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 21: Hot Springs and Confusions, Part 2
Under the Bell of Bows, while Fuutarou and Ichika talked to each other…
There were many reasons why he'd come with his daughters on this trip. First and most obvious, his elderly father-in-law was quite delicate of health, and he wasn't sure how much more time he had. Maruo knew he was a strong old man, but sooner or later, age would inexorably win the battle.
Second… he'd have a conversation with his eldest daughter in his office, one that'd left him deep in thought. Despite leaving his stance very clear, he knew her well, and something in him told him that wasn't over yet. She'd come looking for him sooner rather than later to continue that talk and press the matter.
…
"Do you fully understand what you're asking of me?" he asked her, very seriously.
"I know this is weird, Dad. But please, call off Yotsuba's transfer. For her own sake, she really doesn't need to go back to Kurobara."
Right after he'd dismissed the young man Uesugi, and handing over his final pay as tutor, Ichika had come for a visit at his office. Since they were talking at the time, he'd momentarily turned off the intercom to avoid interruptions until it was over, and as a result, his daughter came as a surprise. By his estimation, they'd most likely crossed each other on the hallway, right before she entered.
"Ichika-kun, we'd agreed that the goal of all this was to have Yotsuba-kun return with the rest of you. Isn't that what you wanted, to always stick together?"
His eldest daughter looked away, as he hit the bullseye. The idea of transferring Yotsuba to a different school, one where the son of his old classmate attended, and from references was an exceptional student, was to make thing easier so they could study without many issues. And while it was hard, in the end they succeeded.
"There's more than one way to stick together," Ichika said. "We're in the in-between school years break, so it'd be much easier to pull strings for a school transfer, wouldn't it?"
"Ichika-kun… are you perhaps thinking about asking that again?" he asked sternly. He knew for sure what she was about to propose; after all, they'd done it before, or rather, tried to do it once.
"As long as we graduate from high school, who cares about the school we graduate from?" the pink-haired girl asked.
"Can you really say that so lightly?" Maruo arched an eyebrow. "Or is it that you plan to abandon your studies once you graduate… Miss Young Promising Actress?"
He saw his daughter wincing at those words. It was no surprise; she probably thought he wasn't aware of her activities, but he'd kept in contact with Ebata, who'd always be reporting of his daughters moves. He couldn't let them stray after all.
"Were you planning on telling me this at some point?"
"Well… I was hoping to break the news today," she finally admitted. "But I guess there's no need now. Though I'm surprised you didn't do anything to stop me."
"All things considered, you've managed well," Maruo replied, keeping his serious tone. "But it won't be easy during the final year. You may have to choose between one thing or the other, and that will severely affect your future. Acting is… a risky business after all."
"I know," Ichika said. "But I'm confident that I can make it. I'd just need… a bit of help, that's all."
Maruo intertwined his fingers, his gaze fixated on Ichika. He still remembered how, when all the mess occurred and Yotsuba was on the verge of being expelled from Kurobara after failing the remedial exams, the others tried to lie saying that they cheated, so they all could transfer schools. But at the last minute, Yotsuba decided not to let her sisters pay for her own mistakes, and said she would manage on her own, which they grudgingly accepted.
"Dad, you may have not noticed, but Yotsuba is a lot more motivated since she transferred. I have the feeling she could do much better where she is now, and returning to our school will put her back on square one. In fact… I think I should change too."
"Why do you say that? Kurobara is a very prestigious academy."
"This isn't about prestige. A more relaxed, and less strict environment did wonders for Yotsuba. Now she feels less pressured, and that helps her perform better. Truth is, I think the others and I could benefit from that too."
"Is that why you say so? Or is there another reason?" the man inquired.
His daughter looked away again, a sign that he nailed it once more. He knew perfectly that another reason, but he'd rather let her admit it herself. If she felt pressured, it was less likely she would open up to him, after all.
Ichika took a while to answer, but finally breathed deeply and gathered courage to confront him.
"I'll be sincere, Dad. Yotsuba is better off now thanks to Fuutarou-kun. And I'm not saying this just because he helped her study, but because… because he was the person she needed in her life. A good friend she can trust, and with whom she can be herself. I don't think it's fair they should be separated now, when she needs him the most."
"And why are you telling me all this?" Maruo inquired again.
Ichika took another deep breath, meditating briefly on her answer before speaking up again.
"I'm the eldest sister. Since Mom passed away, I promised myself I would take care of the others, that I would watch out for their happiness. I appreciate everything you've done for us, and I know it's asking for a lot, but I promise: if you grant me this one whim, I will never ask anything of you in my life, ever again."
"I'm afraid I must refuse," Maruo said. "In theory, I could grant your request, but it'd be a lot more trouble than it's worth."
"But Dad…"
Right then, the intercom rang off rather conveniently, with a call from the receptionist that announced of an emergency patient and he had to supervise. He caught a glimpse of his daughter frowning at the interruption, but since it was an emergency, she couldn't protest. Work was work, after all.
"My apologies, but I need to attend this. You better head back home, as this conversation is over," he declared with an edge in his voice.
