Y/N POV:
The good thing I found out was that skiing was actually optional, so the hard part of bamboozling the headcount wouldn't be necessary. However, this means that a few students and monitors are going to remain in the camp, thusly making my situation harder. I guess that, in the end, both options balance each other out in terms of difficulty.
Something unexpected happened as everyone was getting ready to head out. Fuutarou and I were in our dorm, and from the look of it, he seemed to be quite under the weather. After all, it is rather uncharacteristic of him to get grumpy over something so specific such as centripetal acceleration.
Well, I myself wasn't over the moon either. I couldn't see that he was bad probably because of my own moodiness. But other than that little confrontation between me and Takeda, after my talk with Nino things were starting to get more relaxed.
But no relaxation lasts forever, as that's when we both heard a set of footsteps running toward our room.
The door burst open, revealing a very excited Yotsuba.
"Uesugi-san! Just because this activity is optional, it doesn't mean you're escaping it!"
"Ughhh..." Fuutarou shivered, covering his head with a pillow.
"Yotsuba, Fuutarou is feeling a bit sick~"
"No, it's fine." He cut me off, "I'll go, Yotsuba. I just need to get dressed."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
He just looked at me and gave me a not very reassuring thumbs up. Fuutarou is not the healthiest guy I know so I'm not sure if he can tank exercising out in the cold – especially while he's sick.
"Are you coming as well, L/N-kun?"
"Naw. I need to do that thing, remember?"
"Oooooooh!" Her eyes lit up, "I see. Is it gonna take too long?"
"Depends. Why?"
"It's because Ichika is feeling a bit sick today, so Itsuki offered to stay here to take care of her. But if you can go keep her company after you're done, Itsuki will be able to go."
Ironic.
"I see... I'll try to get it done quickly."
"Great! Let's go, Uesugi-san!" Yotsuba took him by the hand, "And I hope everything works, L/N-san!"
"Yeah, me too." I said not so confidently, "Have fun."
...
Good fucking lord, the lake's water was cold. I mean, we're two hours away from snow so that is to be expected. But holy shit. Not the worst experience I've had in my life, but it's up there in the top 5.
After fully finishing the setup, I dried myself and stealthily made my way back to the dorm. Them after taking a nice hot shower, I went on to tackle my next task: babysitting Ichika.
I nonchalantly made my way to the dorm she was staying at, noticing one or two students who had decided to stay for whatever reason. Upon arrival, I knocked on the door gently, soon hearing her inviting me in.
The door opened to a... neither pleasant nor unpleasant surprise. An inconvenience, more than anything.
"Ehe... Hi Y/N-kun."
"... I'll come back later."
"Ah, don't worry about this. You've seen me like this before."
"That was a different context and I was with Nino. I'll be right outside. Let me know when you're done changing."
From the look of it, Ichika had just come out of the shower. She had been laying on one of the beds, a towel wrapped around her body. A little tempting, yes. But I've already got my mind and heart set on another Nakano.
Not long after, she opened the door. Seeing that she was now more suitably dressed, I went inside her room.
"Y/N-kun, you're too straight-laced." Ichika said mockingly.
"And you're too loose-laced, if that's even a term. Anyway, I'm here because Yotsuba told me to keep you company. I'll just seat myself right over here."
"I didn't know you were coming, but since you're here..."
Oh god. I can already hear it.
"You want to get some romantic advice from me." I said.
"Ahahah, how did you know?"
"You're like the 4th or 5th person to come to me for counseling. Apparently now I have that reputation."
"Well, you helped even Maeda-kun to find a girl."
"What? Oh, that guy." I let out a sigh, pulling out my phone to open my book, "Well, go ahead. What is your problem?"
Ichika sat with her legs crossed in the bed in front of where I was seated, looking at me deeply in the eyes.
"Do you know what happened between me and Fuutarou yesterday?" She asked.
"No."
"Basically, we were helping with the assembly of the bonfire, but we got locked inside the storehouse because of an accident."
