Chapter 76: Fifth grade, last semester

(POV Chiharu)

A few days ago, we returned from our trip to Okinawa, and despite some minor conflicts during the trip, the past few days have been exceptionally peaceful. It has been a relief to experience this tranquil atmosphere each day. Even though both Chiaki and Chinatsu felt a bit lazy about their homework, they managed to push through and try to complete it.

One thing that brought great relief was the absence of any awkwardness in our conversations. It would have been quite challenging and disheartening to continue living with a sense of distance between us. Without a doubt, it’s much better to have a cheerful and enjoyable atmosphere.

“I have… only five… five more pages of homework,” 

“W-Well, I have… four pages…” 

Both Chiaki and Chinatsu appeared like zombies, drained from completing their homework. It was their usual routine, with the answer sheets confiscated by Chifuyu, leaving them to tackle the winter break assignments on their own. Their energy levels must be running low.

However, tomorrow marked the beginning of the third semester, and they had to finish their homework today. Both of them desperately motivated themselves and worked hard, with Chifuyu providing support. Although Onii-san was absent due to work, he was also giving his best effort. I have to do something as well.

Alright… Let’s make a delicious dish to relieve their tiredness! Yes, I made up my mind and headed toward the living room.

◆◆

(POV Kaito)

During the lunch break at the office, I was contemplating the future while eating the bento box that was prepared for me by Chiaki and Chinatsu. There was no clear answer ahead, but I was somehow searching for one.

As I delved too deeply into my thoughts, my head began to feel hot, as if I had a fever. I decided to take a break and sip some tea to cool down. Just then, a voice came from the seat next to mine.

“Oh, a bento box.”

“Yeah. They made it for me.”

Next to me, Sasaki glanced curiously at my bento box. It was a wonderful assortment of dishes, including a rolled omelet and boiled spinach—perfectly balanced.

Envious gazes were cast from every corner of the workplace. Everyone understood how amazing it was to have someone make a bento box for you. It was quite a task to prepare meals for dinner and breakfast as well. Eliminating that effort was truly wonderful. Moreover, the taste was consistently delicious.

“So, they make you bento boxes because they’re fond of you?”

“Yeah… I can’t say for sure, but it feels that way.”

“Hmm, despite that, you seem to be thinking about something complicated. What’s up?”

“Ah, well… There’s a secret within my family, and I’m debating whether I should reveal it or not… In a nutshell, it’s something like that.”

“Well, everyone has secrets, so there are times when you don’t have to say them, right? I remember once my parents were saving up 500 yen coins, but I used them without permission to buy manga magazines.”

“I see…”

Indeed, it is only natural to think that secrets exist everywhere and that sometimes it’s best not to reveal them. Should I respect Chiaki’s decision or not?

I want to grant her wish, but at the same time, continuously pretending to be unaware… That doesn’t seem right.

I guess I’ll have to put it on hold. It seems there’s no other option. It’s pathetic that I always end up in this situation… For now, I’ll just continue living the enjoyable life we’ve had so far.

I decided to completely halt my thoughts for a moment. Perhaps due to excessive contemplation, my head began to ache. This would affect my afternoon work. I should eat my bento and regain some energy. Besides, if I fall ill, it would only worry the four of them.

◆◆

(POV Chinatsu)

Aki and I were overwhelmed by our homework. It was an absurd situation that our assignments were still unfinished, considering that the new semester was starting tomorrow.

“Aki, how many more pages do we have?”

“Two… just two…”

Aki appeared utterly drained as if she might collapse at any moment. As for me, I felt like a zombie, barely able to remain upright.

Nevertheless, we desperately pushed our pens across the paper, taking on the challenge of completing our homework.

We had managed to finish the assignments on our own during the previous winter and spring breaks, so we knew we had to do it this time too. With that in mind, we gave it our all. And then…

“”I-It’s over!””

“Congratulations!”

We finished our homework and let out sighs of relief. I cast my pen aside and collapsed onto the floor, feeling the weight of the world lift from my weary shoulders. Why does completing homework bring such a sense of clarity and relief?

I’m sure Aki felt the same way. She stretched her body with a look of contentment on her face.

