[Third Person POV]
Clark had Yotsuba locked in a full Nelson, his arms firmly but carefully hooked under hers, making it utterly impossible for her to wriggle free. Her face was red with humiliation, her legs kicking helplessly in the air as she trembled both from frustration and embarrassment.
"English grammar is a little tricky at first," Clark began calmly, his voice steady as if this bizarre situation was the most ordinary thing in the world. "But once you understand the rules, it becomes a lot simpler. Every language has its own structure and patterns, and once you grasp those, learning becomes much easier. For example, in English, when a word begins with a vowel, we use 'an.' But when it begins with a consonant, we use 'a.'"
He spoke with the poise of a patient teacher giving a lecture.
The sisters stared in silence, their pens frozen midair. The sound of the ceiling fan was the only thing that broke the tension.
"Well?" Clark asked after a moment, glancing around the room with a deadpan look. "Are you going to write that down? I'm not repeating myself."
Ichika rubbed her temple, exhaling sharply. "Clark… I think you're underestimating just how distracting this is," she said, motioning toward the sight before her.
"Yeah, seriously," Nino added with a strained grin. "Maybe let her go? Yotsuba looks like she's about to burst into tears—or explode."
Clark didn't even blink. "Have you learned your lesson yet?" he asked Yotsuba, tilting his head toward her.
Yotsuba growled through clenched teeth, her face scrunched up with indignation. "Over my dead body! I'll never surrender to you! You're only adding to your karmic debt, you monster!"
Clark sighed. "You heard her, ladies," he said casually. "Apparently I'm the villain here. Blame her for being a stubborn pain in the neck. Now, where was I… oh right, grammar."
Miku sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yotsuba, can't you bother Clark later? He's here to help us study, and you know how important exam scores are to our father."
Clark scoffed. "Later? How about never. I'm starting to lose patience here."
Yotsuba snapped back instantly, "Trust me, the feeling's mutual."
She glanced at Miku, seeing the silent plea in her eyes, and finally let out a long, reluctant sigh. "Fine… I'll stop."
'She's lying,' Clark thought with an inward roll of his eyes, easily picking up the quickened rhythm of her heartbeat.
Still, he decided to release her. "Don't even think about—"
"Ahhh!" Yotsuba roared, spinning around the instant she was free, lunging at him with reckless fury.
Clark barely moved. With practiced precision, he caught her mid-charge, wrapping one arm across the front of her neck and locking her into a snug headlock. He pulled her down effortlessly, pinning her in place against his side as she kicked and flailed.
"Alright," Clark said as if nothing had happened, glancing toward the others, "shall we move on to math?"
The room went completely silent before everyone broke into muffled laughter. Even Itsuki, who had been trying to maintain a serious face, struggled to hide her amused smile.
"Have you… trained in martial arts or something?" Itsuki finally asked despite herself. "Yotsuba's practiced both karate and judo since she was little, and she's actually pretty good."
Clark sighed. "My grandmother started training me when I was five. So yes, I'm more than familiar with the art."
"Oooh," Ichika, Miku, and Nino said in unison, leaning forward with interest now that Clark had actually shared something about himself.
Even in her awkward position, Yotsuba's curiosity broke through her frustration. "Isn't that dangerous, though? Training that young? Doesn't that mess with your muscles or bones or something?"
Clark looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "Take a good look at me and tell me if early training stunted anything."
Yotsuba blinked, scanning his tall frame and solid build, before scoffing, "...Yeah your brain."
Clark slowly stared at her, before he snorted a laugh, "Alright I'll admit, you got me with that one"
She shifted slightly, trying to peek up at him. "So, uh, are you going to release me now?"
"Are you going to stop attacking me?"
"Nope."
"Then there's your answer."
Clark resumed his role as a tutor as if she weren't still trapped against his side, while the others tried—badly—to contain their laughter.
