Shape of the Heart – Four-leaf Clover
By Fox McCloude
Disclaimer: The Quintessential Quintuplets and all related characters belong to Haruba Negi. All rights reserved.
Chapter 20: Hot Springs and Confusions, Part 1
City hospital, the day after the school year's end ceremony…
Fuutarou didn't imagine himself coming back to this place, without being injured or sick. Neither did he have someone he should visit; people usually didn't come to a hospital without either of those reasons.
On the day of the school's closing ceremony, he got a call from Mr. Nakano through Yotsuba's phone. It was obviously to confirm the results, and based on his response, he was quite pleased with his daughter's overall performance, even though she barely nailed the average score to achieve their goal. That being the case, and with his tutor contract fulfilled, he decided to give Fuutarou his final pay in person.
And that was the reason he was here today. He was nervous; he'd seen the guy face to face before, unaware at the time of who he was, but now he knew. Taking a deep breath, he approached the receptionist at the desk.
"Good morning," he greeted to get her attention. "Is the Director, I mean Dr. Nakano, in? He asked me to come today, to talk about something important."
"Are you Uesugi-kun?" the receptionist asked, to which Fuutarou answered showing his student ID. The woman nodded and pressed the intercom. "Dr. Nakano, the young man you were waiting for has just arrived."
"I see. Send him to my office immediately, please," he answered in a dry, almost robotic tone from the other side of the line.
"Yes, Doctor." The receptionist cut communication and pulled out a visitor's badge, pinning it on his shirt's breast pocket. "Dr. Nakano's office is on the last floor, at the end of the left hallway coming out of the elevator. You can't miss it."
"Thank you very much." Fuutarou bowed briefly and headed for the elevator.
The place was strangely silent that day; he barely saw a few staff members walking across the corridor. Nobody seemed in a rush, apparently they weren't attending emergencies at the time, which explained why it was so quiet. But to be honest, that quietness was a bit… unsettling.
At the end of the hallway, he stared at the office's door, and the plate with the name on it. He was about to knock, but a thought made him stop momentarily. If he just wanted to deliver his final payment for the contract, he could have easily done that through Yotsuba as usual. Fuutarou had the feeling that Mr. Nakano wanted to talk something else with him.
Did he have a complaint with him? Or maybe it wasn't related to his job, but to one of his daughters? Could it possibly be not about Yotsuba, but Ichika instead?
'You'll never find out, if you stand here like an idiot all day,' he mentally told himself, before knocking the door softly, yet audibly enough.
"Come in," the already familiar voice replied from the other side. He sighed deeply before grabbing the doorknob and turn it to get in.
"With your permission."
The office was what could be expected of a wealthy hospital director. It was quite ample, with several comfy-looking armchairs around a table adorned by a flower vase, shelves made of fine-looking wood stacked with books, and a huge desk in front of large windows that offered a great view of the city.
He noticed the desk's chair was occupied at the time, with its back towards him. But when he approached enough, the chair turned around and he found himself face-to-face with Mr. Nakano. Despite having seen his face before, it was like they were meeting for the first time, with that cold and inexpressive demeanor that was quite intimidating.
"Take a seat, Uesugi-kun." He gestured at the armchairs on the office's center.
Fuutarou saw no reasons to refuse, so he headed for one of the armchairs, while Mr. Nakano stood up and sat on another right in front of him. The atmosphere was quite tense; Fuutarou had already been in similar places, on interviews for part-time jobs, but none of them could compare to this moment.
He had the feeling that one single word out of turn or place would result in grave consequences for him.
"Firstly, I would like to congratulate your performance as a tutor. Even with the odds against you, you succeeded in raising Yotsuba-kun's grades enough to return to Kurobara."
For a congratulation, it didn't quite feel like that. It was more like he was saying "You'd have paid dearly if you had failed". Even after he pulled out the envelope that Fuutarou assumed contained his final pay (notably, it looked fuller than others he received) it did nothing to alleviate the tense atmosphere.
"As I promised, an extra bonus for a job well done. I hope you will use it well."
"Thank you very much, sir," he said as he accepted the envelope. Part of him wanted to simply grab the money and run out of there, but the other, his rational part, forced him to stay seated. He knew the conversation was barely starting.
"With that, our contract has been fulfilled," Mr. Nakano continued, leaning backwards to put some distance between them. "However, the reason why I asked you to come and see me, is because there are other things I'd like to talk about with you. And I prefer to do so face to face."
Fuutarou only nodded. That made sense; if it was important, better talk it out in person. There was no escape, so he'd have to listen to whatever the man wanted to say. In fact, he already was forming a slight idea of what the topic would be, or rather, who would the topic be.
"It has come to my knowledge that, between your tutoring sessions, you were having… some casual outings with my daughters. Is it true?"
Bingo. Just like he imagined, he wanted to talk about the quintuplets, or maybe more specifically, about Ichika and Yotsuba. After all, he'd grown closer to those two, and it made sense he'd be up to speed with whatever they were doing.
"Yeah, it's true," Fuutarou answered. "Shortly after we began our tutoring, Yotsuba had this idea that we could… do some workout every so often. She thought I could improve my physical condition."
"Is that so? Was that all you did?" It looked as if those eyes had X-Ray vision, as he felt they were piercing through him. He'd know if he was lying, so there was only one thing to do: tell the truth in the best way possible.
"Yes, sir. Sometimes we would hit the gym, and some other we just went to do some jogging. A few times we visited the batting center, or other places to practice some sports."
The last part was only halfway truth; the batting center was a one-time thing, and almost at the end of the school period. Also, he preferred to omit that those outings for jogging or to the gym were quite fun, just to hang out with Yotsuba as good friend. He didn't know how he would take it, or whether he'd see it as 'unbecoming' behavior somehow.
"Well, as a medic, I understand the benefits of exercising regularly. It is definitely stimulating for one's health," he finally said after a long pause. "Nevertheless, as far as I understand you haven't only spent time with Yotsuba-kun, or am I mistaken?"
Fuutarou gulped. Although he saw it coming a mile away, he knew the Ichika issue would be a lot more complicated. The boy knew she was attracted… no, who was he kidding? She was outright in love with him. Why deny it? He wasn't as dense to not to notice it.
"Ichika and I… we've gone out a few times. I guess they could be called dates in the strict sense of the word, to be honest," Fuutarou said, knowing it was pointless to lie about it. "But I assure you, we haven't done anything… inappropriate, if that's what you're concerned about."
"I'll have to talk Ichika-kun about that," Mr. Nakano replied, his expression never morphing one bit. "You must understand that, as a father, I'm concerned about my daughters engaging in inappropriate relationships, and I must ensure that will not happen."
"Yes sir, I understand it perfectly," the teenager replied.
It felt like, the more the conversation moved on, the more pressured he felt. The man seemingly was quite overprotective of his daughters, which made sense to an extent, but Fuutarou couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. It wasn't like he tried to get close to them on his own volition, at least not at first. They were the ones to do so, and he… simply ended up accepting them without realizing.
"I will ask you a question, and I expect a honest answer," Mr. Nakano firmly declared. "What do you think about my daughters? How do you consider your relationship with them?"
