"Attention! At this rate, we will arrive in Kyoto in approximately 3 hours." Rising from his seat and cupping one of his hands near his mouth to increase the volume of his mouth, one of the teachers notified his assigned group of students in one of the bullet train cars bound for Kyoto. "Behave yourselves and don't make too much of a fuss. Set an example."
The atmosphere among the students was quite lively and at the same time charged with a certain air of anticipation, and the reason was obvious, this was the last major event the seniors would hold before graduation, not counting the famous school festival. The girls were taking pictures of the scenery displayed out the window to upload to their social networks, the boys were playing cooperative video games on their phones, and a certain group of quintuplets were chatting from their little seating nook on one side of the train.
"It's finally the day...". Nino, folding her arms, appeared to be in a serene mood, however, the way her foot tapped anxiously on the floor proved otherwise. "It's finally the day...".
"You've been saying that for the last 10 minutes. Change the channel." Ichika reproached. "Don't be nervous, Nino. It's not the first time we've gone to Kyoto."
"I'm not nervous. I'm just a little excited about everything I'm going to do when I get there, that's all."
"Ara Ara, do you have any plans in mind?". Ichika teased. "Why don't you share it with us? We'll be together all the time, after all."
"Now that you mention it, yes. I have plans. First on the agenda is to follow Fuu-kun's group."
"But Fuutarou-kun wouldn't want that." Ichika was a bit annoyed by that comment, but I disguised it.
"And stop it with the Fuu-kun thing..." Miku frowned with some jealousy.
"I tell him as I please. Besides, he never forbade us that, Ichika, so it's okay to do it." She replied dismissively.
"What an absurd logic." Itsuki replied before taking out her phone to discreetly write a message to the boy in question.
Itsuki: Uesugi-kun. Would you like to go to the red palace together with my group?
The answer was almost instantaneous.
Fuutarou: No.
Itsuki sighed heavily before putting her phone away least she tried.
What's wrong with you? Isn't that memory precious to you? I have faith that you'll remember...I just need a chance.
Not that she was intruding on her sister's privacy, but Yotsuba, who was sitting next to her, noticed that conversation out of the corner of her eye, watching as Itsuki folded her arms and frowned at her tutor's unfavorable response.
Were her sisters really so excited to spend time with Fuutarou? There was no doubt that the atmosphere between the group of sisters had been rather awkward for some time now, to say the least. And it was obvious that the main reason for this was none other than Fuutarou. Not that she blamed them, as he was their friend and there was no doubt that they all wanted to spend some time with him and that was excellent for the ribbon girl, however, Yotsuba wished with all her heart that they could all get along again during this little trip and would strive to make it happen. While they weren't technically on a trip yet, they were on their way to it, so all she could do for now was lighten the mood a bit.
"Well, you heard Sensei. It's going to be a long trip." Yotsuba took something out of a small bag that she placed beside her seat. "Why don't we play cards in the meantime?".
And while this was going on, on another side of the bullet train...
"Nope...mhmhm, definitely nope." Maeda shook his head several times after hearing what his group mates had told him.
"Is there any reason why you don't want to help us, Maeda-kun?". Takebayashi asked with her characteristic kind tone.
"Eh? I don't know, let me think...How about for being somewhat illegal!?". Maeda frowned before pointing at Fuutarou sitting across from him. "Listen to me right brat! It's fine for everyone to consider me a criminal. But my crimes don't include being a pervert!".
"I don't want you to take pictures of them in the bathroom or anything like that." Fuutarou explained with his typical bored expression. "Just approach their group from time to time during the trip and take a couple of pictures of them without them noticing, that's all."
"U-Uesugi-kun." Takeda interjected from the seat next to Maeda. "The part about without them noticing, that's precisely the problem. Maeda-kun has a point."
"Exactly, the brainiac couldn't have explained it better. That's bullying, Uesugi!". Maeda folded his arms in annoyance.
"I already explained it to you. I'm going to give them a birthday present. It has to be a surprise or whatever. That's why they can't know." Fuutarou didn't know how many times he had to say that, or in what form, to get the guy in front of him to agree. "I-if it's about money...I-I'll pay you whatever you want."
Takebayashi arched an eyebrow in his direction, clearly amused at how evidently reluctant her friend was at the idea.
"Mhmhm, nope. I won't." Maeda was still firm in his stance. "Taking pictures without their consent of a bunch of pretty girls, especially if they're Nakano-san's sisters, is something I'll never do. I admit I did something similar during middle school, but it's not something I'm proud of. It's in my limits."
"I see, you're a good boy Maeda-kun." Takebayashi nodded with satisfaction. "Quite the gentleman, there aren't many like you these days and I say that coming from a school riddled with rich kids who boast of coming from high birth."
"Are you making fun of me, little one?".
"No, no. I'm serious." Takebayashi raised her hands to show innocence before bringing one of those hands to her chest to show her sincerity, winking at him. "Matsui-san hit the jackpot with you."
"Wait, why are you bringing her up now?" Maeda asked in a distrustful tone.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm prying too much. It's just that I heard from her that you two had become friends after the test of courage at last year's camp."
"She...she told you about me?" Maeda softened his tone, looking increasingly intrigued.
"Sure, she talks to me about you quite often. She was quite curious to meet you." Takebayashi leaned forward a bit as she crossed her legs. "Tell me how is your relationship going?".
"W-W-Well, we're not dating. W-We're good friends, I think." Maeda scratched the back of his neck nervously, averting his gaze slightly.
"Are? I see. I'm glad you are. You know something, though? I'm a good friend of Matsui-san's too. We hang out quite often."
"Eh?" Maeda blinked in confusion at that statement.
"I actually invited her to see a movie the other day as a thank you for inviting me to have lunch with her and her friends. I must say that chatting with her is very relaxing, she's that kind of girl who transmits peace to you." Takebayashi said with a smile.
"Yeah, I know." Maeda coughed a little to avoid straying from the main topic. "I mean, where are you going with all that?".
"Did you know his favorite color is brown?". Takebayashi settled back in her seat, swapping her leg cross.
"Now what are you talking about?"
"She also said that when she was a child she wanted a pet iguana but her parents never gave her permission."
"And what does that...?".
"Did you know that she admires her father very much?". Takebayashi put a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "She mentioned something about if she ever dated a boy, he'd have to be a man who looked like him. You know. Someone attentive, hardworking, determined, a little sensitive..."
Maeda blinked a couple of times at what Takebayashi said, it was the first time he knew something about the kind of guy Matsui liked, since it certainly wasn't something you could talk about so casually with the girl you were in love with.
"Ah, sorry, I guess I went off on a bit of a tangent. I'm sorry to have bothered you with the whole photo thing. This must be something you shouldn't be interested in, and besides, it's rude to share this kind of information without consent."
Maeda frowned and gritted his teeth as he understood what this girl was up to. He probably wasn't the brightest guy in school, but his bad company had taught him when someone wanted to take advantage of him and ooh boy, it was humiliating to think he'd have to give in for something like this. He had to admit it might be worth it though.
"Fine! Give me that!" Maeda quickly snatched the camera from Fuutarou's hands, quickly stowing it in his backpack.
"Be careful with that, it's borrowed." Fuutarou warned.
After giving the hallway a quick glance to make sure no one was watching him, he turned back to the black-haired duo.
"But I want every last detail, you hear?".
"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Maeda-kun."
Back to the girls...
"Heh, how about it? Full house!". Ichika said confidently as she showed the five cards in her hand, causing groans of defeat to come from her sisters.
"Aww, what? But I had barely taken any good cards..." Itsuki pouted.
"Gnununu..." Nino couldn't believe it. "Nothing! One more round, please!".
"I'll beat you as many times as you want." Ichika said with a smile as they all handed her their cards so she could shuffle them again...or so she pretended before the deck was snatched by Nino to do it herself, seeking to avoid any kind of cheating.
"Miku?". Yotsuba turned to see what was going on with the sudden silence her sister had made since a couple of minutes ago, finding the girl nodding near her shoulder. "Miku?"
"Gghu? Uh?" Miku blinked a couple of times so that her ocean blue eyes focused on her surroundings, dimly realizing the situation she was in. "Mmm...two pairs?".
"Too late! And your hand sucks!". Nino snatched the cards from her hand so she could shuffle them as well.
"You look tired." Yotsuba leaned closer to whisper a question in her ear. "You got up really early today to go somewhere, didn't you?".