"Kay..."
"Um... without getting in too much detail... I... realized my feelings for him."
"Hopefully you didn't bang."
"What?! N-No!" She said as her cheeks became red.
"Pfft, this works with everyone. You're so openly flirtatious, I didn't expect you to get flustered over such a cheap remark."
"But that's too much! W-With Fuutarou-kun, I couldn't possibly..." She hid her face behind her hands.
"Okay, sorry. Anyway, you said you realized your feelings for him. That's.... kinda wack."
"It's because of Miku, isn't it?"
"Yeah... and helping you with it puts me in a tough spot."
"You've been helping Miku for a while now, haven't you?"
"Yes... and since she's asked for my help first, I'm kinda biased toward her."
"But can't you at least offer me advice?" She leaned forward, reaching out to grab my hand, "You don't need to help me, just tell me your thoughts."
"I shouldn't."
"Please..." She said, looking at me with pleading eyes.
It's hard to resist such a pretty girl insisting so much. I was still team Miku... but refusing to help Ichika might make things awkward between us two.
"I'm gonna regret this..." I hesitantly said. "I'll help you understand your feelings, but in terms of advice, you should probably ask Miku if she's ok with it."
"Ok. I can do that. Just tell me, please."
Insistent indeed. I put my phone away, leaning back in my chair and looking Ichika in the eyes.
"Let's start from the beginning. When did you start feeling this way?"
"I'm not sure... it wasn't sudden, but rather something gradual... a creeping, cozy feeling in my chest. I guess what made me realize it was the time we spent alone yesterday."
"Cool. And if you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened yesterday?"
She blushed a bit, "Just as I said, we got locked in the storeroom and couldn't find a way out, so we just talked..."
"Just talked?"
"Y-Yes!"
It feels like she's omitting information, but I won't press it.
"Ok. Let me ask another question. You seem like a girl of a pretty high caliber. So why Fuutarou?"
"...That's... hard for me to say."
"How come?"
"..."
She was hesitating to say the next few words, evident by the sheer unease in her expression.
"It's ok if you don't know how to answer that. Let's just~"
"It was you first."
Four words, each one as impactful as a bullet. The silence in the room felt heavy as I processed what I had heard. Ichika lowered her face, but from what I could read from her expression, she appeared somewhat relieved to let that truth off her chest.
"...Oh."
"I like you both... I never acted on you specifically because I already knew you and Nino liked each other. You are smart, caring, handsome... just so awesome overall... but you were already taken. So in trying to get over you – which I was never fully capable of, I started to notice how Fuutarou-kun and you share many of your qualities."
"I had no idea you thought that of me... but in hindsight, seeing how liberally you flirt with us ..."
"I don't act like this with just anyone, you know?" She winked.
"I see... poor Maeda serves as evidence. But then, if you know that Miku likes Fuutarou, why are you also chasing after him?"
"What you and Nino are in love with each other... and what I had for you was a mere crush that wasn't going anywhere, to begin with. But from my understanding, what Miku has for Fuutarou-kun is a crush, plus he still hasn't developed any feelings for her."
"And you want to spend this evening with him?"
She let out a deep exhale, flopping down on the bed, "I do."
I pondered for a few moments. It feels wrong to not help her, and it feels just as wrong to do so.
"Listen, I am your friend Ichika. I'm not going to discourage you from following what your heart's desires... but I'm not going to encourage you either."
"What do you mean?"
"You asking me for help puts me in a hard place. I can't decide between you and Miku."
"I know..."
"So here's what you're gonna do: you're going to ask Miku and Fuutarou in the same place, and then ask them both if it's ok to dance with him."
"What?! I can't do that!"
"Can't you?" I said, "We know her. If you asked her alone, she's absolutely let you. But from what I talked to her, she really does have strong feelings for Fuutarou."
She stayed silent.
"You understand that I'm trying to put you on equal footing here, right?"
"I do. It's just that... it still fees unfair."
