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 5th, 2017. Nakamura residence.

After the tutoring session was done, Inejiro instead of going straight home, went shopping for a bit, in order to get something decent to eat for Natsumi. He got some beef and whole rice. So…yeah, it hurts his wallet, but nothing that would be hard to cook. Even he can't screw up putting some beef in a pan and boiling some rice…still, he made sure to get the best quality products to make up for his insufficiencies.

When he arrived at his apartment he put the newly bought groceries in the fridge (he took the chance to stock up on beer as well), and right on cue, after he was done, his phone rang. It was…Maruo Nakano, apparently. So, he picked up.

"Nakamura-kun", said Maruo, in his typical very serious and somewhat somber tone.

"Maruo, hello. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing in particular. I wished to know your opinion on the tutoring so far. Is Uesugi adequate?"

"He is doing a pretty good job all things considered. Don't expect immediate results, though".

"I shouldn't? And why is that?"

"You know how the girls are…they're not exactly easy to teach. But I assure you he's doing better than anyone else would be doing in his place".

"You cannot possibly know that".

"Eh…yeah, that's true, but I remember how they did with other tutors. There's progress being made".

"Very well. I will have to trust your word for it. I hear the midterms are coming up, and I will be expecting results".

"We're working hard to make sure they do well. Don't expect way too much, however, I also must make sure that you have your expectations set at a reasonable level".

"I believe I can set my expectations by myself perfectly well. Other than that. Is Uesugi…behaving? I trust you understand my meaning".

"Yes, I do. And he is. No misbehavior to report".

If only Maruo knew…then again, Inejiro answered truthfully, no misbehavior from Fuutarou himself.

"Very well then. I still haven't thought out what specific results to expect from Uesugi. I will be talking to you again closer to the exams. And to him as well, of course".

"Sure thing".

"Another thing, Nakamura-kun. We need to discuss your salary. You are undertaking tasks that weren't part of your original arrangement. So I intend to grant you a small raise, starting next month".

"Wow, Maruo, erm…well…thank you so much…sir".

"Hm. Do you save the formalities only for when you're granted a financial incentive?"

"For when I'm grateful is a less…unsavory way to put it".

"No matter. As far as Rena was concerned, you were part of her family. So save the formalities, they are not needed".

"Even better, not fond of them. So, is there anything else?"

"Nothing, Nakamura-kun. We will speak again soon", Maruo said as he hung up the phone.

Needless to say, Inejiro became very happy to hear those news. As anyone would after getting a raise, but even more so given that his salary was already quite generous. It goes without saying that Inejiro gets preferential treatment from Maruo given what he said earlier, even though in general he's quite decent to his workers. As cold as he may seem, he has a very strong sense of responsibility towards his subordinates or the people in his care, which he shows by offering reasonable working conditions and good pay. Same as he generously takes care of his adoptive daughters' material well-being (and then some), even though emotionally he is terribly lacking as a parent. Still, Inejiro seems to be one of the few people he has grown to trust at a personal level at all, other than Ebata-san. Not only was he considered part of the family by Rena, he also came with a seal of approval by Ebata-san himself. And he has shown so far that any misgivings Maruo might have had about Inejiro's earlier relationship with his daughters was misplaced, as he has undertaken his job very well and with a great sense of responsibility towards them. He didn't put him next to Fuutarou for no reason, after all.

Expecting Natsumi to arrive sometime soon, Inejiro got started with cooking. He fried the cuts of beef first, and then proceeded to cook the rice. No spices, nothing special added, as easy as possible and with the slightest chance to mess up. After he was done with everything, Natsumi still had not arrived. Though…she arrived very shortly after. She opened the door by herself, of course, since she now has keys to the place.

"Inejiro…you're not gonna believe it", she said, with a very annoyed expression and tone, carrying a bag that it can be assumed she brought from the hotel..

"Natsumi, trust me, I can believe anything", he responded as soon as he saw her, and went to help her with her bag. "Hi, by the way, my day has been great".

"Screw you. Anyways, remember my parents?"

"Yeah?"

"I had no way to shake them off so…I had to tell them I was gonna be leaving the hotel…to which they said something along the lines of 'we didn't know you would be leaving today, want a ride to the station?'"

"You told them you'd come here, I imagine".

"I…tried not to, Inejiro. But…damn, they're persistent. My mom, mostly. I had to tell them, I couldn't possibly make up any other story".

"Well, I don't mind them knowing, so don't worry about my reaction".

"Thank you. Yeah, they're not happy. Oh boy and when my dad asked 'what does he even do for a living?'...they're not happy".

"He was not convinced by 'he's getting paid to go back to high school and help tutor the girls that made me jealous'?"

"He wasn't, no. He never liked you, Inejiro, always said that you would have no future, you didn't care about anything…"

"I know that very well. Well, I have nothing against your folks, I hope they're doing alright".

"As fine as they've ever been. I really REALLY would have preferred not to tell them anything about this, but oh well".

"I imagine they think we're back together".

"Yeah. Something along the lines of 'Natsumi! You're one of the most wanted girls in the country, you could have any man you want! Why insist with that'...and I think I'll end that sentence there".

"You could have any man you want. He'd be happy to say yes too".

"Oh cut it out. Is there any food available here?"

"Actually…", Inejiro presented Natsumi with his masterwork meal. "There is!".

"No way…you cooked? YOU COOKED?"

"I promise it's edible".

"It seems like it's good quality if anything…you never used to cook".

"I never USE to cook. But oh well, special occasions only".

Natsumi blushed quite a bit at that.

"Um…okay. So…can I try it?"

"Of course! No being shy about it! Grab anything you want. There's a fresh stockpile of beer in the fridge too".

"S-Sure…", Natsumi said as she went to get her meal and a drink to accompany it. After she was served, she put it in the microwave since it had gotten cold. She sat down after that and tried it.

"It's actually alright. I can tell you spent good money on this".