He headed for the door, and his daughter walked out so he could shut the office's lock. Ichika seemed disappointed, but complied and headed for the elevator, with a look that clearly said she wasn't giving up so easily.
The quintuplets were just as stubborn as their mother, that seemed inevitable.
…
Maruo knew perfectly that the conversation wasn't over, it'd just been delayed. In fact, he was expecting his eldest daughter to come and confront him again any moment.
While he didn't show it, he wasn't actually against her decision. He just didn't want her to jump to it so lightly, and wanted to ascertain that she was fully aware of all the implications. As her father, it was his duty to look out for her and her sisters, even if he did allow a degree of freedom so they could make their own decisions.
"So here you are."
The familiar voice went off behind him, and he turned around to find the smiling and equally familiar face of his former classmate, Isanari Uesugi. He certainly wasn't expecting to see him here, on the same spot they'd chosen for vacation. Coincidence, or perhaps fate?
"It's been a long time, old buddy," Isanari said.
"Not that much," Maruo replied dryly. "We have kept in touch, haven't we?"
"I mean in person. When was the last time we talked face to face? Better said, when was the last time we talked without you being buried in your office all day long?"
"I'm a doctor, my job is serious business."
Isanari muttered something of which Maruo barely caught "You tell yourself that", and then his laidback smirk shifted into a much more serious demeanor, as he crossed his arms.
"Much as I'd love to talk of our old times, there's something more important. Spill it: what did you say to my son the other day?"
Maruo glanced at the blond, muscular man. He wasn't being threatening or anything, but just like he did the quints, evidently the senior Uesugi was trying to look out for his son.
"Are you upset he's dating one of your daughters?" he asked directly.
"I hired him as a favor for an old classmate. He was supposed to be a tutor for one of my daughters, not to get involved sentimentally with them."
"Oi, you're making it sound like he's some womanizing letch," Isanari pointed. "I mean, it's not like he's going after all of them at once, is he? One is more than enough, even he knows that."
Isanari talked in a laidback tone, like they were still middleschoolers. Some things would never change even with the years, and despite being now married with two children, deep down he was still the same. He, for his part, hoped he had matured since then.
"I don't want any of my daughters to get involved with someone who's not good for them. Besides, relationships between teachers and students are not appropriate."
"Tch, please, you're exaggerating," Isanari replied. "True, my son sometimes goes to do some workout with Yotsuba, but no dating. He does that with Ichika, and she's not even his student. Besides… I think you're not the best person to talk about that kind of relationships. I mean, not everyone can boast of having married his teacher, right?"
Maruo clenched a fist slightly, giving him a stern glare. He hated when that topic was brought up, like he'd done something bad. Firstly, while it was true that he was the leader of his teacher's fan club, whom he admired for her dedication, stern character, and beauty, but he never saw her beyond that while he was her student. Secondly, when they entered a relationship, he'd already graduated, made himself independent and built up a life of his own, all thanks to her teachings.
In part, that was also the reason to offer her to get married, so he could legally adopt her daughters and watch over them in her memory. They were the last living reminder of that woman he admired, and eventually loved, so much. That was why he had to watch over them.
"I've given my girls too many liberties," Maruo replied. "It's only fair that I set some limits."
"But they won't be girls forever," Isanari pointed. "We may not see it, but our children will grow, and we can't hold their hands when they make their lives. We have to let them go sooner or later, and they're of age to make their choices and decide what they want."
Maruo glanced at Isanari again, as if trying to intimidate him. He didn't even faze; he clearly believed in his words, and as much as he wanted to deny it, he was right. The quintuplets would turn eighteen in less than two months, and it was about time for them to choose the path for their lives. Whatever it was, and as long as they didn't take bad steps, he was willing to let them choose. That was why he hadn't intervened when he learned of Ichika's acting career.
Seeing as he didn't say anything, Isanari spoke up again:
"Listen, my son may have his flaws, but he's not a bad boy. I can see he's grown fond of your daughters. Hell, as a father, I'm happy he has a girlfriend, he really needed someone who liked him to bring him out of that grumpy studious shell he turned into. He reminds me too much of you, you know? No offense."
"None taken," Maruo replied. In fact, he even felt flattered, though he wouldn't say it out loud. "If it was just him, I could let it slide. But I assume you must be aware that… he's not the only one after one of my daughters."
"What're you talking about?" Isanari asked, as if he feigned ignorance. "Just kidding, just kidding. I assume you're talking about Kintarou, right?"
"Any parent worth their salt can vouch for their children. But what about your nephew?"
"Well, I don't see any reasons you should mistrust him. He's the son of my late sister after all. He can be a little rambunctious sometimes, but no more than I was in my student days, if that says something. And he'd never hurt a girl, let alone one he actually likes."
Maruo stared at his former classmate again. His serious gesture had made way to his laidback smile once more. Irritating as he could be, he trusted the man's word, and if he vouched for his son and nephew, then he would trust them not to overstep their limits.
He just hoped they wouldn't give him reasons to withdraw that trust later.