"You know that Miku doesn't have nearly as much agency as you do. Case in point, she asked for my help, and you didn't."
"Well, I did now."
"Yes, you did. After her."
"Mou..." She pouted.
I leaned forward, looking at her even though she was laying down, "Let's be honest. You don't need my permission to do any of these things. You can just go ask him alone and there'd be nothing that I could or would do about it. All I'm asking you to do is to think about your sister."
"I know it's selfish of me... but isn't all fair in love and war?"
"You're the one who decides what's fair. The same goes for the opponent, and you don't often agree on it. But by all means, if you can find a better solution for this, feel free to try it."
"I'll think of something... in fact, I think I already did..."
"Oh yeah?" I said, opening my book.
"Fuutarou has two hands."
"Oh god..."
...
It was around 4 PM. Ichika had decided to take a nap, and as Yotsuba asked, I kept her company, watching over her as I read. According to the schedule, the students should be coming back from skiing at around this time.
Just as I was starting a new chapter, I received a notification from Nino on my phone.
Tsun: "We need ur help"
Tsun: "Uesugi is ill"
I imagined. He didn't look well this morning and he forced himself to go skiing anyway. There was only one outcome to this situation.
"How is he?"
Tsun: "Abt to faint"
Tsun: "Can u help us take him to his room?"
"Omw"
Quietly but swiftly, I left the room. Ichika didn't look like she was going to wake up any time soon so she shouldn't miss my absence would go unperceived at least until the others arrive.
As I was making my way to where the bus had parked, I had made a realization. Fuutarou probably got sick after tending to Raiha, and then he passed it to Ichika yesterday when they were locked in the storeroom. But for that to happen, they probably had to be quite close to each other. The question is how close...
"L/N-kun!" I saw Itsuki getting off the bus, soon followed by Yotsuba supporting Fuutarou on her shoulders.
There were a ton of students around us, all too immersed in their own little worlds to be of any help. As for the teachers and camp staff, they were too busy directing everyone to the next activity.
"He's got a pretty bad fever." I said after putting the back of my hand against his forehead, "I'll take it from here Yots."
"I.. can still... walk..." He said, his voice weak and hoarse.
"Not the time to act tough, dude. Just accept other people's help for once."
"I... ugh. I'm too tired to argue."
Nino and Miku had just got off the bus, the latter looked at him with a very worried expression.
"You can argue if you want, but let's take you to the dorm first."
And so I helped the reckless smartass I call a friend to the room we were staying at, the quints following just behind me. Upon arrival, he took off his outer coat and flopped on the bed. His complexion was pale and completely exhausted, doing his best to still appear composed in front of his students, even if he was clearly failing at it.
"Uesugi-san..."
The four sisters looked at him with worry. Miku and Yotsuba looked particularly unhappy, standing at the door as they looked at us.
"You need to rest. If I catch you studying, I'll burn your notebooks." I said, proceeding to turn to the girls, "Let's let him rest for a bit."
"I'm sorry." Yotsuba said, "If I hadn't insisted for him to come, he wouldn't be feeling so bad."
"It's not your fault." I tried to comfort her, "Even if you asked him to stay, I'm pretty sure he would have forced himself to go."
"Fuutarou~~" Miku gently held her hand out for him.
I guess that he isn't going to dance with anyone tonight. It is a solution to Miku and Ichika's predicament but by no means a satisfying one. Except that maybe there's still a way to solve this.
"Do any of you not have a partner for the dance tonight?" I asked, receiving a weird look from Nino, " Cuz if you don't, I'll ask you to come to watch over him when it starts. My plan is to stay here until 6, then change with one of you."
"Actually, I think only Nino has a partner..." Itsuki shyly said.
"What a lucky guy."
"...Dummy..." Nino gave me a smiling pout.
"Cool, then I'll let you decide between you three. See you later."
