The moonlight was stunning, illuminating the darkness of the night. The stars, too, accompanied the moon, preserving the night's peaceful atmosphere.
A gentle breeze blew, enough to make anyone feel completely relaxed, even to the point of drowsiness. In a massive apartment complex, the residents were bustling with activity.
On one of the balconies on the 30th floor, a black-haired young man stood gazing at the breathtaking cityscape. That young man was none other than Ryogami Akira, who had come here to clear his mind.
Akira was currently at the luxury apartment where the quintuplets lived. He had initially intended to go home, but Fuutaro's plans had prevented that from happening.
Akira couldn't bear to leave Fuutaro all alone. It wasn't that he doubted Fuutaro's teaching abilities, but rather he felt that Fuutaro wouldn't be able to handle those five girls on his own—especially since they were all so airheaded.
Faintly, he could hear Fuutaro's shouts from inside, but Akira ignored them. Well, he could understand why his friend was acting that way, because the five girls had truly exhausted his patience.
Akira slowly pulled his phone from his pants pocket, intending to inform the person who would always be waiting for him. The person he cherished most, the one who was always there for him no matter what—none other than his own grandfather, Ryogami Matsumi.
Beep! Beep! Click!
"Grandpa, I think I'll be coming home late tonight. You don't need to wait up for me; you should just get some rest."
Akira spoke with a voice full of tenderness, for he was currently talking to someone he dearly loved.
"Akira, is everything all right?"
Akira smiled softly upon hearing the reply from the person on the other end of the line. The voice sounded very gentle, yet also held a hint of worry.
"It's nothing, grandpa. I'm just helping my friends study."
Akira replied with complete honesty, as he was indeed intending to help Fuutaro—or more accurately, help Fuutaro teach his five students.
"Alright. Go straight home, don't go anywhere else. It's late, be careful out there."
Akira's gentle smile returned as he heard his grandfather's reply. He was deeply grateful that, although he had lost both of his parents, he hadn't lost the other person he cherished most—his grandfather.
Matsumi had been the one caring for him, even since he was a child. The Ryogami family had once been wealthy, but not anymore. All the businesses managed by the Ryogami family were destroyed when his parents died, leaving only him and his Grandfather, who now lived a life of simple means.
After saying goodbye to his grandfather, Akira finally slipped his phone back into his pocket. He slowly looked up, finding the twinkling stars piercing through the darkness of the night sky.
Akira slowly took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself to teach those five foolish girls. He knew his mental fortitude and patience would be tested, but what he didn't know was that fate had a secret in store for him.
Without letting any other distracting thoughts interfere with his teaching process, Akira slowly strolled into the room.
Click!
The door swung wide open, revealing the scene Akira had anticipated. There stood Fuutaro, frozen in place, staring blankly at him.
"What's with that look, Fuutaro? What about your students?"
In the end, Akira was the first to break the silence, shattering the heavy quiet of the living room. Only the two of them remained, with no sign of the five people who actually owned the place.
"Hahh... They're so stubborn, Akira. I tried to get them out, but it was useless..."
Fuutaro replied with disappointment, his head hanging low in defeat. Seeing the weight of the problem his friend was facing, Akira offered a thin smile.
"It's okay. Nothing is perfect on the first try. We'll just do it again!"
Akira spoke with a voice full of enthusiasm, trying to rekindle Fuutaro's spirit. Although he didn't know if this attempt would succeed or not, it was certainly better to try again than not to try at all.
"Well... You might be right. Nothing is perfect on the first try."
After hearing Akira's words, Fuutaro's spirit finally returned. He looked at Akira with a wide smile, one that also held a burning determination.
Of course, seeing Fuutaro's renewed spirit made Akira feel happy as well. But just as the two of them were about to start their experiment again, an unexpected figure suddenly appeared.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Don't leave me alone!"
