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. October 4th, 2017. Asahiyama High School.
As it was previously arranged, after classes ended the gang (minus Nino and Itsuki of course) headed to the school library for a tutoring session. An ordinary session not unlike any other, what has changed is the context surrounding it. After all that happened yesterday between Inejiro and Yotsuba (and also the conversation he had with Ichika, who is also present), saying that things are 'the same' would be a fat lie. However, there's a remarkable sense of normalcy. Inejiro is just reading a book by himself as per usual, Ichika not really paying attention, Miku working diligently, and Yotsuba prodding Fuutarou to help her with every little thing. It can be soothing to know that in the midst of turmoil, there's moments of calm.
"Jiro…do you not have homework or something to do while you're here? You're always reading whatever and doing nothing", said Ichika.
"I'm moral support. Go go Ichika I believe in you!", said Inejiro, faking the tone of a cheerleader. Miku and Yotsuba chuckled.
"That completely sucked", Miku said, deadpan as always.
"You don't think I have what it takes to be in a cheer squad, Miku?"
"I would be ashamed to have ever known you if you did that".
"What are you even talking about?", Fuutarou asked, annoyed by his tutoring session being derailed by nonsensical chit-chat.
"We can talk about more important things, actually!", Ichika said, earning a groan from Fuutarou and Inejiro, for different reasons. Inejiro because he knows what Ichika is gonna bring up, and Fuutarou because the tutoring session has been successfully derailed.
"Miku, do you know?", Ichika asked.
"Know what?", Miku replied with a question of her own.
"Jiro here met with Natsumi a couple of days ago".
"Hm…", Miku said as she side-eyed Inejiro, "...good for him, I guess".
"Aren't you interested in what happened?", Ichika asked with a curious expression.
"Not really. It's his business. If he wants to get back with that girl, it's not my concern".
"What is it with you girls and talking about me like I'm not here? Also, just let Miku study in peace and quit gossiping", Inejiro said.
"I arranged your reunion and this is how you repay me. Bad Jiro", Ichika said as she pouted.
"Actually I think we should leave Jiro alone too…if he gets back together with Natsumi, we should be happy for him and that's it!", Yotsuba said cheerfully.
"...You were very insistent on hooking him up with your team captain just back on Monday, Yotsuba", Miku said.
"Ehehe…well, she's not my captain anymore!", Yotsuba said as she scratched the back of her head.
"...What does that have to do with anything?"
"Okay, let's cut it out. First of all, I'm not back together with anyone. Second of all, leave my love life alone and study", Inejiro said.
"Actually, Nakamura is here even though he could be hanging out with his girlfriend right now. So follow his example and STUDY", Fuutarou said.
"You're here instead of being with Natsumi, Jiro? You're really gonna waste your youth if you go on like this", Ichika said.
"This is my job, and unlike some girls I know, I have bills to pay", Inejiro said.
Yotsuba stood up and smacked him on the back of the head.
"Hater!"
"We are teenagers, Inejiro", said Miku.
"I'm a teenager too and I work for a living!", said Fuutarou.
"I didn't mean to be an asshole or anything, I'm glad you have your needs taken care of, but that speech of 'oh enjoy your youth' is a bunch of nonsense. There's obligations in life, not just enjoying yourself", said Inejiro.
"Now we are in complete agreement, Nakamura".
"Yeah. Though you take it too far, Uesugi".
"Fuutarou…", said Miku as she showed him her notebook, "can you help me out with this part?"
"Sure, let me see…this isn't coming along that badly, Miku. You got most of it correct, it's just the logarithms you're struggling with".
Miku smiled proudly.
"Thank you. If I get this right, can we go back to history?"
"Miku, I know you're improving, but you can't focus on history so much!"
"Well, I tried".
"Let's see…let me help you out with this…"
When the tutoring session was over, the girls headed back to the Pentagon and Fuutarou and Inejiro headed back to their respective apartments. As we know that they live close by, they headed back together, as they sometimes do.
"Weren't you gonna get together with that girl?", asked Fuutarou.
"Yeah, but I'm gonna change first. Haven't arranged anything specific so far either", said Inejiro.
"Oh, sure. I know I asked yesterday, but how are your own studies coming along?"
"Somewhere between good and mediocre. I'll be fine".
"You know I can help you out too, right?"
"You have enough with the girls, Uesugi".
"Suit yourself. How is Itsuki coming along?"
"Well, I help her out with her homework in the areas I can, I help her study in those same areas as well…but I'm not good at helping others study, I'm just not. And with half the school curriculum I can't do anything. So, it's better than nothing, but I'm not a replacement for you".
"...She's not budging, is she?"
"No. She's still pissed at you. And I know better than to try to change her mind forcefully. It's on you".
"...Midterms are gonna come soon, and I'm afraid I won't have made any progress with most of them. Never mind Itsuki and Nino, I'm not tutoring them at all!"
"Miku is being quite studious lately. And Yotsuba…she tries".
"And Ichika started coming but she barely pays attention and sometimes leaves in the middle of tutoring for her job".
"You always knew this would be hard as hell. It is what it is".
"Yeah…I guess if they do badly in the midterms I can still get them in decent shape by the time finals come around".
"Maruo didn't mention anything about the midterms, did he?"
