Chapter 12

As hours ticked by, the Kiyomizu-dera temple remained packed with tourists, showing no signs of thinning out. After completing the thrilling and enjoyable Love Stones challenge at Jishu Shrine, Fuutaro suggested to Yotsuba that they take a short rest before continuing their exploration. Yotsuba agreed without much objection, and the two found a seat on one of the public benches within the temple complex. As they sat, they pondered which attraction or point of interest they should visit next.

"So where do you want to go, Yotsuba?" Fuutaro asked while massaging his tired legs.

Yotsuba pulled out a temple pamphlet, searching for a place they had yet to visit. "Hmm... How about we go to the Koyasu Pagoda in the forest?" she suggested. "Ichika and Itsuki said earlier that they were heading there. It might be a good opportunity to catch up with them."

"The forest, huh?" Fuutaro leaned back on the bench, gazing up at the sky. Memories of exploring the forest area with Rena six years ago brought a hint of nostalgia. "Yeah, let's go there. It's been a while since I last visited that place.

After a short while, the two rose from the bench and continued their way to the Koyasu Pagoda. En route, an unexpected incident unfolded before their eyes—a fellow school peer suddenly collapsed, surprising them both. The student's groupmates reacted swiftly, calling out in shock and quickly helping her back up.

Reacting on instinct, Fuutaro and Yotsuba immediately approached to assess the situation.

"Oi, what happened to her?" Fuutaro asked to them, kneeling down to get a better look at the student who had fainted.

"I told Yoshimoto that if she wasn't feeling well, she should have skipped the afternoon trip and stayed at the hotel," one of the groupmates explained in a panicked voice. "But she insisted she was fine and wanted to join today's trip."

"Then, let's get Yoshimoto-san to the nearest medical facility," Yotsuba said, her voice serious as she opened the pamphlet once more to find the medical facility's location. "There's one not far from here…" She turned to Fuutaro, her expression stern. "Uesugi-san, go find our leading teacher and tell him about the situation. Meet us at the medical facility once you find him."

Fuutaro nodded, fully grasping the gravity of the situation. "Yeah, got it." With a sense of urgency, he swiftly made his way through the crowd to locate their teacher.

In the sea of tourists, locating his teacher was no easy task, and the vast size of the complex made it even more challenging. Fuutaro had been jogging and occasionally running for a while, and he still had not found him yet. He paused for a moment, catching his breath as his stamina had already been drained by the earlier Love Stones challenge and hours of walking around the temple.

"Damn, how am I supposed to find sensei in all of these crowds…?"

"It would be impossible to find him in such short time…"

"What should I do…?"

"Think of another way… Come on think…!"

Despite the panic of a situation, a simple yet effective solution materialized in Fuutaro's mind. He could simply call their leading teacher. Fuutaro remembered having the contact information for all the teachers participating in the school trip since each class representative was given their contact details for emergencies. He quickly retrieved his phone and dialed his teacher's number. After a few rings, the call was answered.

"Hello... Sensei, it's Uesugi Fuutaro," Fuutaro said, his voice tinged with panic and slight exhaustion from his running. "Something urgent has happened. Yoshimoto from class 3-3 fainted due to illness and has been taken to the medical facility near the main temple..." He proceeded to explain the entire situation. "I understand. I'll also make my way to the medical facility." With those words, Fuutaro ended the call and resumed his path toward the medical facility.

Several moments later, Fuutaro arrived at the medical facility. He noticed that their leading teacher was already there, engaged in a conversation with Yotsuba. The student who had fainted lay on a medical bed, surrounded by her groupmates. The teacher then checked on her and spoke with her companions about her condition. He then dismissed Fuutaro and Yotsuba, telling them that he would handle the situation.

"Good job for helping her, Uesugi, Nakano," the leading teacher commended them. "You two can go now. I will take care of everything."

"Then, please excuse us, sensei." Fuutaro and Yotsuba said simultaneously, expressing their gratitude before leaving the facility

Feeling totally wiped out, both physically and mentally, because of this unexpected situation, the two decided to take another break on a public bench

Fuutaro took a deep breath and let it out. His stamina practically depleted after all that non-stop running and jogging to find their leading teacher, then trekking to the medical facility, which was pretty far away. He stretched his legs and rubbed his numb limbs, trying to relieve the stiffness.

