Chapter Text
September 8th: Morning
Unremarkable. That is the life that I am living at this very moment. A life where I simply do as I am told, report on what I have done and how it's affected those around me. In the past five years of my life there has been a very little deviation, and not too many surprises. Execpt for that one time, of course. A life where most things are expected. A life I believe I enjoy. While yes, I do receive some push back from certain people, it isn't anything that I let affect me to badly. Take what I am doing right now for example. I'm standing in a fancy high rise building, overlooking Ashiyama and standing in front of my stern looking boss. Perhaps boss would be the wrong term. Client? It didn't matter really, the man I spoke to was the one who hired me and the one I reported to. Over and over again, all of the reports were being so similar they almost blend together in my mind. Nothing changes, weither we move or stay in the same place. Always the same report of "In conclusion, nothing much has happened in the past week. I can now say for certain that the move has gone off without a hitch. After a month of living in the Pentagon, the sisters all seem to have acclimated to the new living situation." Some more than others. "The only issue I can think of is..."
As I flipped through my notes, the man grew impatient. "What is it? Spit it out, Ogata." The man sitting in front of me looked just as serious as he looked professional. In all my time working for Marou Nakano, I have yet to see him in anything other than a suit. Perhaps a white doctor's coat hanging over it would be the only difference. Something else that never changes. His way of dress never helped the impression on him given his sunken eyes and scowl that seemed stuck to his face. Not that I could judge him. Even with my steps to make sure I always got the sleep I needed, I still can't get rid of these bags under my eyes.
"It's nothing serious Sir. It's simply an update from our friends over in Kamarcho. There was a recent incident there involving the Arakawa. While it does not seem to be something we should worry about at the moment, it is important for us, and by extension you, to keep tabs on the Yakuza Family." I stated in a matter of fact tone. With the Dragon of Dojima retired and the rest of the Dojima family in hiding, who knows what those fools would do. I can only hope another war isn't brewing between crime families.
For a moment, a flicker of worry passed by the man's eyes before it was quickly thrown by the wayside. "I see. Thank you, but if I remember correctly I am paying you and your organization so that I don't have to worry about that. That worry includes protecting me and my daughters, no?"
I could only answer with a bow. Not an unexpected response, he did always seem to hate reminders of why exactly he was paying me. "Ah, yes. Something had almost slipped my mind. The young man you asked us to look into. Fuutarou Uesugi. He is as clean as a whistle, sir. The only stains on his record would be a small timeframe in elementary school where he was a bit of a delinquent. Nothing that could cause actual harm. He seems to be the perfect one for the job, sir." I looked down at the file in my hands. Fuutarou Uesugi. A 17 year old young man, the same age as me, who's family seems to be down on their luck at the moment. A single father could only support a young son and even younger daughter so much on his own. Nevertheless he's been the top of his class for five years straight. All the way from middle school to second year of highschool. Making him the perfect mark for Nakano's tutor.
That fact didn't seem to calm Sir Marou down however. He seemed more worried about this young man than for an actual Yakuza family coming for his head. He has strange priorities. "I see... make sure that he doesn't try anything with my daughters. But he better be a good tutor as well. Your job depends on it." With that I took one last bow to my Boss, told him to have a good day and left his office. As I did, I passed by a coworker of mine.
"Take care, Maki." I said to our boss's bodyguard. My fellow member of Library and someone who I've grown up with. The twin tailed girl lazily turned her head away from her phone and to me. A sense of dread evident in her eyes. Sorry for giving you such a short break.
"Yeah. Same to you Kuro." She shoved her phone back into pants pocket. As she did, a gun came into view that was being held in her waistband. With our words done, she went back into Marou's office and I went into the elevator for the ground floor. As I waited the gun came back into my mind. It's strange, isn't it? Someone my age carrying a gun for her job? And the fact that it's just normal to her and I?
The two of us are a part of a sort of underground organization. Library. An Anti-Yakuza group that isn't afraid to use similar tactics to the Yakuza to fight them. Of course there is a reason why she and I are a part of the group despite our ages, but that isn't exactly something I'd like to think about at the moment. Nor would I have the time to as the elevator opened up and I had to leave the building to go on and do my actual job. Sitting in the street and waiting for me was a limousine. Holding identical quintuplet sisters who I act as the bodyguard of. More like it's holding four. What is Miku doing? Leaning against the limo was Miku Nakano, wearing an oversized blue sweater and listening to her headphones. It wasn't till I got close to the limo that she noticed me and took them off. Music still blaring from them. "Good Morning, Lady Miku. I apologize for my report taking longer than usual but is there something that you need?"