"Whatever do you mean? This is all my magic".

"Don't push it. I appreciate you cooking for me…you never used to do that".

"I want you to feel at home and everything, you know? I'll go grab my own", Inejiro said as he did the same as Natsumi.

"So, how was your day Inejiro?"

"Not much happened, really…well not to me, Uesugi tried to convince Itsuki and Nino to join us. It didn't go well".

"You're not tutoring all five of them?"

"Not really…no, Itsuki and Nino don't like him. Understandable when it comes to Itsuki but Nino is just…Nino. Still, today she was right in hitting him to be honest".

"She hit him?"

"He…tried to convince her to join us by yelling at her in front of her friends in the middle of the hallway. And somehow he managed to talk in a way full of sexual undertones. I don't remember exactly what he said, but shit that was funny".

"You were there?"

"Nah, he told us all afterwards. He's a special guy, Uesugi".

"And what's the problem with Itsuki?"

"He for some reason can't go two minutes without insulting her, willingly or unwillingly. And she's stubborn. So they don't get along. At least I am helping her study but it's not enough".

"Oh…the job's harder than I thought then".

"Well, that's my job more than anything: making sure the girls like Uesugi. Not 'like', you know what I mean".

"I do, though I wanted to joke about it…"

"Oh also I got a raise. Hooray!"

"You did? Man, the girls' father must truly like you".

"I don't think Maruo likes anyone much. But he's been good to me. And I will be forever thankful to him for taking the girls in after…well…you know the story".

"Do you think they know…what would have happened if he hadn't taken them in?"

"I have no clue. I rather not talk about it with them, for obvious reasons. They were still young back then, and their mom had just died…I don't figure they thought about it much. Also, I didn't see them at all between the time Rena died and them being settled down with Maruo. The funeral was private, close family only. I'm still not happy about not being there for them, that's when they needed me the most".

"How can you feel bad about that? There was nothing you could do about it".

"I don't feel guilty or anything…I just…maybe you're right. I just felt pretty impotent back then".

"I wonder if…that stuck with you. Like…subconsciously affecting your decision to stay here with them instead of going to Tokyo with me".

"Don't read too much into this stuff, Natsumi, you're not a shrink. If my friends need me I want to be there for them, whatever might have happened in the past".

"Hmph. That was uncalled for", Natsumi said, pouting.

"What? It's true, don't strain yourself looking for the 'true roots' of why we split up, it's silly. We talked about it well enough already".

"Fine. Maybe you're right".

"Tell me about your job now. Anything interesting?"

"That could interest you? Erm…I'll be heading out to Italy next week for a series of photo shoots".

"Italy? Cool! Where exactly in Italy?"

"Different cities…Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples…"

"Napoli? You're going to Napoli?"

"Yeah…why are you using the Italian word for it all of a sudden?"

"That's…the soccer team from there. I got a big favor to ask: can you PLEASE get me a Napoli shirt? But one of the old ones…from when Maradona played there. I'll give you the money of course but I NEED one of those!"

"Man, are you kidding me? No questions about my job just…sure Inejiro, I'll get you your t-shirt. No need to give me the money".

"Yay! But are you sure?"

"You gave me keys to your house! What's a t-shirt in comparison?"

"A Maradona t-shirt. Not any t-shirt".

"Sure…whatever. I'll get it for you. You truly are a little kid sometimes".

"When it comes to soccer and videogames I'm 12 years old, indeed, and proudly so. Ah my grandpa is gonna love that one…gotta make sure he doesn't steal it. Yotsuba too".

Natsumi just laughed. This side of Inejiro was always endearing to her, but even more so now that she's gotten used to dealing with so many…fake people, due to her particular trade.

"When are you leaving for Italy, then?"

"...On Saturday".

"That's…two days from now!"

"Yeah…I'm heading back to Tokyo tomorrow, Inejiro".

"I thought…you might stay for the weekend".

"Sorry I wasn't more specific. I didn't expect any of…this…in the first place".

"...It's fine, Natsumi", Inejiro said, with a sad look on his face.

"I…will try to come here as often as I can, though my job does keep me quite busy. You can come visit me too! And we'll keep in touch, even if I'm abroad. I'm only gonna be in Italy for a couple of weeks though".

"Yeah…I'll still miss you though"

"I will too, of course…this couple of days were…nice".

"They still are nice…they ain't over yet".

"Well, what do you have in mind?"

Inejiro held Natsumi's hands softly, and stared straight into her eyes.

"If you're leaving tomorrow…let's make some good memories".

"Inejiro…no…"

"Shhh", Inejiro said, as he placed his index finger on her lips. "For old times' sake", he said, as he proceeded to gently kiss her on the lips. As she reciprocated, they started kissing more passionately, and kept doing so for a good couple of minutes, until they broke it off.

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I…c-can't believe…", Natsumi stuttered, as he blushed very heavily and looked at Inejiro's eyes.

"...You better believe it baby", Inejiro said, trying to sound cool and romantic…

"Okay…that was so lame", Natsumi said as she chuckled.

"Thankfully for me my good looks are more than enough!"

"Yeah, they are", Natsumi said as she quickly pecked him on the lips. "I'm gonna go get changed, okay?", she said in a cute tone.

"Sure. And I'll lay down the futon…just one this time".

"Looking forward to it!", Natsumi said as she headed to the bathroom. Inejiro noticed she didn't grab any clothes, and the reason why is quite clear.

Being respectful to the privacy of both Inejiro and Natsumi, this humble narrator will proceed to leave what happened afterwards to your imagination. Needless to say, they spent a night together, that they had imagined in their thoughts and dreams many many times since they had broken up. Does this change the overall arrangement they had made? Can they keep up this sort of…'arrangement'? Only time will tell.


Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. October 6th, 2017. Nakamura residence.

