The Quintessential Quintuplets, Eternal Hearts

Chapter Twenty-Two, The Second Sister

-Rokuro-

              The next day, Futaro had come back to the hotel, and was sitting around with Rokuro and Nino talking about Itsuki.

"She is really annoying, I can see why you left." Futaro said to Nino.

"Itsuki-tan isn't that bad, you two are just cynics." Rokuro reasoned.

"You're pretty cynical yourself Touko, you don't trust people." Futaro retorted.

"For good reason! You just flat out don't like Itsuki-tan!" Rokuro spat, crossing his arms.

"Hey, old married couple, I was gonna order room service, do you want anything?" Nino asked.

"I'll take a drink." Rokuro answered.

"Same here." Futaro agreed.

"Alright, I'll just order whatever then." Nino said, she brought the hotel phone up to her ear when she stopped.

"Wait, why are you acting like you belong here, Uesugi!!?!" Nino exclaimed, Futaro leaned his head over the back of the chair to look at Nino.

"Not gonna order anything?" Futaro asked.

"What happened to how depressed you were yesterday!?" Nino spat.

"Someone is being too annoying at home for me to worry about being depressed. For now, we need to focus on the current problem at hand." Futaro said sternly.

"Oh right...exams." Nino said quietly.

"Huh? Oh yea yea, exams...to be completely transparent? What happened yesterday was unbelievable...I don't know why Rena decided to show up now of all times, but it did teach me one thing, the past is the past, and you can't change it, you just have to forget and move on. So just make up with Itsuki and go home already." Futaro said. Nino stared at him quietly.

"Forget the past? I can't do that.." Nino muttered, walking over to the table and picking up a quill.

"Nino-tya?" Rokuro said curiously.

"This is my room, so I'm going to talk to myself for a bit." Nino said sternly, Rokuro nodded slowly and stared at her intently, waiting for her to speak.

"Back when we were truly quintuplets..back when we thought and acted the same..it was almost like we knew each other's thoughts...it felt really nice..until 5 years ago. Everyone started changing, I had no idea that Ichika was an actress..It felt like they were leaving the quintuplets nest, and me along with it. I'm all alone in the past..I don't even have the heart to change my hair length, but that's why I have to force myself to grow up and leave the next, before I'm left behind forever." Nino said, looking up at the ceiling, Rokuro stared at her for a long time, he knew the feeling of being stuck in the past.

"And you're okay with leaving the 'nest', like this?" Futaro asked.

"I'll have to be, but if there is one thing I regret, it's the camping trip and Kintaro-kun. I thought I could forget about him in time, but he won't let me forget him." Nino muttered, for some reason, Rokuro grew anxious when she mentioned Kintaro, he knew it was just Futaro with a wig on, but there was something about it that made him feel off.

"Nino...what if I said...you could see him?" Futaro mumbled.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Nino asked.

"W-well...it turns out that he lives close by, I could call him and tell him to come over..." Futaro said, sweat beading down his forehead, Rokuro stared at him in disbelief, wondering what he could possibly be doing.

"Really?! I gotta make something for him...uhm..ooo I know! You go with Uesugi, when Kintaro-kun gets here, I want it to just be me and him!" Nino said excitedly.