The young woman shook her head, causing her pink hair to move around and land on her face for a moment before she hurriedly pushed it behind her ear. Some redness appearing on her cheeks for a moment, something I could only think to be from the lingering heat of summer. "No, I just wanted to wait for you... I mean everyone was just gossiping about celebrity drama inside anyway. And um..." A small nervous smile appeared on her face. "I keep telling you, Miku's fine."
"I apologize but it's hard for me to do so." I say my practiced line and let out a small sigh. A strange nervousness creeping up my stomach for some reason. "Anyway, thank you for waiting for me but we should get going. We're already quite late." She seemed disappointed for a moment but nodded nonetheless. I opened the door of the limo and waited for her to get it. Once she did and said a small "thank you." I entered the passenger seat and nodded to the butler of the Nakano family, Ebata. It was only as the butler began to drive that I realized I'd unconsciously acted as a butler myself once again. Something that my brother has been teasing me for a long time. Ugh, I really need to stop doing that.
Same Day: Afternoon
Asahiyama Highschool is the largest and most prestigious non-private highschool in all of Asahiyama. Yet this is the first day of both myself and the Nakano sisters as we have transferred here in the middle of the year. Prior to Asahi HS, the Nakano sisters had been going to Black Rose Girls School. After a combination of a few incidents, and the fact that I had to weirdly hang around the school as a "teacher's assistant", it was decided to come here and for me to start my highschool career. alongside the sisters as we transfered. "Annoying..." I said under my breath.
This job is strange, sure, but it's a job that I'm good at. And a job that didn't exactly need me to be a genius. Let alone do any school work. So this is relatively new to me, given I haven't done any school work for two years. Counting Shiro's shitty tutoring as school work seems like an insult to teachers around the world. Yet here I sat, doing a quiz on the first day of school and it was for my worst subject. "Hey, idiot. Are you even paying attention to me?" A familiar voice brought me out of my intense concentration. Turning to my left, I was met with Lady Nino, her long pink hair being held by butterfly pattern ribbons. "Are you even awake? Or are you having such a hard time with a little quiz?" She whispered with almost visible snark.
"I apologize, Lady Nino. How may I help you?" She was the only sister in my assigned class it seemed. The other sisters all ended up in other classes, mostly due to the fact that we had transferred in so late. While she was the sister who seemed to despise me the most, it wasn't anything that I could really change and so was something I'd come to accept a long time ago. Ah well. It's my job to protect her, not to make her like me.
"What's the answer to number ten?" Didn't you just make fun of me for concentrating? Nevertheless, I went on the look at what I had placed and failed to suppress a cringe. That was one of the easiest questions. It's basic algebra, no more than a free point. "Hey, I can tell you're judging me asshole." Glancing at her, I noticed she seemed a bit embarrassed but glared at me all the same.
Adjusting my posture and emotions, I answered. "It's not my job to judge you, Lady Nino. The answer is Q=5." I'd known the Nakano sisters weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but I didn't think it was this bad. Perhaps them going through four tutors in less than a month should have shown that to me by now. I suppose I'm just as much of a fool. Thinking of the tutors, I'd glanced at the door. Uesugi was not in my class, from what I'd remember he'd be in the same class that Itsuki Nakano had been assigned to.
"Hmph, took you long enough." Taking my answer, the young woman went back to her assignment. As she did, I snuck my phone out of my pants and tapped at the screen. No updates from Subaru. Guess nothing important popped up for Uesugi's online footprint. I let out a sigh, thankful that my report from this morning wouldn't be inaccurate.
After the quiz, class was over and the next period was lunch. So, of course the students of this school would be curious about the beautiful five sisters who transferred today. It was no surprise to me when Nino was surrounded by young men and women alike. Subaru has always called the Nakano's beauties. Not to mention I'm sure the allure of a sudden trasnfer is an intersting subject to students. What did surprise me was when I stood up I had been surrounded myself. A much smaller group, just two or three young women. "So Kuro, how do you know the Nakano sisters?" A nervous looking young woman said first. "Wow... um I mean do you have any hobbies?" That's a strange. Changing subejects so quickly. I'd noticed that she was staring at my body more than me for some reason but I simply shrugged.