At the question, the boy's mind momentarily froze. That wasn't easy to answer, as he needed to sort out his thoughts and ponder a bit on it. First, in regards to closeness, Yotsuba and Ichika were the ones he interacted the most with, for obvious reasons. The former, he felt close enough to consider her a best friend, despite seeing her at first only as her student. And the latter, seeing that she took the initiative to approach him, with rather blatant romantic intentions, he chose to give her a chance once he dropped his defenses and saw she wasn't just toying with him. She was serious about it, even though she tried not to pressure him.
The next one was probably Nino. Even though they couldn't quite say they got along "well" (for reasons he still didn't quite understand, the second sister would often come to him, when she needed him to act as middleman to get to his cousin, and he'd often ask her for favors in return. A utilitarian relationship at best, but he hadn't forgotten how she tried (in her own particular way) to cheer him up after he suffered that heartbreak. Even though they still bickered frequently, it wasn't as much as before, and they could keep mildly civil conversations with each other.
Lastly, his relation with Itsuki notably improved after they got over that bad first impression, and he voluntarily offered to help her with her studies. In general terms, he got a long better with her than he did Nino, except when he pressed her buttons (something he'd learned to hold back, to avoid trouble). And as for Miku, the quiet middle sister directly referred to him as a friend, and he hadn't denied it.
He obviously was close to some sisters more than others, but if he had to sum up his relationship in general with all of them, there was something he could say with full sincerity:
"I think… they're all wonderful people. They're good friends I've grown fond of, and it's nice to be around them. But I know my limits, and I have no intention to engage in unbecoming behaviors with any of them. I assure you."
"I hope so," Mr. Nakano said. "Just to be certain, I have one last question. It also has come to my understanding that your cousin has gotten sentimentally involved with Nino-kun?"
Okay, that part had to come sooner than later. While he hadn't gotten involved more than necessary, he knew those two were quite serious (they could get pretty lovey-dovey with each other when he saw them together), and if he was up to date with his own outings with Yotsuba and Ichika, he obviously had to be with Nino's with Kintarou as well.
"If I tell you the truth, I'm not sure how far they've gotten," he said with honesty. "I just introduced them to each other because Nino… asked me to."
Luckily, he held back his tongue before slipping out that Nino practically forced him to hook them up. A bad comment about his daughters could end up badly for him, even though his contract was already over, so he kept it to himself. If only for the sake of his relationships with Ichika and Yotsuba.
"He lives in a different district, but if you want to talk to him about it, I can get you both in touch," he offered.
"I appreciate the offer, but that won't be necessary," Mr. Nakano replied. His tone sounded more serene and relaxed, which seemed like a good sign. "I'll ask Nino-kun myself when I see her."
"I understand," Fuutarou relaxed as well. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"
"No, that was all," the man replied. "I'm deeply grateful with your services as a tutor. You fulfilled our contract beyond my expectations. You may go now."
"Thank you. With your permission." Fuutarou stood up and bowed.
He headed for the door and closed it softly behind him. Once he was out of Dr. Nakano's office, he walked towards the elevator, and once he got there, he exhaled deeply, clutching a hand on his chest. His heart pumped up like it was about to burst out, and he had to wipe the sweat off his face as it was dripping down. Truth was, he wasn't sure how he managed to keep his composure, alone in that room with that man.
"God, I feel like I was gonna die in there. I'm so glad it's over, I don't wanna see him again."
He was about to push the button to call the elevator, but it wasn't necessary, as the doors opened wide right then. Moreover, he got a surprise when he saw a familiar, blue-eyed face framed by a short pink hair coming out, looking just as surprised as he was.
"Oh, Fuutarou-kun! Nice meeting you here, hi."
"Hey, Ichika," he greeted. "What's up, coming for vaccines today?"
"Oh no, not really," the eldest Nakano replied in a laidback tone. "I came here to talk something important with Dad, but the receptionist told me he was occupied with someone else, and I had to wait."
"How curious, I've just gotten out of his office," Fuutarou quipped. "In that case, he's all yours; I'm going home."
"Hey, wait!" The girl stopped him before he entered the elevator, whose doors closed. "Don't you wanna go grab a drink after I'm done? I shouldn't take too long, maybe ten or fifteen minutes at most."
Tempting as the offer sounded, Fuutarou still had fresh in his mind the conversation with Mr. Nakano. The man had drawn a few lines in regards to his daughters, and it seemed like he wasn't in the zone of "I'll let you date one of them". Truth was, when he decided to ask Ichika out on a date, it didn't occur to him that he'd have to confront her father sooner or later, despite how obvious it should have been.
"Thanks, but no. Right now I have to go back home. Another time, maybe."
Without saying anything else, he waved her goodbye, heading for the stairs so he wouldn't have to wait for the elevator again. He got to see she was a little disappointed with his refusal, but she didn't insist more and went her own way. Better not to interrupt her if she had something important to talk with her father.
As he walked downstairs, Fuutarou thought about other things. His chat with Mr. Nakano left the man's stance about someone hanging his daughters very clear. Either as friends, or potentially as boyfriend and girlfriend, he was walking on a tightrope, and a false step could easily ruin his relationship with them.
Better not to give him reasons to have suspicions; he didn't think he'd find it funny if he learned that, right after having that chat about drawing the lines, he'd done a little escapade with his eldest daughter.
Two weeks later…
As the spring break began, and his work as a tutor concluded, Fuutarou found himself with a large amount of free time in his hands. He'd normally have used it to do part-time jobs and help more with the family debts, but his final pay was so great, this time he didn't have to. Even after sparing a huge chunk for his parents, he got enough to save a bit and even buy some stuff for himself and Raiha.
Although he should feel happy for that, there was another thing occupying the boy's mind. Towards the end of the school year, he was concerned that once his contract was over, he wouldn't have a reason to go back to the Nakano apartment, even though Yotsuba assured him he could always come for a friendly visit, and surely Ichika would be happy for it. At first he was willing to, but right after, his meeting with Mr. Nakano made him rethink that opinion.
The truth was, while sometimes he did pass in front of the building when he went out for jogging, or walked back home from the gym (his way to kill time now), he no longer dared to enter, and the last time he barely made it to the door, and stopped dry before pressing the intercom. The boy was actually afraid; during the whole time he worked as a tutor he never saw Mr. Nakano at home, yet he always dreaded that the man would choose to pay a visit on the very day he picked to be there. He didn't know what he would think if he saw he still visited the apartment even without having a reason for it.
Also, even though Ichika called him a couple times asking if he wanted to go out somewhere together, now that she was free from filming and school, the boy didn't have the courage to accept. The first time, he lied saying he was going to help his mother at the bakery, although the second time he did have a real reason. By a stroke of luck, his father had won tickets for a vacation at a hot springs site, and they decided to have a family weekend to relax, but he did say to Ichika they may do something together when he returned.
That was how they ended up at that place, at a high lookout in front of the mountains, where his parents and Raiha had decided to stop by the handrail and scream "YAHOOOOO!" out loud so the echo would yell back at them.
