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 7th, 2017. The Pentagon.

The whole night went pretty uneventfully, everyone pretty much slept peacefully aside from a few bathroom trips here and there. Inejiro was pretty beat having done some exercise in the afternoon and Natsumi leaving being generally emotionally taxing. That he forgot to put up an alarm also didn't help. But 'thankfully', if you can even say it's a good thing, some ambient sounds managed to wake him up. A huge scream coming out of one of the other rooms. He's not usually easy to wake up…but one of the girls screaming sure will.

Inejiro leapt up from Yotsuba's bed (which is of course too small for him) and ran out of the bedroom. He saw everyone was downstairs, so he hurried down. He found Nino sitting down cross-legged, still wearing her pajamas, and seemingly VERY annoyed at a kneeling Fuutarou. With Miku also standing nearby.

"WHAT HAPPENED?", Inejiro asked.

"THIS GUY ENTERED MY ROOM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!", Nino yelled.

"Nakamura what are y-", Fuutarou started to ask before noticing that Inejiro was wearing nothing but…his underwear. "Erm…Nakamura?"

"Yeah, what? Spit it out!"

"...I don't even know how to say it man". Miku turned around and also noticed the same issue.

"Inejiro. You're very lightly clothed", she said. Now it was Nino's time to turn around.

"OH I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT FIRST ONE GUY GETS INTO MY ROOM IN THE EARLY MORNING AND THEN ANOTHER ONE WALKS AROUND MY HOUSE IN HIS UNDERWEAR!", Nino yelled as she quickly turned back her head…although she kept looking off the corner of her eye.

"Bah, I just ran down because I heard screaming, what if something had actually happened? I'll just go change, you can tell me about the latest ridiculous event later", Inejiro said as he walked back upstairs.

"Nino?", Miku asked.

"What!?", her sister responded aggressively.

"You're staring".

"I am SO not…I hate you, I hate all of you!", Nino yelled as she now actually turned around, though red as a tomato.

Inejiro didn't take long at all putting on some clothes so he was back down in a heartbeat.

"What actually happened here then?", he said as he came back down.

"What right did this guy have to come into my room? THAT'S what I want to know!", Nino yelled.

"I gave him permission", Miku said.

"And what right did YOU have to let him in MY room?"

Just then, Itsuki and Yotsuba appeared. Itsuki was pretty disheveled, but Yotsuba already seemed up and raring to go. Fuutarou being there probably helped.

"He's back again?", Itsuki asked as she yawned.

"Wanna have breakfast with us, Uesugi-san?", Yotsuba asked him happily.

"Sorry, that was my bad…but I really want my handbook back already", Fuutarou said apologetically.

"Nino, you've been holding on to that thing for how long now?", Inejiro asked.

"Doesn't matter. He's acting unusually meek…I wonder if there's something in there that he doesn't want me to see…"

As Nino said that, Fuutarou tensed up noticeably.

"Nino just give it back to him already! It's his personal shit in there, not yours!", Inejiro said.

"Well he should have been more careful then!"

Then, Ichika also showed up. She left a small object in the couch's armrest, right next to Nino, and whispered something into her ear. Said object was an ear piercer. Nino seemed to get flustered after she and Ichika were done whispering to each other.

Then, Nino appeared to give Fuutarou his handbook back, only to pull it away from him at the last second.

"Huh!?", Fuutarou grunted in confusion.

"Come with me if you want this thing back", Nino said as she led Fuutarou towards her room.

"Ah, I don't even get it nor do I care anymore, I'm going outside for a smoke", Inejiro said as he walked towards the terrace.

"Jiro…don't run away", Ichika said in the same playful tone as last night that, at this point, was really starting to get in Inejiro's nerves. "Did you sleep well?"

"Slept like a baby, Ichika, thanks for asking. Though Yotsuba's bed is small".

"My bed ain't small you're too big!", Yotsuba yelled.

"Whatever, I need my morning smoke or else I can't think clearly. Wanna talk to me, come outside", Inejiro said as he now did walk out to the terrace. The mornings are pretty cold now, and up high from the Nakano apartment, the chilly winds surely don't help make them any warmer. Still, he'll just have to put up with it.

"Inejiro, do you want anything for breakfast?", Miku said with her head popping outside.

"Just some coffee will do Miku, thank you. Not that hungry".

"...Sorry for the rude awakening".

"I should have been up by then already anyways. Though holy shit did you really need to let Fuutarou creep up on Nino while she slept?"

"...I did, yes".

"Whatever. Not gonna argue about it. Damn it's cold up here!"

"Well I'm gonna go prepare breakfast, I'll let you know", Miku said as she popped back inside.

A few seconds later, Yotsuba went outside, and joined Inejiro.

"Jiro, remember, you said you'd make my bed!", she said, pointing at the slowly waking young man.

"Yeah, of course. Can I have breakfast first?"

"Yeah, I just didn't want you to forget!"

"Oh no, we can't have poor Yotsuba have to make her own bed…"

"Grrrr you're still grumpy! Stop being a hater!"

"I've just been woken up by a loud fucking scream, that made me think someone was in actual danger. Only to find out it was just some random shenanigans".

