Chapter 1: Wedding Bells

The wedding bells can be heard ringing throughout the corridors. Its echoes coursing through.

Ayanokouji sat at the table in the corner of the room, his face buried in his elbows. Being right next to the window he could feel the warmth of the sunlight. The late afternoon sky outside filtered through the windowpane.

He wasn't really sleeping, even if his eyes were closed. People would look at him weird if they found him in deep sleep on such a momentous day. He is about to begin a new chapter of his life today, and Ayanokouji briefly wondered if it would change anything for him.

The bells continued to ring until he heard a knock on the door.

''Please wake up, groom. The brides are ready for you.'' A woman's voice could be heard from behind the door.

Ayanokouji gets up from his short slumber and starts stretching his arms. He gazed blankly at both his hands for a brief moment, before exhaling and facepalming himself.

His fingers didn't just have one wedding ring

Not two

Not even three

But FIVE different wedding rings!

Three on his left and two on his right. That's right, he's marrying five separate women today.

''How did it even come to this?'' He muttered to himself before sinking back in the chair, resting his left hand against the left cheek of his face.

Staring out the window at the beautiful blue sky with a bored look, he pondered about his dream. A dream of the unbelievable day that brought them together.

Even now as an adult... he saw that moment in his dreams. It was a friggin nightmare.

~ The day it all began~

The chilly night air greets a young man as he exits the taxi.

Wearing nothing but a simple polo shirt and jeans, and a large bag around his back, Ayanokouji heads to his next destination.

The first-year high school student walks briskly through the city streets, his face expressionless and frigid, changing only to blink or to monitor for traffic at key crossroads. He moves through the city stealthily, leaving no evidence of his existence as he travels.

After a half-an-hour stroll, his phone started vibrating. It was a flip phone, much like the ones drug dealers use to prevent tracking and location monitoring. Taking it out of his pocket, he accepted the 'unknown number'.

"So how was your first week at high school? Exciting, huh?" A familiar voice rang in his ear. His butler Matsuo. Or more accurately, his ex-butler.

"Not particularly, it's just school," Ayanokouji shrugs simply. "But I do like it."

''I bring you good news Master Ayanokouji,'' Matsuo exclaimed excitedly through the phone.

''Did my father finally die of a heart attack?''

''Uh....no,'' There is a long pause. ''He is currently infiltrating that school using every degree of influence and power available to him. The government is refusing to budge to his demands. Despite it producing no results, he's not giving up."

''Not surprising.'' He understood his father's actions quite well. Anyone would be that frantic if they just lost their most prized possession.

Ayanokouji had plans to go to Advanced Nurturing High school. Tho his plans soon changed. His father is a rather intelligent man, yet even this can be exploited against him. He wouldn't fathom thinking that Ayanokouji, the Magnus opus of the white room would pick a normal school rather than taking the obvious safe choice.

To make matters worse Ayanokouji already passed the entrance exam and got accepted to ANHS. His name is currently there in the student registry, despite him not attending.

His father is essentially on a wild goose chase.

It is a risky move, but Ayanokouji is confident in his ability to lay low. Hiding in plain sight, to say the least.

-

''I found a job for you and I believe it suits you perfectly!'' A job right now would be very helpful for Ayanokouji. A saving grace even. Being independent is expensive after all.

He is currently residing in a subpar apartment. Not the best, but not the worst either. He was fortunate enough to discover it at a criminal price. Unbelievably low compared to any other apartment in the vicinity because the homeowner believes the apartment is haunted.

Ayanokouji obviously doesn't buy into that, but even if it was haunted, he would make the ghost bow down so they can co-exist if he has to. He's not letting go of this apartment.

Having a steady income would be nice, he almost exhausted all his funds. [Money he borrowed from Matsuo that he promises to repay, despite Matsuo's protests.]

It would be easy to dive into the criminal underworld to get fast cash, but he rather play the part of an upstanding citizen for as long as he can.

-

Ayanokouji's phone vibrated once more as he received a message from Matsuo. A photo. It was a picture of five girls with vibrant pink hair. Even though they had identical faces, each had a unique vibe to them, making it easier to tell them apart.

''Quintuplets huh, they must've been quite the handful,'' Ayanokouji replied while scanning the picture.

Matsuo let out a small chuckle, perhaps trying to imagine it.

"I'm guessing whatever you want me to do involves these girls.''

''You ever thought about teaching people? Being a tutor of sorts?''

Placing both hands on his pockets and balancing the phone on his shoulder, Ayanokouji stared at the concrete ground. He understood what Matsuo wanted from him. ''You do realize, I never taught anyone before? Consider me a virgin in that department.''

"You're very gifted, Master Ayanokouji. Something like a tutoring gig should be a walk in the park for you." Although Matsuo has never witnessed firsthand what Ayanokouji is capable of, he is aware enough not to underestimate him despite his young age. ''Plus its good pay. 5 times the usual wage.''

Ayanokouji lets out a big sigh before speaking again. "So, which one do I have to teach, I'm guessing it's the air-headed one." He recalled the daughter with the carefree smile.

''All of them,'' Matsuo softly whispered on the phone.

''Sorry, what was that?''

''All-of-them,'' Matsuo repeated but this time with more vigor.

"So, not just one student, but five?" Ayanokouji states while raising an eyebrow. No wonder it's five times the pay. He gazed up at the moon, deep in thought before coming up with a decision. "Very well, consider it done."

''You don't even have to be that good at it; just make sure the girls don't completely fail and flunk out."

''Don't worry I'm sure I'll come up with something. Honestly how hard can teaching quintuplets be?''

''You might be surprised.''

And that's how Kiyotaka Ayanokouji ended up becoming the tutor of the Nakano sisters.