Yotsuba, on the other hand, grabbed a water bottle from her backpack and guzzled it down until it was empty. This whole ordeal had really drained her energy, especially since she had to carry their passed-out schoolmate quite a distance.

"Wahh… I'm tired…" Yotsuba let out a groan, stretching her arms and legs.

"Heh, it's rare to see you so exhausted, considering you're always full of energy and jumping around like a rabbit," Fuutaro said with a smirk, amused by the uncommon sight.

Yotsuba pouted in response to Fuutaro's comment. "Even a rabbit needs a break after hopping and running for a while, you know?" she retorted, putting the water bottle back in her backpack. "Besides, we climbed all the way to the top of the mountain at Fushimi Shrine yesterday. And then, we wandered around Kiyomizu-dera for over an hour without sitting or drinking anything. So it's only natural that I'd get tired eventually, right?"

Fuutaro nodded in agreement, acknowledging her point. "You have a good point. Can't argue with that," he admitted, stretching his arms in the air.

The two fell silent, too exhausted to continue their conversation. After about five minutes, Fuutaro broke the silence. During that quiet moment, he had been pondering what Takeda had said to him earlier on the bus. "Hey, Yotsuba, I just wanted to say sorry for always leaving you alone during the monthly student council meetings," he said, his tone tinged with a hint of guilt. "I promise I'll show up at the next one."

"No, it's fine, Uesugi-san," Yotsuba reassured him with a smile. "You have a part-time job after school, and I understand it's important to you. So don't worry about the class-rep duty, since I can handle it just fine!"

"Yeah, I get that. But I'm a class rep too, and I can't let you handle everything by yourself," Fuutaro responded firmly, his voice taking on a serious tone. He let out a sigh before continuing, "Look, I appreciate your selflessness and how you're always ready to help others. It's admirable, no doubt. But sometimes, your habit of always putting others first can land you in trouble, and it doesn't always end well. You need to take care of yourself and be a little selfish at times."

Yotsuba fell silent, her gaze fixed on the ground. Her cheerful demeanor had vanished, and she seemed to understand what Fuutaro was trying to convey.

"Hey, don't take it the wrong way. When I say 'selfish,' I don't mean it in a negative sense. It's for your own good," Fuutaro clarified, his expression softening along with his tone. "Remember what happened with the track team last year and the situation with the coordinating teacher this morning? If it wasn't for your sisters and me stepping in, who knows what kind of trouble you could have gotten into or caused for others around you."

Yotsuba remained quiet, her hair partly covering her face, making it hard for Fuutaro to read her expression.

Letting out another small sigh, he continued, "You're free to help anyone, and it's not really my place to interfere as long as you don't get into trouble. Like I said, it's an honorable thing to do, but be sure to know your limits and when it's too much."

Yotsuba nodded lightly, indicating that she had been listening to his scolding all along. "Unn... I'll try to remember that," she responded in a quiet, disheartened tone.

Realizing that the topic had made Yotsuba uncomfortable, Fuutaro changed the subject to ease the tension. "You know, I probably need to learn a thing or two from your helping habit since the class rep always has a lot of responsibilities and needs to be attentive to whatever our homeroom teacher instructs..."

Yotsuba lifted her head, her usual cheerful and energetic expression returning as if her previous demeanor had never existed. "Hehh... It's good to know that Uesugi-san is eager to learn from me about how I help people," she exclaimed joyfully. "Maybe we should switch roles sometimes, and I can tutor you on how to help people effectively!"

Fuutaro let out a satisfied smile, glad to see Yotsuba back to her usual self. "Heh, feel free to give me some pointers. I'll be sure to take notes," he replied, getting up from the bench. "After everything that happened, I'm too tired to walk to Koyasu Pagoda right now. How about we head back to the main temple and hang out there for a while? Is that okay with you?"

