Ichika's getting the beginning of this chapter. Reason being? I just felt like it. So Ichika fans rise up, One day I'll write an entire story for you guys. (Halfway through I got bored and wanted to get back to Nino tho lmao)

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"This sucks..." you sighed to yourself as you stared at the ceiling of your now empty house.

After Nino and Itsuki had patched things up between them she decided to move back in with the rest of her sisters. It would be for the best, plus if she didn't go back they wouldn't have anyone competent to cook for them.

Today was the day that those two were going to that movie. So that left you alone as Fuutaro was currently cramming studies with Yotsuba and Miku while Ichika had something work related. The feeling of restlessness was becoming too much and you even felt cranky for a change.

Not wanting to go insane from sitting inside all day, you forced yourself to go outside and take a walk. Something that did spring to mind was heading to some nearby Batting Cages to practice for the team. Really you should be studying and the only reason why you weren't studying with everyone else is because you woke up late which was rare for you.

Sure you could just drive over there but even in this crunch time, laziness overtook you completely. Instead you drove over to the nearby batting cages, hoping to swing away some of the knots in your brain.

The place seemed busier than usual. A lot of cars were parked up so it took you a moment to find a space.

Upon entering the building, there were a whole bunch of cameras and important looking people everywhere. They all turned around at the sound of you entering.

"Sorry kid. The place is booked out for today, we're shooting a commercial for a new product"

"What? Just give me a corner lane and I'll be out of your way" you huffed.

"I just told you, we've booked the whole place. Don't make me tell you that a third time"

You looked straight at this guy who was talking to you. By a glance he appeared to be the director. The lady behind the counter simply shook her head when you looked her way.

"UGH, boss. It's not good. That asshole quit" a crew member suddenly said as he appeared behind you.

"HE QUIT!?" the director shouted.

Karma for denying Y/N baseball time.

Not wanting to waste anymore time here, you turned around a headed for the door.

"Wait! Y/N!? Is that you?" a voice shouted from in the crowd.

A girl stood behind you with her hair in pigtails but it was a face you would recognise anywhere.

"Ichika?"

She was wearing what could only be described as a slightly degrading baseball player outfit, her hair was in pigtails instead of her usual style. You tried not to stare too much but the outfit exposed her stomach completely and her top was tight enough to highlight her cleavage. The shorts she was wearing also looked uncomfortably form hugging.

"What the hell are you doing?" you deadpanned

"Ahaha... come here for a second" she grabbed your hand and took you into a back room. The studio crew looked at the two of you in confusion.

"Is that her boyfriend..?" you heard someone say as she closed the door behind the both of you.

"W-What are you doing here?" she quivered

"I really should be the one asking you that, and what the hell are you wearing?"

Her face flushed red as she looked down at her own attire.

"Wait..." you backed away from her and overdramatically gasped. "Ichika Nakano, are you doing p-"

"NO!" she slammed her hand past your head and against the wall. "No... it's not that"

"So why are you dressed up like that in front of a bunch of weird guys with cameras"

"It's just for a shoot okay!" she said, face as red as can be.

She still stood right in front of you but was actually maintaining eye contact.

"I heard one of them talk about someone that was missing? Did someone important just flake on you?"

"Mmhmm. My co-star. I was meant to be the eye appeal of the commercial and he'd be the one doing well to bat"

"Damn, that sucks"

Ichika's eyes widened and she smiled at you.

"No chance" you scoffed as you turned you face away from her.

"Oh come on~" she swooned. Pressing herself up against you.

"Ichika, this has never worked on me and will continue to never work on me" you say as you lightly push her back by her shoulder.

"You're no fun sometimes"

"A clown doesn't wear makeup 24/7 after all"

"Okay. What can I do for you to help me"

"Studying would be nice. Considering there's an exam in 2 days."

Ichika pouted.

Someone from the outside knocked on the door. "Ichika. We're calling someone else to replace your co-star come on out, let's get to shooting"

Ichika broke away from you and opened the door.

"Not to worry Director, I've found us a replacement" she pointed over her shoulder towards you.