Meanwhile, in the female baths…
While her husband and children were out, Kazane had decided to go to the springs to relax alone. It'd been a whole since she last gave herself some time like this, and she couldn't be happier that her husband had won the prize in that raffle.
"Hmm, this feels great."
While she didn't mind the company, she felt good at having the springs only for herself. She hadn't bathed in them in years, and after spending so much time at work, she felt she'd earned that little pleasure, to have some time to clear her mind and get lost on her thoughts.
At least, until the door slid and someone else entered.
"Oh? Sorry, we thought it was empty." Two of the Nakano sisters, specifically Itsuki and Miku, from her hair dyes and lengths, had just entered.
"Don't mind me, there's room aplenty."
Both girls entered the water and headed to their own corners to enjoy their bath. Or at least, they tried to, since someone else entered right then…
"Make way, here I come! Whoooooo!"
And she threw herself with a cannonball, splashing them all. Kazane barely had time to process what happened, as Itsuki went ahead and started screaming.
"Yotsuba! This isn't a pool to do that! Besides, don't you see we're not the only ones here?!"
"Huh? Ah, Mrs. Uesugi, sorry. I didn't see you were here too."
"No worries," the woman replied. "Besides, I understand this place's owned by your grandfather, isn't it? I feel more like the intruder here."
" No, don't say that!" Itsuki hurriedly said. "You have the right to enjoy the springs as much as we do."
The woman just chuckled and shrugged. Now that she was there, the truth was that she had questions aplenty for them. Same ones she couldn't have gotten answers from her son, but like any mother, she was curious to know.
"So… how are things going on between my son and Ichika?" she asked directly. "I know she's working very hard as an actress, and that's why they don't have much time to see each other, but…"
"Ah… well, I guess they're doing well," said Yotsuba. "I'm sorry I ended up tagging on what should have been a date for them alone."
"You weren't the only one," Itsuki added. "Even though Nino was the one to drag us into spying, right, Miku?"
"We didn't oppose much," the middle sister replied dryly, causing the youngest to puff up her cheeks.
Kazane had to hold back the giggles. After Fuutarou won those tickets for the amusement park, he seemed split between inviting either Yotsuba or Ichika, explaining his reasons. The woman understood perfectly; whenever her son felt indebted to someone, he wouldn't rest until he felt he'd compensated them properly. Then she found out that, somehow, Ichika and Yotsuba bought an additional ticket so the three could go, and they ended up running into the others, spending the rest of the afternoon all six of them together.
"You know, from what he told me, he actually had lots of fun," Kazane said. "I think I hadn't seen him that happy in a long time. And it's all thanks to you."
Her words caught the three sisters' attention, and they glanced at her with interest. Having already begun the conversation, the woman decided to continue.
"My son's a good boy, but he's way too serious for his own good. My husband and I have tried to convince him that he should relax a little more, and he shouldn't worry that much about us, you know?"
"Really?" Itsuki asked. "And why is that?"
"When I first opened my bakery, we had too many debts," Kazane explained. "Isanari and I were trying to stay strong for Fuutarou's and Raiha's sake, but I think he could see we were struggling just to put food on our table. I think that's what motivated my son to help us, in any way he could.
"But he got so caught up in his studies, he distanced himself from almost everyone, except us. It's been years since he last related to someone, even the few friends he had in elementary school. And even after we got a loan to get our business running, he insisted on getting part-time jobs, with the excuse of 'not wanting to be a load for us'. God, that boy…"
"So that's why he's so serious," Itsuki said. "Now I understand why he was so concerned about the money from his tutoring job."
"That's him alright." Kazane nodded. "But like I said, he seems to have changed during these months. I've noticed he's more relaxed, happier. It's all thanks to having met you girls; it's good to see he's gotten so good friends."
"Oh, no, you don't have to thank us," Itsuki frantically shook her fingers. "In fact, you should be thanking Yotsuba."
"Eh? Why me?" the orangehead asked.
"Come on, you're still asking?" the youngest sister replied. "You were the one to bring him to our home, and the one who hangs out the most of him. You two are practically the best of friends, aren't you? You guys even go out for jogging or the gym together."
"That's true," Kazane said. "Moreover, if I didn't know better, I would almost believe you were dating."
"Oh, no, no, no!" Yotsuba frantically waved her arms around. "Your son and I are just good friends. Truth is, I just wanted to thank him somehow, for all his help with my studies. That's all."
The woman found it a little hard to believe, but since Fuutarou insisted in the same thing, she saw no reason to doubt Yotsuba. It was a little weird, to be honest, but then again, her son ultimately had chosen to date Ichika, so she took his word for it and decided not to be annoying about it. If both insisted they were just friends, then they were just friends alright.
"Well, whatever the case, I'm very happy he met you girls," the woman continued. "Thanks to all of you, my son's opening up more, and acts more like a teenager rather than force himself to be an adult before his time."
"I should probably follow his example, come to think of it," Itsuki said. "Speaking of that, if you don't mind me asking… when is his birthday?"
"Why the interest?" Kazane asked. Meanwhile, both Miku and Yotsuba squinted their eyes towards Itsuki.