"No. He wasn't very specific. Just 'get them to graduate'".
"Ah. Better that way".
"Yeah. There's no way they'll all pass the midterms, not at this rate".
Fuutarou hasn't talked with Maruo since the day he started tutoring the girls. One would hope that the next time they talk the arrangement stays exactly the same and no further pressure is added. That would suck.
As always, when they got close to each of their homes, Fuutarou and Inejiro parted ways. First order of business when Inejiro got back was calling Natsumi, to see what they would be doing.
"Hi, Inejiro. You're done tutoring the girls?"
"Hey there. Yeah, I'm at my place now. Where do you gonna go?"
"I was thinking that I wanna know where you live. So I'll just head there".
"Oh, sure. I'll send you the address".
"Okay!", Natsumi said as she hung up the phone.
Inejiro texted her his address and went to get a quick shower, and a fresh change of clothes. They…are gonna be alone in his apartment. Who knows what could happen? And he doesn't have to feel conflicted if anything does happen, unlike yesterday. It's Natsumi, it's not one of the quints, it's very different. He also prepared some sandwiches like he did for Yotsuba and made sure his fridge was not lacking in supplies (meaning beer and coffee, whatever she chooses to drink). When he was done, he just lit up a cigarette and started nervously pacing around.
Soon enough, he heard a knock on the door, and as he opened it, it was indeed Natsumi. She was dressed almost exactly the same as yesterday, only with different items of clothing. And she's carrying a large bag with her.
"Hi Inejiro!", she said as she just brushed past him and went inside. "Well the place is…nice. But it reeks of smoke!"
Inejiro just lifted his hand and showed her that he's been smoking.
"Can't you just go outside to smoke?"
"It's my home. Why should I?"
"Because…ah, it's fine. You live by yourself, I have no right to nag you. Here!", Natsumi said as she handed Inejiro the bag she'd been carrying.
"Oh? What might this be?"
"I came bearing gifts!"
Inejiro looked inside the bag, where he found a cardboard box. He opened it, and found inside…
"A Nintendo 64? Do they still sell this stuff?"
"There's a bunch of stores down in Akihabara where they sell old tech and old games and the like. Go on, keep looking".
There were also a couple of cartridges. Namely, Pokemon Stadium 2 (in Japan it's Pokemon Stadium: Gold & Silver, by the way, and the third game in the series, not the second) and the official FIFA World Cup 98 game.
"Holy shit Natsumi! How much did this cost you?"
"Eh…I do alright, don't question that. Although now I look around…you don't have a TV, do you?"
"No hehe. I sold it when I gave Yotsuba her Xbox back. Anyways, holy shit, thank you so much! I'll…requisition a TV soon enough".
"Don't mention it, Inejiro. I remember you always wanted to have one of these. Take it as a peace offering".
"How many controllers-"
"It comes with two controllers Inejiro, you can play with your friends, of course I considered that".
"Well…my peace offering to you…I made some sandwiches! And…there's beer and coffee in the fridge!"
"Oh, I'll have a bite. Not too much though. Remember my line of work, I have to look after my figure".
"Pffft. You'll be the prettiest girl in the business no matter how much you eat".
Natsumi blushed at his comment.
"Still hitting on me, huh?"
"Ugh now I wanna plug this but I can't! What a moron I am, should have bought a TV!"
Natsumi smiled. She always liked those kid-like attitudes Inejiro has sometimes. The contrast with his physical figure and appearance makes it doubly endearing.
"So. You take care of this place just with what the girls' father pays you?"
"Not only do I take care of this place. I help out my dad, buy whatever things I may fancy (within reason), I take the girls out sometimes".
"You take them out? Ain't they rich? Shouldn't they be paying?"
"Nah. Sometimes they insist but it's not right".
"Now I think about it…if it's as you say, you could probably be living in a nicer place, couldn't you?"
"Maybe. But I like it here, and I live by myself anyways, what else do I need?"
"You could try sleeping in a bed for example".
"I like my futon. It was hard enough getting one my size. I would end up with my feet hanging off the edge of most beds anyways. Nah, I'm fine like this. And I like being able to help the people I care about".
"Well, as long as you're happy".
"Natsumi…wait a second. You didn't know we would be seeing each other. Did you have a Nintendo 64 lying around just in case?"
Natsumi laughed.
"I had it delivered, Inejiro. You can buy things from Tokyo. If I had known I would have bought it while I was there. It would have saved me the delivery costs, but no biggie".
"Oh. You know…Ichika told me you didn't ask her for my number".
"S-Should have known you'd ask her…", Natsumi said while blushing, and Inejiro laughed.
"If you hadn't sent that text 'clarifying' that you didn't remember off the top of your head, I would have never considered it. Great own goal there".
"Yeah, I remember your number! I think about you all the time! Happy to hear it?"
"Very, yeah".
"Inejiro, please remember what we talked about. If you must know, my feelings for you are the same. It was all a big pile of idiocy that we haven't talked for years. My pride wouldn't let me. But we CANNOT be together. CANNOT".
