Fuutarou was sweating bullets. His face clearly showed it as he was sweating profusely, an almost terrifying grin was on his face.

Y/N looked at his friend with confusion. He soon tilted his head as he asked his friend a question.

"Uesugi-san, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah... I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" The boy asked. "You're sweating a lot. Are you hot?"

Fuutarou deadpanned at him. "How can I be hot in this cold, dumbass. It's the middle of Autumn."

"Huh? It is?"

"What do you mean 'it is'!? It's freezing! How are you not freezing!?" Fuutarou then sighed. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Is it about Nakano-san?"

"A little bit..."

"...Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nah, it's fine."

Y/N stayed silent for a bit before he spoke up again. "It's kind of strange."

"Hmm? What's strange?" Fuutarou rose an eyebrow.

"Hmm? Ah! Don't worry about it, Uesugi-san. I was just talking to myself."

The yellow-eyed teen stared at the glasses-wearing teen suspiciously before he shrugged his shoulders. Y/N smiled slightly as he looked over to Fuutarou, then facing forward once again.

Flashback

A young Y/N L/N, in middle school, was walking through the hallway. As usual, his face was in it's most depressing expression.

'At first, middle school was no better than grade school,' Y/N monologued. 'I think what changed...was that guy.'

Transition to his classroom, his pencil rolled off the side of his desk. He made a surprised sound, and looked around the room. No one seemed to bother to notice what happened.

It was like he was invisible. Like it was before.

Frowning to himself, Y/N stood got out of his chair and knelt down to pick up his pencil.

'Everyone was indifferent, as if it was only natural. I was used to it.'

"What? For real!?" One boy said.

Another one laughed. "See? Right here!"

'On group projects, the people on my team openly ignored me.'

The group Y/N was in were laughing to themselves, minding their own businesses. It was until they actually looked to him, the boys gaining different expressions. Some of them were mixed with disgust.

'Their eyes asking, "Oh, you're still here"? I was used to it.'

'This pain... I'll never get used to it,' A young Y/N thought as he pierced his ear.

It was the next day in his middle school, the school bell rung. Clattering noises filled the classroom as many of the students began to quickly get up and grab their things. Y/N, however, remained motionless, aimlessly staring down at his desk.

"Crap! That's the first bell! We switch classes next, right?"

"Hurry!"

"Hey, Yoshitsugu! Wait up!"

The students began to rush out of the classroom, ignoring Y/N once more. One of them even bumped into his shoulder, the black-haired boy letting out a grunt as his things dropped to the floor. Papers were scattered around, pencils rolling away from him. Y/N just stared at his things.

No one bothered to help him again. He was ignored, no one batting an eye.

One of the boys outside spoke again, "Oh, rats! I forgot my notebook! Go on ahead."

Another boy then laughed. "What're you doing man?"

The door to the classroom rattled open, coming in was a green-haired teen, some of his hair covering an eye. He looked puzzled as he sees Y/N just standing there, making no effort to pick up his class materials.

Heading to his desk, he begins to dig into the compartment as he began to look for his notebook. But his gaze was still set onto the black-haired boy.

"Aren't you going to class?" Yoshitsugu asked. Y/N still didn't move, the green-haired boy going for the door. "You have two minutes."

He then departed. The door made a loud shutting noise.

But still, Y/N remained standing. His eyes dull, all devoid of emotion. It's like he's said. He was used to it.

Unexpectedly, the classroom door's rattling noise occurred again. A hand soon picked up his notebook and it was shoved into Y/N's hands. The black-haired boy was surprised, seeing it was the same green-haired boy that went to retrieve his notebook in his desk.

"At least pick it up, wouldja!? Here."

"Oh..."

"Uh... Yamamura."

With a blank look, Y/N stared at the green-haired teen. He then sneered at him, turning to look away slightly. Y/N muttered something.

"Huh? What...?" The green-haired boy was confused.

Y/N continued to sneer. "Wrong. The name."

"...My bad! I knew that, Yamamoto!"

Y/N deadpanned. "Wrong again."

"I was kidding, Yamakawa."

"There's no 'Yama' in my name."

