Disclaimer: The Quintessential Quintuplets (Gotoubun no Hanayome) and all its characters are the intellectual property of Mr. Negi Haruba. All rights reserved.
Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. September 6th, 2017. Nakano Household.
When discussing the events of the previous day we forgot to discuss what idea Fuutarou had when talking with Itsuki. He had realized that, like Itsuki, if at least some of the girls took studying seriously and wished to do it by themselves, it wouldn't be a problem. As long as they pass their exams, Maruo won't care. The man wants academic results, not a nanny. And if he doesn't have to teach all five, only two or three, his job all of a sudden becomes a lot easier.
He discussed this with his 'co-tutor' earlier in school. By the way, rare sight to see Fuutarou socializing. There's rumors about why he's so buddy-buddy with Inejiro now too. Well, two guys that are the talk of the school for vastly different reasons, seemingly being friends now, that most certainly attracts the attention of the nosier students. But, back to tutoring. He laid out some ideas for Inejiro to offer comments on. He thought about making up a test, and depending on what score each girl got, they either would or wouldn't be tutored directly by Fuutarou. Inejiro actually thought that was a good idea: it appealed to some of the girls' competitive nature, and also to the desire that most of them had to get rid of the poor guy.
So that's the situation right now. After school, everyone headed to the quints' apartment, for their second tutoring session…if you can even call yesterday's events a 'tutoring session'. Fuutarou prepared some mock tests, and he'll have the girls do them. Kind of a qualifying round, you could say. The quintuplets are all currently sitting in the living room couch…except for Ichika who's sleeping on Yotsuba's lap. And Nino is looking at her phone with an annoyed expression. The rest seem to be…somewhat paying attention. Not happily (except for Yotsuba), but still…it's something. Fuutarou and Inejiro are standing in front of them, very much like instructors. Which they kinda are.
"Thank you very much for gathering here today!", said a very formal Fuutarou.
"Well…this is our home", said a smiling Yotsuba, who really has a point here.
"I thought you would have given up by now", said a bored, somewhat disappointed, Miku.
"Didn't I tell you we didn't need a tutor?", said Nino, still looking at her phone.
"You did more than that Nino!", thought Inejiro, still angry at her over last night's events.
"Then prove it", said Fuutarou, still with a military-like seriousness. At this point, Ichika seems to have woken up. He moved forward and laid five sheets of paper, containing the tests/questionnaires, on the table. One for each.
"Take this test. I swear to never speak to anyone who doesn't pass ever again".
"U-Uesugi-san?", Yotsuba asked. Probably worried he wouldn't be around anymore or something. So thought Inejiro, who also thought she wouldn't be in any danger of succeeding, so she needn't worry. Kinda mean, but fair. By the way, Inejiro was silently standing behind Fuutarou, clearly serving a support role and letting his coworker take the lead.
"Test?", asked Ichika, scratching her eyes, having just woken up.
"Why should I have to bother?", asked Nino, now looking at her archenemy.
"Fine. I'll take it", said Itsuki, who stood up to take one of the sheets of paper. Neither Fuutarou nor Inejiro were surprised by her taking the lead here, since she was the one who inspired Fuutarou to do this.
"All I need to do is pass. And then, I'll never have to see your face again", she said,, putting on her glasses, with a very determined look on her face.
"Well…Itsuki could potentially pass this. She has a shot at least, I figure. Even if she doesn't, we've already arranged that I'd be teaching her, not Fuutarou, so meh. Not that relevant", thought Inejiro.
All of the other girls seemed to follow Itsuki's lead. Yotsuba even offered some words of encouragement for her sisters, which might seem strange given that she's the only one who clearly actively WANTS to be tutored by Fuutarou. Might be a mix of her competitive nature and seeing this as a fun activity to do with her sisters and tutor. Nino seemed to also agree, likely for the absolute opposite reason: if she manages to do well, she won't have to deal with that guy ever again. And if by some miracle all the girls manage to do well…maybe he's gone. Great motivation.
Miku was the one to ask what a passing grade would be. Fuutarou first said that they'd need to score a total of 60, but changed his mind, reducing the passing grade to 50 points. That seemed to further encourage Nino, who said to her tutor that with this, he'd learn not to underestimate them.
"Hey, is Jiro not doing the test? I thought he'd be learning too or something, that's what he said", asked Ichika.
"Why the hell is he even here anyways, he's not doing jack shit", said Nino, always so respectful.
Fuutarou realized he hadn't even considered that. He kinda forgot that he'd have to teach Inejiro too, him being 'co-tutor' and all.
"Wait. Yes, why aren't you taking the test, Nakamura?", asked Fuutarou.
"Damn amateurs, they don't even know what they're doing", said Nino.
"Uesugi. You already know, I'll have to be taught when it comes to science and math, no need for tests. I already told you. I don't even wanna be rid of you in the first place, what motivation would I have?", responded Inejiro. Truth be told, he doesn't wanna be bothered with tests. But he does make a point.
"Well at least one of you wants me here", said Fuutarou.
"Eh there's at least two of us", said Inejiro. "Oh shit I said that out loud", he thought immediately afterwards, and turned to look at Yotsuba. She was smiling looking at her sheet of paper, probably didn't even hear. She's had a slight blush since they all sat down too, which Inejiro did notice. Spend enough time around these girls, you notice these slight changes. "That girl is on cloud nine, of course she doesn't give a damn. Gotta be careful with my big mouth though".
The girls all got started with their respective tests, and in about an hour they were all done, so Fuutarou started grading them. If you're thinking that Inejiro is doing remarkably little, well, he is. Really, testing and grading is much more Fuutarou's job description. Offering to tutor Itsuki personally because she doesn't wanna deal with Fuutarou, noticing Yotsuba's feelings and making sure the classes are handled accordingly, doing whatever he can do to make sure Nino is not some sort of a menace…that's the more important part of his job. The part that only someone who knows the quintuplets and cares about them can do.
Soon enough, Fuutarou was done grading, and showed the results to Inejiro first.. The girls had done remarkably poorly. In fact…they only scored 100 between the five of them. Miku scoring 32 at the top, and Yotsuba 8 at the bottom, with the rest somewhere in between. To say they had their work cut out for them with all five of the quintuplets was an understatement.