"Fuutarou, come and try! It's fun!" said Isanari.
"Aren't you a little too big for that?" the teenager asked.
"C'mon, Oniichan, don't be such a bore!" Raiha protested with a pout. "Ah, I know, we should take a photo!"
"I'll do it for you," Kazane offered, extending her hand towards Fuutarou, who gave her an odd look. "What? Your cellphone's camera has the highest definition, and more space for the photos."
"That's right, Fuutarou, we can get the best photos with it," Isanari added, crouching down so Raiha could ride on his shoulders.
As he couldn't escape, Fuutarou handed his cellphone to his mom and went so he could get the picture taken with his dad and sister. Then, Isanari put Raiha down and exchanged places with his wife, so she could get one with her children, and then she called her husband so the two could take one together, holding hands as a loving couple.
"This is incredible, honey, thank you for bringing us here," Kazane said. "Ah, and remember, we need to visit it to renew our vows."
"Of course, I'd never forget that," Isanari replied.
"What're you talking about?" Fuutarou asked. "What do you have to visit?"
"Ah, don't you know, son? The biggest attraction around this place is the legendary Bell of Vows."
Fuutarou gave his parents a puzzled look. What could be so special, or legendary, about a plain old bell? He thought he'd seen it as they walked up, but he paid no mind to it, although there seemed to be some story for them.
"According to the local legend, if a couple rings that bell vowing eternal love, they'll be together forever," Kazane said. "I've heard many couples had their first kiss under it."
"Haha, it's too bad we didn't learn of it when we started dating," Isanari laughed. "But maybe you could, huh, Fuutarou?"
"That's right!" Raiha said. "Isn't it great, Oniichan? You should invite Ichika-san to do it with you! It'd be so romantic!"
Fuutarou was left rigid, as his face turned red-hot, almost steaming. He wasn't sure whether it was because of the embarrassment, the anger, or a combination of both, but while he was there paralyzed unable to utter a single word, his parents and sister were laughing at him out loud. It seemed like they were the most excited ones about the prospect of him having a girlfriend (even if she actually wasn't) than he was.
And that, he thought, wasn't a good sign. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
"Well, we better keep going," Isanari said, picking the luggage back. "Kazane, you take Raiha. Fuutarou, do you need help with yours?"
"I can handle it, thanks a lot," he replied, snapped out of the shock of the embarrassment. "You guys go ahead, I'll stay here a little longer."
"As you wish. Let's move on!"
While his parents and sister kept going towards the inn (he couldn't miss it anyway), Fuutarou decided to stay on the lookout a little longer, gazing at the landscape. Truth was, the mountains around were quite beautiful. After everything he'd done in the past few months, taking some time to relax, away from everything and everyone, was just what he needed.
Especially, he needed some time far away from them. If only to sort out his thoughts and feelings. He couldn't help but feel nervous and uncomfortable every time they mentioned Ichika, and he wasn't sure why.
'Don't think about that now. Take advantage of these days off and relax,' he told himself.
Of course. He'd come for a family vacation. He didn't need to think about the Nakano sisters or their father. He'd better enjoy his quality time with his parents and Raiha now that he had a chance, without having to concern about studies or work.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt to cut loose just a little beat and yell out to vent. With that in mind, he headed for the handrail and breathed as deeply as he could.
"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Much to his surprise, he wasn't the only one to do so; a female voice had also approached the handrail to yell out the same way as him. When he turned around, he saw a very familiar redhead.
"Huh? Uesugi-kun?"
"Itsuki? What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Ah, Uesugi-san's here too!"
Yotsuba's very familiar voice made him turn in her direction, and indeed, the four remaining Nakano sisters were coming closer too, looking as surprise as he was. Well, each one in her particular way: Nino seemed annoyed, Miku had barely raised her eyebrows, and Ichika raised a hand and greeted him with a smile.
Yotsuba for her part, came over running and stood in front of him.
"What a nice surprise! We hadn't seen you since the classes ended, how've you been?"
"I… fine, I guess," he said, a little embarrassed that the girl invaded his personal space. Not because he was uncomfortable, but because he really wasn't expecting to see them here. "Family vacation too?"
"Yep, we came over to visit our grandpa. He owns the inn we're gonna be staying at."
"The inn… but then that means…"
"Ah!" Ichika intervened, coming over as well. "That means we'll be staying at the same place. Isn't that great, Yotsuba?"
"Yeah, it's really cool!"
"Ahem, ahem," a slight throat clearing interrupted them, and it instantly sent a chill down Fuutarou's spine. That voice…
Indeed, as he turned around and saw over his shoulder, he saw Mr. Nakano, his demeanor looking as imperturbable as ever as he gave him a severe glance. He was paralyzed to the point he barely noticed the old chauffer, Ebata, as he carried the family's luggage, but he couldn't just un-see his former employer, although at the time his legs were screaming that he should just get out of there.
Mr. Nakano simply glanced at him sternly before addressing Yotsuba and Ichika.
"I understand you must be happy to see him, but remember, we're on a family vacation here," he said. "I want no inappropriate behaviors from you, understood?"
"Of course not, Dad," Ichika replied. Yotsuba limited herself to nod frenetically to the point Fuutarou thought she may make her ribbon's knot get loose.
"Nino-kun, do you have our lunches ready?"
"Yes, Papa. Everyone, move out, let's gonna eat!" Nino instantly exclaimed.
As the Nakanos tended a huge blanket to sit and eat as a family, Fuutarou decided it was better to get out of there as soon as possible. It was clear Mr. Nakano imposed respect among his daughters with his sole presence, for as soon as he gave an order, everyone obliged immediately.
It seemed like this family vacation wouldn't be as relaxing as he would have wished.
…
The place they'd be staying at was called Toraiwa Hot Springs. Once they got there, an excited Raiha commented how it looked like a haunted house, and Fuutarou had to admit it was a rather accurate description. It looked rather abandoned and having seen better days, as if almost nobody came around here.
In fact, the old man in the reception when they went to register was so motionless, Fuutarou doubted for a moment whether he was asleep or dead, which only added to the inn's rather creepy atmosphere. If that wasn't enough, when he was about to go to the upper to his room, he saw Itsuki walking across the garden with her back turned at him, only to cross her again when he was midway through the stairs. And then, he saw her again going through the hallway on the other side of the upper floor.
For a moment, he was almost scared at the thought he was seeing ghosts or the inn actually being haunted, until he remembered they were all identical quintuplets after all, so if he was seeing more than once, they all had disguised as Itsuki. He'd seen a couple times how they could switch places if needed.
The question was, why'd they do that? They weren't doing it just to play a prank on him, right?
"Ahhh, this is paradise!" Isanari exclaimed, entering the water with a hard stomp to splash on him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
At the moment, Fuutarou and his father were relaxing on the hot springs male side. Meanwhile, his mother and Raiha had gone to the female side, since Isanari wanted to have some father-and-son quality time with Fuutarou. Although the latter wasn't quite open to it just yet.
"Can't you knock it off a bit, Dad? I'm trying to relax here."
"Oh come on. I haven't bathed in hot springs for years let me enjoy it. Furthermore, you should enjoy it too."
