Disclaimer: The Quintessential Quintuplets (Goutoubun no Hanayome) and all its characters are the intellectual property of Mr. Negi Haruba. All rights reserved.
Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. September 15th, 2017. Asahiyama High School.
Throughout the last few days, Fuutarou has been busy reading up all the materials he had sourced on the Sengoku era. They even met with Inejiro once to study together. Not that Inejiro has to earn Miku's trust or anything, but helping his partner out with Japanese history is not something that bothers him at all. And, well, honestly, he has nothing better to do, and this is his job. Today, Friday, Fuutarou is feeling confident enough to face Miku, and convince her that he's worthy of teaching her. He is currently discussing this with Inejiro over lunch break.
"So, what do you have planned, Uesugi?", asked Inejiro.
"Eh, Nakamura, I wanted to ask you about that…you don't have the keys to her locker, do you?"
Inejiro just looked at him, dumbfounded.
"What? No, I don't have keys to her locker!"
"Well…I had to ask…you never know".
"What the hell do you think Maruo has me do?"
"Eh, you walk around their house like you own the place…never mind. I asked you because I want to leave her this".
Fuutarou handed Inejiro one of his test papers.
"Eh? Just one of your tests? She knows you get 100s already".
"Oh no, look in the back".
Inejiro turned the paper around and saw an invitation written in big brush-painted characters.
"'I'll be waiting at the west gate. Fuutarou Uesugi'. Oh you're sad she didn't confess so now you wanna do so. Little boy's all grown up!"
"Idiot! No. I wanna challenge her to a game of trivia, on Sengoku-era warlords".
"Oh, that's not bad…if she actually plays ball, that is".
"Yeah, I have to try at least. Well…what do I do? Where do I leave this?"
"Leave it under her desk like she did".
"Oh okay. Can you do that for me?"
"Do it yourself, Uesugi!"
"What if she's there? What if someone tells her something?"
"Make sure she's not bloody there! And Uesugi, I promise, no one in this school knows who you are. Not like Miku is a social butterfly herself. Just go there and leave the damn thing under her desk or on her desk or wherever you fancy".
"Yeah…I'll do that".
"Go now while she's still having lunch".
"Okay, going", Fuutarou said as he left.
Fuutarou went and left the message under Miku's desk for her to find, and did so without being noticed. Inejiro was right, very few people in school are actually aware of Fuutarou's existence. If someone saw him leaving a note on someone else's desk, they couldn't care less. Not like anyone could tell who it was that left the note anyways.
Afternoon classes went by and the time for him to challenge Miku arrived. He left class rather quickly to head to the west gates, hoping that Miku would heed his call. Inejiro couldn't even wish him luck since Fuutarou left with quite a bit of haste. So he just said goodbye to Itsuki and headed out. Seeing it was pretty nice outside (I've been saying this a lot, these last couple of weeks have been quite pleasant in the area) he decided to have a walk around the school's premises, since the surrounding greenery is quite nice. So he bought himself some ice tea from a vending machine and headed outside…not before running into Nino, who was surrounded by a couple of friends, standing outside one of the side entrances to the school.
"Ah, hey, Nino, how you doing?", he said, having noticed her.
Nino and her friends turned around, having heard someone calling out to her.
"...Oh, it's you. What do you want?", said a seemingly disappointed Nino.
"'Hi Inejiro, glad to run into you! How was your day?', is how a nice person might react, actually".
Nino stuck her tongue out at him.
"Nino, it's true that you know Nakamura-san?", one of her friends asked. This particular girl is called Yamada. She's a bit shorter than Nino, has long brown hair with a tiny blue-ish bow tied to its side. She's got green eyes, and is wearing a thin pink coat over her school uniform.
"Yeah, I guess I do…he works for my dad".
"Oh…that's not what I heard…", responded the other one, a tall girl with long black hair, tanned skin and purple-ish eyes called Otori. She's wearing a light purple jacket over her uniform.
"Well…I'm glad you girls already know me quite well, but if you must know, Nakamura's my surname, and my first name is Inejiro. My pleasure".
"Ugh, stop hitting on my friends, you weirdo".
The girls got a bit embarrassed and blushed, while Inejiro just laughed.
"Saying 'hi' to your friends is hitting on them? Good to know. I'm gonna have to tell Uesugi I just want to be friends then, don't want him getting the wrong idea…"
Now the two girls chuckled as well.
"What? What are you even saying? Don't pay any attention to him girls, he's always like this".
"So, Nakamura-san, my name is Yamada", said the brunette.
"And I'm Otori. A pleasure as well".
Nino is starting to get irritated.
"Likewise, girls. Well I'll leave you to it. Don't want to give Nino a stroke or something".
The two girls said their goodbyes as well (Nino was silent) and Inejiro was about to leave before…Fuutarou and Miku ran past them, yelling what seemed to be warlords' names?
"That's a weird way to play trivia eh?", thought Inejiro.
"Huh? Inejiro! Wasn't that…Miku and...Uesugi? What is he doing chasing after her? Do you know anything about this?", asked a startled Nino.
"Eh…they were gonna meet after class, that's what I heard…them running laps around the school is news to me though".
"Aren't you gonna do anything about it?"
"Do what? They could both use the exercise frankly".
"W-well what if he assaults her or something?"
"Nino. Please watch less of those crime dramas, they're messing with your mind. Also even Miku could probably kick Uesugi's ass".