"But that's good then!"

"It's not good that Nino didn't give Uesugi his handbook back, it's not good that Miku let him into Nino's room without her permission, all the chain of ridiculous and nonsensical events that led to said scream are just wrong".

"I know! But…what are you gonna do? That's the way they are".

"I thought we had agreed that this wasn't gonna happen anymore. Bah, whatever".

"Sorry Jiro…is there something I can do to make it better?"

"Not saying you're sorry is a good way to start, since you had nothing to do with it".

"B-But…okay".

"Really, cut it out with that. You barely give me, or anyone, any trouble at all. So stop it".

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds.

"Okay fine you could let me watch TV in peace next time, I'll take an apology for that", Inejiro continued, noticing that he stepped on a bit of a complicated spot for Yotsuba. He's tried to make her see that she's not a burden before, it's unlikely to change over an early morning talk.

"Grrr…fine, I was wrong! I'll let you watch your boring news show next time!", Yotsuba said while gritting her teeth. Inejiro just laughed at her reaction and welcomed the change in mood.

Regardless, right then Miku's head popped right back out to inform Inejiro that his coffee was ready, after which both him and Yotsuba went back inside. Ichika and Miku were patiently waiting for Inejiro and Nakano number 4 to come back in order to start their meals. Itsuki couldn't help herself and was already digging into some pancakes, while Nino was absent…as well as Fuutarou.

"Huh? Where's Uesugi? And…Nino too", Inejiro asked, curiously.

"They went back to her room", Miku said nonchalantly.

"...Eh? What? Nino's room? I ain't been allowed there since…forever. Well, in her presence anyways…"

"There's just something Nino needs to take care of, and she enlisted Fuutarou-kun's help for it", Ichika said.

"Hm. I hope the price for getting back his handbook isn't too high…but enough of that. Miku, how was sharing a bed with Yotsuba?", Inejiro asked.

"...I have slept better", Miku responded. Actually, she does have noticeably large eye bags. What she said is an understatement.

"Oh…sorry Miku…but I slept so well though", Yotsuba responded, apologetically.

"It's astonishing how you can move around so wildly and be none the wiser…regardless, I'm not sharing a bed with you ever again".

"I told you I should have slept on the couch!", Inejiro said.

"Well…there was another solution…next time someone will have to share a bed with Jiro!", Ichika said.

"...He's too big, I would end up on the floor. Besides, just…no", Miku said before looking away ashamedly.

"There's ways to make sure you both fit…", Ichika continued, being her usual tease.

"Alright Ichika time to shut up now, you're scaring the children", Inejiro said, noticing that Yotsuba was blushing a lot as well. Itsuki was barely awake and focusing her entire consciousness on her meal, so she just transcended the physical plane of existence and didn't hear anything at all.

"I wouldn't say they're scared, precisely", Ichika said.

"And we're not children", Miku said.

"...This is the way things are gonna be all the time now, huh? Bloody hell", Inejiro said.

"Ahhh that breakfast was so delicious! I wonder if there's any leftovers…", Itsuki said as she started looking towards the fridge.

"Thank you Itsuki and bless the black hole you have for a stomach", Inejiro said.

"No need to thank…", Itsuki was saying before she realized what Inejiro had actually said, "...HEY! That was absolutely uncalled for!"

"Yeah, sorry. I don't think there's any leftovers from last night though", Inejiro said.

"And I'm not gonna cook again. Wait until lunch", Miku said.

"Eh…I'm sure Nino can cook us lunch!", Itsuki said, which earned a pout from Miku.

"Speaking of her…what's taking her so long? What's she doing up there with Fuutarou?", Miku asked as she looked towards Nino's room.

"Concerned, Miku?", Ichika asked.

"W-Why would I be concerned?", Miku asked.

"Don't answer that, Ichika. Leave her alone", Inejiro said.

"You seem touchy too, Jiro", Ichika said, again, in her sly tone.

"Oh for the love of God if Uesugi doesn't get back down here in the next minute I'm fit to start the lesson myself, and make it as useless and annoying as humanly possible".

"So…it's like…when you start talking about some random country or guy or…whatever you like to talk about!", Yotsuba said.

"Oh don't you come asking me for help with your homework anymore!"

Then, Nino showed up, holding in her arm what seemed to be a large book.

"Well I said 'help with homework' and someone came along", Inejiro said.

"Shut up. This is not a book", Nino said.

"What were you doing with Fuutarou?", a visibly jealous Miku asked her with a very serious expression.

"Who cares what we did?", Nino replied dismissively, as she went and gave the ear piercer back to Ichika. She mentioned something about needing to get pierced before her wedding day. Well, that won't be anytime soon. Probably.

"Here, look at this picture!", Nino said as she opened the 'book' (actually a photo album) she was carrying around and placed it on the living room table. She pointed specifically to a photo of the five sisters when they were younger, and still completely indistinguishable from one another when it came to their physical appearance. All of them wearing the same white dress and their pink hair in the exact same length. They were all making a peace sign with their hands (or victory sign, whatever you wanna call it).

