The first sister, Nakano Ichika, entered the bathroom of the apartment she shared with her sisters. The girl untied the white towel that wrapped around her silhouette and leaving it nonchalantly on any spot in the bathroom away from the bathtub, proceeded to fill the tub with hot water from the faucet and lacking anything to do but wait for it to fill completely, Ichika allowed the white sound of running water to fill her ears and the steam that began to tint the tiled atmosphere to acclimate her skin as she sank into a small trance.
What she had done at school today...yes it had been bold.
The red-haired girl sat on a small bench next to the bathtub, adopting a pensive stance.
Pretending to be Miku. After Ichika sneaked off to the bathroom after that incident so she could get rid of her disguise, and even after everyone split up after this afternoon's study session, and even now, naked in the privacy of the bathroom, the needle in her heart hadn't stopped gnawing at her for a single second. I mean, there was no need to be a genius to know that what she did was absolutely disgusting.
Ichika, as the oldest, should be the first to realize the consequences this would have. We weren't talking about playing a harmless prank on a friend to annoy him, we were talking about her practically sabotaging her sister in every sense of the word, no, even the word sabotage was an understatement.
She knew perfectly well that Miku was in love with that boy named Uesugi Fuutarou. Back then, at that time, in those first few weeks when Fuutarou had become involved in their lives, Miku started to like Fuutarou. It was something that was obvious for miles and in fact, if she was honest, Ichika was happy for her. Ichika knew that Miku wasn't someone who was very open-minded, summing up her existence in one word: cold. She had started to be like that since middle school, around the same time each member of the quintuplet team started to build the foundation of their own being.
Why was she like that? Probably for the same reason Itsuki likes to eat so much. And again, that was fine, they had each become unique in their own way...but that didn't rid them of being imperfect.
Miku...as hard as it was for Ichika to accept it, she had to admit that the way Miku used to be, it wouldn't end well at all and she wasn't talking about her quiet and reserved attitude. The old Miku...compared to the current Miku, they were like comparing day and night. While one used to be pessimistic, negative, distrustful, a bit conformist and even with some self-esteem issues, the other was more cheerful, colorful and striving to better herself at every opportunity. This half year has probably seen her smile more than any other time.
And the reason for this change could not be other than the object of her sighs, Fuutarou. He somehow managed to melt Miku's icy heart, making her slowly experience the change she was missing.
Ichika couldn't help but smile. She never thought Miku, of all people, would start to, well, act like a girl, worrying about being feminine and all.
Ah, there was that pain in her chest again. Ichika cringed and her expression fell again.
None of that was a problem, not at all, quite the opposite. Yes, it definitely wouldn't be if Ichika herself hadn't fallen in love with Fuutarou. And it would definitely be even better if her other sister, Nino, hadn't also fallen in love with him.
With a mechanical action, Ichika got up to turn off the water faucet and calmly and very carefully proceeded to get into the bathtub. The warm and perfect temperature of the water was enough to relax every muscle in her body making the teenager unconsciously let out a slight moan of pleasure. She could feel all the stress quickly leave her body, and at the sensation, she closed her eyes with the intention of relaxing by inhaling deeply and the hot steam was an excellent narcotic for that.
Leaning her head back and resting it against the tile, Ichika could very well fall asleep right here if only the whirlwind of her mind would give her a break first.
Ichika knew she wasn't at the point of no return yet. She still had the chance to simply tell Fuutarou that it was all a joke and leave the minefield she wanted to enter, but...
"This isn't bad." She found herself whispering to herself. "Nino and even Yotsuba said so..."
She was being selfish by acting this way but didn't she deserve it?
Balancing her academic life with her work as an actress in order to pay the rent for the apartment her family was in had taken quite a bit of ground from her as far as love was concerned. To paraphrase the sentences of 2 and 4, shouldn't she fight for what she wants without holding back? After all that's what this is all about, isn't it?
Ichika sighed, what did she want? Fuutarou, yes, she wanted Fuutarou all to herself. She wanted him to only look at her.
That was clear, well, now how did she intend to achieve that? By sabotage.
Ichika knew that deep down she was only trying to justify herself because she was desperate, desperate not to lose, desperate to reach Nino. From her point of view, having declared herself had already put her in first place out of the 3 and this was the easiest way to even the playing field.
In love and war all's fair.
Ichika found herself frowning, relaxing the moment she realized this. She opened her eyes resolutely. There was no other way.
After today, Fuutarou should have already noticed her as well as Nino, so she just had to get rid of the others by taking advantage of everything she could.
And the best chance she would have to do that was...
Ichika stretched out, to one side of the bench she had previously been sitting on was a small table, the same one on which her phone sat.
Ichika had previously placed it in an airtight case that made it waterproof, perfect for using the device in the bathroom without having to worry about it getting damaged by falling into the water or by the humidity of the environment. Once in her hands, Ichika logged into her messaging app and opened her family chat.
She pressed the bottom bar with the intention of typing a message, and when the keyboard popped up, Ichika took a brief pause to think about the wording of her message before proceeding.
[Ichika] Fuutarou-kun's birthday is in 3 days, isn't it?
I see that everyone is very excited about his present. However, seeing how hard you're studying for the simulation exams don't you think we'd just be annoying Fuutarou-kun?
Let's just forget about the gift.
Send.
Ichika sighed once more, locking her phone before placing the screen against her forehead, silently pondering what was to come, which was actually easy as she was the only one at home at that time of day.
One of the many advantages of getting the others to get a job.
"Etto...what did you say?" Yotsuba asked confused.
"Okay, I think I said it too fast." Letting out a silent sigh, Fuutarou proceeded to repeat the explanation he had just given his student, and which was not directed exclusively at her.
Located in the school library after the school day, the group of 4 Nakanos and Fuutarou, were in their now usual study session.
"Plant cells have a cell wall as well as a cell membrane. In plants, the cell wall surrounds the cell membrane. Animal cells, on the other hand, have only a cell membrane, and lack a cell wall."
At Yotsuba's blank face, and the smoke starting to rise from her scalp, Fuutarou understood that that had probably been too much for the 4th sister, so Fuutarou folded his arms for a moment, pondering on what other way to explain it to her.