"Ugh I can't believe how fucking useless you are! Come, girls, let's just go", Nino said, leaving hurriedly. Her friends gave Inejiro a sympathetic look, and left after her.
"Seriously, man…even in school she's like this. You'd figure she'd want to protect her reputation as a sociable, nice, cute girl and all that…but nope. Even her friends could tell she was being an ass", thought Inejiro, before heading out in the direction Miku and Fuutarou had run towards. Maybe he'll run into one of them and can get some answers as to what the hell was going on, he thought. Indeed, he found Miku sitting by herself on one of the benches next to the track field, drinking one of her beloved matcha sodas. She's wearing her normal outfit, though she…removed her stockings, for some reason.
"Hey Miku, tired?", asked Inejiro, sitting next to her.
"Oh, Inejiro…how did you know?"
"I saw Uesugi running after you, yelling warlords' names. A sight to behold! What were you doing?"
"We were playing warlord shiritori".
"Oh…but what about the running?"
"I tried to run away from him…I failed".
"And you decided to play shiritori while running. Well, it's good for both of you to get some exercise".
Miku pouted.
"Hmph. You know I don't like to run".
"Well? Who won?"
"It was a draw. We collapsed right around here".
Inejiro went to put his hand in his pocket before Miku grabbed it and stopped him.
"You were gonna smoke? Seriously?"
"Eh…no…erm…m-my hands are cold, that's it".
"Just wait until you leave school…really, you're gonna get into big trouble".
"Well you are right Miku yeah sorry", Inejiro replied very quickly.
"I swear…'my hands are cold'. Horrible liar", Miku said before immediately realizing she was still holding his hand and letting go in a flash, looking away from him.
"Pffft. Oh I just remembered", Inejiro said as he reached towards his backpack, grabbing a couple of books from it. "The books you asked for".
"Oh, thank you. Did anyone see you?"
"I was with Uesugi and Yotsuba but I said they were for me, you needn't worry".
"Fuutarou already knows, though I imagine you are aware…he truly didn't tell Yotsuba, right?"
"No he didn't tell Yotsuba", Inejiro responded, remembering that he had to cut him short back then…but it's better if Miku doesn't know that.
"Thank God".
"So…you're gonna give Uesugi a chance or not?"
"After we were done running…he started talking some nonsense about how he intends to make all of us pass. That since we're quintuplets, we all can do whatever the other one can…".
"He's…not wrong. I believe you can do this too, Miku. You all can".
"You're way smarter than us and you got held back twice".
"Don't compare yourself to me. It's useless. As I said, you can do it, if you try".
"He did say something similar to what you are saying. He…", Miku blushed a little, "...he is not as bad as I first thought".
"Yeah, he's not bad. He's been working really hard too. He really deserves that you give him a chance".
"He did tell me how much he read just so he could find that anecdote…and he ran after me and everything. Seriously…", Miku is still blushing. "He even told me my interests aren't weird".
"They aren't. I like history too!"
"Yeah Inejiro but you're weird".
Inejiro laughed.
"Won't argue with that. Well Miku let's get going, it's getting late. Unless you wanna sleep out here?"
"N-no it's just…I'm still tired".
"Want me to carry you or something?".
"E-erm…sort of…but no, I'll be fine".
"Want some of my ice tea at least? Though it's not as cold anymore…"
"No, it's fine Inejiro, I have my matcha".
"Did you get Uesugi one too?"
"N-no, actually…h-he bought it".
"Uesugi bought you something? Man, never thought I'd see the day".
Miku looked down, quite embarrassed.
"Wait…there's something…no, can't be. She's tired, that's all", thought Inejiro, who was starting to pick something up from Miku's expressions…
"Okay Inejiro, I finished my matcha. Let's get going", said Miku, as she stood up.
"So…you'll start coming to the study sessions?"
"I…don't know…I'll see…", she replied. After that, they parted ways, each going to their respective homes. Another school day has gone by.
Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. September 19th, 2017. Asahiyama High School.
Yesterday (that being Monday), Fuutarou and Inejiro discussed arranging for a study session in the school library after afternoon classes on the next day, that being today, Tuesday. Inejiro, in an honestly bureaucratic manner, asked all of them if they could attend, knowing very well that Yotsuba would, and Ichika, Nino and Itsuki wouldn't. Miku was the wild card…what would she do? All of the others had replied (even Nino, though she replied with the usual profanities), but Miku didn't say a word. Maybe she was unsure. In any case, it's been about twenty minutes, and it's only Fuutarou, Inejiro and Yotsuba here in the library. So of course they got started a few minutes ago.
"Yotsuba! You don't spell "Rice" with an "L", you spell it with an "R"!", Fuutarou yelled, angrily correcting Yotsuba. She does get on his nerves with silly mistakes like that. The funny part is that while he's angrily yelling at her, she just erases her mistakes with a smile on her face, happy as can be. Inejiro is sitting across from her and doesn't even think it's weird anymore, nor something to pay attention to. Yeah, she's in love with him, not exactly breaking news to him anymore.
"Yotsuba…why are you smiling when I'm yelling at you?", asked a disconcerted Fuutarou. She just looked at him and kept on smiling.
"Yeah he'd be kinda weirded out by that wouldn't he…?", thought Inejiro.
"Yeah, when I yell at her, she hits me. Be glad, Uesugi".
