Chapter 13 - One Loving Flower

Back at the hospital, he was checked up again by the doctor. After that, Fuutarou walked to his room and rested.

Fuutarou got discharged a week after and went to the Quints' apartment. He rang the doorbell and went inside. And what welcomed him was not the Quints eager to learn. But a Quint who was wearing two bath towels, one for her hair and one for her body. She was also holding a handheld bag.

The Quint herself was shocked to see Fuutarou and stood there.

"Hmm? Ic-" Fuutarou was about to say her name but her next actions silenced him.

"You pervert!!" The Quint shouted and threw the bag at him and ran upstairs. The contents of the bag flew out and onto Fuutarou.

"Huh? Ichika! What do you mean a pervert?! I rang the doorbell!" Fuutarou shouted in response but notice what was written on the paper. It was exams. One paper for each subject and in total there's five papers. And each paper got 90% of the questions right.

"Even if I wasn't able to teach them, they still did great. Hmm? The names on the papers are torn?" Fuutarou wondered as to why the name on the papers are torn when the five got great results and what is his tutoring for.

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"So, would you like to tell me why are the names of the papers torn?" Fuutarou asked the Quints with a sternly gaze.

" " " " "Uhhh..." " " " " The Quints couldn't answer and started to avoid his gaze by looking at random directions while muttering something to themselves.

"Hmm... Ichika!" Fuutarou looked at them and then called out to a Quint.

"Y-Yes!" Ichika yelped when Fuutarou called her.

"Why are the papers in a bag and it's names are torn out?" Fuutarou asked seriously.

"Are you sure it's me? It could have been one of my sis-"Ichika was cut off by Fuutarou and he said,

"That trick won't work on me, Ichika. Even if you girls have the same haircut, I would know who you are."

"W-We are actually a sextuplet! Her name is Mutsumi and she's inside a hidden room in this house!" Ichika told Fuutarou.

"Did you really think that I will believe that?"

"T-Then, I refuse to answer your question!" Ichika replied.

"I refuse your refusal!" Fuutarou responded back.

"I refuse your refusal to my refusal!"

"I refuse your refusal to my refusal to your refusal!"

"U-Uesugi-kun, please calm down," Itsuki tried to calm him down but it didn't work.

"What did you say, Itsuki?" Fuutarou glared at her.

Itsuki backed down and tiny droplets of tears form at the corner of her eyes. His gaze got her fidgety and tearing up.

"Here, here Itsuki," Miku calmed down Itsuki who was at the verge of bursting into tears.

"Fuutarou! I may like you but I won't put up with your actions towards my sis...ters..." Nino tried to scold Fuutarou but failed.

"Ahh?" Fuutarou scowled at her and it should made her angry but she backed down and looked away with her cheeks flushing.

'Oh my god!! This is bad! He looks like a real delinquent! This is too much for my heart!' Nino's thought made her even more flushed than she already is.

Fuutarou isn't angry at them but he was just pissed because of what they did. He took a deep breath and calmed down for real this time.

"*sigh* If you girls won't tell me anything, then there's no other way," Fuutarou menacingly said and this made the Quints gulped. Fuutarou slammed down sheets of paper that contains the question from the same test the paper with no names had. He pulled it out of who knows where.

(AN : Even I don't know where it came from.)

"Here, take this test. It has the same questions as the test from earlier and the one who solves the most is the culprit," Fuutarou said calmly.

"B-But! That's absurd!"

"Y-yeah!"

"Oh, and by the way, the first one to finish will receive a reward from me," Fuutarou added.

"Uesugi-san!" Yotsuba raised her hand.

"What is it, Yotsuba?" Fuutarou asked.

"What will be the reward?" She asked back.

"That will be a secret," Fuutarou replied.

The Quints were now having a crisis. First, they have to make sure that they score lower than each other. Now, they're interested in the secret reward.

"Are you girls ready? Then start now," Fuutarou said and closed his eyes while giving a dangerous smile.

Several minutes has passed and no one has yet to pass their test because they aren't done with it yet.

'Fufufu, you can't catch me Fuutarou-kun. I threw the bag at you not to confuse you but to buy time. My sisters were already studying in their own rooms before you even came. So they would take their time trying to get the answer wrong.'

'I didn't have time to study because I felt sleepy but I just need to make the answer wrong at random questions.'

'Im sorry for the others but when he said reward, I can't help but be motivated. I should give him my pap- wait... My handwriting! He's going to compare my handwriting! Not bad Fuutarou-kun!' Itsuki thought while erasing her answer and rewriting it in a different handwriting.

"I'm the first one! Please check my paper Fuutarou-kun!" Ichika confidently gave her paper to Fuutarou.

"Heh? So you're the culprit huh, Ichika?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Fuutarou-kun? I even changed my handwriting and chose random questions to answer incorrectly..."

"Here, look. The incorrect answers are the same. Your unique way in writing the letter 'b'. You're the only one who writes in cursive style. Also, you did good on choosing random questions to incorrectly answer but your answer should be random rather than the farthest answer from the correct one," Fuutarou said and started correcting Ichika's mistakes.

"You... You got me!!" Ichika just fell on her knees in defeat and her head facing the ground.

"You may outsmarted me, but I outsmarted your outsmarting!" Fuutarou replied while laughing like a villain. He then cleared his throat and said, "Well, a reward is a reward. I'll message you later about it."

When Ichika heard that, she quickly stood up and came close to him, "Really?" She asked.

"Really," He replied.

"Umm... Uesugi-kun, we're also finished with the test," Itsuki interrupted their interaction by handing him their papers.

Let me see. Wow, you girls also did gr- you didn't listen to what I said to Ichika earlier, didn't you?" Fuutarou asked.

