Well... for me... it was her courage. She wouldn't back down no matter how difficult it was and she wouldn't let anything, not even her family, stop he from doing what she wanted. Her choosing me against her dad's wishes was a prime example of that. No matter what struggles we went through she stayed with me. That's why I could accept her as both my lover and my wife. Her love for me was that strong. I could never find another who could replace her."
"I see," Fuutarou turned his attention to his boss, "You asked me which one of the quints had the most effect on me, made me feel something. I thought about it long and hard and I realized that it was Nino. However..."
Toshiyuki raised a brow, "However?"
"I'm..." he frowned a little, "I'm not exactly sure how I really feel about her. When I was with her today, it really made me happy to see how happy she was. I never felt that way before. We even shared a kiss-"
"Oooh," both of them grinned.
"Be serious, okay?" he rolled his eyes, "She's not the first one who's kissed me but hers, along with some of the others, were always forced and unexpected. This time... it was much different. I never thought that kissing a girl could be so..."
"Intoxicating?"
"Stimulating?"
"Guys..." Fuutarou growled.
"Relax!" Isanari slapped his son's back, "We're just messing with you."
"You don't have to hide it though," Toshiyuki assured him, "We're all guys here."
"Ugh," he rolled his eyes again, "Alright, fine. It did ignite something in me, and I'm very confused right now. Do I really have feelings for Nino? Or am I just reacting the way guys normally do when they're with a girl?"
"Ah, I see what you're getting at. Well, when you first met Nino, what was she like?"
Fuutarou thought back and gave a little laugh, "Well, she was absolute you-know-what to me in the beginning," he glanced at his dad, "You remember how I used to come home and complain about her all the time?"
"Yeah, you wouldn't shut up about it. You talked more about her than you did with any other quint."
Fuutarou snorted, "You would feel the same way too if you knew half the things she to me."
"Such as?"
"Well, she did drug me. Twice."
Both adults blinked, "Drugged you?"
He explained the two incidents.
"Wow," Toshiyuki laughed, "I'll have to be careful not to get on her bad side."
"So that's why Itsuki brought you home earlier than expected," Isanari grinned, "You were caught sleeping on the job!"
Fuutarou ignored him and said, "The thing is, I was never comfortable around Nino because of how she behaved in the beginning and it was like that for a while. From the day we met she did everything to make my life miserable. I was always on edge whenever she was near me. I never knew what she would say or do. Then all of a sudden she says that she loved me, the last girl I ever expected to say it. It left me even more confused than before. I couldn't understand why she would fall for a guy like me."
"But now you do," Toshiyuki pointed out.
"Yeah, I do," his lips lifted, "We really do have a lot in common. She's as stubborn as I am and she isn't afraid to speak her mind. The big difference between us was that she always went into the heart of the problem whereas I always went to great lengths to avoid them. If I wasn't such a moron I probably would've liked gotten along with her much sooner. Am I making any sense?"
"You are," Isanari assured, "Love does have a way of coming from the last place you'd expect. That seems to be the case with Nino."
"Sometimes the person you're not supposed to fall in love with is the person you do fall in love with," put in Toshiyuki
Fuutarou nodded, "There's one other thing. Nino said to me that she wasn't convinced that a relationship between us would have worked out in the end. Why would a guy like me want to be with a girl like her? I'm not trying to think too much about it but... could a relationship really work between us?"
"Well, that's for you two to figure out," said Isanari, "Remember what I said about why I married your mother?"
"You accepted everything about her and loved her for it," Fuutarou recalled, "I know what you're getting at. I can accept Nino for who she is now, but is that enough? Let's say we did get married in the future. Could it actually work?"
"As long as you respect her for who she is it will," said Toshiyuki, "If you were to get married, you can't go changing bits and pieces just to make life easier and expect her to be okay with it. Would you be happy if Nino turned into one of the other quints?"
"Like Yotsuba for example?" asked Isanari.
He didn't have to think about it for long.
"No," he said, "That would be like me asking her to give up her pride."
And pride was the only thing that had kept her going for this long.
"What's happening to you right is that you're basically playing catch up," said his dad, "You're still trying to figure out your own feelings but if you do have feelings for Nino, there's only one way to find out. Spend more time with her."
"That's what I want to do," Fuutarou agreed, "but it's not going to be that simple. I need to speak with the other quints before I do anything else, especially with Yotsuba."
Isanari patted his back again, "Then do it. Do whatever you need, say whatever you need to say to them. It's your call, son. You deal with it the way you want to."
"Just take it one step at a time, okay?" reminded Toshiyuki, "You don't need to rush things. As long as you're honest and sincere they'll understand your feelings."
"And even if it all doesn't work out in the end, you will have learn something from them and you won't keep making the same mistake again."
"Yeah," Fuuratou agreed, "I understand now. Thanks again for all your help."
"Have you had dinner yet?" asked Toshiyuki.
"Not yet."
"Order whatever you like, it's on the house," as they stood he gestured to the bike, "What did you think of the bike by the way?"
"Oh!" Fuutarou laughed and ran a hand across the handlebars, "Very nice! I'm not going to lie. I really enjoyed riding this. Thanks for letting me use it for today," he paused for a moment before saying, "You know... I actually wouldn't mind owning one of these one day."
He saw the eyes of his boss light up, "Well, in that case, if you want to know everything there is about cruiser bikes I'm your man!" he offered his hand, "Ask me anything you want. I'll tell you all I know."
"Thanks!" Fuutarou shook it, "I'll definitely take you up on that offer."