"Yes." Miku replied massaging her temple a little, seeking to remove her fatigue. "I went to the bakery and asked for a reasonable little favor to let me use the kitchen."
"Eh? That means you'll finally give him a taste of your bread!?". Yotsuba put a hand to her mouth in astonishment.
"Yes." Miku smiled lovingly soon after. "When he eats this, I'll finally...".
Yotsuba held her sister's hands stationed in her lap and looked at her with a look that conveyed nothing but confidence.
"You've been working so hard for this day, Miku. That's why I'll support you to the end."
"Thank you, Yotsuba." Miku smiled back. "I hope it tastes good being cold, though."
"...I know!". Ichika's voice rose above the rest with an idea in mind as Nino dealt an equal amount of cards to everyone. "How about the one who wins the next hand can order anything to the others?".
As if on a switch, that proposal thrown by Ichika caused Miku, Nino and Itsuki to immediately assume a serious stance, each skillfully shuffling the cards in their hands and inspecting them with a cold and calculating gaze, already plotting future strategies and possible moves.
"Whatever, huh? I like it." Nino said, licking her lips with a competitive look on her face.
"I accept the challenge." Itsuki said calmly, going so far as to put on her glasses.
"I won't lose." Miku leaned forward, settling into her seat in a serious-mode gamer stance and leaving all traces of sleepiness for another time.
Yotsuba practically had to cover her face to shield herself from the fiery aura that enveloped her four twin sisters in front of her.
Sparks fly at them...that it wasn't a simple card game?... Anyway, I'll take it! They certainly look livelier! thought the quintuplet before gladly joining the game herself.
.
.
.
(...)
"Well, here's the thing." The teacher who had spoken at the start, in charge of class 3-1, began to give the relevant directions as the aforementioned sat in neat rows on the floor of Kyoto station. "We will see that your larger suitcases get to the hotel. In case you have forgotten to put your name tag on them, you can find it at the front desk. I recommend you to take your valuables with you."
"Those are all the directions." Said another of the teachers assigned to his side. "You are free to go with us to the hotel or go exploring. The address and map of the area were sent to your email and are also on the flyer we gave you."
Click
"Hmm?"
The second sister turned her head instinctively in the direction of the unmistakable sound of a camera activating. Given the nature of the trip, it was a normal thing to want to take a picture for a souvenir, but in the middle of a teachers' briefing?
"Is there a problem?" Behind her, Itsuki, noticing her sister's behavior questioned her when she saw her looking to her left, as if looking for someone.
"...No...it was probably my imagination." Oh well, probably some brainiac wants to capture this boring moment in the middle of a boring train station for posterity. "Anyway, it's time to go."
Nino said as everyone, including her and her sisters, were starting to get up to leave the station and go to their various destinations after their teachers finished giving their instructions.
"Is there somewhere you guys want to go?". Yotsuba asked suddenly, sporting a bright smile as she inspected her travel guide.
"Well, if we're talking about travel, we should definitely go shopping!". Nino replied with a dreamy sigh. "An air-conditioned fashion store must be a thousand times better than any stinky old temple."
"Typical of my younger sister, you don't understand anything." Ichika said in a condescending tone before proposing her own idea. "What better than going to try the local food, no?".
"I agree with what you propose!". Itsuki replied in an instant before clearing her throat in an attempt to keep up appearances. "Ahem, But I think it would be nice to go to places that have to do with the past.".
"The past?" Ichika arched an eyebrow in her direction, caused Itsuki hastily tried to reform the meaning of her sentence.
"Erm! I-I mean, yeah! P-Past! The edo period and all that!".
"In that case I second Itsuki's motion." Sure enough, the Japanese history enthusiast raised her hand as if to make her vote visible.
No one is simply suggesting we join their group... Nino thought as she watched the scissored locks of a certain black-haired man walk off into the distance with some haste. That means we're all thinking the same thing, a chance to be alone with him...shoot.
Realizing that her sisters' gazes were also side-eyeing Fuutarou's group walking away from the place with a similar degree of interest, Nino opted to move.
"Well, let's follow them."
"But I already told you that Fuutarou-kun wouldn't like that."
"Well I don't give a damn, he's not my dad." Nino said before starting to walk in their direction. While this wasn't ideal, having them all follow Fuutarou's group had the advantage of keeping an eye out for her sisters not to do anything funny, especially a certain short-haired girl. With an apparent course of action set, the rest of the sisters simply went along with the flow, also being curious of Fuutarou's group, which seemed to be in the middle of an argument.
"Haa,Haa, Haaaaaaaa." Maeda was breathing heavily as he looked around in panic at his surroundings, hunching behind Takeda to hide. "God, god, god, god, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!".
"Are you okay Maeda-kun?". Takeda asked upon seeing her partner act this way.
"No, I'm not okay!". As if it were someone selling an illegal substance, Maeda quickly unhooked the camera from around his neck and furtively placed it in the hands of Takebayashi, who returned a confused look.
"Something wrong?"
"The deal is off! I'm out!" He shouted quietly near the girl, still trying to see if anyone was looking at him suspiciously. "Did you see that? She almost spotted me! She noticed I took a picture of her, good thing she didn't see me!".
"I mean, who would think of sneaking a picture in a mostly silent place?". Fuutarou offered his point of view. "She'd obviously notice."
"S-Son of-! Then you do it if you're so smart! Sir. I take pictures without getting caught!. I don't care!". Maeda folded his arms tsundere style.
The group stopped their walk so they could chat more comfortably.
"Eeeeh? But Maeda-kun..." Takebayashi looked worried. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yes! I don't care what you have to tell me about Matsui-san. I'll find out myself!" Maeda put his hands in his pockets and was about to leave on his own when a voice caught everyone's attention.
"Ah! Takebayashi-saaaaan!".
Approaching the aforementioned at full speed, a girl with forest-green eyes, light and medium brown hair with a braid running from the right side of her head to the back, serving as a headband that pulled the hair away from that side of her face could be seen.
"How nice to finally find you!". She said cheerfully as she waved a hand in her direction.
"Ah, Matsui-san." Takebayashi gave a small bow to acknowledge her presence. "I say the same, it's good to see you."
"Tell me, where is your group going at the moment? Do you have any specific place you want to visit?". Matsui asked encouragingly.
"Not really, we're just going with the flow." Takebayashi replied in a calm manner.
"Oh, about that. We heard there's some pretty good hot springs near one of the main temples." Matsui said as she looked at her phone. "I was thinking of inviting you to hang out when you're available."
"Of course. I'd be delighted." Takebayashi shot a quick glance at Maeda, who clenched his fists inside the pockets of his school pants, audibly gnashing his teeth in the process.
"Oh, but if it isn't Uesugi-kun, Takeda-kun and Maeda!". Matsui said, turning around after recognizing those accompanying her friend, bowing slightly. "I'm sorry I didn't greet them earlier. And about what I said a moment ago...I'd love to be able to invite you too, but my group is only made up of girls so..."
Matsui seemed a bit nervous for perhaps sounding a bit rude, however, the young men didn't take any notice.
"Don't worry. I'm not interested." Fuutarou replied.
"Yes, we understand, Matsui-san." Complemented Takeda with a smile.
Meanwhile, Maeda was breaking out in a cold sweat, but before he could say anything else...
"Thank you! I'll talk to my group and see if we can get together to do something together!". She said cheerfully before turning to leave. "See you guys later!".
"And now what's wrong with you?". Once Matsui left leaving the group alone again, Fuutarou noticed that Maeda seemed to be trembling a bit.
"S-She...S-She didn't use an honorific when she referred to me?". Maeda held his head in utter disbelief. "Just like that, w-why...uh?".
Without a word, Takebayashi, with a smug look on her face, again offered the camera she had hidden from Matsui behind her back to Maeda, who with a scowl snatched it from her hopelessly.
"Is she always this Machiavellian?" Maeda asked with narrowed eyes as he and Fuutarou watched the girl in the group continue on her way as if nothing was wrong in the world.
"Nah, she's in a good mood today."
After resuming their walk, the group finally arrived at a place that looked interesting. A small temple on the side of the road. They all decided to go visit it.
Once positioned inside, the group threw a few yen in the appropriate place before giving a couple of loud claps, clasping their hands together in front of their faces in prayer as they offered their prayers to the gods.
"By all this, which god am I praying to?". Maeda asked.
