Hello!
Honestly, I've been thinking for some time now that this idea might be something interesting to tackle in a fic, though I never really found the merit in bringing it to fruition without it seeming cringe and pointless. Besides, I was already working on another quintuplets story, after all. However, about a month ago, browsing through the fanfics of the series, I came across the story of "Five Equal Angels" (one of my many pending readings), so I proceeded to read it without many expectations in mind to distract me on my day off, what a surprise I got, it's really a beautiful fic! and although I've barely read it until chapter 15, that was more than enough to inspire me and I said to myself "hey, why not get this out of my head at once?".
And I'm taking this author's note to clarify a couple of things before you decide to jump into reading this and decide whether or not it's a waste of time.
This fic will contain magical elements from a certain other fairly popular anime, which you'll most likely find out what it is after reading this first chapter. I know what you're thinking, and even I don't want that, so I'll try to keep the magical elements at bay so that the story stays interesting and doesn't lose the main focus of the manga, namely the girls, Fuutarou and their colorful life until graduation, don't worry about that.
I have to say also that it's safe to say that this fic will take a lot of influence from Five Equal Angels, so hey, let's find out together where this is taking us shall we?
English is not my native language, so I am sorry for any mistakes that may obstruct your reading.
Night.
The cold air hit the face of a certain person as he walked along the sidewalk of the main street, illuminated by the white lights of the public fence. He clenched his fists inside his jacket pockets as he made his way to the hospital located in the center of the city. And even if he had a bad feeling about his presence being explicitly requested there, it's not like he could do much about it anyway.
Arriving at his destination, the person entered the luxurious and, unfortunately, crowded hospital with heavy steps.
The air with the thick, insipid scent of death and disease causes him to wrinkle his nose momentarily at the reflection of the unpleasant intrusive memories that arrive in his memory before he reluctantly suppresses them.
"Ah, Uesugi-san right?. Mr. Nakano is waiting for you, please come in".
After announcing himself to the appropriate secretary in a luxurious and well-furnished reception area that undoubtedly took full advantage of the hospital's 'private' status, the person thanks him with a nod and walks on by.
He heads towards a varnished wooden double door located to the left side of the reception desk, guarded on either side by two tall, sinewy, burly men dressed in tight black tuxedos. The two men give him a small bow before opening the double doors with one hand, allowing him to enter the room.
Closing the doors behind him, he walks to the large desk at the far end of the large room. Shelves crammed with heavy, thick books, and the numerical difference between the few framed pictures with family photos and the numerous diplomas and professional degrees adorning the walls, give a pretty good idea of the personality and interests of the person who owns this large office.
A man dressed in a pristine white medical gown is sitting behind a large desk while vigorously typing something on his laptop without even deigning to look at his newly arrived guest, who, knowing full well that any attempt to get his attention will fall on deaf ears, invites himself to take a seat in the padded chair in front of the desk, intended for this type of prolonged chatter. Letting out a tired sigh as quietly as he can, he momentarily closes his eyes to give himself a break from the tense air in the room.
"It's good to see you again, Uesugi-kun". Suddenly announces a crisp, deep voice after several minutes of silence, a silence filled only by the steady, mechanical typing of the laptop.
"The same, Nakano-san". Replies the other occupant in the room. "To what do I owe so much theatricality? You could have contacted me through a phone call or a message of text". He says with slight frustration in his tone as he opens his eyes to stare at his opposite number.
"Your father told me you've returned to your usual activities after your... absence. I just felt like having a little chat with you, that's all".
Uesugi Fuutarou raised an eyebrow at this dialogue. Nothing in this situation seemed to reflect Dr. Marou Nakano's words. Not only because of his dull voice to which he had become accustomed, but because he literally hadn't taken his eyes off his computer monitor since he entered.
"I have to earn my bread and butter, you know. Besides, I needed a break after all the shit I had to go through". Fuutarou replies with a shrug.
"That's great. Glad to see you're settling in". Marou replies finally turning his attention away from his computer to settle on his guest. Her sharp dark eyes silently scan Fuutarou for a few torturously long seconds.