I gently closed the door, seeing the girls looking at us worriedly. Given our options, I believe this is the best course of action. This way, it will be either Itsuki, Miku, or Yotsuba to come here keep him company. Ichika is out of this particular choice, so the one most likely to come is Miku. And technically they don't need to dance together. They only need to be holding hands at the end of the dance for the 'ritual' to work.
Onto my second babysitting task of the day. I sat on my bed and opened my book yet again. I need to wait for about two hours, and the closer we get to the bonfire dance, the slower the time appears to pass.
For the first ninety minutes, Fuutarou got his well-deserved sleep. I can only imagine how much exercise he must have made there, especially with Yotsuba there. Once the clock hit 5:30 PM, he woke up, looking a bit confused.
"Morning, sunshine." I said, without taking my eyes off the book.
"...Huh... how long was I out for?" He spoke with a groggy voice.
"A little over an hour. You were pretty tough holding it together there at the skiing resort."
"Gosh... Yotsuba wanted to play tag."
"Rough."
"You have no idea... So, did everything go right here?"
"I'll let you know in two hours. Worstcasescenariotheforestburnsdown."
"What?"
"Nothin." He eyed me warily but didn't press further, "Anyway, you must be tired dude. Imma pass by the cafeteria to grab a snack. You want something?"
"No thanks. I'm not that hungry. Honestly, I think I'm just going to take a shower and go back to bed."
"Whatever suits you, King." I said, standing up. "If you need anything, just text me."
"Thanks..."
In the meantime, as I was leaving the room., I quickly texted Miku, asking her to meet me at the cafeteria. My main objective was indeed to eat something before meeting Nino just so that I won't faint from the nervousness. The closer we get to 6 PM the more nervous I get. Fortunately, it's a good kind of nervousness.
There weren't many people around. Most of the students were gathered outside to wait for the bonfire to be lit and possibly try to get a last-minute soulmate. The ones who had already given up were either here or crying alone in their rooms. One year ago, this would have been quite relatable. I'm glad that's no longer the case.
Stopped before a vending machine, perusing through its items as I choose what would be my next meal. That's when I felt a small tug at the base of my shirt.
"What is it with you girls tugging my clothes instead of calling my name?"
"Sorry..."
"No need to apologize." I said as I selected an item.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
I turned around, unwrapping the cereal bar from the vending machine, "First, answer me this: What happened here in Japan during October 21 of the year 1600?"
"Battle of Sekigahara?"
"Good. You are Miku."
"Who else could I be?"
"That's what I wanted to talk about with you." I said, "Did Ichika say anything?"
"No. She's still asleep."
"Cool. Since she agreed to tell you this, I'll just go out and say it: She wanted to invite Fuutarou for the dance."
"I figured as such." She said, lowering her head with a sad sigh, "Fuutarou didn't want to dance with anyone in the first place. And well, especially now that he's sick, he's not going anywhere."
"Indeed. Trust that you agreed with the other two to be the one who'll watch over him during the bonfire?"
"...I was supposed to do that?"
At this moment, I couldn't help but audibly facepalm, making some of the nearby students turn their heads toward us.
"What did you think I was trying to do in the first place."
"I don't know... In truth, I kinda gave up on dancing with him."
"Well, you already know what I'm gonna say about that." I took a bite from the cereal bar, "The good thing is that you don't need to dance with him explicitly. Just holding hands at the end of the dance is enough. So what I hope you'll do is that you're going to tell the others that you'll keep him company and then execute the plan."
"But what if he realizes what I'm doing and then refuses me?"
"He won't. For starters, he'll be too groggy to realize that you're holding hands at the right moment. And as for the excuse you'll use to hold his hand is saying that you do this to your sisters when they're sick to make them feel better."
"I... hope this works."
"There's no way it won't work. It may not be as romantic as actually dancing with him, but it does the job."
"... Do you think he'll start liking me after that?"
"Depends. Do you want my opinion or my support?"
"I know that when you say that, I'm probably going to hear something harsh."
"I'll give you both. In my opinion, the whole promise this bonfire gives is just that. A promise, and not a guarantee. That said, a statistically significant amount of people who danced together here are now married, so there may be some unseen force that binds lovers' souls together... or it could just be some psychological phenomenon, idk."