"You're sounding like Kintarou. You sure you didn't switch us at birth?"
"I'm offended at that, son," Isanari replied with a frown, although he quickly relaxed his expression. "But really, you've been distracted since we got here. Is something wrong?"
Fuutarou gave his father a glance. He knew he was a laidback guy, but whenever he had to be serious, he was. No matter how much he tried to keep his serious and stoic façade, his father knew him enough to see through it and notice when he was worried or upset about something.
That being the case, it was pointless to hide it.
"Truth be told… I do feel a little uncomfortable," the boy admitted. "It's because we're not the only ones here, as you know."
"Ah, let me guess, it's because your lovely girlfriend and her sisters are here too?"
Fuutarou was grateful that the steam and heat in the springs helped him cover the one coming up to his face. Partly yes, that was one of the reasons, but not the main one. And that was all that kept him from losing his composure.
"It wouldn't be as bad if it was just them," he said. "But their father is here too…"
"I see. So you're worried about Maruo? I'm guessing he told you something when he called to give you the last pay for your tutoring, am I right?"
Bingo. Indeed, after that conversation they had, Fuutarou had wanted to keep some distance from the quints, at least until he felt he could talk to them about it. Thus, he proceeded to explain what he talked with Mr. Nakano, and how he certainly didn't expect to run into them, let alone with their father, now he'd come with his own family seeking to stay away from everything and everyone.
At the end, Isanari looked at his son, still serious, and solemnly placed a hand on his shoulders.
"Maruo can be a little intimidating, but trust me, I know him better than anybody. Deep down he's not a bad fellow; that cold and scary face is nothing but a mask. And I'm sure you understand that he's just looking out for his daughters."
"I know that," Fuutarou replied. "But that doesn't make him any less terrifying to look at."
"Ha, well, if he says anything bad or whatever, you know you can count on me," Isanari added, before grabbing his son into a headlock and ruffle his hair around. "My son has the right to spend time with his lovely girlfriend, after all!"
"Oi, stop it! Let go! Let go off me!"
The boy started struggling, trying to break free. Isanari seemed surprised when Fuutarou actually moved his arm away from his neck, and in response tightened the grip, forcing him to put a little more strength to avoid getting strangled.
"Ah, I see those hours at the gym did work for something! Next time I'm coming with you, I can't let you surpass me in strength yet!"
The struggle continued for a while, as Fuutarou continued to kick around and scream trying to break free, but Isanari finally let him go, much to his relief. Night was falling, and Fuutarou just wanted to go sleep and put an end to that weird day.
However, when he went to the dresser to get his clothes, he found a little paper folded on top of his kimono, labeled with his name. This surprised him a little, and even more when he unfolded it and read a brief message:
"Come and meet me under the bell at midnight, when everyone else is asleep."
Fuutarou frowned. There was no signature, but it wasn't too hard to deduce who it was with the calligraphy, and the heart in the end also gave it away. He recalled what his parents said about the bell's legend, did she hear about it and wanted to kiss him under it?
'Yeah sure, I'll go out in the middle of the night. Is this your idea of a joke, Ichika?'
He crumpled the paper and finished dressing, heading back to the stairs and going up to his room, dropping the message in a paper bin on the corridor. The bell was outside the inn's grounds, and he didn't think it was wise to go out in the middle of the night. Let alone with the quint's parents potentially watching.
In his rush and due to the dark, he didn't notice that the bin was full of crumpled papers, very similar to the one he'd just dropped.
The following day…
Despite what happened yesterday, Fuutarou felt quite good when he woke up in the morning. Probably the talk with his father and a good night of sleep was just what he needed.
Even so, that morning he felt an urge to talk to Ichika, to ask her about that little note.
"Good morning," a female voice spoke, right as he exited his room ready to go down for breakfast.
Fuutarou turned around for a moment and saw Itsuki, or at least he assumed it was her by default when he saw her. That left him speechless for a moment, but he tried to return the greeting.
"Morning… er… Itsuki? Or maybe you're Ichika?"
"I'm Miku." The quint raised slightly her red wig to reveal a few brownish bangs, before fitting it back in place. "Ichika's still asleep."
'Wonder why,' he sarcastically thought. "Guess you must be going for breakfast too?"
The middle sister nodded, and both walked downstairs to the dining hall. There were already Kazane, Raiha, and the three remaining quintuplets (all of them looking like Itsuki eating from their bowls already).
"Ah, good morning, Oniichan!" Raiha waved at him, gesturing for him to take a seat next to her. "I guarded your seat!"
"With your permission."
Fuutarou sat down and started eating, and so did Miku placing herself between two of her other sisters. As they ate, they all remained in complete silence, while he couldn't help but glance at the Nakanos. Having shared so many meals with them before, it was a little… unsettling to see them act and move in the same fashion.
True, he knew they were identical quintuplets, but he was used to see each showing a different demeanor, personality and hairstyle, so as to tell them apart. Seeing them all so quiet and acting like they were clones definitely gave a bad vibe.
He wanted to ask why they were doing this, but the tense atmosphere surrounding them stopped him from uttering a single word.
"Thanks for the meal," Raiha said after a few minutes once she finished her food. "Oniichan, Mom and I are going to the springs, you coming?"
"No thanks, you can go without me," the boy replied.
"As you wish, but you shouldn't pass off the chances. We're on vacation, remember?"
The woman and her daughter left the room, and Fuutarou was left alone with the four sisters. They all ate at the same pace and they seemed to be acting as if they expected something or someone.
"So… what's this all about?" he asked. "Why are you all dressed the same?"
"Why the interest?" the left-most 'Itsuki' asked.
"Just… curiosity. Besides, it's a little creepy."
"Creepy?" the right-most one asked, seemingly offended.
"I mean, just look at yourselves. How the hell are you supposed to tell each other apart? You don't look like sisters, instead you're like a clone army."
The sisters exchanged glances, and one of them, apparently self-appointing as leader above the others, smiled evilly and said:
"You know what? Why don't you get out of the room for a bit, so we can play a fun game? Girls, what do you say? Quintuplet Game?"
Fuutarou tilted his head. What were they up to? Also, it sounded weird that they called it "Quintuplet Game" when there were just four of them present. Would it be okay for them to leave Ichika out of it?
"To make it fair, you can look at us for a minute, and let's see if you can recognize each one of us," the sister continued. "It'll be much easier with only four of us."
"What're you talking about? That sounds stupid, why would I want that?"
"Oh, come on. If you're gonna date one of us, you need to pass this little test," she insisted. "Consider it a trial to see if your love is true."
"Love… there's that again?"
They were exaggerating. He did like Ichika a bit, he wouldn't deny that, but from there to say that he 'loved' her was a pretty big stretch. In any case, it was pointless, as all four agreed, pushed him out of the room and forced him to wait while they 'shuffled' amongst each other.
Well, how hard could it be?
"Fine, we're ready, Uesugi-kun!"
That voice should be the real Itsuki's; after all she was the only one who'd call him that way. He figured it'd be easy enough, but when he returned, the others were hidden, leaving the girl alone. Immediately, he stood in front of her and gave her a look.