There was silence for a few seconds. Inejiro thought about telling Natsumi about what happened with Yotsuba yesterday…but figured that first of all it's best to just let the passage of time leave that incident behind. Second of all, if he ever wants to have a chance with Natsumi…talking about almost kissing one of the quintuplets (or any girl, really) on impulse would probably eliminate that possibility forever. Even though getting a female opinion on the matter would be good.
"I'm gonna keep trying…not like your defenses are all that high".
"You really want us to get hurt again, don't you?"
"You don't know whether it will work out or not! Before you try, it's literally impossible to know".
"I can make an educated guess".
"It's still a guess. It ain't science".
"Ah since you're so ready to get back together. Wanna come with me to Tokyo?"
"Well, I can't do that. But-"
"But nothing, Inejiro!"
"You said it yourself, we live a couple of hours apart! Some people have daily commutes that take that long!"
"Well imagine this scenario. 'Hey Natsumi, sorry but I can't go visit you this weekend. I know we had great plans but Miku suddenly got the flu, and I can't just leave her being sick, I'll have to take care of her. So…maybe postpone? Love you!' Swear to me something like this would never happen. Swear it on the souls of your whole fucking lineage Inejiro".
"I can't. It could very well happen. If I'm being completely honest, it probably would. And if you told me we couldn't hang out sometime because your mom got sick, or a friend or your dog, I'd understand it completely. Why can't you do the same?"
"We talked all afternoon yesterday for absolutely nothing. What I said, you heard it from one ear, and it left through the other. You didn't listen at all".
"I very well fucking did. And it drove me insane, to a point that I don't even wanna talk about. The thing is: you're gonna be busy with your job too. Maybe all of a sudden you have to travel to Europe or Dubai or wherever the hell. Maybe you'll have to be abroad for a month. Do I like that? Hell no! And yeah, maybe, some time we can't hang out because the quints need me. What's the fucking difference? I'm willing to try. To put in all the work. To accept some things that I do not like.I know deep inside you want this too. But not everything can be on your terms Natsumi! You can't just impose conditions like that!"
"It's not imposing conditions, Inejiro! My job is my job, it's not the same! I'm afraid, scared like hell! What happens if we're away from each other for like two months or something, and you're here, with the quints. And maybe one day…you get lonely, one of them gets lonely, you comfort each other, something like that…and SOMETHING happens. Now, this you should be able to swear. Swear to me that will never happen. Promise me, Inejiro. Look me in the eyes and promise that will never happen".
Inejiro suddenly couldn't avoid thinking about last day's events…it's impossible for him to swear that. He doesn't wanna lie to Natsumi but…the truth is that she has a point. He can no longer offer any certainty. The walls have already been breached.
"I-I-I…I can't. I can't…not anymore. I…can't".
"Really? You can't. And you want to get back together, still. Do you hear yourself?"
"I can't offer anything like that. Will there be uncertainty? Yes. Will there be danger? Yes. The constant possibility of a slip up? Yes. But, Natsumi. Imagine a year from now, you fall ill with a grave illness all of a sudden, you have a week to live. You're in your deathbed. In your final moments. And you're going back in your head to this very moment. Would you regret walking out that door, having said 'no'?"
"Thank you for the cheery image, Inejiro. I don't know. A part of me says 'fuck it, proceed forward', without a care. And a part of me is scared shitless. That's the reality. And you offer me no certainty, no reason not to be scared! You just told me…the possibility of you having a 'slip up' is a reasonable expectation I should have! Oh, forgive me, the CONSTANT POSSIBILITY of a slip up! What the hell? If you say that it's because you've thought about it. For all I know it could have already happened! And I have to live that way? Why?"
"I have to be truthful to you Natsumi! You'd prefer I be one of those guys that just promises you Heaven on Earth? I love you, I can't do that".
"You know what I think? If I leave out this door right now. And an hour later one of your 'friends' comes over and confesses her love to you…you'd take her over me every single time. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME".
"No, that's not true. First of all because they know how I feel about you and how we feel about each other. They wouldn't do that, not while there's a chance we could be together. That I swear".
"You can swear on their behalf but not on yours. I don't know what to think anymore".
"Because they are better than me. They put up with me for years while I ignored their feelings completely and treated them like little more than playthings to protect and keep me company. I'd walk straight into the ring of fire for every single one of those girls. But not for myself".
"Okay now you're bringing yourself down and I hate that".
"It's true. Screw this. You're right. I don't deserve you. And frankly, I don't deserve them. I should just get the hell out of dodge like my mother".
Natsumi went straight towards Inejiro and slapped him very hard.
"I DON'T EVER WANNA HEAR THOSE WORDS COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH AGAIN".
"Tell me I'm fucking wrong. Tell me I'm wrong!"
"You're WRONG. And you don't even believe the stupid garbage you're saying. You're confused, and I get I had a big part on that. I do this because I love you too, I want you to be happy, and if you'll be happy dating one of the quintuplets or just remaining their chaste friend forever so fucking BE IT. You're clearly suffering, and I don't wanna see you like this. I want you to be free, to understand your feelings and live accordingly, not make up ridiculous arrangements just so we can be together when it just can't be!"
"I am TELLING you my feelings. I LOVE YOU. I'll say it as many times as you like. I'm telling you all of my feelings honestly, I'm laying out all of my demons right in front of you. You're the one not being honest with yourself. You're letting fear rule you. And you know what? Fuck it. Wanna know exactly what happened and why I can't swear those things to you?"