After the events that…transpired last night, they both fell asleep inside the same futon. Which was cramped of course but they didn't really mind. Still…it's still Friday, a weekday meaning that Inejiro has to go to school today. However…he was not woken up by his alarm this time.

Natsumi gently shook him as soon as she saw it was 7:20 AM (trying to give Inejiro 10 minutes to get his bearings and turn off the alarm before it started blaring, probably), in order for him to wake up.

"Hey, Inejiro, c'mon, wake up", she whispered into his ear.

"Hnghhhnggg", he just growled incoherently, of course. So she shook him a little bit less gently. This time he did open his eyes, and as he did, she smiled at him and kissed him.

"Whoa. That's one way to wake up. Better than my alarm", Inejiro said.

"I'm glad! Now please turn it off before it starts being annoying thank you!", Natsumi said as she handed him his phone.

"What time is it even? How are you up this early?"

"You'll see when you get up! It's 7:25 or so".

"Oh…yeah, I can see that. Well…let's see what you've been up to", Inejiro said as he got up, and found the 'living room' table neatly prepared, with two plates of omurice (rice omelette for those unaware) and two cups of coffee. "Oh I'm gonna have an actual breakfast this time! Cool! Thank you!"

"Well you cooked for me yesterday, so I wanted to do the same! By the way…put on some clothes, will you?"

"After last night…you're still saying that?"

"I-It's not the same, idiot! We'll be eating now! I swear…"

"Fiiiine…these mornings are getting colder too anyways…I miss the summer already".

Inejiro went to the bathroom to start his early morning routine, put on some clothes, and sat down to have breakfast with Natsumi.

"So. When does your train leave?"

"11:30. No, you can't miss school to send me off".

"Didn't even ask, jeez. You want to be rid of me that badly?"

"I want you to be able to get out of bloody high school before you turn 30 if I can help it".

"Hey! I'm doing great this year! Well…acceptably well. But I'll pass, there's no danger of not doing so".

"Make sure those quintuplets of yours pass too. You might just end up all graduating together, who would have thought?"

"Yeah, baby steps, the midterms are coming up. Speaking of them…don't give Ichika TOO many details about last night please…she's Ichika…remember that".

"Hm…we'll see. We girls talk to each other whether you like it or not…"

"I mean…I wouldn't be too happy dealing with the quints thinking we're back together and everything…but surely you want that even less?"

"I was joking, Inejiro. But…we'll see about that".

"Oh? Got doubts? I'm that good, huh?"

Natsumi shook her head in disbelief and chuckled afterwards.

"Why do I try to talk with you like a grown-up? Anyways. I don't know what I wanna do. And you have stuff to figure out too. So…we'll see. And, yeah, I had a great time, there, I said it".

"I already knew Natsumi…I was here. Suzuki-san probably knows too".

"...Wha-Who?"

"My neighbor".

Natsumi just smacked Inejiro over the head.

"Dumbass pig! I swear…Um, yeah, I'm gonna think about stuff and…what better place than Italy to think about romance, huh?"

"Don't think so much that you forget my shirt".

"YES I WILL REMEMBER YOUR FUCKING SHIRT".

"Thank you", Inejiro said with a smile.

"By the way…I won't get pissed if you ask me to get something for the girls. So…think about it too".

"I'll ask them. It would be too ridiculous if I asked you to get a shirt like mine…though smaller of course…for Yotsuba? Though don't do that if the rest don't ask for anything. That'd be…it would cause trouble probably. Maybe one for my grandpa too. He's a big fan".

"...Take your time to think, Inejiro. And I'm not talking about gifts now".

"Yeah, I know. Still…I loved having you back, if only for a short time".

"And I loved being here. It was like…old times but…different. To my eternal surprise, you have grown somewhat".

"Speaking of growing…I'm a responsible schoolboy now so I'm gonna go get ready", Inejiro said before he went to have a quick shower, brush his teeth and change into his 'uniform'.

"So…I'm gonna be leaving. You can stay here until you have to go to the station, of course".

"Sure, thanks. Eh…you really want me to keep this key?"

"That key is yours now".

"But…so…when I'm back in Japan I can just…show up unannounced then?"

"Do try to let me know first! But other than that you can come whenever".

"Hmmm? Afraid I might come at the wrong time?"

"While I'm trying to beat Pokemon Stadium with the rentals? Yeah, that would suck, I would be in a pretty pissy mood".

Natsumi laughed.

"Alright, avoid that question! Of course I'll let you know".

Inejiro just jumped straight in front of Natsumi and kissed her. She was surprised at first, but responded in kind.

"Well…bye. Hopefully I'll see you soon", Inejiro said as he grabbed his things and quickly headed towards the door, not before getting one final look at Natsumi.

"Bye, Inejiro…", Natsumi said before Inejiro finally left the apartment and headed out.

Inejiro headed to school as he usually does, only with a very unusual pep on his step and a shit eating grin adorning his face the whole way. When he arrived at his classroom, Itsuki was already there, so as he sat down he proceeded to chit-chat with her a little as always.

"Hi Itsuki!", Inejiro said very happily.

"Hi Inejiro-kun…you seem very happy today".

"Life is good, what can I say?"

"I'm glad you think so. Have you been preparing for the midterms?"

"Bah who gives a damn about the midterms? Bring 'em on!"

"...Inejiro-kun you can't get through school on will alone…you should probably know this at your…20 years of age".

"With age comes wisdom, Itsuki. I'm feeling like…I could score higher than Uesugi!"

Right on cue, Fuutarou entered the classroom, right on time to hear Inejiro's words clearly. Not one to socialize much in class, he just gave him a weird look and sat down in his desk.

"Hehe, actually that would be great to see. You know, you could do it if you actually studied".

"I don't see the point, Itsuki. I'm never gonna get into some top college anyways, not like I want to. I wanna finally get out of high school, that's all".