"It's a shrine where the god of scholars lives, Maeda-kun." Takeda replied next to him. "I can't stand to see your grades, so be sure to pray a lot."
"Good idea, I'll dedicate my prayer to you. Maybe that will make it more effective." Takebayashi said mockingly.
"Hey brats, repeat that!". Maeda teased comically. "For your information I could be in the top 3 if I wanted to, but that's for nerds! And I don't mean that without offense!".
"You guys, shut up already! Don't let me pray!". Fuutarou complained with a comical streak in his neck.
"Ah!? You're the nerdiest one here, you have no right to ask for anything! Don't give unnecessary work to the gods!". Maeda rebutted by waving a fist in front of his face.
Hidden behind a nearby pillar, Nino watched the scene from afar with her eyes rolling.
"...This is...disappointing."
"Ya, Ya." Ichika, at her side, tried to calm her down with a smile. "At least they seem to be having fun."
"Looks like they're already leaving." Yotsuba said as she stood up from behind a fence, not that she had really been hiding considering the fixture on her head.
"There's another shrine up ahead." Itsuki said beside her, getting up herself as she looked at the map in her hands. "It seems to be a bit more popular than this one since it's at the top of the hill. At least there's a small shopping area halfway up."
"Today is the only day we're having lunch on our own...". Miku commented as she watched Fuutarou's group walk away down the street. She strengthened her grip a little on a paper bag she was anxiously holding against her chest. "Looks like moving in a group is a hindrance after all...".
She herself rose from her furtive position and ponderously began to follow her sisters.
"Relax, we just got here. I'm sure you'll get your chance to be alone with him throughout the day." Yotsuba encouraged her as her held her by the shoulders playfully. "Come on, let's go!".
After a while, the quintuplets arrived at a stretch of road that was lined with Tori Arches, marveling at the way the sun's rays filtered through the gap between each arch. The bustling noise of visitors in the distance, dulled by the wind rustling the trees guarding the Tori only made the ride quite relaxing.
"This one goes to Instagram!" Nino said animatedly as she used her bunny-holstered phone in an upright position to take several attractive photos of the scenery. Once she was satisfied, she turned to her four sisters a few steps down. "Come on, make a peace sign!".
The sisters, catching her intent positioned themselves for the impending photo, making said sign and complementing it with a smile, well, all but Miku, who seemed the least interested. She was never very photogenic.
"A picture of just us is a bit weird, isn't it?". Yotsuba said.
"Hmm? No pictures of the five of us?". Ichika asked as the group resumed their walk.
"Didn't we take a picture during the fireworks festival?". Itsuki asked.
"We haven't taken any since the school trip in elementary school!". Nino reproached. "It's unacceptable! Let's take lots of pictures together!".
"Okaaaaay." Yotsuba supported sincerely before looking at her older sister, Miku, trying to focus her sight to look as far as possible at the stairs.
Fuutarou has already gone upstairs? She thought a little worried. Her intention was to find the opportunity to meet up with him and have the bread she made for lunch together, however, she didn't seem to be having much luck so far.
Although a bit anxious, she remembered Yotsuba's words. Surely she would find the perfect opportunity at some later time.
Brrr brrr brrr
Her thoughts were interrupted by a vibration on her phone, indicating that someone had sent her a message.
Was it Fuutarou? Unlocking her phone, contrary to what she expected, the one who had contacted her was none other than his friend, Takebayashi. Miku lost the sparkle of interest in her eyes and let out a sigh.
That girl annoyed her. Ever since she arrived that first day at the beginning of third year, she had been sticking to Fuutarou like gum in a boot and if she was already jealous of her classmates being too clingy with Fuutarou for being the class representative, what she felt when Takebayashi interacted so casually with him was nothing but fury. Childhood friend? Miku didn't like him at all. But it's not like she could do much about it...
Leaving those thoughts for later, Miku decided to take advantage of this downtime to open her message and see what that "girl" wanted.
Takebayashi: I found Ichika doing this a while ago, I thought you should know.
Attached to that message was a video. Arching an eyebrow, Miku put on the headphones that rested on her neck before pressing play.
"Fuutarou!"
"What's wrong?"
"I'll let you know something, Fuutarou. Ichika is in love with you."
"...W-What?".
"I think you two would make a very cute couple. And you have my full support."
"It's...a joke, right?".
"No, it's not a joke."
"Eh?" Miku's heart skipped a beat at what she had just seen. The video, shot on the sly judging by the cameraman's position, showed her sister Ichika admitting her feelings for Fuutarou while pretending to be her.
"My feet hurt already." Itsuki's groan made the third sister react, quickly putting away her phone and lowering her headphones while pretending nothing had happened. "This staircase seems endless. I'm so hungry!".
"You're always hungry!" Nino claimed from a few steps above her. "Cheer up, woman. We can eat something a little higher up."
Miku hugged her bag of bread a little tighter as she struggled onward, however, her worried countenance was noticed by Yotsuba, who stood beside her.
"Geez, you guys are so slow!". She said cupping a hand near her lips, trying to motivate her group a bit before turning back to her elder. "Miku, if you don't hurry up, we'll miss lunchtime."
"Eh? Ah, yeah...sure." Miku replied somewhat hesitantly, as Yotsuba took one of her hands to encourage her to continue.
What should she do now? Ichika pretended to be her in front of Fuutarou. Takebayashi said that was a long time ago, so that was in the past, wasn't it? Why would she have done that? The last thing she wanted was to incriminate her sister without first hearing her side of the story. Moreover, why did he even care about that? Miku herself had used Itsuki's identity for her own purposes during the trip to the hot springs, it wasn't the first time, but something just wouldn't let her rest easy.
"Is everything alright, Miku?". Yotsuba asked her. "You seem a little distracted."
Miku didn't respond to that right away, instead, she turned her head back a bit to look at the two older girls in the group who were in the middle of a conversation, sharpening her hearing, she tried to catch what they were saying.
"It must be nice to be as carefree as Yotsuba." Nino said.
"Hehe, it's one of her charms." Replied Ichika beside her with a smile.
"Yeah, unlike a certain snake." Said Nino turning her head a little to look at Ichika seriously. "I bet you're entangling some other evil plan. You're not fooling me."
"Hehe, I don't...plan anything." Replied Ichika looking somewhat nervous as she strengthened her grip on her bag. "Well, I'm lying a little bit. I just plan to have fun together with you guys, hehe... Uhm?".
Ichika, sensing a gaze upon her, looked up, momentarily crossing glances with Miku before the latter hurriedly averted her gaze to the front.
"Miku, what's wrong?". Yotsuba's concern was beginning to grow once she noticed the slightly altered look on her face. "You can tell me anything."
Fortunately, the support Yotsuba was giving her as she climbed the stairs up the path made the two of them quite a bit further ahead than her twins, so, with a certain degree of privacy and coupled with a low tone to avoid being spied back, she felt safe to continue the conversation.
"No, it's okay. I'm fine." Miku replied as she moved forward. "It's just..."
Miku looked at Yotsuba for a moment before lowering her gaze. Should she tell her? She didn't want to worry her sister unnecessarily, nor did she want to make a big deal out of something that was probably a misunderstanding. She didn't want to ruin the trip in any way, neither for her sisters, nor for Fuutarou...
"No, it's nothing, Yotsuba." Miku replied softly after a sigh. "I'm just starting to feel a little anxious. What will I tell Fuutarou when I see him?".
"Ah, I see. Yeah, we hadn't thought about that, eh?". Yotsuba seemed to be relieved that it was only that which was distressing her sister. "Hmm. Uesugi-san is very clumsy. Probably being direct and telling him you made him something for lunch would be best."
"But it's a bit embarrassing..."
"I mean, it's not like it's the first time you're giving him something from your kitchen, is it?". Argued the ribbon girl. "You've already given him things like croquettes, that weird new year's dish, chocolates, it shouldn't be any different from this occasion."
"Well, that's true but those times and now don't compare." Miku expressed with concern. "I honestly don't care so much about giving him my bread or not, it's what I'll do later. If I don't know what to say, I might ruin it."
Miku noticed how Yotsuba smiled sympathetically at her.
"I'm sorry if it's a little confusing. I'm nervous." She apologized.
"Don't worry, Miku. It'll all work out in the end. You'll see." Yotsuba encouraged before her ribbon lit up indicating that a great idea crossed her mind. "Kuruma-san is in Uesugi-san's group. It's still an option to go with her and ask her to give us a hand with-".