"This kid?" he asked her clearly unhappy.

"His name is Y/N" she contested, putting her hands on her hips.

Judging by the guys submissive nature to Ichika's argument, it was safe to assume they were the one's chasing her down for this role and not the other way around.

"Sure.... But he's not an actor. I have other's I can contact just give me a few minutes to call them"

"But I'd feel more comfortable if I was doing it with Y/N"

"Wait hold on" you interjected. "You're not making her do some weird shit right?" you glared at the director.

"Y/N, calm down. You don't need to be so protective" Ichika pleaded as she grabbed onto your arm.

"Are you her boyfriend?" the director asked.

"No, and it shouldn't matter to you anyway"

The director got a notification on his phone.

"Shit..." he facepalmed.

"What is it?" Ichika asked him.

"Our back-up guy can't make it... our booking is gonna be over by the time we get another actor down here"

Ichika cleared her throat and linked her arm with you.

Seemingly having no other choice looked at you. "Will you be willing to work on this shoot with us kid?"

"How much am I getting paid?"

Ichika whispered the amount into your ear.

"Deal" you said immediately as you shook the directors hand.

He walked ahead of the both of you as you made your way to the batting cages.

"I didn't know you got paid that much" you whispered to your new co-star.

Ichika winked. "It's good money if you throw away a piece of your dignity every once in a while"

"Yeah well just don't throw too much away"

"I won't, I won't" she giggled.

Basically, the scene was going to be you swinging the bat at the air and then landing some home run shots on the score board. While Ichika was going to advertise some sort of hand cream meant for roughness. At the end she was supposed to intimately rub it into your hands and then the commercial would end with a shot of the both of you.

It took all you had to hold back your comments about how dumb this seemed, but part of you was happy that she at least got to do this with you and not some random douche c-list actor.

Ichika seemed happy though so it was in your best interest to just get this over with.

"Ichika. You know I'll always support what you do. But I don't understand how you even do this"

"I just like being in the spotlight is all"

"A boyfriend would help with that. Maeda's still available I think"

"I'll pass" she chuckled.

"What about our good old study buddy"

She went oddly quiet.

"Ichika?"

"Alright. It's time to begin you two" the director called.

They had you change clothes into a regular baseball uniform, it felt like you were at practice.

First, all you had to do was swing the bat strongly at the air. Not hard at all. You gave a couple of powerful swings and they liked it so you did it all in one take.

It took one take for them to shoot Ichika's part of the commercial where she held up the product and advertised it in a overly-cutesy voice.

Luckily you cringed where no one could see. It was obvious now that you were seeing it live that Ichika had a real spark when it came to acting. The way she can play someone else so effortlessly is honestly kind of scary as much as it is cool.

Hope she doesn't use that for some treacherous shit someday...

"Ichika, Y/N. Now is the time for your joint scene"

"Let's get this over with" you sighed.

You positioned yourself in batting position, like you were about to swing.

Ichika then approached you. "Excuse me mister!" she called out.

"I can see you hands are very damaged from all of this batting, here: try this new hand cream" she said as she gently grabbed both of your hands.

It was pretty awkward having Ichika slowly rub this cream through your hands, it was times like this were you wondered how the hell you even got here in life. This was like that one time you had to sit around while Nino got her nails done, agonising and downright weird.

"There" Ichika seductively hummed as she locked eyes with you.

"Woah. Holy cow! My hands feel smooth as a baby!" you over-enthusiastically said.

Ichika then linked your arms and waved at the camera.

"CUT!" the director shouted. In turn, you let out a sigh of relief, it only just occurred to you that what you just did was going to go onto TV. Who knows, maybe it would help your baseball career somehow.

"We're done? Good. I'm going" you grunted as you immediately began to walk away.

"Wait. Y/N! at least wait for me!" you hear Ichika call out among the crowd.

"You've got 5 minutes" you called out to her as you took a seat on a bench outside the building.

Even if you were getting paid, this felt like some filler arc shit. On top of it all, now your hands were all smooth and creamy. You were hoping that your dad wouldn't see this commercial otherwise you'd never hear the end of it, he would make fun of you until the day you died.