"Well I-"
"Nope. Kuro's the most boring person in the whole world. Pushing through her own group and mine, Nino placed a hand on the girl who spoke to me first. She gave her a gentle smile before glaring at me. "Isn't that right?"
"...yes. I apologize but I'm quite hungry." Giving the students a bow, I left the classroom. I suppose I should thank Nino. I'm not supposed to attract attention to myself nor make acquaintances. It'd only get in the way of my job. A strange pang of some sort of emotion rang through me but I ignored it as I walked around the school. Having to fill out my mental map of the area.
As I walked around and ignored the stares of the students I couldn't help but think on why I was doing this. On why I was hired in the first place. It all comes back to the fact that Marou Nakano had been a fool and made an enemy of the Arakawa Yakuza family, and by extension the larger Yakuza network of the Omi alliance. After a car bomb had almost killed him, he reached out to our organization. While it is Library's goal to rid Japan of Yakuza and organized crime as a whole, an aspect of that is assisting people who end up in the crosshairs of those crime families. It is a good way for the org to pay for our operations while also fulfilling our goals. But he never would have ended up in this situation if he didn't... nevermind. It's not my place to judge. Sighing to myself, I turned a corner before being assaulted by a bright smile. "Kuro! There you are!" The brightest of the Nakano sisters yelled from the other side of the hallway as she noticed me and began running towards me. Her short hair was not getting in the way but the rabbit-like green ribbon on her head flapped in the wind. "Sooooo, how ya likin school?"
I shrugged my arms before getting back into a more professional stance. "It's as I expected. Are you enjoying the school so far, Lady-"
"EHHHH!" She interrupted me with a loud buzzer noise and made an X with her arms. Not at all caring about the attention she was bringing to the two of us in the middle of the hallway. "Don't go all formal on me! We're supposed to be classmates now, right?! Come on Kuro! Call me Yotsuba. Yo-tsu-ba!"
I held in a sigh. Not because I was annoyed but because it was hard to say no to her. Yotsuba is by far the most energetic and persistent sister. Always hating the idea of me not treating her like a friend. But we're not. She's my contractor and I'm her guard. Nevertheless, I knew it would be a useless battle to disagree at this moment. Mostly because it would only lead to an "argument" in the loosest sense of the word but it would leave a bad first impression with the students watching us. "Sorry, L- Yotsuba." A large smile popped up on her face. She's way too bright.
"Shishishi! Perfecto! Now come on! Let's have lunch!" Not even waiting for me to answer, the girl grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards the lunchroom. "You're treat right?"
"...I suppose so." I guess I'll have to finish my mental map later. Ah well, I needed to map out the lunchroom either way.
Same Day: Evening
On paper, my job description says that I am to escort and protect the Nakano sisters 24/7. So of course that requires me to live with them. Something that I have been doing for the past five years. However, these years of living with these girls has also led me to the unfortunate position of having to literally take care of them. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and much more. No wonder my brother makes fun of me for being their butler. "I'm starving..." Sitting at the dinner table was one of the reasons why I had to take up so much work in this household.
Itsuki Nakano is a kind girl. Hardworking and the first sister who opened up to me. She does however have a single achilles heel that none of the other sisters have. She's... quite the glutton is the nicest way I can say it. Leading me to this position. Standing in the Nakano kitchen, wearing a pink apron and cooking Yakisoba. "Just a few more minutes Lady Itsuki." As I moved around the Yakisoba, I noticed out of the corner of my eye the cowlick on her head somehow twitching. She seemed to react to the smell of the food and sat straight up. She took a few more sniffs and the strand of hair bounced up and down as if it was happy. I still have no idea how she does that.
"H-Hurry up." I could see the drool begin to pool in her mouth so I did as instructed. Plating five servings along with some steak before garnishing with some green onions. As soon as I placed the plate in front of her, she took her chop sticks, grabbed some noodles and slurped them down. A happy squeal escaped her as she placed a hand on her cheek. "Kuro~ please never stop cooking! You're an even better cook than Nino!" Not going to lie, that brought a small smile to my face. Both the fact that she liked my food more as well as the complete difference between how she was acting now and how she's usually so serious.
