Disclaimer: The Quintessential Quintuplets (Gotobun no Hanayome) and all its characters are the intellectual property of Mr. Negi Haruba. All rights reserved.
Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. September 5th, 2017. Outside 'The Pentagon'.
The Pentagon is by far the tallest building in all of Tokai. It has a very curious name, given that in shape, it does not in any way resemble a pentagon. It's shape is actually pretty standard for a high-rise building. It's 30 story-high, completely gray on the outside if we're not counting its numerous spotless windows, with its most distinctive feature being that it has a helipad on top.
And this is quite telling of the kind of building this is. As we've discussed previously, it's a building made to house the upper-class society of Tokai. Which is not that numerous, so a non-insignificant proportion of them live inside those walls. If the outside is somewhat nondescript, the inside is anything but. It has state-of-the-art security features and technology, and it looks more like an office building that houses a big multinational corporation than any apartment building most people have ever seen the inside of.
He has gotten used to it by now, but the first several times Inejiro came to visit the Nakano household, he felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb there. The quintuplets adapted relatively quickly to their new social status (though other aspects of life weren't so easy), but their childhood friend even required a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief to convince himself that he belonged there when he came to visit. Which, granted, wasn't as often as when they were all children. He used to even be afraid of being seen by other residents of the building, imagining they they'd see him as a suspicious character and call the cops on him or something.
Well, he was just barely a teenager back then, and the culture shock from such wide gaps in social status can be quite pronounced, especially for someone that young. He did eventually get used to it, even more so when he started working for Maruo, which made him visit almost every day. He's even had his own keys to the place since he became a Nakano family employee. Well…they're not 'keys' per se, it's a card that can get you inside the building and the Nakano family apartment (very posh, I know), which of course, sits on the top floor, as if to signify Maruo's position on the highest echelons of Tokai's society.
But, apparently, if there's someone who either did not have any culture shock, or if he did, he overrode it completely, that would be Fuutarou Uesugi. From Nino's version of the story (who, granted, is not the most reliable narrator) he was trailing Itsuki all the way from Asahiyama, until she stopped him on his tracks outside the entrance to the Pentagon. He tried to convince Miku and her that he actually lived there, and they weren't fooled, so he jumped and ran past them and chased after Itsuki.
"Nino, he did fool you though. If I didn't mention the cheap meals he eats, you would not have noticed at all that he obviously doesn't live here", Miku chimed in. Very unreliable narrator, that Nino.
"Well forgive me Miku for not paying attention to what some weirdo orders for lunch!", responded the aggrieved sister.
It's not exactly an uncommon sight to find Nino and Miku bickering over some inconsequential nonsense or another. They're the ones with the most conflicting personalities among the five sisters by far, and it shows.
"No point arguing about it, girls. I already told you, he's your tutor, he's meant to be here", said Inejiro. It's been a long and quite mentally exhausting day for him already, and he's really had it trying to communicate to everyone that Fuutarou Uesugi is indeed house tutor for the Nakanos. It's gonna be a hell of a job if just *that* part takes so much work.
"Not 'meant' to be here at all, actually. Why the hell do we even need a tutor?", asked Nino.
"Because you suck at school, that's why", responded Inejiro.
"So do you!", Nino hit back, sensing a high degree of hypocrisy.
"Because we suck at school, then"
"Oh yeah, girls, Jiro is gonna be a tutor too!", said Yotsuba.
"But he can hardly tutor anyone…", Miku commented, with a deadpan expression.
"I'm right here! Discuss my qualifications in private please, it hurts my feelings. Besides, I'm only gonna be helping Uesugi, he'll be running the show".
Finally, the elevator they were riding reached the 30th floor, and they stepped out, still chatting about their new arrangement. In the hallway, they found Itsuki sitting on the floor, with a terrified expression on her face, with Fuutarou standing over her. He must have told her the news, figured Inejiro. Still, does she hate him that much?
Fuutarou, hearing footsteps, turned around and was shocked when he saw the posse walking past him.
"Wh-why are you all here? Nakamura too?"
"You should be expecting me at least dude", responded his new co-worker.
"Well why wouldn't they be here? We live here", said Itsuki.
"Oh, all five of you high school friends share an apartment, then…?", said Fuutarou, who looked like his mind was overheating.
"Ah, right. I never told him they were quintuplets! Oh this is gonna be a joy to behold!", thought a very amused Inejiro.
"No. Actually, we're quintuplets", explained a very grumpy-looking Itsuki, her sisters standing by her side.
"W-w-w-w-w-w-what?", asked Fuutarou, overheating even more.
"Hey girls go do what you like, I'll arrange everything with our currently mentally challenged friend over here", said Inejiro.
Yotsuba and Ichika chuckled, after which all seven of them headed inside the apartment. And if the Pentagon in general is rather luxurious, the Nakano apartment is the cream of the crop. It has a very spacious living room, with windows that run the whole distance of the room and go from the floor to the roof, leading to a balcony that must have one of the best views in all of Tokai. You can even see Nagoya in the distance from here. There's a door leading to the bathroom and a small kitchen next to the living room. Also, there's the stairway that leads to the six bedrooms, which all overlook the living room from above. One for each sister, and one technically for Maruo, who barely ever sleeps here anyways so it's anyone's guess if it's actually used for anything. You could probably hide a corpse in there and no one would be the wiser.
The girls all headed into their rooms, probably to get changed or just rest a bit from their schoolday., leaving Inejiro and Fuutarou alone in the living room.
"Yo, Uesugi, I'm gonna go outside for a smoke. Mind joining me, so we can make some plans?", said Inejiro, gesturing towards the balcony.
Fuutarou just nodded and followed him. He's clearly still in shock, so much so that he didn't even comment on how great the view is when he stepped outside. Then again, it's possible he's not the kinda guy to even care about such a thing.
