"So that happened..."
"Haha...looks like what I told them caused them a lot of trouble."
Walking down the sidewalk of the main street on their way to Asahiyama High School, there were two students on their way to their first day as third-year students as they chatted casually.
They were Uesugi Fuutarou and the first sister of the Nakano quintuplets, Nakano Ichika.
"But that doesn't answer: what the heck are you doing here?" Fuutarou asked with an arched eyebrow and with his hands inside his black school pants.
"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing. Onee-san thought I could keep lonely Fuutarou-kun company, that's all." Ichika replied with her usual playful tone.
"You don't need to do that, really..."
"But I had to, really." Replied Ichika to state her position. "So far, I've been working on minor roles in order to get money for the apartment rent safely."
Ichika quickened her pace a bit to walk in front of Fuutarou, turning her head a bit in his direction.
"But I think it's about time to do what I really want to do."
"I see." Fuutarou replied simply.
Ever since Ichika had waited for Fuutarou at a coffee shop located on their route so they could walk to school together, which had happened enough times to make the amount double digits, Ichika had updated him as to the most recent events in the lowly Nakano apartment.
Ichika, a week after the events at the hot springs and a week before school started after the summer break, had informed her other four sisters; Nino, Miku, Yotsuba and Itsuki that they had this week for each of them to get a part-time job to help Ichika with the rent of the apartment they had rented.
Splitting the rent into 5 equal parts was probably the logical way to go after moving out and in fact that's what they had been doing, using the money from their savings to cover the expenses.
It was fortunate that the life they led while their mother was still alive had made them form the habit of saving a small amount of money each week in case any emergencies arose, as absurd as it sounds to think that these girls needed savings when you consider that they had access to an unlimited credit card, courtesy of Dr. Nakano.
However, once their savings started to run low, Ichika, as the only one with an active income due to her part-time job as an actress, had to take care of everything by activating her Onee-san instincts.
As she had told Fuutarou, probably threatening them with eviction and forcing them to return to the old apartment whoever couldn't do their bit to pay the rent was perhaps a bit over the top on her part. But, heck, she had to admit that it felt incredibly liberating to put into practice the advice Yotsuba had given her that night on the roof of the hot springs inn.
"It seems that Yotsuba was hired without a problem as part of the cleaning staff at a nearby supermarket. She's the one who used to clean my room in the old apartment, so I can tell that's her forte."
"What physical activity is not her forte?". Fuutarou replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Itsuki-chan hasn't taken the first step yet, but I'm sure she'll be fine". Replied Ichika after a small chuckle. "And as for Miku and Nino..."
"Like there's any other place." Fuutarou replied with a bit of a frown, remembering how a couple of days ago he had to 'interview' Nino and Miku having applied at the same time for the vacancy at the bakery he was working at.
"But that explains why they came so suddenly. Anyway, I don't care what they do, as long as their grades don't drop."
"Hahaha." Ichika laughed at her tutor's predictable response. "Now that we've come this far, we're aiming to make it all the way to graduation."
Suddenly, Ichika spun on her heels, clasping her hands behind her back in a flirtatious pose as she smiled amusedly at Fuutarou.
"I'm counting on you, Seeeensei!".
Fuutarou had to admit to himself that the pink petals falling to the ground from the cool wind breezes from the Sakura's trees planted along the sidewalk as decoration gave Ichika a certain flair. As such Fuutarou couldn't help but glance down at her pink lips before looking away immediately, with Ichika sighing a bit in amusement as she continued on her way.
Fuutarou reprimanded himself, it was better to forget about what happened under that bell. It was simply something that had neither head nor tail, and for which he would not find a culprit no matter how hard he tried. It was clear that he still couldn't tell them apart.
"You know?" Ichika said after a moment. "It might sound kind of weird coming from me but...I'm kind of lonely. They're all going to be busy with their own things, which I'm sure the time together will decrease."
Ichika stopped dead in her tracks, looking up at the clear blue Monday morning sky.
"We'll continue the road to maturity that way? All separately?" She said with a tinge of melancholy in her voice.
"Who knows?" Fuutarou shrugged, stopping a few steps away from Ichika just the same. "But I'm sure it's not a bad thing."
"You're probably right." Agreed Ichika before they both continued on their way.
However, that particular concern would prove to be fundamentally wrong. The bond that the Nakano quintuplets shared was far stronger than the red threads of fate.
Probably...
Once the two arrived at the school grounds, hundreds of students crowded near the blackboards in the courtyard, where, as usual, class rosters and class lists were posted. The commotion was evident in the atmosphere, either by girls who were not left in the same class as their boyfriend or unfortunate boys who turned out to be the only ones in their group of friends to be in a different classroom. And among all, the quietest, yet most shocked of all the students, Fuutarou, could only roll his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, turning without comment to go straight to his future torment once he read his name on the sheet of paper indicating the members of class 3-1.
His name, along with five names of identical surname below it.
"F-Fuutarou-kun? Wait for me!" He didn't bother to pay any attention to Ichika, who ran to his side once she finished looking up her name herself.
The annoyance of knowing that he would be sharing a classroom with his five silly female students is what made him completely ignore the rest of the names on the list. This didn't really matter given his zero interest in wanting to interact with others, but still, it was unfortunate that he hadn't seen a certain person's name written at the bottom of the sheet.
A person who, despite the crowd of students, she could identify Fuutarou perfectly, pinning her golden eyes to his back as he walked away with the intention of entering the school building.