Miku gave me a gentle smile, "I feel oddly reassured... thank you."
"Don't mention it." I smiled back, "And make sure you're the one who's there with him, ok?"
"But... I kinda feel bad for Ichika."
"It's either that, or you don't get to hold his hand." I said as I began to take my leave, "Anyway, I gotta get Nino's things ready. Let me know what happened later, ok?"
"Alright. And good luck with her."
"If I did everything right, we won't need any luck. But thanks anyway."
...
Nino's POV
It's almost time now. I've been counting the seconds ever since we came back, and with nothing better to do other than waiting, those two hours seemed to stretch out for years.
Only fifteen minutes left, and with each second I could feel my heartbeat getting increasingly stronger.
"Nino, are you ok?" Itsuki asked, "You are staring at that clock pretty intently."
"What else is there to do? It feels like if I stop looking at it, time stops moving."
"You look really pretty." Ichika said, looking at me as she laid on the bed beside mine.
"You think so? Thanks...I hope I'm not underdressed."
"Hehe... you know that Nino's nervous when she worries about her own sense of fashion."
"There's nothing to worry about, Nino. You look stunning." Yotsuba completed.
"Aww... you girls... I just tried doing my best with the combination of clothes that I brought here."
Their support certainly helped me feel a little bit at ease, but I just can't help but fidget around, doing everything I can to make the time pass faster. Is there even a point to it? Because honestly, I've grown tired of waiting. Even if I have to stand there at the edge of the forest, I'm willing to do it. I just can't wait anymore.
"Nino, are you going now?"
"I will. If I keep staring at that clock any longer, I'll go insane." I heard them giggling to themselves, "What?!"
"Nothing~" Ichika winked, "Go get him, Nino."
"Yes, I will."
I couldn't help but wonder if they were in on what he was doing. They probably were, but at this point, asking questions is pointless. I simply got up and took my leave, opening the door to see that Miku was about to go into the room. I gave her a little press on the shoulder, then continued my way.
The halls were mostly empty for the most part. I could only hear the distant chatter coming from outside. Taking a peek, I saw that the bonfire was already assembled and many of the students were already gathered on the patio. Some had pairs, some didn't. Thankfully, I belonged to the former group.
But regardless of what's happening there, that's not the place I'm meant to go. Not yet. The entrance to the test of courage was on the opposite side of the camp. If I walk a little slower than usual, I should arrive there just in time.
As I made my way through the campgrounds, my surroundings gradually became less populated. The teachers and the camp staff were all busy with the dance anyway, so it doesn't surprise me that there aren't any of them here... but I could still feel a presence. Like someone was watching me from the distance.
The entrance faced the backside of one of the dorms, and as I walked around it, I saw a single lit window with the silhouette of a person. Somehow, I instinctively knew who that person was, watching me. Y/N calls him Goldilocks, but I know him as Takeda.
He spotted me as I approached the entrance, giving me a small wave. From this distance, I didn't know if his smile was sorrowful or wicked. All I know is that he doesn't seem like he's enjoying me coming here. But if he's all the way over there, he can't interfere in my perfect evening.
With a little over five minutes to spare, I arrived at the entrance. Y/N-kun was nowhere to be seen at the time. Until...
Y/N ❤️: "Anxious?"
"A little"
"Where r u?"
Y/N ❤️: "You'll see"
And just like that, I heard the sound of something lighting up. I looked to my side to see a lit sparkling candle tied to a tree. Soon after, another one lit up. Then another one, forming a path through the forest.
Completely enchanted, I followed the little sparkling lights as they lit up as I walked. After the fifth light, one of the trees also had a small card tied to it. I took it in my hands, reading its beautiful cursive.
"It hasn't been long since we met, yet I can already see my entire life with you."
Did he prepare all this? During last night and today when we went skiing? I untied the card from the string, collecting it, and kept going, striding deeper into the woods as I followed the little sparkling lights until I found another one.