"Mhmmm, I know. Think of the plant cells as the rich, spoiled little girls in the neighborhood. They're such idiots that their father had to buy them a house with high walls so they could live in and he also bought them a trampoline for fun. Meanwhile, across the street, the lowly animal cells only have that old grandma's amaca and have to sleep in a box because they have no walls in their house."
"What kind of analogy is that?" said Itsuki across the table with an arched eyebrow.
"Hehe, Fuutarou-kun has a rather peculiar way of explaining things, doesn't he?". Commented Ichika sweating a drop. "Though for some reason I always remember what he's trying to teach us when he does that.".
"Well then it's a win. I read that elementary school kids tend to learn something more easily if you use simple analogies in between."
"For your sake I won't look for the double meaning in that." Itsuki grunted with a pout.
"Anyway, do you understand now, Yotsuba?". Fuutarou asked.
"I think so..." She said looking a little unsure.
"Well, then I need to get some air."
"Eh? Uesugi-san?" At the gaze of all present, Fuutarou stood up from his chair, turning around to leave the library looking rather tired.
"W-Well." Itsuki said, watching his figure walk away down the hallway.
"Did I say something wrong?" Yotsuba asked, giving the rest of them a worried look.
"Easy, Yotsuba." Calmed Ichika before stretching her body back. "We've been studying for the last two hours. I think we all need a break."
However, that wasn't enough for the third sister, who without much thought got up from her place with the intention of going after her tutor. Ichika just looked at her in silence.
"And by all this, where is Kuruma-san?". Yotsuba asked arching an eyebrow.
"She said she had to go to the booster school.". Replied Itsuki looking down at her notebook, intending to use her break to check her homework answers.
Once outside the library, Fuutarou let out a big yawn. Once again, he had stayed up late preparing study material for his students and setting up some mock exams so they could put what they had learned into practice.
With just a little more practice, they should be able to get back up to where they were in terms of scores. They had been studying on their own, after all. Fuutarou once again yawned again. I've barely been able to study for my own exam, but I guess I won't be able to do it...no! I have to force myself to do both! Today is my day off, so I'll study as much as possible when I get home. They are not a burden.
"Fuutarou?".
Snapping him out of his thoughts, a low and soft voice called out to him from behind, turning around to see who it was, he could see Miku there, who was approaching him at a rather fast pace.
Fuutarou could feel his tiredness quickly leave his body, not because the girl's presence relaxed him, quite the contrary. Yesterday's event was still quite fresh in his memory, and he definitely needed answers.
"About the exam..."
"About yesterday..."
They both spoke in unison, and realizing that they both had questions for each other, they quickly opted to yield the floor to each other.
"What's up with that?"
"You first, Fuutarou."
Fuutarou took a moment to look at her, clenching his fists, there was still nothing to indicate anything was wrong with her, though it's not as if his social skills were high enough to make a difference, however, asking her directly was more his style.
The girl for her part simply looked at him in silence, waiting patiently for her tutor to conjure up whatever questions he had for her, wearing a rather worried look on her face. The dark circles under his eyes that Fuutarou possessed clearly told her that he hadn't been sleeping properly lately, and that coming from someone who was used to sleeping late quite often was saying a lot.
"Yesterday you-".
"What are you two talking about?".
At the sudden voice coming from his left, Fuutarou immediately turned his head only to find the second person involved in this new problem, Ichika. The short-haired girl was simply looking at him with a cheerful smile and a curious look.
"N-Nothing." If he was really honest, Fuutarou didn't have the energy to deal with that right now, so he opted to retreat to the bathroom to try to freshen up a bit. He had been somewhat reluctant to deal with Ichika since this morning ever since he learned of her apparent crush from Miku's words. Not that he hated her, but once again he cursed his lacking social skills that made it very difficult for him to know how he should behave with her, though to his good fortune, the current problem of exams gave him the perfect excuse to leave it to his future self.
"I wonder if Fuutarou is alright...". Miku said to her older sister as she watched Fuutarou walk away down the hallway. "He looks tired...".
"He's fine." Replied Ichika at her side in a reassuring tone. "All we can do is lighten his load as much as possible. So let's call off his birthday, shall we?".
"...Okay." After a sigh, Miku lowered her head, feeling defeated. Although she felt quite reluctant with Ichika's idea, she had to admit that she was right, celebrating his birthday now would only distract him from his goal of being number 1 in that silly national simulation exam and Fuutarou needed to make the most of the little free time he obviously didn't have.
Miku took one last look at Fuutarou, who disappeared after turning a corner and at the same time watched as her sister turned around to go anywhere without another word.
What if we really are a nuisance?
Miku thought to herself as she turned around to go back to the library, shaking her head quickly once she analyzed the thought.
No, that's not true. It's just another one of dad's tricks. Fuutarou said it himself. He's trying too hard and it's not his fault that the five of us are hopeless idiots.
Miku lowered her gaze to her steps while reflecting on the words Ichika had said to her a moment ago.
That's right, we should strive to lighten his load as much as we can. We have beaten dad before and if Fuutarou succeeds, he won't bother us again. We have the advantage, Sun Tzu had said that if your army outnumbers the enemy 5 to 1, then we must attack!
With renewed resolve, Miku placed a hand in the pocket of her school blazer as she raised her head to the front and quickened her pace, determined to continue studying.
Just wait Fuutarou, I'll make sure to fulfill one of your wishes and we'll all give you a great birthday when this is all over.
And meanwhile, in the opposite direction from where Miku had gone, Ichika clenched her fists as her heart pounded again with that horrid feeling of guilt.
I can't regret this. This is the only way I can fight. I can't hesitate now.
Ichika thought to herself as she determinedly walked down the stairs of the school in the direction of taking a short walk.
Now that I've taken care of the others, this is my chance. I'll be the one to give Fuutarou-kun a gift.
"Geez, it took me so long to decide and I ended up being late~".
Once Ichika had reached the first floor near the school entrance, Nino's voice caught her attention. She could see her younger sister, with a face worthy of a schoolgirl in love and carrying in her arms something that appeared to be a gift, if the wrapping and bow were any indication.
"N-Nino? What is that?" Ichika asked bluntly.
"What? This? It's one of those American pillows that are all the rage. They say it's quite comfortable to sleep on so-". Realizing what she was saying, Nino clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Damn, it was supposed to be a secret...".