"Ah! Don't tell me you're getting a crush on Uesugi-san too! Don't let Ichika find out!" Yotsuba shouted.
"No, don't take it the wrong way!" the redhead exclaimed, her face suddenly as red as her hair. "I mean, he did help us with our studies a few times too, and even brought us some Christmas present. Isn't that right, Miku?"
"That's right," the quiet sister replied. "We'd like to thank him too."
Kazane involuntarily covered her mouth to hold back the giggles. Actually, the girls didn't need to know it was just because of her and her husband's insistence that Fuutarou spent extra money to buy Christmas presents for all of the Nakano sisters. But it was nice to see they were grateful for it, and wanted to pay him back.
"Well, if you really want to know, his birthday is on April 15th, so there's still plenty of time. There's no need to rush it."
"We should do something special!" Yotsuba said enthusiastically. "After all, it's gonna be his 18th birthday, right?"
"We'll think about something," Itsuki said. "Maybe a surprise party would be nice."
Mrs. Uesugi agreed on that. Normally, her son would celebrate his birthdays with them, always something small, with a cake made by her and Raiha, but nothing more. Just a couple times, when Kintarou came for a visit so they could celebrate their birthday together (as they shared it) he'd gotten a little livelier, though he didn't want to acknowledge it.
It'd be nice to support the girls on this to give her son a little surprise.
"Well, if that's the case, you can count on me to make the cake. Whatever you plan to do, you can be sure I won't tell him a word."
"Shishishi! Thanks so much, Mrs. Uesugi!
From there on out, the woman started talking in a lower voice, just in case someone could be listening in. After this, she'd have to ask her husband not to go telling their son, so they could increase the surprise's impact. More than anything, they talked about suggestions of food and presents he could like, and telling one or two anecdotes about Fuutarou, which brought a couple giggles out of the sisters.
Definitely, she was happy her son could call such nice girls his friends.
A little bit later…
The walk with Raiha across the surroundings felt a little short. Months before, Fuutarou sometimes felt his little sister had more energy than him. This time, though, she was the one to get tired before, and on the way back she demanded that he carried her piggyback.
"Faster, faster, Oniichan!"
"We're going up, at least let me regain my breath!" the boy replied. He wasn't as tired as he thought he'd be, but he knew it'd be easier to carry her on flat land.
"Ah, wait a moment! Turn left here!"
"For what?" he asked. The inn was in the opposite direction after all.
"I wanna go see the bell!"
Oh, so it was that. Truth was, he still didn't get why everyone made such a huge fuss about that stupid bell, but well, his sister had asked and he wouldn't refuse.
He let Raiha go see it, and she seemed as excited as if she was on a candy or toy store. Sometimes he envied her a little, for keeping that cheery disposition and having no worries, while he was so buried in his studies, he didn't give himself the chance to enjoy life.
In fact, he wasn't even enjoying these vacations. Since he met the Nakanos and their father he'd been quite tense, and while that 'close encounter' with Ichika in the mixed baths had somewhat relieved the weight, he still had too many things spinning in his head.
At least, she did promise they'd end that little chat later. Maybe he should go inside and look for her?
"Raiha… I need to talk to Ichika," he told her after a while. "Are you coming or staying?"
"You can go without me, Oniichan! I don't wanna make a bad third wheel!"
Fuutarou almost laughed, but he didn't think his parents would be mad. After all, the inn was within walking distance from the bell, so she couldn't get lost.
Once inside, he passed in front of the old man in the reception, and while he didn't even move, he still gave him the chills. Now he knew he should mess with the old man or his granddaughters if he didn't want to have a bad time.
Even so, when he saw an Itsuki approaching, he stepped in front of her, careful to not to make any physical contact or seem like he was harassing her.
"*Ahem*, are you Ichika by chance?" he asked quietly. "And if you're not, do know where she is now?"
"No. And I don't know where she is," she replied, before she continued her way.
Fuutarou almost clicked his tongue, but if it couldn't be helped, he decided to keep looking around. He really thought that dressing up the same way was a gross exaggeration. Why couldn't the old man accept their individualities anyway?
"Ouch! Sorry!" Right then, as he turned around the corner he bumped into another Itsuki, or better said, she almost passed over him. She seemed in quite a hurry. "I'm so sorry!"
"Don't worry," he said. He couldn't even catch a glimpse or even ask if she was Ichika. But then shr ealized something else; it seemed like in her rush she left something in his hand.
Another folded paper, and upon opening it, he saw the same calligraphy from last night, even adorned with red hearts in the corners. A message very similar, albeit extended, was written on it.
"Come and meet me under the bell at midnight. It's for something important, please."
"So… was that her?" he wondered as he turned to watch across the hallway where she'd vanished.
Who else could be? Too bad she went off in such a hurry, but it seemed he had no choice. If he wanted to talk to her, he'd have to wait until night.
Resigned, he sighed and headed for his room. If he was going to have to get up at midnight, maybe he should get some early sleep now.