And there she was, with her usual smiling face. I always thought that Aki looked particularly charming when she smiled. We had a small disagreement during our trip, but since then, we haven’t mentioned it again. Moreover, Aki would often apologize to me.

Sorry, sorry…

Whenever she apologized repeatedly like that, it naturally eased the tension in my shoulders, and we were able to laugh together like we used to. However, it seemed that Aki was aware that the problem was not yet resolved.

Well, for now, that was fine…

We were both relieved that we had finished our homework, and I was contemplating taking a nap to relieve my fatigue. Just then, Haru approached us with something on a tray.

“Here you go, for everyone who worked hard.”

“What’s this?”

“Vegetable sticks and a special sauce.”

“Ah, I see…”

I appreciated that Haru cared about us and did things like this, but I remembered that Haru’s choices were occasionally eccentric. 

Besides, Haru was surprisingly clumsy and not very skilled in cooking. Haru could even burn pancakes… The vegetable sticks were all different shapes, more like toothpicks or pencil caps than actual sticks, each with its own unique character.

“Oooh! Thank you, Chiharu!” Aki exclaimed.

“Can Chifuyu have some too?”

“Sure, go ahead and dig in. Chinatsu, you too.”

“Ah, okay.”

Well, since Haru went through the trouble of making it, might as well give it a try. Let’s see… Each of us took a cucumber, carrot, and daikon (radish), before dipping them into the sauce and taking a bite.

“””….!!”””

“How is it? I’m pretty confident in it…” Haru asked.

“Oh! Th-This is…! No good!” 

“Eeh?”

“It’s no good!” 

“Eeeh!?”

“No good at all!” 

“Eeeeh!?”

In order, Aki, Fuyu, and then I expressed our disapproval. The three of us hurriedly grabbed juice from the fridge and poured it into cups, desperately trying to wash away the flavor in our mouths. The sauce was just that terrible. It was spicy, so spicy!

“You, what kind of sauce is this?” I asked.

“Well, it’s wasabi mayonnaise…”

“What’s the ratio?”

“Um, one-to-one?”

“No, why would you do that?”

“Huh? But if it’s not equal proportions…”

“It depends on the case!”

“N-No way…”

As I observed Haru feeling down, a pang of regret washed over me, and I thought that I may have been too harsh. But still… This was a bit too much. Even Haru can make mistakes…

Yes, it’s natural… Everyone has their shortcomings. That’s why I decided to support her.

“Well, there’s no helping it… Let’s make it again.”

“Eh?”

“Come on.”

I took Haru’s hand.

――This time, it’s my turn to lead you, no, to lead all of you.

◆◆

(POV Chiharu)

The new semester had begun. It signified that this would be our final semester as fifth graders. That meant next year, we would be sixth graders… indicating that our time as elementary school students was coming to an end.

Time seemed to pass so quickly. I couldn’t count how many times I had pondered over this realization. But there was nothing we could do. It was truly fleeting.

Oniisan saw us off, and we boarded the bus. From there, we walked to school after getting off at the nearest bus stop.

When I glanced sideways, I noticed Chiaki and Chinatsu both yawning simultaneously. Ah, their usual cuteness put me at ease. Chifuyu, with her elegant stride and bright eyes, walking alongside us, was also great.

After I confirmed the cuteness of my younger sisters in this way, we proceeded to school and opened the classroom door. Mary-san waved at us.

“Oh! Yahallo everyone!”

“Hey, Hallola! Mary!”

Chiaki responded with a big greeting on behalf of all of us. We also chimed in with our own casual responses, but we couldn’t quite keep up with their unique way of greeting.

Everyone placed their belongings on their respective desks and engaged in conversations with their friends or sisters until the morning assembly began.

On the right, Chinatsu and Chifuyu seemed to be engaged in a lively conversation, while on the left, Chiaki and Mary-san appeared to be enjoying their own chat. I watched all of them from my vantage point.

“Chiaki, did you finish your homework?” 

“Of course! Piece of cake,” 

“Hmm, I finished mine in literally one day! I mean, I looked up all the answers!” 

“Hey, that’s cheating!” 

“Call it rationalism.”

Mary-san and Chiaki sure seem to get along well. Mary was one of the few people Chiaki trusted outside of our family.