"Didn't you read my message from yesterday?" Ichika asked sweating a drop.
"Ah yes, but I really wanted to give him a gift, so I couldn't help myself. Ah, chotto mate, doesn't that mean I'll be the only one to give her something?". Nino held her cheek as her face took on a mischievous expression. "Fufufu, great. Then it means it will be doubly effective."
I totally forgot, Nino is like a train without brakes!
Ichika thought before noticing Nino's sharp fingernail pointing at her accusingly.
"So?"
"E-Eh? W-What's wrong?".
"You're going to give Fuu-kun a present too, aren't you? Don't lie to me."
Ichika staggered for a moment at the accusation, and seeing herself cornered, could only give Nino the point having seen through her, reaching into her school blazer to pull out a small cardboard envelope decorated with yellow flowers and an illustration of a birthday cake with the sentence "Gift for you" written in cursive.
Nino just returned her gaze without saying anything for a few seconds before speaking about something that had been bothering her for a while now.
"There's something I need to clear up." Nino began, crossing her arms. "On the last day of our spring trip I asked you to distract papa, but instead of Fuu-kun, it was dad who showed up at the meeting point. Do you have any excuse why?"
Ichika simply placed a hand on her hip, resting her weight on one leg as she pondered her answer.
"We have very different tastes despite being quintuplets, don't we?".
"Yes. That's why I never indulge them when I cook."
"Nino." Ichika said, sketching a smile at her amusement at what she would say. "You like Fuutarou-kun?".
"I love him."
"Me too."
"H-Huh...?" Nino faltered. If she was honest, that statement was not a surprise since she had already had her suspicions for quite some time, however, hearing it from her elder's lips so openly, surprised her.
"Why does this have to be the only taste we agree on?". Ichika deflated a bit before straightening up again, turning around before giving her youngest a sidelong glance, "I'm sorry Nino, but I won't let you keep it."
Nino gritted her teeth as her brow twitched with irritation.
"How condescending you are. Just because I'm the oldest you underestimate me." She growled in response, taking a couple of steps to plant herself in front of her. "Well so be it then, dear Onee-san."
Before they knew it, both teens were having a race of sorts, running up the stairs and through the school hallways heading for the library, competing to see who would get there first.
"And while we're at it, who would even think of giving away a pillow?".
"Haaaa!? Well, your gift card is in very bad taste!".
"Why? He can buy whatever he wants with it!".
This discussion ended once they both slammed the library door, glaring at each other with rivalry before a little screech in the distance caught their attention.
"Waaah!" Said scream came from the 4th sister, who had been startled by their sudden appearance, relaxing once she realized who had been responsible for that noise. "hahahah, what a scare. I thought Uesugi-san had returned."
"Yotsuba, what do you have there?". Approaching the table that the group had been using for a while now, the first two sisters noticed that Yotsuba had hidden something on the table with her hands and being curious, decided to ask about it, having a sort of hunch.
"Ah this?" Yotsuba said picking up what she had been doing since a few minutes ago. "I make a thousand paper cranes. I thought I'd do it during my breaks to pray for Uesugi-san's academic success."
"That's not given to sick people?". Ichika asked.
"Well, I heard that they also help for good luck...". Complemented Nino with a blank stare after noticing the around 40 finished paper cranes overflowing from Yotsuba's backpack, not understanding how her younger sister intended to keep that a secret.
"Uesugi-san has been looking very tired lately. Let alone what a huge burden it is for him to teach us." Yotsuba said, skillfully turning the green-colored paper on the table to fold it precisely. Those present thought she had certainly become very good at it. "So I wanted to pray for her health and... There, one more!".
Yotsuba announced triumphantly as she lifted the newly made paper crane the full length of her arms sporting a bright smile on her face.
"But didn't we say we'd call it off?".
That is until Nino's reminder caused her ribbon to bristle as she realized what that meant.
"Aaaaaaaah, sorry!". Yotsuba began to shriek, alarming those present. "I didn't mean it with bad intentioooooons!".
"Shhhh! Yotsuba, keep your voice down!". Sitting to her right, Itsuki abandoned sight of her book as she heard her eldest burst into tears, panicking at the mess they could cause in the library. Her example was quickly followed by Ichika and Nino.
"Y-Yotsuba, we're in the library." Ichika hastened to say as she pressed her finger uselessly against her lips.
"No need to worry so much, it's fine." Nino said, already sweating as a couple of nearby students turned their gaze in her direction.
"But I can't forgive myself!". Yotsuba said wiping away her comical tears. "Why it looked like I was cheating on them to take advantage of the situation! People who break their promises are the worst of the worst!".
Such dialogue from Yotsuba strained her older sisters to the bone, who looked at her with eyes wide as saucers while sweating profusely. Yes, they might have been the eldest of the group, but for Yotsuba of all people to point out as bad something they had done even indirectly was enough to fill them with shame.
Embarrassment that manifested itself with Ichika and Nino exchanging glances with each other before looking away.
"Sorry!". Miku, who had been poking her head out from the corner of the table, raised her voice as she stood up to make herself noticed, pulling something out of her pocket to show the rest. "I bought partner passes so we can train together at the gym. I asked for an advance at work so I could get them. I'm sorry I tried to take advantage of you...".
Almost as a shared reflex, they all turned their heads to look at Itsuki, who simply shook her head in response.
"A-Admittedly I bought my gift too, but I was planning to pay attention to you..."
We're quintuplets, after all...
Ichika thought with a sigh and a smile before taking control of the situation. This had been her idea, so she had to take responsibility.
"How about this? As I said before, it would only be a hindrance to Fuutarou-kun to give him his gifts before the exams, so we'll give them to him after we get the results back." Ichika said in a reassuring tone while winking.
The three younger sisters nodded in agreement with their eldest's proposal,
"Wait a second!". In protest, Nino pulled Ichika's arm to whisper something in her ear. "Don't decide everything by yourself!".
"No one understands Fuutarou." In response, Ichika simply smiled, "Even if they all give him their gifts at the same time, mine is the one that will make him the happiest, there's no doubt about it."
Nino could only click his tongue in annoyance as a vein appeared in her neck. This definitely wouldn't stand.
"So we're not going to give him anything on his birthday?". Miku asked resuming her previous posture poking her head around the corner of the table. "That still leaves a bad taste in my mouth..."