"It is a bit of a shame, you know? I would give SO MUCH to know all the things you know, I mean…I could probably point at a random place on a map or a random year and you could give some facts about it. You did that yesterday! And yet…"

"Anyone gonna hire me just because I know Burkina Faso's capital?"

"If you took advantage of your knowledge and took it seriously…you know English, hell you probably know some other random language for no reason. You have worldly knowledge, a good understanding of current and historical events. You could do so much more than just…hanging around us forever".

"I don't want more. I don't know what the future has in store, maybe I will become some big shot. Or not. For now…I'm happy where I am. Very happy right now specifically".

"That's good too, really. But pay attention to your studies".

"Hey, I teach you. I should be saying that. But of course there's no need".

"T-Thank you…", Itsuki said, with the strange mix of pride and insecurity with which she usually takes compliments.

Classes started soon after, and then, during lunch break, Inejiro was having lunch by himself, as he does when he can't find any of the quintuplets (or Fuutarou doesn't need to talk to him about anything, which is the only occasions in which he can be bothered to socialize), when a female student approached him: Yamada, one of the members of Nino's usual entourage. She's the brunette.

"Nakamura-san! Can I talk to you for a minute?", the girl asked as she carried her tray, clearly intending to sit with Inejiro.

"Oh sure. Sit down. Yamada, right? Just call me Inejiro".

"Erm…sure?", she said as she sat down.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?", asked Inejiro, still in a pretty good mood.

"Erm…so…yesterday some weird guy walked up to Nino and started saying…weird…things to her. I…have no idea who he is at all. Since you know Nino, I figured you might know something about that".

Inejiro laughed, remembering Fuutarou's retelling of events.

"Ha, yeah. That's her private tutor, he sometimes words things…in an interesting manner. All he meant was…he's trying to convince her to attend his tutoring sessions alongside her sisters. Nothing more".

"...Come on, that can't be true. He said…"

"That he'd satisfy her and all that…I know. You just gotta believe me I guess".

"She did hit him pretty badly after that…I felt kinda bad for him. Though he was REALLY creepy".

"He's fine, don't worry about it. He won't do it again, that's for sure".

"So…Nakam- eh, sorry, Inejiro. What's your deal with Nino? You seem close, but then…that one time you ran into us she didn't seem to like you very much".

"We've known each other for a very long time. We're…kinda, not REALLY, but kinda like family, in a way, with her and her sisters. It's…look, I ain't telling you anything that she ain't telling you".

"Aw, but she never tells me anything".

"Sorry honey, that's the way it'll have to stay then".

"Okayyyy, fine!", Yamada said while pouting. "Still, it's good that you don't go around spilling her secrets".

"What kind of asshole would do that?"

"I don't know…some people do that, talk behind people's backs…and Nino's popular".

"Oh I know very well about people talking behind others' backs".

"You would, right? There's a lot of hearsay about you. You stand out".

"Been dealing with that for years. At first for being on sports teams, now, for being that 'big 20 year old with a strange relationship with the transfer students'. Not fond of it, but what can you do?"

"Wellll…I thought you were dating Nino when we first met actually…"

"What a surprise".

"The funny thing was when I asked her about it…though, eh…I shouldn't tell you that".

"No problem, of course you shouldn't. You seem like a nice girl Yamada, I'm glad you hang around Nino".

"You seem cool too! Actually…why don't we exchange contacts? We should hang out sometime".

"I am a pretty busy guy, but sure, tell me your number, can't hurt", Inejiro said, before both of them exchanged contact information.

"Actually…I was kinda surprised you even remembered my name. Or that you didn't confuse me with Otori…it happens since we're together so much".

"I learned to tell apart five identical quintuplets when I was 12…or 13, don't remember the exact moment. Still, the point is: that's hard mode, I can recognize and remember anyone after that".

"And here I thought I was special…oh well. Anyways, it was nice talking to you Inejiro, I'm gonna get going. Nino and Otori are probably looking for me".

"Oh, speaking of Nino…tell her to give Uesugi (that's her tutor) his handbook back please, if you remember".

"Why does she have his…ah, shouldn't ask. I'll do that. See you!", Yamada said as she waved at Inejiro and left. Almost immediately after Yamada was out of sight, Miku appeared and sat right where the brunette was just sitting.

"...You're gonna quote the Furinkazan again, aren´t you?", Inejiro asked her.

"No need. That was one of Nino's friends, wasn't she?"

"Yeah. But you were listening to everything anyways, why do you even ask?"

"I don't know. But I didn't get your whole conversation. What did she want?"

"She asked me about Uesugi…she was there when Nino slapped him", Inejiro said, holding back laughter.

"Huh. It makes sense that she would be curious about that…still, what does Natsumi think about you having lunch with random girls at school?"

"Natsumi is probably…just about to reach Tokyo Station just now".

"Oh, really? She went back? I thought…"

"That she was gonna stay for good? No, not quite".

"Still…you seem…pretty happy today. Not what I would expect if she left…"

"Well…we had a great time while she was here".

Miku blushed.

"G-G-Great time?"

"Don't ask".

"O-Oh…that's…".

"Don't sweat it, Miku, it's fine. Don't say anything. Oh, by the way, she did also buy me a Nintendo 64!"

"A…Nintendo 64? You don't even have a TV".

"I'll have to get myself one, yeah…one where I can plug that old piece of hardware in too. No, it's not going to the Pentagon, don't ask".

"Oh…didn't even get to try".

"You can of course come home and play though. You like Pokemon, don't you?"

"Yeah…I haven't played any of the 3DS ones though".

"Well, this bad boy came with Pokemon Stadium! You're welcome to get whooped any time".

"Doesn't Fuutarou live nearby too?"

"Yeah…want me to invite him too? And maybe…take a leave of absence?"

Miku blushed heavily, again.

"N-N-N-No, I didn't mean t-that…I was just a-asking, that's…all".

"Well, suit yourself…"

"A-Anyways, so, you're back together with Natsumi? Even though she left again. Since you…well…t-that".