"Only when you deserve it, Jiro", said Yotsuba, still smiling.
"Man. To be in love just…wow. So happy, such a wonderful smile…it's amazing", thought Inejiro, who unbeknownst to even himself…was starting to stare.
"Eh…if only the other four were as positive as you are…", said Fuutarou, who placed his hand on his forehead, visibly stressed.
"Well, I did call them, but…", said Yotsuba.
"I did text everyone last night. Maybe someone else will show up…we'll see", said Inejiro.
"Oh, it's not 'the other four' though!", said Yotsuba. Fuutarou turned his head, and Inejiro turned around on his chair, noticing another quintuplet had arrived: Miku.
"It's 'the other three', right, Miku?", continued Yotsuba. Miku seemed ridiculously embarrassed. Either just from being there, from being the center of attention…some combination of those, maybe.
"Oh, speak of the Devil!", said Inejiro.
"Hey…you…came!", said Fuutarou with a smile on his face, as he walked towards Miku, who quickly turned around and walked towards a bookcase. The other three followed behind her, curious as to what she was doing. Miku grabbed a few books from there, and started looking through one of them.
"Fuutarou…you put this idea in my head. That maybe…just maybe…I can do a little bit better too…so you better take responsibility", Miku said softly, turning around to face Fuutarou…making a bit of a weird pose, kind of like a curtsy. She was blushing, of course.
"'Take responsibility'...'take resp-oh no. Oh fuck. No. Hell no. What kind of fucked up soap opera did this just turn into? Miku too?", thought Inejiro, struggling to face up to the reality: another Nakano had fallen prey to Fuutarou's…can they be called 'charms'? Inejiro turned to look at his partner. "You unwitting son of a bitch. You didn't want love, huh? Don't piss against the wind, brother".
Meanwhile, Fuutarou punched his chest proudly. "I got this!", he said.
"Unwitting indeed", thought Inejiro, always amazed by Fuutarou's ability to not pick up on girls' interest. Then, Yotsuba's ribbon shot up straight, and she looked like she had one of her 'Eureka!' moments. She ran straight towards Miku and whispered something in her ear that neither Inejiro nor Fuutarou could hear. She asked her sister if she likes Fuutarou, by the way. Inejiro couldn't hear but it wasn't hard to guess that Yotsuba had noticed as well as he did.
Miku blushed even harder at first, but then responded calmly. "No way", she said with a calm smile.
"Huh?", said a confused Fuutarou, while Yotsuba just looked at her sister attentively, before sharing a knowing look with Inejiro. Yep, each of them now knows the other had noticed. Miku…maybe saying she's in love is too strong a term, but at the very least, she likes Fuutarou.
In this case, it's not as hard as it is with Yotsuba to follow the chain of events that led to this. Fuutarou had shown interest in her; showed respect for her love of history; worked hard to gain her trust; he told her she was as good as her sisters in anything she could set her mind upon. It's like he took a direct route straight to Miku's heart. She's always felt insecure about her hobbies, and about comparing herself to her sisters. She's felt for a long while that she isn't as cute as them; as strong as them; as friendly as them; as smart as them. And here comes this guy, and tells her that there's nothing to be ashamed of about liking Sengoku-era Warlords, and that she can achieve anything her sisters can.
And he wasn't even trying to win her heart. He was trying to win her over, yes…but just for her to let him tutor her. Nothing more. It seems in the process, he awakened other, deeper feelings in her. Inejiro is somewhat dumbfounded by it. Yes, he gave Fuutarou inside info on how to make Miku like him. He didn't expect that to mean 'romantically', but still.
But…in the months he'd been in Asahiyama, he hadn't seen anything that made him believe that Fuutarou had any social skills, any charisma, or charm. The very example of an anti-social teenager. But he made Yotsuba fall for him at some point in the past, feelings that she still holds strongly onto to this day. And he made Miku fall for him in, what? Two weeks? Unwittingly, without even trying! What is it with this guy? Oh but we're just getting started with Fuutarou's status as an accidental Casanova…
Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. September 23rd, 2017. Outside the Pentagon.
Having increased by one the amount of quintuplets willing and able to be tutored by Fuutarou (though under…special circumstances), both him and Inejiro were quite hopeful about arranging a tutoring session for Saturday afternoon. You already have Yotsuba and Miku, and maybe if you're lucky you can rope in one more quint…you already have most of them. Even if it's just Yotsuba and Miku, it's almost half of them. It's noticeable progress. So arrange for a Saturday session they did.
Inejiro headed out to The Pentagon after having lunch by himself in his apartment, dressed in a white tank top and some cargo shorts. It's no longer summer but it doesn't seem like the heat's letting off so far. It's just the first few days of fall anyways. When he got near the building, he ran into Miku, who apparently had been doing some shopping.
"Hey there, Miku".
"Oh, Inejiro, hi…you're coming to 'tutor' us, aren't you?"
"I sense some irony in your words…but I am, yes. Are you excited to join us?"
"E-eh…no…maybe…if we talk about warlords", said Miku, blushing.
"You're gonna have to work hard to beat my claim that you're in love with Oda Nobunaga, you know?"
"Shut up!", quipped Miku, before noticing that Uesugi was standing by the entrance to The Pentagon…and acting, frankly, like a moron. Inejiro noticed it as well.
"Is that Uesugi? What's he doing?", said Inejiro, who looked at his classmate with amazement.
