So, I came up with a decision and I decided I would skip the Christmas section of the manga and continue on with the others arriving at the time of the final exams. So, during this time, Y/N was basically too busy to attend any events or stuff that the quints would be doing over on Christmas, as he is helping around his parent's shop and stuff.

So now, this chapter will be the final exam chapter with the next chapter being them moving on to third years. This is what I thought was the best course of action to do, so I hope you all understand. I had originally intended for this chapter to be a bit longer as I had planned to put in the Yotsuba's side chapter into this one, but figured it would interfere with the character building and relationship building between Yotsuba herself and Fuutarou, so I decided to omit it and instead just keep the Itsuki's Side chapter in this one. In any case, here is the chapter. I thank you for the long way and I hope you enjoy it.

---

The familiar glasses wearing teen, Y/N L/N, was humming to himself as he carried a small box in his hand as he made his way to the Nakano quintuplets new apartment. A lot of things had happened in the past few weeks, Fuutarou abruptly ending his tutoring career, though he didn't receive much details of it, but he ended up finding a new job at a rival cake store. 

He's been to that store tons of times and the cake clerk was fairly kind, only sometimes scowling at him because of his parent's store having a higher rating than his. But either way, he was making his way down the block, holding the cake in the box. One that he had prepared himself. He had ended his shift a bit early so he could head to their new apartment and gift it to them before heading back to continue work.

"I hope this will serve as an apology to them for not coming by a lot," the L/N teen murmured to himself, bringing his scarf up to cover his mouth. "And I guess it can be an apology to Nakano-san... Yotsuba-san did say she was a bit lonely during Christmas..."

As he continued walking along the block, eventually about to pass the mall, he looked at the entrance. Christmas had already passed and there were only a few days left before going back to school. But the thought of missing their Christmas at their house, he had totally forgotten to buy them presents. Just before he could make a decision, he sees a familiar girl with star pins, just now exiting the entrance, holding onto a paper bag. Presumably presents.

Y/N's eyes light up upon seeing her. He raises his hand and was about to open his mouth.

"Nakano--"

However, he couldn't finish his sentence. He paused right in his spot.

Soon, a man with very pale skin, almost as white as snow had walked up to her. He sported slick black hair, which almost shined because of the surrounding lights around them, and he seemed like a professional, even sporting a very fancy suit. Y/N looked puzzled, confused, and... Jealous, even? He wasn't sure why he was feeling irritated on the inside, but he slowly lowered his hand down as his mouth was slightly agape.

"...Nakano-san...?"

--: Chapter 19| The Final Exam - Itsuki's Side :--

"You may now begin your exam."

The teacher had spoken. A few more weeks had passed and it had finally arrived, the final exam. Now was the time for them to show the fruits of their results of studying. To see if they will finally pass.

In Y/N's, Itsuki's, and Fuutarou's classroom, the two boys had quickly begun. But as for Itsuki, she was hesitating a little bit. A bit of sweat pooled down her face as she tightly clutched her pencil, remembering her father's words. The agreement they had made.

'While there is the agreement with dad to worry about, in order to realize my dream, I must first get through this exam and advance, or else it would be out of the question,' she thought.

That's right. Something else had happened previously. Something that made her think real hard about what she wanted to do.

---

Days Prior...

"Today marks one week since the third semester began. It's the long awaited Sunday. We were just about to get into the swing of things, but... Why is it that Itsuki isn't here!?" Fuutarou questioned, looking at the rest of the quints.

(A/N): I made a mistake last chapter as I had said that the exams were in two days. So while present day in this chapter, the exams are happening. However, during the flashbacks essentially, it's like weeks or so before hand. So basically ignore the part of last chapter where it says the exams are like two days from now when it's really weeks or so from then. Just wanted to point that out.

He then began to try and mimic her voice. "'By all means, please teach us!' 'And please confirm!' was what she said, wasn't it!?"

Ichika merely laughs cheerfully. "Now, now."

"Calm down," Miku replies, her voice monotone and neutral as usual.

"But I really do wonder where she went," Yotsuba questioned.

Nino simply closed her eyes. "It has to be that for Itsuki. Today's 'that day'."