"Fine. What happened?"
"Yotsuba came over the other day after we met. I told her what we talked about. Asked her about her feelings. You know what? Yeah, she's liked me for years. But she's conflicted. She likes Uesugi too. We almost kissed, but she broke it off. We met yesterday too. We laid out our feelings more openly. You know what we found? THAT'S what can't happen. There CAN'T be something between us. And this she said herself: because she's in love with Uesugi and I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU. Don't believe me, believe her. Ask anyone. I can't offer any more than I am giving you right now. Just tell me that you wanna go back to Tokyo, move right back to your daily life, be lonely, surrounded by fools and people who just wanna use you. Just because you're afraid. Tell me you want that. Now I want you to swear".
"...I can't, Inejiro! I can't!"
"Then give me a chance! Let's bloody try! Hell, would you even be here if you didn't wanna try?"
"Part of me wants to. Part of me doesn't. It's as I said. I can't offer more than that either. I think about us being back together and on one side I get giddy, like a young teenage girl living her first love…which is what I was when I first met you. And then…it seems like a fool's errand, something that's never gonna work no matter how much I…how much WE try, something that leaves me no alternative but to run away…which is what we were after two years together. Maybe you can jump into the abyss and not care if there's a cushion down below or a pile of spikes. I can't. I've fallen straight into the pile of spikes before and got impaled right through the middle of the heart, and it sucked. It sucks. My heart can't take that again".
"At least think about it, Natsumi…"
"I've thought about it. For two years. I thought about it yesterday. And I thought about it right now. I'm not saying 'no' forever. I'm saying 'no' right now. One day…I might have the strength. And you…could be more certain of your feelings. You know where I'll be".
"Fine. If that's the way it's gonna be…I can't force you. There's nothing else I can say".
Natsumi hugged Inejiro.
"You'll be fine Inejiro. You're surrounded by people who love you. You're strong, you've dealt with way worse. And I'll still be in your life, we can talk whenever you want, hell, you can visit whenever you want. Tokyo doesn't bite".
"Those train tickets do bite though".
"Well spend less money on booze or something! Speaking of that…I know you, where's your booze?", Natsumi said as she let go of Inejiro.
"Why, you want some?"
"No, I want to flush it down the toilet".
"Nah, what the hell? That shit costs money!"
"You're gonna drink yourself to a near coma again and you have school tomorrow".
"Again?"
"Ichika told me".
"You tell each other everything now, huh?"
"She's a cool girl. I like her. And yeah, we do".
"Pffft. Bloody conspiracy, that's what you're cooking".
"Yeah whatever. Booze, now".
"Ain't doing that".
"I need some way to make sure you don't get drunk tonight".
"There's an obvious way to keep my drinking in check".
"...You're asking me to stay over. You're unbelievable".
"We don't have to do anything! I have an extra futon, smaller than mine even, for puny little people like you. We can just put up some movie on my computer or something, and fall asleep. You don't wanna spend the night alone either after everything…come on".
"...I can't believe I'm about to say yes to this".
"Well…say it!"
"Yes Inejiro you bloody win I'll stay!"
"Hell yeah!", Inejiro yelled out, raising his fist into the air.
"But if you so much as look at me the wrong way you'll become a eunuch. I am not joking".
"Might be worth becoming a eunuch…"
"Inejiro!"
"Fine, fine! But, if you're here…we can drink".
"Yeah, sure…I'll have a beer".
"Go get it from the fridge! You're in your home".
"Telling the woman of the house to go get the drinks from the fridge, like an old salaryman, eh?"
"Yes, of course. I'll look up some crap to watch".
"Please don't put up some boring ass documentary".
"A romantic movie then".
"I will grab this bottle and shove it up your ass".
Inejiro laughed.
"Come on, let's just watch some funny comedy".
"Wait…first…I wanna change out of these clothes…don't wanna sleep in this".
"Ah, wait, I'll get you something…somewhat your size", Inejiro said, as he went toward his closet and grabbed a t-shirt from there. "Just use this and…wear it like a dress or something".
"Hm…no peeking…", Natsumi said as she went to the bathroom in order to get changed. "How long has it been since you scrubbed this sink…and this mirror?"
"A few weeks. Why?"
"Looks like a few months".
"What was that about you not nagging me about my home?"
"You said 'you're in your home'. So now I can!"
"Not what I meant, but I accept defeat, brilliant use of my own words against me. Since it's your home, if you wanna help clean it up, be my guest!"
"Ok it's my home but in a figurative way though", Natsumi said as she left, wearing nothing but a very long t-shirt that reached down to her knees.
"You should wear that on your next photo shoot. I'll ask for a share of your pay though, I'm the modiste after all".
"If you were in charge of anything clothing related I'd have to go work at a conbini".
"Less glamorous, but honest work, gotta do more than look pretty…", Inejiro said, before Natsumi threw all the clothes she was just wearing on his face.
"Says the guy who just sleeps through class and sits around while another guy tutors his friends, and gets paid for it. The most exemplary worker in the nation".
"I don't sleep through class. ALL the time. Just…sometimes".