"What are you doing out here by yourself?", asked Miku, who approached her tutor.
"Eh? M-Miku?", said a startled Fuutarou, who jumped back and turned to face her.
"How haven't you heard of auto locks? They're everywhere nowadays. You can punch in our apartment number in this keypad, it will call us", said Miku, while she inserted her keycard into its slot, opening the main door. Fuutarou was completely amazed.
"O-oh course I knew that!", he said with false pride. Miku didn't buy it, of course.
"Well, Uesugi, I was quite confused by this whole thing too at first, you know?", said Inejiro, joining the conversation.
"Oh Nakamura, you're here too".
They all headed inside and continued their conversation while they waited for the elevator.
"Of course I am, almost like it's my job or something. Do you know that the first few times I came here I was afraid to call them on the keypad?"
"What? Why?"
Miku sighed.
"...He was afraid that someone would call the police if they saw him standing there. So stupid, he didn't look like a delinquent at all. Only other kids were afraid of him, not adults".
"W-well Miku I'd never hung around rich people before…I was poor, who the hell knows? I only had what my grandpa's tales to go off of to imagine what rich folks were like…"
"What's wrong with your grandfather, Nakamura?"
"Nothing 'wrong' with him…well ask my grandma and she'd give you a different answer", Inejiro said, laughing. "He's an old tovarisch, that's all".
"What? What the hell is that word?"
"It means 'comrade' in russian…I can't believe I remember that", answered Miku. "He truly held us hostage when we visited".
"And he'd be ecstatic to hear that you remember".
"So…he's a communist, you mean", said Fuutarou. He's top of the class, he knows these things from history class.
"Yeah. Inactive for…a while, but yeah, pretty prolific one too. Oh how I'd love to get him together with Maruo".
"That is not going to happen", said Miku.
"Ehhh you never know…we're classmates now…what if they met at a school festival or something, eh?"
"You have too much faith in him if you think he's coming". Of course, she's not talking about Inejiro's grandfather, Hideo.
The elevator arrived and they all got inside and started heading up.
"Well…we'll see, as I said, you never know. Oh by the way, Miku, did Yotsuba tell you?"
"About what?"
"She ran into me and my dad. He told her to invite you all to come to my family's place one day".
"Oh, she did, yes. I'm fine with it, but I don't know about all the others".
"Wow, I had no idea how close your families were", said Fuutarou.
"I already told you Uesugi, we've known each other since we were kids. I know their family…they know mine. We're pretty much like family".
"Don't start telling him the story of when we met please…he'll never get to teach Japanese history", said Miku, knowing exactly what was about to happen.
"But I wasn't-"
"Yes, you were. You retell that story all the time, to anyone who will listen".
"Well sorry Miku, it's special to me!", said Inejiro, with feigned indignation.
"Stop it", said Miku, looking down in embarrassment. It's…taking some time for Inejiro to understand what his grandmother told him, it would seem.
"Well Uesugi I'll tell you some other time, when this party pooper isn't around", Inejiro told Fuutarou. Miku pouted at him, and at that very moment they arrived at the 30th floor. They got out of the elevator, headed towards the Nakano's apartment, and entered.
"Fuutarou, why don't you go call my sisters? I'm gonna make myself some tea".
"Ehhh…sure?", Fuutarou responded, unsure about how much success he would have.
"Come on Uesugi, I'm feeling kind today, I'll head up with you". Fuutarou and Inejiro headed up the stairs and went to knock on all the Nakano's doors, one by one. Except for Miku's of course. Itsuki is the first.
"So you had to come", she said with a stern look, as she opened her door. Fuutarou just laughed nervously. However she…did head downstairs. Inejiro was amazed.
"Whoa, Uesugi, she's actually joining us?"
"I'm only going downstairs to study by myself, don't get your hopes up", yelled Itsuki from downstairs. It seems she heard him.
"You jinxed it, Nakamura", said Fuutarou. Inejiro just shrugged. Then they went to knock on Yotsuba's door, who predictably greeted Fuutarou with a booming smile. Nothing new to see here. Up next was Nino, who upon seeing it was Fuutarou on the other side of the door, slammed it shut with force. Also predictable. And finally, there was Ichika.
"Wait, guys!", said Yotsuba, who ran towards them. "I think Ichika is sleeping, let me go in and wake her up", she said as she headed inside her elder sister's room.
"Alright…", said a nervous Fuutarou. Yotsuba went into the no man's land that is Ichika's bedroom, and shook her softly for her to wake up.
"W-who is it…what?", asked a half asleep Ichika.
"Jiro and Uesugi-san are here", said Yotsuba.
"Oh…*yaaaaawn*...just pass me some clothes".
"What clothes Ichika? This…I don't even know what to look for".
"Ah just that yellow t-shirt that's over there somewhere and the jeans I had on yesterday".
"The white ones right?"
Fuutarou started heading inside the room, and Inejiro stopped him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? She's naked!"
"Yeah, I know, I learned that the hard way the other day".
Inejiro was just completely dumbfounded by Fuutarou's statement, and the matter-of-fact matter in which he said it.
"You WHAT? Ah he already went in. Fuck my life, this guy!", yelled an incredibly frustrated and flabbergasted Inejiro, who did stay put outside her room.
"Why are you still in bed past noon?", Fuutarou asked while he tip-toed around Ichika's things.
"Whoa…this is yours, Ichika?", asked Yotsuba as she grabbed some of her underwear. "S-so grown up".