"...Despite having seen you before, it's still hard for me to take in". His voice slightly infused with surprise slowly dissolves back to his usual tone. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to offend you".
"Don't worry, it's understandable. Even for me it was a pretty hard blow the first time I saw my reflection. It's not like I had anywhere to choose from, anyway, so I had to sweep the matter under the rug". Fuutarou says with a frown as he raises his gaze to the ceiling, vividly remembering the moment he got this appearance and the person it belonged to. "Leaving that aside, let's get down to business, you said something about a job, right? Let's hear about it". He said before resting his gaze back on Marou.
"Ah, right". Marou says before opening the right drawer of his desk to retrieve two thick black folders and placing them in front of the desk for Fuutarou to inspect. Looking at the edges of the paper inside, he can see that one of them contains new, freshly printed documents. While the crumpled edges of the other suggest to him not only their age, but also that the previous owner discarded these papers to the dumpster before they were retrieved by Maruo for whatever reason. Although this doesn't mean much at the moment, he knows for sure that, being Marou, they will both be just as screwed.
Picking up and opening the one containing documents fresh from the stationery store almost by reflex, he carefully reads its contents as Dr. Nakano's voice reverberates in his ear canals.
"Yesterday. Ebata-san, one of my closest assistants, was found dead inside my car outside my daughters' apartment building. That is the file of the autopsy performed on the corpse". Marou says. The tone in his voice is slightly aggravated, betraying the true emotions behind the man's stoic face. "How can you see, he died from a perforation in the front part of his skull. However, this perforation was not caused by a conventional projectile. The hole from the impact is only a few millimeters and is completely cauterized. It was so powerful that it passed through the headrest of the driver's seat and part of the rear seat in its trajectory. A 'bolt of lightning' might be the closest thing to describe it".
As Marou speaks, Fuutarou turns the pages one after another. To any observer, it would appear that he is flipping through the contents with boredom, like a child browsing through a college-level textbook and being drawn to the cartoons. However, he is diligently reading the content at an almost sickening speed.
Lowering the folder, he looks Marou seriously in the eyes.
"What about the car where it was found?".
"According to the police report, the doors were not forced and the windows were intact. The car was found to be absolutely clean of any unknown DNA marks other than my daughters' or Ebata-san's own. In addition, the car was still running when the body was found, indicating that she died after my daughters got out of the car to enter the building".
Marou was silent for a few seconds before continuing to speak.
"The circumstances of his death made me believe that there is something else behind all this. That's why I decided to call you".
"You probably made the right decision". Fuutarou sighed. "What you said is correct, it was caused by lightning. A lightning bolt caused by the convection of a beam of light. Much like when you use a magnifying glass to kill ants by concentrating the sunlight on a single point. Considering that the crime was perpetrated around 6 pm, when the sun had already set over the horizon, this feat would only be possible for a magic user to perform. I can do something exactly the same, so I can take it for granted". Fuutarou can't help but rub his temple in exasperation as he explains himself.
For a man of science like Marou to consider that his assistant's cause of death is due to magic would be begging for his title to be revoked and his reputation to be thrown off a cliff. However, he has come to realize that his common sense loses all value as soon as Fuutarou becomes involved in the equation.
"Although I have a question why only Ebata-san? if he can commit the perfect crime without leaving any traces, why not...kill my daughters on the spot?". Those last words were terrifying for Marou to utter. To think that a magical madman came so close to harming his daughters made her jaw clench in anger and frustration.
"Most likely he wants them alive. Although if that wizard is coming from where I think he's coming from, he must not even be interested in your family's existence. So why your family is being targeted is still unknown to me". Fuutarou explains while placing a thoughtful hand on his chin.
"If that's the case. You're the only one I can hire for this". Marou explains.
From painfully learned experience, Fuutarou knows that the discomfort he is feeling right now in his non-existent stomach is not a good sign.
"So, you want me to be your daughters' bodyguard?".
"That is partly correct. However, both to provide you with a credible alibi, and for my own personal interests..." Marou points politely with an outstretched hand to the other folder hitherto forgotten on the table.
He closes the folder with the file in his hands and sets it aside on the desk. Fuutarou takes the other folder with battered contents and opens it to take a look at it.
