The Quintessential Quintuplets: I Reincarnated, But Somehow I'm Tutoring Quintuplets - The place I reincarnated into is the quintuplets' house.

I was on a packed train. The April morning air was lukewarm, mingled with the smell of sweat soaked into suit jackets. I was gripping a hand strap, staring absently at the familiar residential streets sliding past the window—and then it happened. ———Fuutarou, I don't get this part. A voice echoed directly inside my head. A girl's voice. Sweet, troubled, and yet somehow amused. At the same time, my vision warped. The scenery outside the window faded like old film, repainted into something else entirely. A wooden desk. Scattered notebooks. The white glow of fluorescent lights. And sitting before me—five silhouettes. "…!?" Something surged up from the pit of my stomach. My heart thrashed against my ribs like it was trying to break free. No. These aren't my memories. Not the ones I have now. ———Fuutarou, will you stay with me? Another voice. This one faint, barely a whisper. ———I hate you! I hate you so much! A voice angry, on the verge of tears. ———Haha, Fuutarou-san, you're so funny! A voice innocent and bright. ———I will never acknowledge you, Fuutarou-san! A voice serious and stubborn. Five voices rang out simultaneously, blending, swirling into a vortex inside my skull. "Ugh, ah…" Cold sweat ran down my back. My vision blurred white, and standing was all I could manage. (What… is this…) Memories of a past life. The words drifted through my mind. I, Uesugi Fuutarou, have memories of a previous life. They've been with me since I was old enough to understand the world—strange, fragmented memories that came to me in dreams. The life of someone who wasn't me. A tutor who came from a poor family, desperately teaching his little sisters. And the memories of the quintuplets he taught. (But why now… so vividly…) Until now, they'd been hazy, like looking through fog. But now I could hear their voices. Their faces, their hairstyles, the tone of their voices—all of it came back with startling clarity. "Ugh…" I couldn't take it anymore. The moment the train slid into the next station, I pushed through the crowd and bolted onto the platform. "Hah… hah…" I collapsed onto a bench, head bowed. I curled forward, wiping the cold sweat from my brow. The station announcements echoed in the distance. The April wind, still chilly, felt good against my flushed cheeks. (Why… was I reincarnated?) The question I'd asked myself countless times rose again. (And why… can I only not remember the ending?) I could see the quintuplets' faces. I knew their names. The days I'd spent teaching them came back in fragments. But what came after—that, I couldn't recall no matter how hard I tried. It was as if that part alone had been cleanly cut away. "…Damn it." I muttered under my breath and lifted my head. A glance at the clock told me I had only fifteen minutes until classes started. Nakayama Academy. A mid-to-upper tier private high school in Nakayama City. Deviation score between fifty-eight and sixty-two. About twelve hundred students. A perfectly ordinary college-prep school. I'd transferred here this April. Transferred, though it wasn't as if I'd moved. I'd lived in Nakayama City my whole life. It was just that, due to family circumstances, I'd attended a different high school until last year. And this spring, I transferred to Nakayama Academy. The reason was simple. The tuition was cheap. That was all. My family is poor. My father vanished when I was small, leaving behind a pile of debt. My mother raised me and my sister alone. I have a little sister named Uesugi Raiha. She's still in elementary school—a bottomless pit when it comes to food, cheeky as hell, and the most adorable little sister in the world. To get Raiha into a proper university, I need money. So I chose the cheapest high school I could find. And after school, I work as a tutor to earn more. That's my life—Uesugi Fuutarou's life. Serious, hardworking, sharp-tongued, with a nasty glare. That was how everyone saw me. "…Haah." I let out a small sigh in front of the classroom. Late. Definitely late. What a terrible start for a transfer student. "Excuse me." I slid the door open with a rattle. Mr. Tanaka, the homeroom teacher standing at the podium, turned toward me. A math teacher in his forties with a slightly worn-out face. "Oh, Uesugi. You're late. Well, it's your first day—don't worry about it. Your seat is… over there." Where he pointed. The very back seat by the window. And in the seat next to it— "—" I stopped breathing. A girl with a big ribbon and a short bob. Amber eyes with a gentle downward slant. A mature, composed air about her. Nakano Ichika. Beside her. A girl with long brown hair reaching her waist. Sharp, strong-willed eyes. Silky, well-cared-for hair. Nakano Nino. And next to her. A girl with a blue ribbon and a blank expression. From beneath long bangs, she stared at me with quiet eyes. Nakano Miku. And in the seat in front of her. A girl with a bright yellow-green ribbon, looking energetic. Nakano Yotsuba. "Eh… ah…" A sound that wasn't a word escaped my throat. (Why… why are they here…) My heart pounded like a drum. The memories I'd seen on the train—those five silhouettes—were now real, sitting right in front of me. "Oh, Fuutarou-san! Good morning!" Yotsuba's face lit up, and she waved at me. " What a coincidence, being in the same class! I'm so happy!" That innocent smile. "…Coincidence, my ass." I muttered under my breath. (This is no coincidence.) The memories of my past life hardened into certainty. "…The worst." Nino said it clearly, without hesitation. She turned her face away, refusing even to look at me. "…Good morning." When Miku's eyes met mine, she immediately looked away. Only Ichika smiled and gave a small wave. I retreated to my seat like I was running away. Five pairs of eyes bored into my back. (This is… bad.) I felt it from the bottom of my heart. After school. I visited the Nakano residence, a fifteen-minute walk from school. A