"Better than who?!" Nino said with disgust as she came from her room. She was the first as Miku, Yotsuba and Ichika came out on their own. Yotsuba rushed to her chair and began gobbling up just like Ichika while the three other sisters sat down with elegance. "...okay it's good but I can definitely do it better." Nino said after she took her first bite.
"Come on Nino. Just admit it when you're beat." Ichika said with a teasing tone, her short hair bobbing as she giggled. The first and oldest, by a few seconds but it still counts apparently, sister had a satisfied smile as she ate as well. That is until she noticed something. "Hey, Kuku, why aren't you eating? Sit down!"
I bowed to her before answering. "I ate while I cooked but thank you for worrying about me. I should leave you all to your meals. Once again, I hope you all enjoy it and if you need anything, please do not hesitate to come and get me."
"But... you could at least keep us company." Miku's soft voice rang out. "Um, like we can talk about our first day and everything!"
"I apologize but I do have some work left to do. I'm sorry."
With one final bow, I turned to retire to my room before being stopped by a "Alright, goodnight Kuro! Sleep tight!" Yotsuba shouted from the table. "Thanks for the food!"
"Yup, night night Kuku!"
"Thank you for the food Kuro. Umm... there are seconds left right?" I nodded at Itsuki's question.
"Um, goodnight Kuro." Miku's farewell was the last one as Nino just seemed to continue eating.
As much as I simply wanted to walk away, a pit in my stomach appeared just by the thought. "Yes. Goodnight." With that I left and once I reached my room, I let out a sigh. For a moment I allowed myself to relax before a stressful thought appeared. That's right, Uesugi starts with us tomorrow. Ugh, I hope Nino doesn't try to kill him like the last guy.
September 9th: Evening
Somehow it seems like it took only one day for my reputation at Asahiyama high to go from "the interesting new guy" to "That guy who sits next to Nino, the beauty of Class 3". It seems like every question that was being asked about me yesterday turned into a question about Nino today. I suppose it makes sense. I don't exactly have many hobbies other than reading and cooking. So the students must have decided that Nino was the more interesting person to get to know. But, I had more imprtant things to think of at this moment. After all, today begins the first day of Fuutarou Uesugi's tutorage. And it seems he's already fucked it up.
It seems like somehow, someway, uesugi had already made contact with the sisters in awkward ways. It all started when he seemed to argue with Itsuki, and had run into the sisters one by one, intending to reconcile with her but confusing the sisters for Itsuki and not their own people. Something that I can't exactly blame him for. Aside from the girls' haircuts, they look absolutely identical. Pink hair, big blue eyes and seemingly identical proportions. The reason why this seemed to have become an issue however is because at this very moment Miku and Nino stood behind me. Glaring at the young man who appeared in front of Pentagon, the building that housed the huge apartment we lived in. "That's him, Kuro. The pervert that was following us home." Nino pointed at the man. "Kill him."
"I-I'm not following you! I came here for a job!" He yelled at Nino before turning his attention to me. Hm, he looks a bit different in person. I've seen plenty of photos of Uesugi, but seeing the real person is different. He was a fairly tall man, short black hair with two hairs refusing to stay down on the top of his head. He wore the least expensive version of the school's uniform, a simple white button up and black pants. Though he isn't exactly the most inviting looking man. A scowl on his face. I couldn't help but compare myself to him.
Of course I would say I'm not exactly the best looking person in the world. My gross red eyes and seemingly permanent eye bags don't help. The only intriguing part of me would be my long hair in a pony tail that I've dyed white for a stupid and rebellious reason. Though I'm not going to stop. I placed my hands into my sweater pockets and looked back at the young man. "Fuutarou Uesugi, correct?" He cautiously nodded. "My name is Kuro Ogata, personal bodyguard of the Nakano household and I am here to take you up for your tutoring session. Pleased to meet you." Giving the man a bow, I could hear a gasp from him and an annoyed sucking of teeth from my side. Nino of course.
"Stop bowing to this stalker. Kill him! Punch him in the face or something!" A reaction I'd expected but a bit stressful nonetheless.