"Oh? When is this from? You must have been like…11 or 12 back then?", Inejiro asked as he looked curiously at the picture, with all of the sisters also gathering around in a circle and looking at it excitedly.

"It's from the sixth grade", Nino replied.

"We were all so cute!", Itsuki exclaimed.

"Oh, it must be from Kyoto!", Yotsuba yelled, even more excited than the rest of her sisters. Of course, that's just the way she is. Nothing more.

"It must be from that field trip then…", Miku said.

"Oh, the one where you met Maruo. Yeah, I remember that. Nino didn't wanna go", Inejiro said.

"T-There's no need to talk about that right now!", Nino yelled.

"I remember Yotsuba got lost for a whole day", Miku said.

"T-T-That we REALLY don't need to talk about!", Yotsuba said very nervously. Ichika silently looked towards the upper floor and saw that Fuutarou was distracted looking at his handbook, and quickly looked away. Inejiro thought Yotsuba's reaction to that anecdote was strange, she's not one to be particularly ashamed about discussing her screw-ups of childhood mishaps.

He can't recall her ever talking about this trip either. Despite being very well-off, the girls don't travel all that often, so this is a very special memory they all share, and they do mention it often. Not Yotsuba, though. Clearly something happened to her, specifically, back then. Maybe it's just traumatic for a child that age to be separated from her family and group for that long,and it's not something fun to look back on. That's the most reasonable assumption one can make.

"Say, Jiro, you don't have many photos of when you were little, do you?", Ichika asked.

"Not…many, no. But…well I do have a few".

"What!? How come you never showed any to us?", Yotsuba asked.

"They're…private".

"Oh no, you know every little thing about us and you can't show us a picture of your own? Come on, do it!", Nino said.

"Leave him if he doesn't want to", Miku said.

"Nah, you know what…it's fine. I have one with me. Just…it's very special. You'll see why", Inejiro said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. From inside his wallet, he pulled a small black and white picture. All of the girls gathered closer to him so they could see more clearly. There's four people in the photo. One of them is very easily recognizable: Hideo, Inejiro's grandfather. He looks slightly younger in the picture, with less gray hairs on his head, but overall almost the same as he does in the present day. He is wearing what seems to be a white tank-top, his lower body not being visible. He's sporting a wide and teethy smile, with his arms wrapped around two youths.

One of them a boy, slightly taller than the old man. He's got short brown hair, and is wearing a high school uniform consisting of a white shirt and what looks like black pants. He's sporting a rather serious expression, very much unlike the older man.

Next to him a girl who looks to be about his age, and about half a head shorter than him. She's wearing her long black hair in a large ponytail that seemingly still makes it halfway across her back. Her eyes are not noticeable for reasons to be described shortly, and has tanned skin. She is wearing a sailor uniform. The interesting part, is that she is holding a small child in her arms, probably a couple of weeks old at most. She is looking down at him with a slight smile. It looks like the photo was taken inside a small and very humble apartment, but it's hard to tell much from it.

"...Inejiro-kun…are those your parents?", Itsuki asked.

"Yeah. Hard to tell that's dad, isn't it?", he chuckled.

"Yes. He looks very different. And that's your mother?", Miku asked.

"Yup. Did I ever show you a picture of her before?"

"No, you didn't. She was SO pretty!", Yotsuba said.

"That's the word around town, yeah".

"And that's little Jiro! Look at him! So cute!", Ichika said.

At that moment, Fuutarou came back down as well and went to see what it was that had everyone bunched up together like that.

"Hm? Who are those people?", he asked.

"The only Nakamura family photo you will ever see, Uesugi", Inejiro said.

"Eh? But you're not in it".

"He's the baby you idiot!", Nino yelled.

"The baby…so…those, erm…high school…students", Fuutarou was saying before being cut off.

"Yeah. They're my parents. And that's my grandpa".

"Wait, Jiro, where's your grandma?", Yotsuba asked.

"She took the picture, of course".

"How do you remember!? You were a baby!", she asked again, incredulously. Fuutarou just facepalmed.

"...I've been told, Yotsuba. I just have to believe the old man that it was grandma that took the picture and not Bill Clinton or something".

"Well I doubt it was that foreign sounding guy that took the picture".

"Yeah, me too", Inejiro said sarcastically.

"Inejiro-kun, is this really the only picture you have from when you were younger?", Itsuki asked.

"Not the ONLY one, no…but it's the one I carry around. It is the only one I have of my parents together and likely the only one I'll ever have".

"Your grandpa seems so happy here though…most fathers wouldn't be happy about their teenage son having a kid, would they?", Ichika asked.

"He was always very supportive, from what I know. Then again, most of what I know from back then is from him. So, grain of salt and all that. Dad will never ever talk about it, grandma tries to avoid it cause she thinks it will hurt me or whatever, and mom is…wherever the hell she is, Hokkaido last I heard".

"You didn't answer the question", Nino said.

"What question? Was my grandpa happy about having a grandchild? Probably. That's what he says, and I believe him. But I don't really like talking about this stuff too much".

"Have you spoken to your mother at all recently?", Itsuki asked.