All of the girls' eyes shot open a little, now realizing what day it was. Fuutarou was puzzled, looking at them with a questioning gaze. What could it possible be that made Itsuki skip out on the study session today?

"'That day'..." Fuutarou repeated. "...Huh!? What the heck does that mean!? Out with it!"

"He's actually asking outright." Miku wasn't even surprised.

Ichika sweat dropped, "He's keen to uphold his insensitive reputation, I see."

"Um... How should I put this..." Yotsuba looked at Fuutarou with an unsure gaze. "This is extremely difficult for us to say out loud..."

"What is it?" Fuutarou asks, getting in her face. "It better be something more important than the exam. Otherwise, I'm not going to let her off the hook."

She began to sweat profusely. "Uuhh... That's... Well..."

Yotsuba was about to speak. Until Nino quickly interjected herself and spoke.

"It's the anniversary of our mother's death."

Fuutarou stayed silent for a while... Smiling?

"..."

Silence continued for a bit.

"...Alrighty. Everyone, take your seat. Let's get started... Wait, you're not fooling me! You guys have the same mothe--"

He then paused and gasped slightly. In his mind, he began to imagine a scenario where the father of the Nakano siblings actually had more than one mother, each one giving birth to each of them. So thinking they were illegitimate children between five mothers, the father of the five decided to label them as quintuplets, is what Fuutarou thought.

Oh, how wrong he was. He then covered his hand with his mouth, gaining a somewhat sorrowful look? Either way, he was thinking about it too hard.

"Sorry. Let's start..." He muttered.

"Aren't you reading too much into this?" Ichika sweat dropped again.

Yotsuba laughs awkwardly. "To be exact, it's not today."

"Mom passed away on August 14th," Miku quickly replied.

"I guess this is what you'd call a monthiversary?"

Nino sighed, "Yes. That girl is very conscientious. She visits mother's grave every month on the 14th day."

"It's close by," Miku said, "so you should go light an incense stick next time too, Fuutarou," she encouraged.

"Conscientious, huh..." He voiced. 'Itsuki, is that really your only reason?'

---

Elsewhere. the familiar girl with star pins sat down in front of granite tombstone labeled "Nakano Family Grave." Some flowers were placed on the grave, Itsuki clasping her hands as she prayed and whispered to herself.

"Will I ever be able to be like you, mom...?"

"Um..." Y/N shuffles next to her. "Nakano-san..."

"Yes, L/N-kun?"

"Why am I here again?"

That's right. On her way here, Itsuki had dropped by at the L/N family cake shop. Although his mother wasn't in at the moment, who was in the kitchen, Y/N was out there manning the cash register. He didn't really want to be dragged out of his job, as it was usual quite busy during winter break, but they did notice that today wasn't nearly as busy as usual. So, he decided to go with her, leaving a note for his mother on the counter.

So now, here he stood next to Itsuki, standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. She merely sighs before smiling, handing an incense stick to him.

"I just wanted you to meet my mom, L/N-kun. Here, you should light one too."

"O-Oh? S-Sure," he nervously replied.

He wasn't sure why he was nervous, his hands shaking a little as he took the incense stick out of her hand. Maybe it was because of the fact that he's being introduced to her mother, just not... In the way he expected. Whenever talking to Itsuki, he never pried into any of the sensitive things, usually the topic about her mother being one of those. So he respected the privacy of it. But he didn't know that the mother she loved and admired had actually passed quite some time ago.

But, he wanted to show his respect to the girl, as well as the dead. Lighting the incense stick, he placed it onto the grave, then crouching down as well as he clasped his hands together, praying. When Itsuki looked at him, she couldn't help but smile slightly. She was a bit skeptical about bringing him here, knowing that this was a special place to her and was unsure of how he'd react. But seeing him like this...

'Thank you, L/N-kun...' She voiced in her head.

As the two stood there in silence, they heard footsteps coming toward them. The person soon spoke up, causing them to look.

"Oh, someone's already here. How rare."

When they looked over, they saw that it was a woman with dark hair, wearing glasses. Dressed in a black suit, a white dress shirt under it, a bag at her side and holding a bouquet of flowers. But this person was unknown to the two.