"I want you to be my daughters' private tutor".
Strangely, what Fuutarou sees, puts him in a bad mood even faster than any involvement of a magician in this world.
Tests, tests with miserable grades as far as the eye can see is all he sees as he scrolls through the folder with one finger. The numbers marked with a furious red ballpoint pen do not exceed 30.
"As you can see, my daughters' academic situation is in a critical situation. I know very well that not only are you the only one capable of protecting them, but you are also the student with the best grades in your entire school". Marou says in a firm but calm voice. "I would like to take this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Protect my daughters from this magical assassin while helping them improve their grades".
Receiving no response from Fuutarou, who still continues to scan his future torment, Marou decides to continue.
"Of course, I am more than willing to pay for your services. Five times the usual payment". He says as he folds his arms. "What do you think?".
Fuutarou ponders that silently for a moment. Being completely honest with himself, he would prefer to leave any magic related matters in the deepest dungeon of his mind and continue on with a relatively normal life. However, the fact that someone with magical abilities is out there on the loose is something he can't overlook, not when he knows the dangers of magic in a world that shouldn't have access to it. Plus, the bonus of having a job where he is assured of five times conventional pay is certainly an offer where he could only offer fictitious resistance before giving in.
"Deal". Fuutarou says realizing too late that this fight was lost since he set foot in this hospital.
"Good". Marou says dryly with a nod. "Tomorrow my daughters will be transferred to Asahiyama. To facilitate your work, I made arrangements to place them at five in your same classroom. You start that afternoon at 4 o'clock".
Ignoring the fact that he did all that practically before he knew his answer, Fuutarou can only sigh in defeat and nod.
"Understood. So, if that's all, I wish you a good night, Nakano-san".
"The same goes for you, Uesugi-kun. I expect great things from you". Marou says nonchalantly after tossing him a final nod before turning to go back to typing something on his computer, almost as if this conversation never happened, and for that matter, it was probably for the best.
Knowing that would be the end of their conversation. Fuutarou takes one last look at the folder still in his hands, trying to suppress a twitching eye at a test graded with a dreadful zero inside it. Having closed the folder with a hand on the spine, the folder glows with a purple flash before disappearing, leaving small sparks that quickly disintegrate into thin air.
Having finished his business, Fuutarou sighs before getting up to leave the hospital.
Uesugi Fuutarou soaked his face with the cold water from the sink faucet to try to clear his mind. After a few seconds of letting the drops of water run down his face, he looked up to look at himself in the mirror.
In front of him stood a beautiful girl (at least in the opinion of most onlookers) of about 17, with long waist-length hair of platinum light blue. His piercing golden eyes gazed imperturbably at his reflection. And despite having described himself as a girl just a few lines ago, his slim body, lacking bust or wide hips, dressed in a simple black sweatpants and a white T-shirt, the reality was that his beauty was quite androgynous, so thinking of him as a boy with rather fine features would not be out of place.
"Onii-chan!". Called a cheerful childish voice from the other side of the bathroom door. "Dinner's ready, hurry up!".
"I'm coming!". His neutral tone of voice, with no masculine or feminine overtones, was also of no help to viewers in determining his gender. However, despite the ambiguities, he preferred to consider himself a man and not delve too deeply into the matter.
After drying his face with a nearby towel, Fuutarou opens the door to exit his simple and humble bathroom, making his way to the living room where the rest of his family is gathered.
"Uahahahaha!". Once Fuutarou entered the field of vision of a tall, muscular-built man with a pair of sunglasses adorning his wild blond hair despite it being dinner time, who is sitting at the tatami table in the center of the room, he can't help but burst out laughing.
Fuutarou twitched an eye in response. "Sorry, sorry. It's just still shocking that my unlikelike boy suddenly has to learn how to comb his hair in a braid Uahahahah!".
The statement made Fuutarou frown. "You're an idiot you know that, dad?". He says scathingly as he gives him a hostile look. "Do you even know how uncomfortable it is to sleep with this hair?". He says pointing to a long light blue braid falling elegantly over his right shoulder.