"You smoke, Uesugi?", asked Inejiro as he picked up a cigarette and fought to light it, struggling against the chilly 30th-floor wind.
"No, of course not! Do you carry those with you? You could get in trouble if someone found them in school".
"Well, not like I smoke on the premises. And at the end of the day, I am of legal age. But, point taken, you are correct. It is a somewhat unnecessary risk", responded Inejiro. "Sorry for not telling you they're quintuplets, by the way. Maruo shouldn't have arranged this so hastily in the first place, and should have talked to you personally. But, alas, I should have told you. Kind of a joke in revenge for you calling Itsuki fat…I promise to be more professional from now on". Inejiro started laughing. "It was really funny seeing your reaction though!"
"Not that funny for me…I should have guessed, five times the regular rate! Because they're five students!"
"Yup, that's right. So…think you can handle it?"
"I have no clue. But, I could use the money".
"Yeah, well, Maruo does pay quite well. You could do worse than working for this family".
"Maruo?"
"Ah, Maruo Nakano, the girls' father. You must have heard of him, surely. At least seen his name on the paper".
"Ah, yeah, he's the top surgeon in the prefecture, and owns the local hospital…wait, you're on a first-name basis with him?", Fuutarou asked. He did notice that Inejiro walked around the apartment like he owned the place, which he thinks is weird, even more so considering he just heard him talking about his boss without any honorifics. Not just any boss, by the way, Maruo Nakano himself.
"Uesugi, I've known these girls since they were 9, and I was 12. Maruo may be my boss, but before that, he's my best friends' father".
"Oh". Fuutarou had no idea that Inejiro was so close to the quintuplets and their family. Some things start to make a bit more sense in his head now. Granted…not a lot of sense, just a little bit more. Inejiro's relationship with the quintuplets has been somewhat of a headscratcher since they were children after all, and Fuutarou is no exception. But it does at least explain his attitude towards them, and towards Fuutarou himself.
"Sure…erm…so…", Fuutarou is thinking of ways in which to word the following question in a way that isn't too overly disrespectful to his new co-worker. Who's close to his boss and his students, to boot. "...What will you be doing here? I mean…".
"Yes, Uesugi, I'm a failure of a student, I am aware, you don't have to mince words. Look, there are actually some subjects I can help you with. I am good at history, philosophy, languages, politics and the like. I frankly just read that stuff for fun, have done so since forever. I can help you with that. But the most important part, I can help you deal with the girls. Look, Uesugi, you're really smart and a top-notch student, but socially, let's see how I can put it…I had never seen you talk to anyone other than the lady from the lunch counter in all my time in Asahiyama until yesterday. And that's when you called Itsuki fat for no reason and didn't even look at me when I was trying to talk to you in the morning".
Fuutarou is silent. Inejiro's words ring true. He's very aware. Although his popularity, or social skill, or anything of the sort…none of them are things that he's cared about for a good few years until now.
"Look, they're really wonderful girls. Believe me when I say this. But…well…they ARE quintuplets, teaching five girls at once can't be easy. And…erm…they're girls. You're a guy".
"So are you, Nakamura".
Inejiro is quite uncomfortable dealing with this subject, but this time it's work related, he has to give it a shot.
"Look, Uesugi, these girls have been going to girl school for the last five years. They're not used to hanging around boys…other than, well, me. We've known each other for a long time, it's not the same. Just…", Inejiro tries to finish, still very uncomfortable, "...be aware that they're girls, is what I'm trying to say".
"I don't care that they're girls. All that matters is that I am their tutor and they, my students".
Inejiro thought back to his earlier conversation with Yotsuba. He considered asking Fuutarou about that, but decided against it. Definitely for the better.
"Fine. That's a workable attitude. But do remember what I said. Any advice I give is for the purpose of helping you. Well…regardless, I'm gonna call your new boss right now, so you can talk to him, ask him anything you want".
"What? Just like that?", asked a nervous Fuutarou.
"Are you scared, Uesugi? You'll have to talk to him at some point. Look, I'll call him, put him on speaker so I can hear what he's saying while you two talk", said Inejiro, who pulled out his phone, looked for Maruo's number and called him.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
"Dr. Maruo Nakano's office", spoke an older voice, clearly belonging to Ebata.
"Hi, Ebata-san. Is Maruo available?"
"Nakamura-san, hello. I will ask him. What is this about? Is it about his daughters?"
"No. Well…yeah, it's related. Uesugi wishes to speak with him".
"Oh of course. Give me a second, I will ask him", said Ebata.
Inejiro covered up the phone's speakers and whispered to Fuutarou. "Yo, Uesugi. Remember anything you wanna ask him, talk to him about, anything. He's not half as scary as he seems. Just be respectful and know your place, and it'll be fine".
"Okay", said a slightly more confident Fuutarou.
Inejiro put his phone in his ear again, and only had to wait a few seconds before a monotone voice, belonging to Maruo Nakano, spoke up.
"Hello, Nakamura-kun".
"Hi, Maruo. Ebata-san filled you in, I imagine".
"Yes, he did. I cannot talk for long. But still, if Uesugi-kun wishes to speak with me, I must oblige. Pass him the phone".
"Sure thing", said Inejiro before passing the phone to his coworker.
"Hello", Fuutarou greeted Maruo.
"Hello, Uesugi-kun. It's good to hear from you. What did you wish to speak to me about?"
Fuutarou paused for a couple of seconds, taking a deep breath.
"QUINTUPLETS?", Fuutarou shouted at the phone. "N-Nakano-san…do you really have five identical daughters?".
"Yes, they are monozygotic quintuplets. I want you to guide the five of them to graduation. Of course, I will pay you enough for all five", spoke Maruo in his usual monotone, which greatly contrasted with Fuutarou's recent burst.