"No. If you don't mind. I'd rather do it on my own." She said dismissively. "I must take responsibility for this."
"Alright, Aye aye captain!". Seeing Miku's new resolve, Yotsuba could only give her a military salute as she sketched a big smile. It was always good to see Miku so motivated.
.
.
.
(...)
"We finally arrived." After what seemed like an eternity, the Nakano contingent finished climbing the stairs to the Tori arches. At the top, they were able to come across an intersection that was used as a small shopping area with an outdoor restaurant and some small souvenir stores.
"There are two roads..." Nino observed. Indeed, there were two staggered paths leading even further up the mountain with a temple as the final destination. Miku frowned when she saw them, leaning on her knees as she struggled for some air.
"Haaa...Haaa...haaa...haaa." Those last 80 steps had gotten the better of the girl. Yotsuba massaged her back comfortingly beside her as Miku tried to wipe the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief provided by Itsuki. "Forget it, I'm going... to sit..."
As Yotsuba and Miku took a seat on a nearby bench, Ichika and Nino looked at a map of the area on a sign to the side of where they were.
"Looks like both paths lead you to the top." Ichika said. "I wonder which path would be more convenient to take."
Hmm...Short left, Long right, huh?. She thought
"I wonder which one Fuu-kun took." Nino folded her arms at her side. "I hate it when guys are so fast."
"Hehe, there's not much to do about it, is there?". Ichika laughed. Suddenly, Itsuki's voice caught everyone's attention.
"Since it's already lunch time, let's eat at that place over there!". She said with a smile on her face and a small trickle of saliva at the corner of her lips as she pointed to the restaurant. "They have fried chicken!".
"But I..." Miku tried to object. "About lunch..."
"You don't like fried chicken? They have shrimp too." Itsuki said looking at the menu hanging on a banner at the entrance.
"That's not the problem, I..." Miku didn't know what to say.
Before Yotsuba could intervene to help her sister, her phone was assaulted by the sound of a notification. The sender was Takebayashi.
Kuruma-san: Hello, Yotsuba! How's everything going? Has your group arrived at the restaurant yet? We just left it behind.
We took the left route because it seems to be the fastest one, I hope to see you at the top.
Ah, great! Yotsuba thanked Takebayashi for the information and then stood up from her place with renewed courage.
"We have to split into two groups!".
"Eh?" They all looked at her in confusion.
"Miku and I will go left!". She raised two fingers of her left hand before raising three fingers of her right hand. "Ichika, Nino and Itsuki will go up on the right. If we split up we won't lose Uesugi-san!".
"Choto matte!". Nino object frowning.
"You can't decide for us!". Ichika was not far behind. However, they only received a smug smile from their youngest.
"Everyone here has to obey Yotsuba-sama! I won so my word is law! MUAJAJAJAJA!". Yotsuba had an arm-crossed pose while laughing macabrely.
"U-Ugh." A shadow covered Ichika's forehead. Her idea of trying to get a pass had bitten her in the butt. "...
W-Well."
"Tsk." Nino just folded her arms in annoyance.
"Good. Then let's get going!". Yotsuba grabbed Miku's hand without further notice of her sisters and together they started walking away.
"What are you doing, Yotsuba?". Miku asked at her eldest's actions.
"Relax, everything is under control!". She said confidently. Miku certainly appreciated this reduction in numbers to try to think of her next move.
"T-Then we're not going to eat anything?". Itsuki was somewhat dejected as her group of 3 began to walk away from the restaurant and its intense smell of tomato broth. "Nothing at all?"
"Ah, that's right. I prepared myself for cases like this." Nino started rummaging through her bag and pulled out a small chocolate energy bar. "Here. Eat."
"Aaaah! Ninooo!". Itsuki was all smiles as she hugged her eldest on the verge of comical tears. "I love you! You're the best!".
"Yeah, yeah. Ya, ya." Nino accepted the hug somewhat wearily, watching as Miku and Yotsuba started up the stairs on their way.
After a while of walking and climbing step after step, the group on the right started a small conversation.
"Thanks to your suggestion we are now in this predicament." Nino said with a chuckle. "Well done."
"Well, I was having a lot of luck with my moves. But it looks like I underestimated Yotsuba." Ichika defended herself by averting her gaze a bit.
"Agh. Judging by the flow of people, the other route seems to be the main one. They may find it before we do."
"Uhm...what are you girls talking about?... Uh?". Itsuki, somewhat oblivious to the conversation due to the ambiguous topic her sisters were handling, as she walked up, her sight was drawn to a restroom on the side of the road.
"A bath!" Itsuki exclaimed in relief. "Just in time, I've been itching to go."
"Doesn't look like there's another one up ahead... I guess I'll go too." Nino followed her sister into the interiors of the restrooms before suddenly turning her head to look at Ichika.
The two exchanged eye contact for a few seconds before Nino used two fingers to point her own eyes and subsequently direct that signal towards Ichika and without further ado, Nino entered the restrooms along with Itsuki.
Ichika, somewhat unsettled by that last interaction, became thoughtful for a moment.
It's...my chance, isn't it...?
(...)
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"Haaa...haaaa." Miku was panting with exhaustion. She was fried. The sweat running down her forehead in droves and the sweat that began to condense on the insides of her back, the burning in her calves, yeah, it was definitely being hell.
"Come on, Miku. Just a little more and we'll get there!". Contrary to her pitiful appearance, Yotsuba looked as fresh as a freshly watered vegetable. "If you don't hurry up, lunchtime will be over!".
"Almost...almost there." Miku swallowed heavily, trying to take a deep breath in an attempt to cool her lungs. The altitude they were at no doubt did a great job of cooling her down.
"Geez, Miku! Didn't you go to the gym with Uesugi-san?". She said trying to cheer her up a bit as she shortened the distance from the topmost steps she was on. "How much do you guys do there then?".
"We're trying to follow the routine you gave us...fuuu." I sigh a little more recovered. "But I think we need a lot of practice to even do it."
"Do 10 pull ups, 10 crunches and 20 minutes of cardio? Seriously?" Yotsuba sweats.
"I don't want to hear anything from you." Miku pouted, causing a small giggle from her youngest.
"Shi shi shi shi! You've worked so hard for this day, Miku! So hang in there a little longer!".
"Yotsuba... Thank you very much." There was no doubt that Yotsuba's smile was quite infectious and Miku could already feel the corners of her own lips arch upwards gently.
"Glad to help! Now, what do you say we kill some time practicing what you'll say to Uesugi-san?".
It certainly sounded like a plan, not that climbing step after step was the most fun for Miku, besides, it might help distract her from the growing pain in her legs.
"What are you pretending?" Miku asked.
"Pretend I'm Uesugi-san. Come on, invite me to lunch." She said with a determined smile, running up about 10 steps before turning to look at Miku from above.
"I understand...hmm..." Miku took a moment to think before replying, raising her head in her direction. "Hello, Fuutarou. Would you like to have lunch with me? I made bread."
Miku chose to ignore that such fluency was possible due to the fact that it was her sister standing in front of her. Yotsuba simply returned her gaze in a bored manner, slouching slightly in the process.
"Eh? But each group eats lunch on their own, don't they?". She said thickening her voice in an attempt to mimic her tutor. Miku was silent for another moment, somewhat puzzled before Yotsuba waved her hands indicating for her to continue the conversation.
"Uhm, Uhm...y-yes but I thought you'd be hungry after climbing this mountain." Miku said. "You don't want to?".
"Actually I'm not hungry...but it's free food so I'll make an exception! Hooh, Hoooh, Hoooh!".
"Pffff, what's with that santa clos laugh?". Miku covered her mouth with her hand, controlling a big laugh due to her sister's antics, her laughter followed shortly after by her sister's.
"Shishishi. Feeling more relaxed already?" Yotsuba asked being all smiles that her attempt to lighten her sister's mood was successful.
"Hehe yes, very much, thank you. I still need to practice though because even though it's fake I didn't feel entirely confident."
"Relax, Miku. Although it's true that Uesugi-san is very dense, it's not like he's a stranger either. I'll be with you at all times!".
"And again, I thank you. But I must do this on my own..." Exhausted, Miku stopped at the side of the stairs to lean on a tori bow for air and without losing her enthusiasm, Yotsuba stood in front of her, bending her legs to be lower than Miku's height while pointing at her back with her thumbs giving her another cheeky grin.