The green-haired boy went to speak before he paused. He was thinking.

He then spoke again. "Kawada!"

"What, just 'cos there's no 'Yama,' there must be a 'Kawa'!? That's too simplistic!"

"Seriously? Does it have a 'Hashi' in it?" Yoshitsugu asked, scratching his head.

"No, it doesn't!" A tick mark appeared on Y/N's head. 'Why isn't this guy ignoring me...?'

'Having a normal, loud conversation with a classmate felt weird since I hadn't done it in so long. From then on, Yoshitsugu started paying attention to me.'

In one instance, Lubbock Yoshitsugu picked up Y/N's juice box.

"Ah! Hey! That's mine!"

Lubbock shrugged it off. "Just a sip, 'kay? Man, I'm thirsty."

In another instance.

"So, did you catch the Osaka gig on TV yesterday!?" Lubbock excitedly asked.

Y/N nodded his head repeatedly, "Oh! Yeah, I did! It was awesome...!"

"Wasn't it!? The effects and stuff were so cool! I wanna go to a concert just once!"

On the sidelines, two boys were watching. It was some of Lubbock's friends, Tatsumi and Ieyasu. Ieyasu then posed the brown-haired boy next to him a question.

"Y'know lately--"

Tatsumi cut his friend off, knowing what he was going to say. "Yeah..."

Later on in the bathroom, Lubbock was humming to himself as he was washing his hands. Tatsumi soon entered in.

"Lubbo."

Lubbock smiled. "Hey, Tatsumi. You had to go too?"

"No, not really."

"Whaddaya mean, 'Not really'?" 'Why come to the bathroom then?'

"Seems like you and L/N are all buddy-buddy these days," Tatsumi said, crossing his arms.

Lubbock looked at him weirdly. He then shut off the sink faucet, drying his hands.

"Yep," he simply replied. 'Thanks for noticing.'

"That's not like you. I mean, L/N...?"

"Why not? He's fun to talk to."

"I'd steer clear of that guy. Seriously. He's so depressing. I mean, he's got a ton of piercings... I saw 'em. They say guys like that are psychos when they snap." Lubbock didn't say anything. "Listen, Lub--Ah!"

Tatsumi was cut off from what he was saying. Lubbock had flicked some water onto his face. The brown-haired boy looked up to see Lubbock standing there with a slight grin.

"Whose fault is it L/N's all dark and gloomy?" He asked. "He can have piercings if he wants 'em. Everyone's dangerous when they snap. It's not just L/N."

"But--!"

Lubbock sighed with a smile. "Tatsumi, you guys are just mad that L/N's just taking me away, right?"

The brown-haired teen was stunned by Lubbock's words. He couldn't believe that he actually made friends with the most depressing person in their grade, Y/N L/N. Tatsumi shook his head and quickly whipped his head around, Lubbock having previously prepared to leave the bathroom.

However, the green-haired teen was already at the door, pushing it open. Lubbock bid his friend with a small wave.

"Don't worry. I'll play with you again sometime!" He yelled.

---

"Lubbo, shut up!" Y/N yelled.

Lubbock sweat dropped. "That's mean! I just asked your height! Or, what, is that topic off limits?"

"It's not off limits... But..."

"Well?" Lubbock pressed on with his question, "Have you broken 5'3" yet?"

"Yeah!"

"Are you 5'3" on those?"

Y/N shyly looked away. "I'm near... 5'4"-ish... Or so."

"Ppppfffttt! Liar! You're 5'3" tops, if even that!" The green-haired boy had struggled to keep his laugh in, prompting Y/N to growl in annoyance.

'Lubbo's hanging around, like always. I'm still not used to it.'

Lubbock soon gained a curious gaze. "Got a high school picked out, L/N?"

"Yeah, but not yours," Y/N retorted with a straight face.

The green-haired boy flinched, feeling like he was stabbed. Figuratively, at least. 

Seeing the reaction, Y/N sighed. "...I'm joking. I'm thinking of going to Asahiyama." He then looked to his green-haired friend. "You're going to Asahiyama too... Right, Lubbo?"