"I can't believe this is happening…how is this happening? Maruo would kill us all and he'd be completely 100% correct!", thought Inejiro, who was still standing outside, hearing it all unfold. "It's like the beginning to some low quality porno flick!".
"We have the same face…you'd probably look good on it too. You should throw out the underwear you've had since elementary school", said Ichika, winking at her sister".
"Ahhhh Uesugi-san's here! Shh! Shh!", yelled Yotsuba as she jumped to her feet and gestured wildly at Ichika to stop talking. However…afterwards, she turned around, facing Fuutarou. "What do you think…Uesugi-san?", she asked him, placing Ichika's one piece in front of her chest.
"I don't care. Just get changed", said a disinterested Fuutarou as he turned to leave.
"Hmph! I don't need your opinion anyways! Uesugi-san, you fashion philistine!", said an angry Yotsuba as she pouted. Inejiro could do nothing but look at Fuutarou with an expression of sheer disbelief as he walked past him. There's absolutely nothing to be said, the scene he did not witness, but heard, is just completely surreal in MANY different ways. Inejiro is stunned. He's just standing there. That's what happens when your entire understanding of social interactions is shaken to the core.
"Jiro, you're still here?", said Yotsuba as she got out of the room. She got no response. "Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirooooooooooo", she continued calling out to him as she waved her hands next to his face.
"Oh, what Yotsuba?"
"Thank God, you're alive!"
"Am I? So that was real?"
"Oh, you heard?"
"Apparently I did. Apparently that just happened".
"Yeah I can't believe Uesugi-san is such a-".
"I can't believe many things, Yotsuba. Sometimes you just need to…just ignore it, and carry on".
Ichika now got out of the room too.
"Oh Jiro, you heard all that too?"
"Ichika…I think Jiro finally lost it. He's talking even weirder than usual".
"Let's just head down girls, we don't wanna make Mister Clueless Unsocialized Numbnuts over there wait", said Inejiro as he just headed down towards the living room. Ichika and Yotsuba just shared a weird look between them.
"I think you're right Yotsuba…he kinda crazy", said Ichika, who suddenly had an idea pop into her head. "Oh…could he be jealous?"
"Jealous? Of who?"
"Of Fuutarou-kun, who else?"
"But why?"
"Hehe…another boy walking into our rooms like that…"
"You two! Come down already!", yelled Fuutarou from below. The two sisters acquiesced and started heading down. Ichika has a cheeky smile on her, though. She either has something planned, or some idea took root in her brain. Yotsuba, meanwhile, is just confused. Why would Inejiro be jealous? He didn't seem jealous at all, actually. He's been pretty supportive of her feelings so far. Maybe it's just an Ichika thing, she thinks.
So, finally, everyone (except for Nino, of course) is in the living room. Ichika sat down on the floor, with her head resting on the couch. Miku sat on the other couch, facing the window, just having finished her tea. Itsuki was standing up with a few books and notebooks in her hands, probably heading elsewhere to study.
"Okay, we're all set! Let's start studying!", said Yotsuba, who stood up next to Fuutarou, fancying herself as some sort of organizer.
"I think I'll just watch", said a yawning Ichika.
"Teach us Japanese history, as you said you would", said a smiling Miku.
"I'm gonna be studying here, if you don't mind", said Itsuki, who went to sit by the table. So, not really joining the group.
"Well, girls, I'm impressed that so many of you decided to show up. We're making progress here!", said Inejiro, while Fuutarou just looked on with a smile on his face.
"Okay, let's get started!", he said, making a proud pose.
"You're still here? Still haven't given up on tutoring, huh? I hope you don't fall asleep like last time…", said Nino from the upper floor, very sarcastically.
"Nino, if you're gonna come to piss us off, don't even bother", said Inejiro.
"It's my house, asshole, I'll do what I want", said Nino as she flipped him the bird.
"Well, how about it, Nino, wanna join us?", asked Fuutarou, making his best attempt to be charming (not that effective). It seems a sort of 'good cop - bad cop' dynamic developed organically. Funnily enough, it's the 'good cop' that had his drink spiked.
"Over my dead body!", she said, dismissively. Which Inejiro noticed made Fuutarou quite angry. He masked it, however. "Alright, it's fine, let's go without her for today!", said Fuutarou with an obviously fake smile and laugh.
"Okay!", said Yotsuba, excitedly.
"Oh, right…Yotsuba, my acquaintance on the basketball team is looking for someone to fill in for a game. You're pretty athletic, why don't you go right now?", said Nino as she walked down the stairs and headed towards the group.
"Ah dammit of all the times when the offer to join the basketball team could show up", thought Inejiro.
"R-right now?", asked Yotsuba. "Um…but…", she looked worriedly at Fuutarou, and again at Nino, indecisively.
"Apparently, they only have five members, and one of them broke a bone…they won't be able to play if they don't find someone. I feel so sorry for them…", said Nino, who was being absolutely dishonest.
"Heh, you wouldn't, would you?", asked Fuutarou.
"Poor basketball team…", continued Nino.
"Yotsuba?"
"I'm sorry Uesugi-san!", Yotsuba bowed to Fuutarou. "I just can't abandon people in need!", she yelled as she ran off.
"You're kidding…", said a shocked Fuutarou. "That girl just doesn't know how to say no", quipped Ichika.