"You sure you can handle yourself?"
"Now you're showing off." Miku said before gladly climbing onto her back, it being easy having gained practice from multiple past trips throughout her life where Yotsuba would end up carrying her due to fatigue.
Interlocking her hands around her neck as she reaffirmed her grip on her bread bag, Miku finished climbing onto Yotsuba's back.
"Yotsuba 9 ¾ express heading for the top leaving now, chuuu chuuuu!".
"Wooaah!".
Once again Miku had to be amazed at her sister's physique, being able to lift 50 kilograms on her back and still being able to run uphill up the stairs of a mountain.
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"Ahh. I could use a refresher." Nino sighed in relief as she adjusted the folds of her school skirt and checked her hairstyle and makeup in the large mirror in front of her.
"It's time for lunch though, my stomach is empty...Moo" Itsuki complained with a small pout as she used paper to dry her hands.
"I wonder what Fuu-kun's group is doing for lunch...hmm, come to think of it, I've been so focused on watching this side that I haven't really thought about whether that broad is up to something...". Nino frowned as she bit her lip anxiously. Yes, she had been so concentrated on watching Ichika and focusing on meeting with Fuutarou that she had completely forgotten about Takebayashi's existence. "Agh. What a bummer..."
"Really, Nino. What are you talking about?" Itsuki asked as both girls came out of the bathroom. "Uh?...where's Ichika?".
Nino stopped in her tracks once she registered his sister's question. Indeed, her eldest had vanished. The second sister quickly stood in the middle of the path looking up the stepped path.
"Agh! I knew it!" Nino grumbled as she stomped angrily on the ground. "Dang, I should have put her in the bathroom with us to keep an eye on her."
"N-Nino?"
"Apparently Ichika took advantage of us to catch up to Fuu-kun's group before anyone else." Nino said, not hiding her annoyance.
"...And that's a bad thing?".
Itsuki really didn't understand why Nino seemed so obsessed about it. Sure, she recently found out that apparently her sisters were in love with Fuutarou, however, she didn't quite understand the relation of those feelings to her current behavior.
"No doubt, walking, we'll have to see what she's planning." To be honest, Nino could do nothing but keep climbing, so she pulled another energy bar out of her bag to give it to her sister, who put aside any thoughts of it in pursuit of savoring it, continuing their journey to the top together.
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"Haa, Haa haa." Ichika ran as fast as she could. "Haa, haa, haa."
Inhaling through the nose, exhaling through the mouth, repeating this process in a loop, Ichika was able to keep up a steady speed. She kept going up, up and up and up through the stepped path, pausing only for a few seconds to compose herself and continue.
If I were up against Yotsuba, I couldn't win. But if we take into account Miku's stamina, it's safe to assume that she's slowing her down. Ichika thought as she sharpened her gaze. Besides, she's been acting suspiciously, I'm sure she'll do something during this trip and it's bound to involve that bag of bread...
I can't allow it!
While running, Ichika opened her bag and took out a wig, and a pair of blue headphones.
What to do or say when she sees Fuutarou and his group? What to do to ruin Miku's plans? What to do with the rest?
These and more questions ran through Ichika Nakano's mind as he placed the props on her person, but she didn't even bother to think about it.
In order to stop Miku, in order to have Fuutarou all to herself, she had to move on. Despite the cries of pain and agony that assaulted her agitated heart telling her to stop, she kept going, she couldn't regret it now.
She had to do what she knew best.
Be a liar.
As she quickened her pace to cover the last 40 steps, she fastened a pair of blue headphones identical to Miku's around her neck and untied the yellow sweater she had around her waist to put it on. Her disguise was ready once she reached the top, where she allowed herself to rest for 5 seconds in order to catch her breath and fix her wig so as not to raise any suspicion. Entering the place, which seemed to be a kind of enclosure filled with all kinds of small statues and stone monuments, Ichika looked for Fuutarou by her eyes while her breathing was still leveling out, but she couldn't see him anywhere, in fact, no one really, she seemed to be the first one to arrive.
Or at least, that's what she thought.
"Haaa...haaa...First!". Freezing in place at the sudden call, Ichika turned in the direction of that voice, finding only a few meters away from her the person she was looking for, emerging from the path on the right side.
"Get to the top first!". Fuutarou, exhausted to the max, leaned back on his knees, catching his breath after having climbed the last step of the path, having the appearance of fainting at any moment from the effort. "E-Eh? Haaa, Miku?".
"F-Fuutarou-k...erm...Fuutarou!". Ichika somewhat taken aback initially by his sudden appearance, quickly sprang into action, approaching him before clearing her throat to adopt Miku's calm and collected tone. "You arrived eh?"
"Yes, and I see you did too." Fuutarou sat up, looking disappointed that his apparent achievement of being the first to arrive turned out to have been overtaken by someone else before him despite his head start. "Anyway, where are the others?".
"They, uuuh...stopped at the bathroom." Explained the fake Miku. "I think Itsuki had a stomachache and they stayed with her."
"What? Really? And why are you here alone instead of with them?". Fuutarou asked.
"Because I wanted to see you."
"See me?" Fuutarou arched an eyebrow suspiciously. "Why?"
Without saying anything, Miku turned around to look at one of the statues present in the place to add some drama.
"I had planned to give you something. A bread that Ichika baked for you."
"Ichika baked a bread?". At this point, Fuutarou had to admit that he probably looked pretty stupid repeating everything Miku was telling him, so shaking his head, Fuutarou decided to investigate. "Miku, I'm not understanding anything, please explain yourself".
"Well, you see. Ichika had planned to make a bread for you with the idea of eating it together at lunchtime, but I offered to give it to you while she was looking for a good place to sit and enjoy it."
"Uhm...I see."
Plack
"Uh?"
The sound of something falling could clearly be heard only a few feet away from where both youngs were standing, however, said sound was overshadowed by the voice that preceded it.
"...Ichika?".
The voice that the first sister least wanted to hear at that moment tensed her muscles on the spot and replaced the marrow of her bones with absurd terror.
"What... are you doing? Why are you saying that to Fuutarou?".
Ichika could feel her heart beating like crazy, hitting her thoracic cage as hard as a sledgehammer trying to break a wall, and with it, the sound of her heartbeat deafening her eardrums. Slowly, her head turned in the direction of that voice, and there, having emerged from behind a nearby statue, she crossed her gaze with...
"Miku!". As if to make her more miserable, a much more energetic voice made its presence known from the distance, slowly approaching after appearing from around a corner, where a ribbon swung at full speed into the scene. "I think I found a good spot with a really nice view!... Uh?".
Yotsuba approached her sister, watching as she had dropped her bag of bread on the ground while looking completely dumbfounded by what she saw, following the direction of her gaze, the fourth sister noticed the other 2 presences on the spot.
"Ichika...why are you disguised as me?". Miku, who until a moment ago had been resting on a bench next to the statue behind her while Yotsuba looked for a place to have lunch when they met Fuutarou, had caught that last interaction on the sly once she recognized the voices of her tutor and sister.
Yotsuba, initially confused at the situation, could only stand still as she stared at Ichika in disbelief. And Fuutarou, for his part, exchanged glances between both Mikus with a high degree of bewilderment and several questions in his head, not quite knowing what to say or what to do.
The silence felt like a pile of bricks on the shoulders of those present, especially the third sister, who silently analyzed the situation, clenching her fists at her sides. She didn't want to believe it, she really didn't want to believe it. Even though she had seen that video, Miku didn't want to believe that her sister was really sabotaging her. In those few seconds where everyone exchanged glances with each other, Miku burned her brain thinking of a reasonable explanation for her eldest's actions. This was probably all some kind of set-up made by that Takebayashi, after all, if she was acting out of good will, why inform her of this just today? That seemed to make sense. But Ichika's acting in the video, the words she said to Fuutarou with her appearance, having that same sister in disguise in front of her...and her terrified, guilty expression on her face, made trying to give her sister the benefit of the doubt that much more difficult.
"Ichika." However, Miku clung to stand her ground. It wasn't like a warlord to jump to conclusions without having seen all the angles and, contrary to what Nino might do in her situation, she decided to ask before firing . "If there is some kind of reason-".
"Ichika." Her attempt to reason with Ichika was interrupted by Yotsuba. "I didn't mean this when I said that! Is this really what you want?".