The green-haired stayed silent.

A slightly solemn look was on his face, and it was enough for Y/N to confirm some suspicions. But he didn't want to believe it unless he heard it from his mouth. Taking in a deep breath, Lubbock opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm... Sobu."

Sure enough, Y/N was a bit right. Some of his suspicions were confirmed. But it still didn't change the fact that he was still shocked.

Shocked to see that one of his friends he met was going to different school. It would feel like that he'd have to start over again.

"I thought about Asahiyama..." Lubbock began. "But my folks said to take it up a level... And try for Sobu."

"...Oh."

He then flashed a quick grin towards Y/N, trying to lighten up his spirits. "But listen! It's not that far away!"

"...Yeah," Y/N said, nodding with a smile.

Lubbock then jabs Y/N's side. "And you'd better learn to watch that mouth."

"Shut up, idiot!"

Flashback End

Looking back on the brief memories, Y/N smiled. Fuutarou noticed this and rose a brow.

"What're you smiling about?" He asked.

"E-Eh? N-Nothing important, Uesugi-san! Now, let's go! We're going to be late!"

Fuutarou deadpanned. '...How can you be so gungho?'

--: Chapter 10| Midterm :--

A few days had passed and the day of the midterm had finally arrived. Y/N woke up at the usual time he'd always do, freshening up for the day and putting on his uniform.

Since it was the Autumn season, everyone was now beginning to wear the Winter variants of the school uniform as the weather was beginning to get colder. And as such, allergies would begin to rise for a few.

Anyway, Y/N put on his glasses, putting on his piercings on his ear and then letting his hair down to cover them. He barely wore his lip ring, so the pierced hole that was near his mouth was now healed and sealed closed. Once his things set, he grabbed his school bag and headed for the door and exited his apartment and began to head for the school.

There was one thing that was odd, however.

Where were Fuutarou and the quintuplets?

---

Upon arrival at the school, Y/N wished that he could stand by the gates and wait for Itsuki and the others, but the guidance counselor had instructed for him to head on inside.

Doing as he was instructed, he walked in. It was only seconds later that Yotsuba arrived at the school and gave him the gist of the situation. Apparently, Fuutarou had stayed over at the quints place to do some last minute studying. Oddly enough, he woke up late, along with the other siblings.

But because of Yotsuba's athleticism, she was able to get here first. The others would've arrived on time... Perhaps there were some unforeseen complications?

In any case, the two were about to head in. Until Yotsuba's phone ringed.

She then picked up.

On Fuutarou's End...

"Hey, Yotsuba? Are you already in the school? You're with Y/N? That's fine... Oh, nothing. Just stay there."

The other four sisters looked at Fuutarou quizically. He soon ended the call and a devilish grin made it to his face as he looked at them.

"Don't worry. I've got a plan. My ultimate disguise strategy."

---

Just outside the school stood the guidance counselor, arms crossed as he had a stern expression. It was obvious that he was on lookout duty, keeping watch of the area in any case late students tried to sneak past him.

He then perked up. Walking up to him was... Yotsuba?

"Good morning, sensei!" 'Yotsuba' cheerfully called out.

"You! You're late!"

'Yotsuba' looked confused. "Eh? Don't you recognize this ribbon from earlier?"

"This face... This ribbon. It's true that I saw you a few minutes ago."

"I was running some errands for my homeroom teacher. That's why I went out."

"I see. The bell already rang, you know. Get back to your seat before the exam starts."

"Hai!~"

'Yotsuba' skipped inside, waiting just by the lockers. She soon stopped and lifted up her hands up to her head. Grasping her hair, she easily pulled it off, revealing it was a wig.

And 'Yotsuba' was actually Miku.

Because, Fuutarou was able to confirm that Yotsuba had already made it into the school, he had already concocted up the perfect plan for them to get in without being caught so to speak. Since the siblings were identical, they were able to customize and make their hair look like Yotsuba's, or at least close to what it was, and then sneak past the guidance counselor.

And it seemed to work. Ichika, Nino, and Itsuki were able to easily slip past, the guidance counselor thinking nothing of it.