At that, the girls took a moment to reflect on her words, in truth, they all shared the same sentiment as Miku. However, they didn't seem to be able to do anything about it at the moment...
"Got it!". However, Itsuki quickly brightened her expression as an idea crossed her mind, quickly pulling out her phone and sliding a finger across her screen until she entered her short contact list, same where she clicked on a certain person's name.
"What's up Itsuki, who are you calling?". Yotsuba asked, full of curiosity as soon as she watched her youngest place her phone next to her ear.
"Calling for reinforcements."
School library, One week later...
Fuutarou struggled to keep his eyes open, taking all his willpower to stifle the incoming yawn and concentrate on continuing to derive the operation in front of him. It only took a couple more steps to finish it, however, Fuutarou had been stuck for 15 minutes, more to avoid nodding off and whipping his head against the table out of exhaustion than because the operation was somewhat difficult.
"Uesugi-Kun."
"..."
"Uesugi-kun..."
"Hold on, I'm almost there."
"...".
"Yeah...I've almost got it...in a moment."
"My gosh, you're such a child." Letting out an exasperated sigh, Itsuki, who had been standing next to Fuutarou's seat, placed on the table something she had fetched a moment ago from the drink machine in the aisle. "I can't believe you're still studying so late, you should at least do it at home. There's hardly anyone at school anymore, you know."
"And what's that?" Fuutarou asked, whittling his eyes to keep the tears, the product of a yawn from falling on his notes on the table.
"I bought you something to drink for working so hard. It should help you have some energy for a while." Indeed, what Itsuki had brought him was a small energy drink. "I'm not going to charge you for it if that's what you're worried about."
"Who do you think I am?" Fuutarou growled with a frown before taking the bottle, quickly uncapping it to drink its contents at a speed that made him look like a shipwrecked sailor on a deserted island. "What are you supposed to be doing here?".
"Hehe, well, it didn't seem right to leave you here alone, you know?". Itsuki replied with a smile at the tenderness of her tutor's stubborn attitude. "Today my schedule was free as it was my day off so no problem.".
"Day off?" Fuutarou asked, turning his head in her direction. "You already have a job?".
"Yes. I hadn't had the chance to tell you about it until now, but the other day Kuruma-san offered me to work alongside her as a tutor at a booster school. So I decided to accept."
"I see." Fuutarou replied simply, having a very vague recollection that Takebayashi herself had told him something about it.
"It's a very nice place, you know? Everyone has been very patient with me. I even met someone named Shimoda-sensei, who used to be a student of my mother's." Itsuki continued, raising her gaze straight ahead as a smile took over her pink lips. "I try to help Kuruma-san while developing my own academic skills."
"I'm not good enough for you?" Fuutarou said lowering his head.
"Please don't be angry, it's not the case at all." Itsuki said without losing her expression, tilting her head towards the large windows of the library to appreciate the moon, hidden behind a couple of buildings on the horizon. "For the sake of this dream that is passing tomorrow's exam, and even further finds graduation, I wish to see for myself how things are in the realm of learning..."
After finishing uttering those words, Itsuki tensed, flattening her lips into a pout as her eyes widened as she felt the temperature of her face increase after realizing how terribly embarrassing it was to speak her thoughts out loud. For some strange reason she didn't want to sound silly in front of her tutor.
"You guys are really unpredictable..." Fuutarou said scratching his head as his tone gradually faded. "Since we started this school year, Yotsuba, Nino, and even Ichika and Miku...and now you."
"Uhm? something happ-UH!?".
Her question was interrupted when the dry sound of Fuutarou's head whipping against the table echoed through the already silent place, startling Itsuki, who after processing the situation, only sweat a drop when she saw a large bubble on Fuutarou's nose, a sight quite familiar to her, though to her credit, her eyes were now closed like a normal person's, thus avoiding that 1000-sleepless look.
"My, aren't you a child." Itsuki whispered with a smile as she looked at Fuutarou, who had fallen asleep with his arms folded on the table, looking so...peaceful.
The red hair, on her side, simply remained there, standing next to him, looking at him with a strange mixture of feelings that she couldn't identify.
No, she could identify one of the many feelings she was experiencing at that moment: admiration. That young man in front of her, exhausted to the max, was in that condition for her, for her sisters. In the past she had confirmed firsthand how much Fuutarou made an effort to teach them, and while she knew that he did it merely because it was his job, the reality was that Itsuki had noticed that at some point it was nothing more than an excuse for Fuutarou to do what he did, going beyond what his responsibilities dictated, and although it is true that there was a time when Fuutarou wanted to throw in the towel with them, for some reason that made Itsuki respect him even more, feeling very identified with him.
God only knew how many times Itsuki had cried in frustration at not seeing any progress in her grades even after studying so hard, that is until she met Fuutarou, of course.
Slowly, Itsuki found herself raising a hand to gently stroke Fuutarou's hair delicately and carefully, as if she was caressing the most fragile thing in the world.
"You truly surprise me more and more. You are as stubborn and determined as any."
The peace and deep silence of the library and the nighttime high school schedule, allowed Itsuki's thoughts to flow at a level to which, as someone who had lived her whole life together with 4 other sisters and kept her mind constantly occupied with studies, she rarely experienced, enhanced by the silky touch of Fuutarou's hair between her fingers.
There was something in that last dialogue that bothered her, something that, coupled with some unidentified feelings, made her feel quite strange and a bit guilty, even. Her logical mind was already finding the cause of this, evoking the memory of a certain white dress.
Why was she thinking about this now of all times?
Itsuki immediately blocked that thought, knowing she wouldn't find the answer to that anytime soon and, instead, Itsuki remembered why she was here in the first place.
"Someday I'll tell you, so... " She carefully withdrew her hand and reached into the pocket of her trench coat, pulling out something that she subsequently placed on the table within Fuutarou's reach.
Once that was done, Itsuki took a brief glance at the sheet with the derivation Fuutarou had been making for a while now, analyzing it up and down for a moment before picking up a nearby pencil.
.
(...)
.
Brrrr Brrrr
"Nnhg...?" After feeling a vibration coming from his pocket, Fuutarou slowly opened his eyes to wake up from his little nap. "When did I...?"