Just as Akira and Fuutaro were about to move forward with their plan, they were startled by a shout from behind. Akira froze. He was certain that only he and Fuutaro were there, and that the five girls were still in their respective rooms.
Don't tell me that was a ghost!
But when he turned around, he was utterly shocked—even more so than when he had seen a terrifying ghost. That was because the figure before him was far more startling than any ghost could be.
"I brought some juice for both of you!"
The girl spoke in a cheerful voice, handing the two glasses of orange juice to Akira and Fuutaro. Of course, seeing one of the five sisters was a surprise to Akira, considering how much those five foolish quintuplets hated the very idea of 'studying'.
But as it turned out, all of Akira's worst assumptions were wrong, because one of the five sisters didn't hate studying—or at least, wasn't completely opposed to it.
The girl had orange hair tied into two pigtails with light green ribbons that looked like rabbit ears. On closer inspection, her appearance was incredibly adorable.
"Thank you."
Akira said softly, slowly sipping the orange juice in his hand. It tasted delicious—so good that he immediately suspected it was made from high-quality oranges.
This must be expensive, but considering they... Never mind...
Akira said to himself as he slowly shook his head. Buying high-quality oranges would be incredibly easy for them, unlike for him. But he was grateful that he could at least taste what the wealthy drank, even if it was only once.
"Akira, we can ask Yotsuba for a little help, right?"
But just as Akira was lost in his own thoughts, Fuutaro suddenly asked him. Akira then fell silent for a moment; this girl named Yotsuba... telling them all apart was quite a difficult thing for him to do.
"Sure. But what about you, Yotsuba? Do you mind?"
Of course, Akira agreed with Fuutaro's proposal. Getting Yotsuba's help would increase the chances of his plan's success, but everything now depended on the girl—would she refuse or accept it?
"Leave it to me!"
Without a second thought, Yotsuba agreed to her two new friends' request. She cheerfully ran upstairs to where her sisters' rooms were. Seeing that Yotsuba had decided to help was, of course, a breath of fresh air for Akira and Fuutaro.
"At least our chances of success will increase!"
Akira said with a wide grin at Fuutaro, while Fuutaro merely nodded slowly. He felt incredibly happy to have a best friend who was always by his side—anywhere, anytime, and most importantly, through whatever circumstances he was facing.
Of course, Akira had no idea what Fuutaro was thinking. Without further ado, he immediately followed Yotsuba to the upper floor. With every step, Akira was left in awe of the Nakano apartment's decor and interior—it was truly beautiful.
"Ryogami-san! Uesugi-san! Are you following me?"
However, Yotsuba's words shattered Akira's train of thought. Ignoring the luxurious scenery, Akira resumed walking to carry out his plan.
Upon reaching the upper floor, Akira saw a long hallway. At its end was a door, indicating that the hallway led to a room.
There were also five doors along the hallway walls. From this, Akira speculated that these might be the rooms of the five quintuplets.
"This is where our five rooms are. In order from here, it's Itsuki, me, Miku, Nino, and finally, Ichika!"
Yotsuba explained in great detail, even though it wasn't strictly necessary. Still, Akira deeply appreciated everything she did, as she was the one who had decided to cooperate with him and Fuutaro.
"Interesting... Which one should we start with first?"
This time, Akira was the one to ask Fuutaro, leaving him speechless once again. Akira had already guessed that Fuutaro would be completely clueless about all this. In the end, he was the one who had to take the first step.
"Alright. Let's start with the closest one, shall we, Fuutaro?"
Akira made the suggestion to Fuutaro, who responded with a slow nod. Their choice fell on the room nearest to where they stood—none other than the room of Itsuki, the red-haired girl.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Fuutaro knocked on the red-haired girl's door, hoping to convince her to study with him. But after waiting for a moment, not a single word came from inside the room, indicating that she had no intention of joining him.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
This time it was Akira's turn to knock on the door, and it finally paid off. A faint voice could be heard from inside the room, but there was still no sign of the door being opened.