Just like a litter of rats backed into a corner about to be exterminated, the Nakano quintuplets stood as their classmates surrounded them curiously.
"Wow...I knew the Nakano were quintuplets but...damn."
"I think this is the first time I've seen them together."
"Amazing, they look identical!".
This was the kind of gossip that the Nakano's had provoked to fill the air in the classroom once they entered the classroom. They could only smile nervously, trying not to show how uncomfortable they felt at all the eyes on them. Well, only two of them, specifically the more socially adept ones, did that. The more reserved one only offered her typical gray expression, while the younger one could only shiver, not quite sure what to do.
"It would be confusing to call them all 'Nakano-san'. Is it okay if we call them by their first name?". One girl asked.
"Yeah, it's probably more comfortable that way." Ichika replied with a smile.
"Can they know what the other one thinks?".
"Sorry, we don't have telepathy..." Replied Nino to another girl.
"Miku-chan is also very cute, isn't she? You should show your face more!". Said a girl encouragingly as she got perhaps a little too close to Miku, who backed away a little uncomfortably.
Soon, everyone started bombarding them with questions, and once too many were asked, approaching them for attention was the norm.
"Waaah!" Yotsuba shouted a little panicked.
"E-Everyone calm down, please!". Itsuki exclaimed, using her hands to try to restrain and push her companions away.
"Please step aside."
Suddenly, a dry voice exclaimed from behind the crowd in an authoritative tone, causing everyone present to be silenced as they turned to see who it was.
There they could see a black-haired boy with a pair of scissor-like locks crowning his head.
"Fuutarou." Miku said softly once she noticed his presence.
"Please help us!". In contrast, Yotsuba spoke much louder.
"What's wrong? Are you curious about the Nakano too?". A boy asked this new presence.
"I need to go to the restroom, so please step aside."
Pushing past as if this was his house, Fuutarou pushed his way through the crowd heading for the door to exit the classroom, with some of the students muttering about his bad manners.
"F-Fuu-kun?"
Nino's soft call caused Fuutarou to quicken his pace, not quite sure about how to deal with that particular quintuplet. He'd have to figure that one out soon, but since Nino had confessed to him before summer vacation when they were celebrating everyone passing their final exams, no one could really blame him for not knowing how to move with her.
"Hahaha, he's ignoring us again." Ichika commented with a somewhat brittle laugh as she watched Fuutarou walk through the door.
"It's business as usual, isn't it?". Itsuki confirmed. "It's been like that since we were in second grade. It's his way of not relating to anyone."
"He's that kind of person." Miku said.
"I wish everyone could see that inside he's pure goodness...". Mused Ichika lowering her head a little.
"Tsk. It's her fault for having that attitude of hers." Nino spat crossing her arms.
"Hey, Nakanos." Pulling the girls out of their little character analysis, a boy approached them. "You've experienced that, right? Like, out-of-body experience?".
"Or being fully synchronized?" Another asked.
"...Where do they live?"
"Okay, enough for today." A little rather fed up, Nino ended her one-sided interview, with Ichika placing a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.
"Everyone, let's give them a break. Yeah?". Said a new, calm voice from behind these boys, coming from a handsome blonde-haired student. "If you all bombard them with questions like that, they won't know what to do."
"Takeda-kun!" A girl exclaimed, announcing the name of this student, who only winked in response.
"T-Thank you..." Itsuki said at this new presence.
"Yeah. It's just like Takeda-kun said." Affirmed a boy, scratching his head regretfully. "We overdid it, we're sorry."
"However, I understand your feelings." Takeda said. "Since they are quintuplets, they want to know more about them, but they better be patient. We have a whole year to get to know them. Yeah?"
"Ha...hahaha." Nino could only laugh hollowly with a vein in her head after seeing the wink he had given them after saying that. Why the hell did this guy's face seem to give off little sparkles?.
"Thank you~". In contrast, Ichika thanked him for his help.
"Please take a seat. We will begin with the orientation." Walking through the door, the teacher in charge of the class appeared in front of the group, with Fuutarou behind him to take a seat at his desk.
At that, Takeda simply said goodbye and went to his seat himself.
"Takeda-san, what a friendly person!". Yotsuba exclaimed encouragingly.
"Really? He looks like a fool to me." Nino commented rather disdainfully.
"Calm down." Ichika reprimanded her gently before she and her four other sisters went to their respective seats, taking up practically an entire column of seats.
Once everyone was seated and quiet, the professor nodded before speaking.
"Okay, before we begin I have something to tell everyone. We have a transfer student this year."
The professor's announcement piqued the interest of the entire room, except for Fuutarou, who was assaulted by a horrifying sense of deja vu before he began to study something in his notebook.
"Please come in and introduce yourself to the class."
After saying that, the classroom door opened wide, revealing a slender girl wearing the Asahiyama uniform, with long silky black hair adorned with a blue barrette holding one of the strands of her bangs. The girl advanced to stand in front of the entire class.
"Hello, my name is Kuruma Takebayashi. I transferred from Dinka High School. It's a pleasure to meet you all." She said in an elegant tone before giving a small bow.
"She just moved to town recently, so please treat her well."
The murmurs of boys and girls were not long in coming, already making all sorts of conjectures about their new classmate. However, none of these murmurs reached the ears of a certain youngster.
Fuutarou's heart stopped dead in his chest after the girl introduced herself, slowing down his writing in his notebook as he looked up to give his new classmate a glance, the same one with whom he exchanged glances for a brief moment before the teacher spoke.
