A/N:

This chapter has been edited, since FFN really doesn't like the at symbol, or anything that remotely looks like a link, making the email addresses in the chapter not work at all. I also originally was using angular brackets for the shorter email conversations, but FFN doesn't like those either, due to their relation to HTML. As such, I've changed them to be curly braces.

If you saw a previous version of this chapter with strange formatting due to FFN messing around with it, I apologize for that. Hopefully everything works fine now. The version of the story on AO3 has the original formatting intact.

Chapter 5:

It's Rude to Eavesdrop

After the strategy meeting had ended, Ichika excused herself, claiming that social studies made her sleepy. The rest of the afternoon was just myself and Yotsuba learning about Sengoku-era warlords. After Ichika left, I also briefly excused myself to go wash my face and clear my head after the conversation. When I got back, Yotsuba had her books out, but seemed to be having trouble focusing.

"You know," she said absently a few minute later, flipping a page. "I think I had a video game about these guys at some point. Maybe I gave it to Miku...?"

"While that's certainly an... interesting way to learn history, it doesn't replace studying from a textbook," I responded. "What was the plot of the game?"

Yotsuba scrunched up her face. "Something about taking over areas and expanding territory? I don't really play many video games anymore, but I think it was some kind of game where you moved units on each turn and then they fought each other. Actually, now that I think about it, that's not a plot, that's a game mechanic. I don't remember, sorry! I also don't remember what it was called..."

I shrugged. "That's fine. I only know video games that came out over five years ago anyways. I haven't played any that came out since then. Actually... I don't think I've played any since then at all, even the older ones. They just don't interest me that much - if I'm playing games, I could be studying."

I then returned to reading my textbook, using the eraser-tipped end of my pencil as a marker for my spot on the page. It allowed me to process the text more efficiently, a technique I'd picked up from a reference book on studying methods a few years ago.

Yotsuba was quiet for a minute, and then asked, "Did something happen five years ago that made you stop playing video games?"

"Yes."

"...Can I ask what it was?"

"No," I responded absent-mindedly, flipping the page. "I don't really want to talk about it, sorry."

I read the textbook for a few more minutes, and then realized Yotsuba was being strangely silent. I glanced up, and saw that she had her nose buried deep in her own book - but from what I could see of her face, she was displaying a... confusing expression. Her eyes seemed a bit wider than usual, almost like she had a... panicked look on her face?

Reading expressions is hard. Make easier-to-read faces!

"Uh, are you ok there Yotsuba?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah! Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it Uesugi-san! I was just a bit lost in thought."

As Yotsuba laughed it off, I felt a slight sense that something was awry, but I dismissed it. I don't think I know her well enough yet to be able to read things like that. It's probably in my head.

"Ah! This part kind of confuses me..."

The rest of the afternoon proceeded as usual, and by the end I was certain I had just been imagining things. Yotsuba was just her usual, cheery self. Any hint of panic or worry was gone from her face.

I was probably just projecting because of the conversation we had with Ichika. Don't overthink things, Fuutarou - you'll just get yourself into trouble that way.

We finished up for the day, and then went our separate ways after leaving the school. The journey home passed in a blur - I was on autopilot the whole way, not processing a single thing around me. When I finally got home, Raiha was in the middle of cooking dinner, so I put my school things away and began setting the table. Once I'd finished, Raiha served up a nice stirfry, Chinese style, for all three of us. As I ate, I thought about the strategy for Operation Twintail that we had decided upon for the next few days.

Back off for a while, and then get her alone to talk. That's an... interesting strategy, Ichika. Makes me feel creepy, though.

I put some more food in my mouth, savouring the umami flavours.

If I just ignore her, though... won't I put her off even more? She strikes me as the type of person who would take a cold shoulder really harshly. Should I just trust what Ichika says? She does know her sister a lot better than I do...

I sighed.

Mind you, it's important to handle your own relationships - as I told the sweater monster repeatedly. So I should definitely take this into my own hands.

I tapped my chopsticks against my bowl.

Come to think of it, she's put some serious thought into how to help me with this. Even if it was at Yotsuba's behest, I should probably stop thinking of her as something as rude as "sweater monster". More like "sweater vixen" or something. Or maybe I should just stop calling her names in my head. Her name is Ichika, not "sweater monster", so-

"Onii-chan!"

I started, accidentally dropping my chopsticks on the table.

"Eh? Raiha, you scared me! What's wrong?"

She dramatically pointed her chopsticks at me.