Ichika, being confronted in this way could do nothing but tremble in panic. She couldn't find any way out of a situation that would only get worse if she kept it up.
"Wait a minute, so it's true Ichika?". Miku suddenly said, taking a couple of steps forward. "Do you intend to get in the way?".
"N-No...Miku, I-I." Ichika stammered.
"Miku?" Yotsuba arched an eyebrow once he heard Miku's dialogue, as it sounded like she already knew about this somehow.
"I can't believe it, Ichika. Why?" Miku asked with a sad tone in her voice. "I don't understand. Why do you want to sabotage me...do you...like Fuutarou?".
"Yes..." With no other options, Ichika could only come clean, mustering up some courage to speak to her sister. "I'm sorry it's like this. But I couldn't let you go through with whatever it was you had planned."
"But Ichika, you don't have to do that" Miku tried to weakly reason. "That...that's not fair."
"Fair?" Ichika gave a second take, her voice taking on more force. "It's also not fair for your sisters to go after the guy you like while you work your ass off!".
"Ichika..." Yotsuba blinked at her sister's scathing response as did Miku.
"And it's even more unfair to tell Fuutarou that I don't like him while pretending to be me...". Miku, slowly but surely was starting to get annoyed, starting to get closer and closer to Ichika, both of them completely forgetting the existence of the black-haired man beside them, who secretly panicked trying futilely to call them for a ceasefire.
"What? How -?".
"When you know perfectly well that I've been in love with him ever since I met him!". Miku shouted with a scowl only inches from her sister's face, who recoiled at her outburst.
Seconds after shouting that, all traces of Miku's previous attitude vanished like dust in the wind once her tunnel vision dissipated, glimpsing once again the presence of Fuutarou to her right, realizing the shocked expression he was giving her. Tears were already beginning to run uncontrollably down her flushed cheeks. And being subjected to such pressure, Miku could only do one thing.
"Miku!" Yotsuba shouted once Miku ran off to the left.
At speed comparable to Yotsuba, she ran without caring about anything else but getting out of there, not even caring about passing Nino and Itsuki at the base of the left stairs that were about to run the last few steps.
"We finally arrived...Eh!? Miku!?" Itsuki called out to her in alarm once he saw her pass by. "Wait! Tell me where are you going!".
But she ignored her, ignored Itsuki's footsteps running after her to catch up, ignored the people still walking up the stairs and looking at her sideways, ignored the fact that the muscles in her chest and legs were starting to burn again, she just wanted to die. Every few meters she wiped her tears with the sleeve of her sky blue sweater every time they became an impediment to her sight.
"Miku! What's wrong!?" Her sister's voice still called out to her from behind, but she kept running downstairs. She ran and ran as the embarrassment of the situation swirled around in her head and before she knew it, Miku had reached the trailhead. Exhausted beyond belief, she collapsed on the ground as she began to cry inconsolably.
"Haa...haa, Miku!?". Relieved that he was able to reach her, Itsuki knelt down beside her and enveloped her in a tight hug. She knew it would be useless to get any kind of information from Miku until she calmed down enough. Without much thought, Miku quickly wrapped her arms around Itsuki, moistening her chest with her crying. "Calm down, Miku. I'm here. Calm down."
Fortunately, the place was relatively devoid of any presence, as most were up the road at the moment, so Miku could relax more easily by having some privacy. After a few minutes, Miku's and Itsuki's breathing finally evened out after that run, so Itsuki took the opportunity to stand up next to her sister and take her to a nearby bench so they could be more comfortable.
Itsuki took out a small handkerchief from her bag and started wiping Miku's tears, a gesture she thanked with her eyes and for the next few moments, they remained silent until Miku was calm enough.
"What happened Miku?" Itsuki ventured to ask.
Miku simply hugged her legs while sinking her head a little on her knees.
"Itsuki..." Her tone was still brittle. "I screwed up. Fuutarou heard me say that I like..."
"...E-Eh?". Itsuki was definitely lost now.
Back at the top, after seeing Miku run and Itsuki go after her, Nino arched an eyebrow wondering what could have happened, she only had to turn her gaze to Ichika to get his answer in the form of the quintuplet with a wig and headphones now in her hands.
"Ichika." Nino's tone was firm. "Now you've gone too far...I've had enough of you!".
Walking firmly, she planted herself in front of Ichika and held her by the collar of her yellow sweater.
"You made her cry. Are you satisfied!?".
"N-Nino!". Yotsuba, who was about to go after Miku, froze in place after seeing a possible confrontation between her two sisters.
"Easy, Yotsuba." Despite having her sister holding her by her clothes, Ichika remained calm, raising a hand towards her youngest to reassure her. "I'll settle this. It wasn't the outcome I expected, but it was inevitable that it would end this way."
"How can you stoop so low." Nino eyed her with distaste at her words.
"I don't want to hear that, especially coming from someone like you." That response froze Nino causing her to recoil slightly, letting go of Ichika. "Like you said in the hot spring. You want your love to pay off even if you have to bring others down, don't you?".
"E-Eh?".
"So what's the difference between you and me? Let's find out."
"...It's true that I said that. That I don't plan to hand it over to anyone...but..." Nino mulled over her words moments before lowering her head and clenching her fists to scream at the top of her lungs. "The bond between the five of us is just as important. If he ever got to choose you, I would have wished you happiness!".
Those words were like a bucket of cold water to the older quintuplet, her eyes widening with realization as she watched the small drops dampen the stone beneath Nino, the second sister's face being a crimson mess for having said that in front of Fuutarou.
"Ugh, I can't even take another step." A weak voice was heard coming from the stairs to the right.
"That's what you get for eating those candies that had been in your backpack for god knows how long, Maeda-kun." The culprits were Takeda and Maeda, the latter being carried on the former's back until they saw the scene unfolding. "Uh? What's going on?"
"Girls, just calm down for a moment, will you?". Fuutarou was still somewhat stunned by what was going on, however, with what Nino and Ichika had said he now had a clearer idea of what was going on, so, having the same thought as Yotsuba, he stayed to try to prevent the older of the quintuplets from physically assaulting each other.
Fortunately , the most volatile of them proved to him that that was not a concern.
"Save it! You being here only complicates things more. Go after Miku, now!" Nino ordered, pointing in the direction she had disappeared in. "What are you waiting for? Move!".
Fuutarou, could only nod, both to her and to Ichika who gave him a quick glance before running off with the intention of catching up to Miku. Yotsuba went with him.
"Go on without me. I'm going ahead!". Fuutarou warned his group as he left the scene, both girls noticing that something had fallen out of his pocket as he turned to leave.
Shortly after both young men left, the place slowly began to fill up with a small crowd appearing from both sides of the road, standing strangely at the scene.
"What's going on?"
"Are they fighting?"
"I saw a girl running down the road, did something happen?".
"...We should leave too." Nino said with a sigh as calmly as she could while wiping her tears with the sleeves of her sweater.
"Yes..." Ichika nodded as they left the area, but not before going to pick up what Fuutarou had dropped. It was one of the maps they had been given at the station, something that would be unimportant if it weren't for the fact that on it was marked a route on one side of the right path with red marker, a route that seemed to shorten the distance of the route. They both deduced that it must be a secret route, since the marked path did not appear on the map.
Ichika and Nino exchanged glances with each other before turning their heads towards the crowd and in the middle of the people, they both found who they were looking for, a black-haired girl who winked at them with the most repulsive smile they had ever seen.
The two eldest members of the Nakano family, after exchanging glances with her, opened their eyes wide when something clicked in their heads, both having the same thought.
Did she have something to do with it!?
In search of answers, Nino tried to go after her, however, as if it were an illusion, she was lost in the crowd in less than a second, disappearing from their sight as if she were a ghost.
The icing on the cake? The click of a camera that Nino heard somewhere in the background.
(...)
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"Damn, where could he have gone?". Arriving at a rather crowded area, Fuutarou scanned the surroundings carefully for signs of the 3rd sister, however, his efforts were futile. Before he could clench his fists in frustration, Yotsuba called out to him from behind.
"I have Itsuki on the phone! She says she's on the bus with Miku and they're both on their way to the hotel!". Yotsuba shouted the fourth quintuplet raising her phone in the air before placing it back to her ear. "Is Miku okay? Is she hurt or something?"
"No, she's just a little tired." Itsuki was heard to say through the device's speaker. "She could probably use some sleep."