"I-I'm not quite sure in my ability…to handle that".
"Last minute cold feet, Uesugi?", thought Inejiro, who was smoking while he listened to the conversation.
"Oh, you're not? Well, this was your father's proposal in the first place, but I suppose you leave me with no choice. It is unfortunate, but…I am afraid I will have to ask you to pretend this offer never-"
"THE CONFIDENCE JUST WELLED UP FROM WITHIN ME! I SHALL HELP ALL OF YOUR DAUGHTERS SUCCESSFULLY GRADUATE!", Fuutarou shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Yeah, that's my boy! That's the attitude right there!", thought a relieved Inejiro.
"I have high hopes, son. Can you put Nakamura-kun back on the phone please?"
"Sure thing, sir. Goodbye", said Fuutarou as he handed the phone to Inejiro.
"Hello back, Maruo".
"Nakamura-kun. I thought he would be aware that my daughters were quintuplets by now".
"Oh he was. He hadn't talked to you yet, that's all".
"I understand. By the way, are my daughters there right now?"
Inejiro looked inside to find…an empty living room. He noticed that Fuutarou started sweating profusely next to him. Probably scared of what his new boss would say if he found out none of his daughters showed up for the first session.
"They're still in their rooms. We just came back from school. Do not worry, I'll make sure they all come down and get right to work".
"Very well. I have high hopes for these tutoring sessions. I trust that you and Uesugi-kun can lead my daughters safely to graduation. Now I must go. Goodbye".
"Your faith shall be rewarded Maruo. Talk to you later", said Inejiro as he finished the call. Both he and Fuutarou headed inside immediately.
"Ugh, these girls, where the hell did they go?", exclaimed a growingly irritated Fuutarou. Who apparently did not notice that Inejiro just said they were in their rooms. Or didn't see them go upstairs. Eh, the mix of nerves and stress will do that to you.
"They went to their rooms", said a smiling ribbon-wearing girl who showed up from behind him.
"Oh, Yotsuba, was it? The one who got the zero?"
Yotsuba got somewhat embarrassed when hearing the question.
"Eheheh…did you talk to dad?"
"Yeah, so you five really are…hey, furrow your brow for a second".
"Like…this?", said Yotsuba, and tried her best to make an angry looking face.
Inejiro laughed. "That's about the funniest looking angry face I've ever seen".
"Bad Jiro!", the girl said as she smacked the back of his head.
"Ow, that actually hurt a little", said Inejiro as he scratched the spot where she hit him.
"Crybaby!", said a laughing Yotsuba.
"Ah we'll see who's the crybaby if I beat your ass in FIFA again later"
"But that wasn't fair! You cheated!"
"Scoring more penalties than you is not cheating!"
"You looked at my controller!"
"Did not! I can tell where you're gonna shoot just by looking at your face!"
"Ah so you did cheat!"
Fuutarou kinda got a bit lost in the woods in the middle of their spat over…videogames? The guy who is supposed to help him make sure the girls pay attention is distracting one of them with videogames. Some coworker, he thought.
"Em, you mind getting back to tutoring related topics?", said an annoyed Fuutarou.
"Sorry!", both Inejiro and Yotsuba responded in unison, like school kids.
"Yeah, em, anyways, Uesugi, are you just now noticing the resemblance?", asked Inejiro.
"Eh, to be honest, I hadn't paid much attention". He quickly turned back to Yotsuba, as if suddenly realizing something. "Wait, why didn't you run away with the rest?"
"I-I wouldn't dream of running away!", Yotsuba loudly yelled. "Of course I stayed for your lesson, Uesugi-san!".
Fuutarou was startled by her comment.
"I was against the idea when I thought we were gonna have a scary tutor…but if it's you, a classmate, I'm sure it will be fun!"
"Yeah, right, and any classmate will do. Suuuure", thought Inejiro, remembering his earlier conversation with Yotsuba. And the scene in the cafeteria.
"Yotsuba…can I hug you right now?", asked a version of Fuutarou Uesugi that attempted to be charming in a completely ridiculous and over-the-top manner.
"Alright, let's go! Let's get the others!", said a very embarrassed Yotsuba who quickly turned around and headed upstairs.
"Oh yeah, you two do that. I'll wait here", said Inejiro who sat on the couch while the other two went quint-wrangling.
"He really had to tell Yotsuba, out of all of them that he wanted to hug her. Good Lord. Par for the course for Uesugi to be dense as a rock…unless he sees her 'interest' and is trying to use it for his advantage? I mean…it'd make sense from a cold logical perspective, although it's completely morally bankrupt to do that to a girl. It's obvious she has feelings for him. And I just…I don't like her being manipulated like that. But I don't know if he's doing so either, I don't wanna go accusing Uesugi of such things, even to myself…", thought Inejiro, who went into a deep internal monologue while Fuutarou and Yotsuba were upstairs.
"INEJIRO!", shouted an angry female voice belonging to Nino Nakano, who was now wearing a red Asahiyama tracksuit.
"E-eh, yeah, what?", said the startled young man.
"Sleeping on the job, eh?"
"Not sleeping, waiting here while those two go find your sisters. Well, including you".
"Those two?"
"Uesugi and Yotsuba".
"Yotsuba is helping him? Ugh, why?"
"I ain't answering that", thought Inejiro.
"Ask her".
"Useless", said Nino as she headed towards the kitchen. She pulled something out of the oven.
"Oh, what'cha got there?"
"I baked some cookies".
"You did? Oh that's so nice! Uesugi will appreciate that too".
"I didn't do it for him. They're for the girls. It just so happens that he's here".
"But you will share with him?"
"Ugh, why do you care so much? I made a bunch of them anyways, I don't care".