"Didn't you say you had work at two, Ichika?", asked Nino, continuing with her master plan to ruin the study session.
"Oh right, shoot! I forgot!", said Ichika as she looked at the clock.
"You too, Itsuki. You should go to a quieter place, like the library or something", said Nino, getting closer to Itsuki.
"That's a good idea", Itsuki said as she stood up and left.
So…having started off with four quints in the room, now there were…two. One of them being Nino who was the cause of the mass desertion. So, really, just one: Miku.
"And Inejiro…don't you have something better to do than to be here?", Nino asked him. Fuutarou looked at him worriedly. Is his coworker gonna desert too?
"It's my job to be here Nino! I would like to go to Yotsuba's first game since she left Kurobara but alas…".
"Oh? 'Yotsuba's' game?"
"Yes, she's gonna be playing, so it's 'her' game, Nino".
"Oh, it's nothing. It's just there's something else my acquaintance told me".
"Ah fuck she's heard that I hung out with Hongo the other day, hasn't she? I hope she didn't hear too much", thought Inejiro.
"Isn't it Hongo-san's game too?", said Nino, with a devilish grin on her face.
"That is correct, yes".
"Well…I heard you two are getting quite close. Are you sure it isn't her that you want to see?"
Miku and Fuutarou all of a sudden started to pay attention.
"Yeah, we talked. Once. What of it?"
"Just talked? Interesting, that's not what I was told. They told me that they saw you hugging her".
"How the hell do you always know everything? Is this the Pentagon or Langley?"
"Eh? What does that mean?", Nino asked, not understanding Inejiro's references, as usual. "Bah, I don't care. Answer the question".
"No, I don't 'want' to see her. Nino, you know very well that I used to attend Yotsuba's games religiously".
"But-".
"No, but nothing. When I was with 'her' I did as well. So shush".
"Eh, she always was your favorite".
"Nonsense, Nino, what are you talking about?"
Miku just stared at them while they argued, which, though it might seem a bit counterintuitive, is a bit of a relief. They usually can't speak more than four or five sentences at a time to each other, this is progress. Fuutarou of course does not understand one word of what they're arguing about.
"'Let's go to Yotsuba's games!', 'let's help Yotsuba study!', 'let's play videogames with Yotsuba!'", said Nino, trying to imitate Inejiro's voice.
"That bothers you? All these years, if you wanted to hang out all you needed to do is say so!"
"And why would I wanna hang out with a guy who runs after the first girl that crosses his path, huh?"
"What are you even talking about now?"
"Nino, you're being unfair", said Miku, joining the conversation. "We all spent time with Inejiro. Itsuki didn't as much, true, but they always got along. It's not his fault that you didn't want him around".
"Bleah. And now, as if it wasn't bad enough that we have to keep him around, daddy hired another stooge. Great".
"Hey!", yelled Fuutarou, reacting to it being his turn to be attacked.
"He's not a stooge", said Miku, defending him.
"And you, Miku, why are you still even here? You owe me a drink from that time you accidentally drank mine. Shouldn't you go buy one right now?", asked Nino, attempting to end the discussion and continue her mission to make all of the other Nakanos desert Fuutarou.
"That's the closest I ever got to getting any information from Nino as to why she treats me like radioactive waste. Is she jealous or something? That does sound like her. But of who? Of Yotsuba? Is she insane? Of…'her'? She isn't even around anymore! God, trying to understand this girl is gonna be a pain in the ass!", thought Inejiro, who is trying to grasp some clues as to why his relationship with Nino has deteriorated so much over the years.
"I already bought it", said Miku, pointing to the bag she was carrying earlier. "Okay, let's start the lesson".
"Alright, let's switch gears", said Fuutarou, as he followed her towards the table.
"Heh, you got beat, Nino", said Inejiro. Nino ignored him and look at the contents of the bag. "Matcha soda?", she said with a disgusted face. "Wait, Miku!"
"Where do we start?", Miku asked Fuutarou, completely ignoring her sister.
"Why don't we start with the Kamakura period, then?", the boy replied.
"Since when have you two been so close?", asked a disconcerted Nino, who soon after got closer to Miku and pointed directly at her face. "So…you have a thing for dull-looking guys, huh?"
"That was savage. Take it back", said Fuutarou. Inejiro, to be honest, was relieved she found someone else to bully for a while.
"You're too hung up on looks, Nino", Miku replied.
"That's not a very good defense Miku!", thought Inejiro.
"That was low-key savage too!", said Fuutarou.
"Huh? What's wrong with going for good looking guys?", said Nino pushing Fuutarou aside. "Are you telling me it's all about inner beauty?"
"What if I am?"
The discussion went on like this for a while, with Fuutarou even trying to get them to play nice, to no avail. As it's been stated previously, Nino and Miku do tend to be at each other's throats more often than any of the other sisters.
"Hey, do we even need to argue over inner or outer beauty right now?", asked Fuutarou.
"I guess not. Just stop being a nuisance", said Miku, referring to Nino, of course.
"A nuisance!?", asked an offended Nino. Suddenly, a loud noise emerged from inside Fuutarou's belly, indicating that he's more than a little bit hungry.
"Fine then. Why don't we compete on 'inner beauty', as you say, Miku? Let's have a cooking battle to see who's more homely", said Nino, challenging her sister.
"W-why?", asked Fuutarou.
"If I win, no studying today!", stated a very confident Nino.