Reflexively, the tutor pulled out his old flip phone, opening it to inspect who was contacting him.
From: Raiha
Brother. When will you be home? Are you still in school? Don't forget to buy milk on the way back!
Fuutarou, realizing his situation, responded to his younger sister's text with a simple I'm coming, got it. After that, he allowed himself to lean back on the table for a moment, this time being careful not to fall back into the clutches of morpheus.
"Damn, I fell asleep again and lost valuable time...". Fuutarou grumbled before letting out a heavy sigh. "Well, I guess I'll go home and see if I can study a bit after dinner...eh?".
Suddenly, Fuutarou saw 5 origami figures on the table just an arm's length away from him. Feeling rather curious about it, the tutor picked up one of them, turning it in his hands to analyze the object.
"Cranes, eh?". Looking closer, Fuutarou was able to identify pencil strokes and red-colored markings on the paper the figure was made of.
Wondering briefly what kind of paper it might be, Fuutarou decided, very carefully, to undo the folds of the origami, doing the same with the other 4 figures.
Miku, Ichika, Itsuki, Yotsuba, Nino.
In front of him, where before there were 5 paper cranes, now there were 5 test exams, each one perfectly identified with the name of the person who took it and probably what surprised Fuutarou the most, was that each and every one was graded with passing grades.
"Takebayashi, no doubt."
Yes, even though Fuutarou had provided them with these tests to measure their knowledge a couple of days ago to see if they were ready for the exam, only one person would have been able to grade them besides him.
Only now, Fuutarou noticed, underneath the girls' exams, the operation sheet he had been solving on his own and hadn't been able to finish because he had fallen asleep, noticing something written that was definitely not there before.
"But what the...?" If it wasn't there before, it definitely was now. Fuutarou noticed that the missing part of the derivation was solved. Fuutarou blinked hard a couple of times, feeling his sleep leave his whole body, he quickly did the whole calculation from the beginning in his mind, realizing that it was perfectly solved.
And, as if to mock him, next to the result was a note written in beautiful calligraphy.
I've solved it, so go home and rest. Tomorrow is the national exam and you need to get your strength back. No studying or else we won't study for a week. Raiha will tell me if you do.
After reading that and taking another look at his students' exam papers, Fuutarou couldn't help an unusual smile crossing his lips.
"Yes. I'm not doing it alone." Fuutarou said before starting to put his things away so he could retire. "They're trying their best too. I can't lose to them."
Once the young man prepared to leave, he took one last look at the library calendar.
April 15.
Fuutarou couldn't tell exactly what it was, but he felt like he was forgetting something. Shrugging his shoulders, Fuutarou pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he started on his way home, shoving his hands in his pockets.
He would have to be ready for tomorrow.
.
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.
.
"Quick, quick, quick!". Looking quite agitated, Raiha ran back and forth through her residence. "Here! Backpack!".
After dropping said items to the side of the table, Raiha proceeded to pull with all her might at her older brother, with the intention of moving him from there.
"If you don't hurry you'll be late, Onii-chan!".
"Five minutes..." Fuutarou said in a tone not too far from the one Miku uses as he stubbornly held onto the table to continue writing something in his study notebook. "Let me study for five more minutes..."
"No, wake up! Today's exam is important!". Raiha replied back as she increased the force she exerted to force her brother to get up. Seeing a 9 year old girl move her 18 year old brother around like a rag doll was quite pitiful to see, however, considering Fuutarou's poor physical condition coupled with his current fatigue, it was probably to be expected. "How did you end up like that in the first place!? Weren't you not supposed to study anymore?".
"I slept the recommended 8 hours, which technically means I rested. So I'm entitled to do whatever I want with my time after that." Fuutarou replied, rubbing his eyes.
"Well then do whatever you want but make it on your way to school." Raiha said, pulling a slice of bread toast from the pocket of her denim overalls to put it in her brother's mouth. "Here. Bread. Eat it."
Reluctantly, Fuutarou took that toast with a bite as he stood up, hanging up his backpack after packing his things in it.
"I'm leaving!" Fuutarou said before hurrying out of his abode, as Raiha waved goodbye to him.
"Best of luck, Onii-chan!".
"Go get 'em, champ!". Isanari, who had arrived on the scene after leaving the bathroom, gave his good wishes to his son before heading to the tatami table, where he reached out her hand to take a small carton of milk with the intention of drinking it. "Nothing like a nourishing milk in the morning, uh Raiha?".
Milk that was quickly snatched away by Raiha.
"Dad, again you left the bathroom stinky. How many times do I have to tell you not to drink expired milk?". Said the little girl with a grimace, pinching her nose to avoid breathing in the unpleasant smell that was already seeping from the bathroom. "Seriously, why do you buy this and wait for it to expire to drink it? It's such a waste. There's no point."
It gives it a special taste...
"Sorry." Isanari swallowed his thoughts and simply adopted a meek posture sitting on the ground in front of her, fully accepting Raiha's rebuke.
Watching a 9-year-old girl scold her own father was definitely a pretty pitiful sight to see.
"Good morning!".
As Fuutarou drew closer and closer to the school grounds, 5 identical voices greeted him in unison and at that, the tutor averted his gaze from his study cards to look at those responsible. Immediately locating the Nakano contingent approaching him at perhaps a slower pace than expected.
"It's finally exam day." Itsuki said slurring her words.
"Those are terrible dark circles." Nino said, pointing out indeed, a pair of black bags under Fuutarou's sharp eyes.
"By what right do you say that?". Miku asked, hunched over in exhaustion as she carved her eyes. Something not too unusual coming from Miku, if Fuutarou was honest.
"How about it? Do you think you can make it to the top 1?". Ichika asked while letting out a big yawn. Not at all unusual coming from Ichika.
"Let's try hard, Uesugi-san!". In contrast, Yotsuba shouted in her characteristic explosive tone as she gave a couple of cheerful prances, looking extremely out of place considering the dark circles each had under their sapphire eyes, no doubt some proof that they had been up late studying more than they should have been, though again, something to be expected coming from the living drummer that was Yotsuba.
"Of course-".
"HAHAHAHA." Interrupting his reply, a smug chuckle came to the ears of those present. "Uesugi-kun! The fact that you didn't run away is certainly commendable!".
"There it is..." Miku muttered with even more boredom in her tone after looking at Takeda at the top of the stairs of the school campus.