"Ok, this is suspicious. Nino is nowhere near this hospitable to anyone outside her core family", thought Inejiro.
"Nino…you wouldn't mind if I tried some first, right?"
"Why? Just wait for the girls, are you that hungry?"
Inejiro stood up and looked her straight in the eyes, with a very serious expression.
"Nino. Can I have some cookies?"
"Creepy asshole. Have all you want".
"Thank you!", said a smiling Inejiro, who went and picked up a handful of cookies, and ate them one by one.
"God you could have just grabbed one!", said an angry Nino.
It took him a minute to eat them all.
"They're pretty good Nino. That's why you're designated cook for the Nakano household!"
"Pfft, of course I am. Those girls can't cook, and daddy hired a guy who can't cook either, go figure". That girl never fails to throw some jab at Inejiro, it seems. Not like she's wrong, though, fair's fair.
Inejiro stood still for a few seconds to see if he started getting dizzy or something, but nothing of the kind happened. It seems the cookies are safe. Nino has a track record of mixing sedatives with food or drinks of people that annoy her, and Inejiro figured Uesugi was a likely victim. Especially with her baking when her tutor visited for the first time. But…it's fine to let Uesugi consume them, for now.
"Okay, everything's good. Let's carry on", said Inejiro.
Nino looked at him and gritted her teeth, like she knew what he was thinking.
"What's even taking them so long?", asked Inejiro, who noticed it has been a few minutes since Fuutarou and Yotsuba went upstairs.
Nino looked up and noticed Fuutarou seemingly arguing with Miku.
"I made too many cookies! Want some?", she yelled upstairs.
That seemed to get their attention, since they started heading down. Ichika and Yotsuba as well.
"Come on, go get some more food", Nino said to Inejiro.
"Yessir!", said Inejiro who headed to the kitchen to get some snacks, and placed them on the living room table.
Meanwhile, Fuutarou and the four sisters started seating themselves around the table. I say four, because Itsuki is absent.
"Alright, that makes four of you! Itsuki isn't here, but let's start anyways", said the tutor.
"Itadakimasu!", all the sisters yelled at the same time.
"Nah, nonsense. Itsuki needs to be here. I'll go upstairs and see if I can talk her into it", said Inejiro, who went upstairs and knocked on Itsuki's door.
"I already said I wasn't-", she spoke from inside.
"Itsuki, it's Inejiro".
Itsuki opened up her door.
"Don't try to convince me to go down there. I'm not going to let him teach me".
"Itsuki, come on, I'm there too, just ask me for help and not him. You're good at science and the like already anyways and it's what I suck at. I can help you with the rest".
"Inejiro-kun, thank you, but no. I will be fine by myself".
"Ugh he really got in your nerves, didn't he? Can we at least…I don't know…if you don't understand something by yourself, just call me, ask me on lunch break or something? It's important that you all get through the year".
"Well...if it's like that...fine", Itsuki reluctantly agreed. "Why did father hire him anyways? Are there no other tutors in this town?"
"Something about an arrangement with his father. Look, Uesugi is top of our grade. That doesn't mean that he's necessarily a good teacher, granted. But he's sure as hell smart. It is my honest opinion that we should all give him a shot".
"But-"
Itsuki was cut short when she saw Ichika approaching her room too.
"Ichika, you gave up already?", asked Itsuki.
"Eheheh…how can I say this?", said Ichika with a half-sheepish and half-worried expression. "Fuutarou-kun kinda fell asleep".
"Oh for fuck's sake!", said Inejiro before sprinting down the stairs. Downstairs, he found Fuutarou and Yotsuba peacefully sleeping, Nino drinking a cup of tea and Miku looking at her with a very annoyed expression.
"Nino! What did you give him?", asked Inejiro.
"He was tired Inejiro, let him rest", said Nino sarcastically.
Inejiro looked around and saw an empty glass of water next to Fuutarou. Yeah, that was it.
"Dammit you spiked his water!"
"Well I told you we don't need a tutor! And you wouldn't listen, would you?"
Inejiro kneeled and checked Fuutarou's pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"At least he's ALIVE. When are you gonna fucking learn that you can kill a guy with those drugs?"
"It's just some sleeping pills, calm down!"
"You don't know how his body will react! Fucking hell, man. And Yotsuba? Did you drug her too?"
"I think Yotsuba fell asleep by herself…", answered Miku.
"Nino", said a very serious looking Itsuki. "I don't agree with him being our tutor either, but what you did is completely out of line".
"Ah great, take his side too. I'm going to my room, screw you all", said Nino as she sprinted upstairs and shut her door tight.
"Well, what are we gonna do? We can't just leave Fuutarou-kun lying here", said Ichika.
"Why not? He's asleep, just leave him there", said Miku.
"Inejiro-kun, do you know where he lives?", asked Itsuki.
"No clue. I'll look in his backpack for any clues. If not, he's just gonna have to sleep here. I'll clean this up and one of you girls just lend him a futon if that's the case", said a still clearly angry Inejiro, who went towards Fuutarou's backpack and rummaged inside it. He found a student handbook there. Of course Uesugi would be the kind to carry his around, he thought. He looked inside it and found his address there. There was a picture sticking out from it but he couldn't care less at this point. He put the handbook back in the backpack and headed back towards the girls.
"Ok, I found his address. Let's just call him a cab. My neighbor is a cab driver, he won't probe me with questions about carrying around a high school student that's seemingly comatose. I'll call him and have him drive us to his place".
"I'll go with you Inejiro-kun", said Itsuki.
"Alright. Let me call him", said Inejiro as he pulled out his phone and called Suzuki-san.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
"Yes, Suzuki here. How's it going, Nakamura-san?", said the taxi driver.
"Well I'm in a bit of a pickle. Are you free right now?"