"We're not. It's complicated. She…needs time, and so do I. To figure some things out".

"Oh. Ok. If it bothers you, I won't ask anymore".

"No no, it's fine. I'm doing much better. Like a huge burden was lifted off me".

"Burden?"

"We talked about some things, and…let's just say, I can face others' feelings, and my own, much more honestly now".

Miku went back in her head to what Yotsuba had told her yesterday…maybe she was right? Inejiro is different. Maybe he IS actually paying more attention to her and her sisters' feelings now. But…now? Now that Fuutarou came into their lives? After so many years…now?

"I'm glad you could do that, Inejiro. And I don't know if I ever said this…I'm really thankful you've been so supportive of me".

"Don't mention it, Miku, why wouldn't I be?"

"N-No reason. Anyways…when you were, um, with her, did you, like, make her, um…reach an-"

"MIKU. What the hell?", Inejiro shouted, cutting her off in the middle of her, let's just say, inappropriate question. Miku blushed, realizing she had actually asked that.

"O-Oh, I actually said that…I-It's just I've been reading some stuff and…I heard that we girls sometimes don't, um…I'll stop now", she said as she covered her face in her hands in absolute shame.

"That's…VERY private. I'm fine with you asking me how I'm doing and talking about whatever you may want…but, please, some privacy. And…what have you even been reading?"

"...That's private too".

"Fine. This is not what I meant when I said you should read stuff other than Sengoku period stuff, by the way".

"Violence is fine but sex is not…okay".

"Good girl!"

Of course it falls to Inejiro, someone who is only a couple of years older than the quintuplets and has that peculiar kind of relationship with them to have these sorts of conversations, given that…they don't really have any other older figure, male or female, that can do so. You can't expect him to do a good job at it.

Then Inejiro's phone vibrated, which meant he had received a message. It was Nino.

"What are you doing talking to my friends, you creep! Stay away! Also I will give that dumbass tutor his handbook when I feel like it. He can come and take it if he wants it so much"

Inejiro just showed his phone to Miku.

"Why does she have Fuutarou's student handbook?"

"She wrote her e-mail there back when he was getting all your addresses. And he ran after Yotsuba and forgot about it".

"Oh. He's coming to our place tomorrow, I'll make sure she gives it to him".

"Yeah, right, we had arranged that. Tomorrow morning".

"Yes. Inejiro, we should go back to our classrooms, it's almost time".

As they left, Inejiro thought about what had just happened. About that 'particular question' Miku had asked earlier. it would have been easy to dismiss it as some 'Miku thing' in the past. As it's been already stated, it's up to him to have this kind of conversation with the girls. More specifically, with Miku, being the one that is the least ashamed about these subjects. It could be that she's curious. But now…eh…it's never not weird to have to be the one to have 'the talk' with your female friends as a guy, but it's a completely different story when you suspect they might have feelings for you.

In Miku's case, she remained a little bit ashamed of herself. It may not be the first time she asks this sort of thing to Inejiro (being the only older role model she has at this point) but still…it's different now. Maybe he's not the brotherly figure she used to have a crush on when she was younger anymore. Maybe he's starting to see her and her sisters a little bit differently. Why did she even ask that though? What interests her? Is it just the normal curiosity of any boy or girl her age? Not like she doesn't think about that sort of stuff in her own privacy.

Nothing else really happened for the rest of the day. Only noticeable thing is that for the first time in a few days there was no tutoring session, so Inejiro went to the gym instead. And the time came for him to go home. After that couple of days of Natsumi being there it felt pretty empty all of a sudden. She did text him when she had made it to Tokyo and promised to stay in touch for as long as she's abroad, but still. After so many years of being apart, he really grew accustomed to her presence over just these few days. He felt lonely…and he knows what happens when he feels down. Drinking. And doing it by yourself when you're sad…that will probably lead to a redo of the day of the festival. And he has a tutoring session early on Saturday morning. So, he just called one of the quintuplets, hoping that chatting would take his mind off things for a bit.

"Jiro? Hi! What's up?", said Ichika, after picking up.

"Eh…not much really. Just…bored, got nothing to do".

"Oh, yeah, Natsumi left today, right. Are you okay?"

"I am yeah, but being here…the place feels empty".

"Jiro, look…I really have to go to work now, but…why don't you just come over? The rest of the girls are here".

"...You're all okay with that?"

"Jiro! Come on! You have keys to the place! What got into you all of a sudden?"

"Eh, I don't know, just being stupid. Sure, I'll go".

"And by the way, you're staying here. You have to come over in the morning anyways".

"No, really, it's fine".

"It's not! Jiro I'm really on a rush, you're staying over and that's the end of it! I'll let the girls know, they will be expecting you, no need to worry about giving someone a jump scare or something. Now, gotta go, see you!"

Inejiro just sighed at his predicament, changed out of his uniform, grabbed one of his sports jackets and headed out for the Pentagon. The late afternoons and nights start getting quite chilly this time of year, the early night sky was gray and there was a cold wind blowing, as if to mirror his emotions.

He arrived at the Pentagon after his walk there, and as Ichika had told him that her sisters would be expecting him, he just got on the elevator and headed inside the apartment unannounced. As soon as he closed the door, he heard movement upstairs. A ribbon wearing quintuplet on her bear-shaped pajamas hurried down the stairs and went to meet him.

"Jiro! You're here. Ichika said you were coming. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Don't worry about me just…go do whatever it was you were doing. I'll go outside for a smoke", he said as he headed towards the balcony. Yotsuba was of course not satisfied by this and headed outside with him.

"You're sad because Natsumi left aren't you?"

"Just…my place seemed empty without her. But it's fine. No need to worry about it, it'll take me a few days".

"Well, you'll stay here for a few days if it's necessary! Dad's room always stays empty so…"

"I'm not gonna occupy Maruo's room! It's just for tonight, I didn't wanna end up getting drunk when we have a tutoring session tomorrow".