"Oh that makes it better. I imagine you have some food in that fridge of yours, not just sandwiches…"
"What about your 'figure'"?
"I have to eat or else I'll die", Natsumi said as she headed towards the fridge. "Oh how many varieties of cup noodle".
"I will ask that you respect that great culinary art form. Also, help yourself to whatever".
Despite her lack of enthusiasm, Natsumi heated one of the cups and proceeded to eat.
"Actually, if some paparazzi took a picture of me right now it would be sorta kinda scandalous", she said.
"Everything is scandalous to those vultures. You could run a charity for abandoned puppies and they'll find a way to spin it".
"Bah I don't wanna talk about my job anyways. I'm on vacation! Let's watch some silly flick already".
"Okay…don't go asking too many questions about how I get my movies. Let's call it magic".
"'Torrenting' is 'magic' now. Gotcha".
"Completely defamatory statement. But let's proceed".
Inejiro placed his laptop on the table, and both him and Natsumi sat in front of it as he ordered the video file to start playing. It was one of those silly Hollywood comedies that are a dime a dozen, but fun enough to kill time with. Inejiro actually enjoyed it so much that he didn't notice that almost halfway through, Natsumi had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He noticed by the time the movie ended. Seeing both of them like this…he didn't wanna break it up. He missed this sort of thing so much. But…a promise is a promise, and it's not unlikely that things could escalate if they stay like this for long. He is also aware that he has to wake up early the next morning.
"Hey, Natsumi", he whispered, as he tugged her gently. She just groaned incoherently.
"Come on, gotta get you to bed. I have to lay out your futon and everything".
"I don't wanna…I'm comfy here".
"We're sitting on the floor, girl! C'mon, up", Inejiro said as he stood up and stood his guest up as well.
"Can you stay stood up?"
"...Maybe".
Inejiro grabbed a folding chair and placed it next to her, and sat her down there.
"Wait here, I'll get our futons ready", he said as he hurried to grab both his futon and the extra one and laid them both down next to each other. Not THAT next to each other though…gotta exercise caution and all that.
"Okay it's done let's…", Inejiro started saying when he noticed she fell asleep again, "...I was gonna say 'let's get up' but I'll just have to carry you then", he said as he picked up Natsumi and very carefully placed her on her futon, and tried his best to put her body inside it. It wasn't easy, but he did it eventually. Afterwards he undressed, turned off the lights, and got in his futon himself. He placed his phone next to him so he could hear the alarm…and proceeded to try to sleep.
"Hey, Inejiro…good night", an almost asleep Natsumi said softly.
"Good night, Natsumi…", he replied back. Even though he was sleeping next to Natsumi for the first time in two years, with how frantic his existence has been for the past couple of days, Inejiro fell asleep almost immediately, same as Natsumi.
Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. October 5th, 2017. Nakamura residence.
As per usual, at 7:30 AM Inejiro's alarm started ringing loudly. He's a pretty heavy sleeper so…alarm gotta be loud. And repeat itself many times. It's no surprise then that the first to wake up wasn't Inejiro.
"Ugh what the hell turn that fucking thing off already!", yelled an annoyed Natsumi. Inejiro semi-consciously reached for his phone and turned the alarm off. He fell asleep again…and 5 minutes later the loud sound started blaring again.
"THE ALARM. TURN IT OFF", an even more annoyed Natsumi yelled again. Inejiro repeated the process. Of course 5 minutes later…you know the drill. At this point, Natsumi got up from her futon herself, grabbed Inejiro's phone and turned off the alarm. And proceeded to shake him.
"Wh-Wha? What is it?", the sleeping beauty mumbled.
"One: I'm gonna flush your phone down the toilet. Two: don't you have to go to school now?"
Then Inejiro came to his senses, and realized that whoever was telling him that was right. He opened his eyes and noticed it was none other than Natsumi herself.
"Oh, right. Morning", he said as he sat up and stretched his body.
"Turn off all of your other alarms please, I don't really want to destroy your cellphone or kill you", Natsumi said as she handed him his phone. "And…Inejiro…you're naked".
"Like you've never seen me like this before…", he said as he turned off all the alarms that are yet to blare off.
"I don't care…", Natsumi said as she looked around for what looked like Inejiro's uniform and gave it to him. "You're gonna be late too".
"Still not a morning person, are you?", Inejiro said as he stood up and got dressed as Natsumi…tried…not to look.
"At least I wake up. How do you get up when there's no one around?"
"I usually get up by the third alarm or so. I ain't been late once".
"Pffft. Inejiro Nakamura arriving on time every single day. Like I can believe that".
"I am a role model to young impressionable girls now".
"Don't frame it like that, knowing everything, it sounds creepy".
"Unfair attack in the early morning".
"Yeah, fine, sorry, not in the best mood. In fact, I'm gonna lay down again if you don't mind".
"Of course. Actually…", Inejiro said as he reached into his backpack, "...here", he threw a key for Natsumi to catch, which she did.
"What is this?"
"Spare key to my apartment. I said it, it's your home. Come and go as you please. As long as you let me know when you come and go".
"Wait, you're not kidding".
"No I'm not kidding. Sleep all you want, help yourself to anything. I have some cash laying around if you wanna get yourself something else, there's a conbini a couple of blocks away. It's your home".