"Yes, of course. You need me to take you somewhere?"
"Yeah. I'm currently in the Pentagon. Need to head…don't really remember right now, but it's only a few blocks from our homes".
"The Pentagon? What are you even doing there? Moving up in the world! Got yourself a rich girl?"
"Don't ask too much, please. Just how long can it take you to get here?"
"Eh…some 10 minutes".
"Alright. I'll head down. See you".
Inejiro hung up the phone.
"Well, he's coming. Let's head down. I'll pick up Uesugi. Itsuki, grab my bag and his please".
"Um, sure", she responded. Itsuki put Inejiro's backpack on her back and grabbed Fuutarou's with her hand.
"Too heavy?", asked Inejiro.
"No, I'm fine", said Itsuki. She struggled a bit with both bags but nothing major.
"Well…time to grab this big lump, here we go…", Inejiro placed one hand under Fuutarou's legs and another on his upper back and picked him up, carrying him in a bridal pose.
"Whoa Jiro, don't drop him or anything", said Ichika.
"Ah, it's fine. I sure am glad this dude is such a cheapskate at lunch right now. Ok, let's head down. Let's go Itsuki. Bye girls".
"Bye!", said Ichika. "See you", said Miku.
"I'll be back in a while", said Itsuki, as she left with Inejiro.
Itsuki opened the door and called the elevator, Inejiro having both hands occupied. It finally arrived at the 30th floor, and they started heading down. Inejiro did have to maneuver a little to make sure he didn't bump Fuutarou's head or anything.
"I'm sorry you have to go through this, Inejiro-kun", said Itsuki.
"Don't worry Itsuki. Just like the old days".
"It's not though…after all these years, still cleaning up our messes".
"Well I've made more than a few messes myself. No big deal. Also, your father pays me to do this now".
"That is true. But it is too much. I don't want to think that we're a burden to you".
"You're the furthest possible thing from a burden. I wouldn't accept carrying around a drugged high schooler if it was just for the money".
Itsuki is too aware of how long the quintuplets have been around Inejiro, and how after all these years he's still either keeping them out of harm's way or cleaning up their messes. She knows they're now 17, they're almost adults. Hell, Inejiro IS an adult. This is not okay, he can't be the local neighborhood kid protecting them from bullies anymore. In her mind, they need to start carrying their own weight.
But, without their mother, with Maruo as an absentee father…Itsuki has tried to fill Rena's shoes, but she can't. She's not Rena. Maruo is their support financially, but for anything else…Inejiro has been the only one that they could count on, for real, without preconditions attached, since Rena's passing. And now he has to look after their tutor, who she, and most of her sisters, don't even want around in the first place. And deal with crap like this. She's feeling a mixture of guilt and some level of awareness that her sisters are not behaving like the adults they will soon be.
Finally, the elevator reached ground floor, and they stepped out.
"You okay there Itsuki? You went silent for a while".
"Sorry Inejiro-kun, it's late already, I'm tired".
"Yeah, I get that. Can't wait to hit the sack myself".
As they stepped out of the building they saw an old taxi cab was parking near from where they were.
"That's Suzuki-san, let's go", said Inejiro and went towards the vehicle, Itsuki behind him. Suzuki-san stepped out of the cab when he saw them approach.
"Nakamura-san, is the boy alright? What happened?", he asked when he saw Fuutarou asleep in Inejiro's arms.
"Nothing major. He's just asleep", said Inejiro. "Open up the back so I can lay him there. Itsuki you go sit in front".
Itsuki nodded and went to sit in the front seat. Inejiro placed Fuutarou in the back, leaving just enough space for him to enter himself. Suzuki-san went into the driver's seat and they were all ready to go.
"So, where are we headed?", asked the driver.
"Ah, Itsuki, can you look inside his student handbook? It's there in his backpack. It has his address".
"Ok, wait…", she started rummaging around for the handbook and found it after a few seconds.
"Ok, here it is…", she went through the first few pages and found the address written down. She told it to Suzuki-san and they got going.
"So…Nakamura-san, wanna introduce me to your…'friend' here?", said Suzuki-san.
"She's Itsuki, we've been friends forever".
"Nice to meet you, sir", said Itsuki.
"Likewise, honey. And who's the sleeping beauty back there? Had too much to drink?"
"That's…that's not even wrong, actually. Yeah, he doesn't know his limit yet", said Inejiro.
"Heh. Been there. But drinking on a tuesday night…ah to be young".
"Don't take the metaphor too far Suzuki-san!", Inejiro thought to himself.
"Suzuki-san, I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but you mind if I rest my eyes for a few minutes? Been a long-ass day", he asked.
"Oh sure knock yourself out. Not too much though, don't end up like him, hah!"
"Sure. Just let me know when we get there".
The drive didn't take that long, in 10 minutes they were at what we can assume is Fuutarou's place. Inejiro didn't intend to sleep at all, he just wanted some sort of excuse to not accidentally ever tell Suzuki-san that Fuutarou had been drugged. He can be trusted, sure, but that's not information anyone can be trusted with. At all.
"We're here", said Suzuki-san.
Inejiro opened his eyes and noticed they indeed had stopped. Well maybe he did get a few minutes of sleep, since he wasn't aware of that.
"Uesugi. We're here", Inejiro said while he shook Uesugi's head, to wake him up. "Uesugi, we're here!".
Fuutarou woke up suddenly and sat right up. Pretty disheveled, and of course, quite confused.
"This is your home, isn't it?", asked the driver. Fuutarou looked outside the window and noticed he indeed was at the front door of his house.
"It is, Suzuki-san, it's the address we gave you. How much is it gonna be?", asked Inejiro.
Fuutarou looked to his side and was also shocked to find Inejiro sitting next to him.