"Y-you're not gonna accept, right?", Fuutarou asked Miku.
"I'll end this quickly. Just wait and see, Fuutarou", said an also confident Miku as she rolled up her sleeves.
"Hey, erm, I also think this debate is really interesting, and I'd like to gauge your inner beauties as well, if you don't mind", said Inejiro.
"Always trying to get a free meal. This guy, I swear", said Nino.
"You can eat from whatever I make, Inejiro, it's fine", said Miku.
"Hehe, thank you Miku-chan".
"Don't call me Miku-chan or you're not eating".
"Sorry", said Inejiro as he bowed to her.
The girls took about an hour to cook their respective meals, during which Fuutarou repeatedly lamented how nothing was going his way, and he was never able to hold an actual tutoring session with the quintuplets. Inejiro went outside to smoke for a while, and just hung out with Fuutarou for a bit while they cooked. Eventually, they were done, more or less at the same time.
"Ta-da! A dutch baby with seasonal veggies and ham!", said a very proud Nino.
"R-rice omelette", said a…not so proud Miku, whose meal didn't look so good.
"Well, it's up to you to decide which meal is better!", Nino said to Fuutarou.
"Hey wait, Miku can I have some in the end?"
"Eh…Fuutarou set some aside for him…", said a still not very confident Miku.
"Wait let me get a plate", said Inejiro, who went to get his own plate, and grabbed some of Miku's omurice.
"Ah! No, never mind, let me eat it myself!", said Miku.
"You made it, so you might as well have him eat it", said Nino, who was getting even cockier from her sister's insecurity.
"Eh? What's wrong with it? It's good, Miku", said Inejiro, who had already started eating.
"You don't count. You don't have any taste buds, you'd eat from a trash can if you were hungry enough", said Nino.
"Yeah, I would, probably".
"Itadakimasu", said Fuutarou, before he started eating, trying a mouthful of each plate at a time, trying to determine which was better.
"Oh. They're both pretty good", said Fuutarou.
"EH?", both sisters exclaimed at the same time.
"Well, I told you. I don't know about Nino's since she's a meanie and doesn't share with me, but Miku's was good".
"What? No way!", said Nino, shocked that she didn't win. Meanwhile, Miku just looked happier than Inejiro had seen her in a while. Yep, that's a classic, the boy she likes complimented her cooking. "What's wrong with you? Lame!", Nino yelled out as she took off.
"Jeez, that girl…", said Fuutarou as he continued happily munching away.
"And I thought Yotsuba was a sore loser…well…em…Uesugi, my man…might you let me try some of Nino's?", asked Inejiro.
"Oh, sorry I just finished it…can't you have her cooking some other time anyways? Aren't you supposed to be friends?"
"Uesugi. What do you think?"
"I have no clue. I don't understand that girl. Frankly, I don't understand you much either".
Inejiro thought back to what happened in Ichika's room earlier. He can't believe Fuutarou is calling someone else 'weird' or 'hard to understand'.
"Oh Uesugi, you're not exactly an everyman, so pipe down".
"Eh, whatever…it's so late now, we fell right into Nino's trap. I'll have to try again some other time".
"Sorry", said Miku, who was worried about both Fuutarou and Inejiro's relationship with her sister.
"I don't think I'll ever get to be on good terms with her".
"You're wrong…I think", said Miku, as she walked away and headed towards the window, facing a beautiful sunset. Truly, the views from this apartment get quite pretty.
"If you face her in good faith, she'll come around".
"Eh, Miku, I'm not sure it's that easy…", said Inejiro.
"Inejiro, you too. At least try to understand her. I don't agree with her, but clearly there's a reason for the way she acts. Try to pay more attention to her if you want her to like you again".
"But…face her in good faith? What am I supposed to do?", asked Fuutarou.
"Don't ask me that, it's your job to figure that out, Fuutarou", said Miku.
"Well…if you all don't mind, I'm gonna do the dishes", said Inejiro, who was still thinking about the whole Nino affair. It's his 'job' to figure her out as well, though not in such a literal sense as with Fuutarou.
"No, Inejiro, we'll do that. You barely ate", said Miku, insinuating that Fuutarou is supposed to join her.
"Ah, sure, yeah, that's true, we'll handle it Nakamura", said Fuutarou.
"Well not gonna get in the way of Miku's Uesugi-time either. This being a wingman to several quints at a time is gonna crash and burn spectacularly at some point, I can just tell", thought Inejiro.
"Inejiro?", said Miku trying to call his attention, seeing him deep in thought.
"Ah, yeah, you all go do that. I'll sit here and look at my phone or something", he said. And, indeed, Miku and Fuutarou picked up the plates and headed towards the kitchen sink and got started, while Inejiro just sat around. He's not only thinking about Nino, he's wondering how Yotsuba might be doing. He feels a bit guilty for not being there, it's the first time in a while he's failed to attend one of her games. So he texted her, to tell him how the game went when it's over. He thought about texting Hongo too, but…that would probably be misinterpreted. Understandably so. But if it's to talk about Yotsuba…not exactly flirtatious to talk about another girl, is it? But, does he really want to play with that misunderstanding of the nature of their relationship? Probably not. It seems even Nino sees a sort of favoritism towards Yotsuba from Inejiro.