Inejiro isn't all that surprised, these girls have never been good at school. Even Miku, who always got the best grades among them, was an average student at her very best. But this is just…horrific. They did badly at Kurobara, of course, and there was a somewhat long period between them leaving their old school and starting anew at Asahiyama, their academic abilities could have gotten a bit rusty. But this is something else. They were never this bad. Doubt started to creep into his mind…can he and Fuutarou do this? Neither of them are professional tutors. Fuutarou is a great student but seems to have the social skills of an ape; and Inejiro himself knows the girls very well and can cater to their every need, but is not at all a good student himself, and knows nothing of how to prepare a class or things of that nature. This is incredibly discouraging. Maybe Miku has a point. Are there no professional tutors around that can do this job?
After showing the results to Inejiro, Fuutarou went towards the girls and told them how they'd done. He sarcastically told them that they'd all gotten 100…combined. The quints' reaction varied. Itsuki and Nino were dismayed; Miku was only somewhat worried; Yotsuba was apologetic and Ichika just went back to sleep. It seems that Fuutarou would have to teach all five of them. He tried to make his job easier…and his attempt had failed. Even worse, two of the girls outright won't let him teach them. At this stage, the future prospects look quite grim.
"Don't tell me…these girls…", Fuutarou started saying, when the girls all quickly stood up and ran upstairs, towards their rooms.
"...they're all potential flunkers!"
"Well, Uesugi…seems we've got our work cut out for us", said Inejiro.
"We do…how can I even…I've never seen such sloppy students in my life!"
"Eh…sorry can't say the same".
"Oh right, there's even you! I have to teach you!"
"Dude, don't focus on me, Maruo's not gonna fire your ass if I don't do well. Focus on them".
Fuutarou started scratching his head, unsure how to proceed at this point.
"What am I even supposed to do?"
Inejiro had an idea.
"Hm…I think I'm onto something. Look closely at their tests, see what each girl did well at, what she did poorly at. Maybe that way you can design your classes better. You know their strengths, their weaknesses, it's a start".
"That's true…as long as they didn't just guess some right. Look at Yotsuba and Ichika, an 8 and a 12!"
"Yeah, Yotsuba just needs help across the board, no way around that. And Ichika is just lazy, she's not that bad. She doesn't care. We're quite alike to be honest".
"Huh. Well…they're not coming down, are they?"
Inejiro chuckled.
"Nah, I imagine not. You can go if you want, Uesugi".
"Are you sure? This doesn't seem like a work day at all".
"You spent however long it took you designing those tests and writing them down. An hour making sure they were actually doing their tests, 15 minutes or so grading them. It's enough. Go. You got a lot to do in your own time anyways, don't feel bad about this".
"Alright then…you'll be staying?"
"Yeah, not like I have anything better to do. I do owe Yotsuba that revenge match too".
Fuutarou doesn't exactly approve of them playing videogames after a tutoring session. In fact, he's probably gonna get straight to studying as soon as he gets home. But, he figures there's a reason he's top of the class and they're not. It's not fair either to say Inejiro hasn't helped him. Having someone who actually gets along with the girls by his side, is important and helpful to him.
Inejiro showed Fuutarou out the door, and then went up and knocked on Yotsuba's door. She was silent. Maybe she's sleeping? He knocked again, just to be sure.
"Yotsuba?", he spoke through the door. Then, he heard her walking towards the door from inside and she opened up.
"Oh, Jiro, sorry, I was distracted. Is Uesugi-san still here?"
"No, I told him he could leave".
"Heh…I really suck don't I?"
"Not like I'm one to talk. There's a reason your dad hired Uesugi. Don't worry about it, you'll all get better. Just gotta try, that's all".
"If you say so…", she said half-smiling. She doesn't sound convinced. Given recent history, Yotsuba is not very confident in her own academic abilities, to put it mildly.
"Well…so…want that chance to get revenge on me on FIFA?"
Her ribbon stood up straight, and she seemed to get a bit happier at the suggestion.
"Yeah…let's do that! No cheating this time though", she said with a serious expression.
"For the 100th time, Yotsuba…". Inejiro tried explaining to her, again, that he didn't cheat. Won't work though, she's convinced, and there's nothing he can do about it.
She went back into her room and grabbed her old PS3 and hooked it up in the living room TV. You might be surprised that a Nakano sister uses such old hardware. Truth is, it's the one she used when she was younger. A few years ago, Yotsuba had wanted to focus on her studies more, so she got rid of a lot of old consoles and videogames she used to enjoy. Some she gave to Miku, some she just threw away. And this particular PS3 she had given to Inejiro.
He definitely made good use of it for a while, but it had been collecting dust for the last couple of years. Since he started working for Maruo he hasn't had much time to game at all. He gave it back to her a few months ago, not long after she and her sisters left Kurobara. She recovered her interest in such things, it seemed. And, well, while he gave it back, they mostly use it to play among themselves anyways. It's an outright miracle that console is still working, but it would seem it is.
They spent a good hour playing a few matches. Yotsuba won some, Inejiro won some. Of course, if you hear her version of the story, the games he won were dubious, there was certainly some amount of foul play going on. There were even complaints of him 'defending too hard'. The classics about 'controllers not working properly' got their time as well. But such is the fun of playing games with friends, the sore losers are even fun in their own ways.
The other sisters seemed to mostly stay within their rooms, other than heading downstairs to pick up a snack or go to the bathroom. It used to be the case that the five of them were inseparable, but this was no longer the case. Inejiro had noticed it through the years since Rena had passed, it had become more and more common for him to hang out with either one or two quints at a time at most. It makes sense since they had all developed their own distinct interests. Hard to imagine Itsuki playing FIFA with him and Yotsuba, for example. Or sharing Sengoku-era books with Yotsuba. Speak of the devil…
"Huh. You're still here", said Miku, who just came downstairs from her room. Always wearing her headphones around her neck, of course, even inside the apartment.
"Miku! He cheated again!", said an indignant Yotsuba, hoping her sister would defend her.