"Okay. Nice to meet you, I'm Itsuki Nakano, seventeen years old, and about to study third year of high school."
"Come one, where's the fun if you tell me already who you are?" he said a bit annoyed, before turning suspicious. "Unless, of course, you're not the real Itsuki."
"Well… that's a possibility, I admit it," the 'Itsuki' in question said. She was neither denying, nor confirming it. However, she spoke using the same formal pattern and tone as the real Itsuki, so it could be either her, or an imposter who could imitate her well (and being quintuplets, that should be an easy feat).
"Hmm… no, if you were the real Itsuki it'd be too obvious." He pointed his finger at her. "Confess, you're actually Nino!"
"Booooo, wrong!" The quintuplet started smiling after making the buzzer sound. "Actually, I am the real Itsuki. And if you don't believe me, you can check my hair and see I'm not wearing a wig."
The girl held up her hair from behind, pulling a few times so he could see it wasn't fake. Fuutarou lowered his head. Well, he'd missed one, but there were still three left.
"Alright, let the next one come!" Itsuki left and the next one came along. They high-fived with each other before the new one stood in front of him.
"Well, you should have it a little easier this time," the new quintuplet said. Despite knowing it wasn't the real Itsuki, she imitated her inflections and tone quite well.
Looking back, he'd been told that Miku was the better at doing impersonations of the others, and he still recalled how, when he was going to ask them to pose as Yotsuba, the middle sister was the one coming the closest to the real deal. In that case…
"I got it, you're Miku!" the boy said. "Only Miku can do such a spot on impersonation!"
"Uh-uh-uuuuh." The quintuplet put a hand on her waist, and used the other to waggle her index finger in denial. "Miku's not the only one to do good impersonations. How disappointing; I bet Kintarou-kun wouldn't have been fooled like you."
The mention of his cousin was enough for him to know it was Nino. Zero and two more to go. Well, at least now his odds improved, so he called for the next one. Following the pattern, he'd have a fifty-fifty chance now, as only Yotsuba and Miku remained.
The current one, despite attempting to keep a serious demeanor, seemed about to burst into laughter at any second, if the lines on the sides of her lips were any indications. Then it had to be…
"Hah, I gotcha! Confess, you're Yotsuba, I'm sure about it!"
But it didn't happen. She didn't explode into chuckles, just covered her mouth and giggled quietly. No, it couldn't be, was she actually Miku?
"Wrong again," she said in a deadpan tone, confirming his suspicions. "You're not very good at this."
"Hey, no fair. You were imitating Yotsuba to throw me off!"
"We never said we wouldn't do that," the middle sister replied.
"Grrr, this is so hard!" Fuutarou said, grabbing his hair.
"Okay, if you're having it so hard, let's try it again," the others came back out. "How about if you watch us all at once? A multiple choice question is easier to answer, isn't it?"
"Yeah, sure, except when all choices look the same," he defended himself.
"Well, there's the challenge! Okay girls, let's shuffle and try it again. And you, turn around."
Judging by her bossy tone, it was probably Nino, and thus he knew he shouldn't contradict her, so he turned around and waited until they told him he could look. Upon turning around, he saw the four of them standing in a row, now unable to tell which ones were Nino and Miku before. He didn't think they'd be stupid enough to remain in their starting position to make his job easier.
The boy placed a hand on his chin, looking at the four sisters intently as they all remained imperturbable. Even when their looks were visibly uncomfortable when he got closer to get a better look, it was hard to tell who was who. And he couldn't help himself with the clothes since they all wore the same kimono.
Heck, if they were this way as children, how did their parents tell them apart?
"Hmm… well, there is something I can say for sure," Fuutarou declared, smiling smugly when he finally got an idea. "This one here must be an idiot!"
The boy pointed at the left-most Itsuki, causing her jaw to drop incredulous, and her cheeks to turn as red as her hair, reflecting the anger burning in her.
"E-excuse me?!" the Itsuki clone said, a twitch in her eye and a vein bulging above it, making Fuutarou pump his fist triumphantly.
"Aha! Now I know you must be either Itsuki or Nino!" he boasted proudly. "If you were Miku, you'd have pouted in embarrassment, and if you were Yotsuba you'd have felt guilty or tried to play dumb."
"Well, you're not wrong on that," the second left-most Itsuki admitted, causing the first to roll her eyes, while one of the other two snickered. The boy smiled: that allowed him to discard two, reducing the odds. And the one who snickered was probably Yotsuba; only she would laugh at that.
Now he was a little closer, he couldn't let himself lose.
"Ha! I'll show you, don't underestimate me," the young man declared as he pointed to them left to right. "Let's see: you're Itsuki, you're Miku, you're definitely Yotsuba, and you're Nino."
The boy smirked proudly and raised his head high, as if trying to assert his evident superiority over them. Only to get a large let down, as the evident anger from one of them would soon make way for hilarity.
The ones wearing wigs took them off, revealing themselves as "Nino", "Itsuki", "Miku" and "Yotsuba", in the same order Fuutarou had guessed. The boy felt how his heart sank; his pride had just taken a brutal blow.
"Geez, you're really lousy at this," Nino said.
"Well, at least he knew none of us was Ichika," Itsuki offered, trying to cut off the tension. "I think he deserves some credit for that, doesn't he? To tell one of us apart."
"Hah, that's true!" Fuutarou boasted. He could take that as a small victory at least. "I already knew none of you four could be Ichika!"
"Because I told you," Miku intervened, spoiling it completely.
While the sisters' laughter helped defuse the earlier tension, Yotsuba, for her part, and even though she looked disappointed of not being recognized, approached with a smile and gave her a few pats on her back.
"Don't feel bad, Uesugi-san. I'm sure you'd have recognized her, had she been among us. After all, you two have grown much closer in these months, haven't you?"
"I guess so." The boy sighed. "Well, can we declare this game over? I accept my defeat and go home?"
"Okay, you may go," Nino said, before approaching to poke his chest with her finger. "But listen up, you better practice more. If you really want to date one of us, you need to be able to tell her apart, and show that you truly love her. We'll be testing you another way, is that clear?"
"Yeah, yeah, crystal clear," he said, stepping away to avoid the annoying finger. "Hey, Yotsuba, I'll go get changed to do some jogging outside, wanna come?"
"Ah, I'd love to, but… I've got other stuff to do. I may catch up later though," the ribbon girl replied.
"As you say."
Too bad; the mountains' fresh air made it an even better place than the city to go out for a walk. While he didn't mind going alone, he felt he could do better in company.
Maybe when Ichika woke up, he'd suggest they'd do it together sometime.
A little later…
After running a couple times back and forth through the mountain's path, Fuutarou returned to the inn. Once upon a time, he'd feel so exhausted he may have fainted halfway through, but apparently running so many kilometers in the treadmills had built up enough stamina to endure.
"Oof, that wasn't too bad," he said, unbuttoning his tracksuit's jacket to vent a little, and pulling out the water bottle hanging from his belt to rehydrate.
