The Quintessential Quintuplets volume 12 - Negi Haruba

 The highlight of the school year is upon Futaro and the sisters, as the school festival has arrived.

And while it will be their last event together, they decide to give it their all and enjoy it to the fullest.

But first, they must decide what they will organise as food stalls, settling on both Miku's and Nino's idea of what to serve.  Miku takes Futaro along to the aquarium, where she tells him she wants to attend cooking school, even though she is afraid he would refute it seeing her good grade.  But he tells her that whatever they decide to do, they have his full support.

When he returns home, he finds Itsuki there, bringing along vouchers for them to the festival.  As he walks her home, she confides in him that no matter what failures life might bring in their future, they where happy to have met him as it allowed them to grow into their own individuals.

Futaro calls them all together, telling them he loves all 5 of them and wished this could last forever.  But he will tell them his descision once the school festival ends, so they can keep the focus for now on the event.  But as Futaro is spotted with another girl, they don`t know what to think.  This is actually Takebayashi, a friend from elementary school that came to see how he did in high school, and who used to be Futaro's tutor.

The story shifts to the points of views of each of the sisters, and how they went through the school festival, starting with Ichika.  After snealing into the festival to avoid fans, she and Futaro help a young boy finds his mother again in the masses.  As they take an evening walk, she wants to know if Futaro has figured out already which of them kissed him at the bell that time, even kissing him herself before confessing this was the very first time she kissed a boy.

Next, Nino takes the center as she is looking for their father, to whom she had send an invitation for the festival.  When they run into Futaro's father, who turns out that he not only landed his son the tutoring job, but also was in school with the quints's dad, Futaro tells him he wants to say to their father his mind.  But thanks to the broadcasting club, it turns out their dad did come, but was called away.  Futaro collects his motorcycle and takes Nino to him in the hospital.

She bakes him pancakes like their mother used to do, using Miku's batter and telling him she wants him closer in their lives.  He tells Futaro he is actually glad he hired him for his daughters.  But as they leave, Nino pulls him in and kisses him.

And so we are a volume closer to the conclusion of this series, with only two books left to go sadly...