"Um... Nice to meet you," Itsuki said.

Y/N merely nods and did a small wave.

The woman stood there, stuttering as if she was in déjà vu or something like that. She shook, staring at the girl with star pins as if a wave of nostalgia had washed over her, as well as the fact that a chilling feeling went down her spine. She then stuttered out her next few words.

"Sensei...?"

Y/N looked confused. "...Eh?"

---

The woman simply laughed. "My bad, my bad. Missy is, like, the spitting image of sensei so I got mixed up! If I had stopped to think, I would've realized sensei died long ago!"

Y/N sweat drops. "Ahaha..."

The three had moved to a nearby cake shop. Apparently, this woman was one of Itsuki's mother's former students. Itsuki was surprised to hear this, as evident by the extremely shocked and surprised looked she had on her face. She was completely stunned by this. The woman continued to howl in laugher, soon wiping her fingers under her glasses to rid of the small bit of tears that had accumulated from her tear ducts, soon calming down.

"Oops. I shouldn't be saying stuff like that in front of her daughter. Please excuse me. I've been pretty rude since way back. Sensei was always busting my chops about it." She smiled slightly. "It must've been fate or something that we met. As a way of repaying sensei's kindness, I'll treat you to as much cake as you want."

"As-As much as I want...?" Itsuki quizzically looks at her.

Y/N laughed in silence. He was hoping the woman knew what she was getting into, knowing how big Itsuki's appetite was. At this point, he thinks her stomach is a black hole, much to her annoyance and chagrin. 

"No need to hold back," the woman says, keeping her smile as she stared at the two, specifically Itsuki. "The cake here's good! Even though the owner is kinda creepy."

"Um... So Shimoda-san is mom's..."

The woman, Shimoda, nodded. "I used to be her student! I can't even remember the number of times your mom whacked me in the head!"

"A-About that!" Itsuki extended a hand out, halting her. "Could you please tell me what sort of person mom was like?"

"You don't remember? This was five years ago, so... You would've still been fairly big at the time, right?"

"Yes... That's true, but... I only knew the mom who took care of us at home. So I wish to know what mom was like working as a teacher."

Y/N listened attentively, keeping himself silent as he sat next to the Nakano girl. He wasn't going to lie to himself. In fact, he would be lying if he did say he wasn't interested in knowing what Itsuki's mother is like. From what he heard generally so far, she was a kind woman that took care of her daughters the best she could. So hearing the side of when she was a teacher, from a former student no less, would be interesting to him.

Shimoda rubbed the back of her head. "Hmm. Well, if you wanna know, I can tell you as much as you want." She then cleared her throat, remembering back then. "Anywho, I only spent one year with sensei when I was in the second year of senior high. Maybe it's because I was a bit of... A tomboy, but... In any case, she was a scaaary sensei. She was unsociable, and she certainly didn't try to humor her students. In fact, I never saw her smile at school even once."

The two simple sweat dropped. With what they were hearing, she almost sounded like Nino in a way, minus the unsociable part. But now that he thought about it... Was this where Itsuki earned her "scary" side? She certainly did exonerate that type of feeling when it came to particular stares when she directed them at him. The mere thought of it made Y/N shiver in his spot.

Itsuki sheepishly laughed as put a forkful of cake into her mouth, "The students would have certainly been scared of her then."

"Noooope..." Shimoda seemed to shiver a bit. "That would be incorrect."

"Eh?" The two looked confused.

"No matter how scary or stone faced she was, she was forgiven. She was loved and adored. That's because sensei was such... An incredibly beautiful woman."

Shimoda simply smiled as she remembered and closed her eyes. How herself and classmates would be mesmerized and in awe as they stared at the stone faced woman known as Rena Nakano. Her dark, chest length long hair, her bangs being swept to the right, and her dark piercing eyes that could stare into anyone's soul, looking absolutely stunning and shining, with a well-endowed figure to boot.

"I-Incredibly beautiful...!?" Itsuki bit down on her fork.

"Eeehhh... Really?" Y/N was a bit intrigued.

Shimoda laughed. "Not only was she a recently graduated young female teacher, she was also a beauty. Because of that, not just the students in the grade she was in charge of, but the entire male student body as well, were head-over-heels."