Months before, he wouldn't picture himself coming to a place like this to exercise his body. Rather, he'd have it as a retirement place to come and study without being annoyed, although if it was a school season, he'd probably do so, had he gotten the chance to.
"Outside how run down this place looks… it's rather quiet and relaxing," he said looking at the inn's building, before entering again.
However, when he stepped inside and passed by the garden, he overheard some voices arguing. Or more specifically, a female voice sounding angry and annoyed.
"I'm telling you, he's no delinquent!"
"How can you be so certain?"
"Listen, I've known him for months, and despite his appearance, I assure you he's a real gentleman. He's always kind and attentive to me, and he'd never step out of line. Believe me, Papa!"
Nino was in the midst of an argument with her father. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were talking about; Mr. Nakano had already told Fuutarou he wanted to speak with his daughter about her 'boyfriend' (he practically was that already, why argue?).
Unfortunately for him, that brief distraction costed him to be spotted by Nino right then and there.
"Ah, great, just in time! Come here, Uesugi!"
"Eh?"
"I'm telling you to come here!" the girl insisted, more urgently.
Damn it, why did he have to stop to listen? Why didn't he keep going back to his room? Resigned, he walked through the garden and stood in front of Nino's father, who looked at him with his usual stoic expression and his arms folded. The boy gulped and suddenly the sweat he didn't pour from his morning run started going out almost in streams.
"G-good morning, Mr. Nakano," he greeted trying to cut the tension, albeit unsuccessfully.
"Come on, tell him about Kintarou-kun," the girl said. "You know him better than me, being cousins and all."
"Oi, why are you pulling me into your…? Ouch!" The girl had just pinched him in the back, smirking in a way that did nothing to hide her annoyance.
"Be good and talk to my Papa, will you?"
If it wasn't because her father was in front of him, he'd gladly pay back that pinch with a hair pull or something. But his self-preservation instincts were stronger, so he faced the man again, although the latter spoke up before he could even utter another word.
"As you told me before, you didn't know how far your cousin had gone with Nino-kun, is that right?" he said sternly.
"Well… it's not exactly my business, but…" He briefly glanced at Nino, whose eyes clearly said "You say one bad word, you're a dead man", making him turn back at Mr. Nakano. "My cousin, Kintarou, can be a little unruly, and unlike me he's not academically inclined, but I can assure you he truly cares for and respects your daughter, sir."
"Hmm, are you serious? My daughter has just showed me a photo of him, and he doesn't exactly look like a respectable fellow."
"Well, appearances can be deceiving," Fuutarou said. "My point is, he may not look like it, but my cousin knows how to treat women well. He's neither a skirt-chaser or a stalker, if that's what you're worried about."
"You see now, Papa?" said Nino. "You wanted a second opinion, now you have it."
Mr. Nakano looked at both of them coldly. Fuutarou made an effort to not to let himself be intimidated; that icy glare of his definitely wasn't just for threatening, and if he faltered for a second he probably wouldn't make it through this trip alive. The boy gave a side glance at Nino, and noticed how the girl was making an effort to not to succumb to the pressure in the air.
Eventually, Mr. Nakano sighed and relaxed his stance. A good sign, or so it seemed after he spoke again:
"I'll have to talk to that boy myself one day. It's a father's duty to give in to his daughters' whims sometimes, so I hope you don't give me reasons to withdraw them."
And without further ado, he walked away, apparently to exit the inn. Once he did, Nino dropped to her knees, raising a hand to his chest as she exhaled a sigh. Fuutarou envied her; he wished he could do the same, but he didn't want to look weak in front of her.
"God, I felt I was gonna die. Why did he have to question me about Kintarou-kun?" She stood up and glanced at him. "It wasn't you who told him, were you?"
"Just so we're clear, he knows about my own escapades with Ichika and Yotsuba," Fuutarou defended himself. "When he confronted me about the other day, he already knew about you and my cousin."
Nino frowned at him, but seemingly accepted his argument. A little calmer now, she started fidgeting with one of her ribbons, twirling it around her finger like she used to do when nervous.
"Hey… thanks for supporting me. Your timing was great."
"Don't thank me," he replied. It was just happenstance that he came back right then. "By the way, do you know where Ichika is? I need to talk to her about something important."
"Last I checked she was still asleep," the second sister replied, and right then she suddenly got startled for some reason. "Oh no, here he comes!"
Until then, due to being intimidated by Mr. Nakano, he didn't realize that Nino was holding her red wig in her hand, and she quickly put it on, trying to fit it back as soon as he could to become Itsuki, before adopting a serene stance and expression. A few seconds later, a set of heavy and slow steps were heard, and Fuutarou saw the old man from the reception approaching, who turned briefly towards them.
"Hi, Grandpa," she greeted him, imitating almost perfectly her youngest sister's tone. If he didn't know it was her, he would have mistaken her, no doubt.
The old man continued to look at them for a few seconds, and muttered something Fuutarou didn't quite catch, except that he said Nino's name much to his surprise, before he continued his way like nothing had happened. And as soon as he said it, Nino sighed in relief again.
"Hey, how did he know it was you, and from that distance?" the boy asked.
"Ha, Grandpa has always been able to tell us apart since I can remember," the girl boasted. "Unlike other people, he does know what is true love."
This time around, Fuutarou was the one who frowned. She probably was talking about that ridiculous Quintuplet Game, which they clearly stacked against him to make him lose. The second Nakano sister gave him a little punch in the arm before walking away, and he had to shake his own head to remember what he was about to do, heading for the stairs.
'We need to talk about that note, Ichika. What were you thinking last night?'
And as if she'd heard his thoughts, right then he saw an Itsuki walking downstairs as she yawned, looking sleepy. Well, if she'd just woken up, it had to be her. Better intercept her right then and there.
"There you are, you finally woke up. You and I need to talk," he said, grabbing her by the shoulders.
"Huh, I beg your pardon?" the sleepy quint replied.
"I'm sorry if you just woke up, but I have to… WHOAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Fuutarou didn't know how, but suddenly he found himself being flung through the air, and a second later, he was painfully slammed on his back against the wooden floor. He took a couple seconds to process what just happened, and to open back his eyes to watch the ceiling and realize where he was.
"Grandpa!" he heard the quint yelping in terror.
The boy looked up to meet the old man's face. He could have sworn that a minute earlier, when he saw Nino in the garden, he'd gone in the opposite direction. How the hell did he get so fast to where he was? Moreover, where did he get the strength to throw him that way?
"Mghmgrrahmn!" he muttered.
"Eh? What're you saying?" Fuutarou asked as he sat up. The old man approached to his ear, and whispered with a voice a lot creepier than you'd expect from a person of his age.
"You touch my granddaughter again… and I'll kill you."
A chill went through the boy from head to toe. Mr. Nakano was intimidating alright, but this old man… with that single phrase and with that throw, Fuutarou knew he shouldn't anger him. He saw how the old man walked up towards the quint and spoke up in a low voice.
"Ichika, was this brat harassing you?"
"Huh? No, no, Grandpa, of course not," the girl replied. "I think he just has something urgent to tell me, nothing more."