"Alright Kuruma-san, you can take a seat in that spot over there." Said the teacher as he pointed to a certain seat to Fuutarou's left.
"Thank you very much, Sensei." She smiled sweetly and proceeded to walk to her assigned seat.
Fuutarou followed this girl's gaze until she took her seat. She simply gave him a small smile before being greeted kindly by her seat neighbors.
Fuutarou didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This last school year was going to be so fucked up.
"Putting that aside. As of today you are all third year students." Said the teacher once he stood behind the podium. "As such, it is your duty to set an example for the lower classes, so please conduct yourselves in an appropriate manner. That said..."
The professor paused briefly in his introductory speech once he saw a certain student decorating her head with a funny bunny ribbon rise from her seat and raise her hand as she stared at the professor in anticipation of being given the floor.
"Hmm, I see we have a question." He nodded in Yotsuba's direction.
"I voluntarily apply to be the class representative!". Shouted the fourth sister with encouragement and a determined expression on her face.
"Huuuh? We haven't gotten to that part yet."
"Give me a chance! Let me do it!".
"It's not like I'm telling you not to..." Said the professor scratching the back of his neck, mulling over his answer before relenting with a sigh. "Well...if no one else wants that position, I guess it's okay."
"I thank you very much Sensei!". Yotsuba gave him the brightest of expressions before rushing to the front, standing next to the teacher as the class clapped in acknowledgement.
"If anyone has any problems, please let me know!".
Unbeknownst to her, the rest of her sisters already had flushed cheeks due to the embarrassment caused by Yotsuba's behavior.
"While we're there, it would also be good to choose the male representative." Said the teacher. "Are there any volunteers? You can also nominate."
"Sensei, I know someone perfect for the position!". Yotsuba exclaimed with both hands on her hips in a lively manner and after a few seconds of silence in which everyone waited for the girl to make her candidate known, she pointed a finger at a certain place.
"Uesugi Fuutarou-san!".
"WHAT!?" Fuutarou exclaimed almost on impulse, rising from his place in surprise. He wasn't the only one, four twins arched an eyebrow, unable to comprehend what the hell Yotsuba was up to.
"Uh? Is Uesugi-kun a valid option?". Someone muttered.
"I can't believe he ignored Takeda-kun." Said someone else.
"I wonder what kind of person he would be..." Said a third.
"What have you done, Yotsuba?". Fuutarou growled to himself before turning his eyes to his left, only to see the new girl smiling at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Decided, let's move on to the next thing."
"Wait Sensei! I never said I would!"
Fuutarou soaked his face with the water from the sink to try to clear his mind. After lunch time arrived, Fuutarou left the classroom and walked towards the men's restroom as fast as he could while his heart was pounding. Not only because he really needed to use the restroom, but because this was the only place where he could get real privacy by keeping away the most obnoxious females on the planet.
Yotsuba certainly did something unnecessary by dragging him along as a class representative, something that needless to say he was totally disinterested in doing due to it interfering with his studies, but to his credit, that was probably the least of his problems at the moment.
She was back. Kuruma Takebayashi. His former childhood best friend.
Yes, Fuutarou agreed that perhaps he was taking this all out of proportion, treating Takebayashi as if she was some sort of urban legend or some sort of bad omen, however, Fuutarou had mixed feelings.
He remembered that name said by that scary old man in the hot spring.
Rena; the girl he met with him that day in the park days before the midterms right in the middle of that fight between Nino and Itsuki, was one of the Nakano quintuplets.
Fuutarou suspected it at first, dismissing it almost as quickly as it occurred to him. In his opinion it was impossible for such a girl to have ended up as one of those 5 idiots. The idea was absolutely buried once the said girl appeared in front of him, looking as...beautiful as he remembered her, but at the same time with that mysterious atmosphere that enveloped her, appearing out of nowhere and blowing away like dust in the wind.
Now that he knew that this alter ego's name was that of the quintuplets' late mother, Fuutarou was in despair at not knowing what to do. In retrospect, the theory that one of those girls was that girl he met in Kyoto 6 years ago made more and more sense once he thought about it carefully.
Fuutarou sighed. He had unknowingly reunited with the girl who had changed his life for the better 6 years ago in Kyoto, and now, he had reunited with another part of his past. Takebayashi.
Much older than Rena in his life, but just as important to him.
The younger came to wonder if perhaps some god was playing with him somehow, arranging the pieces so that this kind of super improbable encounters happened to him. But there was no point in thinking about that, now he had to think about what he would do next.
He would inevitably have to meet with Takebayashi at some point and he was honestly shitting his pants imagining what would happen once the Nakano's got involved in the equation.
Yep, this whole situation was a ticking time bomb, but hey, he was sure that this wouldn't be the last wave he would face and probably the ones that would come after would be much worse, so it was best to get this over with soon.
Drying his face and hands with a paper towel, Fuutarou stepped out of the bathroom.
"There you are." Said an elegant female voice beside him. "Fuutarou."
There, standing by the entrance of the bathroom waiting for Fuutarou to come out, was Takebayashi, greeting him with a smile on her face.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it? You sure have grown up."
"Takebayashi. It's good to see you." Fuutarou said with a nod. Not knowing what else to say, Fuutarou started walking at length.
"What? That's it? I thought that after 4 years of not seeing each other our reunion would be a bit more emotional, you know." Takebayashi said placing himself next to him.