Unfortunately for Fuutarou, it didn't even work. The other four quints met up with Yotsuba and Y/N, now having a nice little show of Fuutarou being dragged to the principle's office.

Aside from that. It was now time.

---

Hours had passed since the exam started. Y/N noted that the test had been filled with nothing but hard questions. But still, there were some he was easily able to get.

Thanks to studying with Fuutarou, and with some of the one-on-one sessions with Itsuki, there were some he was easily able to get. Albeit, his weaker subjects being math and English, modern Japanese and the other subjects didn't seem to be too much of a problem. Having finished all the problems, Y/N then slumped forward in his seat. The exam had taken a lot of his energy, both mentally and physically. However, Fuutarou's voice then came to his mind.

It wouldn't hurt to double check his answers, so he did so. Ten minutes were now remaining on the test.

Each of the quintuplets were struggling in their own subjects. For Miku, history questions weren't the ones she was struggling with, those were mostly coming in easy for her. Yotsuba was pretty much plain dumb... Until she remembered Fuutarou telling her that the fourth option has a higher chance of being right in a question that had five answer choices. Nino went about as she could. She was doing a test for English, running the word "debate" through her mind. In the end, she never figured out it's meaning, so she pressed onwards. Ichika was doing math, finishing the tests and slumping over as she prepared herself to sleep. But like Y/N, Fuutarou's voice echoed through her mind as it reminded her to check her formulas, so it didn't hurt to go back through it.

For Itsuki, she was in sciences. She had her glasses on as she read the questions carefully, sweat pooling down her face. Aside from the test, she was stressing about something else as well.

'I refuse to let you resign,' she thought.

"I told him that he will resign if even one of you fails," her father's voice echoed in her hand, remembering a phone call she had with him.

'This is for Raiha-chan's sake! I better double check!'

"Er--I'm just not used to this kind of thing... It's kind of awkward. But thanks."

"Not really self-conscious, it'd be just kind of unnatural. Though I'm not worried about it at all at the moment. Since it's Nakano-san I'm walking next to."

"I'm sorry, Nakano-san. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Nakano-san. You're cute in your own way."

Those moments that had occurred began to visualize in her mind. Just thinking about it made Itsuki subconsciously smile. It wasn't just for Raiha she was doing it for.

She was also trying to pass the exam for someone else. Someone who believes in her.

'That's right. It's not just you, Raiha-chan. It's also you too, L/N-kun. I'll... I'll try my hardest!'

---

The next day soon arrives. The results of the midterms were soon handed back to them and Fuutarou calls the quints and Y/N to the library.

From there, they assembled, Y/N and the quints seated at a table as Fuutarou stood in front of them.

"Yo," he simply said. Sorry for making you all gather here."

Ichika flashed him a grin. "What's up? You're being so formal?"

"Almost like a stranger!" Yotsuba cheerfully responded.

"Midterm exam debriefing," Miku said in her usual monotone voice. But she soon smiled warmly. "Be sure to teach us, the parts we got wrong, okay?"

"Got it. But before that... Show me your answer sheets."

Ichika prepared to hand hers over first. "Okay, I--"

"I don't want to," Itsuki abruptly interrupts. "Test scores are not something to be shown to others.  It's personal information. I absolutely refuse."

The others stared at her surprised, seeing such defiance from her. Although, apart of them weren't surprised in a way. However, they noticed she quivered and shook as she spoke, seeing as she was quite nervous for what they'd think of her once Fuutarou would see her test score.

As she continued to shake in nervousness, a comforting hand was placed onto her shoulder. Itsuki turned her head around, seeing Y/N standing there with a warm smile.

"It's okay, Nakano-san," Y/N said. "I'm sure you tried your best. Right?"

"Y-Yes... I did." She shyly nodded.

"Then, there's no problem. I'm sure you did just fine, Nakano-san."

Itsuki soon smiled. "Yes. You're probably right, L/N-kun."

And so, with Y/N's reassurance, the quintuplets hand in their test scores to their tutor. He looked over them cautiously.

"Ta-da!" Yotsuba exclaimed. "The other four subjects were no good, but my guesses were so on point with Japanese that passed the 30 point mark."