two-story house in a quiet residential neighborhood. There was a small vegetable garden in the yard. I pressed the intercom, and a cheerful voice answered immediately. "Coming!" The door opened, and Yotsuba appeared. "Fuutarou-san! Welcome!" "…Yeah. I'll be in your care starting today." "Come in, come in! Please, make yourself at home!" Yotsuba led me to the living room. There, I found Ichika, Nino, and one more—Itsuki, the youngest of the quintuplets. "Fuutarou-kun, welcome." Ichika rose from the sofa, smiling warmly. " We'll be in your care from today. Our tutor." "…Yeah. Likewise." "Hmph." Nino was in the corner of the living room, fiddling with her phone. She shot me a glance. " I hate you. I really hate you." She spat the words out and turned back to her phone. "…That's harsh for a first meeting." The words slipped out before I could stop them. "Shut up. Looking at your face pisses me off." Nino's face flushed red as she glared at me. (Why is she so angry…) I could only stand there, bewildered by her reaction. "I will never acknowledge you, Fuutarou-san!" Now Itsuki declared it, arms crossed, standing tall. " You're a hundred years too early to be our tutor!" "…Oh. Okay." I didn't even have the energy to respond anymore. (What is wrong with this family…) Three completely different, equally intense reactions. Even with memories of a past life, I hadn't expected to be treated this blatantly by people I'd just met. "Now, now, you two. You're making Fuutarou-kun uncomfortable." Ichika smiled wryly, trying to calm them down. "Sorry, Fuutarou-kun. These girls are really bad with strangers." "…Bad with strangers, huh." (That's not 'bad with strangers.' That's a whole other level.) I cursed inwardly. "Oh, a guest?" The quintuplets' father, Nakano Isamu, entered the living room. "Hello, nice to meet you. I'll be in your care starting today. I'm Uesugi Fuutarou." I bowed deeply. "Ah, so you're the one. I've heard about you. Please take care of them." Isamu was a middle-aged man with tired eyes, but there was a gentleness to them. "Now then, let's discuss the contract. Is the living room fine?" I sat across from Isamu and listened to the terms. A live-in tutor. Monthly salary of eighty thousand yen. Room and board provided free of charge. And if the quintuplets' grades improved, there would be bonuses. "…Understood. I look forward to working with you." I signed the contract. (Eighty thousand a month… that's huge.) For someone who needed every yen for Raiha's tuition, I couldn't turn this down. "Sorry to ask so soon, but could you assess my daughters' academic levels?" Isamu said apologetically. "They're a disaster, I'm afraid. All five of them are below a deviation score of forty." "…All five, below forty?" I couldn't believe my ears. "Yes. It's embarrassing, but it's true. Especially Itsuki—I thought she was the studious one, but on the last test, she scored thirty-eight." "Dad! Don't say that!" Itsuki's face went red as she pressed toward him. "Oh, but it's true, isn't it?" Nino smirked. "Nino, you got thirty-five last time!" "What—! That was a fluke!" "Both of you, stop it." Ichika sighed, stepping between them. "…This is going to be a lot of work." I meant it from the bottom of my heart. To take five high schoolers below a deviation score of forty and raise them all to university entrance level. And all five of them were the quintuplets who had been my students in a past life. (This isn't just a tutoring job.) I knew it in my gut. "Now then, Fuutarou-kun, your room is the one at the back on the first floor. It used to be a storage room, but Dad cleaned it out for you." Ichika showed me to my room. A small room, about ten square meters. A desk, a bed, a small bookshelf. Through the window, I could see the courtyard. "…This is plenty. Thanks." "No, thank you. If you need anything, just let me know." Ichika smiled and said that. "…Ichika." "Hm? What is it?" "…No, never mind." I swallowed the words I'd almost said. (Do you have memories of your past life?) There was no way I could ask that. "Your way of teaching, Fuutarou-kun… it feels nostalgic, somehow." Ichika murmured quietly. "…What?" "Oh, sorry. I said something strange. Don't mind me." She waved her hands hurriedly, laughing it off. (Nostalgic…?) The word pierced through me. "I'll call you when dinner's ready, okay?" With that, Ichika left the room. I sat on the bed and let out a deep sigh. (So… Ichika has memories too?) I wasn't certain. But that wasn't something you'd say to someone you just met. "…What is going on?" I held my head in my hands. That's when it happened. "Hey, you." The door flew open. Nino stood there, arms crossed. "W-what?" "…Are you going to run away again? Like last time?" Nino stared straight at me. "…Huh?" "Don't play dumb. In your past life, you left us behind and went somewhere, didn't you?" Her words froze my heart. "…What are you talking about…" "Hit a nerve?" Nino stepped into the room. " What's with that face? Am I wrong?" "…Wait, Nino. You really have memories of your past life…" "Of course I do. Obviously." She said it flatly. "It's not just me. Ichika, Miku, Yotsuba, Itsuki—we all have them." "…All of you?" "Yes. So when I heard you were going to be our tutor, I thought it was fate. But you're just going to run away again, aren't you?" Nino's voice trembled. I couldn't tell if it was anger or sorrow. "…I'm not going to run." I looked straight back into her eyes. " This time, I'll face all of you properly. All the way to the end." "…Really?" "Yeah. I promise." Nino stared into my eyes for a long moment. "…I don't believe you." She turned her face away. "But fine. Do your best, at least." With that, she left the room. "…Haah." I collapsed onto the bed again. (All of them have memories of their past lives…) I'd suspected as much. But hearing it directly fro

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Name: The Quintessential Quintuplets: I Reincarnated, But Somehow I'm Tutoring Quintuplets
Author: Novelia

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