"Hmph, I don't care", she said disinterestedly. Who could expect a different reaction? "Inejiro, I need to talk to you".
"Eh okay. We were just done here anyways. One gets tired of winning after a while…", said a cocky Inejiro, who got hit on the back of his head by his opponent.
"Hmph, not only do you cheat, you make fun of me. So mean", said the ribbon-wearing Nakano. Inejiro laughed, though he scratched his head a little.
"Hehe, sore loser. Miku, let's just head outside". The headphone-wearing girl just nodded and followed him outside. He took the opportunity to smoke a cigarette as well, since he'd been either in school or inside the apartment all day.
"So, what was it, Miku?"
Miku handed him a piece of paper that she had in her pocket.
"Do you know if they have these books in the school library?"
Inejiro read through the paper, and of course, he found a lot of titles making reference to several protagonists of the Sengoku Jidai, battles of the era, historical landmarks, etc. Miku is a great fan of the period. Inejiro isn't sure, but he thinks she got inspired by some of the old videogames that Yotsuba handed her a while back. Still, he's the only one who knows about this hobby of hers, that she goes to great lengths to keep hidden from her sisters. He enjoys history as well, so this is what he bonds with Miku over. Though he'll admit she's more than a bit reiterative with her reading.
"Well, I imagine they do. Why don't you go and ask?"
"You've been in Asahiyama longer. Maybe you knew".
"I don't know the whole library catalog Miku!", he said, laughing. "Want me to go with you or something?"
"...You know I don't want anyone to know".
"No one knows who you are in Asahiyama anyways…and…well…I doubt any of your sisters will see you in the library".
"Who knows. Better to be safe".
Inejiro doesn't truly understand why she tries so hard not to have her hobbies found out by her sisters. Granted, Miku was kinda ostracized in Kurobara for her lack of shared interests with her classmates. But it's unlikely that her sisters would give her a hard time just for liking history. Nino might mock her, sure, but…they're at odds with each other more often than not already.
And then, Inejiro had a thought creep into his mind. If Uesugi appealed to her love of history…
"Hey, Miku. Why don't you tell Uesugi that you like the Sengoku period? You know, maybe he could incorporate lessons on feudal Japan into his lessons, make them more enjoyable for you".
Miku turned very serious.
"No".
"Come on, think about it".
"You want me to just talk about my interests with some random guy I met two days ago?"
"Not some random guy, your tutor".
"Who cares about that? Fuutarou will just come here a couple more times, see that we're not interested, and give up. I thought he'd have given up already, honestly".
"I don't think he's gonna give up, Miku. Best get used to him".
"Hmph. We'll see. Will you get those books for me?"
"Yes, I'll get those books for you. But you should really head to the library more often, they've got a lot of good stuff. We can go together if it makes you feel better".
Miku blushed a little.
"N-no. What will people think?"
"'Oh why is Nakamura hanging out with these girls so much? Is he into them or something? Is he dating one of them? Or are they his sisters? Oh who knows, let's speculate a bit more!'", said Inejiro, mockingly imitating some of the various rumors he's heard over the years he's been hanging around the quintuplets. "Same shtick I've heard for years. Who gives a damn?"
Truth be told, that's not a very good argument to make to Miku in particular. Not one who'd feel comfortable being the talk of the crowd, that one.
"Yeah, you don't care. Or that's what you say. But I already told you: no. Just please get those books for me".
"'Or that's what you say'?", he repeated her words in his head. It is true that it bothers Inejiro to have people gossipping about him, it always has. It would probably bother the vast majority of people. But he's learned to live with it. Nothing about his life is really normal, under any definition of the word, so it's to be expected that others would just talk about it. But he's tried to keep the Nakanos shielded from the gossip to the best of his abilities, which is remarkably hard now that they're, well, classmates. And it seems Miku has noticed. She is one of the more observant quints, so it makes sense that she would.
"Inejiro, I'm cold, I'll go inside", said Miku as she headed back inside the apartment, not really leaving him time to respond. He followed her inside as well, and saw that Nino was now in the kitchen, probably making dinner. And Ichika was coming down the stairs, probably just having woken up from her nap.
"Oh Jiro, you're still here?", said the elder quint.
"Are all of you gonna ask me that? Yeah, but I'm gonna be going now. Getting late, and…shit I just remembered I don't have any leftovers in the fridge, gonna have to cook something too".
"Don't even try. I'm not giving you anything. Get your own food", Nino yelled back from the kitchen.
"Hey I didn't ask! Sure would be nice of you bu-"
"NO".
Ichika chuckled a little, while Miku headed back upstairs.
"Can't say I didn't try. I will unfreeze her heart one day", said Inejiro, prompting Nino to stick out her tongue at him from afar. "Well, I'm off. Bye girls!"
"Wait Jiro, I'm leaving too, let's head down together", said Ichika.
"Oh, sure". Nino didn't say goodbye to him back or anything, as can be expected. And the rest of the sisters seemed to be in their respective rooms. Inejiro grabbed his things and headed out of the apartment, with Ichika in tow. They waited for the elevator for a few seconds and then started heading down.
"You getting together with some friends?", asked Inejiro.
"Em…actually, no", said Ichika who was getting a bit nervous.
"Oh…someone special, I see", he responded, in a teasing tone. She punched his shoulder in response. Second time he's been physically assaulted today.
"Idiot. No. I'm actually…", Ichika stopped for a couple of seconds, wondering if she should continue telling Inejiro what she is heading out of the house for.
"...I'm…working".
"Oh, you're working? That's cool. What are you doing?"
"Erm…I'm not sure I should tell you. I haven't even told the girls anything. I just wanna make sure it works out first, 'kay?"
"Eh, sure, it's fine, you don't have to say anything. But whatever you're doing, I'm proud of you".
Ichika smiled at her friend.
"Thanks Jiro! I promise, you'll be among the first to know".
At that point, they reached ground floor, and headed outside, where there was a car waiting, with its hazard lights on. That's the first time Inejiro has ever seen that car. It was a dark blue sedan, with lightly tinted windows. He can't see inside at all from a distance, so he can't tell who is waiting for Ichika there.
