The Quintessential Quintuplets: Marching Forward

Chapter Twenty: Commitment

~Futaro~

Soon after Yotsuba had found Ichika and Futaro, the article conflating Ichika and Futaro's friendship into a relationship quickly began to circulate among the crowd. Then, a swarm of flashing cameras and eager reporters descended upon them. "Those photos aren't of me! They're of my sister!" she tried to shout over the snaps of photos and questions, peppering the three of them. In desperation, she called for her driver to whisk Yotsuba and Futaro away from the chaos. They stumbled into the car, panting and flustered as the driver peeled out of the venue, leaving behind a shell-shocked Ichika to deal with the persistent paparazzi on her own.

The darkness of the car's interior seemed to swallow Yotsuba and Futaro whole as they sat in silence in the back seat. The only light came from Futaro's phone, which kept lighting up like a beacon, drawing their attention to it on the leather seat between them.

"Who are all these people?" Futaro finally asked himself, breaking the tense silence that had settled between them since they'd gotten into the car. He picked up the phone and frowned at the barrage of Instagram notifications that filled the screen.

His stomach lurched as he read one vicious message after another in his private inbox. The words twisted and coiled like venomous snakes. Some called him a piece of shit for even deigning to look at Ichika's direction. Others simply cruelly mocked his appearance.

"It's because of that article. You probably shouldn't look at those right now. They'll just make you feel bad, " Yotsuba said, sounding more annoyed than curious. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, and her gaze was fixed on the passing city lights outside the window.

Futaro felt compelled to explain himself. "Yotsuba, I didn't know anything about what happened tonight. I swear. It surprised me just as much as it did you."

"You swear?" she asked, turning her head to stare him down, her blue eyes searching for any hint of deceit.

"Yes, I swear," he replied earnestly, meeting her gaze. "Today was supposed to be a good night."

Yotsuba held his gaze for a moment longer before looking away, doubt clouding her eyes. Futaro's heart sank; he feared that their relationship might be irreparably damaged after tonight. He watched as she began to fidget, twirling the ends of her vibrant hair anxiously. He knew Yotsuba was not one to let negative emotions linger—that was more Itsuki's or Nino's thing. But she wasn't smiling right now, and that went against everything he had come to know about her.

"Look," he began, trying to find the right words to convey his sincerity. "I know things have been complicated lately, but I want you to know that I'm committed to you, Yotsuba. And only you."

She glanced at him, her uncertainty palpable in her expression. She seemed to be struggling, deciding actually to be angry somehow. Her lips parted in question, but no sound came out. The silence stretched between them, becoming a physical force that seemed to push them further apart instead of pulling them together.

Futaro's hands clenched into fists, frustration bubbling up inside him. He wanted to fix this, but he didn't know how. And the constant buzzing of his phone was only making matters worse.

"You should probably turn it off," Yotsuba said suddenly as if to be reading his mind.

"What?" he asked, startled by her sudden demand.

"Your phone," she frowned. "Turn it off. Please. It's making me anxious."

"Alright," Futaro agreed, quickly switching off his phone and placing it back on the seat between them. The silence returned, heavier than before, and he could almost feel the weight of Yotsuba's disappointment pressing down on him.