Yotsuba frowned in concern as she heard small puffs of mucus at the bottom of the call.
"Alright. Take good care of her. We're on our way."
"Take care, please."
Having said their goodbyes, Fuutarou and Yotsuba set off for the nearest Kyotobus station, which, to their good fortune, had a newly arrived bus waiting for them. Sitting in the back and all alone due to the early hour of the day, the two were left in an uncomfortable silence that was relatively bearable thanks to the white noise of the bus engine moving down the road.
After looking at her hands in her lap for a few minutes, Yotsuba turned her gaze to her companion.
"Hey, Uesugi-san. You heard what Miku said up there, right?". She asked with a tone of concern in her voice.
"...Yes. I heard her."
The answer to her question was obvious. Yotsuba sighed, leaning her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands.
"This is all my fault." Yotsuba groaned in frustration. "Miku has been trying so hard all this time...I shouldn't have been so hasty. Besides, what I said to Ichika that day at the hot spring was what caused all of this..."
"Yes, this was your fault." Fuutarou nodded. "You shouldn't meddle too much in other people's affairs."
"Look who's talking..."
"Besides, I already knew."
"Eh?" Yotsuba gave a double take at that, dropping her previous posture to look directly at him. "Know what?"
"You know...that." To Yotsuba's surprise, she saw Fuutarou's cheeks blush and consequently, the boy used his hand to cover part of his face. "That Miku... felt something for me more than friendship..."
"Uhm...". Yotsuba rolled her eyes. "Could you repeat that? I don't think I heard you right."
"No, I don't want to!"
"Wax on, who are you and what did you do to Uesugi-san!?". Yotsuba turned away comically before pointing her finger at him. "Someone as dumb as Uesugi-san would never realize something so obvious unless it was said right to his face!".
"Okay, Okay that's enough! Geez!". Fuutarou rubbed the bridge of his nose before sighing. "It happened this and that...that's why when that Miku said she'd support me, it really took me by surprise."
Fuutarou was silent for a moment in reflection before continuing.
"I knew I was right about that Miku not being Miku...". Fuutarou looked at the roof of the bus. "So don't worry about it. You're too considerate of others. To be honest, it's way beyond being able to be considered normal..."
"Hehehehe..." Yotsuba laughed nervously as she averted her gaze a bit. "That's fine with me. Remember I told you how they all supported me when I failed at our previous school? I made them suffer with me. It's not something I can disassociate myself from so easily...".
Yotsuba looked out the window at the scenery, soon after focusing on her reflection in the glass, smiling warmly.
"It's natural for me to want everyone to be happier than me."
"Yes. I guess I understand the sentiment a little. I say it for Raiha"
"Although I wanted everyone to have fun on this trip too." She mentioned as the smile on her face faltered a bit, turning to look at the boy next to her. "Hey, Uesugi-san...is there any way to make everyone happy?".
"There is." Fuutarou said with his eyes straight ahead. "To not compare yourself to others and be satisfied with your own happiness. If everyone could do that, your wish would come true."
"Th-That makes sense!" Yotsuba looked at him cheerfully. "So-!".
"But realistically...most of the time, one's happiness comes at the cost of someone else's happiness. By being selfish and taking it away from others."
"If it is as you say, then there is no..." Yotsuba's ribbon dropped as soon as she understood.
"Nothing you can do."
Fuutarou felt a strange and sudden tightness in his chest as he said that. Not understanding the reason, he could only ignore it as he continued.
"There are limits. Don't you think it's conceited to say...that you want to get everything? When you choose something, it means not choosing something else and facing the consequences of it. There will come a time when you will have to make a choice. You can't avoid it".
Yotsuba, who was listening attentively to Fuutarou, frowned slightly before arching an eyebrow in his direction upon hearing that last part, feeling deja vu in the process. However, before she could continue talking to him, Fuutarou announced that they had arrived at their stop, so they both quickly grabbed their backpacks, got off the bus and started running in the direction of the hotel. Or rather, Yotsuba ran while Fuutarou stopped every few meters in search of air. Fortunately, Itsuki had contacted Yotsuba, informing her that both Miku and she were already safe and sound at the hotel, so they somewhat more calmly went inside and identified themselves as students without any problems.
"Uesugi-kun, Yotsuba." Itsuki was waiting for them from a spot at the front desk. "It's good to see you arrived safely."
"How's Miku?" Fuutarou asked with concern.
"She's fine. All of them, in fact. Ichika and Nino arrived in a taxi. They're resting upstairs." Itsuki said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Well, at least Miku, since I was the one who dropped her there personally. Ichika and Nino seem to be in some of their friends' rooms."
"I see, in that case-". Fuutarou was about to head towards the stairs leading to the hotel rooms before Itsuki stepped in front of him and stopped him with an outstretched hand. "What?".
"Uesugi-kun. Miku already told me everything. I don't mean to offend you, but I think it's best to let Miku calm down so that you can talk to her." Itsuki explained seriously. "There's still two days left, after all."
"Yes! It's for the best!". Yotsuba tried to inject some optimism into the situation. "I'll help you if necessary.".
"Alright." Fuutarou sighed with some helplessness. "Putting that aside. It's already kind of late and we didn't have time to eat anything. Why don't we better go get something to eat? The buffet is free, isn't it?".
"Yeah, that's an idea I can support you on". Itsuki almost shouted out of sheer encouragement. "This whole situation has made me really hungry!"
When are you not hungry? Was what Fuutarou was about to say, however, wanting to not have any more trouble with any other quintuplets during this trip, he opted to keep such a thought in place. Though he was glad to see Itsuki acting like Itsuki.
"Ah, Fuutarou!". Catching her attention, Takebayashi approached the group. "I thought you got lost. Maeda-kun and Takeda-kun are already in the dining room along with the rest...oh?".
Takebayashi stopped her greeting once she saw the Nakano's present, noticing that one of them wasn't looking at her very favorably.
"Itsuki-san, Yotsuba. I haven't seen them all day. I heard that Nino and Ichika had an argument at the top of the shrine, sorry." She apologized.
"Eh? What are you apologizing for?" Fuutarou asked towards his childhood friend.
"Yeah, why don't you explain to Fuu-kun why you're falsely apologizing?". Adding to the conversation, a new voice came from the side, it was the second eldest sister, who stood in front of the black-haired girl with a deadly stare.
"N-Nino? W-What's wrong now?" Yotsuba asked trying to calm her down.
"Kuruma-san." Itsuki spoke with a frown. "Is it true that you knew about what Ichika was up to and that's why you sent that video to Miku?".
Fuutarou looked at her for answers.
"So, answer the question." Nino ordered.
"I certainly got some of the blame for what happened earlier. You see, a while ago I saw Ichika disguise herself as Miku and talk to Fuutarou about anything, I took a video of the event because I thought it was some kind of joke for Fuutarou. When the trip started, I could see Miku's costume in Ichika's bag in Ichika's carelessness, so I sent the video to Miku trying to prevent any situation". Takebayashi ducked her head. "I should have acted earlier to prevent what happened."
"Aha." Nino folded her arms, unimpressed. "A great performance. I'll tell Ichika to take you to one of her castings. I'm sure you'll be a hit."
"C-Come on Nino. Kuruma-san already explained." Yotsuba was still doing her best. "She was just trying to help."
"Yeah, what a great help." Nino rolled her eyes with a frown. "With those friends what do I want enemies for?".
"I see, now I understand the situation." Itsuki nodded in satisfaction at Takebayashi's explanation. "Relax, Kuruma-san, it's not your fault. You acted the best you could and I appreciate your concern for my family."
"Tsk." Nino clicked her tongue in disgust as she took off in the direction of the dining room in search of a table. Despite the fact that she didn't believe Takebayashi one bit and wasn't at all pleased with how easily her sisters were treating her despite what she did, Nino had to admit that, in comparison, someone was far more at fault in all of this.
"You could have told me and that's how we would have acted." Fuutarou said, looking less than pleased with her friend. Nino from afar smiled. Well, as long as Fuu-kun starts being wary of Takebayashi, then she was well served.
"Hehe, you looked so fun wanting to climb to the top first that I didn't want to ruin it for you, I even gave you that maintenance route so you'd be the first to get there." Takebayashi said with a smile.
"Yeah, I guess." Fuutarou could only sigh, turning around to go to the dining hall being followed by the girls before separating into their respective groups.