"Yeah. Well, depends on how you define 'recently'. It was not long before you all started school. She's fine. Says she wants to come down here as soon as she has the money to do so".

"We could help her if that's the problem", Miku said.

"No. I have the money for a flight from Sapporo. If that was truly the problem she would have asked. She ain't exactly shy about it. God knows what she's up to. Anyways, I'll put it back now, hope you had a good look", Inejiro said as he put the picture back in his wallet, leaving each of the girls with a thoughtful expression.

"Alright…so can we study now? Midterms start in a couple of weeks, I'll remind you. And what I've been hearing about your grades…it's NOT good", Fuutarou said.

"I am doing just fine by myself", Itsuki said sternly.

"By ourselves you mean", Inejiro said.

"Without him", she answered back.

"Itsuki, we share a class. You're not doing just fine by yourself", Fuutarou said.

"W-Well I'll get better!"

"ALRIGHT we get it, Itsuki is a work in progress. Focus on the others please", Inejiro said.

"What else is there to say? I'm gonna have to work the hell out of you until the day of the midterms if we wanna have a good shot".

"Is it really that big a deal? I mean…if we do badly we can always improve in the finals", Miku said.

"Your father told me he's expecting results. He wasn't very specific, but I doubt he'll be happy if you all fail", Inejiro said.

"Hmph. Who cares what he says", Nino said dismissively.

"I care!", Fuutarou said raising up his hand.

"Bootlicker".

"This is my job, I will remind you! He pays my wages!"

"And that is why it is in ALL our best interests that everyone does well in the midterms. So, glad we're all on the same boat", Inejiro said.

"Well Jiro, why do you care about passing then?", Ichika asked.

"First of all, I want you all to do well. And then…apparently I'm supposed to graduate before I'm 30. Or something".

"Jiro, it will be a very long time before you're 30 though! You're like…eh…not 30!", Yotsuba said.

"I am 20, thank you for remembering. And I don't think she meant it that specifically, it was a manner of speaking".

"'She'? Ugh I don't even wanna know", Nino said.

"You…really don't", Miku said, chuckling a bit at the end. Ichika did the same.

"I am going to PRETEND this conversation is not really happening. And I have no reason to be here anyways", Nino said as she walked up to her room.

"I should also go work on my own studies", Itsuki said as she went upstairs as well.

"And here I thought Nino would finally join…oh well. At least we can finally start now", Fuutarou said.

"Wait what made Nino so angry? What shouldn't she know? Did something happen?", Yotsuba asked with a curious expression.

"...Or not", Fuutarou said as he facepalmed.

Ichika stood up and placed her right hand on her chest.

"You see, Yotsuba. When two people love each other very much…", she started saying before Inejiro cut her off.

"Alright that's it. Disciplinary measures are in order. Putting my foot down. From now on, until the midterms, you all have three strikes. And they're not daily, they add up. Each strike is for each time one of you gets sidetracked from the study session without my express permission, or Uesugi's. If any of you gets three strikes, you will have to read a whole book of my choosing, and write an essay about it. I'm sure Uesugi likes the idea", Inejiro said, looking at Fuutarou as he finished.

"I think that is a terrific idea!", Fuutarou responded, with a rather sadistic expression.

"Yotsuba and Ichika already have one strike", Inejiro said.

"What!? That's completely unfair! You can't apply a rule…like…re…what is it called when you judge someone with a law that didn't exist?", Yotsuba asked.

"'Retroactively'. You can't apply a law retroactively", Miku responded.

"That! You can't apply a law retrorapidly!"

"She is correct, you know…", Ichika said.

"Well it just so happens that I had a mock test prepared for today", Fuutarou said as he pulled out some sheets of paper from his backpack. "If you do well in this, your crimes shall be stricken from your record".

"That's not fair. What about me? What do I get for being a law-abiding citizen?", Miku asked.

"If you don't break any rules, and also do well on your test, you get a personalized one-on-one study session on any topic you like", Fuutarou said.

"You sure you're fine with that? More work time for you", Inejiro asked.

"Gotta make them pass somehow", Fuutarou responded.

"Oh, that's good. Hope you have a good Japanese history lesson prepared, Fuutarou", Miku said, smiling.

"Sellout!", Yotsuba yelled.

"Oh Yotsuba…you're not seeing the opportunity here…", Ichika said playfully. Inejiro gave her a stern look, but he can't do anything about her wanting to obey the new rules.

"So, here you go…", Fuutarou said as he gave each of the girls a mock test. "You have an hour".

While earlier any such tests would be met with an expression of annoyance from most of the girls, now they got to work quite diligently. It seems Inejiro's strategy, which Fuutarou jumped on board with pretty quickly, worked quite well. The carrot and the stick, as they say.

Miku and Ichika did well on their mock test, meaning that Ichika now has a clean record and Miku gets her alone time with Fuutarou. Yotsuba on the other hand…still has her criminal record. She did improve, somewhat. But not enough. Eventually, the session ended, and everyone went their own way. Except for Fuutarou and Miku of course. They went over a short history of the Takeda clan. Or something along those lines. Pretty happy turn of events for the headphone wearer.


Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, October 8th, 2017. Nakamura residence.

Sunday is a free day tutoring-wise, even though that might change for this following weekend given the nearby midterms. Inejiro had planned to go out to Nagoya and get himself a TV so he could enjoy Natsumi's gift, but it's an absolutely dreadful gray, cold and rainy day outside, which dampened his spirits quite a bit. So he just decided to stay in his apartment, doing some reading, fooling around online. The usual for this type of day. Nothing much happened, until the late afternoon, when he got a call. It was his grandfather.

"Grandpa? This must be the first time I've seen him use his cellphone…", Inejiro said to himself before answering. "Old man? Something wrong?", Inejiro asked as he answered the phone.

"Wrong? What would be wrong? Do you greet everyone like this?", the elder replied.

"You never ever use your cellphone. I figured…"

"You figured wrong. I'm out here having a drink. Come join me".

"A drink? It's…", Inejiro was gonna say that it's a Sunday afternoon but he remembered who he's talking to. "You went out with this shit day?"

"What? It's rain. Don't be such a pussy".

"Eh…fine, I guess. You sure everything's alright?"

"Yeah everything's alright. As alright as can be anyways. Either way, you know the place. I'll be here", Hideo said as he hung up.

"Grandpa? Dammit I didn't even agree…", Inejiro said as he lazily got up and put on a rain jacket, and headed out. It truly is an absolutely dreadful day. Strong winds even whipped up. It truly is like Hideo to not let the elements stop him from having a drink but…a man in his 80s? He should take care of himself a bit more, Inejiro thinks. Either way, he knows the bar, it's not far from his family's home. And not many bars would be open on a Sunday afternoon. That's why Hideo's a regular there.

Inejiro arrived eventually, wet up to his ass, to a pretty small traditional-looking izakaya, tightly hidden in an alleyway off one of the few commercial streets in Tokai. Inside he saw his grandpa, a small glass of whiskey in his hand, chatting up the bartender (and owner), a fat middle-aged man, about 60 years old, who had a somewhat annoyed look on his face.

"Hey, Shinji-san", Inejiro greeted the bartender as he entered the establishment. He meets here with Hideo somewhat often, so he's well acquainted with the man too. "Hope the old man isn't busting your balls too much".

"I just wish they'd shut down the NHK just so he'll stop busting my balls with it", Shinji said as he went to serve Inejiro a drink. "What'll you be having?"

"Whatever he's drinking…whiskey it is then. No ice".

"Heh! That's my boy!", Hideo said as he patted Inejiro's back.

"I'll be out in the back, so you two can talk about whatever it is you want to talk about. Yell if you want something, or if someone else decides to show up", Shinji said as he left.

"Grandpa, Shinji-san is working. Find someone else to spread anti-NHK propaganda", Inejiro said.

"Working? If I hadn't come he'd be scratching his ass all day. He should thank me", Hideo replied.

"Well, who else would come out for a drink on a stormy Sunday afternoon?"

"Wise men. Like us".

"That's not the word I'd use, exactly…anyways, what's up?"

"So…I wouldn't make you get off your ass on a day like this if it wasn't important".

"So something is wrong!"

"Nothing's bloody wrong! Fucking listen. Your mother called".

"...What? She called who? Dad?".

"No, of course not. She called me".

"She called you? And why would she call you? And how does she know your number?"

"Well…we do talk every now and then now that you mention it".

"Were you ever gonna tell me about this?"

"I am telling you now!"

"Sure, grandpa, sure. How long has this been going on?"

"I lost contact with her when she left. We got back in touch a few years later. About when you started primary school".

"I can't fucking believe this. You never ONCE mentioned any of this. She didn't either but for fuck's sakes I've only been talking to her for a few years too and I'm lucky if she calls every couple of months. But YOU!"

"What about 'ME'?"

"She's my mother! I spent years not knowing jack shit about her!".

"She didn't want me to tell anyone!"

"So what? You think I would have ratted you out or something?"

"I was not about to betray her trust! I was the only family that girl had left. Your father could NEVER find out, and your grandmother as well. And that is that. I'm not gonna say I'm sorry, because I'm not. You're a big boy now. You wanna get pissed, get pissed".

"...Have you met?"

"Every couple of years or so, yeah".

"I can't believe…how the hell did no one ever find out? This is absolutely ridiculous".

"Your father is always busy. Your grandmother…that one's weirder. But if she knows, she hasn't said anything".

"Old man, I…why are you even telling me this now?"

"I'm 82, Inejiro. Far as I know I could drop dead any moment. I had to tell you at some point, and I figured now you were old enough to understand and not make that much of a fuss. Hopefully I was right".

"I will understand ANYTHING you explain properly. So go on".

"I'm not about to defend her leaving…"

"I IMAGINE you're not".

"Yeah. But. It's not fair to act as if she was some evil demonic entity that just abandoned her child".

"She's not an 'evil demonic entity' but she DID ABANDON HER CHILD".

"What do you know about your other grandparents? Anything at all?"

"No. What could I know? Who would tell me?".