"He's rowdy this morning." Nino growled as she folded his arms. Ichika at her side simply gave him a disinterested expression.
"Uesugi-san won't lose!". Yotsuba sentenced as she clenched her fists together near her chest.
"I wasn't talking to you!" Shouted the blonde man as he walked down the stairs at a steady pace trying to look intimidating.
Why is he always like this? Was the thought that went through the heads of the 6 teenagers present in front of him.
"Uesugi-kun, this is our final battle. We'll settle this one by one-".
"Let's go girls." Leaving Takeda talking to himself, Fuutarou decided to ignore him and continue on his way. "We still have some time before the exam starts. Try to try as hard as you can, please."
"Hai!" They all said in unison as they complied with their tutor's instructions.
Takeda, somewhat puzzled by that reaction, turned around to see how the positions had now been reversed.
"I'm sorry, but it's not one on one." Fuutarou said leading the way. "There are 6 of us on this side."
"Hehe, That's what makes you weak." Said the blond as he watched as Yotsuba and Itsuki were the only ones giving him one last curious glance before continuing on their way.
"Please empty your desks and take your seats."
The time had come.
"Make sure you have only the essentials on it and don't turn the page until I give you the signal."
The final battle had begun, or at least, one of several scheduled for the day. Once the professor gave the final directions and handed out the test sheets to the first students in each row to pass them backwards, the classroom fell into a deep silence, listening as the second hand of the clock on the blackboard dropped the guillotine further and further down their necks with each tik tak.
"Good, you may now begin the national simulation exam."
Fuutarou was about to die. Not because the situation was stressful, no, in fact Fuutarou had already answered about 20 questions by this point. It was just that Fuutarou was very sleepy.
No, I can handle this! I'll do it!
Fuutarou said to himself, blinking as hard as he could to dispel the feeling of drowsiness in order to continue filling in the blanks of his exam at a fairly considerable speed.
Finally after a while, the bell announcing the time change resounded throughout the school, silently rejoicing the 3-1 class, who handed in their exam to the teacher before they could take a short break.
"Fuaaah! We finally finished one!". Said one girl sighing exhaustedly before getting up to stretch a bit.
"Yes. Japanese was very difficult." Answered her partner next to her affirmatively.
In contrast to these sentiments, 7 students quite tense. This was perfectly understandable if you considered that this exam was about much more than whether they were fit for university or not.
"Fuutarou, are you okay?". Catching the aforementioned's attention, Takebayashi approached his desk from his left.
"Fuutarou-kun, you don't look well..." And to his right, Ichika likewise expressed her concern and although they didn't address him, the rest of the Nakano family had the same question in mind.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Fuutarou replied weakly as he momentarily closed his eyes in hopes of getting as much rest as possible in his down time. "You guys just worry about not flunking".
And evidently, such a response only caused the girls to exchange glances.
"Takeda-kun, how'd it go?" Someone asked as he turned in his seat to speak to the blond. "You look confident as always."
"Since you're the one we're talking about, surely you'll get those 200 points, no?". Spoke his benchmate to his right.
"Haha, I'm not too sure about that." Takeda replied with a smile. "Classical Literature took me a long time, so I might have a wrong answer."
"Even having just one wrong answer is awesome, man." Said the boy sitting across from him, looking surprised by his answer. "Does that mean you'll be the number one student in the school again?".
It was fortunate that the next teacher on the schedule was entering the classroom at that very moment, as 6 girls turned their heads in his direction when they heard what that classmate said.
Ignoring the pressure exerted, Takeda unlocked his phone after receiving a message notification.
Father: Yuusuke, come to my office at lunchtime. It's urgent.
Once that time had arrived, relief and exhausted sighs flooded the air around the school like a wave, as they could finally enjoy a real break while they replenished their energy after exam after exam.
This was quintuple true for a certain tutor, who after hearing the school bell, could immediately feel like his soul was about to go to some distant realm.
Just a little bit more, there are only 2 more subjects left and this will finally be over.
He was trying to cheer himself up at his desk as his gaze stared into some point of emptiness.
"Hey, Fuutarou..." Takebayashi caught his attention as he placed something on his desk. "Here, barley tea, it should help you regain your energy."
"Eh?" Fuutarou asked weakly, a bit disconnected before accepting the girl's gesture. "Ah yes, thank you, Take."
"Fuutarou..." From his other side, Miku's soft, yet annoyingly tinged voice caught his attention, turning around, he could see the 3rd sister with a pout on her face dedicated to the black-haired girl while carrying something in her hands. "Here, I thought you might need some energy, so I made you a bento last night."
Needless to say, all of Fuutarou's sleepiness was quickly replaced by an urgent survival instinct, activating his senses as if he was facing imminent danger, and indeed, that was just the case.
"No of course not!" Nino hastened to quickly intervene once she heard the situation, rising from her place to restrain her youngest. "Fuu-kun is tired, he needs to sleep, not go into a coma."
"What do you mean by that?" Miku replied with venom in her voice. "What's wrong with my bento?".
"W-Well..." Ichika scratched her cheek with a finger. "How to say it..."
Ichika didn't even know how to explain what she was seeing. Somehow, Miku's bento had the appearance of Pandora's box, enclosing the most abdominal horrors on earth and since this was the first time Takebayashi had seen Miku's culinary talents in person, she put on a blank expression, silently wondering why there seemed to be something wanting to come out of the container.
"Even Itsuki wouldn't eat such a thing, and she'll eat anything." Nino interjected cross-armed, causing Miku to inflate her pout even more.
"Uesugi-san, why don't we go to the cafeteria?". In an attempt to mitigate the situation, Yotsuba proposed her idea by jumping up to stand in front of his place. "I'll buy you anything you want! It's an offer you can't refuse!".
"Well, I..." Fuutarou said, being very careful with his words. He didn't want to say that he would rather spend the rest of lunch studying for the last exams of the day, something told him that it would drastically reduce his life expectancy, that much was clear. With that in mind, Fuutarou chose his other option. "Thank you, Yotsuba. But I'd really rather stay and get some sleep before the break ends. I'm dying of sleep."
"Well, no more can be done then." Nodded Itsuki in sincere acknowledgement. "In that case I guess we'll go have lunch at the cafeteria, okay?".