Yotsuba nodded enthusiastically. "Sure thing! Let's go, Uesugi-san!"

It was back to the main temple again, and when they arrived, Fuutaro and Yotsuba headed straight for the wooden stage and lingered around the fence where they had been earlier. The atmosphere around the wooden stage and the main temple had shifted, now appearing surprisingly emptier than before. The reduced number of people created a sense of expansiveness and openness in the surroundings. Fuutaro stood there, resting his arms on the fence, enjoying the view of the city as the strong wind blew across his face.

Yotsuba did not stay at that spot for long. Instead, she made her way to a nearby empty bench and sat down. Before that, she noticed a vast, dark cloud looming above the city, slowly moving in their direction due to the current wind direction. Seated on the bench, Yotsuba's expression mirrored the unease she felt, reminiscent of the moment Fuutaro had scolded her about her habit to help others.

"*sigh* "Why do I feel like this?"

"I know that what Uesugi-san said makes some sense..."

"But still..."

"I can't help it..."

Helping people had always been Yotsuba's nature. She was always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. No matter how arduous the task or how occupied she was, she would always find time to lend a helping hand. She wanted to support and help others so they would not end up in trouble or unfortunate situations, just as she had experienced in the past that changed her way of life.

It all began on the day she was expelled from her previous high school, Kurobara All-Girl High School, leading her to transfer to Asahiyama High School. Her expulsion had stemmed from her single-minded focus on sports and athletic achievements, which had caused her to neglect her academic responsibilities. Yotsuba had chosen this path to stand out and surpass her sisters after failing to outperform them academically. She had also distanced herself from them, acting cold and unfriendly, believing it was necessary to achieve her goal of surpassing them.

"I'm different from you four now…"

"So don't lump me in the same group as all of you..."

When news of her expulsion reached her, Yotsuba hit rock bottom. She was shocked and devastated by the outcome. Despite being popular among her peers and a top player on the team, all her achievements were nullified when her academic grades plummeted. There was no room for negotiation to reverse the expulsion, even with her numerous athletic accomplishments.

"You have failed the second chance at your make-up exam test…"

"Nakano Yotsuba… You're hereby expelled…"

"Yotsuba, I was informed of the outcome, and after some discussion with the principal…"

"You will be transferred to the Asahiyama High School, and you will start attending there once the summer breaks ends…"

However, instead of ridiculing and shunning her, her sisters had rallied behind her, providing unwavering support despite her earlier harsh treatment of them. They even decided to transfer schools together with her, despite having no academic issues themselves. They believed they should stick together and support each other no matter what.

"Yotsuba, I don't know what's going through your mind, but I would absolutely hate it if you were the only one to leave..."

"No matter where you go, we will go with you..."

"Because that is what Mom taught us..."

"Yotsuba, don't ever forget. No matter what happens, the five of us can overcome any hardship together..."

This act of solidarity touched Yotsuba deeply, and from that moment on, she dedicated herself to helping her sisters and anyone in need, regardless of her own circumstances.

However, old habits die hard, and she could not simply stop helping people out of sudden. But Fuutaro was right. She needed to consider herself and the impact her actions had on those around her. Helping someone could inadvertently create new problems if she was not mindful of the situation. Yet, she could not easily refuse people who asked for her assistance and changed her habit overnight.

"Uesugi-san has a point…"

"But…"

"I can't just see people in trouble and turn my head the other way…"

"It will be hard for me to do so… But I have to try…"

After a few moments, Fuutaro joined Yotsuba and took a seat beside her. He unslung his backpack and placed it on the bench. "Hey, can you hold my bag for a moment? I want to buy some drinks. Would you like something too?"

"Umm... I'd like an orange juice."

Her eyes followed Fuutaro for a brief moment before she mustered a weak smile. Spending time with him over the past few hours had been truly enjoyable. It reminded her of their little adventure six years ago when they explored the entire city, visiting various places and landmarks until nightfall. Although their current outing was limited to Kiyomizu-dera, it was enough for Yotsuba. She felt content simply having Fuutaro by her side, and a sense of nostalgia enveloped her as her smile transformed into one filled with warmth, reminiscent of their past experiences.