"That's what's wrong! Dinner time is family time! You should eat your food and talk to your family, not hide in your own head and think about stuff! You've had a look on your face all meal long like your brain was on another planet! What's going on with you?!"

My dad nodded sagely. "She's right, Fuutarou. You look like you're having an existential crisis. Lighten up when you're eating food!"

I frowned. "I'm not having an existential crisis, I just had an extremely unpleasant day at school, and it led to there being a lot on my mind. I'm just weighing my options and trying to decide my best course of action."

"No decision-making while you eat! You can do that after. I'm sorry you had a bad day, but right now, you need to spend time with us!"

Raiha gestured wildly with her chopsticks as she said this, and a bit of rice was flung off and landed directly on my forehead, where it promptly stuck. I pulled it off, sighed, and popped it in my mouth.

"Fine, fine, I get it. Please stop flinging rice at me."

"Oniiiii-chan, that was an accident!"

"I get it. Stop accidentally flinging rice at me."

Raiha frowned. "How do you stop doing accidental things?"

Yeah, that's what I'd like to know too, Raiha! How am I supposed to be gentle when I don't even realize I'm pissing Itsuki off until later?

"You're doing it again! Stop inner monologuing at the dinner table!"

"Raiha, where did you learn the word monologue?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I made eye-contact with my dad, and he just shrugged.

"Eh? It's what villains do in anime, right? They go on a long speech about their plans and then while they're talking, the heroes ruin their plans. That's a monologue, right?"

"I mean... you're not wrong, that is a monologue... wait, were you calling me a villain?"

"Ack! No, that's not what I meant, Onii-chan! Well, I mean, you do have some villainous tendencies like sometimes having a creepy smile or the way you say love is for the deluded or-"

"Ok, stop! Stop! I don't want to hear anymore." I said. "Man, hearing your own little sister call you a villain is a little much..."

"No, I said that's not what I meant!"

Despite myself, I found myself laughing, and it almost felt like the afternoon's typhoon of emotions were forgotten, like floodwaters that had finally begun to recede. After dinner, I got some more studying done, but in light of my mental state throughout the day due to lack of sleep, I called it a night relatively early, and in fact ended up passing out even before Raiha.

The next day when I arrived at school, I coincidentally arrived at the same time as the quintuplets. They pulled up in a black car of foreign make. For a moment, I could feel myself nerding out over it, but I thankfully recognized the thing from when I'd seen them in the morning at the beginning of the week. Otherwise, I definitely would have tried to get a closer look.

They get driven to school in a big foreign car, huh? They're rich rich.

As they all got out, Yotsuba saw me and ran over.

"Morning, Uesugi-san! How are you feeling today?"

I shrugged. "I'm fine. I think I was a bit sleep deprived yesterday, but now I'm in full control of my faculties. Shouldn't be any problems."

"Eh? That's a good thing... I think?"

I looked at her coolly. "Indubitably."

Yotsuba perked up when I said that. "Oh, indeed, good sir! 'Twas but a mishap that your path may have briefly strayed from the righteous way of studying, but no longer! No longer. My good fellow, good day to you indeed, and may the winds of fortune be ever in your favour!"

Then she started snickering.

I rolled my eyes. "Idiot. I'm just focused on making sure the operation gets pulled off properly. This whole situation is a massive pain in the ass I don't need, so I want to make sure it gets resolved as quickly as possible so I can get back to studying in peace."

"Indubitably, my good sir, indubitably!"

Against my will, a smile cracked on my face.

"Oh, shut up. Will I see you at lunch, or are you eating with your sisters?"

"I figured I'd have lunch with them for a few more days; especially to make sure things are going alright with the operation. I'll still join you after school though!"

"What's this about an operation?"

We both turned around to see Nino looking at us suspiciously.

"Ehh? Ehh?! I-It's nothing, Nino! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Yotsuba spluttered.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Wow, you're a terrible liar, Yotsuba. That's a useful data point to store away for later."

I then turned to look at Nino. "It's rude to eavesdrop, you know."

Her face reddened a little. "It's not my fault - you two are acting all lovey-dovey in front of the gate and standing in my way! It makes me a little sick, you know."

Yotsuba's eyes widened and a slight blush crept across her face, but I just rolled my eyes. "You already know my feelings on that - you're just trying to get a rise out of me, right? I regret to inform you that you'll have better luck trying other methods."

Nino gritted her teeth with a tch.

Nail on the head, huh?

