On the afternoon of the third day after the monthly exam results were announced, Okabara Kyogumichi was preparing to go to the library for an appointment when his homeroom teacher called out, "Okabara-san, the principal is waiting for you in his office. He said he needs to see you about something."
Kyogumichi was a little confused. What could the principal want with him?
He walked to the administration building with some doubt and knocked on the principal's office door.
"Come in," a strong voice came from inside. Kyogumichi pushed the door open and saw the principal sitting behind a large desk, holding his report card. He had a kind smile on his face, though his expression still seemed a bit severe.
"Okabara-san, please sit," the principal gestured to the chair opposite him. "You did very well in this monthly exam, actually surpassing Yukinoshita-san and Shinomiya-san. Truly, the younger generation is formidable, formidable indeed."
"Thank you for the compliment, Principal. It was just good luck," Kyogumichi said modestly, but in his heart, he was guessing the principal's intentions.
As Sobu University, which had completed its merger last year, it brought together the faculty and students from several colleges. The academic atmosphere was particularly strong, and the competition was exceptionally fierce.
The principal put down the report card and leaned forward slightly: "I called you here because there's something I'd like to ask of you."
He paused, seemingly considering his words. "I have an old friend who is currently very troubled by his daughters' academic problems. He heard from others that you not only have excellent grades but are also very good at tutoring classmates, so he wants to ask you to be their tutor. They are also students at our university, and they are in the same year as you."
Kyogumichi was stunned for a moment, not expecting this kind of request: "Principal, I'm afraid I can't agree. I still have classes during the week, and I have my own arrangements for my free time..."
"I know this will take up your time," the principal interrupted him, taking out a check and placing it on the desk. "This is the compensation, 100,000 yen a month. What do you think? There will be an additional bonus after the job is done."
Kyogumichi looked at the numbers on the check and shook his head: "I'm sorry, Principal, it's not about the money. I don't need that much money."
The profits from the Mikuriya Company had long ago allowed him to achieve financial freedom, so this small amount of compensation held no appeal for him.
The principal raised his eyebrows in surprise, clearly not expecting to be rejected.
He carefully observed Kyogumichi, noticing that although the young man was wearing a plain school uniform, his overall demeanor was outstanding, with a sense of sharpness.
"It seems I was presumptuous."
"Since you're not short on money, how about we change the conditions?" He leaned back in his chair.
"I still have some connections in the education sector. If you ever need help from the school in the future, or have any problems with further education or employment, I can help you solve them. Consider it me owing you a favor, how does that sound?"
This condition made Kyogumichi somewhat tempted. Although he hadn't encountered any difficulties yet, the principal's promise could indeed save him a lot of trouble. Moreover, the principal didn't seem like someone who would go back on his word, and this favor was much more valuable than money.
As he was thinking, a system prompt suddenly sounded in his mind: [Special Mission Triggered: Tutoring Plan]
[Mission Requirement: Serve as a tutor for the Nakano Quintuplets and help them improve their academic performance]
[Mission Reward: Unlock Skill "Observation Haki (Lv.1)"]
[Due to the host already possessing other perception skills, upon acquiring this skill, it will directly become "Observation Haki (Lv.2)", and other perception-type skills will be eliminated]
[Mission Hint: This mission will affect subsequent plot development, please treat it with caution]
Kyogumichi's heart trembled. Observation Haki? This was a more practical ability than the Rokushiki skills he had exchanged for before! And it would cost a lot of points. He had originally planned to use his remaining points to buy a Devil Fruit with no side effects. The more points he could save, the better.
With Observation Haki, he could not only greatly enhance his perception abilities but also predict an opponent's movements in combat. It was simply an essential skill.
He suppressed his inner excitement and asked knowingly, "Principal, can you tell me exactly how many students I'll be tutoring? What are their foundations like?"
Seeing Kyogumichi's attitude soften, the principal immediately said, "You'll be teaching five sisters, quintuplets, who are currently in their second year of college. To be honest, their grades... are indeed not very ideal, especially in science subjects, where they are almost at the bottom of the class. In an environment like our university, if they can't keep up, it will be troublesome."
"That's right, they are the five sisters of the Nakano family." The principal took out a photo and placed it on the desk. "These are the five of them, from left to right: Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki."
In the photo, five identical-looking girls stood in a row, each with a different expression. Some smiled, some looked serious, and others made funny faces at the camera. Although their appearances were the same, their temperaments were distinctly different.
Kyogumichi looked at the photo and remembered the academically challenged quintuplets. He couldn't help but smile, mentally agreeing to the matter, but still wanting to ask for more details.
"Which department are they in?"
"They're in the Literature Department, so they're in the same department as you and Yukinoshita-san, just different classes."
"My old friend is a school board member here. He's incredibly anxious about his daughters' grades not improving, which is why he came to me for help. You know, twins are hard enough to manage, but quintuplets are simply..." He shook his head helplessly.
"Alright, I agree," Kyogumichi made his decision. "However, I have a condition: tutoring time can only be on weekends, a maximum of twice a week, and the specific content must be arranged by me. If they don't cooperate, I can terminate the tutoring at any time."
It wasn't because he coveted the quintuplets; it was to complete the system mission, Kyogumichi thought.
"No problem! All of that is up to you!"
"I'll contact the Nakano family right away to arrange a meeting for you. They happen to be free this weekend, how about Saturday morning?"
"Okay," Kyogumichi nodded. "Where should we meet then?"
"Let's meet at a cafe near the school. The environment is quieter, which will make it easier for you to communicate." The principal immediately took out his planner to record it. "I'll send you the address and time, and I'll have Nakano Itsuki contact you then."
"Itsuki? Okay."
"With her help in coordination, things will go much smoother. You might have even seen them on the campus before, but just didn't recognize which one was which."
"Then I'll head back now, Principal." Kyogumichi stood up, ready to leave.
"Wait a moment."
The principal called out to him, "Nakano Nino's personality might be a bit... willful, so please be patient with her. Also, Miku is quite introverted and doesn't talk much, Yotsuba is too lively, Ichika likes to joke around, and Itsuki, while serious, can be a bit stubborn. In short, all five of them have their own temperaments, so you need to be mentally prepared. It's an incredible feat to teach all five of them well here. I'm rooting for you!"
Kyogumichi was somewhat speechless; the principal's description sounded almost like he was introducing some kind of trouble-making machine. But since things had come to this, he could only brace himself and go for it.
Kyogumichi took out his phone and saw the cafe address sent by the principal, as well as Nakano Itsuki's contact information.
He took a deep breath and sent Itsuki a text message: "Hello, I'm Okabara Kyogumichi. Can we meet at the agreed-upon cafe at 10 AM on Saturday?"
He quickly received a reply: "Hello! Yes, we can! Please take good care of us then!" A 'working hard' emoji was added at the end.
Kyogumichi looked at the text message, the corners of his mouth curving upwards. Regardless, this should be an interesting experience.
He put away his phone and sped up, running towards the library. He might get scolded if he was late.
As for whether he could teach the Nakano sisters well, who knew? He would take it one step at a time!