Miku grumbled to herself as she clenched her skirt. "I got 68 points in Social Studies. But the others were barely below the passing line. It's so frustrating."

"I only passed maths," Ichika sighed. "I guess this is the extent of my current capabilities."

Nino looked the other way and crossed her arms. "I failed everything, but English. But for your information, I didn't hold back."

"I only managed to pass one subject, Science..." Itsuki said.

Fuutarou sweat dropped. "...I see."

He soon moved to the last one. Y/N's.

Surprisingly, Fuutarou was surprised. While he didn't necessarily pass, Y/N was very close, either just one or two points away from the passing grade in each subject. Needless to say, he did mostly better than the quints and showed the most growth out of all of them.

"Yikes. Even if was just a short period, to not be able to get thirty points after all that studying is a bit..."

Nino sends him an annoyed glare. "Quiet, you." She soon regained her previous composure. "Well, having passed a different subject is so like us."

"Ah, you're right." Yotsuba scratched her head.

"And if we compare this to the 100 points we got at the beginning..." Miku murmured.

Fuutarou nodded. "Yeah. You've definitely improved." He then looked to Miku, "Miku. Getting 68 points on a difficult test is incredible. Although, there is some bias here. You should have some more confidence and teach your sisters the parts you know from now on."

"Huh?" Miku was confused.

He then moved to Yotsuba. "Yotsuba. I can see you made some dumb mistakes. That's a lot of points down the drain. Try not to panic and be more careful."

"Roger!" She saluted.

"Ichika, you gave up halfway through a question too often. Keep trying until the end."

"'Kay.~"

"Nino," he said, turning to the girl, "in the end, you never listened to me. I'm sure I'll be busy with other part-time jobs and won't be able to show up as often. Don't slack off just because I'm not around."

"Hmph," Nino pouted.

He then looked to Y/N. "And Y/N?"

"Hai? ...Ow!"

Fuutarou had now put Y/N in a chokehold after bonking his head with his fist. "You idiot, you failed the midterm again! Did you even try your hardest!?"

"I did, Uesugi-san! I did!"

"Aarrrrggghhh!" After exerting a yell, he soon released his grip on him. Fuutarou's expression soon softened up to a smile. "Well, at least I can see you have grown. Better than last time, anyway. Keep going at your current pace and you might just pass."

"Uesugi-san..."

"Just remember to study. Okay?" He quickly reprimanded him.

Before he could even move on to Itsuki, he was interrupted. Miku had spoken up, the confusion she had previously before still plagued her face. She even rose an eyebrow, but her expression also held hints of sadness in it.

"Fuutarou? What do you mean other part-time jobs? And 'Won't be able to show up...?' Why are you saying things like that?"

He went to speak, but soon withheld his voice. He wasn't sure how to break the truth, the truth only being known to Nino and Itsuki, the pink-haired girl having found out from Fuutarou himself. Miku once again tried to speak.

"I..."

"Miku," Itsuki interrupts, "let's just listen for now."

He then sighed. "Itsuki. ...You really are a clumsy idiot!"

"Wha!?"

"You spent way too much time on a question and ended up running out of time!"

Itsuki sheepishly looked down. "I admit there are things I can reflect on..."

"If you understand, that's fine," he replies. "Be more careful next time."

"But you're--" Itsuki was soon interrupted by the sound of a ringtone. Rummaging into her pocket, she pulls out her phone, handing it to Fuutarou. "It's father."

Nervously, but not hesitant, Fuutarou took the phone and answered the call.

"It's Uesugi."

"Oh, so you're with Itsuki, huh," the quints father's voice chimed in. Fuutarou shivered at his cold tone. "I was going to ask them individually, but let's hear it straight from your mouth. For your information, I'll find out if you lie."

"I wasn't going to," Fuutarou says with a small sigh. "Just... For next time, please make sure you'll find a better tutor for them."

The other three quints and Y/N paused. It clicked in Y/N's head, now remembering why Fuutarou was stressed the pass two days.