"If Fuutarou wants to rest then that's fine." Takebayashi backed up. "You need to get your energy back. You honestly don't look good."
"Hehe, that's right, Uesugi-san should rest. Sorry." Yotsuba said nervously as she scratched the back of her head, remembering a very similar situation that happened when they were at the school camp.
"Relax, Onee-san will get you something yummy when we get out of school." Ichika said cheerfully with a wink as she led the way for them all to leave the classroom heading to the cafeteria so they could have lunch.
"So Fuutarou doesn't want my bento?".
"No, he doesn't want it, scram." Nino said crisply as she dragged Miku by the arm, being careful whatever Miku had in her hand didn't stain her knitted sweater.
"Phew...just two more...just two more." Once Fuutarou was alone in the classroom, save for maybe one or two students who had decided to eat lunch there, Fuutarou almost by instinct dropped his head onto his folded arms, getting his much deserved nap.
"Hey."
"Ugh, somehow I felt like everything was going too well..."
As Fuutarou had expressed between grunts, life can sometimes be a bit unfair, and on this occasion, his daily injustice manifested itself in the form of a blonde boy with rather irritating flashes.
"If you have time to bother me, why don't you go study or something?".
"Study?" Takeda scoffed. "Fufufu, that won't be necessary as long as I have this."
At Fuutarou's disinterested sight, Takeda pulled out a yellow-colored envelope from his back pocket. Although Fuutarou was terribly dense in things of love, he had a keen sixth sense that allowed him to tie up loose ends when it came to documents of all kinds. Courtesy of having gone through a multitude of jobs and having the need to be intellectually fit enough to keep his bosses from taking advantage of him. So, something told him that that envelope, in this situation, was a huge red flag.
"What is that envelope?"
"This envelope contains every single answer to the exam." He said with a confident expression. "Everything is written here."
"W-What?". Fuutarou sweatdropped. "Why do you have it? Since when have you had it?".
Yuusuke had a vivid memory of the moment he got this envelope, from none other than his father, the headmaster of the school.
"With this, my victory is assured no matter how well you do." Takeda said to Fuutarou with a smile.
"That's cheating!"
Fuutarou clenched his fists on his desk, his mind already working overtime to find a solution to the matter.
If what he said was true, he would surely get a perfect grade. In that case, any other options I had are completely out of the question. I'll have to get the best score if I have to.
Without losing his smile, Takeda took out a small bottle of calligraphy ink from his other pocket. Surprising Fuutarou, Takeda opened the ink bottle and deposited its contents inside the envelope before shaking it gently so that everything inside was unusable.
"Don't worry. I didn't even open that envelope until now." Takeda said with a sigh.
"You...why?".
"You know, Uesugi-kun, I...want to be an astronaut."
Fuutarou went blank.
"Uhm...what? Excuse me, could you explain it from the beginning?".
"I have always longed for that space that has neither earth nor sky." Said the blond placing a hand on his chest. "There is not even air. Only the infinite emptiness of the great eternity where humanity is nothing but dust in the great vast vastness of existence. So empty and yet so full of all kinds of mysterious wonders that-".
"Will you please explain it in less than 20 words?". Fuutarou grumbled.
"In this repressed life of mine, this is the only way I've found. Though of course it is very hasty. The opportunity to go into space is only reserved for a small handful of people. Which makes all the people on the planet my rivals." Takeda said in a determined tone. "That's why, in this small school, in this small country, even on this continent I can't afford to lose. Because I have a dream!". Takeda pointed his thumb at himself before pointing directly at Fuutarou's face. "I will defeat you with my own abilities! Victory gained through cheap tricks have no meaning!".
At such a monologue, Fuutarou's eyes widened deeply in surprise. If he was honest, he empathized quite a bit with Takeda's sentiment for while he differed about being an astronaut, that studies were the only way to get ahead was something he understood from the bottom of his heart.
Suddenly, Takeda went from being irritating to just annoying.
"Takeda!" Fuutarou called before resuming his sleeping posture. "I accept your challenge."
After a while, class 3-1, Fuutarou and the quintuplets were in the last exam of the day and everything was really going smoothly if it wasn't for the fact that...
"Erhmg...eeaaeh...uh". Fuutarou was once again fighting the battle against sleep, the difference with the previous times was that this time, he definitely had the odds against him. The mental exhaustion was becoming more and more unbearable. Having studied religiously every day until late, coupled with the stress of applying what he had learned to several consecutive exams on which his job and relationship with the girls practically depended, was too much for Fuutarou. To his credit, though, having endured so much was truly commendable.
And while it was true that Fuutarou had taken a short nap during the break, his brain was hungry for at least 2 full days of proper sleep.
At this point, Fuutarou was struggling to even read with his eyesight becoming blurry as his pupils slid down the paragraphs on the sheet.
"Ahem..."
This was definitely a problem for the girls, who slowed down their exam resolution to try to get Fuutarou out of his limbo. Fumbling, making subtle movements in their peripheral vision, kicking his chair slyly, anything they could think of, they tried.
"Fuutarou..." Even Takebayashi's kick to his calf when the teacher wasn't looking did nothing to wake him up.
This was a problem.
The quintuplets were panicking in the now customary silence of the classroom. While they were striving to answer their exam to the best of their ability, they could well afford to get some answers wrong, so they focused all their brain cells on getting Fuutarou to react.
Itsuki carved her temple with a pair of fingers.
Yotsuba was wiggling her foot anxiously.
Miku was gently biting the inside of her cheeks.
Nino anxiously twirled a lock of her pink hair on her finger.
Ichika was rubbing the bridge of her nose.
Takebayashi was grinding her teeth.
The second hand of the clock was definitely not making them feel any better, since far from being a help, it seemed more like it was some sort of lullaby for their friend.
It wasn't until the second sister blinked a couple of times that, after carefully going over every idea that crossed her brain, she stopped on one that was particularly good.
The only thing holding back the train with no brakes was that such an idea, whether successful or not, would be terribly embarrassing for her.
Nino played with her decorated pen in her hand, mulling the matter over. Yes, doing this would hopelessly compromise her reputation and she would probably be the laughing stock of the classroom and most likely the school with how fast rumors spread around this place.