You may as well have just studied with Fuutaro, Miku and Yotsuba

"Thanks for waiting!" Ichika waved as she left the building. She was texting on her phone as she walked up to you.

"Surprised you wrapped up that quick. Usually it takes you half a day to do anything" you joked.

Ichika pouted at your response.

"So, I'm going to meet Nino. Their movie should be done by now. You want a ride to the mall?" you offer her.

"That would be great! Thank you" she beamed. You could really see the Yotsuba in her face.

"Well you know how it works, chuck on this helmet and jump on the back"

"Are you angry?" Ichika said as she took the spare helmet from you.

"Not particularly, but I can't say I'm the happiest camper at the Psychic Summer Camp"

"Psychic?"

"Nevermind... Anyway I'm not angry so there's nothing to worry about"

You fumbled with you helmet before placing it onto your head. You let out a sigh which fogged up the visor, you pushed it up and gave it a wipe.

Ichika still stood, helmet in hand looking at you.

"What?"

"You know, your big sister can tell when somethings wrong with you"

"And how exactly did you decipher that?

"A woman's intuition" she smiled.

"Just get on the bike you idiot"

"Happily"

You helped her put on the helmet and assisted her in getting onto the bike.

"Are you just on edge about the exams?"

"Could you tell?" you said sarcastically as you started the engine.

"Miku and Yotsuba should be studying with Fuutaro right now right?"

"Yep. And here we are, in a parking lot of some batting cages"

"Aww come on Y/N, don't be like that" she pouted.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be an asshole. I guess I genuinely just feel stressed for once and today didn't exactly help"

Ichika loudly tapped at her phone, and sent off a text. She received a reply straight away.

"Change of plans" she said.

"Huh?"

"We're going back to the apartment, Itsuki and Nino are going to meet us there. Our driver is going to pick them up"

"Your driver huh? Does he have a name? because you guys always just refer to him as your driver"

"Of course he has a name. It's Ebata."

"Ebata!?" you spat out.

"Why are you so shocked?" she questioned

You cleared your throat, "N-Nevermind. It's no concern to you"

"Awww don't be like that. Is he your stepdad or something?"

"One: No. and Two, don't even joke about him" you snapped.

Ichika held up her hands, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to assume"

"Whatever. You're getting the hardest assignments once we get back"

"Whaaaaaat! Really?" she cried.

"Yeah really. Let's just go" you quickly say as you start the engine all start driving.

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"Yo!" you called out as Ichika unlocked the front door.

"Oh, you guys are finally here" Fuutaro said. He was gathered around the table with all of the other sisters and it looked like they were actually all studying for once.

Nino immediately stood up and walked over to you to greet you. She hugged you and lead you over to the study area where the rest of the group was.

"So what have you guys been doing today?" Yotsuba asked both you and Ichika. "It's not often we see you two together"

You groaned and curled up into a ball. Ichika couldn't help but laugh.

"Wait what happened?" Nino said slapping your arm.

Ichika couldn't stop laughing, she was enjoying this way too much for her own good. You didn't play favourites with the girls outside of Nino but if Ichika was hanging off a cliff you might hesitate before pulling her up.

"Hey!" Nino said as she dragged your arms away from blocking your face, she looked at you with sad puppy dog eyes. "Tell me"

"I'm a TV Star..."

"What?" Nino deadpanned.

"Y/N shot a commercial with me" Ichika finally explained.

"Can't wait to watch it" Miku sniggered.

"You shut up" you recoiled at her to which she laughed at. "It's a long, cruel story which I'd rather not get into but for once I'm getting paid for my work"

"You always said you didn't want to be paid by father" Itsuki retorted.

"I guess so. But anyway, what have you guys been studying so far?"

"We've done a little of everything, besides Math" Miku answered.

"Gotcha. Seems like you two aren't the problem children when it comes to studying then" you said as you gave a loot to Ichika, Nino and Itsuki who all looked away from you.