"It's not what it seems, I'm certainly quite surprised to see you again, let alone being in the same classroom."
"Hehe, what a great twist of fate, Uh?". Takebayashi said, walking with her hands behind her back. "How did it go?".
"I don't even want to talk about it."
"Eeeh? That bad? Tell me, your lost big sister has to kick some ass?". Takebayashi said, half joking, half serious.
"Big sister..." Fuutarou muttered. "I've had enough of one dweeb who calls herself that."
"Hmm. You mean that girl who nominated you as a class representative?" Takebayashi said arching an eyebrow. "Or maybe one of her sisters? The one named Ichika, maybe? I don't think I've heard her name though, so I'm not sure."
"I had forgotten how terribly sharp you are." Fuutarou said with a wry smile.
"It wasn't hard, I mean, five identical surnames in the same grade just means they're quintuplets. Note also the numerology in their names. Besides, for one of them to act that way with you means they have at least some relationship in between."
"Couldn't you have applied to be the class representative? I need that girl to concentrate on improving her grades." Fuutarou protested turning his head to look at her.
"Nah, I was already class rep two years in a row at my previous school. I'm a little sick of it, if I'm being honest." Takebayashi said with a smile. "But, what do you mean you want her to concentrate on her grades?".
"Let's just say that I became the private tutor of those quintuplets since about half a year ago. So their academic performance is my responsibility."
At that, Takebayashi let out a small chuckle. "How ironic considering I used to tutor you during elementary school."
Now it was Fuutarou's turn to show a small smile, shrugging his shoulders with his hands in his pockets.
"Well, life takes many turns."
"Ya think so." Takebayashi said holding up a finger as an idea crossed her mind. "Hey, what do you say we have lunch together to celebrate our reunion? My treat."
"Yeah sure, why not?". Fuutarou said, surrendering to the gears of fate as he led the way to the school cafeteria.
Once at the destination, both youngsters patiently lined up in line in front of the counter to order their food, with Takebayashi lined up in front of Fuutarou so that she could order and pay for both of their orders. Fuutarou felt bad for others to pay for their food, but knowing Takebayashi, she would do it anyway.
As bossy as any.
"What are you craving Fuutarou?". Takebayashi asked, looking at the menu on the bar.
"I'll order the same as you. I'm really not used to ordering anything other than the Yakiniku menu, without the Yakiniku." Fuutarou said navigating his eye through the various menu options with little interest.
"Yakiniku menu without the Yakiniku? Can you order that?" Replied the girl turning her head to give him an arched eyebrow.
"Well, I found that it's the cheapest option on the menu. If you ask to take off the meat portion, they'll still give you miso soup and vegetables for the price of a rice menu." Fuutarou said, this time sounding quite proud of his words.
"Uhm." Takebayashi this time gave him a worried look. "Your family's situation hasn't changed, has it?".
"No. We still have the debt problem." Fuutarou said, scratching the back of his neck as he averted his gaze slightly. "Don't worry about it."
This time, Takebayashi put a hand to her temple in exasperation with a small sigh. "Geez, Fuutarou. You must feed yourself properly, did you know that? Otherwise you won't have the energy you need to perform properly. I remember you used to order that kind of cheap food in elementary school too, only back then it was the bento special but you ordered it without the rice balls."
"It still came with the fried fish and boiled egg." Fuutarou said, defending his stance.
"Gosh, I can't take my eyes off you for a second, can I?". Takebayashi growled.
"I thought it was because you're bossy." Fuutarou laughed. "Besides, you always had my back when we were kids."
"That's because I didn't trust you to be able to take care of yourself." She bargained with her head before the black-haired girl realized it was already her turn in line, moving forward so she could order. "What are you going to do about it? I guess some things never change."
Once Takebayashi occupied the front of the line, she asked the cook behind the counter for two orders of Yakisoba accompanied by 1 shrimp and pumpkin salad each, indicating that the second was for the boy formed behind her.
After getting their order and a glass of water from a nearby dispenser, both teens proceeded to look for a free table so they could have lunch. Fortunately, they didn't have to prolong their search too much once they found an empty seat located next to the wall of the cafeteria, which, coincidentally was the same one where Fuutarou met Itsuki half a year ago.
Takebayashi took a seat on the sofa attached to the wall, while Fuutarou took a seat at the opposite end facing the aisle.
"Look at that." Murmured a passing student. "Uesugi-kun's eating with the new girl."
"Again? I-Impossible..." Murmured his companion. "Lucky bastard."
"Again?" Takebayashi said arching an amused eyebrow in Fuutarou's direction, who could only grunt slightly with a frown .
"Long story."
Miku sat down heavily at the cafeteria table occupied by her four other sisters, sighing helplessly as she set her lunch tray down in front of her.
"Did you manage to find Fuutarou-kun, Miku?" Ichika asked once she looked at the downcast expression of her sister, who shook her head slightly before answering.
"No. I already looked for him everywhere. I even waited for him outside the men's room for a while just in case, but I didn't manage to find him." She said in a low tone.
"Waiting for him outside the restroom is kind of creepy." Nino scoffed.
"Hmm." Sighed Itsuki. "I wonder where Uesugi-kun went..."
"He seemed to be in quite a hurry to go somewhere after lunchtime started." Yotsuba stated once he remembered how her tutor practically bolted out of the classroom when the bell signaling lunchtime echoed throughout the school.
"He probably went to the teacher's lounge? Since he's now the class representative it's possible he was called in for something, right?"