Sighing once more, I answered before Uesugi could yell again. Rubbing the back of my neck to calm my stress as I did so. "I apologize Lady Nino but there seems to be some sort of mistake here. Based on what Subaru told me, Uesugi's movements do not match that of someone intentionally following you.
"H-Huh?! How do you know that?" He took a step back in understandable fear. Be careful with your phone. They are surpsingly easy to use to gainst you.
"It's my job to take care of these sisters. They are my clients but it's a principle at this point as well. I'll protect them with my life, so forgive me if I invade your privacy to ensure their safety." I expected Uesugi to be uncomfortable at that but he seemed to nod along as if what I said made sense. What I didn't expect was to hear unexpected movements from behind me. As if someone flinched. Looking behind me for a moment, I noticed that both Miku and Nino were looking away from me for some reason. Hm? Turning back to the man I stood up straight. "Either way, I have deemed you to be trustworthy enough, Please follow me." With his nod, I decided to motion to the two sisters behind me. "I think now would be a good time to introduce you to two of the sisters who you will be tutoring. Lady Nino and Lady Miku." I pointed to the two sisters who were still facing away from some reason. "Two of the Nakano Quintuplets."
"Q-Quintuplets?! Wait so there really are five of them?!" Okay, I get not realizing which specific Nakano you're talking to but not knowing they were related? Is this man really as smart as he says he is?
"Yeah! Got a problem with it?" Nino turned back to us, glaring at Uesugi with an annoyance I had not seen in years. Before she turned to me with a much less harsh glare. "Let's get this over with. Come on."
And so... after going up to the apartment and introducing Uesugi to all five of the sisters, they immediately retreated to their rooms and left him and I alone in the large living room. "U-Um they're just going to get changed and get comfortable, right? They're coming back down, right Ogata?!"
"Unfortunately, I expected this." I say as I walk to the kitchen and get the young man a glass of water. I handed it to him and scratched the back of my head in thought. "Well, the Nakano sisters are quite averse to studying. Well there is also the fact that Lady Nino is the type to hold a grudge. In fact she can hold one for a long long time." I should know.
"Lady this, Lady that! Every day it's Lady, Lady Lady! You'd think I was slinging around a giant rocket launcher! Uesugi, don't you think Kuro should stop being so formal with us?" Yotsuba ran through the apartment, notebook in hand and stopped in front of the two of us. "Jeez, you'd think that after five years he'd stop being such a prude. Or... you could get me cool rocket launcher!"
The tutor could only stare at the young woman as she prattled on refernces I'm sure he didn't get. Ones I was going to ignore as well. "Lady Yotsuba, at this moment the very purpose of my life is to protect you all. Forgive me if I believe that I should stay formal because of this."
My answer only got me a pout. An adorable one but a pout nonetheless. "I hate how stubborn you are. Dummy..." She whispered before turning her frown upside down and turning to Uesugi. "Anyway! I'm here to study! Let's get along, Uesugi-tutor-kun!"
"Can I hug you?" He finally said after a few moments. His depression seemingly evaporated as he smiled strangely at Yotsuba.
"I'd have to kill you, so you probably shouldn't." Uesugi flinched as if I really meant it.
"My apologies, please spare my life!" I let out an amused huff from my nose and waved him off. Relaxing, the Tutor turned over to Yotsuba before his face seemed to pale a bit. "Wait... aren't you the one who said they got a zero?" Holy- nope. no judging. Yotsuba's answer? She stuck out her tongue, hit the top of her head and went "Tee Hee!" Uesugi turned to me, seemingly questioning whether this job was worth it. "Um... so... is this alright, Ogata? I don't think the person who hired me would be happy if only one sister's grades improved."
With an internal sigh, I nodded. "Yeah, Sir Marou wouldn't exactly be happy with that. Knowing my boss he'd likely take you to court for breach of contract." His face paled again. "Relax, I'll just go get them. It's best if you aren't the one who tries to get them. Nino can be quite harsh with words."