Ichika continued walking towards the car, so as long as she didn't stop him, Inejiro stayed by her side. It would be very suspect if she just got into a seemingly random car without saying anything. He would be alright with her not saying anything otherwise, but not like this. Not only is she one of his best friends, who he'd go to great lengths to protect, he's also paid by Maruo specifically to take care of them. Maruo should be aware of his daughters' comings and goings himself, but if he isn't around to do it, Inejiro will.
"Ichika, is that your ride?"
"Yes Jiro, so by-"
"Hold on. You mind if I go say hi?"
"Jiro, y-you don't need to do that", said Ichika, who was now standing still.
"Come on, I won't ask anything about your job. I just wanna know who that is".
Ichika isn't exactly happy with his suggestion, but she complies. There really is no need for this level of secrecy. Not around Inejiro, anyways. The two of them continued walking towards the car, and Inejiro knocked on the driver's window.
The window went down and revealed a man, about in his 40s. He had short brown hair and a thin mustache, his most noticeable feature by far. He looked at Inejiro with a confused look on his face.
"Hey there. You Ichika's ride?", asked Inejiro.
"Eh? And who are you?", said the man, quite startled.
"A friend of hers. I'd worry if I just saw her enter a stranger's car".
Ichika was getting annoyed and just started telling Inejiro what was going on, since he clearly wouldn't let go.
"Jiro! He's my agent! I'm an actress, and he's my agent! Happy now?"
"Actress? Huh", said Inejiro, with a very serious expression. One of the quintuplets getting involved with show business…not something that he's thrilled about. None of the history he has (or, more accurately, others in his close circle have) with the entertainment industry would lead him to feel comfortable with one of the girls getting involved with it. But it's not something he can do anything about right now. He can't exactly drag Ichika back. So he just nodded at the driver and waved at Ichika. The man just looked at Inejiro with a confused look on his face.
"Bye Jiro…don't tell anyone!", Ichika said from within the car, which sped up and left shortly after.
Then, Inejiro heard someone walking up behind him. He turned around, and found out it was none other than Miku.
"Miku? I thought you had gone to your room?", he said, being puzzled himself now.
"'Like the shadows, unknowable'", said Miku, referencing a lesser known part of the Furinkazan.
"Takeda Shingen would be proud. But what are you doing here?"
"Ichika has been leaving the apartment at the exact same hour every couple of days, for the last few weeks. I wanted to know what that was about. So…who was that?"
"Can't say".
Miku pouted.
"Don't make that face, I really can't say. Like I can't say to the others that you have a crush on Oda Nobunaga".
Now her pout turned into an angrier pout.
"Idiot", is all she said.
At least she didn't hit Inejiro, that would have been the third time today.
"Hey, could have been worse, I could have accused you of having a crush on Toyotomi Hideyoshi".
Hideyoshi is not well known for his rugged good looks, let's just say that much.
"Still not funny. I'll go back upstairs. See you tomorrow".
"See ya Miku".
Miku headed back to her apartment and Inejiro started his walk home. Can't say he isn't surprised by Ichika being an actress now. Ichika has always been sort of the leader among the sisters, since at least as far back as that day when Inejiro first met them. It's not really that much of a surprise that she'd be the first to engage in parts of adult life, like being the first to get a job. What is surprising is that she's starting an acting career, with no one being the wiser until now.
That part is also strange. Why would she keep it from her sisters? And…tried to keep it from Inejiro. Didn't succeed, but she tried. Most of the quintuplets usually confide a lot in him, like we saw with Miku, Yotsuba and Itsuki. He is after all the only friend they have, that they can truly trust, outside their other sisters. Nino is of course the exception, and Ichika is somewhat different as well. Well...Ichika as well as her sisters know the background as to why he's distrustful of the entertainment industry. Maybe that's why she didn't want to tell him.
Ichika and Inejiro get along great, they are similar in a lot of ways too, both being intelligent but having their grades suffer from laziness. And they're the elders of the group. Inejiro moreso, obviously, but Ichika too. She is the eldest sister. So they have more of an equal relationship, not that alike to the somewhat "big brotherly" role he plays with the rest of the quintuplets. She doesn't seek his advice as much. Nor does she rely on him as much. She's always prized her independence.
Maybe that's why she wants to keep her job from her sisters? That could be a reason. It is also true that they are supposed to pay more attention to their studies now, and this new path she's taking is unlikely to cooperate with that. While he walks home, Inejiro wonders if he should tell Fuutarou about it. After all, it WILL, certainly, affect his job. But…he promised Ichika he wouldn't tell anyone. She didn't mention Fuutarou at all, but if she didn't wanna tell her sisters, it's more than likely that she won't be happy about Inejiro telling her tutor either. Well, it seems that standing on both sides of the fence, being both the quintuplets' friend and helping Fuutarou with the tutoring at the same time, does entail some difficulties as well. But in his view, he can't betray Ichika's trust. If she told him not to say anything, that's what he'll do. She won't be able to keep it hidden forever anyways. Her sisters will know, and Fuutarou will also know eventually, Inejiro assumes. But when she's ready. Not before. But she won't get away from talking to Inejiro about it, that's for sure.
Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. September 7th, 2017. Asahiyama High School.
Thursday morning started off as another normal, uneventful morning. At least for Inejiro. He did his regular morning routine, headed to school, and went to his class. The only surprising thing was that he seemed to arrive earlier than both Itsuki and Fuutarou, but it's not something all that noticeable. He has arrived earlier than Fuutarou in the past.
What was noticeable however was that Fuutarou and Itsuki arrived at almost the same time. Itsuki first, and Fuutarou only 10 seconds or so after. That could be a coincidence, but coincidences are hard to come by for Inejiro. So he imagined they must have met in the entrance. Which was correct. He didn't know yet, but when Fuutarou arrived at the school gates, Ebata-san had just arrived as well, driving the sisters in Maruo's car.
In order to let them prove that they had been reviewing, he asked them a question from the test they had done yesterday. None of the sisters could answer it. But. Fuutarou noticed, reviewing their tests himself, that Miku had actually answered the question correctly on the test, but failed to answer when he asked her and her sisters. He thought, of course, that that was weird.