"I already told you, I don't want to study with you two. Besides, aren't there any other tutors in this city?"
A voice called out from inside the room, but every word was a rejection. Hearing this, Fuutaro could only swallow his disappointment. He hung his head dejectedly, radiating an aura of utter despair.
"Calm down! Calm down! There are still others, right, Yotsuba?!"
Akira quickly encouraged Fuutaro, arguing that there might be someone else who would agree. With Yotsuba's help, Fuutaro's spirit was finally reignited.
"The second one, Miku Nakano. Maybe this girl will agree, won't she?"
Akira said as he gently nudged Fuutaro's arm to give him a little encouragement. Of course, Fuutaro, who received support from his friend, couldn't help but break into a smile.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Fuutaro knocked on Miku's bedroom door, and unlike before, it immediately paid off! The bedroom door opened, followed by Miku's voice inviting them inside.
"So, what do you want here?"
The brown-haired girl asked Akira and Fuutaro flatly. Her gaze was just as lifeless, as if she had no zest for life at all.
"I intend to invite you to—"
But before Fuutaro could even finish his sentence, the brown-haired girl spontaneously cut him off.
"I refuse. Besides, aren't there any other tutors in this city?"
In the end, Akira tried to persuade the girl himself, but she only gave him a flat stare. Of course, Akira didn't continue what he was saying; if he did, it would be more akin to coercion.
"I refuse. Now get out of my room."
The girl spoke in a flat tone, pointing toward the wide-open bedroom door. Seeing no other hope, Akira, Fuutaro, and Yotsuba finally walked out of Miku's room.
A sense of disappointment washed over Fuutaro again. The young man stood dejectedly in front of the door next to Miku's—none other than Nino Nakano's room.
"Don't worry! Nino is very easy to get along with. If she doesn't have a problem with you two, there's no reason for her to refuse you!"
Yotsuba said in her cheerful voice, but accompanied by an awkward smile. Without saying a word, Fuutaro walked up to Nino's bedroom door and knocked.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
There was no answer from inside the room, leaving Fuutaro a little confused. He stared flatly at Yotsuba, who was grinning widely—though it was nothing more than an awkward smile.
"How about knocking a little louder?"
Yotsuba said very awkwardly, all while maintaining her wide smile. Fuutaro nodded slowly and tried knocking on Nino's bedroom door again.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
After knocking on Nino's bedroom door several times, there was no change at all—not even a sign that the door would open soon. Realizing all this, Fuutaro naturally felt disappointed once again.
"Don't worry! There's still one more!"
Akira said as he gently patted Fuutaro on the shoulder. It was true that none of the previous attempts had been successful, but could the last girl finally agree? After all, Akira's words were enough to reignite the fire of determination within Fuutaro.
"Ichika is our older sister, the eldest of us all. I'm sure she'll act more maturely."
Yotsuba said in her cheerful voice as she walked toward Ichika's bedroom door. But just as she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and turned to look at Akira and Fuutaro.
"Don't be surprised..."
Yotsuba said in a low voice, slowly opening Ichika's door without knocking. Of course, Akira frowned at Yotsuba's actions. What if Ichika got angry when she realized a stranger had entered her room without her knowledge?
But in the end, Akira decided to go inside. He would bear the consequences himself if all his suspicions were correct. Ichika's room appeared completely dark; Akira couldn't see anything in front of him.
"Hmm? What brings you here?"
A faint voice, barely audible but still clear to Akira's ears, drifted through the room. It was a girl's voice.
Akira couldn't see the speaker, but he was certain it was Ichika. He remained motionless, holding his breath, desperate to keep her from discovering a stranger in her room.
Click!
But just as Akira was trying to make no sound at all, the room that had been pitch-black suddenly flooded with light. Akira could only stand there with a blank expression, realizing that big trouble was about to find him—and not just him, but Fuutaro would surely be in trouble as well.
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