"Then shut up. You don't know anything. It's our fault mostly, but it's still true. They weren't very happy when she got pregnant".

"Not many parents would".

"And it's wrong. Whatever mistakes she and Sanzo might have made, they still needed support. Those sons of bitches did the exact opposite. I'm not gonna beat around the bush, Inejiro. They wanted to force her to abort".

"...What?"

"Yes. Look…I do believe…if she wanted to make that decision…it would have been her right. But she always wanted to have you. She was even proud to be a mom. She was 17 years old for fuck's sake. A kid. Younger than you. About your friend's age".

"..I…I just…", Inejiro started muttering as he grabbed the bottle that Shinji had left and poured himself another glass. His hands shaking.

"They kicked her out of their house, Inejiro. Their teenage daughter, who was pregnant. They told her that they did not raise a whore, and even less that they would raise a whore's illegitimate child. But if she 'did the right thing'...she could always go back".

"'Did the right thing'...what…what about…dad. What about him?"

"He didn't know what the hell to do. He was 17 too. And not as headstrong as your mother. Her plan was to take you and get the hell out of town. If he wanted to come along he could, and if not, she would raise you herself".

"Wha…what?"

"Yeah, with how things turned out…anyways, I put my foot down. Her heart was in the right place but it was a completely stupid thing to do. A 17 year old girl can't raise a kid on her own. So I told her to move in with us. Your grandma agreed. And your father went along with it".

"What about…her family?"

"Never heard from them again. I should have…done something about it. Got money from them somehow. You can't just abandon a child. But at the time…your parents, and you, were the most important thing. We made sure they both could finish high school, and your grandmother and I would raise you in the meantime".

"But…grandpa…why did no one ever tell me any of this? Why now?"

"I already told you. You're old enough to understand. Or eventually understand. Whatever happened afterwards…that I can't talk about. There were issues between your parents and it's for them to decide what they want to tell you or not. But that girl, by herself, is the reason you are here today. I don't give a flying fuck about what happened later, I wasn't gonna leave her out to dry if I could help it. That's not the world I want to live in. We don't discard people and throw them to the wolves like that".

"So…", Inejiro started to say as he pulled out the same picture that he showed the girls earlier, as tears welled up in his eyes. "That's how this came to be".

"Yes. I always believed you should at the very least have that. I hope now it makes more sense".

"I showed it to the girls earlier. Couldn't tell them much of anything. Maybe I can now".

"Yes. It's good that you now know a little bit more about your mother, and yourself. I still stand by my decision, though. If you're pissed at me, so be it. I have a clean conscience".

"You should have told me earlier. But…I can't be angry. You already did too much".

"Nonsense. I only did the bare minimum a father should do. I shouldn't get a prize for that".

"It's not like that. Most people wouldn't".

"Then they're wrong and should get fucked. That's why everything is the way it is. Everyone's looking after their own ass. Having a bare minimum humanity is not something to be proud of".

"Well l don't care. Drinks are on me toni…toDAY".

"Eh…I changed my mind, I am great, I deserve free drinks".

"The great Hideo Nakamura, selling his honor for a few drinks".

"Don't act like you wouldn't".

"Fair", Inejiro said while laughing. "When was the last time you saw mom?"

"Last year".

"How did you even".

"She wasn't living that far away back then. Eh, you probably know that. But she was still in Osaka back then".

"God knows why she moves around so much".

"She belongs nowhere, Inejiro. That's why. She ain't got no home in this world anymore".

"Hell, she can always come back".

"Yeah, easy for you to say. Still, I do wish to see you all make peace before I die. But it's not that likely".

"I think you have quite a bit of gas in the tank yet, old man".

"Oh that wasn't a comment about my health. I could live to 110. And you'll have to wipe my ass cause your father will be old too".

"Either way. I'm glad to have you around. Hell you're no small part of the reason I am around. At least here. I could be somewhere in Hokkaido. Imagine that. Dreadful climate".

"Such a pussy. Whining about a bit of cold".

"Damn right I am. How can you enjoy this?"

Their conversation went on for a couple more hours, ranging from the climate, current events, Inejiro's love life (of course), the NHK (doubly of course). And the drink just kept coming…which Inejiro regretted when it was time to pay. Eventually, he pretty much obligated his grandfather to accept a ride home, while he walked back to his apartment. He got back to his place at about 8:00 PM and fell asleep right away. Place bets on whether he'll be able to pay any attention in class on monday.


Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, October 9th 2017. Asahiyama High School.

"The midterms will begin next week. Just so you know, any scores below thirty will be deemed failing grades, as always. Be sure to revise, and revise well", class 2-1's homeroom teacher said, announcing the beginning of, basically, exam season. Of course, with Fuutarou leading the charge, the gang was already aware of it being nearby, but this will certainly serve as a wake up call.

During lunch break, Fuutarou left by himself in a hurry and deep in thought, probably thinking up some lessons for later. Inejiro isn't too hungry since…well he isn't feeling all that well for very obvious reasons, so he just packed himself a sandwich which he intends to eat by himself in the classroom. Apparently Itsuki had a similar idea, getting out her own lunch in the class. But also one of her notebooks. She noticed that Inejiro was eating while looking at nowhere absent-mindedly.