With piecing the information together now, it was a test for him. Should any of the quints fail in any of the subjects, Fuutarou would be forced to resign as their tutor. The Nakano's father let out an audible hum through the phone's speaker.

"So that means?" He inquired.

"The exams' results were--"

Unexpectedly, Nino marched up to the tutor and snatched Itsuki's phone from him. In fact, it surprised everyone.

Fuutarou looked at her bewildered. "Huh?"

"Papa? It's Nino. Can I ask you something? Why did you impose a condition like that?" She barked into the phone.

"As your parent, I am responsible for the decision to leave my daughters to Uesugi-kun's hands. I just want to see if a high schooler like him is appropriate for this task, and if he's suitable for you all."

"So you're doing it for us, then?" She nodded, "Thank you, Papa... However, you can't tell if he's suitable or not from just numbers."

"That's the most objective evaluated standard," the father replied.

Nino nodded once again. "I see. Then I'll have you know that the five of us passed all five subjects."

Once again, Nino's actions surprised all of them, Fuutarou the most. They didn't expect Nino, the one who hated Fuutarou coming to their apartment in the first place, to lie straight to their father.

"...Is that true?"

"It's not a lie."

The father hummed again. "If that's what you say then there's no mistaking it. Continue applying yourselves together with Uesugi-kun."

The phone let out a "click" as Nino ended the call. She then handed the phone back to Itsuki as Fuutarou walked up to her with huge confusion. He still could wrap his head around on what happened with the current situation. Did Nino just save his hide?

"Nino... That was...?"

"I passed English, Ichika passed math, Yotsuba passed Japanese, Miku passed social studies, and Itsuki passed science. It's not a lie that the five of us passed all five subjects."

Y/N sweat dropped as he scratched his cheek. "Well... I suppose you can't argue with that logic and reasoning."

"That's really pushing it," Fuutarou said, resting a hand on his face.

"Essentially, we ended up tricking, Papa," Nino surmised. "And this probably won't work a second time." She then winked at him. "So make it a reality next time."

Looking up from his hand, he flashed Nino a grin. "You bet I will."

Yotsuba soon interjected herself. "Hold up, what were you guys talking about just now?~ When did I managed to pass all five subjecs!?"

"Miku, don't worry," Itsuki said, looking to her older sister. "It looks like he'll be with us for a little while longer."

Ichika soon pumped her fist into the air. "Then let's start reviewing the test right now!"

"Huh? But I don't want to?" Nino looked at her with defiance. And disgust.

"Don't think you can get away,~" Ichika said, latching her arms around her sister's waist.

"You're right," Fuutarou nodded. "It's extremely important to review a test after getting it back. But, it doesn't have to be immediately afterward."

Y/N's eyes lit up. "Then...!"

"Wasn't there something about... A reward...? I think parfait was mentioned."

Hearing such a suggestion, Itsuki began to giggle in amusement. Laugh, even. Fuutarou looked at her annoyed.

"Why are you laughing...!?"

"Hearing you say parfait," she giggled, "it doesn't fit your image in the slightest." She then gained a smug grin. "Then I'll have an extra large serving."

His face soon darkened and he began to sweat. "Does that even exist...?"

The quints and Y/N began to make for the exit. 

"Next time I'll get it for sure...!" Both Y/N and Yotsuba yell, both of them high-fiving.

"The diner in front of the station should be fine, right?" Itsuki asked Fuutarou.

"Right! Since it took the five of you to pass all five subjects, you're only getting on portion!"

"Yikes. So stingy," Ichika replied.

"I'll get a latte!"

Itsuki deadpanned at the L/N teen. "We're getting parfaits, L/N-kun. Also, lattes are digusting."

"How can you say that, Nakano-san!? Lattes are amazing!"

Chatter, arguments, and laughter filled the area as the seven of them made their way to the diner. But Itsuki couldn't but smile at Y/N's enthusiastic behavior.

'He's... Able to smile genuinely more, now. ...That's good.'

---

My sister has graciously allowed me to use her laptop to write my stuff. So, yeah, kinda back. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, felt good to write for this after a while.

But sorry if the chapter felt a bit rushed. Oh, well. Until the next chapter, folks!