"It's good that you're stopping yourself at least, that's great! You should come to us more often if you feel bad about something".

"Thanks, but it's fine. Are the others here? Ichika told me you were all here but it doesn't seem like it".

"Oh, well, let's see…Ichika left, but you know that…Nino went out with her friends after school and hasn't come back yet…Miku went shopping a few minutes ago, but she won't be long…Itsuki is studying…and…oh right, I'm me, I'm here!"

"That Ichika", Inejiro chuckled.

"Well she was taking a nap and jumped right out of bed to go to work when you called her, she had no idea who was here!"

"Not hard to imagine. So…really Yotsuba, it's fine, just go back to do your thing. I'll just laze around for a bit and go right to sleep probably".

"No, come on! I'll hook up the PlayStation and we'll play! I won't even accuse you of cheating even though you will probably cheat but that's just how nice I am!"

"Fine…get on that and I'll join you after I finish this".

"Yay! Let's gooo!", Yotsuba yelled as she ran back inside, closing the window behind her so that chilly air wouldn't get inside.

Inejiro started feeling a warm feeling inside after seeing her so genuinely happy.

"Oh fuck me and my stupid ass", Inejiro muttered under his breath as he took the last few drags and headed back inside. At the very same time, Miku came back to the apartment holding a couple of bags, while Yotsuba finished hooking up the console.

"Oh, Inejiro, you're here already. Sorry we don't have anything for dinner yet, I had to go out in a ru-"

"Miku, don't worry, thank you", he said with a smile as he cut her off.

"Nino isn't here yet, so I guess I'll have to cook…"

"O-Oh we're not that hungry we can wait for Nino right hehehe right?", Yotsuba asked nervously. She clearly does not enjoy Miku's cooking.

"Miku's cooking is fine by me, really. You all are too finicky with your food. She cooks great", Inejiro said. She doesn't, really. But he likes it anyway, same as Fuutarou.

"I don't care what you say Jiro, you have no taste!"

Miku looked unsure about what to do.

"Miku, if you wanna cook, cook. If you wanna wait for Nino, wait for Nino. I'm fine either way, I'm just thankful you're having me", Inejiro said.

"...I'll make you something and Yotsuba can wait then".

"Ooooh but I'm hungry too…", Yotsuba said with a sad expression, mirrored by her ribbon.

"Then don't bite the hand that feeds you. Don't criticize Miku's cooking so much", Inejiro said.

"I don't think that's what that saying means…but thank you Inejiro for educating my rebellious sister", Miku said as she brought the groceries to the kitchen and got ready to cook, earning a frown from Yotsuba. "I'll just make some omurice like the other day. Is that alright?"

"You bet. Ah, wait, I'm gonna go ask Itsuki if she wants anything", Inejiro said as he got up and headed upstairs.

"Ah, right, she's still studying isn't she?", Miku asked.

"Yup. Jiro hurry up though I'm gonna start the game without you!", Yotsuba yelled.

Inejiro knocked on Itsuki's bedroom's door, which she opened quickly.

"Oh, Inejiro-kun. How are you?", Itsuki asked with a worried expression.

"Fine. How are your studies going? Need any help?"

"Actually…not really. I'm doing alright on this subject actually. Not like you could help me with it anyways".

"What are you studying?"

"Physics. This topic in particular is relatively easy, don't worry".

"Oh, okay, I'm glad. Miku's cooking some omurice, do you want me to bring you some?"

"Eh…Miku? Well…I'm hungry so, yeah".

"Good girl. I'll be back when it's done".

"Sure, thank you", Itsuki said as she closed the door and Inejiro headed downstairs.

"Yo, Miku, she does want some", Inejiro said as he looked at the TV and saw Yotsuba had already chosen both teams.

"Yotsuba! And then you say I cheat!", Inejiro said as he hurried towards the couch.

"Hehe this is payback! I'm playing as England and you're playing as some random country I don't even know!"

"...That's Portugal, Yotsuba. Cristiano Ronaldo, ring a bell?"

Yotsuba just froze.

"WHAT? Why didn't you tell me that was Ronaldo's country?"

"What are you talking about? You literally chose the teams without me! You suck at cheating. Now you're getting a good lesson", Inejiro said as both him and Yotsuba got ready for the kickoff. Miku just tuned them out while she cooked.

Unsurprisingly, Inejiro beat Yotsuba handily. 3-1. No penalties this time.

~Come out ye black and tans come out and fight me like a man show your wife how you won medals down in Flaaaanders~, Inejiro sang out loud to celebrate his victory.

"This completely blows! What the hell are you singing anyways?", Yotsuba asked, fuming after her loss.

"Irish revolutionary song…I beat the English, fits!"

"Jiro, stop making references no one understands but you! And your singing stinks, it stinks!"

"You should be more cultured. And suck less. And don't even try to cheat if you can't do it well. And screw you, I'm gonna be a star".

Yotsuba just gritted her teeth in anger but didn't hit him, just because he was feeling down earlier.

"If you're done fighting over nonsense…dinner's ready", Miku said.

"Oh, cool", Inejiro said as he rushed to the kitchen. "Gimme a plate I'll hand it over to Itsuki".

"She won't stop studying even for dinner?", Miku asked.

"Miku…to be fair, we should be doing the same as her", Inejiro said as he received a plate of omurice from Miku.

"...True, fair enough", Miku said as Inejiro headed upstairs, handed Itsuki her food without speaking much, and headed back downstairs.

"Hey, Nino just texted in our group, said that she will be here in half an hour or so!", Yotsuba said.

"I wonder if she's chewing Yamada's ear for hanging out with me earlier", Inejiro said as he grabbed another plate and headed towards the table, where Yotsuba was already sitting, giving the plate to her.

"Oh Jiro you didn't need to".

"Yes I did. Bon appetit, enjoy your meal!", he said while sticking out his tongue at Yotsuba.