"Good…"
And he went on his way. Once he vanished around the corner, she removed her wig to confirm that, indeed, she was Ichika, and smiling coyly offered him a hand to help him up.
"I'm sorry. Grandpa can be a little overprotective with us," she said.
"Forget it. Hey, how did he know it was you? I didn't even call you by name, but he knew you were Ichika with a single glance."
"Haha, that… maybe you should ask yourself," Ichika snickered. "But well, did you want to talk to me about something?"
"Yeah, but maybe we should do it where nobody will disturb us."
"Hmm…" The eldest Nakano placed a finger on her lips, with a thoughtful expression. "I believe I know where we can talk at our leisure."
For some reason, the girl's look gave him a bad vibe, since she'd always smile that way whenever she was up to something. And he wasn't wrong, as the girl approached and whispered to his ear "I'll see you at the mixed springs", before heading to the dining hall for breakfast, leaving him there stunned.
"*Ahem*, so, a private talk with your girl?"
And if that weren't enough, right then his father showed up. Now he was starting to think the inn could actually be haunted, since they seemed to appear from nowhere.
"I-it's not what you think, Dad."
"Ah, rest easy, son," Isanari replied. "I'm not getting in your way. In fact, I need to talk to my old school friend of something important. If you want, I can keep him busy so he won't disturb you guys. I'll even keep the secret for you."
Right then, the initial annoyance for his father's sudden appearance dissipated completely. The last thing he wanted was that the Nakanos' father would catch him at the springs with one of his daughters completely alone, and get a wrong idea. He was already in hot waters with the man, and didn't want to stack up more reasons to keep fanning potential misunderstandings.
What mattered the most was that he needed to talk to Ichika, and anything that allowed him to do so without interruptions, was welcome.
Later, at the mixed springs…
Fuutarou still couldn't believe he'd agree to this. But seemingly, this was the only way to talk to Ichika without being disturbed, while everyone else was in their own business. That, and Isanari promised to keep Mr. Nakano busy until they got out, but how long would that last?
'This better be good.'
He heard the mixed bath door sliding, and a few seconds later he saw the eldest Nakano entered, wearing her towel and without the red wig to imitate Itsuki.
"Sorry for being late," she said with a smile. "It's not easy to dodge Dad and Grandpa."
"Save the excuses," he replied. "We both have a lot to talk about."
"I know, but do you always have to be that serious?"
Fuutarou looked away, trying not to look at her more than necessary. The key word being trying, because he couldn't help but stare at her again. The worst part, she was blatantly aware of it and seemed determined to exploit it for all that was worth.
"Hey… wouldn't you like to see what's under the towel?" she asked with a seductive smile. "I bet you'd never bathed with a girl before in the springs. Shouldn't you enjoy it?"
"N-no, thanks."
"You sure? You may not have another chance…"
"Ichika… please don't start, will you?"
Ichika stepped away, still looking at him. She clearly was up to no good, and without warning, she slid her hands suggestively towards the knot holding her towel in place. That immediately set off all the boy's alarms.
"Hey, don't!" he yelled, standing up brusquely.
Fortunately, there was a bucket near the edge where he was bathing, which he could use to cover his own parts, but it was too late; Ichika untied the knot and the towel slid off of her body towards the floor. He immediately used his other hand to cover his eyes and avoid seeing more than he should of her.
Tempting as it was to take a peek at that beautiful body, if Mr. Nakano learned he saw one of his daughters naked, he'd be a dead man, and he wanted to keep his physical integrity intact.
"Hahahaha… you should have seen your face, Fuutarou-kun, it was priceless." The girl giggled as he continued to cover himself. "Or has the sleeping titan awakened?"
"Very funny, just let me know when you're covered, will you?"
"But I am already."
Trusting her words, he opened a hole between his fingers to take a peek. The towel was still on the floor, but before he could demand that she covered herself, he realized the girl wasn't lying. Indeed, she was covered, by a bandeau-style bikini, which made it easy to hide under the towel. It had a tiger-stripe pattern, and the top had a silver ring holding both cups leaving a hole between them. Not exactly 'indecent', but didn't leave much to imagination either.
"What do you think?" the girl asked, posing with a hand on her hip and the other behind her head. "I accidentally packed this and felt I could use it. Do you like it?"
"Well… it doesn't look bad on you, at all," he admitted.
It definitely suited her better than that competition swimsuit. Funnily enough, back then he hadn't looked much to it, maybe because of all that mess with the swimming club, but now he took a good look, Ichika really had a nice figure. But then again, he'd already seen Yotsuba in workout clothes before, so why was he surprised?
"Why don't you sit so I can wash your back?" the girl asked, grabbing a stool as she kneeled down and beckoned him to come over.
"You're gonna force me even if I say no, won't you?" he said, which she replied with a giggle. Fuutarou sighed and grabbed his towel to cover his parts before getting out of the water.
After he sat and took the 'service' offer from Ichika, Fuutarou had to admit it didn't feel bad one bit. The only woman who'd ever done this for her was his mom, and it'd been years since the last time she did so. Although he couldn't see her at the time, something told him the Nakano was enjoying a lot this moment.
"Hmm, your back feels quite firm," the girl commented. "I can see you've taken your workout very seriously."
"I'm trying to make good use of my Christmas present. It'd be a waste not to do so."
"Well, I'm not complaining," Ichika gave him a little pinch in the arm. "Biceps aren't too bad either, huh?"
Fuutarou allowed himself to smile, even though he didn't reply. Maybe he wasn't yet on the level of his cousin, or his dad, but in truth he felt good, being a little stronger than he was a few months back. Now he could deal with physical tasks with less difficulty than before, and over time he found it fun and all. Getting his physique praised by a pretty girl due didn't hurt either.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" he said, wishing to switch the topic. "Why are you all, you know, disguised as Itsuki?"
"Ah, that? It's, um… a long story." Ichika seemed to want to dodge the issue, but he wouldn't let her.
"There's time for storytelling."
"Hmm… well, it was about five or six years, I think. Back then we were still identical quintuplets. We'd always wear the same clothes, same hairstyle, it was almost impossible to tell us apart if you didn't know us. Only Mom and Grandpa could do so."
"Was that through "love"?" the boy sarcastically asked.
"Haha, of course, it was all thanks to love. But like I was saying, it was then that Yotsuba decided that maybe it was time to start being different. That prompted her to start wearing her bunny-ears ribbon as you know her know. She's been wearing it since then."
Fuutarou nodded. That ribbon of her was one of her identity marks, and to be honest it was hard to imagine her without it. He could swear that at times it seemed to follow her changes of mood like real bunny ears, raising when she was excited or surprised, and drooping whenever she felt deflated. But he still had no clue what that had to do with disguising to look all the same.
"Thing is, in one of our visits, Grandpa saw Yotsuba wearing that ribbon, and suffered a collapse. He seemed to think we weren't getting along, and from then on we decided to be more careful when in front of him. Even so, shortly after that we all decided to follow her example, and we all developed our own appearances and personalities. But we agreed that whenever we were in front of Grandpa, we'd keep looking the same, using Itsuki-chan's image to do so. Though in the past few years we've had it much harder to do it. Yotsuba told me before coming here she was worried she couldn't pull it off now.