That night…
As if his inner clock was alerting him, Fuutarou woke up, carefully reaching out for his cellphone. Hiding under the futon's blankets to turn it on, he verified the time. It was 11:42 pm. Well, midnight would come soon, almost time for his "date with destiny", in a manner of speaking.
He got out of his futon carefully, grabbing his clothes to avoid disturbing his family. He walked downstairs and headed for the bathroom. He didn't hear any steps anywhere, so he guessed that, either she was already waiting for him, or she hadn't woken up yet.
'God, I don't know how I let myself get convinced about this?' he thought as he changed. 'This better be worth it.'
Come to think of it, there weren't many other places and times where they could talk without being disturbed. After all, both families would head back the next morning, and they were bound to be too busy the next morning. The conversation was still due, so they better finish it soon.
"You better make this worth my time," he muttered under his breath.
He was about to head for the entrance hall, until he remembered something. What if the old man was at the reception watching? He probably wouldn't find it funny, let alone if he found out he was about to have a night meeting with one of his granddaughters.
He glanced cautiously and perked up his ears, but he didn't hear any footsteps. He approached on tiptoes and saw he was not on his usual spot. Holding his breath, he moved towards the entrance, opened the door carefully and exited the inn.
The night was extremely quiet. It was fortunate that the Bell of Vows was less than five minutes away on a walk, so he wouldn't be late for his little date.
Date, what a strange way to call it.
"Ichika… what's that so important you need to talk to me? And to meet here of all places."
Really, why under the bell? If he didn't know better, maybe she wanted to meet him there because of that ridiculous legend. Maybe she wanted to confess him right then and there, and make the bell ring so they'd be together forever, or something like that.
At first, he laughed at the idea, until he started pondering… what if that was exactly what she wanted to do?
Ichika hadn't made a secret of how attracted she was to him, but… no, it was too soon to do something so definitive. It wasn't like he didn't see her as attractive or anything, but… did he really feel attracted to her?
"*Ahem*." A voice cleared her throat in the middle of the darkness. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't even hear her footsteps. Or maybe, she was being stealthy on purpose.
Despite it being dark, she could see the girl had donned a longcoat to shield herself from the cold, and while her long wig was visible in her silhouette, she also wore a hat held by a muffler wrapped around her head. He could almost distinguish the leopard pattern.
"You finally showed up. So, you're finally going to tell me what's so important?"
The girl didn't reply, she just slowly walked towards him. Without warning, and holding him by the shoulders, she slowly pushed him back, first gently, but then harder with each step she took.
"Oi! What do you think you're… Whoah!"
In a rather brusque push, he slipped and fell backwards. Out of instinct he tried to reach and hold on to something, but all he found was the bell's rope, accidentally ringing it. She ended up falling on top of him, pinning him against the ground, and leaving them both in a rather… compromising pose, to say the least.
Fuutarou was left frozen. Even in the dark, he could see a glint in the eyes of the girl on top of him. A strange, yet unusually captivating glint, for reasons he couldn't explain.
"H… hey, what…?"
"Shhh…" She silenced him with her finger, before whispering to him. "Forgive me for this, Fuutarou-kun…"
"Forgive you? Why would I…? Hmm!"
This time, rather than shut him up with her finger, the girl used her own lips. If he'd been paralyzed before, now he was literally frozen. His mind drew a blank, completely disconnecting from his body, which was rendered unable to react or do anything at all. It seemed like his only functional organ was his heart, pumping so hard it seemed ready to burst at any second.
Should he return it, or push her away? Why couldn't he tell? Why was his mind a complete and utter chaos? It was just a simple kiss, damn it!
No, it wasn't. It was his first kiss. It'd just been stolen from him, under that bell, and he'd been unable to prevent it. He was really angry about that.
And yet, those lips of hers were… so sweet and warm, really nice. And that gave him a strange feeling of joy.
It was a complete contradiction. How was he supposed to feel about that?!
After what seemed like an eternity (even though it wasn't probably more than a minute), she finally let go of him. Possibly because she needed air, and stepped away from him. Right then, he only saw how she looked at him, and turned on her heels before running out of there. She probably was going back to the inn, so nobody would notice she'd gone out at these hours.
Right then, his body finally responded again, and he could get back on his feet. He was confused, a complete whirlpool inside, unable to tell what he should think, or feel about what just happened. How did this happen, and more importantly, why? Was this what Ichika wanted to tell him?
And there was something else he didn't get. Why wasn't he happy about it? After all, he'd gotten his first kiss from a really beautiful girl. He should be happy about that, right?
"What the hell just happened? Why do I feel so… upset and disappointed inside?" he asked himself, clutching his chest.
He felt he should return to bed. With luck, he could wake up in the morning, and disregard all this like a strange and bad dream. It was the only way he could think about calming the chaos that was happening inside him.
The next morning…
"Oniichan…"
"Hmm…"
"Oniichan, wake up!" Raiha was tapping him on the back, while almost screaming on his ear to he would get up.
A part of him wanted to stay in the futon, after what happened last night, but knowing how far Raiha could get to make him get up, he decided he had to comply. He rubbed his eyes, and saw the smiling Raiha already dressed in her usual clothes.