"I…wow, okay. Don't you need this key for anything?"
"I have it just in case. I'll make another one some other time", Inejiro said as he served himself some coffee, and Natsumi placed the key in the pocket of her jacket.
"You do understand that me staying the night here didn't mean…"
"Don't care. We're not dating, but you're you. As long as you're in town, you're welcome here. No need to be paying for hotels and that crap".
"Alright…thank you, Inejiro", Natsumi said as she got back in her futon.
"Don't mention it. Now I'm sorry but I gotta hurry", Inejiro said as quickly finished his coffee and hurried to the bathroom for a very quick shower and brushing his teeth.
"Actually, it's kinda nonsense that you gave me my uniform if I had to shower anywa-", he was saying as he noticed that Natsumi had fallen asleep again. He just smiled at seeing her sleeping, grabbed his things, and left.
Other than the very non-rutinary early morning that Inejiro went through, school was completely inconsequential. He hung out with Itsuki a bit before class, was ignored by Fuutarou, the usual. During lunch break, after everyone went to the cafeteria to satiate their hunger, Itsuki and Inejiro headed back to their classroom. Itsuki to study, and Inejiro to once again attempt to have one of his lunch break naps. What are the odds of him being interrupted again?
"Itsuki!", said Fuutarou as he approached his classmate's desk.
"What is it?", she responded.
"I'M IMPRESSED YOU'RE STUDYING DURING YOUR FREE TIME!", Fuutarou yelled out, startling Itsuki and waking up Inejiro who looked at him with a very annoyed look on his face and cursed the impossibility of taking a nap in peace.
"I hear you're studying on your own at home too…you're never late, you're never absent, and you never forget to bring anything. Since we're on the same class, I can tell you're the most diligent of the five sisters".
"Oh…he's attempting to charm her…not bad. Could be a bit less loud though", Inejiro thought.
"You think so…?", said a bashful Itsuki, clearly touched by being complimented for her efforts.
"Yeah! You're just stupid!"
"...What? It was going so well!", Inejiro thought, disappointed but no longer even surprised.
"So why don't you stop being stubborn and join us for the study group?", Fuutarou asked, as Itsuki was clearly holding back her anger and desire to shoot him in the head with an AA gun.
"Yes, you have a point…I had felt that there was a limit to what I could do by myself…", she said with a fake smile, as she stood up from her desk.
"By yourself Itsuki? Do I not exist?", thought an indignant Inejiro. The reality is though that for all his efforts the progress she's made would have probably been the same if she'd studied alone. He pretty much does her homework for her, that's not studying.
"Would you mind showing me how to solve this problem?", Itsuki asked. Fuutarou responded enthusiastically…but she was asking the teacher, who told Itsuki to join her in her office. The youngest quintuplet stuck out her tongue at Fuutarou on her way out. Inejiro just laughed out loud.
"I'm sorry Uesugi I can't not laugh, how can you be so fucking stupid and still remember to breathe?"
"I thought I had convinced her!"
"You were doing well at first! What demon possessed you and made you call her stupid?"
"But it's true! She can't do this by herself!"
"First of all, not only did she forget about my existence but now you too. She's not by herself. Second of all, you're still RIGHT in essence, but you CAN'T TELL HER THAT. Not like struggling with your studies means that you're stupid. For instance you're top of our class and you're a complete moron".
"That was uncalled for, Nakamura!"
"As you calling Itsuki stupid! Good God, you'll never get to tutor her at this rate. She's already stubborn, and you're not helping".
"Well…I'll try again some other time. I still gotta try with Nino".
"Did she give you back your handbook?"
"Not yet…no. Ugh who the hell knows what she's doing with it. There's stuff there I REALLY don't want her to see".
"Well…you should have been more careful".
"I thought Yotsuba was running away from studying on purpose!"
"You haven't known her for that long, but surely even you know her enough at this point to know that ain't possible".
"Yeah, I was wrong. She said to her team something about someone pushing her to be better? Is that you?"
"That's…no, not me Uesugi". Inejiro remembered that Yotsuba had told him the exact opposite thing. That she didn't have to try hard with him, etc. It seems she values the exact opposite thing from Fuutarou.
"So…my tutoring has had an effect on her. Not all is lost. At least she's motivated".
"More than you know".
"What?"
"Nothing, Uesugi. Nothing".
"Well Nakamura you don't mind having another tutoring session today? I have already informed the girls. I'll TRY to hunt down Nino after class too".
"I don't mind, no. Midterms are getting closer, it makes sense".
"Oh, good. No commitments today?"
"Not that I know of, no. Speaking of which…", Inejiro looked at his phone and saw no communication from Natsumi, "...is she still sleeping? Man".
"...I don't understand".
"Natsumi stayed over, I told her to text me or call me when she left…it's kinda late. Well, she's on holiday".
"...Okay, well, em…I'll just go to my desk over there", Fuutarou said as he skulked back to his desk. Inejiro doesn't understand what weirded him out so much but then he remembered Fuutarou's general attitudes towards love. Still…what is he, 10?
After afternoon classes were over, Fuutarou hurried out even more quickly than when he doesn't have a tutoring session to attend. He clearly believes he can convince Nino in a couple of minutes, apparently.