"You're right, I'd probably cry." He deadpanned. With a small smile, I made my way up to the second floor of the apartment. He's by far the most down to earth Tutor they'd had. Hell he actually got a chuckle out of me a few times. Maybe we'd get along or even be fri-
Shaking my head of the thought, I made my way to the first room in the row, which belonged to Itsuki. Once I knocked I could hear a few things moving around. "Lady Itsuki, if it's alright with you, could you come down to have a study session with Uesugi?"
The door opened just a crack, at first only her eye and a bit of her hair could be seen before she noticed that I was alone. Slowly she opened a bit more, showing her full face. "Sorry Kuro, but I don't think I'll be able to get along with him, let alone learn from him. He's rude, probably a pervert and a jerk!" You already said that. "Not to mention he's our age, how are we supposed to learn from someone like that?! Shouldn't we get a tutor a bit older? Wiser?"
"You girls have run through half a dozen and Nino almost killed the last one." She could only purse her lips, a mixture of feeling bad and almost laughing. "I apologize, but could you set aside your differences just for a bit?"
She stared at me for a while before shrugging her shoulders. "I... I'll think about it." She turned her attention to her feet. "Sorry Kuro."
"It's fine Lady Itsuki, that is all I can ask for." Nodding her head she closed the door leaving me at her door. Closing my eyes to calm myself I wondered for a moment whether or not I should tell them about that before throwing away the suggestion. It's my issue not theirs. Not like they would care. Nonetheless I went on to the next room. Passing over Yotsuba's room I went over next to Miku's room. Knocking the door, I announced myself. "Lady Miku, would it be alright if you can come down and study with Uesugi and Yotsuba?"
This time Miku fully opened her door, her face expressionless except for a slight glare that slowly turned back to a neutral expression. "Kuro... sorry but I won't go. It'd be a waste of time learning from someone our age. Plus I'm sure he's a perv." Okay, what did this man do to make everyone think he's a pervert? Does he just have that kind of face? Well sort of... "Unless of course I had an incentive." She looked at me expectantly. Is she expecting something from me?
"Um... I suppose I can make whatever dinner you want if you decide to come down?" Her expecting face turned back to expressionless. I suppose that was the wrong answer. "I apologize but I'm just trying to motivate you as best I can. Besides, while I don't know the depths of his perverseness I don't think it would hurt to try? Given the last few tutors were quite older, don't you think it would be a change of pace?" her expressionless face turned into a pout.Cute.
"I guess I can think about it..."
I allowed a small smile to creep up on my face. "Thank you Lady Miku. I look forward to seeing you downstairs." Somehow my response earned me a smile from the third oldest sister before she closed the door. With that, I moved onto Nino's room. "Lady Nino, would it be alright if I spoke to you for a moment?" Curiously I didn't hear anything. No movement, and she definitely didn't open the door. Either she's not in there or she's ignoring me. Both of which are possible. After another knock did not stir a response, I moved on the final door not including my own. "Lady Ichika, can you come to the door?"
"Uhmmmm." A recognizable grogging was all I heard. Leading me to a single conclusion. She's taking a nap isn't she? Ugh, please be wearing clothes.
"Excuse me..." I said before opening the door. Or attempting to. I had run into resistance and could only groan, knowing what it was and foreseeing a busy future. Ugh, tomorrow is not going to be fun. Then again, what day is? Putting more force into my push I opened the door and was met with hell. Clothes, trash and who knows what else littered not just the floors but her desk and drawers. There was even underwear hanging off of her ceiling fan. How. "Lady Ichika, how in the world have you created such a mess so fast? I cleaned your room yesterday." Walking in, I began picking up clothes on the floor and moving them into sorted piles in the corner of the room.
After what sounds like a rough awakening, Ichika finally began to move under her blanket. "Sorry for the mess Kuroooo~" As she rose up, I instinctively placed a hand where I expected her upper body to me in my perspective. Sure enough, just from seeing her head and neck I could tell she was not wearing a thing. "Oop. Sorry~ but think of this as a tip for your hard work." She said with some pep in her voice and a knowing smirk.
Sighing to myself, I looked back to the floor and found some clothes. Grabbing a shirt, pants and some underwear I threw them towards the girl. I couldn't help but feel self-conscious about touching such delicate clothing, even after so long of being here."Please get dressed so that we can go down stairs and begin our study session."
It seems the young woman noticed my nervousness about my hands because I could basically hear her smirk. "Hehe, pervert~ but sure, I'll be down in just a bit."