"Ya ya. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Miss Rapunzel". Says Isanari, Fuutarou's father as he wipes a comical tear from the corner of his eye.
"Son of a...".
"That's enough you two". Before the house erupts into an absurd father-son argument. Raiha, Fuutarou's younger sister, rushes to serve three plates full of delicious homemade curry on the table.
"I think you look great Onii-chan! And daddy, you've styled my hair yourself before, so you must know how hard it is to handle long hair, leave Onii-chan alone, you insensitive person!". Raiha says stomping her feet tenderly while pointing her index finger at the monstrous choke on her head.
Isanari reels at his daughter's argument. In fact, that same morning she spent the next 40 minutes after breakfast in trying to help Raiha properly comb that thing, so he could only step back and throw up his hands to accept his defeat before scratching the back of his head.
"Heh. insensitive, uh?". Isanari snorts in amusement as he loosens his posture. "You're getting to that stage already...I see".
Fuutarou rolled his eyes before helping his sister with the table. Reaching for a plastic pitcher on the kitchen counter, he proceeds to fill three empty glasses next to the curry dishes with natural water for the diners at the table. Taking a seat next to Raiha and facing their father after placing the jug in the center of the table, the Uesugi join hands in the traditional Japanese prayer of thanksgiving and dive headlong into the delicious dinner prepared by Raiha's heavenly culinary skills.
"So, how did it go with that grumpy guy?". Isanari asks once he swallows his mouthful.
"I'm screwed, if that's what you're getting at".
"How bad is it?".
"Bottom line: he hired me not only to help his daughters improve their disastrous grades and keep them from dropping out of high school. Which is enough in itself. But also to protect them from a murderous magician". Fuutarou says in a tired tone before drinking from his glass of water.
"Mage huh? I see why he asked you to go see him in person". Isanari says as he lowers his gaze in contemplation. His bubbly attitude is replaced by a seriousness that is rarely seen in him. "Though I still don't quite understand...is it possible that he came from...?".
Isanari leaves the question up in the air. He can fuck with his son all he wants about his appearance, but he knows that this topic has taken root in Fuutarou as something he prefers to avoid at all costs. And with good reason, which is why he is very careful with his words.
"It's safe to assume so". Fuutarou says with a serious expression on his face as he stares at his bowl of curry. "After all, I am the example that transmigrating is not impossible".
"Onii-chan..." Raiha immediately notices her brother's mood. Holding his hand, Raiha tries to soothe him. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll catch him and beat him up!". Says the little girl with a bright smile.
"Thank you, Raiha". Fuutarou says with a faint smile of his own as he pulls his hand away to stroke Raiha's head. Receiving a tender chuckle in response.
"Anyway, that's the thing. Although on the bright side of things, I'll get paid five times as much". Fuutarou continues as he casually returns to his meal. Raiha and Isanari's eyes widened after that statement.
"So we've hit the jackpot, eh!". Isanari says in a renewed mood in an attempt to lighten the mood of the dinner.
"Onii-chan will be a millionaire, he won't have to sell his kidney anymore!". Raiha jumps with genuine excitement as she raises her arms to emphasize her encouragement. "And not only that, Onii-chan will be living with girls! With normal girls! Had I known earlier, I would have prepared something special for dinner." Raiha says with a twinkle in her eye.
"One. I can't sell what I don't have. Two. I'm not even going to respond to that. Three. Don't worry, this is good enough." Fuutarou says before stuffing his mouth with a big mouthful of curry. "I still think you guys could have my portion of food, though..."
"Onii-chan! We already talked about this. Just because you don't need to eat anymore, doesn't mean I'll leave you without your corresponding portion! ". Raiha says while giving Fuutarou an annoyed pout.
Fuutarou simply has to reluctantly give in. Knowing full well that making his perfectly logical arguments about reducing household food expenses to just two people and lightening Raiha's workload in the kitchen will be of little help thanks to his younger sister's concern for him.
"While we're on the subject. I'm beginning to resign myself to the fact that my dreams of becoming a grandfather will remain just that, dreams. I won't even bother getting excited about the fact that you live with girls". Isanari says with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Anyway, there's not even anything there~".