"Hmm… what time is it now?"
"It's already past 8:00 am, Oniichan! Hurry up, almost everyone's had breakfast already!"
It was 8:00 am… upon hearing that, he stood up, jumping outside the futon. Was it really that late. He started frantically looking for his clothes, since last night he didn't check where he left them when he came back to sleep.
"Raiha, get out, I'm gonna get dressed!"
Fortunately, his little sister didn't stay to watch the show, and he could quickly get dressed. With luck, he wouldn't skip out breakfast; he didn't want to leave without eating something for oversleeping. Without missing a beat, he walked downstairs to check the dining hall, and ended up bumping into someone…
"Whoa, Fuutarou-kun!"
He registered the voice in his head before seeing her face, and immediately knew it was Ichika despite her still wearing her red wig. After all, she was the only one who called him that way.
"Good morning," he greeted. "You're Ichika, right?"
"Of course it's me," the girl said, raising the wig so she could show a pink bang. "Since you hadn't woken up, I offered to hold onto your breakfast. Do you want us to eat together?"
The girl was smiling from ear to ear. A rather weird reaction, considering last night. She was acting like nothing happened.
Was it just a simple dream? A dream that felt way too real for getting up near midnight?
"Something wrong, Fuutarou-kun?"
"Huh? No, nothing, just… had some trouble sleeping last night. I may still be on a daze."
"Hmm… how weird. Anyway, let's go eat."
Both sat by the table. From what Ichika told him, everyone else, their parents and sisters, had already eaten breakfast, but Ichika didn't want him to eat alone, and decided to wait for him. Partly too, she wanted to feed him romantically, forcing him to say "aaaahhh" much to his embarrassment, but fortunately there was almost nobody watching.
Well, except the old man who passed by after a while to take a look, and Fuutarou frantically began waving his hands, telling him they weren't doing anything inappropriate. He didn't want to end up being tossed to the ground like before. Fortunately, he seemed to buy it and left, though Fuutarou could almost feel there was a killing glare looking at him from under his white hairs.
"I think Grandpa likes you," Ichika said with a smile.
"You think so? To me, it looks like he still wants to kill me," he replied.
"It's just you," the girl assured. "Now, where were we? Ah yeah, aaaaaaahhhhh."
She continued feeding him, and despite how much he was enjoying it, he couldn't stop thinking about the past night. Ichika was acting like nothing had happened, and knowing her, that was very, very strange. She seemed more the type of girl who'd be very proud for stealing a kiss from the boy she liked, and maybe even brag about it.
Or maybe, she just didn't want to share that with the others. She wanted that moment to be hers and her alone.
"Hey, Ichika…"
"Yeah?"
He wanted to ask the question and get that off of his chest. But when he looked at her, smiling and radiant, something stopped her. Would he have the heart to do that? To tell her there was something off about the kiss last night?
No, he couldn't do that. Not after she'd been so nice and attentive with him. That would be stomping on her feelings.
"Nothing, it's nothing important."
She raised an eyebrow, but he just prompted her to continue feeding him, trying to enjoy the moment. He made the note to discard the past night as a simple dream and not to bring up the topic again. Should they kiss again, then they could talk about it.
And for some reason, a part of him hoped that wouldn't happen soon.
…
Once outside, the Uesugi and Nakano families gathered up to walk down the mountain path together. The weekend at the hot springs had gone flying, and while it wasn't as relaxing as it could have been, hadn't been completely bad either.
During the descent, Yotsuba wanted to go ahead, challenging him to a little race until they reached the bottom. She obviously won, and they stayed waiting for the rest of their families, before the car driven by Ebata came to pick them up.
"Oof, what a great vacation. Don't you agree, Uesugi-san?"
"Well, I guess it was good," he replied. "Also, it was nice to see you guys."
"Shishishi, sure it was, especially because you saw Ichika, right?"
"Were you talking about me?" the aforementioned voice spoke up.
Right then, the others were arriving. As both of their parents were talking to each other, in a voice too low to hear them clearly, and Raiha played a bit with Itsuki, Nino and Miku, Ichika approached them, and made a feigned annoyance gesture as she gave a stern look at Yotsuba.
"You're not trying to snatch my boy, are you, Yotsuba?"
"Aw, no, how can you think that? I'd never get in your way!" the ribbon girl assured.
Both sisters laughed, and right then, their car arrived as expected. Isanari and Maruo ceased their conversation, and all Nakano sisters began loading their baggage. Or rather, Yotsuba volunteered to do it, so she would leave Ichika y Fuutarou have one last moment alone.
"Well, guess this is where we part ways, for now, Fuutarou-kun," she said with a smile.
"Yeah, for now," he replied. "Sorry I didn't call or visited in the past few days. I'll try and keep more in touch from now on."
"Oh, don't worry, that won't be necessary," she said. "We'll meet again sooner than you think."
The boy arched an eyebrow in confusion, but she placed her finger on the lips and whispered "secret" to his ear before pecking him on the cheek. Looking through the corner of his eyes, Fuutarou caught from one side the approving looks of his parents and Raiha, and from the other Mr. Nakano's icy glare.