"In that case you should be with him too since you're also the class representative. Anyway, what the hell were you thinking running for class rep and dragging Fuu-kun with you?". Nino said before taking a bite of her lunch.
"That's simple. I want everyone to look at how great Uesugi-san can be!". Yotsuba said raising her arms in encouragement. "Him being the class representative is the perfect opportunity to do that and of course, I'll be helping him closely.".
"That's very noble of you Yotsuba." Ichika said, smiling at her younger sister's pure heart. "Fuutarou-kun definitely needs to be taken out of his comfort zone from time to time."
"Still, that doesn't explain where Fuutarou got to." Miku said opening her can of Matcha soda to help her re-hydrate a bit after her fruitless search for her tutor. "We need to ask him about that as soon as possible."
"How strange...But no doubt he'll be coming here for lunch sooner or later." Itsuki said after swallowing her mouthful before turning her head slightly around the surrounding environment. "Maybe he's already here somewhere and we haven't noticed?".
The other four Nakano followed suit, turning their heads in all directions in search of Fuutarou, hoping to find him somewhere in the cafeteria.
After sharpening her eyesight a bit, Yotsuba finally found her tutor, sitting at one of the tables in the corner by the wall.
Having lunch with a girl.
"Hey..." Yotsuba called, raising her hand to point to a specific table. "I think I've already found Uesugi-san. He's having lunch with Kuruma-san, the transfer student."
Hearing that, the remaining Nakano's turned their heads in that direction at the speed of sound to see what their sister was talking about and sure enough, there, sitting at a table for two, was their private tutor, Uesugi Fuutarou, having lunch together with the new girl, Kuruma Takebayashi.
"W-What the shit?" Nino muttered with wide eyes of disbelief and sweating a nervous drop. "What the hell is he doing having lunch with her?".
"What business does that girl have with Fuutarou?". Miku said sharpening her gaze a bit.
"Hehe, it's quite unusual to see Uesugi-san having lunch with someone other than any of us, don't you think?". Yotsuba commented nervously.
"Easy, easy." Interrupting her sisters' train of thought, the most mature of them all, Ichika, decided to enter the conversation to offer a possible explanation to the scene in front of them.
"Fuutarou-kun is the class representative, correct? Surely Takebayashi-chan asked him to have lunch together to ask him for advice on how to easily integrate into the group, or maybe to give her a tour of the school's surroundings. Which would explain why Miku couldn't find him anywhere." Ichika explained in a calm tone without losing her reassuring smile.
"Right. Helping new students integrate is part of a class representative's responsibilities, after all." Itsuki stated in agreement with a nod as she gave a glance at the pair of students sitting at that table in the corner at the same time she felt a small pang in her chest.
Probably a sense of deja vu? After all, half a year ago she had taken the place of that Takebayashi girl, having lunch with Uesugi-kun.
"My ass. Why didn't she go with Yotsuba instead then?". Nino asked arching an annoyed eyebrow as she folded her arms.
"Yotsuba came with us as soon as class was over." Ichika said before taking a sip of her soda with ices to wash her mouth out. "She's probably a shy girl and went with Fuutarou-kun as plan B?".
"Very convenient..." Miku hesitated before taking a perhaps too hard bite of her sandwich.
"Still, it's refreshing to see Uesugi-kun talking to other people besides us." Itsuki said with a smile. "There's nothing wrong wit-."
Their dialogue was interrupted by the sight of Takebayashi feeding Fuutarou in his mouth.
!
The girls, without exception, gasped in shock after seeing such a shocking scene.
"W-What was that...?" Miku squealed.
"Maybe...Takebayashi-chan is a very friendly girl...?". Ichika proposed, more out of commitment to maintaining the big sister facade than anything else.
"That's behavior you definitely wouldn't exhibit with a stranger." Itsuki said, sweating nervously. "M-Maybe they know each other from something?".
"Hahaha...Ay that Uesugi-san, I didn't imagine he'd be so popular." Yotsuba said hesitantly with a bead of sweat running down her neck.
Having had enough and unable to contain herself any longer, Nino decided to go looking for answers herself. Placing two hands on the table, the second sister slid her chair back as she quickly stood up before circling the table to go to her target, much like a homing missile hurtling at full speed to destroy an enemy submarine.
The others tried to stop her, warning her that it was not the right time and that it would be impolite to barge in on their conversation, but, to no one's surprise, Nino ignored them and continued on her way.
Soon, the third sister decided to follow her eldest to help her find out what was going on and what was the relationship of that girl with Fuutarou. She was followed by Ichika, wanting to make sure that her volatile sisters did not provoke any conflict. Yotsuba got up and followed them shortly after with the same purpose as Ichika.
"E-Eh!? B-But..." Having been left completely alone at the table, the youngest quintuplet, Itsuki, exchanged glances between the backs of her sisters walking away and the lunch in front of her, doing this repeatedly before finally making a decision.
"I'll be back soon, Lunch-kun!". She apologized before she herself got up to run after her sisters.
"Why yes, it's tasty."
"See? I told you. I really didn't expect the food here to be so good. I guess I should have ordered two shrimp instead of one."
After Takebayashi gave Fuutarou a bite of her shrimp straight from her chopsticks, the two began to argue about the taste of the shrimp they sold in the cafeteria.
"Well, I don't know about that. This is my first time tasting them, after all." Fuutarou commented, wiping his lips with a napkin.
"That must be why you looked so glum when you finished your shrimp." Takebayashi said with a small chuckle.