"Even though our fun is just limited to Kiyomizu-dera…"

"It's already more than enough for me…"

"I've had a lot of fun in these few hours…"

"Just like six years ago…"

Several minutes passed, and Fuutaro returned, holding two plastic bags. As he sat down, he pulled out a can of orange juice from one of the bags and handed it to Yotsuba. "Here... Your orange juice."

"Thanks." Yotsuba accepted the can and promptly opened it.

"Also, take this," Fuutaro said, giving her another plastic bag. He then opened his bottle of energy drink.

"Hmm? What's this, Uesugi-san?" Yotsuba asked, placing the can beside her and inspecting the contents of the bag. When she realized what was inside, her eyes widened in recognition. "This..."

"Yeah, you're familiar with it, right?"

It was a charm—a charm for academic success, to be precise. Yotsuba carefully examined the contents of the bag and discovered a total of five charms.

"I bought five of these, one for each of you, as I thought it could serve as motivation," Fuutaro explained, taking a sip of his energy drink. "But remember, don't rely too heavily on the charm and become lazy afterward. Keep studying and hold onto that charm, and I'm confident it will yield the best results."

"T-Thank you... Did you get one for yourself too?"

Fuutaro shook his head, placing his energy drink bottle beside Yotsuba's orange juice can. "No, I don't need one," he responded. "I've been thinking buying these charms for you five since we arrived here. You know, I don't usually believe in superstitions or things like that, but this one's an exception because it somehow worked for me in the past."

"Really? Have you owned this type of charm before?" Yotsuba asked curiously, placing the plastic bag on her lap.

"Yeah, I still have it. I bought it here, in the same place, six years ago," he shared with a faint smile. "I initially didn't want to buy one, but a childhood friend of mine insisted. So, I ended up purchasing one just to get her to stop pestering me about it."

Yotsuba gasped upon hearing his story, as she was well aware of it. In fact, the childhood friend Fuutaro mentioned... was her. Six years ago, in this very place, she had bought five good luck charms for herself and her sisters, while also pressuring him into buying one out of excitement.

"Wow, a good luck charm! Let's buy some…!"

"Why are you still following me? Just go away…!"

"You're not going to buy one? Come on! It's not that expensive. Let's buy it together…!"

"Ughh… This girl. Okay, okay… I'll buy one, so you can shut up pestering me about it…"

"I-Is that so? So, I guess the reason you became smart was because of the charm, huh?" Yotsuba remarked, accompanied by a weak chuckle.

Fuutaro chuckled as well. "Heh, I don't really know, but I guess so," he replied. Leaning back against the bench, he gazed up at the ceiling. "But to be honest, the reason I dedicated myself to studying and became the person I am now was because of her. We made a promise back then to become a smart person so we can get a good-paying job in the future to help our struggling family."

Yotsuba's eyes widened upon hearing his reason. She could not help but stare at Fuutaro in astonishment.

"She was important to me, and I'm grateful to have met her," Fuutaro continued, a warm, nostalgic smile on his face as he kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling. "Thanks to her, my mindset changed. I started focusing on the present and the future, constantly aiming to improve myself and fulfill our shared goal."

So he remembered... The promise they had made six years ago. Yotsuba's heart raced, and a peculiar feeling welled up within her chest as she continued to gaze at Fuutaro. With a faint blush coloring her cheeks, she felt immense happiness knowing that he still remembered their promise. One of the main reasons he had studied diligently and become academically successful was because of her—because he considered her an important person.

"So he still remembers about it…"

"Our important promise…"

"Even after six years ago…"

"I'm really happy to know…"

"You're truly a wonderful person, Uesugi-san…"

Knowing that Fuutaro still remembered and considered their childhood promise important, a fire of determination now burned in Yotsuba's heart. She was determined to become smarter, just as they had promised six years ago. The resolve that had once extinguished when she strayed off the path to pursue fame was reignited the moment she crossed paths with Fuutaro again, five years later. And now, his words acted as a fuel, further strengthening her resolve to take her studies more seriously than ever before.