"You asshole! What do you mean by that!?". Fuutarou shouts with disdain and indignation at his father while Raiha just laughed out loud at the exchange.
"A Yakiniku menu, without the Yakiniku, please". Fuutarou says to the lady behind the cafeteria counter. After paying for his meal and thanking her, Fuutarou turns to leave, ignoring the arched eyebrows of the students behind him in line at his strange request to the cook.
It is common knowledge that the cheapest dish on the school menu is the rice dish, priced at 200 yen. However, if you order the 400 yen yakiniku dish, but without the 200 yen meat portion. You get rice, miso soup and vegetables for the price of a rice menu. He recalls how he had been incredibly pleased with himself for discovering this little loophole in the cafeteria system to get a decent lunch at the lowest possible price. But now that biologically food was unnecessary for him beyond a mundane pleasure, the feeling remained a distant memory that he felt a bit nostalgic about. And while due to his condition, he might well be able to save that 200 yen, that was not possible because Raiha had taken it upon herself to diligently supervise her older brother to make sure that those 200 yen were spent on lunch.
After getting a plastic cup to refill with free natural water from a nearby water dispenser, he headed off to find an available table to enjoy his lunch.
"Damn. Uesugi really is a character, isn't he?".
"And to think I had those kinds of tastes. I remember it was a surprise to the whole school".
"It's weird to think that it looks kind of cute, though..."
As he walked by, he could clearly hear the boisterous and accusing murmurs coming from all parts of the cafeteria. If he was honest, he couldn't really give less than a shit about the rumors about himself, neither the old ones, nor the more recent ones. The rumors about Uesugi Fuutarou, the number one grader in the whole school, the creepy antisocial nerd who skipped classes for a month, apparently having sex change surgery and now being a pretty young woman with porcelain skin, were simply too juicy not to be the topic of conversation to this day since he had set foot on the school grounds again.
And as much as it pained him to admit it, that was much easier to explain. Being seen as the lowest of the low among the weirdos, and not as someone who escaped from a mental institution mid-lobotomy, was something he couldn't object to. And thanks to Nakano Marou being a good friend of the school principal, it wasn't hard to fabricate an alibi for the affair, so he could only silently thank his benefactor as he struggled to get through yet another day.
After a while, he was finally able to find an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria. Just as he reached for the back of the chair with one hand and placed his tray of food on the table with the other, he could see the corner of his tray gently collide with another tray coming from his side, causing a small metallic sound.
!?
Turning in the direction of the newcomer, he caught sight of a beautiful girl with peach-red hair, whose face was guarded on either side by two yellow star-shaped hairpins and with a ahoge crowning her head. Her curvaceous silhouette was wrapped in a uniform consisting of a black blouse and a white skirt. An outfit that definitely did not belong to her school. They both stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, each carefully processing the other's dazzling appearance in silence.
Wow.
It was the sincere inner reaction of this girl, whose name was Nakano Itsuki, when she rested her gaze on the person who was trying to get the same empty table she had located after a good couple of minutes of searching. A beautiful girl with fine and divine features, whose loose light blue hair, as long as her sister Nino's, was silently looking at her with sharp golden eyes that almost made her swallow saliva because of the depth of their gaze, almost as if they were seeing through her own soul.
"Excuse me, you can stay here. I'll sit at the next table". Said the girl as she released her hand from the back of the chair and turned to do as she said.
"Wait!". Itsuki said hurriedly after snapping out of her stupor as she released one hand from her tray to grab her opponent by the sleeve of her white school shirt.
"Th-there's room for two, i-if it's okay would you like to have lunch with me?". Itsuki said in a shy tone while looking away slightly. There was no turning back now!
"Uh...are you sure? If I'm being honest, it's not the best move during your first day". She said as she gestured with his eyes to point to the multiple prying eyes on them.
Itsuki gave a small glance around, tensing up with a crimson blush at the attention received from all corners of the cafeteria as sweat began to bead on her forehead. Shaking her head to clear her embarrassment, Itsuki spoke.
"D-don't worry. I just want to be polite to you so we don't feel lonely. Besides, I had to walk to school today since my driver was absent. My legs are at their limit and I could really use a break". Said the girl with a nervous smile.