"I see. I guess it makes sense looking at it that way. Although after he threw me to the floor, I find a little hard to believe that old man is as fragile as you say."
"Haha, sorry about that," Ichika giggled. "But please don't hold it against him. I'm sure he's going to like you when he gets to know you better."
Fuutarou snorted a sarcastic chuckle. He doubted if that was possible, or whether he could actually get along with the old man. He didn't think it was possible, but inside he admitted the old man was a little scarier than Mr. Nakano, and that was saying a lot, when the latter already gave him the chills by being in his presence and glaring at him.
Maybe it was time to deflect the topic of conversation.
"Anyway, you wanted to talk to me about something too, didn't you?" he asked immediately.
"Hmm, where to begin…" Ichika replied. "I've noticed you're a little more distant than usual, since we came here. Something happened?"
The boy turned over the shoulder to look at her. Her flirty expression was gone, replaced now by a worried expression. Despite her default personality, the Nakano girl also knew how to get serious when she had to, and despite being younger than him, she seemed to know how to act like the big sister if he needed it, willing to listen to his troubles so he could vent.
That helped him relax, so he explained about the day they ran into each other, at the hospital when he was on his way out. Her father had set his position in regards to a possible relationship of one of his daughters with Fuutarou, and being intimidated as he was, he preferred to keep his distance since then. Also, he mentioned that right before running into her when she woke up, he'd been confronted along with Nino about Kintarou, which only fueled the tension even further.
"I don't wanna have troubles… or get you and the others in trouble because of me," he concluded.
"That's really considerate, Fuutarou-kun," said Ichika. "But I don't think Dad's too upset about it. Truth is, he took a lot better than I expected my… little escapades."
The Uesugi boy turned to see her again. Something told him she wasn't talking about her dates with him, but the other escapades, which she took on a much more regular basis.
"Are you talking about your acting job?" It wasn't really a question; if the man was up to speed with everything else, it was only logical he knew about this too.
"I thought I would surprise him, but he'd already found out when I told him," the girl said, in a resigned tone. "He doesn't quite approve, but he did say that, so long as it doesn't interfere with my studies, he's willing to tolerate it. Though I'm not sure if I can make it through the third year."
Ichika stopped rubbing on his back, and wrapped her arms around his neck. The boy shivered; even though they were covered by the bikini's cloth, he could still feel the girl's breasts pressing against him, and he had to clench his teeth and fists trying to shake it off.
"Maybe I will need some… additional assistance," she whispered to his ear.
"You want me… to be your tutor?" he asked, though then again, it was less a question and more a statement of facts.
The girl giggled, and finally let go off his back, much to his relief. "I would like that, yes. But right now, there's something else I'm worried about. That same day I went to ask him something important, but he refused. I get the feeling I'll have to ask the others to back me up on this."
"And what is it?"
"Fuutarou! You still there?"
Kazane Uesugi's voice interrupted the conversation. The boy was left rigid, so he couldn't do anything when his mother, already clad in a towel, had entered the mixed baths.
"Oh, my," the woman said, between shocked and amused. "Am I interrupting something?"
"D-don't get the w-wrong ideas, Mom," Fuutarou stammered. "I-Ichika and I w-were just t-talking."
"Sure, talking," Kazane replied, as if she didn't buy it (and evidently didn't). "Well, son, sorry to spoil your moment, but I wanted to ask if you could take Raiha for a walk across the path. I'd do it myself, but I felt like relaxing for a while."
"Ah, sheesh-" Fuutarou rolled his eyes. He glanced at Ichika to say something, but she just smiled cheerily.
"Don't apologize, we can continue this talk another time. Be a good big brother and take Raiha-chan for a walk."
"If you say so."
Fuutarou stood up and headed for the dressers. His mother elbowed him as she muttered something that sounded like "You naughty boy". He tried to ignore it, though inside he was a little annoyed that she showed up right then, when the conversation was turning good.
In fact, he was so entertained that he couldn't ask Ichika directly about the note, but for now, he'd better listen to her and behave as the good big brother he'd always been.
To be continued…
Author's notes:
Alright, before anything else, I must apologize if my notes for this chapter aren't as cheery as usual. Last Wednesday, September 1st, at exactly 4:15 pm, the Covid-19 got its first fatal victim in my family: my 89-year-old granny. She'd been the family's matriarch since I could remember and even before, and my last remaining grandparent (my maternal grandpa died before I was born, and my two paternal grandparents died when I was in high school), as well as the last surviving member among her siblings. If I had to describe her in just a few lines, I can say that she was everything one could wish in a grandma: kindhearted, loving and cheerful, not just with us in the family, but with everyone who met her. She could also be terrifying when she was angry and scolded us, and I don't remember meeting a person as strong as her. Always in high spirits and even until last year she helped us with cleaning and gardening duties at home. But well, nobody can win the battle against time, and I suppose God decided her time was now; besides, my aunt who was being her closest caretaker did say Granny seemed ready to go for quite a while. After all she did for us she deserves her rest, and wherever she is, she'll continue to watch over us. I know that, because the night after her passing, I dreamed of her, that she was still with us giving us warm hugs. Rest in peace, Granny, and thanks for all the love and good moments you gave us for so long.
Now then, let's move on to the chapter. As promised, here's where the Scrambled Eggs equivalent begins in canon, and I guess you know what that entails. I'm taking the events through a different route, since Fuutarou is much closer to Yotsuba and Ichika than to any of the others, he's obviously less obsessed with telling them apart, though the quintuplet game did have to happen one way or another. In fact, without this being a big spoiler, I'm planning on having a second visit to the Grandfather's hot springs to conclude this part of the plot, when our protagonist has his feelings much cleared. Of course, that ain't happening until the end of the third year of high school, so I'll leave a few loose ends to sort out on the way there. As a trivia, for the scene between Fuutarou and Ichika in the mixed baths, I partially based on one from Nagatoro, when she teases her senpai about modeling nude, only to reveal she was wearing a swimsuit under her clothes, so if you thought about that, it's not coincidence.
So, to conclude, I apologize in advance if my activity diminishes and the next updates take a while longer. This chapter was published only because I finished the one I was currently writing on the same day Granny passed, but at the time I have do give more time to the family, and my online activity will be paused for the most part (barring university schoolwork and assignments), adding up that I'm having troubles with Internet in my zone and right now I'm borrowing some connection. So I must ask you for more patience; I'm not abandoning this story, but I have my priorities in order. In fact, when I do resume writing, I'll be doing a tribute story for my grandma somewhere down the road before I work on anything else, since I still have some feelings I wanna get off my chest, and I feel it's gonna help me cope with the loss.
Thanks for the reviews to SolarHistorian, Honored Oak, TheExiledDarkness, DRSM, TheMist33, AllAboutThoseMyths, Guest (1) and Guest(2), as well as bobalon in the previous chapters (hope you can catch up soon) . Also, special thanks for Shadechu Nightray for her continued beta reading work, and Breloom Writer for providing me some dialogues in the Quintuplet Game scene, both of which are a great help for this story. Until next time, sayonara,