"You know just because you were sad earlier it won't save you from getting kicked in the balls if you don't stop!"

"Miku, can we truly tolerate this violence? I think she should be punished".

"I think that you should behave like the adult you are", Miku said as she gave Inejiro another plate, this time for him.

"Sorry mom".

"...Never ever call me 'mom' again".

"Sorry, duly noted. Shouldn't we wait for Nino, though?"

"She would just complain about my cooking all night. She can make herself something", Miku said as she grabbed her own plate and headed towards the table.

"Well, then, now the three of us are here , itadakimasu!", Inejiro said, joined afterwards by the two sisters.

"It's good, Miku", Inejiro said as he tried his dinner. Yotsuba just ate slowly without saying anything.

"I'm glad you like it, Inejiro".

"I made the right choice, by the way".

"Huh? Coming here? I told you!", Yotsuba said happily.

"That too. But that's not what I mean".

"...Inejiro, what are you talking about?"

Then, Yotsuba realized what exactly he was talking about, and froze.

"Miku…did you ever wonder why Natsumi and I broke up?"

"She had to leave for her job. That's all you ever told us".

"That's not everything though. I was supposed to go with her. I had agreed to it".

"Why didn't you then?"

"Around that same time…your father offered me this job. It was clear to me that you girls needed me so…I didn't go. Natsumi got angry at me back then. Angry at you too. It's fine now but…that's what happened".

"...You stayed for us?"

"I stayed for myself. It wasn't a sacrifice. I didn't wanna leave you. That's all. And you should NEVER feel bad about that. I made the right decision, and frankly, I'm proud of myself".

Miku jumped out of her chair, ran towards Inejiro and hugged him. Any other guy would very likely have fallen off of his chair, but he managed to stay in place, and hugged her back. Meanwhile Yotsuba just watched, some emotion welling up inside her too. They stayed in each other's embrace for a while, until Miku let go.

"Idiot. Of course you wouldn't leave", she said with teary eyes and a big smile, uncharacteristic of her.

Unbeknownst to all three of them, Nino had already arrived, and had been listening to them for a short while.

"Yeah. He is an idiot", she said as she stood a fair distance from the table.

"Oh, more eavesdroppers, nice", Inejiro said.

"Don't let me interrupt your emotional scene", Nino scoffed as she headed to her room.

"That was not her reaction when I told her", Inejiro whispered loudly to Miku and Yotsuba.

"I heard that! And you're wrong, I told you you were an idiot too! Oh, by the way…", Nino said as she started heading back down and towards the dinner table, "...what the hell are you doing chatting up my friends?"

"You weren't gonna interrupt…eh, sure, I'll bite. Yamada was curious about Uesugi".

"Why would she care about that creep?"

"Couldn't you ask her? I don't know, she was with you when he gave that wondrous speech and you hit him".

"I did ask her. She didn't tell me anything about Uesugi. So, you're probably lying".

"Why would I lie about that exactly?"

"B-Because…I don't know you just, could!"

"Nino, I overheard them for a bit…they were talking about Fuutarou, yes", Miku said.

"Oh? And what else did they talk about?"

"I don't believe that is any of your business".

"If this guy is hanging out with my friends it is very much my business, Miku!"

"Sheesh, calm down. I'm not gonna defile your precious friends Nino, chill out", Inejiro said.

"Why are you so worried about that anyways? You're not his girlfriend, are you?", Miku asked.

"Oh I am SO done talking about this. Is this guy gonna stay here after all?", Nino asked.

"I can answer myself. I am, as long as it's not an issue", Inejiro said.

"Fine, suit yourself. But you go anywhere near my room and I'll kill you", Nino said as she went upstairs.

"...I thought you two were getting along better", Yotsuba said.

"She didn't even argue about me staying over. We are getting along better", Inejiro said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But…where are you gonna sleep?"

"The couch? Where else? My bad that I didn't bring over my futon".

"We could lend you one of our beds", Miku said.

"I told him that he could sleep in dad's room, but he doesn't wanna", Yotsuba said.

"Girls! I'll sleep on the couch!", Inejiro said.

"But Jiro you're our guest, I don't like you being uncomfortable one bit! Miku and I will share a room and you can sleep on one of our beds! Right, Miku?", Yotsuba said.

"Yeah. I don't see an issue", Miku replied in kind.

"Ugh…fine. I won't argue, I'm tired already. So, whose is it gonna be?"

"Take mine! My bed is a bit bigger, since I…well…move around a lot at night and stuff", Yotsuba said.

Then a very particular topic crept into her mind which made her blush.

"O-Oh we don't have pajamas for you…".

"I don't use pajamas".

"Y-Yeah but…I-I'll just change the sheets tomorrow".

"I won't sleep naked, calm down, I know to behave when I'm a guest".

"T-That's…", Yotsuba stopped for a couple of seconds, while blushing heavily, hopefully with no untowards thoughts in her mind, "...I don't mind, it's okay".

Miku looked at her sister with interest.

"Fine. I'll make your bed afterwards anyways, not like I've never done that before".

"Yotsuba, I'll go get changed. When you're ready, come join me", Miku said, as she got up and headed upstairs.

"Oh, I'll do the dishes then", Inejiro said as he started picking up the plates and utensils and headed towards the kitchen.

"Um…I'll go get Itsuki's plate for you", Yotsuba said as she headed upstairs at an uncharacteristically slow pace.

It took Yotsuba a few minutes to come back, and when she did, she did so accompanied by a pretty disheveled-looking Itsuki.

"Sorry Jiro, she fell asleep on her desk, had to wake her and everything…here you go", she said as she handed Inejiro Itsuki's plate, as her sister headed for the bathroom.

"Thanks, Yotsuba".

"Eh…are you going to bed right away?"

"Mmm…maybe I'll watch some TV first, don't know".

"We could watch something then!"