"H-Head-over-heels, you say..." Itsuki stuttered.

Shimoda snickered. "Well, I guess I don't need to tell you that. Missy looks so much like sensei that I bet you're hot-stuff too, right?"

"I-I'm not really...!" Itsuki quickly denied it, shaking her head and waving her hands.

"Really?" Shimoda rose an eyebrow as she laughed. "I could've sworn the guy next to you was your boyfriend."

This time, both Y/N and Itsuki blushed. Immediately, the two stood up and began to deny it.

"E-Eh!? Us!? Dating!?"

Itsuki began to mumble and mutter. "M-Me with a person like L/N-kun!?"

"Y-Yeah! I-I'm too gloomy and boring of a guy for Nakano-san to be with someone like me!" Y/N shook his head profusely.

"W-We're just friends!"

"Y-Yeah... Just... Friends..."

Itsuki wasn't sure why she worded it like that. She had already established to herself that she is very infatuated with the L/N teen, like, head-over-heels for him. But she did well to not show it to him, as did Y/N. It had already been established by himself and his friend, Lubbock, that he is indeed in love with the Nakano girl. So why couldn't they just outright say it to each other? Well, for one, they didn't necessarily want to ruin the current relationship between the two of them. But at the same time... Itsuki wasn't saving it.

Saving it for when she passes the final exam. And when she did, she'd tell him that she loved him.

Shimoda simply stared at the two before she laughed, calming down as she began to continue her story, "Anyway, she even had her own fan club. She was so beautiful that even a girl like me was charmed by her. Those iron punches she threw without expression had us bad apples shaking in fear. She was nothing less than a demonic teacher. But within those punches, we were able to sense her conviction or something. At some point, we were charmed by something beyond just her appearance." She sighed, "In the end, I only had memories of being scolded during that one ear. But if not for that one year... I probably wouldn't have admired being a teacher and become a lecturer at a cram school," she finished, a fond smile on her face as she seemed to reminisce about it.

Itsuki had paused, holding her fork that held a small piece of the cake she was eating. She soon nodded to herself, going to her bag next to her and began taking out a sheet of paper.

"After hearing your story, I have come to a decision!"

Both Y/N and Shimoda looked at her confused. It wasn't until Y/N realized what she was talking about. A few days ago, the teachers had handed out these sheets for them to fill out, asking them for what career they wished to do in the future.

"This career questionnaire was distributed to us at school. If this means being able to follow in mom's footsteps like you have then... This is the only path for me."

The Nakano girl went to write it down in the first choice slot. Her pen would've touched the paper if it weren't for Shimoda bringing her fork forward, a small clink being let out as the two pieces connected. Itsuki looked confused.

"Eh?"

"Hold on a second." Itsuki looks up at her. "It's perfectly fine to look up to your mother. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be like the person you look up to either. That was the case for me. But you only want to be like your mom, no?"

Itsuki gulped down her spit. Shimoda merely grinned, lifting the fork away from where it was touching the pen and gave Itsuki a smile.

"If you want to be like her, there are other ways."

"But... I think Nakano-san can do it."

The two paused and looked to Y/N, who had said it. Itsuki's eyes panned up slowly, looking toward his as he looked serious about it. Y/N's hands were in his lap, staring at Shimoda with pure seriousness as he continued to explain.

"I... I think Nakano-san has what it takes she can do it. Sure, she may not be the smartest person I know, but I do know that she's the one that works hardest the most. And I believe..." He smiles slightly, "Once she puts her mind to something, I think she'll be able to do it."

"L/N-kun..."

"Oohh? And why is that?"

Y/N simply smiles again, looking at his reflecting in his cup of tea. "I don't know. I just... It's just what I think... How I feel... What I believe..."

She couldn't help but blush at his words, Itsuki unconsciously smiling at it as she lifted her hand, resting it onto her chest. Once again, her heart was beating faster, her heart fluttering at the thought of him. Shimoda made a side glance, noticing her expression as she kept a chuckle to herself. She soon sighed, looking off to the side a little as she rested her head onto her hand.