"Anyways, I'm coming through here. Yotsuba, are you coming? Or are you gonna walk with him?"

"I'm coming! See you later, Uesugi-san!"

Yotsuba trotted off after her sister, and Itsuki and the red-haired headphone girl (Miku, was it?) followed suit. Itsuki paused for a moment as she passed me, but I purposely didn't make eye-contact with her, and after a second, she left after her sisters.

"She's going to be a bit of a tough cookie to handle, but she feels badly about what happened - I can tell."

I glanced to my side to see Ichika standing next to me, looking after her sisters with a slightly sad look on her face.

"Is that the power of the eldest sister? Or is that just because she's easy to read?"

Ichika turned back to look at me, and a smile appeared on her face as she did so.

"I can't go and reveal my secrets to you like that, can I Fuutarou-kun? Otherwise, you wouldn't need me, now would you?"

"...Do I need you?"

Ichika winced, but I immediately followed up.

"I don't need your help - I can handle my own relationships. However, that doesn't mean I don't want it. I appreciate the help you've given me, even if it was for Yotsuba's sake and not mine."

Ichika's wince turned into a smile. "Wow, unfair, Fuutarou-kun."

I turned to her, a confused look on my face. "Unfair?"

"That was a deep cut followed by sudden gratification. Geez, I'm getting emotional whiplash here. Just what sort of play do you think I'm in to?!"

"Wha- play?!"

Ichika laughed, winked at me, and then took off after her sisters, leaving me standing there momentarily dumbfounded.

"That girl loves teasing people, doesn't she," I eventually muttered to myself, and then made my own way into the school.

I changed my footwear, and then walked up to the classroom. When I got there, Itsuki was sitting at her desk talking with one of our female classmates, who's name I, for the life of me, could not remember. She didn't seem to notice my entry, so I just quietly made my way to my desk, and then pulled out my schedule.

Hmm... We have science first, huh?

I pulled out the requisite materials, and was continuing to get set up when I heard my name faintly from somewhere in the room. Almost involuntarily, I perked up. Then I realized the direction it had come from, and I feigned indifference. Itsuki had mentioned me while in discussion with the classmate, and I'd merely picked up on that.

I'm sure she's just trash-talking me.

Nevertheless, my curiosity got the better of me, and I strained my ears to try and pick out her words from amidst the hustle and bustle in the room before class started, while still facing forward so as not to be caught.

"No, sorry - we've never really talked, so I don't know anything about what he would like. Why do you need to apologize to that gloomy loner, anyways?"

"Ah, well, I just did something uncalled for, so I thought I'd apologize. Nevermind, thanks anyways Komichi-san. I'll think of something else."

"Alright, suit yourself... Ah, looks like he's here now, so you may want to not talk about this at the moment. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, Nakano-san."

"All good. I'll lend you my notes from yesterday at lunch, ok? It looks like the class is about to start."

"You're a lifesaver, Nakano-san!"

As their conversation ended, I felt a stab of guilt at eavesdropping, especially after having told off Nino for doing the same thing - but in some small part of me, there was also a little bit of pleasure in knowing that Itsuki wasn't completely nonchalant about this either.

If I need to be running myself dogged over how to make this work, it seems only fair that she have at least a little discomfort on her end too.

I thought I felt her gaze turn onto me, but in accordance with the plan, I didn't turn around to check. Instead, I leaned back in my chair, and mentally began to review what would be covered in the lesson that day, at least according to my prior reading of the textbook.

The first half of the schoolday went by quite quickly after that, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. I packed up my bags, and glanced over to see that Itsuki was again in conversation with the girl from before, this time showing her notes. I grimaced to myself.

Hopefully they're not completely wrong this time!

Given what our classmate had said about me, I didn't particularly feel like saving her if they were, so I just left. At lunch, I sat alone and studied in my usual spot. However, I could see the quintuplets from where I was, regardless of whether I wanted to or not. They seemed to be having a somewhat more subdued conversation this time, presumably because Ichika had decided to not purposely wind Nino up. From what I could see (not that I was looking too closely), they seemed to be mostly talking to Itsuki, who seemed distraught. Once again, I couldn't see Ichika's face, since she had her back turned to me.

The girl with the headphones caught my gaze, and I hurriedly returned to my notes.

Oh god, the staring is infectious, isn't it? Itsuki's gotten me. This is a serious medical condition!

I chuckled to myself at that, and then cursed as I got the English word "orthogonal" wrong in my review. I got a few more words into my flashcards, when I felt a presence looming over me. I glanced up to see Yotsuba standing in front of the table.