"Do you want the rest? You looked a little disappointed when you finished yours, that's why I gave you some of mine." Takebayashi offered, picking up the leftover portion of shrimp with her chopsticks.
"Thanks, but I'm already satisfied." Fuutarou said, raising a hand. "You can keep it."
Takebayashi simply shrugged her shoulders before eating the shrimp on her chopsticks in one bite. After a while, Fuutarou decided to ask something.
"By the way, I was wondering, how did it go in Tok-?".
"EHEM." Turning their head in the direction of the newcomer who cleared her voice noisily to catch their attention, the couple sitting at the table met...
"Fuu-kun. So that's where you were." Nino, standing to the left of Fuutarou's seat placed her hands on her hips in an authoritative pose. "Where have you been? Miku has been looking for you since the break started."
"N-Nino? Uhm, well I-".
Fuutarou was interrupted once again as the rest of the Nakano contingent approached them from behind Nino.
"S-Sorry to interrupt your lunch~." Ichika apologized, emerging from behind Nino as she placed both hands on her sister's shoulders trying to appear as benevolent as possible.
"Fuutarou, I was looking for you." Miku said crisply as she placed herself to the right of Fuutarou's seat.
"Yeah, I was already told that..."
"Besides, may I know who you are?". Nino said in a curt tone, turning her head in Takebayashi's direction as she shot her a sharp glare that demanded a quick answer.
"Hi. My name is Kuruma Takebayashi and I'm in your same class, I haven't had the chance to introduce myself to you so it's quite a pleasure to meet you." Takebayashi said politely, bowing her head in courtesy briefly before giving each quint a quick glance at each quint.
"It's also a pleasure to meet you Kuruma-san!". Yotsuba said in a cheerful tone trying to dispel the tense atmosphere that enveloped the atmosphere.
"Anyway. Fuu-kun, come have lunch with us, there's something we need to ask you.". Nino said, dismissing Takebayashi as if it was nothing before shifting her gaze to her tutor.
"And why don't you ask me at once?". Fuutarou asked looking genuinely confused. What was that important thing they wanted to ask him? Although knowing them, surely that something had nothing to do with school.
"We can't, silly! It's something private, understand? Pri-va-te." Nino said slurring her words as she folded her arms, growing more and more impatient as she shot a fleeting glance at Takebayashi to make a point.
"But I'm having lunch with Takebayashi."
"Uesugi-kun is right, Nino." Itsuki interjected in a firm tone. "It would be very impolite of us to leave Kuruma-san here alone when she's already having lunch with Uesugi-kun."
"That's it, that's it." Ichika said, clapping her hands as an idea crossed her mind. "Got it! Why don't we invite Takebayashi-chan to have lunch with us too? There's enough room at our table, after all."
"WHAT!?" Nino and Fuutarou exclaimed in unison as they turned their heads in the direction of the older sister.
"That's a great idea!". Yotsuba jumped in vigorous agreement. "What do you say Kuruma-san? would you accept?".
Fuutarou exchanged glances with Takebayashi.
"You don't have to accept if you don't want to, we can talk another time...". He said in a tired tone.
"Nah, it's okay Fuutarou, it'll be fun.". Takebayashi said picking up her tray of food before standing up. "I'll be happy to accept your invitation.".
After the Nakano quintuplets returned to their table and settled the two newcomers at it, the group of 7 students was plunged into a tense and uncomfortable silence, which was deafened only by the idle sound of multiple students chattering that filled the air of the cafeteria around them, especially the sound of Takebayashi and Itsuki casually continuing their meal as if nothing was wrong in the world, causing Nino to pop a vein in her head in irritation as she glared daggers at the black-haired girl.
Meanwhile, Fuutarou felt like a criminal who was caught in a police raid with no chance of escape. He was still keeping his face expressionless and bored as he tried to continue eating his pumpkin salad, but inside all he wanted was for the same cosmic entity that had moved the pieces to put him in this situation to lend him a merciful hand to help him out of this awkward moment.
Fortunately, his rescue incarnated in the form of Miku.
"Fuutarou." The third sister suddenly spoke as she looked at him with her typical bored look but inked with a slight frown. "As I said before, I've been looking for you to ask you something, do you have a moment?".
"M-Miku." Itsuki called softly as she pressed her index finger to her lips in a sign to be discreet.
"Ah please, no need to worry about me." Takebayashi called with a smile. "Pretend I'm not here."
"Easier said than done." Nino barked with a frown before receiving a small nudge from Ichika, who sat next to her.
"What is it, Miku?" Fuutarou said to Miku who was sitting across from him at the table.
"Here I have a magic lamp." Miku said while cupping her hands in front of her as if she was holding said object in her hands.
"That's witchcraft?". Fuutarou said arching an eyebrow, causing a small chuckle from Ichika, Itsuki and Yotsuba and a snort from Nino.
"You have to use your imagination." Miku said.
"I see, it's one of those personality tests then?".
"If it could grant you 5 wishes, what would you ask for, Fuutarou?".
"Hmmm...Well, I guess everyone would want to become a millionaire, don't you think?".
"Why am I not surprised?". Nino muttered before taking a sip from her bottle of natural water with disinterest.
"You have 4 left." Miku said, raising her hand and retracting her thumb to point to said amount.
"Normal is 3, isn't it?".
"Ask for anything. There's magic involved."
"Hmmm..." Crossing his arms, Fuutarou mulls over his answer for a moment before replying.