As soon as I excited her room, I let out a sigh. She can really be a handful. Looking up, I noticed that Miku was standing outside her door, wearing more comfortable clothes but seemingly a bit conflicted. "Is something wrong Lady-"
"My gym sweater is gone." Huh? She turned to me with a glare and a bit of worry. "That pervert had to have taken it."
Before I could defend the tutor, a voice rang out in the apartment. "Guys, cookies are ready! I made a bit too much so you can have some too, shitty guard!" Looking over the railing of the second floor, we saw Nino standing in the kitchen. Wearing a gym sweater that had a name easy to see on the breast of it. Miku. The two of us turned to each other and She's pouting.
Same Day: Night
After a while, all five of the Nakano sisters were indeed sitting in the living room. However, no studying was being done. While Uesugi tried his best to get the girls attention he was getting nowhere. Miku and Nino were chatting to each other, Ichika and Itsuki were snacking on cookies and Yotsuba was just absentmindedly drawing in her notebook. "Um...Ogata, what should I do exactly?"
While the girls and Uesugi sat around the coffee table, I sat on the couch overseeing them while filling out reports of my own. Finishing up the sentence I was writing, I spoke to the depressed Tutor. "I'd say that today is a victory. Getting everyone down here is a feat in itself." Took the last Tutor a week. He quit the next day but still.
"Y-Your kidding?" I could only shake my head. "What will I do? I need this job more than anything..." Whipping some sweat off his forehead, he went to take a sip from a glass of water in front of him. One that I did not get him and one that had a little too much carbonation to be comfortable with.
"Don't drink that if you want to live." He immediately placed it back down and an annoyed "tsk" rang out from a certain ribbon wearing girl. "That was a bit of an exaggeration but still. Lady Nino, putting sleeping pills in water? I didn't think you'd try the same trick twice in a row." Standing up, I grabbed the glass from the table and went over to empty the glass in the sink.
"God, you can be annoying as hell sometimes. You know that?" Standing up, she pointed her finger at me with a glare. "We don't need another dumbass tutor. Just because-"
"Nino~, stop before you say something you'll regret." The eldest sister said as she popped another cookie in her mouth. Sure enough, everyone in the room noticed the obvious tension and was watching Nino cautiously.
Closing her eyes and shaking her head, the young woman moved her finger from me to the tutor. "Get this asshat out of here already! You work for us right? So do what I say, guard!"
It was my turn to close my eyes. Wondering what exactly I had done wrong? Isn't it obvious? Everything. Perhaps pushing this onto the sisters was going too far, too soon. Even so, I wanted them to study. Not for me, but because it would be the best for them. Opening my eyes, I decided to try one more time to try and motivate them to better themselves. And the only way to do that would be with the truth. I'm not sure it would motivate them but... what else can I do?
"Lady Nino, please allow me to correct you. I don't work for you. I work for your father and your father wants me to do my best to assist you all in improving your lives. Getting a better education falls under that umbrella. But, I understand. You all are tired, having just moved and having to deal with everything that was Black Rose, I emp- I understand." Taking a deep breath, I try to make sure I know the exact words I will say next. "I will escort Uesugi home for the day, however I hope that you will try his study session once more. After all, there is the unfortunate threat of me losing my job with you all should you fail midterms."
"Wait... what?" Unexpectedly, the girls all paled at my words. None looking more shocked the Nino.
Before any other words could be said, Uesugi appeared next to me, backpack ready to go. "I will be back later. Let's go, Uesugi." The two of us left the surprisingly quiet apartment. Once we exited and got into the elevator he turned to me. "What is it?"
"Is that true? That you'll be fired if they fail?"
"...yeah." My shoulders fell and relaxed a bit.
""But why?" I could only shrug. "...hm. Sorry, Ogata. Um... I'll try my best to get them to accept me next time."
"Don't worry about it, Uesugi. I'll be fine either way."
He stared at me for a while before shaking his head. "No, I'll do my best. You seem like a good guy. I can't let something like that happen to you if I can help it. Plus I kinda really fucking need this job." I glanced at the tutor, his uninviting look seeming a bit nicer than I thought. Bringing back the thought I had earlier. Maybe we can be friends.
"...thanks Uesugi."