From now on, Yotsuba was determined to study harder than ever, now that she had been reminded of their promise. Over the past six years, while Fuutaro had grown smarter, she had lagged far behind in her academic accomplishments. Now it was her turn to catch up and fulfill her part of the promise, so she would not be left behind by the person she loved.

Lost in her thoughts, Yotsuba's attention was suddenly brought back to the present by Fuutaro's voice. "Oi, Yotsuba, what's wrong? Did my story bore you so much that you spaced out like that?"

Yotsuba shook her head and her expression returned to her usual cheerful demeanor, along with a trace of determination after hearing his story. "Of course not! It's a wonderful story to hear, Uesugi-san!" she replied with an enthusiastic grin. "Anyway, thank you for the good-luck charm! If it worked for you, then it has to work for me. I'll make sure to study hard so I can impress you and graduate with my head held high!"

"Good…" Fuutaro nodded with an approving smile, crossing his arms. "Since you're the stupidest out of the five, it would be a great accomplishment for me as your tutor to see you achieve a high score and graduate without any problems."

An annoyed frown and pout formed on Yotsuba's face as she heard his playful insult. "Ughh… You're really annoying, Uesugi-san. You must have had a hard time in school sometimes in the past if you needed that charm to succeed, right?" she replied teasing him in return. "I will show you that someday I will get a very high score and exceed your expectations! Maybe even surpass you in one subject."

Fuutaro could not help but show a smirk, thoroughly amused by her bold statement. "Heh, we'll see about that."

Yotsuba reached into her backpack and pulled out a digital camera. It was Fuutaro's camera that she had forgotten to return to him when he had been whisked away by Itsuki earlier. Standing up from the bench, she suggested, "Hey, Uesugi-san, how about we take a picture over there?" Her eyes pointed towards the wooden fence, the very spot where they had taken a picture six years ago. "Let's take a picture together at that spot! We haven't had a picture together during the school trip, right?"

"Again? You already took a picture of me and Itsuki there. Can't we choose another spot?"

"No! I want it to be there!" Yotsuba insisted, walking towards the wooden fence. "The background is nice so it's the perfect spot for a picture. Besides, I have a fondness for that spot since the last time I was here."

Intrigued by her reasoning, Fuutaro smiled and nodded repeatedly. "I see... Okay then."

Standing side by side, Yotsuba and Fuutaro positioned themselves near the wooden fence, with the sprawling city and the surrounding hills serving as a breathtaking background. Yotsuba attempted to raise the camera to the right angle, but being shorter than Fuutaro, she struggled. Sensing her predicament, Fuutaro took the camera from her and lifted it even higher.

"Ehh?"

"Let me do it since I'm taller than you," Fuutaro said, adjusting the camera for the perfect shot. "This should be the perfect… You ready?"

"Yeah! I'm ready!"

"Okay… one, two, three."

After six years, they found themselves in the same place, capturing a picture together once again at the very spot that held sentimental value. Overwhelmed with happiness and overflowing with joy, Yotsuba's face radiated pure bliss as she grinned and smiled for the photo. It was all because of him—the boy she had met six years ago on her school trip. They had explored the city together, made a promise to each other, and he had become her first love. The boy then reappeared and become her tutor, and now he stood next to her, just like that time. The boy she loved, Uesugi Fuutaro.

"You've really changed since the day we first met…"

"As for me, I have fallen far behind…"

"But don't worry, I swear I will fulfill our promise and be smarter…"

"And on graduation day…"

"I will tell you that we had already met six years ago…"

"So please wait for it…"

"Fuutaro-kun…"

A/N:

And there you have it! With this chapter, we conclude the three chapters of Yotsuba's arc. Now, we will be moving on to the second sister of the quintuplets, which is Nino.

Here's a quick update on the fixed/updated chapters that have been completed:

-Our Promise and Bet:

Chapter 6 (Done)

Chapter 7 (Done)

-That Special Someone:

Chapter 4 (Done)

The next chapter is scheduled to be released in the third week of July (June 17th - July 23rd). So keep an eye out for that week.

As always, thank you for reading this story, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

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