Fuutarou and Takebayashi went with Maeda and Takeda, while Yotsuba and Itsuki went to get their own trays of food to start eating at the table Nino had gotten for them.
"Listen up everyone." Nino called her sisters' attention once they all had something to digest in their stomachs, wanting attention on a subject that had been bothering her since they arrived. "A stalker has been taking pictures of us."
"Eh?". Yotsuba arched an eyebrow and Itsuki, for her part, just continued to chew her food while looking at her sister with confusion.
"I've felt it ever since we arrived at Kyoto Station. I thought it was just my imagination but I've heard its camera so many times that now I'm sure." She explained before showing them a news page on her phone screen. "Also, there's news about students on school trips being targets. Especially around this area."
"Hmm..." Itsuki gives her a bored look. "Even if that's true, why would they notice you?".
"What are you trying to say!?". Nino complained, but before continuing her spiel, she could hear a click from her right. "Ah, I knew it!".
"What a feast!".
"This one goes Instagram!".
Finding only two classmates goofing off at her table. Nino just gave them another glance before giving them surroundings another scan with a pair of sharp sapphires, trying to look for any sign of anyone suspicious, and for better or worse, what he found was even worse: Takebayashi feeding Fuutarou in his mouth like that day he met her.
Nino clenched her fists in anger. Bitch knows bitch, so she would die before trusting the word of that witch. To avoid making a scene, the best she could do was to concentrate on the current conversation.
"Putting that aside. Ichika isn't coming down for dinner?". Itsuki asked finishing slurping her noodles.
"Nah. She said she ordered room service." Nino said somewhat annoyed.
"What about Miku?" Yotsuba asked.
"Oh, she had something to eat once we arrived a few hours ago." Itsuki replied.
"Good!". Yotsuba pushed her chair back and stood up abruptly. "I'll go see her."
"Wait a moment." Nino interjected before using her chopsticks to eat some of her fried fish. "I'm almost done eating. Let's go together."
"Alright!".
"I'm done eating!". Itsuki said brimming with happiness while making a peace sign. "Although, if you're in a big hurry, Nino..."
"Get away from my plate, curry monster!".
"Waaaah!"
(...)
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.
.
"Miku, Ichika. Are you there?" Knocking on the door, Yotsuba raised her voice to try to communicate with any entity on the other side of their room's door. For several minutes now, they got no response of any kind.
"They're not answering the phone either. Although it's our room too..." Said Nino being sent to the mailbox for the 5th time. "Agh, it's over. We gave her enough space already."
Pushing Yotsuba aside, Nino pulled out the room keys, inserting it into the lock before stating her intentions.
"I respect your privacy as a sister, but I reaffirm my authority as a big sister by entering anyway!". Nino shouted before turning the key and pushing the door, finally entering the room.
"Miku, I'm sorry!". Yotsuba couldn't hold back anymore once she saw Miku sitting on the floor in the middle of two beds hugging her knees and covering her head with a sheet. "It was all my fault. I shouldn't have been so desperate! There are still two days left of the school trip. Please give me a chance to fix everything!".
"Hey Yotsuba, don't take all the responsibility by yourself..." Scolded Itsuki softly, approaching her sister who only covered her head even more, not wanting interaction with anyone, not even her own sisters. "Miku..."
"Hey, can you at least not use my sheet?". Nino growled. "I don't want to sleep smelling like Neutral Laundry Soap."
Miku didn't respond, she had a dead look on her face.
"Agh." Seeing that even their teasing wasn't able to make her react, Nino and the others resorted to plan B. "How annoying you are."
Lifting the sheet covering Miku, they all made a hole underneath her, huddling together so they could hug their sister. Yotsuba clung to her right arm, Itsuki to her left, and lastly, Nino settled into her lap, providing companionship and security to the sister who wasn't having a good time.
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Click
That certainly didn't last long.
Silence. The four girls froze immediately as the unmistakable sound of a camera taking a picture echoed through the room.
"Ha...hahaha." Itsuki laughed nervously, trying to find a logical explanation for the matter. "Since Nino was saying weird things earlier, now I'm hearing things too."
"Y-Yeah, haha. We're just hearing things, right?". Yotsuba tried to back up her argument, unconsciously tightening her grip on Miku.
"Hmm..." Miku groaned.
"We must be very tired." Nino didn't for a moment want to fall prey to her own mind, so, as if to challenge her fears, she turned her head in the direction in which her newly trained ear had picked up the sound. "There's no way a stalker would dare enter the hotel, let alone our room."
"...Did any of them lock the door?" Miku asked quietly and at her pointing, Nino and Yotsuba turned to Itsuki, who had been the last to enter the room, receiving a negative for an answer.
"Uhh...no, but what does that have to do with it?". Itsuki asked.
"...Well...w-well..." Raising a trembling hand, Miku pointed to the corner of the hallway leading to the door. "W-We have a guest..."
There, a hand holding a camera peeked around the corner. Four pairs of blue eyes met the cold lens of that camera. The sisters petrified in place, feeling as if time stood still and as if from an interrupter, another click echoed through the place, snapping the girls out of their motionless state.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
(...)
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"Well, I'm not really a makeup expert myself." Ichika said heading towards the door of the room. "There are usually people who specialize in that on set, hehe. I've learned a thing or two though. Maybe I can teach you sometime."
"Ah, yes! I'd appreciate it very much, Ichika-chan!". Said a girl cheerfully.
"That's right!". Said another beside her. "Do you really have to go though? I don't think anyone would have a problem with you staying over for even one night...".
"I appreciate it but I wouldn't want to bother them. They should have repaired the water leak in our room by now, so I'll be going." Ichika opened the door, but before leaving she gave a small bow and a bright smile to both girls inside her room. "Thank you for having me and agreeing to spend time with me! I'm sorry again for running off the other day."
"Oh, no worries, we understand. Good night, Ichika-chan."
"Yes, that doesn't matter anymore. Have a rest! Hopefully we'll see each other tomorrow!".
After saying that, Ichika politely closed the door, and after walking a few steps away let out a slight sigh, causing the smile on her face to disappear. She had managed to be put up in the room of some girls from her class, Akane and Katase, with the intention of killing time until it was time to sleep. She definitely didn't want to spend time around Miku or the others after what had happened. Sometimes being popular has its advantages.
She already felt tired enough to go to her room and hope for the best, however, wanting to avoid any chance to have a word with her sisters at least until tomorrow, Ichika decided to take a short stop at the public baths. It was also a good excuse to continue wasting time and who knows, maybe meet Fuutarou.
Her wish came true.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Snapped out of her thoughts by that sudden scream, Ichika instinctively ran in a hurry in the direction where she reckoned it came from.
"What's going on!?" She asked worriedly as she turned in a hallway, alert in case someone needed help. "Ow!".
"What are those screaming-?!".
Ichika, on her way, didn't notice the presence coming from her left, colliding with it in the process and both of them falling to the ground.
"Ouch..." Ichika rubbed her head, somewhat dazed by the impact. "Eh? Fuutarou-kun?"
"Ichika?"
Recognizing each other, the two exchanged glances for a moment before the tutor reacted.
"I'm sorry, are you okay?" Fuutarou quickly stood up, holding out his hand to Ichika to help her up, which she readily accepted.
"Y-Yes. Sorry, I didn't notice where I was going." She said pulling herself together. "You came running because of those screams, didn't you?".
"Yes." She replied before looking down the hall for a moment. "What must have been that?"
"Probably a joke?" Ichika shrugged, as there was no more noise after that. "Anyway. Good to see you, Fuutarou-kun. I wanted to ask you something. Tomorrow do you have some free time?".
"What?" Fuutarou looked at her rather puzzled by the sudden question. "Yeah...I guess so, but-"
"Great!". Ichika, ignored his concern and stopped him from continuing. "How about that time off around 2 in the afternoon? Miku wants to meet with you to talk about something important."
"Miku wants to talk to me? Hey, do you know if she's okay? What about you?" Fuutarou's concern and eagerness for answers was increasing with every step he took towards her.
"Hehe, easy, boy!". Ichika dismissed him with her typical flirtatious tone, circling around him to leave the scene. "Miku and the rest of us are fine, you know, girl stuff! Colic and all that, trust me, it's horrible and you don't want to know. See you tomorrow!".
And just like that, Ichika spun around in one of the corners of the hallway, leaving Fuutarou with a bad taste in his mouth.