"Eh…I was planning on putting on the nightly news…"

"What are you implying? That I can't care about what happens in Japan and…the world? That's it?"

"Not that you can't…that you don't".

"Shameful! I so care".

"Fine. What's the Prime Minister's name?"

"Eh…Koizumi?"

"He hasn't been in office for a decade!"

"Oh I don't know Jiro, I don't know names and stuff".

"Whatever. It's your house…your sudden interest in current events being duly noted however".

"T-That's right! I'm a well-informed girl now!", Yotsuba said, striking a proud pose.

"Suuuure. Well, I'm done here. Join me if you want", Inejiro said as he headed towards the couch.

"Sure!", Yotsuba said happily as she followed him, and sat alongside him.

Inejiro turned on the TV and put on the NHK (may his grandfather never know). Around five minutes went on in silence before Yotsuba started asking questions.

"Jiro, why are they fighting in Syria?", she asked.

"I'm not gonna explain the Syrian Civil War to you right now!"

"Oh and that other thing…this Hollywood guy. What a creep!"

"Weinstein? Are you surprised?"

"I don't know…are all movie people like that?"

"Not all, but certainly way too many of them".

"Hm…I hope Ichika doesn't run into these kinds of people".

"She will".

"B-But Jiro that's not what you're supposed to say!"

"But hopefully she will surround herself with decent enough people to offset the demons. And have a good enough head on her shoulder, which she does. Still, it makes me as comfortable as it makes you to have her getting herself into that industry".

"Well…this is all in America though, maybe it is different here in Japan!"

"It is not at all different here in Japan".

"Hmph. Thank you for making me feel better", Yotsuba said with a grumpy face.

"Yotsuba, you're a big girl. There's a lot of good and bad in the world, and there's no reason why you shouldn't be aware of either".

"But I can't do anything about all this bad stuff! What am I gonna do? It's just…you get sad or angry for no reason! You can't do anything about it!"

"That's not exactly true, things aren't the way they are naturally. We people make them so. For good or ill. Everything can be made better or worse, to a degree".

"If you say so…"

A couple of minutes more went by.

"Jiro I'm bored!"

"Go to bed then!"

"But I don't wanna go to bed!"

"God there's little kids that behave better!"

"Maybe those little kids don't have friends that make them watch the news!"

"I'm not making you watch anything! You're free to go!"

"But I don't wanna go!"

"Then please let me listen!"

"Hmph…you're no fun", Yotsuba said while pouting.

Another few minutes passed them by.

"Come on, there has to be some soccer game from Europe or something right now, right?"

Inejiro turned off the TV.

"Ok, I give up".

"SO mean. You're like a grumpy old man!"

"Yeah yeah. I gotta go to bed anyway. You should too".

"Hmph…you know, Jiro…you should stay here more often".

"So I can be unsuccessful in watching the news?"

"No, silly! It's just…more fun with you around".

"That ain't what you just said".

Yotsuba gritted her teeth in anger while Inejiro laughed.

"Ok, you know what? I ain't saying any nice things anymore! You are a grumpy old man and ugly and mean!"

"Hey! I'm not ugly".

"Eh…m-maybe not that but you are all the others!", Yotsuba said while blushing.

At that point, the front door opened, and the missing Nakano sister arrived. The first thing she saw was Yotsuba and Inejiro seemingly bickering, which gave her a slight chuckle.

"Oh, don't let me interrupt anything", Ichika said.

"Ichika. Please tell your sister to either let me watch the news in peace or go to bed", Inejiro said.

"He turned into an old man, Ichika, I swear it! He just wants to sit there watching TV all day!"

"All day? 10 minutes will do!"

"Jiro is right, Yotsuba, we should all be going to bed, really".

"Hmph. Taking his side. Fine. I'm going to bed", Yotsuba said as she stood up and started heading towards Miku's room.

"Wait, where's Jiro sleeping after all?", Ichika asked.

"My room!", Yotsuba said.

"Oh…and where are you sleeping Yotsuba?"

"Miku's room!"

"...Poor Miku", Ichika said. Yotsuba tends to move a lot at night. That's not good for whoever may share a bed with her. "Aaaaanyways", Ichika started saying before noticing that Yotsuba was safely inside Miku's room, "...sorry for butting in, Jiro!", Ichika said playfully.

"What are you even…oh for fuck's sake".

"You looked like a couple".

"I do not care".

"A particular couple that is blood related to you".

"My grandparents? I didn't insult the reporters even once!"

"Not what I mean", Ichika said in the same playful tone as before.

"Oh some of you girls are getting real comfortable with your comments, you need to be knocked down a peg. Regardless, I'm off to bed", Inejiro said as he got up.

"Okay…good night!", Ichika said.

"Yeah, good night Ichika", Inejiro said as he started heading towards the bathroom.

"Don't know if it'll be as good as last night but…"

"ICHIKA. Of COURSE she actually told you…should have known…"

"Girls talk about EVERYTHING Jiro, you should know that, being so knowledgeable and all".

"Sheesh I only expect SOME privacy. I can only HOPE she was light on the details".

"That's a secret! I can understand why she remained single all these years though…"

"SHUT THE HELL UP! GOOD NIGHT!", Inejiro yelled as he stormed upstairs. Forgetting to go to the bathroom before…probably will have to get up in the middle of the night. Oh well. Ichika just chuckled and went over her nightly routine as well. There's the tutoring session awaiting everyone in the morning. We'll see how that goes. And if there's any tutoring at all.


A/N: Hey there! Another early chapter though not as early as the last one. Man, this site really feels like it's falling apart, doesn't it? Is this common? Not only are analytics still not working, now e-mail notifications aren't either? And also, I've noticed that randomly some chapters from some stories won't load. I have checked and sometimes it happens to this story too. So, if any of you tried to binge it and had to skip a chapter because of that, let me know and I'll make sure you can read it. These issues notwithstanding, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter, and see you next time!