" "Uhh..." "

"Umm..."

"Ehe?"

"The answers from the unnamed paper and the answers here look the same. Which means that all of you got a great score," Fuutarou said.

"You found out, huh?" Miku said

"What were you doing Ichika! You promised to hide them before he gets here!" Nino shouted at Ichika.

"Sorry," Ichika was sorry for her sisters.

"Why would you want to hide them? In fact, it will make me happy if you show your papers to me," Fuutarou asked them.

"That's the point! If we're able to study and get good results on our own, then wouldn't that mean you will have to leave?" Nino replied. The other Quints also agreed by nodding their heads.

"Pfffft," Fuutarou couldn't help himself and let out a chuckle. The Quints' cheeks flushed when they heard his soft laugh.

"What's so funny, Fuutarou-kun?" An angry Ichika asked. Fuutarou replied,

"That's the whole point of me tutoring you five. And even then, I would still come here and teach you because we're friends, right? Now that's out of the way, let's go back to playing!"

" " " " "Hai- wait what?" " " " "

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Today is November 22, night time. A few days has passed since when the Quints tried to hide their tests. Fuutarou has yet to give Ichika the reward he promised. Ichika was relentlessly bugging him about it he kept on dodging her questions.

It's been one hour since Fuutarou left the Quints' apartment to go home. And before he left, the Quints invited him for dinner and he accepted in response.

After dinner, Fuutarou offered to do the dishes to which the Quints refused, but Fuutarou insisted. Naturally the Quints were in a bind because they don't want their guests to do the dishes but Ichika had a great idea. She told her sisters that she would accompany him doing the dishes.

She also told Fuutarou about what she thought of and he agreed. Seeing this, the other Quints reluctantly agreed and went to the living room.

While doing the dishes with Fuutarou, Ichika suddenly asked Fuutarou a question.

"So Fuutarou-kun, what's the reward you'll be giving me?"

"You won't stop asking me until I answer huh?"

"Fufu."

"I was actually thinking about going out on a date with you."

"A date you say?" Ichika smiled when she heard what will be her reward. A hint of pink can be seen on her cheeks.

"Yeah, tomorrow is a holiday right? I was thinking of bringing you somewhere for your reward."

"Well, can I suggest a place to go, Fuutarou-kun?"

"Sure." Fuutarou replied.

"Ah!" Ichika suddenly thought of something.

"What is it, Ichika?"

"If it's my sisters who have gotten the reward instead of me, would you take them out on a date too?"

"Is Ichika-chan getting jealous?" Fuutarou teased Ichika.

"What if I am, Fuutarou? What will you do?" Ichika asked as she stopped what she was doing and stared at Fuutarou.

"Are you seriously asking me that? Even though you already know what I would do?" Fuutarou asked back and closed the distance between him and her.

"I'm the only one whose reward will be is a date, huh?" Ichika's head was facing him while her chin was laying on his chest and her arms hugging him.

Fuutarou nodded in confirmation and with his dry hands, he caressed her head.

"I love you, Ichika."

"I love you too, Fuutarou."

Time once again stopped for the both and their lips inching towards each other. And when their lips are about to touch they heard a voice from their side. They quickly turn their heads and saw the rest of the Quints muttering to each other.

"Awawawa"

"They're so shameless!"

"Congratulations, Ichika."

"Well, congrats Ichika."

"Wha-?! S-Since when are you girls here?"

"When you hugged him?"

Ichika couldn't bear it anymore and hid her face on Fuutarou's chest. If she was already red when her sisters saw the two of them almost going for a kiss, she became more red when she heard that her sisters heard their confession.

Ichika took a peek at Fuutarou and was shocked when she saw a blush on his cheeks. I guess that someone else than the person your confessing to, hears your confession would be quite embarrassing.

"Well, take care of Ichika. If she comes back to us crying, I'll make sure you regret what you did." Nino warned Fuutarou with a threatening gaze.

"No need to scare me, Nino. I'll treasure her my whole life."

"Good, cause I'll be next..."

"What?"

"What?"

"Can you repeat what you just said, Nino?"

" 'Ill make you sure you regret what you did' ?"

"No, after that."

" 'What?' "

"Before that."

"But I already said it?"

"You said 'Good, cause I'll be next...' "

"Gosh Fuu-kun! You just got my sister and you already want me next? What's next? You want all of us?"

"I..."

"You're really thinking about it huh?"

"No! It's just... You girls heard it too, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"After I said 'Ill treasure her my whole life', she then said what I just said."

"She didn't day anything at all, in fact we were all shock when you suddenly said 'What?' "

"You really didn't hear anything?"

"What's wrong Uesugi-san? Are you sick again?"

"You might be hearing things, Fuutarou-kun. You should lie down, here lay your head on my lap."

"I... Guess I might be hearing things. I guess I'll lie down, thank you, Ichika."

"No need to thank me, Fuutarou-kun. I'm your girlfriend aren't I?"

"Yeah... You are my girlfriend now."

With his fatigue catching up on him, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. With Ichika stroking his head. The other four already left to give them some time together and tomorrow is a new day.

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Author Section :

2054 words. Finally I'm done with this week's chapter. It's been a long time since chapter 1 and there's still more chapters to come. It took me quite a while to finish the chapter. I'm also sick at the same time. I was thinking of making the confession at the date they're supposed to have but I find this more likable.

Sho why did I rush things?

A) Because I'm done with this fanfic

B) Because it's time for volume 2

C) Because I'm tired.

Pick your answer!

On Webnovel I promised a surprise. But you have to figure what is the surprise. Same for Fanfiction readers.

One more thing, I don't know how confessions work so yeah... If you're expecting some good confession you won't be getting it as of now. Maybe in the future, after I got some experience.