But…is it favoritism to share common interests? Not only common interests, it's more than a hobby: they both dedicated a lot of their lives to sports. Maybe too much. It's only natural you would develop a special bond over that. What's the issue? It's nothing more than that. He even helps her deal with her love for Fuutarou. Wouldn't it…bother him, if he had feelings for her? Of course it would. What he's bothered about, is the prospect of Fuutarou, with his attitude towards love, handling Yotsuba's feelings irresponsibly, and hurting her. Hell, even Miku now, it seems. That's it, he just wants to protect them. He's their older friend, that's what he's always done. Right? That's the way he feels about this right now. Though maybe the fact that he's thinking about it so much, even rationalizing…things aren't as clear cut as they once were.
"Nakamura, we're done. I'm gonna be leaving, what about you?", Fuutarou asked his coworker who was again, very deep in thought.
"It's late, I'm gonna be leaving too. Unless Miku needs something…", Inejiro responded, turning to face her.
"No, it's fine. You can go", said Miku, who had a light smile adorning her expression. She does show the same signs as Yotsuba does of enjoying spending time with Fuutarou.
"Eh, Uesugi, hold on. You start heading down, I'll meet you down there in a minute or two", said Inejiro.
"Eh, okay. Bye, Miku", said Fuutarou, who grabbed his things and left.
"What is it, Inejiro?", asked Miku.
"You know…I can tell".
Miku blushed.
"T-tell what?"
"Uesugi, Miku. You know what I'm talking about. I don't wanna make you more embarrassed".
"O-oh…I-I don't really know…yet…he's n-nice, that's all".
Inejiro laughed.
"I-it's not funny!", said Miku with a pout, still blushing.
"No, of course it's not, I wouldn't dare, though…", Inejiro pinched her cheek, "your embarrassed face is the funniest one. You truly make me forget my worries".
"I-Idiot…what does that even mean?"
"Hehe, nothing. Miku, if you need to talk…you know I'm here. I'm a man, I know how our brain works…I can try to offer advice. Though Uesugi is quite an enigma".
Suddenly, Nino's bedroom's door opened. Miku hurried to hide her expression.
"I-it's Nino, don't say a word!", Miku whispered to Inejiro.
"Got it".
"Ugh, you're still here? Uesugi too?", asked Nino, with a disgusted face.
"No, I was just leaving. Bye Nino, always a pleasure. Bye Miku…remember", he winked at the third sister as he turned to leave.
"What's up with him?", asked Nino.
"I-I don't know", replied an embarrassed Miku.
Inejiro left the apartment and headed down the elevator. Uesugi must already be down there, he thought, and he was correct. When he got to the main entrance of The Pentagon, he found him standing there…but he seems worried.
"Uesugi, something wrong?"
"I…I forgot my flash cards up there. Can you let me back in?"
"I can, yes. But I won't".
"What? Why?"
"Just ask the girls to let you in. It's their home, I'm not gonna let you in without their permission".
"How do I-"
"Use the buzzer over there. Call their apartment. Miku taught you earlier".
"Oh, yeah…I'll do that". Fuutarou pressed the button that represents the Nakano family apartment, and waited for someone to pick up. Miku did, and gave him permission to head back and grab his things.
"Ok, Miku let me in", he said as the front door opened up for him. "Leave if you want Nakamura, it's fine".
"Nah I'll wait for you, it'll take you 2 or 3 minutes at most".
"Yeah, okay", said Fuutarou as he hurried back inside the building.
Inejiro just stood by the door and looked at his Twitter feed for a while. He figured it wouldn't be long until Fuutarou came back down. But…5 minutes became 10. Then 15. Then 20. And he wouldn't come down. And, eventually, the same blue Sedan that had picked up Ichika the other day parked by the building, and she emerged from it. She thanked the driver, and walked towards the entrance of the building, noticing that Inejiro was there.
"Jiro? What are you doing here?", she asked him.
"Hi Ichika…I'm waiting for Uesugi. We left together, but he went back up to pick up something, and I told him I'd wait for him…it's been like, 20 minutes now?"
"Oh? Could something have happened?"
"I have no clue. In fact, I was about to go up there myself, see what's up".
"Well…come with me, Jiro. Let's see!"
And so, Inejiro and Ichika headed towards the Nakano's apartment together. Neither of them have the slightest clue of what just went on up there yet. But they will. What happens next…is a story for another day.
A/N: Hello there! This chapter was a bit delayed compared to what I had gotten you all used to. But, do remember, I promised that chapters would come once every two weeks, and that's the schedule I intend to keep. By the way, I've gotten into watching other anime too. QQ was the first anime I had watched since I was a teenager, and that was...a while ago. So I'm picking up the hobby. That might have occupied enough of my free time to cooperate with the delay hehe. It's My Dress-Up Darling I've been watching, by the way. Great show, love it to pieces. Yeah, I'm a romantic comedy enjoyer, as I'm sure most of you all are. Well, as always, leave the story a follow or fav if you've been enjoying it, and a review, if you can. It truly does help. I'll go on to replying to the weekly review.
Gazara12: I'm glad you're enjoying Yotsuba's character so far. I'd like to explore her feelings a bit further than the manga did, since I think it was lacking in that department. Also, hope you enjoyed seeing more of Nino in this chapter. All the quints will get their time to shine! And, finally, I'm glad you're enjoying Inejiro and his backstory, I have a lot planned for that. Integrating him and the other OCs (his family) into the world of Goutoubun is being quite fun, part of why I wanted to make it an OC fic.