But if she did nothing, Fuutarou would not be able to answer the rest of his exam properly, and if he didn't, he wouldn't get top 1 nationally, and if he didn't, then she might as well go falling in love with that blond with the trumpet voice.
Nino frowned at that thought, tightening her grip on her pencil until it almost broke. She couldn't allow that...
She...owed him.
Nino's heart skipped a beat.
She vividly remembered every moment between her and Fuutarou before she developed feelings for her tutor.
She remembered when she drugged him to put him to sleep the first time she met him and the second time after that, she remembered all the insults she hurled at him, she remembered all the times she sabotaged him so he couldn't give his tutorials, she remembered how nasty she had been to him.
And instead, she remembered how he never played her game, never insulted her, never treated her badly, on the contrary, he always wanted her to join his private lessons. She remembered how he had sacrificed so much not only for her, but for the rest of her sisters, even lowering her grades in the process. She remembered how he sought for her to remain close to her sisters, being the one who walked away even when she professed to be the one who would keep them together forever.
She remembered when she saved his life after almost falling off that cliff...
Nino had only one explanation to justify herself.
She had been an imbecile, an imbecile who had the audacity to have fallen in love with the one who had made her life impossible ever since she met him.
Nino looked down at her lap. No one could fall in love with someone like that. But to change that, she had to answer for her mistakes. After all, she was determined to win that tutor's heart.
With this in mind, Nino had a renewed resolve, clenching her well-manicured fist.
I owe him...I owe him this and more.
Any hesitation she had had dissipated as soon as her mind was made up.
Typical of a train without brakes.
My reputation...what the fuck does it matter now? Fuu-kun has been through more. And all mostly because of me...this is nothing in comparison.
Without another thought, Nino noisily stood up from her desk as she raised her hand to ask the teacher for the floor, much like how Yotsuba used to do whenever she wanted to answer some question from the teacher.
"Yes, Nino-san?".
At the unusual turn of events, nearly thirty eyes around the classroom were on her and while it was true that she liked the attention, this was definitely not her preferred way to get it.
"I think I'm having my period just now." Announced the quintuplet in the firmest and loudest tone of voice she could, "Can I go to the bathroom to put on a feminine towel?".
"Sure, take your time."
The professor didn't even feel like getting involved in that, giving in immediately to the young woman's wish.
"I deeply appreciate it." Nino possessed a blank stare as he moved forward, contrary to the dumbfounded looks of her sisters who clearly said WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?.
And she definitely wasn't going to notice the mocking expression of a certain black-haired girl.
"Ah!". Once the girl was standing next to Fuutarou's desk, she pretended to stumble and pounced on the teenager, making sure to speak as loudly as she could near his ear while grabbing him by the shoulders as if holding onto him to rejoin him, slamming her breasts into his back in the process. "I'm so sorry dear classmate Uesugi Fuutarou-Kun, I think my colics numbed my ankles!".
At those moments, Nino dug her nails into Fuutarou's shoulders, making the young man's eyes widen at the painful sensation.
"Please continue with your exam! I'll go clean up all that blood, hahahaha." Laughing falsely to make sure her goal was accomplished, Nino released Fuutarou as she walked calmly out of the room under the silent gaze of everyone and once she left, definitely no one wanted to say a word about whatever had just happened, deciding that it would be best to continue with her exams.
For his part, Fuutarou, being perhaps the most confused of all, simply arched an eyebrow at Nino's back before looking down at his exam, quickly regaining consciousness after realizing that he had answered the last 4 questions wrong, taking his rubber to take care of that mistake.
Once the day's classes were over, the group of 7 youngs headed for the Nakano apartment, as the owners of the property had practically forced Fuutarou to go with them, with Takebayashi following the group to make sure nothing got out of control.
Once they were through the gate...
"Hurry, hurry, this way!" Yotsuba shouted with haste in her tone. "Bring him this way!".
"Hey..."
"Take off Uesugi-kun's shoes!". Itsuki exclaimed, bending down to do such an action.
"You don't have to-".
"The futon is ready! Come Fuutarou!". Miku said, using all of herself to lead the young man into the living room, where Fuutarou could see a futon fully prepared for his use.
"But I don't-".
"Quiet Fuu-kun!". Nino complained. "You're so outrageous! Just let us take care of you and you'll be fine!".
"But I don't need you-".
"That's right Nino. Fuutarou-kun, he doesn't need to be taken care of." Ichika said.
"Than-".
"He just wants one of us to take care of him. And since I'm the oldest..."
"Kill me."
"For this time I agree with them. You need to rest." Takebayashi said with a nod. "So get in there and good night."
"You won't let me go until I listen to you right?".
"No." The chorus voices of the 6 girls made Fuutarou roll his eyes. Being surrounded and with his body begging to obey their orders, Fuutarou had no choice but to agree.
Once Fuutarou lay down on the Futon under the watchful eyes of the girls who had sat around him like some sort of sacrifice, Fuutarou's switch turned off, plunging the young man into a deep sleep.
"Wow, that was fast..." Miku said blinking in surprise.
"Hehe, Uesugi-san worked really hard. It's the least he deserves."
"Yeah. Now all we can do is trust that all that effort was worth it." Nino said with a slight blush. "Otherwise we won't be able to give her the gifts we prepared."
After the words said by the second sister, they could all feel the presence of the big elephant in the room.
"So..." Itsuki was quite hesitant to even ask. That little spectacle was quite new coming from her eldest. "Well...uhm."
"Do you need some tampons?" Miku asked bluntly, causing Nino to flash her canines in response.
"S-Shut up. Just so you know, I did it so Fuu-kun could manage to answer his entire test." Announcement crossing her arms. "That's all".
"I have to admit, that was quite commendable of you, Nino." Takebayashi said with a smile. "I apreciate it".
"Hmph! I don't want a word of this, understood? Without further ado, Nino simply gave the black-haired girl a defiant look before standing up in the direction of the kitchen.
"Tsun Tsun…" Takebayashi whispered, causing the remaining girls to let out a small snicker.
Another chapter that yes or yes had to upload before the end of the month. At first the chapter was going to be shorter but I really found it very boring so I decided to extend it a little, what did you think of that?
I'll probably start working on other new projects for the quintuplets if my student life allows it, so I want to bring you at least one chapter a month. Thanks for reading, I love you!