He couldn't tell all this to Inejiro when he arrived because Itsuki was also there, and he didn't want her to hear. But on lunch break, he waited for her to leave the classroom, and he told his 'co-tutor' about what had transpired earlier. It made sense to Inejiro, of course. She didn't want anyone to know that she enjoys the Sengoku period. Now, a similar situation to Ichika's develops. Inejiro doesn't want to tell that to Fuutarou. That would betray Miku's trust. So he just told him to try to talk to her, get closer to her, see if he can get any information. Which is not bad advice per se, he should try to get closer to the quintuplets. But, again, can't stay on both sides of the fence for long.
After this, Fuutarou and Inejiro headed to the cafeteria together, Fuutarou dead set on trying to find some way to talk to Miku. As it stands, after Fuutarou ordered his meal, he immediately chased after Miku, who ordered hers shortly before him.
"Hey, Miku!", he called out to her. "Having lunch right now?", he said while waving at her with a very…awkward look on his face. Miku is looking back at him…very visibly annoyed.
"Let's see…a 350 yen sandwich and…huh? What's that drink?"
"Matcha soda", she answered.
"Matcha? I'm actually kinda curious about what it tastes like".
"You're mean. I'm not letting you have any", Miku replied. It seems Fuutarou's attempt at making small talk with her has failed. Inejiro just got finished ordering his own meal and is approaching the two of them.
"Let me ask you something…about that question this morning…". It seems Fuutarou decided to cut straight to the chase instead of making small talk. Miku was surprised that he noticed. It's unclear whether she was gonna tell him or not, because they were interrupted by Yotsuba anyways, who crept up on Fuutarou from behind and grabbed his shoulders.
"Uesuuuuugi-san!", she said, causing him to jump back in his surprise. "Sorry for running away this morning!"
"Anyways, Miku", said Fuutarou, trying to continue his conversation with Miku, ignoring Yotsuba. So, Yotsuba pulled out a sheet of paper containing some English homework of hers, in which she got every single question wrong. A rather transparent attempt to attract his attention, thought Inejiro, who is still standing back watching everything unfold. Slightly worried his food will get cold, too.
At that point, Ichika appeared, and pulled Yotsuba back. "Come on, you shouldn't get between them", she said, winking at Fuutarou.
"Between them? You know…you should have him help you study too, Ichika!", said Yotsuba.
"Eh, I think I'll pass, you know with us being stupid and all".
"You girls are not stupid. And are we ever gonna sit? My lunch is gonna get cold!", said a worried Inejiro.
"Oh, Jiro, you're here, good timing", said Ichika. "I'm sure you'll agree with this".
"Oh? What is it?"
"Is it really a good idea to spend all your high school years studying? We ought to be enjoying our youth more. Falling in love and stuff".
"Well…clearly seeing I'm still in the bloody 11th grade, I've had a bit too much 'enjoying my youth' for my own good".
"Love…", growled Fuutarou, who started to emanate a sort of dark aura around him. "That is the most foolish act of all, furthest removed from scholastic endeavors. Go ahead and fall in love if you like. But if you do, you'll be another failure that peaks in high school". The girls were absolutely shocked by the boy's extremism. It's no secret that Fuutarou is a loner, but Jesus Christ. They were not prepared for that speech, that's for sure.
"Confucius would be proud of you, Uesugi. But, really, come on man, you can't tell me you never wanted to date anyone. I refuse to believe it", said Inejiro.
"I have no interest in such things. I'm a student, I'm meant to study. And so are all of you".
"You can study and do other things as well".
"It would only occupy time that could be better used studying".
"Oh boy, he's too far gone", said Ichika.
"Well, I don't have anyone to go out with, even if I wanted to", said Yotsuba, while she scratched her head.
"Yeah, she must have been really happy to hear that little fucking speech, huh?", thought Inejiro.
"Girls, there's nothing wrong with falling in love and dating. Hundreds of millions of students all over the world date, and do well in school at the same time. And it is not a waste of time, it's part of growing up. Uesugi thinks that way now, but wait till he falls for someone. Talk to him then".
Now that it was time for Inejiro to give a speech, everyone stared at him as well. It seems Fuutarou's and Inejiro's personalities and views of the world clash in this issue.
"Well…Fuutarou-kun touched a bit of a sensitive issue for Jiro, I think…", said Ichika.
"Sensitive issue?", asked Fuutarou.
Inejiro's face turned a little bit red.
"T-that's in the past. No matter, I'm still right. Hell I'm agreeing with you, cut it!"
Ichika laughed a little at Inejiro's reaction.
"Poor Jiro, after all these years…", Yotsuba chimed in.
Now he's starting to get more red.
"You're not helping!", Inejiro said to Yotsuba.
"So funny coming from you, Yotsuba. Talking like I didn't see you just three days ago staring at Uesugi like you'd just seen the face of an angel", thought an aggravated Inejiro. It's never a fun time for him when his love life is referenced, that's for sure.
"Well I meant it Jiro, I wasn't mocking you! It must be sad t-"
"Aaaaalright. Let's drop it, Uesugi doesn't have the slightest clue what we're talking about anyways", Inejiro said, cutting Yotsuba off, before turning to face Fuutarou directly. "But. Falling in love is NOT. A foolish act. Nor a waste of time", he told him very seriously, before sitting on a nearby empty seat, facing the wall, and starting eating his lunch which, to his misfortune, has indeed gotten cold. Fuutarou didn't respond at all, he just gave him a weird look. The three Nakano sisters just looked at him worriedly. Granted, they know how he gets when this is brought up, but, you know, there's always the hope that he's gotten over it. As it always happens, that hope is dashed.
"Well…how about you, Miku? Are there any guys you like?", Yotsuba asked her sister, who had been completely silent this whole time. Miku looked at her, blushing, turned around and walked off.
"N-no", she said with her back turned to the group.
"What's gotten into her?", asked Fuutarou.
"That face…as her sister, I can tell!", said Yotsuba.
"There's no room for error!", Ichika chimed in.
"Miku is in love!", they both said together. Fuutarou seemed to get quite nervous at the suggestion.