"Inejiro-kun?", she asked.

"Eh? What?"

"Are you not going to study…at all?"

"I guess I'll review some stuff later at home, but not now. Why? Need help with something?"

"Inejiro-kun! How do you intend to pass your midterms? Seriously!"

"I trust myself to get at least a thirty in most subjects, and the rest, piece of cake".

"Hmmm…hold on", Itsuki said as she stared at his face more closely. "You have eye bags".

"Look, I have a nose too!"

"Drinking? On a Sunday? Having class the next day? Again?"

"...My grandpa invited me".

"Don't blame him! You can say no!"

"Well, it was important. Still, I'm here am I not?"

"But you're not studying and I am pretty sure you aren't paying attention either!"

"And you're still refusing to study with Uesugi".

"What does that have to do with anything? We discussed this already!"

"And we discussed my own studies already as well. Look, I trust my abilities. I ask you to do the same. Or if you don't…just worry about yourself".

"And you don't trust my ability to do this without Uesugi-kun!"

"You need help Itsuki! Stop being so goddamn stubborn about it. Yeah, he called you fat and stupid and all that, I get it, he's an asshole. But he can help you. At this point if you keep refusing him then it's on you".

"W-What do you mean it's on me!? You see how he treats me!"

"He has his own moronic way to go about things, but he's trying to tell you to let him help. That's it. I know you wanna do well in school, and he can help you do that. Don't be so prideful, I get called worse things by Nino every day and here I am".

"Well you shouldn't let her treat you like that".

"It's whatever. Just please give him a try. We have a tutoring session later in the library if you want".

"M-Maybe…I'll try to talk to him…alone, later. If he can be a little bit nicer…maybe".

"Alright. I appreciate that you're giving it a shot. Now I'll leave you to your studies and I'll take my post-lunch nap", Inejiro said before placing both his arms on his desk and laying his head there.

Later in the afternoon the usual gang (Yotsuba, Miku and Ichika at this point in time) had their tutoring session in which, once again, Fuutarou reminded them of how close they were to the midterms, and scolded them for their lack of progress. Still, Miku pleasantly surprised him, seeming to study a subject other than Japanese history for once. Her one on one session must have motivated her or something. When they left the school premises, the girls went to their favorite parfait shop. They invited Fuutarou, but to no avail, surprisingly enough. Inejiro also refused the invitation since he's quite tired and has some errands to run. So the boys left by themselves.

"Wait, Uesugi, before you go", Inejiro said.

"What? Aren't we leaving together?", Fuutarou asked.

"But still it's farewell…", Inejiro replied as Fuutarou looked at him strangely. Seemingly he did not catch the reference. "Anyways. I gotta go get myself a TV. Gotta be able to plug my new Nintendo 64 somewhere".

"Nintendo 64? Isn't that from like the 90s?"

"And early 2000s, yes. Always wanted one and couldn't have it as a kid. But regardless, important stuff. Itsuki wants to talk to you".

"Oh? What about?"

"Tutoring. Won't say anything else. Uesugi: PLEASE, for the love of God, be nice to her. I beg you".

"I have been trying to talk to her but she-"

"Shut up. Don't call her names. Smile while you talk to her and play nice. Get it through your skull".

"Fine. What, is she coming to get me now or…?"

"No clue. I imagine she'll call you if she hasn't told you anything already. Anyways, if you don't mind, I'm heading downtown. Wanna get this done as soon as possible", Inejiro said as he headed off.

It didn't take him too long to head to Downtown Tokai and get himself a television. Tokai is not exactly a large city and everything is relatively close by, as we already discussed. And he knew exactly what he was gonna get. He got a 24 inch TV in which he could plug both the old AV cables the Nintendo 64 uses, while also carrying HDMI ports in case he ever wants to plug his computer there. All while not occupying too much space and being able to just place it on the floor somewhere. perfect.

He carried it back to his apartment without much effort, and got ready to make himself something to eat and go straight to bed. Which is when he was interrupted by a phone call. From Maruo. He picked up right away.

"Hi. Maruo?", Inejiro said as he answered.

"Nakamura-kun, hello. I trust I'm not bothering you", Maruo Nakano said in his usual monotone.

"Oh no, not at all. Tell me, what is it?"

"Do you remember what we discussed on Thursday?"

"There was my salary…and the midterms".

"Correct. So, I have decided which expectations I should set. I intend to have all of the girls pass their midterms without fail. I trust you and Uesugi-kun are up to it".

"...Have you talked to him about this?"

"I have. He was with Itsuki-kun. He behaved really strangely too…called me 'father' for some reason. You don't happen to know anything about this, do you?"

"I can think of absolutely no reason for him to call you father, Maruo", Inejiro replied. "...Yet", he thought to himself.

"Very well. That is neither here nor there. I know this will sound harsh, but I intend to have Uesugi-kun resign if any of my daughters fail their exams".

"It…is harsh, Maruo", Inejiro replied, taken aback by Maruo's comment.