"Hey, Yotsuba. What's up?"

"Uesugi-san," she said, "I had... drumroll please... an idea!"

"Wow, very impressive," I said drily. "What's the idea?"

"Today's Friday, so during the weekend Operation Twintail is kind of necessarily on hold."

I blinked, not really seeing the point. "...Yes?"

"I'm worried, though, that if we take the pressure off Itsuki for two days, she'll decide to just accept the situation as-is. We gotta make it so she wants to accept your apology!"

"That... seems like a reasonable point... I guess?"

"So!"

"...So?"

Yotsuba slammed her hands down on the table.

"Do you want to come study at our place sometime on the weekend? It'll kill two birds with one stone! We can do some extra studying and it'll make Operation Twintail a success!"

Why does it feel like there's some kind of ulterior motive here?

"I don't see a problem with that. All I need to do-"

I suddenly remembered what had happened this morning, and looked around to make sure that Nino wasn't within eavesdropping range. Luckily, the four other quints were all still at their table.

"All I need to do is just ignore Itsuki while I'm there, right? That's not hard."

Yotsuba frowned. "I don't really like the whole 'ignoring Itsuki' thing. Wouldn't it be easier to just tell her you want to make up, and be honest with her? She might be proud, but if you're persistent you'll get through to her."

She's probably right.

I sighed. "I'm going to go with Ichika's idea for now, but I might change my mind at some point. Ultimately, this is between Itsuki and myself - I don't need to be beholden to the plan. For the moment, however, it seems as though it's the best approach."

I paused for a moment to think, then said. "All right, let's do it. How does Saturday work for you?"

"That works! Great, sounds good! I'll get some snacks and then we can really get into it!"

She started to walk away, but then stopped, and turned back around.

"Oh, if you're coming over, I should probably be able to communicate with you. Do you want to share contact info?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure. That seems reasonable."

I pulled out my phone, and we exchanged contact information. Yotsuba then made her way back to her sisters, a noticeable skip in her step. I watched her go, and then looked down at my phone.

My dad. Raiha. And now... Nakano Yotsuba.

Despite myself, a small smile crept onto my face. Then I put the phone away, and continued drilling English words.

Then my phone buzzed inside my pocket.

Curious, I pulled it out and looked at the screen. I didn't have a touchscreen phone, since they were far too expensive. Instead, I still remained in the age of physical buttons with which to dial. However, I was still able to send texts and emails - and on my screen blinked the notification that I had an email.

I opened it up.

"From: Yotsuba428

Subject: Testing!

Testing! Testing! Calling all Uesugi-sans to see if their phones work!"

I sighed, and then typed a response.

"Yes, it works."

A few moments later, I got another buzz.

"From: Yotsuba428

Subject: re: re: Testing!

Shi shi shi. Your email address is 'GeniusFutarou'? You are a genius, and you are Fuutarou, so I guess that makes sense! Somebody's a little cocky though!"

I grimaced, and put my phone away without responding. I looked across the room to see Yotsuba grinning at me.

Yeah, I'm not dignifying that with an answer. I worked hard to deserve that email address.

Feeling a slight sense of satisfaction at her acknowledging my genius, I went back to my studying. Then, a minute later, my phone buzzed. Annoyed, I pulled it out and checked it.

"From: Yotsuba428

Subject: Don't ignore me! :(

{Email Body Blank}"

I rolled my eyes, and then responded, "You wanted to sit with your sisters today - don't ignore them to text me."

I sent the message, and then watched her look at her phone, look back up at me a little guiltily, and nod. I nodded back, and then put my phone away, and got back to studying.

During the rest of the afternoon, I got the occasional email from Yotsuba, who seemed to be relishing the fact that she could regularly badger me. Despite the fact that the buzzing was throwing off my workflow, I had to admit that it was a bit nice to have the constant communication.

{Uesugi-san! What sort of snacks should I get for tomorrow?}

{Don't email in class. We can figure it out this afternoon.}

{Roger!}

{I said don't email in class...}

{But Uesugi-san, you're emailing in class as well!}

{...Touché.}

After classes let out, I quickly left the classroom and made my way to the library. Itsuki had been stealing glances at me all afternoon, but they were all stares and no glares. I felt her gaze on my back as I left the room. I hadn't made eye-contact with her once throughout the whole day - which, given I wasn't totally sure I was over my feelings from the previous day, made my life a lot easier.