"Hey, Itsuki. Uesugi thinks he can convince Nino to join us. What's your take?"
"Nino is not as tolerant as I am…that is all I will say".
"As his…co-tutor, assistant, public relations, whatever the hell I am…I must apologize on Uesugi's behalf and tell you that you are not, actually, stupid".
"Say what you want. I am not letting him tutor me".
"I wasn't trying to convince you. He needs to do that himself. Don't close the door on that, though, just saying".
"Do you have a tutoring session now?"
"Yup. Matter of fact, I should be going. See ya Itsuki!", Inejiro said as he quickly left towards the school library.
Meanwhile, already in the library, Miku and Yotsuba headed there right after classes had ended and met each other there.
"Hi Miku! It seems it's just us for now…", Yotsuba said as she looked around and didn't notice either Inejiro, Fuutarou or Ichika.
"Hi. Yeah, that's right", Miku said as she sat down in one of the study desks, and Yotsuba sat opposite her.
"Hey, Miku…how are you doing with studying and stuff?", asked Yotsuba.
"...You never ask me about my studies, Yotsuba. Do you need help?"
"N-No well…I figure it's best if we all do our best for Uesugi-san's sake!"
"You should study for your own sake, too".
"Y-Yeah but…he's doing his best so we should do our best too!"
"Yotsuba. You're being weird again".
"Again?", Yotsuba asked with a curious face.
"You're behaving strangely. All of a sudden you're so concerned about your studies…and that change of attitude with Inejiro is weird too".
"But Miku, isn't it good? You said we should leave Jiro alone, and I did! Everyone tells me I should care about school, and I do!"
"...It's too sudden. It's weird".
Yotsuba looked around the library with eagle-eyed precision to make sure Inejiro wasn't anywhere near.
"Miku…do you still like him?", Yotsuba whispered.
"...I don't know. I don't think so. What does it matter, either way?"
"I think…", Yotsuba blushed while she started to talk, "...I'm pretty sure. He's not so dumb anymore".
"Yotsuba. What are you even talking about?"
"I can't say! But…he's different. And…ugh I shouldn't be talking about this!", Yotsuba said as she fidgeted nervously.
"Then why are you talking about it? He just met with Natsumi again, of course he'll be a bit weird. Just leave him alone. Don't give him trouble either".
"I know…you're right Miku, sorry".
It was at that point that Inejiro arrived at the scene, somewhat hurriedly.
"...Something tells me I was present in this room in spirit", Inejiro said, sensing they were talking about him by the shocked faces Miku and Yotsuba made when he arrived.
"Oh no we were just talking about…stuff, and…things", said Yotsuba, good liar as always.
"Very clever. No need to worry, you're free to talk about me behind my back, as you always have. Anyways, Uesugi ain't here yet?"
"He isn't, no. He isn't usually late…", said Miku.
"Oh no…girls, I don't wanna sound too alarming but his life may be in danger".
"WHAT? What happened to Uesugi-san? We must save him!", Yotsuba said, standing upright (her ribbon as well), her expression showing a mix of worry and readiness for action.
"He decided to undertake that most dangerous of tasks…convincing Nino to join us".
Yotsuba kicked Inejiro right in the shin. For as strong as he is...still, her kicks hurt.
"JIRO!", Yotsuba yelled, noticeably angry.
"Ehem. This is a library. Behave", a library employee said, reprimanding them. They both apologized.
"Seems violence is allowed but yelling is not…", Inejiro said. Everyone proceeded to sit back down.
"Still…why does Fuutarou think he can convince Nino?", Miku asked.
"I don't know. He's kinda manic. Tried to convinced Itsuki too but…he called her stupid in the process", Inejiro said.
"I don't imagine she was convinced by that…"
"She wasn't, if you can believe it".
Then, Inejiro's phone rang. It was Natsumi.
"Excuse me girls…", Inejiro said as he answered the call, but stayed in his seat.
"Hi, Natsumi. Sleep well?", Inejiro asked with a dose of irony.
Miku and Yotsuba, having heard that sentence, were brought to attention and tried their hardest to listen to the full conversation.
"I haven't just woken up, you idiot. I just stayed around here for a bit. I'm gonna be leaving now, I'm just calling to let you know".
"Ok, suit yourself. Will you be back tonight?"
"I'm considering it…it wasn't that bad. Surprisingly, you behaved like a civilized human being. And that hotel is expensive as hell. Granted, it does have a bed, but still".
"No need to be paying for that crap, Natsumi. Go get your shit and come back".
"I will also be hanging out with my family. But yeah, I probably will. Won't tell them that though".
"Great! I'll get us something better to eat this time. See you later. Oh, by the way, Miku and Yotsuba are here with me and listening very carefully, they say hi".
The two girls quickly looked down to the ground in embarrassment and fidgeted nervously.
"Oh tell em hi as well. Well Inejiro I'll see you later…probably…don't get your hopes up too much".
"Yeah yeah. See you", Inejiro said as she hung up.
"She says hi too", Inejiro said to the two quintuplets.
"S-So…she's staying over a-at your place?", Yotsuba asked.
"Yeah. Figured you'd find out eventually so it was more…efficient to just let you listen to our conversation".
