The sun had set before Rena and Fuutarou knew it, it was dark out. Luckily, Rena's teacher found them and picked them up, with Rena receiving a small mouthful from her.
They were then brought to the place where Rena's school was staying at, while Fuutarou was told to wait as the teacher contacted his school.
Fuutarou was in an empty room of the Japanese inn. He started sketching Rena and the picture they took. Today was really an unexpected day, but more importantly it was fun nonetheless.
Meanwhile Rena grinned happily as she held onto the five charms she bought in the afternoon.
She opened the sliding door and ran into the room. She knelt down in front of four people and held out the charms she purchased.
"Guys! Today I met a really interesting boy! His name is Uesugi Fuutarou. He looks like a gangster but he's really nice! Look, we even bought these charms together!"
" Where is he now, Yotsuba? "
The four people in front of Rena were carbon copies of her. They had identical looks to each other. All five of them have matching long pink hair and matching dresses.
They weren't just carbon copies, they were quintuplets.
Rena, whose name isn't Rena but Yotsuba grinned and pointed at the door.
"He's still in the main hall right now, Ichika! You wanna go meet him?"
"Yes. But let me go by myself please."
.....
Fuutarou had just finished sketching Rena and was lying down to rest a little before he looked at 'Rena' who approached him. He smiled at the girl, his heart racing at how beautiful she was. Weirdly, the longer he spent time with her, the more beautiful she got.
"Yo, Rena! I was wondering where you went! I was bored and lonely without you being with me. Let's play something, your choice. " Fuutarou suggested with a gentle smile on his face. 'Rena' widened her eyes in disbelief.
'Seriously Yotsuba!? Why didn't you just tell him your real name and used mom's name instead!? Geez, I can't tell him that Ichika is my name now.' Ichika thought to herself but maintained a calm front.
"H-how about Sevens?" Ichika suggested, quickly composing herself as to not making her suspicious. Fuutarou grinned and sat up. He took out a deck of poker cards.
"Nice. Luckily I brought the cards for the trip..." Fuutarou suddenly froze in his place, realizing something important. "Uh... Rena?..." Ichika tilted her head, looking at him with a confused expression.
"What's wrong?" She asked him. Fuutarou laughed nervously while sweating bullets. He looked at her while grinning sheepishly.
"How the hell do you play Sevens again?"
Ichika blinked before giggling, her laughter like a sweet melody. Fuutarou was seemingly mesmerized, wondering why his heart felt weird hearing her laugh.
"Then why'd you agree to play if you don't know how, silly?" She suddenly smirked, sitting in front of him. "You just wanted an excuse to hang out with me right? Fuutarou-kun?" Her sly look caused Fuutarou to stutter. And the way she said his name. Ah crap, he's completely smitten isn't he?
He snapped out of it, hearing her giggle again. "I'm kidding! I can teach you. C'mon, shuffle the deck and let's play."
"A-alright...."
...
It was only for a short while, but Fuutarou's liking for 'Rena' increased a lot more the more he got to know her. But he had some suspicions of his own. No, it wasn't that he thought Rena was hiding something. It's just... Rena seems... different....
'Hmm.... Something's wrong with Rena but I can't point out exactly what it is.' Fuutarou mused as he and Ichika were playing Sevens.
Fuutarou was a beginner at this game so he was losing badly to Ichika, who by the way, he still believes is the same Rena he met and hung out with in the afternoon.
"Hehe, you lose again Fuutarou-kun." Ichika teased him while smiling at him teasingly. That smile made Fuutarou blush and divert his gaze to somewhere else.
'There it is again! Rena's tone is much different than the one in the afternoon. And that smile is completely different from her cheerful one! Is she messing with me?' Fuutarou sighed and rubbed his head.
"Whatever, I'll beat you in this stupid game one day. Before we play another round, have this." Fuutarou handed her a paper which contains his sketch of Rena. Ichika received it and looked at it, she gasped and blushed vividly.
"W-wow..... It's so beautiful....Thank you so much Fuutarou-kun!" Ichika smiled warmly at him. Fuutarou blushed and grinned back at her.
"No problem! This'll serve as a memory of me! Whenever you look at this sketch, you'll be reminded of me, the guy who drew it! " Fuutarou pointed at himself.
" Wait, you're not from my elementary school?" Ichika asked him. Fuutarou shook his head.