Inejiro, who was eating with his back turned to them, still listened to the whole thing. Of course he did, he's still sitting only a couple of meters away. He doesn't wanna say anything. He's not in the mood, and who the hell knows if Miku's in love or not.
"I don't buy that whole 'I'm her sister, I can tell!' shtick. Could any of them tell that Yotsuba looks at Uesugi differently? Huh? No. And him…I don't like what he said. It's just wrong. You shouldn't dismiss people's feelings like that, like they're worthless, and have no value. Yotsuba was there too just…dude, pay some fucking attention and have some bloody tact. And if Miku indeed has feelings for someone, yeah, surely she would open up to us after that whole speech. Good Lord. Pissed me off", Inejiro thought to himself while he ate, not even bothering to think about his own love life at all.
He wants to push that out of his mind. And Ichika just laughing at him…hell some of these girls have as childish a view of love as Fuutarou does, only in the opposite direction. He can only thank the heavens above that Nino wasn't present.
Either way, Inejiro finished his meal and headed straight back to class, not even bothering to check back with Fuutarou or any of the girls. He decided to just pass the time sitting in his desk, maybe browsing social media or something that can take his mind off the recent conversation, without requiring much social interaction.
After scrolling through Twitter for a couple of minutes, he started getting a bit drowsy, so he decided to just take a short nap before class. There were still about 20 minutes left in the break, enough to get some quick shut-eye. Fuutarou isn't around, Itsuki isn't around, no disturbances.
After about 10 minutes or so, he woke back up. An ability to take these short naps is ultra valuable to those still in school. It really does give you a shot of energy, believe it or not. He looked up from his desk, and saw there are already small groups of his classmates crowding the room. He saw Fuutarou already sitting on his desk, reading a piece of paper. Probably studying. But suddenly…he laid back on his seat and looked tense from behind.
"Hm? Is Uesugi not getting a part of an exercise or something? That's news", thought Inejiro. Then, Itsuki walked inside the classroom, and noticed Fuutarou's expression was strange when walking by him.
"What are you grinning about?", she asked. "That's creepy". Fuutarou reacted, shooting up from his chair and yelling at Itsuki.
"I'm not! I'm not grinning!"
"I can't take a nap for 10 minutes and some weird fucking nonsense happens, what the hell is going on now?", thought Inejiro, noticeably still not in the best of moods.
"What has gotten into him?", Itsuki asked Inejiro, as she sat down in her own desk.
"Damned if I know".
Then, Fuutarou went straight towards Inejiro.
"N-n-n-nakamura, I n-need your help with something, quickly", he said and swiftly went into the hallway.
Inejiro sighed.
"Well, Itsuki, you probably already knew this, but he ain't alright up there, y'know", Inejiro said, pointing at his head.
"Good of you to notice", said Itsuki, as Inejiro left the classroom after Fuutarou. Fuutarou looked to each side in the hallway, as if to make sure he was clear.
"God Uesugi, what is it?"
"L-look at this", Fuutarou said as he handed Inejiro a sheet of paper. "W-what am I-I supposed t-to do?"
Inejiro grabbed it and started reading it.
"Come to the rooftop after school. There's something I want to tell you. I just can't hold it in any longer".
"So. Some girl still isn't aware that you have no feelings?"
"Oh, l-look in the back".
"To Fuutarou. Miku", it says. Inejiro got wide-eyed when reading that.
"Miku? Eh?"
"Yeah. What the hell am I supposed to do Nakamura!?", Fuutarou asked, in a mixture of a yell and a whisper that sounded quite deranged.
"Well…caught me off guard as much as you. Wasn't expecting her particularly…", Inejiro cleared his throat. "Ehem. Do you like her?"
"What do you mean 'do I like her'? Of course not!"
Inejiro facepalmed.
"Of course, look who I'm asking! Remember what I told you the other day?"
"'Remember they're girls'?"
"Yeah, that. Listen to me more often".
"Well I'm listening now!"
"Do you intend to go to the rooftop?"
"Eh…should I?"
"Come on man, answer the bloody question! It is you who has to decide, not me".
"Well…she's my student…I can't just ignore her…"
"So you'll go".
"I guess…but what if it's a prank?"
"By Miku? Unlikely".
"So you say I should go".
"No. You judged, correctly, that you should go. Now think of some way to let her off easy".
"B-but how?"
"I really can't do this for you, dude, believe me, you have to figure it out yourself. Ain't no other way. But…", Inejiro looked at Fuutarou menacingly. "I've known Miku since she was nine. I've seen her cry a fair few times, and it's not a sight I enjoy. Choose your words carefully. I'm not feeling particularly happy leaving her in your hands after today's little talk".
"'Leaving her in my hands', what are you, her father?"
"Just…have some empathy, try to understand her feelings, be genuine and nice to her. Let it be a learning experience. Now, class is probably about to start, let's go in".
"R-right", said Fuutarou, as both of them went back inside the classroom and towards their respective seats.
"What did he want?", Itsuki asked Inejiro.
"I've really been repeating this phrase a lot these days. But, truly, I can't say".
Itsuki sighed. "Hope you're not badmouthing us. You're working with him, after all".
"I'm not badmouthing you".
"You said 'I', you didn't say anything about him. I'm not surprised".
"Believe what you will, Itsuki. You don't have to worry about him anyways".
Then, the teacher walked into the classroom, and afternoon classes started. Funny anecdote from the day. During math class, the teacher called Fuutarou forward to solve some problems, as it often happens, him being the top student and all. But he seemed incredibly on edge while solving the problems. He stood perfectly straight, and wrote the formulas into the blackboard incredibly quickly, while pushing the chalk very harshly against it. Inejiro and Itsuki could only look at each other in disbelief while he did that. Even the teacher just looked at him go, his mouth opened wide.
"Is this really the first bloody time he's confessed to by a girl…or that he confessed to a girl himself? He's been going to co-ed schools his whole life as far as I can tell…really? I can only hope there's been some sort of misunderstanding. It does seem strange to me that Miku would just confess to him out of the blue. Now, I ain't saying I'm some sort of savant quint mind reader, but I didn't see the slightest indication that Miku likes Uesugi. 'Like the shadows, unknowable'. Maybe she's applying that bit from the Furinkazan to her romantic feelings as well? Well…I hope I'm wrong, that Uesugi is wrong, and that Miku just…is communicating something else in a weird way. Wouldn't be the first time". Inejiro's internal monologue is going strong, as usual.