"Nakamura?"
"Good evening Uesugi", his seatmate responded.
"That jerk…who would go that far?", Fuutarou said out loud. And to think Raiha had joked about him losing a kidney…that could have happened as far as he's concerned! He already knew this was gonna be a hell of a job, but to be drugged by one of his students…unbelievable, completely unbelievable.
"It's gonna be 4800 yen", Suzuki-san informed them.
"EH? I don't have that kind of money!", said Fuutarou.
"Don't worry Uesugi I'll-"
"Put it on my card", said Itsuki, cutting Inejiro off.
"Sure thing, honey", said Suzuki-san.
"Itsuki!", Fuutarou yelled in surprise, as she looked back at him with a frown.
"Dah, come on Itsuki! He was just drugged by your sister, have some bloody compassion!", thought Inejiro, severely underestimating Itsuki's stubborn side.
"It was Inejiro-kun's idea to drop you off here. We found your address in your student handbook".
"Eh? Did you look at the photo?"
"Oh yeah there was a photo there. Don't worry, I didn't look at it", said Inejiro.
"What does it matter anyways? Look, I hope that after what happened today, you finally give up on any idea you had of being our tutor", said Itsuki in a very serious tone.
"I can't do that!", Fuutarou assertively responded.
"Why are you so stuck on the idea of-"
Itsuki was suddenly stopped by the sound of a young girl who ran at the cab's window and banged on it.
"Oh I knew it was you big bro!", she yelled.
"Raiha!", Fuutarou yelled at her, as he literally jumped out of the vehicle.
"Oh is she your-"
"She's no one, let's go home!"
"Don't be silly! She's your student, isn't she? Wanna eat dinner with us before you go?", the younger girl, who is actually Fuutarou's younger sister, Raiha, asked Itsuki.
Itsuki looked at the scene attentively. Quite perplexed.
"Come on, I'm sure she has plenty of things to do!"
"You don't want…to eat with us?", said Raiha, who made the most effective puppy-dog eyes you can imagine. She got a bit teary eyed too.
That seemed to have an immediate effect on Itsuki, who got out of the car at that point.
"Thanks, Suzuki-san. I'll get off here too and walk home. See you around", said Inejiro to the driver.
"Oh, well, as you wish", said Suzuki-san before giving Inejiro a sly look. "You don't wanna leave her alone with him, do you?", he whispered.
"Oh, shut up", said Inejiro as he got out. You could still hear Suzuki-san laughing out loud as he drove off.
"Eh? And who is he?", said Raiha noticing another man had walked out of the cab.
"That's Nakamura-san. He's…my co-tutor", said Fuutarou.
"Hi miss…Uesugi-chan, right?", said Inejiro as he got closer.
"Raiha! Call me Raiha! Whoa…you're big Nakamura-san!", the younger girl said as Inejiro got closer. She was quite shocked seeing a man that was almost a head taller than her big brother, and much bigger. Inejiro laughed at her comment.
Raiha is a 12 year old girl, about a head smaller than Fuutarou. She is wearing overalls over a pink t-shirt with white stripes. She has long black hair styled into a…tall ponytail. It's like Fuutarou's two wild hairs but evolved, thought Inejiro.
"Heh, you could say that. Well it was nice meeting you Raiha-chan. Uesugi, Itsuki, see ya tomorrow at school", said Inejiro as he turned to leave.
"Oh no, you stay too! I made enough for everyone!", said the younger girl.
"Raiha! He said he had to leave!", her older brother reprimanded her.
Itsuki was looking on, kind of embarrassed.
"Well I don't HAVE to leave…you sure you have enough and I ain't imposing?"
"No, it's fine! Come up everyone, come on!"
Fuutarou had been defeated, it seems. If Inejiro had a penny for everytime someone invited him into their home…he'd have two pennies. But it's weird it happened twice. The first was Rena, the day he met the quintuplets. And the second was Raiha. She does give some motherly vibes too. It's not uncommon in a lot of societies, the Japanese being one of them, to have girls her age already fulfill a lot of the duties traditionally reserved to women. Cooking, for example. It's less common these days, but not unheard of. Especially when both parents are too busy with salaried work to be able to take care of housework.
Raiha gestured everyone inside the building she had come out of, and led her brother and guests up the stairs and into a small apartment. Inejiro couldn't help but notice how similar the building looks to the one he lives in. Well, in fact, it's not unlikely that the same company built them.
The apartment was small, right about the same size as Inejiro's. Though much better decorated. The residence of a single adult male this is not. Once inside, Raiha ran back towards the kitchen where she continued cooking, and a man about Fuutarou's height, though much bigger, greeted them. He's wearing a black t-shirt, some shorts, and a pair of sunglasses over his head. He has spiky hair that's dyed blonde. Inejiro quickly assumed that must be Fuutarou's father. There's somewhat of a resemblance but…they're different alright.
"Hey! Welcome to the Uesugi household guys! I'm Fuutarou's dad, Isanari!", he said.
Both Inejiro and Itsuki took off their shoes and bowed, greeting him right back.
"Hahaha, why are you all so formal? Come, sit!"
"Sure, Uesugi-san", said Itsuki as she went to sit besides the table. Inejiro did the same.
"Isanari, call me Isanari!", the man said as he gave his female guest a good look. "Man, I can't believe the day finally came Fuutarou bring home a girl! Gahaha!"
"Dude, this guy is the exact opposite to Uesugi…well he is Uesugi, Uesugi his son, Fuutarou. The apple fell 1000 kilometers from the tree in this case. In fact…if I didn't know better…he's more like Maruo than his own father", thought Inejiro.
"And you, who might you be? My son is not only bringing home a girl but also a friend from high school? Unbelievable!"