"Bye-bye, Fuutarou-kun." Ichika was the last one to board the car, which drove off almost immediately.
Fuutarou paid no heed to the Nakano sisters' calling out as they waved goodbye from the windows, and Raiha waving back at them in the same way. He was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't realize his father was coming closer.
"Everything okay, son?" Isanari asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Huh? Yeah, sure, why wouldn't it be?" the boy replied.
"Hey, it's alright. You've just said goodbye to your girlfriend, it's normal to feel that way. But she promised you'll meet again soon, so hold on until then."
"Yeah, Oniichan!" Raiha exclaimed. "Surely Ichika-san will be preparing a surprise for your next date or something like that!"
Fuutarou noticed how his mother, despite not saying anything, snickered upon hearing the word 'surprise', but he didn't ask about it. Right then, it didn't matter that much, and if they thought so, it kinda made sense to an extent.
Little did the Uesugis know, the older son's thoughts were other. In reality, what occupied his mind at the time was the feeling Ichika's lips left on his cheek, after that peak. Not because it was unpleasant, but because it was… different.
'Right then I felt it different. It wasn't like the kiss under the bell.'
But that made no sense. Unless it was a thing of a kiss on the lips and another on the cheek being different in that way. Well, maybe it was just that; it was the first time he was kissed on the lops, so he had nothing else to compare it to.
Though there was another possibility, a remote one, that the one who kissed him wasn't Ichika. But that couldn't be; none of the others would have any reasons to do that. All of the others only saw him as a friend at best.
'You're driving yourself crazy, don't dwell on that anymore.'
On the first day of class…
Fuutarou got up very early that moment. It was partly because, since that hot springs weekend, he was now having trouble sleeping. After all, who could forget something like a first kiss so easily?
After breakfast and saying goodbye to his parents and Raiha, he left his home, wanting to take the scenery route, walking slowly towards the school. Very different from his previous years when he started a new course.
That day, watching how the cherry blossoms fell across the streets, Fuutarou came to notice many things for the first time about around him. Of the students heading for the school, both the seniors and the freshmen, some cheery and full of hopes, others annoyed and the occasional nervous one. He didn't seem to fit in any of those molds, and it was partly because he was missing something.
Or rather, someone.
'Yotsuba… school's gonna be really boring, now you're not gonna be around here.'
It wasn't like he wanted to feel special or something, but having been the one who spent the most time with Yotsuba during her tenure there, there was no doubt he would be the one to miss her the most. Of course, he wouldn't be the only one: with her being such a fun and cheery girl, whose sole presence could liven up the day of even the gloomiest fellows (himself being the living proof of it), everyone who had the pleasure to meet her would sorely miss her.
"Stop thinking about that," he told himself. "Accept it, you won't be seeing her at school anymore."
"… Uesugi-san..."
He chuckled again. He was missing her already, so much that he could even hear her in his head.
"…Uesugi-san!"
This time he heard her louder. Truly, did he really miss her that much, to the point his mind was playing dirty tricks on him? Did he really want to see her that badly?
"Uesugi-saaaaaaaaaaaaan!"
*BUMP!*
Okay, now that was too much. It couldn't be his mind playing tricks when someone came from behind and tackled him. Fortunately, he didn't land face first on the floor, and quickly turned around in irritation to see the one responsible.
"Dammit, Yotsuba! What do you…?" He stopped once he realized. Yotsuba was really there, showing her toothy grin and as cheery as ever.
He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but indeed, she was there. Still wearing the Asahiyama uniform, which shouldn't make sense either.
But the biggest surprise was still to come, just a few seconds later.
"Yotsuba, why didn't you wait for us?! The idea was that all five surprised him together!"
He immediately recognized Ichika's voice. But she wasn't the only one who came running: behind them Nino, Itsuki, and a rather winded up Miku, came following close. The Uesugi boy's eyes opened like dishes upon seeing all five Nakano sisters there, all of them wearing his school's uniform. Of course, there were subtle differences: Ichika wore a yellow sweater draped around her waist; Nino wore white, thigh-high stockings, Miku wore her baby blue sweater and dark tights, and lastly Itsuki wore a red one, very clean and tidy.
"What the… what in the world's going on here? What are all of you doing here, and…?"
"Oh, come on, Fuutarou-kun," Ichika interrupted. "Is that the way to greet your new classmates?"
"Classmates? No… don't tell me you guys…"
"What's wrong? Is the genius having trouble to compute the info?" This time, Nino spoke up. "Alright, let me explain. Turns out, Ichika was talking to Papa, to convince him of canceling Yotsuba's school transfer."
"Cancel?" Fuutarou glanced at Yotsuba, who giggled nervously as she scratched the back of her neck. But before she talked, Ichika took it up to speak on her behalf.
"Truth is, I wanted to tell you when we were at the springs," the eldest Nakano confessed. "The day we met at the hospital, I was going to tell Dad that maybe, the best for her would be staying here in Asahiyama, but I couldn't convince him then."