" Nah, I just got lost and met you. Meeting you was the best thing that happened on my school trip." Fuutarou whispered while looking at the ground. Ichika gasped. Dhe had only known him for a short while and he was already leaving so soon. What a bummer.
" Th-then let's keep playing, Fuutarou-kun! If we waste time, we will never get to play Sevens with each other again! " Ichika declared. If he was going to leave, then she should make the most out of the time they had.
" You said it, Rena! And this time, I'll be the one winning! " Ichika's gaze at him was sly, causing Fuutarou to falter a little. She giggled, before winking at him.
" Ufufufu, if you say so~ Fuutarou-kun~"
Unfortunately, the remaining time they shared lasted for only thirty minutes, with Fuutarou ultimately not managing to beat her in Sevens. Fuutarou's teacher from his elementary school arrived at the inn, coming to pick him up.
Ichika, smiling sadly, saw him off. Fuutarou was smiling warmly while waving at her. Ichika clenched her fist and ran up to him.
"Oof!" Fuutarou grunted a little as Ichika slammed into him and hugged him tightly. He looked down at her in confusion but at the same time hugging her back.
"Rena?" Fuutarou whispered in confusion. Ichika had some tears in her eyes as she tightened her hug.
Fuutarou smiled and gently hugged her back. "I'm gonna miss you, Rena." He whispered. Rena sniffed and nodded.
"Me too, Fuutarou-kun. Let's find a way to meet each other again, okay?" Fuutarou nodded at her words.
"You got it, Rena. And when we meet again, you'll definitely be 1000x times more beautiful than you are now." Fuutarou grinned broadly at her, making Ichika raise an eyebrow at her.
"Oh? Am I not beautiful right now?" She asked, tone clearly teasing him. Fuutarou huffed. "That's not what I meant. You are beautiful, and I'm sure you'll become even more beautiful in the future." Ichika, while blushing, giggled at his attempt at explaining himself. She somehow knew how to push his buttons to get a reaction out of him. She poked his nose gently before staring up at him, her gaze causing him to blush.
"Thanks Fuutarou. And the next time we meet, I sure hope you've improved in Sevens." Fuutarou smirked.
"Oh I will. Get ready to lose!"
"Pinky promise?" Ichika suggested, holding up her right pinky finger. Fuutarou widened his eyes at the gesture, nodded and they made the sacred promise.
"Pinky promise." After a while, they reluctantly let go of each other.
"This isn't a goodbye, Rena. It's a see you later. Because we're going to see each other again! So, see ya later!" Fuutarou grinned at her as he walked towards his teacher. Ichika managed a smile.
"Yeah... See you soon, Fuutarou-kun..." For the last time, he looked back at Ichika waving at him, a sad smile forming. He smiled a little and waved back at her. Not long after, Ichika was gone from his sights.
Fuutarou sighed, placing his hands in his pockets. His once vibrant world seemingly dimmed for reasons he himself didn't even know. Meanwhile, Ichika entered the room where her sisters were.
" Ichika, where's Fuutarou-kun?" Yotsuba asked. Ichika smiled sadly.
"Sorry, Yotsuba. I couldn't call you in time. He just left."
"WHAT?!" Yotsuba shouted in horror before she ran past Ichika, pushing her sister aside. Ichika watched as Yotsuba ran out of the inn.
"It's a shame. I would've liked to get to know more about him. Yotsuba had a high opinion of him." Ichika looked at one of her sisters.
"Well Itsuki, Yotsuba wasn't wrong. He's a pretty interesting guy.... I certainly had fun hanging around with him..." She muttered to herself. Itsuki remained silent, her eyes on the light novel.
...
Fuutarou was silently walking with his teacher. His eyes perked up a little, hearing footsteps approaching him from behind. And it sounded like they were running to. Glancing behind him, he couldn't help but be surprised at who it was.
"Rena—OOF!" Fuutarou, initially confused at the appearance of the girl, grunted as the girl slammed into him and hugged him tightly.
"Fuutarou-kun! Do you really have to go?"
Fuutarou widened his eyes. The tone of her voice, the way she called him, he didn't know how he was able to tell but it was now the same way Rena did this afternoon. His mind was swirling with questions.
'What the hell is going on? Is the devil playing tricks with me?'
To be continued.....