"I'm Inejiro Nakamura. We are classmates with Uesugi…your son, and Itsuki, yes. More importantly I work for Maruo Nakano".
"Oh you work for Nakano too? Well, I hope you're getting along with my Fuutarou here…"
Fuutarou, by the way, was getting quite annoyed with the conversation.
"Oh, wait, this milk expired a week ago! So glad I caught it before it went too bad to drink!", said Isanari as he drank from a small box of milk. Fuutarou and Itsuki looked on, the girl shocked and embarrassed and the boy…well, even more embarrassed. Inejiro didn't care much, not like he's gonna be shocked by someone consuming food beyond its expiration date. He just hopes it was actually safe to drink, he knows…well enough, from experience, what rotten milk can do to you. Ain't fun.
Meanwhile, Fuutarou is annoyed by the fact that Itsuki is seeing first hand what his economic situation is like. Not only couldn't both their accommodations possibly be further apart, his father prefers to drink expired milk than let it go to waste. That girl already thinks badly enough of him, and a lot of rich people do look down on those below them, he just doesn't want that to happen in any way. He doesn't know Itsuki was living quite similarly just a few years ago.
"Ok, it's almost ready now! You got here earlier than I expected, so I couldn't finish it in time…so, did you do a good job tutoring?", Raiha asked her brother.
"Actually, about th-", Itsuki was starting to answer before she was cut off by Fuutarou.
"OF COURSE! IT WENT PERFECTLY!"
Itsuki looked at him, very confused. "...What are you doing?", she asked him.
"You'll make my sister cry!", he muttered back to her.
"Really? I'm so glad to hear that! Maybe we can finally deal with our debt problem now", said Raiha.
"Debt problems? That's why Uesugi needs this job so much. Fucking usurers, always bleeding poor hard-working people dry", thought Inejiro, who knew debt related issues all too well from his own experience. He's very aware of how many people's lives are completely dominated and even destroyed by debt. The events of the day already generated some sympathy towards Fuutarou from him, but knowing this, does it even more so. Fuutarou clearly needs this job, it's probably life or death for his family.
Itsuki also had a worried look on her face. Unbeknownst to Fuutarou, she understands the working man's plight perfectly well. She was young, but she clearly remembers the hell her mother had to go through to keep her and her sisters warm and fed. She understands it even more so now, that she's older and more mature. That she died from the stress of having to work ridiculous hours and raising five daughters by herself.
"Raiha, we have a guest", said Fuutarou to his sister.
"Oh, sorry", responded Raiha as she started bringing plates full of food towards the table. "Here you are! The Uesugi household special: curry with fried eggs!" The meal looked remarkably tasty, and Inejiro and Itsuki couldn't wait to dig in. It was a pretty long day for everyone, nothing better than a good meal at the end of it!
"It looks delicious!", said Itsuki. "Oh, that it does…", said Inejiro who was literally visibly drooling.
"Hmph. I doubt a rich girl can understand the tastes of us common folk", said Fuutarou sarcastically, with Itsuki giving him a look of disapproval.
Following his comment, his sister ran up to him and smacked his head with a plate. Inejiro and Isanari burst into laughter.
"Ow! That hurt!"
"Cut it out with your sarcasm big brother!", said Raiha, reprimanding him.
"Hahahaha. You deserved that, Uesugi. Well done, Raiha-chan", said Inejiro.
"Hahahaha, that's why you aren't as popular as I am", said Isanari.
"Come on dad!"
"Hell you should see him at school…", thought Inejiro, not saying his thoughts out loud so as not to embarrass Fuutarou in front of his family.
After this, they all gave thanks for the meal and happily dug in. It is noticeable that the amount of food on each plate isn't that big, but there's five people eating a meal that was meant for three. Nevertheless, both Inejiro and Itsuki were more than satisfied, it seems Raiha's cooking is quite good.
"Well that was really good, Raiha-chan! A lovely meal!", said Inejiro.
"Thank you Nakamura-san! Sorry I can't offer you a second serving…"
"Oh don't worry about it. Tell you what…well, can't promise to cook you all something cause I suck…but one of these days I'll take the whole gang out somewhere. My treat. You're invited of course", said Inejiro.
"Really? You're so kind, Nakamura-san! See big brother, it's not that hard to be nice!"
"Hmph, whatever", said an unimpressed Fuutarou.
Itsuki smiled. It reminds her of the way Inejiro was with her and her sisters when they were kids. He has some fatherly, or big-brotherly instincts, that are quite endearing. His better side, no doubt. Although...also the basis for the predicament she was thinking about back on the elevator.
Itsuki and Inejiro stood up to leave, and walked towards the door.
"Thank you for having us!", said Itsuki.
"Yeah! No big deal", responded Isanari.
"It was a lovely meal, Raiha-chan! Thanks for the dinner", said Itsuki, now facing Raiha. The younger girl suddenly looked at her very seriously and took a determined pose.
"Itsuki-san"
"Yes?"
"My big brother is a crappy, egotistical, low-life, and like the worst guy ever…"
"R-Raiha…", said a dismayed Fuutarou. Itsuki looked somewhat pleased, as if getting payback through Raiha. Inejiro just had to contain his laughter. Raiha's uncensored honesty towards her big brother is just too funny.
"But he's got lots of good qualities too!", Raiha continued, which changed Fuutarou's expression immediately, noticing that his sister was actually…in her own way…trying to make him look good. "So, um…what I mean to say is…would you come to eat with us again?"
"Of course! Using my brain makes me hungry, so I would love to join you again!", said a delighted Itsuki.
"And you too, Nakamura-san!"
"Sure thing! That was some great curry! And remember, I owe you that meal!"
"Yeah!"
"Fuutarou, show them out, will you?", Isanari told his son.