Fuutarou took some time to process it. So, that was the other thing she wanted to talk about? Well, given the ensuing later mess… it kinda made sense that she forgot.
He then glanced at Yotsuba, and the ribbon girl smiled nervously as she stuck out her tongue and scratched the back of her neck.
"Well, the truth is… I wasn't sure if I really wanted to go back to Kurobara. These months have been real fun after all. I couldn't decide."
"Don't lie to yourself, Yotsuba," Ichika said sternly. "We all knew you wanted to stay. So, well, I had to ask the others to back me up on this. The school year hadn't started, so it was much easier to make the arrangements and transfer the rest of us to Asahiyama."
"I see." Fuutarou nodded. Maybe this was what she was talking about when she said the "sooner than you think" part. "I assume your father wasn't happy to deal with all that transfer procedure?"
"Well, I won't deny he was annoyed by the paperwork," Ichika said. "But he relented in the end, so here we are."
"Frankly, I think we should have come from the beginning. We would have saved a lot of trouble," Nino intervened, shrugging. "So, genius, feel grateful now. We all decide to come here and keep an eye on Yotsuba, and make sure he's alright. So don't try anything funny!"
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Fuutarou said.
"Come on, Nino, let's not start with the left foot, shall we?" Itsuki intervened trying to calm them. "After all, we're going to be classmates from now on. Our father made arrangements so we're all in the same class as you, Uesugi-kun."
"We'll be counting on you," Miku added, with a slight smile.
Fuutarou glanced at the sisters, one by one, going from the middle sister, to the youngest, the second, and momentarily stopped on the eldest, who winked at him.
"Isn't that great, Fuutarou-kun? Now we can see each other on a daily basis in class. Well, except the days I have to do filming, obviously."
"This is so exciting!" Yotsuba added. "It means we all can study together, and graduate out of the same school! This is going to be a really fun year!"
Next, the fourth sister caught him and Ichika in a group hug, almost breaking his neck, and soon enough the other sisters joined in to dogpile on them. They obviously attracted a few curious glances from the passing students, but right then, that was the least of his worries.
A school year about to start, and now he'd have to spend it not only with Yotsuba, but also with Ichika and the rest of the sisters. He should feel happy for that, and actually part of him was, but the other… was starting to get worried for reasons he couldn't explain.
'My God… what have I just gotten into?'
To be continued…
Author's notes:
What's up, people? Well, here I am, slowly recovering after granny's passing, and I finally decided to resume writing this one. Before anything, I'd like to thank everyone for the moral support in the reviews for the last chapter, it means a lot to me. It may not seem much, but those gestures are really appreciated in such hard times, so again, thanks a lot for it, really helps ease the pain for her departure. With that out of the system, time to talk about the chapter.
I think everyone could see coming a mile away that, inevitably, the other quintuplets would transfer schools. The challenge was to at least make it in a somewhat plausible way, though from what I know, in Japan it's easier to handle it at the end of the school year instead of halway through, and that shouldn't pose too much of a problem for someone like Maruo, who managed to do that with five girls halfway through the second year, with all the implications. Besides, that gave me the chance to show a bit of his perspective about it, not to mention some interaction between him and Isanari. Truth be told, I had plenty of fun writing that scene, so I hope I get the chance to do it again in the future. Who knows, maybe I'll include a flashback to the time when they were students or something like that, that'd make an interesting prospect. As for the scene of Fuutarou's mom with the other sisters at the springs, I have not much to say about it, except that yes, I do have planned a couple chapters dedicated to Fuutarou's birthday (and I say a couple because it was originally going to be just one, but it extended and I had to split it).
However, the key scene for this chapter, which'll set the basis for future drama and resolution of this story, is obviously the kiss under the bell. Given that it's an important event in canon, it had to happen here one way or another, so I decided to change the context surrounding it. In canon, it was supposedly there where Fuutarou started to see the quint who kissed him as "special", that she was the one destined to marry him. Here, on the other hand, we on the outside know exactly who was the one who kissed him, and why she did it. But Fuutarou still doesn't and that's going to make him question his own feelings from now on. In fact, you may have noticed that, unlike canon, Fuutarou doesn't ask the Nakanos 'grandfather for help in telling them apart. I have planned a second visit to the inn to solve that loose end, when the boy is a little, shall we say, clearer about it. Until than, that's gonna be a thorn on his side, which is gonna affect everything she does emotionally and sentimentally. As for the kisser... you can be certain that sooner or later she's gonna have to face him, and she's not going to escape consequences for that reckless action.
Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Thanks for the reviews to Honored Oak, JoeMoe, AllAboutThoseMyths, TheMist33 and Guest. I apologize in advance if the pace goes down a little, but I'm doing online classes and trying to return to normal in the university, hence my time is quite limited. I'm also planning on writing a "pilot chapter" for a future story about The Quintessential Quintuplets, basically an AU with the premise "What if Fuutarou had become a jock instead of a nerd?" Not gonna spoil anything for now, though my friends at the Discord server have heard some of the ideas I have. Until next time, sayonara!