"Well, having said that, no one has the right to comment on someone else's dream," Shimoda said, referring to what she had said earlier. "Educating others can be fulfilling. It's a good career. A fine goal. If you want to be 'A teacher,' that is."

Itsuki falters a bit. "I'm..."

"Oops.~ I'm lecturing others even at a time like this. The bad habits of being an educator is surfacing." Shimoda then pulls out her phone while also receiving the receipt. "Let's exchange contact info." 'She ate a crap ton...' She thought, shocked at how much the bill was. She soon smiled again, "If you want to hear more stories about your mom, then let's get together again."

---

Afterward, Y/N had to go back to his family's cake shop to go back and work. Apparently, his mother had texted him that the amount of customers at the shop had suddenly skyrocketed, so he was called back to work in. Much to her displeasure, Itsuki bid him goodbye as Y/N trudged back on in the direction of his family's shop. 

When Itsuki arrived back at her and her siblings apartment, Fuutarou was still there. She was still surprised that he was still there, both of them now sitting in the living room, with Itsuki sitting by the kotatsu while Fuutarou stood in front of her. What he had said next shocked him.

"From now on, everyone's a tutor," he proclaimed with a wide grin.

Itsuki looked at him confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You'll teach your sisters the subject you're good at! Continue improving each other even when I'm not around, and raise everyone's academic abilities subject by subject!"

"But..."

"You've been helping Y/N, haven't you? When you have your own study sessions in your room? Then there's nothing to worry about."

The next month had arrived soon after, just like that in a flash and Itsuki was once again visiting her mother's grave. Y/N wasn't with her this time, the Nakano girl on her knees as she knelt forward, her hands clasped together as she prayed. 

A familiar voice soon spoke up, "So you really do come every month."

She opened her eyes and turned her head around slightly. It wasn't Y/N, of course, his being a lot more cheerful, especially whenever he's around her. It was Fuutarou.

"I thought I'd have trouble finding it since all the gravestones look the same. Good thing there's a notable landmark here."

"How come..."

Fuutarou said nothing. Grabbing his own incense stick, he lit and placed it next to the one Itsuki had lit up when she arrived here. The two now stood side by side.

"Regarding the 'Everyone being a tutor' proposal. It's moving in the right direction," Itsuki said. "Teaching rather than being taught really gives you the sense that the contents can be chewed through and digested. We should have done this sooner."

"Wait..." Fuutarou narrows his eyes at her, looking annoyed. "Are you saying that someone like me is unnecessary?"

"Fufu.~" She gives him a smug grin. "I'm simply biting onto what you taught us. I am grateful."

He simply stares at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. Itsuki still kept her smug expression, almost like she was trying to tease him.

"How does it feel to receive words of gratitude from someone you taught?"

"What are you getting at? That sounds patronizing."

Itsuki smiled slightly. "For me..."

"Wah! It's so easy to understand!" Yotsuba exclaimed, being taught by her younger sister as she smiled. "Thanks, Itsuki!"

"I want to treasure the feelings from that time," she finished.

---

Present Day

As Itsuki continued to work on her test, she remembered what Y/N had said to her. Back when he was just about to leave for the shop.

"L/N-kun?"

"Hmm? What is it, Nakano-san?"

"Did you really mean that? Do you... Do you really think that I can do it?"

It took him a minute to put his words together before he smiled. "Yeah. I really do, Nakano-san. I really do believe that you'll be able to."

Just thinking about those words only motivated her to pursue that goal, to go after that dream of hers. As she kept thinking about it, she began to easily get through her remaining questions, writing down the answers as if they were easy ones. Once she finished, she put her pencil down and took a deep breath, looking at her answer sheet.

Slowly, she grasped it with both of her hands and began to stand up, her chair making a squeaking noise as it moved out.

'Mom, I'm...' She thought. '...Aspiring to become a teacher.'

Presenting her test paper to the teacher, she took it and began to grade it. She was nervous, nervous of what her score was going to be.

But much to her surprise, her happiness now overwhelming her as her eyes widened, tears coming to her eyes. She read those big four letters in red from the stamp.

'Nakano, Itsuki. Pass.'

Itsuki Nakano had passed the final exam.