Fuutarou went to the north side of the festival and began to ask for all the work that Yotsuba had. On top of his current work, this turned into a great deal of stress for him, but he was ready to torture his body.

Fuutarou:"If this was the old me, I would have no doubt given up already. I would no doubt pass out even quicker. I could barely run without feeling like crap, even for less than a minute. What a pain..."

…

Fuutarou continued to pick up gas tanks for the food stalls, ingredients, being a tour guide, giving groups paint, cardboard, paper, scissors, and pens. That wasn't all, he would get errands for the Calligraphy Club, the Chorus Club, the English Club, the Train Club, Cheerleading Club, Dance Club, Band Club, Graphic Design Club, Art Club, Photography Club, and as many stalls as possible.

Fuutarou:"We seriously are lacking in manpower...No wonder this was too much for even Yotsuba. I have to pace myself so I don't give in as well."

Fuutarou saw the Broadcasting Club going around, but before he could check up on them, he noticed a certain someone standing in front of a magic and toy stall that Yotsuba had noted down on the notes she left. As he walked towards it, the girl turned around.

Takebayashi:"Oh, there you are. I didn't see you all day yesterday."

Fuutarou:"You were here yesterday? I've been plenty busy. Sorry I can't talk right now, I have to get right back to work."

Takebayashi:"Haha, well, you're definitely acting like one of those sisters. She helped us greatly but she seemed to be equally as busy."

Fuutarou:[She must be talking about Yotsuba...Hm?]

Fuutarou checked inside the stall to see that no one was there.

Fuutarou:"That's odd, they're supposed to be open."

Takebayashi:"Yae and Sandy were here a few minutes ago, but they decided to leave to do something."

Fuutarou:"In the middle of the day…?"

Takebayashi:"They were gonna do it yesterday, but Yae left to do something, not to mention that fire."

Fuutarou:"...Yeah, I guess that would stop a lot of people...Wait, you know them?"

Takebayashi:"Yae and Sandy? Of course, we've known each other for a while now."

Fuutarou:[We did see them at her school, so I guess that makes sense.] "Well, whatever. Enjoy your stay."

Takabayashi:"You got it!"

As Fuutarou left, Takebayashi turned towards the main building.

Takebayashi:[They should be finishing up soon.]

Fuutarou kept trying to work, even while exhausted.

Fuutarou:[My body burns like hell. Even after all my gym trips I've done with Miku, it sure has been a pain. I should have taken Miku's invitation to go for one more trip to the gym…]

Fuutarou stopped before looking down and closing his eyes. After a while, he kept going.

Fuutarou:[But that's in the past…]

…

While that was happening, the pancake stall was still working.

"We're almost out of today's ingredients."

"This place has been super popular, hasn't it?"

"You're doing better now, Miku-chan! You're feeling better?"

Miku:"Yeah. Nino being here took a load off and got me in a faster groove than before. Not to mention, she was doing some tactics I can use to make the process easier. I still have a long way to go, it seems."

"You can do it, Miku-chan!"

Miku:[Today is almost done. It was pretty tough holding out for so long. I tried calling Fuutarou but he didn't pick up. I guess he's even busier than I am. He and Yotsuba work really hard, they still have to work for a couple of hours more…]

…

"We're finally finished!"

"Hopefully nothing bad happens today!"

Miku:"You really shouldn't jinx it…"

"Oh, sorry, that's bad luck."

Miku:[Nino never came back. Fuutarou hasn't called back either...Ichika didn't come today, did she?]

As she finished that thought, Miku's knees almost buckled, causing her to grab onto something so as to not fall down.

Miku:"I'm seriously tired…"

"You should get some rest."

Miku:"Yeah, I'll go sit down inside the building, I think."

Miku said her goodbyes to the other girls and began to walk towards the main building. On her way, she saw the group of boys from the takoyaki stall sitting together. They still seemed really angry, so she decided to avoid them. Once she got inside, she was close to the nurse's office when she saw a couple of students from the safety committee.

Miku:"Excuse me. Have you seen either Fuutarou or Yotsuba? She's the fourth Nakano sister."

"I don't know about Uesugi-san, we just know he was on the north side."

Miku:[So he is back...I might just have been bothering him if he was so busy.]

"As for the fourth Nakano sister. Well…"

The students led Miku to the door. When she opened it, she saw Yotsuba lying there.

Miku:"She's sleeping?"

"Yeah. Apparently she was found passed out in the middle of the festival."

Miku:"W-What?"

"It was nothing serious, just exhaustion. She should be fine after some rest. We'll be going now."

As the group of students went away, Miku looked back.

Miku:[You went and pushed yourself too hard again...Yesterday, you really did mean it when you were going to work even harder...Yotsuba…]

Miku went closer to the bed and took off Yotsuba's ribbon, then put it on the desk nearby.

Miku:[That must be uncomfortable to sleep in...These things…]

Miku grabbed her headphones.

Miku:[I guess I wouldn't blame them for not even noticing...We've been wearing these things for years now.]

Miku took off her headphones.

Miku:[For a while now, I've grown less fond of that quintuplet game we did. Before, I used it as a shield, to try and copy you girls. I viewed myself as worthless... I thought that by copying you, I could become closer to the high bar I believed my sisters set. But...little by little…]

{"You must be Ichika!"}

{"Ichika...Why are you disguised as me…?}

{"What I can taste is the hard work you put in."}

{"You look good with a ponytail."}

Miku:[I began to get scared of that very thing. I wanted to try and truly become my own person. Sometimes I wonder if I just wanted to run away...But there are other times when my conviction pulls through and tells me this is the right thing. But, above all, I still love my sisters and I don't want to see them suffer.]

Miku began to reach for Yotsuba's ribbon.

…

A girl left the nurse's office and approached some of the students in the safety committee.

"Oh, Yotsuba-san?"

?:"No, I'm not her."

"Huh?"

The girl, who had no accessories on her, put her hand on her chest as her long hair flew in the wind.

Miku:"I'm her sister, Miku. Please give me Yotsuba's share of the work! I'll take over for her!"

Miku:[I'll help you, as Miku!]

End of Chapter 68