"I had been thinking about improving my physical condition. Thanks to certain people my tiredness has built up, so more energy would be nice. I also don't sleep well at all so something needs to be done about that...and while we're at it, I definitely want to improve my luck."
"Aren't those wishes a bit abstract, Fuutarou-kun?". Ichika said with her usual smile. "Can't you be a little more specific?".
"That's just it, Uesugi-san! Like, I don't know, what exactly would you like as a gi-?".
"Look Yotsuba!". Interrupting her older sister in a hurry, Itsuki shoves a spoonful of her dessert flan into Yotsuba's mouth to silence her. "T-The new flan in the cafeteria is very delicious don't you think? I-I think the cook said it was low in calories."
Understanding that she almost talked too much back there, Yotsuba keeps the spoon in her mouth not to speak again for a while, averting her gaze elsewhere.
"So?" Fuutarou said with an arched eyebrow, not quite understanding what the current conversation was about. "This wasn't a personality test? What kind of person am I? a TMK4 or whatever?".
"In my opinion I think you're a dummy."
Everyone at the table turned their attention to the owner of that voice, Takebayashi.
"What? Now what did I do?". Fuutarou growled.
"Are you serious, Fuutarou?". Takebayashi said arching an eyebrow. "I see you're still as dense as Wolfram.".
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?".
"You see?" The black-haired girl said with a small sigh.
"Uhm...excuse me." Itsuki started after seeing the interaction of the two teenagers. "You guys know each other from something? You seem to be quite close."
"Ah! That's right!" Nino exclaimed remembering the matter at hand. "What's your relationship with Fuu-kun? I highly doubt that strangers who just met each other would feed each other in their mouths."
"Did you see that?" Fuutarou asked.
"Hehe, in our defense it was pure chance." Ichika said scratching her cheek nervously.
For some reason, Miku had a complicated expression adorning her face, she seemed to want to ask something but she just kept quiet, lowering her head a bit shyly.
Takebayashi gave Fuutarou a quick glance, as if to ask for permission to reveal the requested information about their relationship. Giving her a slight nod, Takebayashi began to speak.
"That's right, that behavior is not something normal between people who have just met." Takebayashi explained in a calm tone, "But I guess it's something natural for us, I mean, I'm Fuutarou's best friend since elementary school, after all."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The air around the cafeteria suddenly felt colder to some of the students around the cafeteria. This was especially true at the table occupied by our protagonists, who fell into a deep silence after Takebayashi's words.
However, the wall of ice that had formed was pierced by the sizzling hot boiler of a ferocious locomotive with no brakes.
"Ah, I get it." Nino said gruffly. "We are his friends too, but we also have a tutor-student relationship. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that our relationship goes beyond being mere friends. We've even gone on trips together, you know."
Said the second sister in a boastful tone while waving a hand in front of her haughtily. Meanwhile, Miku clenched her fist on the table as she frowned due to this girl's behavior, with Yotsuba placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling the spoon out of her mouth to whisper to her to calm down.
"What fun." Takebayashi said without losing her confident expression. "Our relationship also used to be that of tutor-student. He used to be quite a rebellious student. I was very surprised that out of the blue he asked me to teach him."
Not only did Nino's eyes widen in surprise, the rest of the quintuplets were beside themselves at such a piece of information about their tutor's past, and among them, a certain quintuplet in particular was the most affected.
Yotsuba was wide-eyed, expressing a completely dejected look as she exchanged glances between this girl and her tutor, who were sitting side by side. She could only lower her head slightly so that her bangs partially hid her face.
"For the record, that was only for a couple of months until I was able to study on my own." Fuutarou said running a hand through a lock of his black hair.
"Details." Takebayashi commented before looking back at Nino. "But either way, that makes things pretty clear. The who is closest to him, between you and I."
Takebayashi still maintained her smile, but her eyes were not smiling at all, looking almost challenging. An expression of Ichika's caliber.
Against all odds, someone raised her ribbon to its full height with determination.
"I" Yotsuba said in a tone uncharacteristic of her, almost impulsive. "I'm the one who's closest to-".
"Thank you very much!".
Once again defying all odds and any sort of common sense, the younger quintuplet interrupted her elder in a firm but determined voice, causing Takebayashi to return her gaze curiously.
"If what you say is true, then it has also at least indirectly helped us get to where we are now. And yes, you're right, when it comes to the time to meet him, then there's no comparison."
Takebayashi smirked.
"But, with us he has always spent quality time."
Satisfaction that was short-lived.
The ocean blue orbs and golden gems stared at each other, as if silently competing to see who could hold their gaze the longest without blinking.
"Hey...you guys are embarrassing me a little, stop that." Fuutarou said, using one hand to partially cover the lower half of his face, probably to hide the subtle blush that was already starting to make a dent in his cheeks.
"A-Ah!" At such a remark, Itsuki's ahoge bristled to its full height once she process what she had just said, feeling so embarrassed that her face was already starting to camouflage with her red hair.
"Also, Takebayashi." Fuutarou called softly to his friend, who broke eye contact with Itsuki and glared back at him. "Stop testing them. They are my only friends here and each one is special to me...".
Fuutarou pressed his hand against his jaw, frowning in embarrassment at the cheesy words he had just uttered, though, to his credit, he probably didn't look as pitiful as the rest of the girls at the table.
Quintuplets 1 through 5 widened their eyes in genuine surprise, their cheeks already making them look like an orchard of ripe tomatoes ready to be harvested. Some averted their gaze to hide their faces, while others began to fan their hand in front of their face to dispel their elevated temperature from hearing such unusual words coming from the lips of their tutor.