"How long has it been? Two months? Three? I completely lose my sense of time when I am with you."
I collected this one as well and kept going.
"Because regardless of how much time we spend together, if I am with you, I will cherish every last second."
Finally, I start to see a silhouette in the distance.
"Life has become so much more colorful after I met you, and I just can't imagine how it would be if I didn't have you."
I give only a few more steps forward...
"So for that reason, I just want to be able to have you by my side forever. To finally be able to call you mine. So tell me, Nino..."
There he was, standing at the shore of the lake. He looked stunning as ever, the sunset illuminating his beautiful features.
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
He looked so calm... so serene. Perhaps because he already knew what my answer would be. After all this time, after making me wait for so long, there was only one answer. One word that I wanted to scream for the entire world to hear.
I fell into his embrace, looking at him one more time.
"Finally..." I said with a bated breath, "I do."
I closed my eyes, and then we kissed. The long-awaited kiss that I stole from him twice already.
Everything seemed to melt away at that moment. That beautiful, magical moment that I would cherish for the rest of my life. It feels like nothing else mattered. Nothing other than us both, holding each other on that very moment... I never want to let him go. I want this moment to last forever. I want to be able to call him mine.
And now I finally can.
I cherished his lips for just a few more seconds before we let go, and once I opened my eyes again, I saw that the entire lake was glowing. Hundreds, if not thousands of little golden sparks were shining on the surface of the water, illuminating it entirely. It felt as if we were standing in the starry sky.
And there he was, looking at me with the most beautiful smile.
"Y/N-kun..."
"This is all for you. And if I could, I'd give you so, so much more."
That's when I knew, at that very moment, that he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
"I..."
I was speechless. Never in my life did I ever expect something so celestially beautiful and grandiose from a declaration.
"One more thing."
He retrieved a small box from his pocket, opening it and revealing a golden pendant in the shape of a butterfly.
"My god... how the hell am I going to one-up you after all this?" I said, giggling as tears of joy began to form in my eyes.
"Just keep being yourself. It's already enough to make me fall in love."
"Dummy... you always know what to say."
I turned around, letting him put the pendant around my neck.
"The real question is how the hell am I going to one-up this when I ask you to marry me." He said.
"Before you even do that, you owe me a dance."
"Hah... indeed I do."
I turned once more, delighting myself in the sparkling sight.
"I loved it." I placed my hand over the pendant, hanging right over my heart.
"Hopefully all this can demonstrate just a fraction of how much you mean to me."
Stop... my heart can't take it...
"Y/N-kun... I love you."
"I love you too."
I place my hand over his own as we watched the last few sparks go out. It was worth every second I waited. I even felt a bit rude for getting angry. But it was all meaningless now.
All that mattered was that I was with him. And finally, I could say that I was his girlfriend.
This is only the beginning of our story together.
...
A/n
Thank you so much, guys. This story has grown more than I could ever imagine, and I have no way to truly express the gratitude that I have for each and every one of you. Throughout all these chapters, I have reached and maintained the top position from the #quintessentialquintuplets and the #ninonakano tags, and it now has in likes the same amount of views I was expecting to get on the first chapter. So all this is to say thank you, and congrats for finally getting Nino as your girlfriend.
That said, I have a bit of bad news. I'm going to give Butterflies a small break. When I started this story, I used it as a form of escapism. Somewhere I could go to feel loved, and I thought to myself that maybe by sharing it, I could give more people this feeling of safety and love that I was so desperately trying to find. I do sincerely hope, from the bottom of my heart that Butterflies has been able to give you such a feeling.
But don't worry. Just like Nino said on that last line, this is only the beginning. The first third, to be more specific (and that's not counting the island story). I plan to take it all the way to the end of the manga. But for now, I'll take a two or three month break both to start a new story set in the Arknights universe, as well as give more attention to my studies.
Have an amazing week, Kings. Thank you so much for everything.