"I never thought you'd get back together…good for you", Miku said.
"We're not back together. It's weird, doesn't matter. We just watched a movie and fell asleep".
Then, Inejiro's phone vibrated.
"God, I'm heavily requested this afternoon…", Inejiro said as he looked at who had texted him. It was Nino.
'TELL THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE OF A TUTOR TO STOP BEING SUCH A FUCKING PERVERTED CREEP IN SCHOOL OR I'LL HAVE TO FIRST FUCKING TORTURE HIM AND THEN FUCKING MURDER HIM. I WON'T TELL YOU THIS AGAIN', the message reads.
Inejiro didn't say a word and just showed the two girls the content of the message. Miku and Yotsuba chuckled at it.
"That's a new f-bomb record for her, I'm pretty sure", Inejiro said.
Ichika arrived right after that.
"Hey guys! Oh…is Fuutarou-kun not here?", she asked, as she sat down.
Again, without saying a word, Inejiro just showed her Nino's text.
"Oh my…I wonder what he's up to", she said.
"Trying to convince her to join us…well at least she just threatened to kill him and didn't actually do it".
And right on cue, as if to prove he's still among the living, Fuutarou arrived, skulking slowly towards the desk…as he stood in front of everyone, it became noticeable that he had a huge red mark in the shape of a hand across the left side of his face.
"Oh, she got you good!", Ichika said, chuckling.
"Are you okay?", Miku asked, worriedly.
"Yeah, never mind that…", the victim of violence responded.
"What actually happened, Uesugi?", Inejiro asked.
"I ran into her as she was walking around with her two friends…"
"Yamada and Otori?"
"...I don't know their names".
"You know Nino's friends? We don't even know Nino's friends", Ichika said.
"I ran into them once…I got off only slightly better than Uesugi here. But they seemed nice".
"Of course girls are nice to you", Miku said out loud without really wanting to.
"What?", Inejiro asked.
"N-Nothing", Miku said as she fixated on her notes.
"Anyways. I asked Nino if she'd been studying…to which she just walked right past me. Her friends stared at me suspiciously and told her I was talking to her, to which she claimed I was a STALKER".
"Hehe so she still thinks that", Yotsuba said, remembering the day they all found out he would be their tutor.
"Just accusing me like that! Then I just told her that I would never give up, that she was happy to go along with it back at the festival, and that we could do it at her place if she wanted to!"
"'Do it at her place'...Fuutarou-kun…", Ichika said while trying mightily hard to hold back her laughter.
"I just said that she should give me one more chance, with so much I could be teaching her, and she'd be satisfied with the results…"
"You really used the word 'satisfied'. Uesugi…you're unbelievable", Inejiro said, trying even harder than Ichika to burst into laughter.
"After that…she just walked up to me and started slapping me! What did I do to deserve that?"
"...Girls, cover your ears, please", Inejiro said…of course none of them did. Not like he expected them to, it was ironic. "You told her you could do it in her place like on the day of the festival, that you would never give up on her and that if she agreed, she would be completely satisfied. Oh and let's not forget about there being SO much you could teach her! You said that in front of her friends".
"I know I said that! I just told you!"
"Uesugi…I know you don't care about this stuff. But there's sexual undertones all over your speech! Do I need to tell you this shit? How old are you?"
When the word 'sexual' was pronounced by Inejiro Miku and Yotsuba started blushing very heavily…Ichika of course didn't, though she noted the reaction from her sisters.
"W-What…what do you even mean? I was just talking about tutoring sessions!", Fuutarou responded.
"You need to pay more attention to how your words might be interpreted, man!"
"How could I know she'd interpret it like that?"
"It's pretty obvious, Uesugi. Just…I'll talk to you about this some other time. Don't wanna derail the session. Just be more careful with your choice of words".
"Oh wait, Jiro, before we start! Natsumi told me she spent the night at your place…well done!", Ichika said as she winked at Inejiro.
"You two truly talk about every single little thing, don't you?"
Ichika noticed that neither Miku nor Yotsuba were surprised at her statement…not even Fuutarou.
"Yes, we do! And…I was expecting a different reaction, really".
"They all know".
"Couldn't wait to spread the good news, could you?"
"What exactly did she even tell you? If she told you…you know not a damn thing happened".
"You slept together, Jiro…that's more than a 'damn thing' even if it didn't go…well…that far".
"O-Okay then! Uesugi-san! Look at my math homework!", Yotsuba said as she hurriedly took out a random piece of paper from her backpack and showed it to Fuutarou. Clearly trying to change topics as quickly as possible.
"...Yotsuba that's just a paper full of doodles", Fuutarou replied.
"E-Eh…that's right! Because we didn't have any math homework! But we could have had them, and I wouldn't have been able to do them! That's it!"
"...I hate this job".
A/N: Hey there! Well...I guess I'm still inspired! So you lot get a bunch of chapters. Not much else to say given that the last chapters were so close to this one. Only that with this chapter another milestone has been broken: we're over 100 thousand words. I'll add up the whole fic into a single document at some point and let you all know how many pages of a book this would be, it's frankly insane to me! I have a guest review so I'll proceed to reply to that.
Guest: Not only back to back, another new one now too! Glad you're enjoying, and thanks a lot for your review!