"We were just about to go on a break" Fuutaro mentioned "We've been going for a solid hour"

"Fine by me, a few minutes and then we're kicking the shit out of all these questions tonight"

"I'll make some snacks" Nino waved off as she headed to the kitchen.

"Let me help" Miku offered as she followed her.

"Help? You're going to burn the entire apartment down if you touch anything!"

"Then I'll let my big sister handle it and I'll sit back and learn" she smirked.

"So you're not helping at all..." Nino grumbled.

"I'm gonna go upstairs and change" Ichika said as she left the group.

"That reminds me. Fuutaro, I need to talk to you outside" you said as you pulled him off to the balcony and leaving Itsuki and Yotsuba to do their own thing.

Shutting the balcony door behind you. Fuutaro immediately spoke.

"Every time we come out here, you lay some important stuff on me, and I'm guessing that's the case now"

"I guess so. But you're the only one I can talk to this about at this very moment"

"Alright, go for it"

"So, Ichika mentioned to me about the quintuplets personal driver earlier"

"Okay..?" he said confused.

"His name is Ebata"

"I already knew that" he deadpanned.

"YOU KNEW THAT AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!?" you violently shook him by the shoulders.

"What!? What's the big deal. He's just some old geezer who drives the girls around sometimes" he pushed you away.

"That's not the issue. The issue is WHY is he their driver"

"Y/N. A lot of the time you talk in cryptic ways I don't understand and this happens to be one of those times"

You took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm more so just thinking aloud and I thought it be better if you heard"

"I understand that. But we have to focus on these tests now, but why is this even bugging you so much? I haven't seen you this spooked before"

"It's just... I know him. Or well knew him when I was younger"

"Woah. Really?"

"I saw him ages ago. Sometime within the first month or so we started tutoring. He was waiting outside the apartment if I remember right, he looked somewhat familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it"

"Okay. But if you know him, what's the big deal?"

"Its how he knows the girls. A particular guy who comes and picks up a group of teenagers every day for school and other things seems more specific than a regular taxi service don't you think?"

"I guess so..." Fuutaro said as he scratched his head. "Oh. It looks like the girls are all gathering again, we should head back inside"

"Y/N?" Fuutaro called out to you as you were lost in thought.

"Yeah, yeah..." It was honestly hard to process this weird coincidence of events, but it felt like something huge was missing. But what?

Suddenly the door to the balcony swung open. It was Nino.

"Hey are you guys ready to start yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, come on Y/N" he said as he began to walk inside.

Your girlfriend seemed to notice the spaced out look on your face. "Babe? Is something wrong?" Nino said as she walked up to you and locked her fingers between yours.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You know you can ask me anything" she said sweetly.

"You guys are rich right? I've been admittedly curious and I've never asked. What job does your Father have?"

"Papa?. Well... he's a doctor, and the director of a hospital"

Holy shit... No way. It can't be... right?

"Oh, I guess that makes sense then.... Sorry for asking I was just curious."

"It's fine" she smiled "But if I find out your dating me for money. You'll definitely regret it"

"Money is the last thing I'm dating you for babe. I'm actually dating you for your ass"

"WHAT!?"

"Kidding" you smiled. "Although it is nice. Yoga seems to be paying off"

"Y-You think so?" she suddenly blushed as she rotated her hips to look at her behind.

"Anyway. We have studying to crunch down on, and no half-assing it now"

"R-Right" she stuttered as you kept held of her hand and led her inside.

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Nino POV

Y/N was acting strangely the entire study session. He looked normal but there was just something subtle that rubbed you the wrong way about how he was acting. Maybe it was just a woman's intuition but a good girlfriend should be able to tell when he boyfriend isn't at his best.

Studying was draining though. Currently and hour and half had gone by and you were all making decent enough progress. Topics were being rotated, with the sister who scored the highest on the previous exam joining Y/N and Uesugi in teaching the rest. This exam was actually seeming doable now, especially with the praise Uesugi and Y/N were giving you all. Considering they were in 2 days time, it was going to take a lot of work on everyone's part.