Fuutarou accompanied his classmates to the front door. Inejiro called Suzuki-san so he could give Itsuki a ride back to The Pentagon. That man can surely appreciate the business these three have provided today. They all stood outside waiting for him to arrive.
"You mustn't get the wrong idea. I might have picked up on your situation, but I will not cooperate", Itsuki told Fuutarou.
"That so? Well, it's nothing for you to worry about anyways", he responded.
"I will study, but I will not ask for your assistance. I will accomplish this without your help. But if you want to tutor us, go ahead".
A light bulb seemed to turn on inside Fuutarou's head at that point, his expression suddenly shot up to a huge smile and he grabbed Itsuki by the shoulders. Inejiro just looked on, perplexed. Hard man to read, this Uesugi. He just…does shit, all of a sudden, out of nowhere.
"That's all we gotta do! The condition was only that you graduate! Itsuki, you're the best!"
Itsuki was feeling very uncomfortable. At that point, Suzuki-san arrived as well.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?!", yelled Itsuki as she let herself go from Fuutarou.
"I've got a great idea! I'll be there tomorrow at the same time as today. Make sure the other four are there too!"
"Um…alright. Bye, Inejiro-kun", Itsuki said as she got inside the cab.
"Bye Itsuki", said Inejiro, who also waved at Suzuki-san, who quickly departed.
"Well…Uesugi, at least she will allow you to continue tutoring, so that's something", said Inejiro to Fuutarou.
"Yeah, I just gotta make sure they all graduate. If any one of them can do it by herself…it doesn't really matter, now, does it?"
"Look man, don't get your hopes up that much, Maruo is paying you for a reason, the man's not dumb. Don't worry about Itsuki too much for now though, I've talked to her. She won't let you teach her, but she agreed to let me help her on those subjects where she struggles and I'm good at. It's not ideal but it will have to do for now".
"Oh, great, thanks, that will be of help".
"And…about Nino…I'm sorry".
"Why are YOU sorry?"
"Look, I tried a bunch of her cookies, and didn't even feel dizzy at all. They were safe, so I let my guard down. She spiked the fucking water. I should have been more careful".
"Well it's not your fault that she drugged me!"
"No…but still. That one will be a way tougher nut to crack than Itsuki, and if after what she did to you you want her to stay away…I'd completely understand".
"Em…that girl scares the hell out of me. But, as I've said, I need the money. I need her to graduate too".
"Good. I don't know what I'm gonna do about her…she doesn't get along with me all that much either. Just gotta get in her good graces, that's all".
"If you can't even get in her good graces…"
"Uesugi…some things are private. But know that it wasn't always like this. She's not the Devil, if you show kindness to her and her sisters she might accept you eventually".
"Huh".
"For now, you got Yotsuba willing and able. And you gotta work on Ichika and Miku. Ichika is really friendly but she hates studying; Miku is the smartest of the bunch but she doesn't like socializing. See what you can do to get them to come around. I'll try to smooth things over as I can, but you're the tutor. They gotta like you, you specifically".
"Like me? Well…I'll try".
"Well Uesugi I'm gonna head home. You should do the same, it's kinda late".
"Yeah, sure. Well…see you around, Nakamura".
"See ya".
The two young men parted ways. Inejiro's house, as we've discussed, is quite close by to Fuutarou's, and the spot where they waited for Suzuki-san is about a block closer too. So it took him only five minutes or so to get back.
When he got back inside his apartment he looked at his phone, thinking that he hadn't looked at it in hours. It was 10:30 PM. Kinda late for a schoolday. He also found a text from his father, from hours ago, telling him to call him when he was free. Well, he is free now, so he did so.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
"Hi Inejiro", his father spoke when he picked up the phone.
"Hi dad, how you doing? It's not too late I hope"
"Nah, I was here just watching nonsense in the TV. What were you up to so late?"
"Having dinner at the quints' tutor's place"
"Having dinner at his place? Man, you hit it off that much already? That's good!"
"Well…it's more complicated than that, really. Itsuki was there too, by the way"
"Itsuki? Heh, never did say no to a meal that one. Are the girls doing well with the tutoring?"
"Eh…that's also complicated…they will come around I hope".
"Hm, well, when you texted me about this, I couldn't believe Nakano arranged this so hastily. You've really got your work cut out for you".
"That I do. That WE do".
"So, Inejiro, I know it's late so I don't wanna keep you. Your grandma wants to have a family lunch on Sunday, you free to go? I wanted to ask you with anticipation".
"Oh yeah, sure, I ain't got nothing to do on Sunday. Are grandpa and her with you?"
"Nah, they're sleeping already".
"Well, tell 'em I said hi. Oh, by the way, don't speak too loud!"
"Haha, I went outside to talk. I know better than to wake the old man. Learned that lesson loooong ago".
"Well, I'm gonna go hit the sack. See you all on Sunday, dad".
"Bye Inejiro. See you".
Inejiro hung up the phone with his father, and started getting ready for bed. He laid out his futon and stripped off his clothes. He lit up a final smoke for the night, and after he was finished, got inside his futon and fell asleep quite quickly. It's been a pretty stressful couple of days, and not just for him. For Fuutarou it's probably worse, it wasn't Inejiro who was drugged. And who knows what's going through Yotsuba's head? Inejiro can tell there's something going on there...but not exactly what. She seems to be into him, but why? Since when? And when it comes to the rest of the girls...they will just have to get used to their tutor, that's all. Even Nino, who can be damn glad Fuutarou won't seek any punishment for her. But that's all a story for another day.
Welp, here's Chapter 3. Early as well. I'll be going back to work next week so it's likely further chapters will start taking a bit longer, but who the hell knows. There was a huge bump in readership with last week's chapter, so really, thank you all very much for reading! As always, follow/fav, leave a review, yadda yadda. See you all next time!