Once the three sisters began working on the practice problems Clark had assigned, the room settled into a rare moment of quiet. Pencils scratched against paper, the ticking of the wall clock filled the air, and the faint hum of the ceiling fan stirred the silence. Clark leaned his head back against the seat cushion of the couch, still keeping one arm securely wrapped around Yotsuba, who remained half-trapped in his hold.
He exhaled softly, letting his head rest lazily against the cushion. His eyes wandered around the couch before it settled on Itsuki. Her brows were tightly furrowed, her pencil moving hesitantly as she tried to solve an equation. There was an unmistakable look of determination in her eyes—she was struggling, yes, but she refused to give up.
Clark's gaze lingered slightly. He noticed how she kept chewing on her bottom lip whenever she concentrated too hard. 'What an adorable habit…' he caught himself thinking, surprised by the thought before quickly dismissing it with a quiet scoff.
To distract himself, he activated his special vision—his irises faintly glowing for a brief second—and examined her star-shaped hairpin. Immediately, faint traces of spiritual energy shimmered around it like starlight.
'Stronger than before,' he noted, narrowing his eyes. 'It wasn't radiating that much energy earlier in class.'
He let his gaze drift, inspecting the others. Miku's headphones carried a similar trace of energy. Nino's butterfly ribbon, Yotsuba's green bow, Ichika's earring—they all radiated the same spiritual signature.
'It's faint when they're apart,' he thought, his analytical mind piecing it together, 'but when the five of them are together, the resonance amplifies. Not exactly that they're weaker alone, just that they can bring out their full potential when they're united. They're quintuplets, so being connected isn't exactly surprising—but this feels different. It's not just biological. There's something deeper… something binding. A bond beyond the physical—spiritual maybe? But what could it mean?'
Before he could ponder further, Itsuki suddenly noticed him staring. She looked up with a suspicious squint. "What?" she asked, raising a brow.
Clark blinked, seemingly unfazed. He leaned his head back again, closing his eyes as he faced the ceiling. "Questions number two, three, five, seven, and eight are wrong," he said calmly. "You're using the wrong equation format. It's understandable though—The teacher's method takes too many unnecessary steps that it just gets confusing. A simpler way to solve it is like this…"
Without lifting his head, he began explaining the process in clear, concise steps. His tone wasn't arrogant, or irritated, or condescending like usual. There was no mockery in his words, no smug undertone. Just clarity.
Itsuki listened in silence, her pencil hovering midair as she absorbed his explanation. He didn't sound like someone trying to prove he was smarter than everyone else. He just… taught. It was oddly natural, and even comforting in a way.
She looked back down at her notebook, following his steps carefully. Within moments, the answer clicked. She understood. The same question that had frustrated her before suddenly seemed easy—so easy it was almost embarrassing she hadn't seen it earlier.
When she looked up again, she caught Clark's hand already extended toward her. In his palm was the eraser she had just been quietly searching for. "Thanks…" she muttered, trying not to sound too surprised.
He only hummed in response, eyes closed once more as if the whole world had bored him.
For a brief second, Itsuki just stared at him—this boy who irritated her, who spoke like he didn't care about anything, yet somehow seemed to know everything.
'Just how smart is he really?' she wondered. 'He got perfect scores on every exam. He doesn't even pay attention in class, and yet he understands every subject better than the teachers do. If only he wasn't so… him.'
She sighed softly, forcing herself to refocus on her workbook. 'No. Don't get distracted. He's still the same arrogant jerk who doesn't know how to talk to people.'
When she finally leaned forward to check on Yotsuba, expecting to find her still squirming or glaring at Clark, she froze.
Yotsuba was completely limp against Clark's side, her mouth slightly open, soft snores escaping as her chest rose and fell rhythmically. The sight was so absurd that Itsuki blinked several times, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Clark hadn't even reacted. His arm still rested lazily around Yotsuba's shoulders, and his expression remained indifferent—as though having a sleeping girl in a headlock was the most ordinary thing in the world.
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