Eventually, afternoon classes ended, and the moment of truth arrived. It is time for Fuutarou to hear Miku's confession…or whatever she wants to say.
"Inejiro-kun, what are you doing after class?", asked Itsuki.
"I wanted to go to the gym today…but nah, I'm beat. I'm gonna go home".
"Oh, alright. Hey, can I go to your place in a few hours? I…am having trouble with the history homework…"
"Oh sure Itsuki. Whenever you like, I'll probably just be laying around doing nothing".
"Good, thanks!", Itsuki smiled. "Goodbye!".
"Bye Itsuki", Inejiro said as she left. Fuutarou walked towards him, again.
"So…I'm going up there".
"Yeah, good luck. And good luck to Miku".
Fuutarou sighed.
"...What a pain".
"Look, dude, I gave you a hard time today…which you deserve, by the way…but I get you. You don't want this to mess up your job. But please be kind to her, okay? She's a student to you, just another client. But she's my friend".
"Nakamura, I'm not even certain that it isn't a prank yet".
"Look…just go. I'll call you in a while".
With that, they said their goodbyes, and each went their separate ways. Fuutarou to the roof, and Inejiro to the gates, to head home. Thankfully for him he didn't run into any of the quintuplets on his way there. He didn't think he'd be able to keep this whole thing hidden from them for long, and if he knows Miku, he's pretty sure she'd want this kept under tighter lock than a state secret.
It took Inejiro about a half hour to get to his apartment, as per usual. He of course kept thinking about whatever was going on at the school ceiling. He's…never seen any of the quintuplets fall for a guy before. It's uncharted territory, really. He's been the only one in the friend group to have fallen in love before…as far as he could tell until recently, given that business with Yotsuba and Fuutarou, that is still unclear.
Did Miku fall for Fuutarou too? Inejiro hasn't known him for long, he seems like an okay guy overall to him, but…his ideas on love make him wary of any of the quintuplets developing feelings for him. Yotsuba already probably has. Who knows what's going on up there with Miku? Impossible to tell until he talks with Fuutarou.
One may ask why Inejiro reacted the way he reacted to a mention of his love life, of course. But…it would be best to keep some mystery on that for now.
As soon as Inejiro arrived at his apartment, he quickly dropped off his backpack, took off his school uniform and sat down in his 'living room'. He lit himself a cigarette, as per usual, but also poured himself a bit of vodka. Another habit he picked from his grandfather. Yeah, by the way, he takes after him a lot, and it's not just the vices. He texted Fuutarou to call him when he was available, and some five minutes later his classmate called him.
"Hey, Uesugi. How'd it go".
"You wouldn't believe it…she wanted to tell me it was Sue Harukata. Sue Harukata!"
"Sue Harukata? What are you blabbing about man?"
"The answer to the question! That she didn't want to answer this morning".
Inejiro doesn't quite remember what Fuutarou is talking about, so it takes him a few seconds to get his bearings. Fuutarou did tell him that he met the Nakanos in the entrance to the school, he asked them a question from yesterday's test to see if they were reviewing…
"'Name the warlord defeated by Mori Motonari at the Battle of Itsukushima'! Right, you told me about it earlier! That was it?"
"No, that wasn't it at all! You can imagine I was shocked. So when she turned to leave, I grabbed her and dropped her phone by accident".
"Oh man…you dropped her phone? And she didn't kill you on the spot? Maybe she does like you".
"Eh…anyways, I saw she has a Takeda household crest as her wallpaper".
It seems he found out about her hobby, although by accident.
"So, you found out she loves the Sengoku period".
"Yeah! Why didn't you tell me anything?"
"She doesn't want people to know".
"But it could have really helped me with the tutoring! Anyways, so we spent a short while talking about different warlords…I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to see if we could get on friendly terms over this".
"Good call".
"Everything was going great! She was really into it. But then she made a joke about some obscure event that I had no clue about…which she didn't quite like. She said I was all talk, that I wasn't smart at all, and left".
"What was it she joked about?"
"Something about a drink having no snot in it?"
"Snot? Dude…beats me, no clue. Miku is a real authority when it comes to Sengoku-era trivia. I like history too, but she beats me to hell and back with this stuff".
"So what should I do?"
"Always asking me what to do. You know what to do. Prove your worth to her or something. Show how knowledgeable you are on Sengoku-era trivia".
"Well…sure, I'll think of something".
"Wait. You didn't mock her or anything, did you?"
"No…I mean, she is weird as hell, loving old warlords so much. But I didn't want to mock her interests when they could help me get along with her better. And, maybe, if I incorporated Japanese history into my lessons…".
"Attaboy. Good. Well Uesugi, this conversation took a big bloody load off my chest. You'll be fine, just read up a bit and try talking to her. See you tomorrow".
"Goodbye".
Inejiro felt quite relieved after this. No brokenhearted quintuplets. At least…for now. Miku sometimes has a very…special way to communicate with others, which can be easily misunderstood.
"Really though, leaving him a note under his desk like that? What else could Uesugi think? Even I bought it", Inejiro thought to himself while he drank, though thankfully much happier. He grabbed his laptop and started reading some news on it, and watching youtube videos. While in better spirits, he didn't feel like doing anything more intellectually or physically demanding than that. A couple of hours passed, and eventually he heard a knock on his door.
"Eh? Was anyone gonna come over?", he said to himself as he got up and opened the door. When he opened it, he saw Itsuki waiting in the hallway. She's wearing a red sweater, but the kind that reveals her shoulders and upper arns, with a long green skirt.
"Oh damn Itsuki, right, I completely forgot. Come in, come in", he gestured her inside.
"Hi Inejiro-kun…I hope I'm not interrupting anything…", she said as she walked in. Inejiro had smoked more than a couple of cigarettes in the previous hours, and in a small apartment…yeah there's a lot of second-hand smoke around. Which Itsuki noticed.
"Inejiro-kun…this place reeks of smoke…", she said as she waved her hands around, trying to clear the air a little bit.