The girl simply looked at her with an arched eyebrow before shrugging. "If that's what you want, that's fine. Just don't force yourself". She said before taking a seat in the chair at the table. After a small sigh of relief, Itsuki carefully took a seat on the long wall chair on the opposite side.
Both young men clapped their hands before reciting the traditional prayer of thanks before beginning their meals. As they dove into their meal, Fuutarou looked with surprise at the tray of food on the red-haired girl in front of him, mentally calculating the total cost of their menu. Her meal consisted of 250 yen udon, shrimp tempura, squid tempura, chicken tempura, sweet potato tempura, each 100 yen, a dessert flan costing 180 yen and, of course, a glass of natural water they gave as a courtesy. A meal costing over 1000 yen was certainly impressive considering it was all for one person.
"By the way, my name is Nakano Itsuki. It's nice to meet you huhm...?". The redhead suddenly said after she started eating.
"Uesugi Fuutarou. Nice to meet you too, Nakano-san".
"U- umu". Was all Itsuki could reply.
Is that your name? I understand the Kanji for "wind" (風). But the ones for "Thick" (太) and "Man" (郎)...Not something I would expect from a girl.
Itsuki frantically shook her head to clear those kinds of thoughts from her brain. It was absolutely unacceptable to make strange assumptions about someone just because of their name!
Unknowingly, Itsuki's cheeks flushed as she mentally chided herself for this, lowering her gaze at the internal embarrassment. Fuutarou, on the other hand, could only look at the girl with a blank expression before rummaging through his school pants to retrieve a sheet of paper folded into six equal parts and a small set of study cards which he quickly put to use.
After ending her internal debate, Itsuki looked up to watch her companion take a bite of her rice to her mouth with her chopsticks in one hand, while exchanging glances between an unfolded document on her tray and a set of cards in the other hand.
"That's rude". Itsuki said in a firm tone.
Fuutarou looked at her with a raised eyebrow in response. "Huh, sorry? I'm just trying to check my mock test. I received the results before lunchtime and would like to verify them". Fuutarou said nonchalantly.
"Studying while eating huh?". Itsuki said with an amused look on her face. "Your grades must really be on the floor. Let me take a look at it!". Itsuki quickly rushed over to the table to playfully snatch the sheet of paper on her tray from Fuutarou.
"H-hey!". Fuutarou said in an annoyed tone as he looked at how his glass of water had almost spilled by mere inches from colliding with the redhead's left breast.
Itsuki's eyes scanned the document up and down as she held it in front of her face from above.
"What's your score?...Let's see...Uesugi Fuutarou-san...you have..."
Itsuki's hitherto smug expression expanded with astonishment as she looked at the bright red number at the bottom of the sheet of paper.
"100 points?". Murmurs the girl turning away from the mock test from her sight to look silently at the other occupant of the table.
"W-what a shame don't you think so?". Fuutarou replies weakly with a hesitant smile.
Itsuki simply blinks before silently handing the document back to Fuutarou, who scans it for a moment before folding it back into his pocket.
Itsuki's cheeks really looked like they were about to explode at this point due to her large pout. Her prank on her companion resulted in a backfire for her.
"You showed it to me on purpose!". Itsuki said indignantly.
"What are you talking about? You took it on your own". Fuutarou said as he looked away.
This girl's mind is either quite sharp or she is somewhat proud...
"Ugh...honestly, I'm envious of you". Itsuki muttered. "Both my sisters and I, we're not very good academically speaking. Ah, I know!". Her tone so far dejected, was undercut by a bright note at the end. Clasping her hands together in applause, she continues.
"To have shared this table with you must be the work of fate itself. So please help me study!". Said the redhead with a bright expression on her face.
"Be your tutor, huh? Well, sure". Fuutarou said with a shrug. "However, I'm afraid I won't be able to do that anytime soon. I'll be busy today afternoon with some work, so we'll have to deal with that tutoring issue for another time".
"Ah, yes! My request is also very sudden, so I have no problem with arranging another time, although..." The redhead's expression fades slightly as a look of concern clouds her face. "I just remembered something..."
