Chapter 44: Chapter 44

"It has never happened before," Nino whispered quietly while holding back her tears. "Usually, father would just say something nasty to us. But somehow, he changed a month ago. His mood started to get worse easily and he started drinking even when he visited us. I don't know what happened, but father was never like that before."

Hiroyuki was alarmed after hearing what Nino just said.

"Did it start right after we met for the first time?" The quintuplets, Kiyoko, and Megumi were startled, but it is Itsuki who answered Hiroyuki's question.

"No, it was a week before." Then she gasped in horror as if she realized something bad. "It was right after we first met in Mama's grave. I think father somehow found out about you and our meeting."

"Will it be a problem for us to be here?" Kiyoko suddenly asked, worried that they might make things worse for the quintuplets. However, Kiyoko shook her head quickly,

"No. Right now, father is on a business trip to Hokkaido, and Ebata promised us to keep your identity secret. Father would never know that you are there." She said it while she is still rubbing Yotsuba's back.

"Do you mind telling me what your father said when he started hitting you?" Megumi asked cautiously. But when she saw the reluctant faces of the quintuplets, she added quickly, "If you don't want to talk about it, I don't mind. Don't force yourself."

"It is because of me.." Yotsuba who is still being hugged by Ichika suddenly said, snapping the attention of her sisters.

"If only I was smart enough just like Itsuki.." She whispered lowly. Ichika just gives her a tired sigh before she said,

"Yotsuba, look at me," Ichika commanded her softly. Yotsuba who is still sobbing lifted up her head slowly to face her sister. When they face each other, Yotsuba could see a warm smile radiate from her sister.

"What did I say to you before? This is my choice, so you don't have to blame yourself." But this only makes Yotsuba cry harder.

"But you did it to protect me! It is my fault!" No one speaks anymore as Ichika is busy trying to calm her sister down. Hiroyuki shifted his seat to get closer to Nino, the most levelheaded after Ichika, and whispered softly,

"When did that happen?" Nino took a deep breath as she started to whisper too,

"It was a week ago when father visited us. It was supposed to be a normal meeting, but father didn't come with a sober mind and we could smell strong alcohol from his body, so it was probably because of alcohol. He started shouting, calling Yotsuba's name over and over.

Ichika who saw the frightened expression on Yotuba instantly decided to disguise herself as Yotsuba. Under the effect of alcohol and because of our similar faces, father didn't recognize that it was Ichika who came after him. Right after he saw Ichika, he slapped her face. Then, he started babbling about how Yotsuba is a disgrace to the family and threaten to disown her as Nakano.

After that, we found out from father's incoherent babbling that he visited us after he had a meeting with one of his friends who has a son in the same class as Yotsuba. Then, he bragged to father about how his son was far smarter than Yotsuba. That was the only thing we could hear clearly from father."

"Were Yotsuba really that bad at school?" Kiyoko who heard what Nino said asked hesitantly. But it was not Nino who answered the question. It was Miku, the quietest and most timid one out of the quintuplets, who gives the answer.

"No, she is not as bad as father portrayed her to be. While it is true that she is the weakest out of us five regarding school work, she is also the most determined and hardworking too. Her score on the last test is also decent enough. All of them were above fifty. It is just that the son of father's friend is the smartest in her class, so it is unfair to compare Yotsuba and him based on their score."

"But father didn't care about that." Yotsuba talked as she started to calm down a bit. "She still screamed at Ichika about how stupid I am, and then the beating was getting worse. He slapped her face, grabbed her hair, and even pinched her stomach. Ichika had to endure all of that because of me. It should be me!"

Without hesitation, all of the girls stand up and wrapped Yotsuba in a group hug.

"You are wrong, Yotsuba," Ichika said softly as she rested her head on Yotsuba's shoulder. "It was not because of you. It was him who did that to me, not you. No reasoning would be enough to justify what he did, so you better stop blaming yourself, okay?" Yotsuba could only hug her sister tightly.

Hiroyuki decided that they need to take a break and went outside. He sighed tiredly at how messed up the quintuplet's condition with their father. On the other hand, he really admired Ichika's determination to protect her sister, even if she has to receive the beating.

'Maybe, it is a bad idea to tell them about their father's deeds with their biological father.' He muttered inwardly. He sighed once again and decided to go to the convenience store to buy ice creams for all of them.

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'Ice cream is a good way to calm your mind when you are in an emotional burst.' He said it to himself. After he arrived back at the apartment, he could see the stress on all of their faces.

"Hey, I brought some ice creams here! Who wants to have some?" He said it in a cheerful voice, trying to raise the mood. It was a good idea as the four sisters went straight to him to take the ice creams. However, Ichika didn't move a single inch from his seat.

"Here, eat it." Hiroyuki gives her the ice cream after he shares the rest with Megumi and Kiyoko. She just gives him a small smile as a 'thank you' sign. They ate the ice creams in silence before Megumi who didn't speak anything since the beginning of the explanation asked,

"Are you alright, Ichika-chan?"

"I think I am okay, Megumi-san." Megumi lets out a sigh.

"If you are really okay, then, I am happy for you. But if you need someone to talk to but you still want to be strong for your sister, you can always come to the Den to talk. You can also just relax and enjoy a cup of mochaccino and a matcha terrine there. It was what you ordered in our first meeting, right?"

She was surprised that Megumi still remember what she ordered, and her gaze softened. "Thank you for your kindness, Megumi-san. I will hold your offer in the future." Megumi's eyes beamed in happiness as she heard what Ichika said.

"Good. You can go with all of your sisters too." The dullness in the four sisters left away as they shouted simultaneously,

"Really?" It makes Kiyoko and Megumi chuckle and even Ichika stiffened her giggle.

"Sure! The more the merrier!" Megumi smiles as she saw the happiness on the quintuplet's face as they talked about the Den. Unfortunately, Hiroyuki had to break their little moment of happiness as he said,

"I am sorry, girls. But I want to go back to the last topic. Are all of you fine with that?" The mood turned somber once again.

"It is alright, girls. You don't have to do it. I will talk with Yuki-san for a while." Ichika said as she stood up to leave.

"But Ichika!" Yotsuba tried to protest, but she was stopped by Nino.

"Are you going to be alright?" Nino stared at her eyes intently. Ichika gives her a small smile and said,

"Of course, I am. Do you believe Yuki-san would mean harm to me? Besides, I am your sister. Just spend your time with Megumi-san and Kiyoko-san. I will handle this." She turned her attention to Hiroyuki and said,

"Shall we go, Yuki-san?" The one mentioned nodded as he stood up, leaving the girls who looked at them worriedly.

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