"Sorry, sorry…let me open a window or something", he said as he hurried to open up the small window that leads to the street. Then, Itsuki also noticed the open bottle lying around, with a glass half-filled with vodka.
"Look…it's alright, I can come back some other time".
"No, I'm fine, really, just had a sip, that's all".
"Inejiro-kun…are you sure you're alright? This reminds me of…never mind".
"You too, Itsuki? Is it national 'Twist the Knife' day?"
Yotsuba had told Itsuki about what happened earlier in the cafeteria, so having been told about that and now seeing Inejiro drinking hard liquor alone in his apartment…connecting the dots ain't that hard.
"You know someday you're going to have to talk to someone about…whatever happened with her, don't you?"
"You've told me that 500 times, and I've given you the same reply for the last 499 ones. Thanks for your concern, but no".
Itsuki just sighed in defeat. All of her sisters know that Inejiro's breakup hit him incredibly hard, and it seems he hasn't completely recovered yet. Not…the worst example of self-destructive behavior he's shown since then, granted, but it's been a while. And he still refuses to talk.
"We are here for you, whatever you need", said Itsuki, concern clearly showing in her expression.
"Yeah I know. Anyways, it was the history homework you'd been having trouble with, right?"
"Yes", Itsuki said as she put down the bag she was carrying, pulled out her notebook from it and sat down by Inejiro's table. "Have you been able to do it?"
"Hehe…not really", Inejiro said as he scratched the back of his head, and sat next to Itsuki.
"Inejiro-kun, it's due tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow? Ah damn. Well, we'll just do it together I guess", he said as he stood up to pick up his own notebook.
"Do you even remember what it was about?"
"Yeah, I think so. The Cuban Missile Crisis, wasn't it?"
"Yes, that".
"You should have gone ask grandpa about that, great opportunity for him to go on one of his rants", Inejiro said as he chuckled. Itsuki laughed back.
"I still remember when I first met him with the girls…he spent a good quarter of an hour talking to us about the revolution in Russia!"
Inejiro burst into laughter thinking back to that memory.
"Man, I swear, who goes on a rant about the Russian Revolution to his grandson's nine year-old buddies?"
"The funniest part is, we actually enjoyed it! He told all these stories in a way that was even entertaining. He would have made a good teacher, actually".
"Yeah, he would have. He did teach for some time, I think…but not here".
"Oh, by the way, how are your grandparents doing these days?"
"Doing alright, I guess. Haven't been there in a while. I'll go visit on Sunday, though".
"Well, tell them I said hi. Your father too. I haven't seen any of them in years".
"I'll make sure to do that. Well, let's get started with this", Inejiro said as he grabbed his laptop to aid them with their homework. Itsuki just nodded happily. It seems remembering their childhoods did wonders for both of their states of mind. It usually does. Calling back to a time when they were younger and more carefree, they got together to play without a care in their minds almost day in and day out. Rena was alive, their school lives were stable. Money wise times were very tough, but they were children. Even Inejiro, who was old enough to somewhat understand his situation, couldn't grasp it fully. So it didn't burden him psychologically all that much, although seeing his father working tirelessly did not make him happy at all. Same with the quintuplets and their own mother.
Inejiro and Itsuki spent a bit over an hour doing their homework. It wasn't that hard, they just had to do some research about the topic and answer a few questions. Easy as pie for Inejiro, and Itsuki didn't have much trouble either, with her friend's assistance. It was about nine o'clock by the time they were finished, and Itsuki was getting ready to leave.
"See, Itsuki? It wasn't that hard", said Inejiro.
"Well…with help, no, it wasn't. I couldn't have done it by myself, though…"
"Might I repeat my suggestion that you give Uesugi a chance?"
"No, we've talked about this. Until he changes his attitude, that is not going to happen".
"Fine, fine. Are you alright going home all by yourself? It's kinda late".
"I'll just get a taxi. You can call that friend of yours if you want".
"Yeah, Suzuki-san would appreciate that. You can also stay here, we go to the same school after all".
Itsuki turned bright red at the suggestion.
"N-n-no Inejiro-kun, it's fine, really, I-I'll just go home".
"Jeez. Like we've never had sleepovers before. Fine, I'll give Suzuki-san a call".
"Yes, thank you Inejiro-kun".
"And…sorry for the state of the place. It's not as bad as it looks, really. Well, the smoke is. But I haven't been drinking that much, I've been sipping from that one glass the whole time. I was just fooling around on Youtube".
He's not telling the whole truth, he did drink a bit more than that. He holds his liquor pretty well, so he can pass as 'somewhat sober'. For now. We'll see how he's feeling in the morning.
"Yes, you wouldn't have been able to help me if it was worse than that. Just…take care of yourself". Again, Itsuki's concern was showing in her expression.
"Well, join me in the gym tomorrow then".
"Emmm…I think I'll pass".
Inejiro laughed and went to call Suzuki-san, who arrived in about five minutes, and drove Itsuki back to the Pentagon. There's a lot for Inejiro to reflect on for the day, but honestly, he's just too tired, and the alcohol made him a bit drowsy. So he fell asleep pretty soon after Itsuki left.
In a couple of days he will go visit his family, and there's still the unresolved issue between Miku and Fuutarou, related to his perceived lack of knowledge of Sengoku-era trivia. But that's all a story for another day.
A/N: I recall I forgot to even say "author's notes" before last week's author's notes. The amateurism remains it seems hehe. One thing I'll start doing here is answering reviews. I usually answer them in private but I figured some of y'all must like seeing my replies to other people's reviews. Just one review for last week's chapter, so let's get to it. I already replied to him in private, which I think I will continue to do anyways.
Gazara12: Fuutarou and Inejiro's relationship is indeed quite fun to write. Fuutarou is the kind of guy that you like more once you get to know him. Well...in this chapter he got to see some of his rougher edges as well. Theirs is an interesting dynamic, for sure.
Before I go. On August 6th is the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. All of us here being fans of Japanese media to some degree or another, I wished to leave a message in remembrance of the more than 200 thousand Japanese and Korean victims of the bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. May God rest their souls.