"What?"
"Actually, I and my sisters already have a tutor who has been arranged to meet us at my house later today after school". Itsuki says in a depressed tone. "But in case I don't like that tutor, I will ask for your services, are you okay with that?"
"Sure, don't worry about it". Fuutarou said with a smile. "Though if I may be a bit nosy about it, probably a qualified tutor would be better than any random student, you know?".
"I guess I have no choice but to wait and see". Itsuki says. "Still, I hope we can be good friends!". Itsuki's sudden cheerful statement caused Fuutarou to almost choke on the morsel he was chewing.
It's probably best to clarify that...
"Uhm..." Fuutarou begins after clearing his throat, very unsure about how to approach this. "The thing is...well, have you heard the rumors about me?".
Itsuki tilts her head in confusion. "Rumors? Certainly that sort of thing doesn't interest me too much. Besides, I've been so focused on adjusting to this school that I haven't had time to talk to anyone." Itsuki explains in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Well. I honestly think it's better if I tell you at once to avoid any misunderstandings but..." Fuutarou inhales and exhales in preparation for his next words. "Despite my appearance...I am a man".
Fuutarou looked at Itsuki's expressionless face.
He had to resist the urge to arch an eyebrow when the girl casually popped a mouthful into her mouth to subsequently open her eyes wide, as if something had "clicked" in her head.
"I see! That's why your name seemed so strange to me, now it certainly makes sense".
"Huh?" Was Fuutarou's sincere reaction. "My name?"
"I don't mean to sound rude, but for a girl to have those Kanji in her name seemed odd to me. I didn't want to make assumptions about you based on your name, so I just dismissed it". Itsuki said with a bright smile. "So, Uesugi-kun. I hope we can get along!".
"S-same to you". Was all Fuutarou could say. He had mentally prepared himself for this girl to react in the worst way, something along the lines of "How disgusting, I can't believe you cheated on me like that! I don't want anything from you anymore!", but instead she turned out to be someone more decent than most of her peers. And as if guessing his thoughts, Itsuki spoke with a sympathetic look in her beautiful electric blue eyes.
"Don't worry, Uesugi-kun. I'm not the type of person to judge another just by their appearance".
"I really appreciate it, though". This was the first time anyone understood this little trait of his. Or at least someone outside of his family and without any kind of context, that is.
And speaking of his family...
The ringtone of a cell phone broke into the two young men's conversation. Fuutarou pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it to check who was contacting him. When he saw Raiha's name on the screen, he sighed heavily before using the camera to take a picture of his now empty food tray.
"I'm sorry, Itsuki. I have to make a call". Fuutarou said turning to his companion. "Is it okay if I leave you here?".
"Huh? You ate too fast. You're just going to eat that? I can share some of mine if you want". Itsuki said with a smile after looking at Fuutarou's tray. In Itsuki's consideration, Fuutarou's modest meal was definitely not enough to be satisfied.
"Don't worry about me. I appreciate your offer, but I don't usually have much of an appetite". Fuutarou says as he puts his phone away and picks up his tray to get up from the table, intending to leave.
"If that's the case, I wouldn't want to take up any more of your time. It was fun having lunch with you. I hope to see you again some other time, Uesugi-kun!". Itsuki says with a bright expression on her face.
"Same here, Nakano-san. Take care". Fuutarou says with a smile before walking away.
After that, Fuutarou deposited his used tray in the appropriate place before leaving the cafeteria to once again pick up his phone and call Raiha. And before Fuutarou could say a word when the call was connected...
"ONII-CHAN, THAT PICTURE BETTER NOT BE TRICKED WITH MAGIC AND YOU BETTER HAVE GOTTEN SOMETHING TO EAT!"
"How the hell am I going to modify a photo like that!?".
Phew that was something. Fuutarou's first interaction with Itsuki was somewhat difficult to write, though I thought the result was pretty good. I consider Itsuki's reaction to Fuutarou's appearance to be something quite coherent, i.e. she wants to be a teacher, as well as being quite serious and mature, so I imagine she would be quite understanding in that aspect.
If you made it this far, thank you very much for giving my fic a chance. take care!