Yotsuba and I met in the library, and she immediately delved into the arcane subject of snack selection.

"I've got to let you know, Yotsuba, I'm happy either way. I've got a poor man's palette, so I have no clue what's good and what's bad."

"Ehehehe! Then leave the selection to me! I'll make sure we get only the most premium of study snacks."

"Right. Sounds good, I leave it in your capable hands."

Yotsuba beamed at this.

"By the way, did you tell your sisters I was going to be coming? I don't want them to think I'm stalking you or something by showing up unannounced."

"That's... a weirdly specific fear, Uesugi-san. Don't worry, I told them at lunch. Nino wasn't too happy, but she'll get over it."

"Did Itsuki say anything about it?"

"She seemed oddly alright with it. She just said something about retreating to her room."

That... doesn't sound like she's alright with it, but whatever you say.

"Oh, Ichika won't be there by the way. She said she has work tomorrow afternoon, but to tell you 'good luck, and do your best'."

"That's nice of her. I'll have to take those words to heart."

"Ho-ho! Uesugi-san can be sincere sometimes too! 'Tis a sight to warm my eyes!"

I rolled my eyes. "What does that even mean? Is my sincerity setting your eyes on fire?"

Yotsuba clutched at her face in mock-agony. "Ahhh, Uesugi-san! My eyes! They buuuuurn! How could you incinerate them like that?!"

Dead-panning, I said, "Don't worry, we'll get you a new pair off of Amazon for 1300 yen."

Yotsuba peeked through her hands, horrified.

"Eh? EH?! You can get eyes off of Amazon? Wait, my eyes are only worth 1300 yen?!"

We stared at each other for a few moments, and then finally I cracked, and we both started snickering.

"Ok, enough fooling around; let's get to studying."

We spent the remainder of the afternoon studying English. It had already gotten quite late when my phone suddenly buzzed. Confused, I looked at Yotsuba, but she didn't have her phone out. I pulled it out, and saw that it was my usual text from Raiha telling me to come home.

Oh, right. My phone buzzes for reasons besides Yotsuba digitally poking me.

I put my phone away, and after alerting Yotsuba, we both packed up and left. I reached home about twenty minutes later, and Raiha had made a vegetable curry.

"I'm looking forward to the weekend!" she exclaimed, as we ate together. "The next episode of my favourite anime comes out tomorrow, and there was a huuuuge cliffhanger! I need to know if Pretty Sailor Magical Girl gets out of this ok!"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," I said. "This show has been going on for twenty-five years, they're not going to kill off the flagship character."

Raiha pouted at me. "Don't ruin the suspense, Onii-chan!"

"Sorry, sorry."

I took a big bite of my curry, and then swallowed. "I'm actually going to be out of the house for a good portion of the day tomorrow, so if they kill off the character, let me know ok? I'll comfort you when I get back."

My dad raised his glass of water to his mouth. "Going to study at the library?"

"No, I'm going to study at a friend's house."

My dad did a spit-take, and then started coughing.

"Dad! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he wheezed. "You're going to a friend's house?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, maybe more like an acquaintance? We've been studying together after school for the last couple of weeks, and we decided to study together over the weekend."

"I... see." My dad said carefully. "So, you found another person who studies as much as you, huh? I guess... birds of a feather?"

"Actually, she's terrible at studying, but it's still fun to help her with things, so-"

"They're a girl? Onii-chan is going to a girl's house tomorrow?!" Raiha yelled.

"I... guess so? It's not like we're going to be alone there."

I turned back to my dad, and was shocked to see that he had mild tears in his eyes.

"My son... he's grown up so much. He's finally acknowledging the power of love!"

"No, I'm not. I just want to study. Please don't make this out to be anything it isn't."

Raiha climbed over and hugged my arm. "I'm so proud of you for finding a girl who'll spend her weekend with you, Onii-chan! Go get her!"

"This is making me distinctly uncomfortable. Can we change the subject please?"

With some persuading, I finally managed to get my dad and sister to drop the topic of my friend who was a girl, and dinner ended uneventfully after that. I spent the next few hours studying, interrupted occasionally only by the buzzing of emails from Yotsuba informing me of the various things she was prepping for the next day. She also sent me a message with her address, and how to get there.

As I got ready to go to bed, I finally got one last email from her.

{I'm excited for tomorrow!}

I looked at my phone for a long moment, contemplating. Then, with a slight smile on my face, I typed my response.

{Me too.}