"It may be. But I expect nothing but excellence. In order for it to be achieved, significant progress must already have been made. If not, maybe he is not the correct man for the job".

"What…what did he say?"

"I hung up the phone immediately after I told him. I must assume he agreed".

"Stop assuming shit for God's sake!", Inejiro thought to himself.

"If that is so…I guess we'll have to go for it".

"I trust in your abilities Nakamura-kun. Your position here is safe, so don't be concerned personally. I trust that you don't need such motivations to try your best for my daughters' sake. Uesugi-kun, I do not know, so I need to push him. It's as simple as that".

"Well…I don't want him losing his job either".

"That's commendable. So I trust you will do your best. Goodbye", Maruo said as he hung up.

"Oh for fuck's sake as if this tutoring crap wasn't hard enough already! I'm gonna either get a brain tumor or grow a third testicle! There's no fucking way they're all passing, it's impossible!", Inejiro yelled by himself, clearly overstressed by the situation. And then, his phone rang again. This time, it's Fuutarou. Not hard to guess what he wants.

"Uesugi h-"

"NAKAMURA! DID YOU KNOW THIS? HAD HE TOLD YOU BEFORE?", Fuutarou spoke, rather maniacally.

"Slow down! I just got done talking to Maruo. I assume he told both of us the same thing".

"We're fired if they don't all pass! What the hell are we gonna do?"

"Erm…not 'we', Uesugi".

"Eh? What? Just me? Why? Ugh…never mind, don't answer. Still, please, you have to help me!"

"There's nothing that can be done other than massively ramping up the studying. We need to have tutoring sessions everyday, Monday to Sunday, and as lengthy as humanly possible. I'll help with whatever I can".

"Thank you, but…Nino and Itsuki. They have to pass too!"

"Itsuki? Weren't you with Itsuki just now? That's what Maruo told me".

"Eh, yeah…that…".

"Man, don't tell me you messed that up!"

"I tried being nice to her! But she just…wouldn't have it! So I got a bit angry, I admit…then she got a bit angry too…so…"

"So WHAT?"

"...I might have said that I would never ever teach her".

"WHY?"

"She made a big fuss over me only teaching her because of the money! Well, I'm sorry but it's true! Why the hell else would I take this job? It's a job!"

"But you can't tell her that, man!"

"Look, the other girls, other than Nino, have accepted me as their tutor. Why can't she do the same? It's obvious that this is my job, and I do it for the money, like anyone else that works for a living!"

"IT'S NOT OBVIOUS TO THEM".

"W-What?"

"Exactly what I said. They're under the impression that you care about them, like friends, or partners, or whatever the hell. And frankly, I was under the same impression".

"But Nakamura, come on, first and foremost I have a family, I have bills, debts! That's my primary concern. Hell, I get it if THEY can't understand that, but y-"

"Believe me, Uesugi. They understand the concept of NEEDING TO PAY THE BILLS perfectly well".

"That's hard to believe".

"Shut the hell up and stop talking about shit you know nothing about. I'm gonna work my ass off to keep your ass employed, so don't say anything else if you don't wanna piss me off".

"...Fine. Still, the issue remains. Itsuki wants nothing to do with me, and neither does Nino".

"We're on a tight schedule but we WILL have to change their minds. Does Itsuki know that Maruo intends to fire you?"

"No".

"I'll talk to her. She'll understand. Nino will be more difficult".

"No, don't tell Nino! She'll do badly on purpose!"

"That will be trickier, but we WILL have to find a way. It's obligatory. If they don't join the sessions we've already failed".

"Yeah…and the others…Miku and Ichika MIGHT be able to make it, but Yotsuba…"

"Yotsuba is trying. If with the extra sessions she doesn't improve, there's nothing else that can be done".

"...That's really it, isn't it? Just work them harder and hope it works".

"Yes, that's it. There's no silver bullet. By the way, tomorrow, after school, session in the Pentagon. We'll skip the library and head there straight away so we can keep going until it's night time. With luck Itsuki and Nino will be there too and I can rope them in somehow".

"Alright…thank you for helping me with this Nakamura".

"Yeah. Don't make me regret it. I'm gonna hang up now, I'm hungry and tired. See you tomorrow at school", Inejiro said as he hung up.

Ready or not, exam season is on. Scrap that, clearly they are NOT ready. But Inejiro and Fuutarou will have to try their hardest or else, the tutor is out of a job. Simple as that.


A/N: Well, guess who's back? This guy's back. Sorry for being away for so long, it's just...well I'm doing fine but there's a WHOLE lot that is completely going to shit in a hand basket and has my attention right now. So concentrating on writing has been quite complicated. Regardless, allow me to apologize again for the wait. Good to see this site is still broken, some things never change. God willing from now on I'll be able to move back to the standard upload schedule. But don't be surprised if I peace out for a while again. I really enjoy writing this stuff and I intend to continue on. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and that you'll have a very happy new year!

Guest (24/12): I'll reply to this guest review too. You'll be happy to know I'm alive lol, all is indeed well. The wait is over, and hopefully won't be as long from now on. Belated Merry Christmas and happy new year!