"No, you have to take this. and then divide it by this one... and them BAM! There's your answer. Did that make any sense?" Y/N asked Yotsuba who was even slowly starting to get her bearings.

"I think so..."

"Well. Try this next one on your own and then come back to me if you need anymore help. It's what I'm here for"

Yotsuba beamed a smile at him "Okay. Thanks Y/N!"

"No problem Yots" he said as he patted her head. Not a hint of bad emotions ran through you, it was clear as day they shared a big brother/little sister relationship and it warmed your heart to see him get along so well with her.

"Hey" he called out to you, in such a warm way that it made you melt when you locked eyes with him. "You doing okay? Anything you need help with?"

"I think I've got this... surprisingly" you laughed.

"That's good to hear, I was hoping you didn't need me to baby you" he teased.

"Shut up idiot" you couldn't help but blush, always the flirt...

"Okay. How about we take another break" Fuutaro proposed.

"Yeah, another break sounds good" Ichika stretched as she let out a huge sigh.

"How are those questions Ichika?" Y/N smugly asked her.

"Hard. no thanks to you"

"That's the price you pay Ichi"

"Ichi?" you said at the sudden nickname.

"Mmm yeah, doesn't really hit the same as Yots does it...?" he questioned aloud to himself. "I'll think of something, Miku dosen't have a nickname either so no worries" he smiled.

"I don't want a nickname..." Miku groaned.

"Oh don't be like that Mikuza"

"Terrible"

"Sorry..." he apologized, which made the whole room erupt into laughter.

"Wait, I don't have a nickname" Fuutaro mentioned.

Y/N looked bewildered, like the thought had never occurred to him before.

"Holy shit you're right" he said.

"So you have nicknames for me, Nino and Yotsuba but not for your best friend?" Itsuki said.

"I mean most of the time I just refer to him as bro or man. It gets the job done" Y/N shrugged.

Everyone started to do their own thing for a little while, you snuggled up with your boyfriend on the sofa.

"Babe, after exams... I was thinking of getting a part-time job" Y/N suddenly said.

"A part-time job? doing what?"

"I dunno. Just something to bring some money in"

"I've said I can just ask papa to start paying you as well"

Y/N clearly hesitated when he heard you mention papa but it was only for a split second. "On the off chance that he takes from Fuutaro's pay to give me mine. I won't do it"

"But babe..."

"I know, it might mean less time together sometimes but it's only part time so it's not every single day"

You snuggled into him tighter, he put her arm around you.

"It'll be fine, what we should be worrying about are these exams. Once these are over, it's smooth sailing until the end of terms exams in March"

"I guess you're right"

Suddenly a burst of motivation just hit you like a truck.

You jumped off of his lap. "Well come on. Let's destroy this exam"

"That's my girl." he grinned

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Hey Everyone!

As of a few days ago. It's officially been a year since I began writing this story!

I honestly didn't think I'd still be doing this. I'm known for abandoning things halfway through a lot of the time but over the past year the amount of comments that I read telling me that they enjoy what I write is motivating. This is nothing more than a hobby to me and I like that I finally have something to do besides playing games and reading manga.

It's funny, In the beginning I wrote the first 8 chapters on so in the space of 3 days which is something I could never do now. But to be fair, chapters nowadays are somewhere between 3.5k-5k words each whereas the old ones were 1k-3k usually.

Honestly it's been worth it. I intend to see this story till the end. I have no clue how long it'll take but judging by the fact that we're not even at the Christmas portion of the story yet, I still imagine It'll be going on for a LOT longer. I enjoy seeing regulars and new people reading the story every time I upload, it feels nice to know it's still reaching people and after a whole year people still wanna see where this story goes.

But yeah, that's all from me this time. Bit of a weird and all over the place chapter but I've had a busy august so not much time to write and I'm preparing to start Job Hunting soon because I've been a literal NEET since I started writing this lmao.

Thanks for reading guys, I appreciate the support as always. I've got until chapter 30 roughly drafted for now and I think you'll enjoy that chapter specifically...

Take care of yourselves guys and thanks for the journey so far!