Takebayashi, meanwhile, continued to look at Fuutarou thoughtfully before letting out an amused and slightly wistful snort.
"I see you have indeed grown up." She whispers softly, more to herself than to anyone else before turning her gaze to the Nakano, who at this point had already regained a bit of composure.
"I apologize to you. I think I'm still a little excited to be reunited with Fuutarou that I just got a little carried away." The black-haired girl said as she offered them a sincere expression by way of apology.
"It's okay, Takebayashi-chan!" Ichika said waving a hand to play it down. "We understand that Fuutarou-kun can make you act out of character from time to time."
"That's right, Uesugi-san can get you out of character quite often because he's such a pain in the ass!". Yotsuba exclaimed.
"Look who's talking!". Fuutarou snarled at the fourth sister, eliciting a small collective laugh that did wonders to dispel the tense atmosphere that reigned over the table.
Once the end of the school day arrived and Fuutarou and Takebayashi were separated for the day, Fuutarou and Yotsuba's presence was requested in the teacher's lounge along with the other representatives of the other classes to discuss any issues. Being practically free for the time being, the girls took this opportunity to make use of their time on their various matters until it was time to meet with Fuutarou in the afternoon for their first tutoring session of the third year, as such, Itsuki and Miku decided to go home together while Ichika went to her part-time job and Nino hung out with her friends.
"Geez...that surprised me." Miku said after a while with her eyes on her feet as she walked.
"All of them, I think." Itsuki said, understanding very well what her older sister was referring to. "The last thing you'd expect is for Uesugi-kun to be reunited with a...childhood friend..."
After sensing the tinge of hypocrisy in her words, Itsuki averts her gaze to the road, watching the cars on the street pass by as her hand anxiously tightened its grip on the handle of her backpack.
"No disrespect to Fuutarou, but he certainly doesn't seem like the type to have...well...friends like that."
"I think there are things about him that we don't quite know yet, that's why we have that impression."
Suddenly, Miku slowly begins to slow her pace to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk, with Itsuki taking a few steps forward before noticing this and stopping herself as well to look at her elder.
"Still..." Miku began, clenching her fists a bit at her sides before looking up ahead with an angry pout adorning her face. "That girl was really glued to Fuutarou."
The fiery aura that suddenly enveloped Miku illuminated Itsuki before she let out a small laugh.
"Fufu, it's okay that, isn't it?". She said with a smile. "You saw how close they seemed to be. Who knows how long they've been separated...so Kuruma-san acting that way with Uesugi-kun is a normal thing. I guess she also has the right to get to know Uesugi-kun again, since I'm sure the boy she remembers is not the same as the one we know. From her perspective, she must think he has changed."
Itsuki watches as Miku's pout slowly diminishes though she still maintains her frown.
"The same can be said for us, we have seen him change. There was no mistake in Yotsuba nominating him as the class representative. The Uesugi-kun of half a year ago wouldn't have had what it takes for the position."
"Mmmm... I guess you're right." Miku said with a nod after analyzing her youngest's words.
Both Nakano's resumed their walk down the sidewalk as they continued their talk.
"Though I also share your jealousy a little bit." Itsuki said with a small smile on her lips before wiping it off as quickly as she felt Miku's head crunch like a rusty machine in her direction.
"L-Like a friend! F-Friend-like jealousy!"."
Miku stared at her with narrowed eyes before returning her gaze to the front, much to Itsuki's silent relief.
"Yeah, I think we could all see how jealous you were." Smirked Miku like a shit eater. "Miss Quality Time."
"Ugh..." Blushing furiously at the memory of their little dialogue in the school cafeteria, Itsuki shrinks back a little. "Th-That was inappropriate behavior on my part...I'll apologize to Kuruma-san properly next time I see her."
"Hehe, I never thought you'd say something like that though. That sounds more like Ichika's style or maybe Nino's."
Itsuki is silent for a moment before looking down at the tips of her toes as she walks.
"Even I don't know what happened to me..." Itsuki says quietly. "It was almost an impulse, to tell you the truth...How unusual of me, getting attached to someone like him."
Miku looks intently at her younger sister's droopy, pensive countenance, sensing that her mind is waging some sort of conflict from the look in her eyes.
"I see..." Miku says simply before taking her sister's hand. "Anyway, it's best we get back home as soon as possible. Maybe we can hang out trying to figure out what to do about Fuutarou's wishes."
A bit surprised by Miku's unusual gesture, Itsuki is silent for a moment due to her impression before gladly accepting her sister's grip to mentally switch gears.
"Be rich, improve your physique, sleep better, more energy, improve your luck..." Paraphrased Itsuki the words of her tutor. "Hmm...wait a minute, couldn't two of those five wishes be fulfilled just by going to the gym? A body accustomed to physical exercise makes better use of oxygen and nutrients, which makes it easier to obtain and use energy."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Miku confirmed with a nod at Itsuki's explanation. "But for one gift to fulfill the function of the others is a bit..."
"I wasn't mentioning it in that sense, though. I just saw the relationship and thought to mention it."
"I understand. But I still don't see how we can manage to fulfill those 5 wishes for you." Miku said bringing the hand opposite to the one holding Itsuki's hand to her chin thoughtfully.
"Either way, we better work fast." Itsuki said with a warm smile. "It's coming up to Uesugi-kun's birthday."