“By the way… You guys are quadruplets, right?” Mary-san asked.

“That’s right. A bit late to ask, don’t you think?” 

“Oh, yeah. I guess so… It’s just that, you know, when you see it from a different perspective, after the break, it feels kind of fresh…” 

“Is that so? It doesn’t feel that way to me at all!” 

“Well, when you spend every day together, I guess it wouldn’t. But for me, it feels fresh,” 

It’s true, we don’t really hear about quadruplets that often. I’ve heard of nonuplets existing in the world, but… there aren’t many other cases, I think.

“Speaking of which, this class has quadruplets, right? And we have the “ore-using” Sakura too, right? There are too many people with ‘unique’ personalities. Are you guys aiming for U.A. High School, by any chance?” Mary-san asked. (TN: Sakura uses ore to address herself like a boy would.)

“Huh? U, U.A.?” 

“Oh, if you don’t know, just forget what I said.” 

Mary-san quickly changed the subject.

“Quadruplets, huh… Maybe I should make them the theme of my next novel?” Mary-san pondered.

“Oh, yeah! Make the third sister incredibly cute!” 

“Sounds good. I’ll make her the cutest ever,” 

“Ooooh!”

“Quadruplets… If I use Chiaki and the others as the theme, it could turn out pretty interesting,” Mary-san said.

“If that happens, Mary will become a bestselling author! How are you going to make it feel?” 

Now that I think about it, Mary-san said she aspired to be a writer. In that case, Chinatsu, Chifuyu, and Chiaki would be the perfect models. After all, they’re incredibly cute. I’m curious about how she’ll portray them.

“What kind of feel… Well, maybe a safe bet would be a romantic comedy?” 

“Huh? Romantic comedy…? What would that be like?” Chiaki asked.

“Well, let’s see. Maybe all the quadruplets fall in love with the same person, causing some tension between the sisters?” 

“Eeeh!? That’s so sad!”

“It can’t be helped. That’s just how it goes in any world. It’s a given that sisters, whether they’re twins, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, or sextuplets, whether they are children, the seventh prince, or the eighth son, have some tension in their relationships when they all like the same person,” Mary-san said.

“E-Eeeh… Is that how it is…” 

Chiaki seemed a little disappointed, and I shared that feeling of disappointment. I didn’t want to imagine fighting or having tension among us sisters.

“That’s right. Chiaki, you’ve had fights with your sisters too, right?” Mary-san asked.

“Uuu yeah… recently, we had one… and I really hated it… I don’t want to do it again if possible…” 

“I see. It was hard for you. But I think fights are important. Sometimes, you can’t understand certain things unless you clash with each other,” 

“Is that so?” 

“Yes, I believe so. I’m sure of it.”

There are things you can’t understand unless you clash… Those words lingered in my mind strangely. Chiaki seemed to have some thoughts as well, as she bit her lower lip and looked down.

“I see…”

“Don’t be so down. It’s just my opinion, after all…”

“…Is there any way to avoid fighting?”

“Huh? Well… there might be. I’m just a kid, so there’s a lot I don’t know, but aren’t there infinite possibilities for finding solutions?”

“I see…”

“Did you have a really intense fight?”

“It wasn’t that intense, but… I just felt like I didn’t want to fight anymore. It felt like my heart was about to burst…”

“I see… But hey, if you ever find yourself in a bind, you can rely on Chiaki’s favorite, Kaito-san, right? Is that his name?” 

“Yeah…”

Mary-san continued to suggest various things to cheer up Chiaki, and Chiaki noticed her efforts, putting on a smile to reassure her.

“Yeah, you can also try watching uplifting anime to boost your spirits. Like ‘Stag Beetle Borg’,” Mary-san said.

“I see. Yeah, thanks for everything, Mary,” 

With Chiaki’s smile restored, she and Mary-san continued their cheerful conversation until the morning assembly began. I was certain that my initial intuition was correct. Mary-san could become an indispensable presence for Chiaki.

Yes, I felt that strongly once again.

Little did I know at that moment that a presence that would become indispensable to Chinatsu and Chifuyu was about to make its appearance…

***************

TN: lol Mary hit the nail on the head with that one.