The time for goodbyes and new beginnings was upon everyone. With college fast approaching, all the new graduates found that it was time to leave the nest. On one side was the couple of Maeda and Matsui. The two were slowly walking away from each other while screaming their goodbyes.

Matsui:"You better not fail your normal classes! Takeda-kun ain't gonna be there for you!"

Maeda:"I'm not as dumb as I once was! You better ace your tests!"

Matsui:"You better kick ass!"

Maeda:"You got it, girl!"

Somewhere else, Takeda and Tsubaki were about to leave each other's side for the first time in months.

Takeda:"Are you alright? You were crying quite a bit with your parents."

Tsubaki:"I'm fine, I just needed to get it all out."

Takeda:"I see. I suppose that is common when leaving your parents."

Tsubaki:"What about you? This will be your first time living alone."

Takeda:"Yes, despite my father not showing often, I did have a butler. But these last few months, you've shown me how to live life a different way. I'm sure I'll be fine thanks to you."

Tsubaki:"Takeda-san...Hehe, make sure not to give Uesugi-san too much trouble."

Takeda:"Please, our college life will be the perfect time to overthrow him in grades."

Tsubaki:"What did I just say?"

Takeda:"Haha...Thank you, Tsubaki-chan."

Tsubaki:"Take care, Takeda-san!"

On another side, a group of five were also saying their goodbyes.

Shimoda:"Remember to call if you need help with your work."

Takebayashi:"Thank you."

Sanada:"Take-chan will get to be a top tier student in a different environment."

Yae:"I can hear the train coming."

Rito:"We should go or we'll be late."

The four graduates left as Shimoda waved goodbye.

Shimoda:"And so I'll be living by myself again...Maybe I should get married."

…

Finally, at the Nakano household, the big day had come.

Nino:"Miku, stop hogging the bathroom! I need to go!"

Miku:"Sorry, I'll get out now!"

Miku opened the door. Nino immediately noticed something was different.

Nino:"Your bangs are different."

Miku had combed the set of bangs that was covering her right eye away, leading to a more symmetrical look.

Miku:"I thought to have a little change before seeing Fuutarou off. How do I look?"

Nino:"...I think it's-Oh! That can wait, I need to go!"

As Nino rushed inside, Miku saw Yotsuba come up the stairs.

Yotsuba:"Hey, Miku! Trying something new?"

Miku:"Yeah."

Miku's eyes were drawn to the top of Yotsuba's head.

Miku:"I see you're trying something new as well."

Miku pointed out Yotsuba's ribbon, which was now white in color.

Yotsuba:"W-Well, that's…"

Ichika:"She bleached it when she was washing her clothes."

Miku and Yotsuba looked down the balcony to see Itsuki and Ichika.

Yotsuba:"It was an accident!"

Itsuki:"Will you truly be fine living alone?"

Ichika:"I will say, it looks nice."

Miku went to her room and picked up a bag.

Miku:"Whether by accident or not, her appearance changed. Are you thinking about a new style, Ichika?"

Ichika:"Nah, I'm fine with what I got. Besides, I wear enough costumes for my job. I have a photo shoot tomorrow to promote another drink."

Itsuki:"It's a good thing professionals take care of that. Knowing you, you'd try to take the pictures in your pajamas."

Ichika:"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Yotsuba:"Remember to keep your room clean, Ichika! That avalanche of clothes almost killed me when I was trying to wake you up."

Ichika blushed.

Ichika:"Yeah, yeah."

Soon enough, Nino came out.

Nino:"Okay, enough dawdling! Fuu-kun's train isn't gonna wait for us!"

"Right!"

…

In front of the Uesugi household, Fuutarou, with a well packed suitcase, was staring at the bakery.

Isanari:"Come on, Raiha. You have to see him off."

Raiha:"I don't want to say goodbye!"

Isanari had to rip Raiha out of the door to get her to come down.

Fuutarou:"We can always talk on the phone, you know."

Raiha:"..."

Raiha started to tear up.

Raiha:"Take care, big brother."

Fuutarou kneeled down and started patting her head.

Fuutarou:"Yeah. Take care, Raiha. You're already way more mature than pops, so you'll be fine."

Isanari:"I said I was sorry."

Fuutarou:"In any case, I should go."

Fuutarou grabbed his backpack and got ready.

Raiha:"Send many pictures!"

Fuutarou:"That's the plan."

Isanari:"Take care, kid."

Fuutarou nodded.

Fuutarou:"Raiha, pops, mom. I'm off!"

With that, he turned his back and began walking to the train station.

…

A number of minutes later, Fuutarou made it to the station, where Takeda was waiting.

Fuutarou:"You're here early."

Takeda:"My goodbyes were over early in the day. How about you?"

Fuutarou:"Nah, not yet. I told them I would go to their apartment in the morning, but they insisted they see me off at the station."

Takeda:"Oh, speaking of…"

Takeda pointed to the five sisters, coming closer. At that moment, Fuutarou's heart sank for a second, causing his heart to skip a beat.

Takeda:"What's wrong?"

Fuutarou:"N-Nothing. I just realized the magnitude of what's happening."

Takeda:"I see. Go on, don't keep them waiting any longer."

Fuutarou:"..."

Fuutarou got up and walked to the sisters while waving slightly. The girls noticed and sped up to meet him.

Fuutarou:"Yo...Well, this is it."

Miku:"You really are leaving. It just hit me."

Fuutarou:"You too, huh?"

Miku:"Yeah, seeing you here in the station really drove it home. Maybe I should just take the train with you."

The other four sisters looked at Miku in surprise.

Fuutarou:"You know you can't."

Miku:"Haha, I'm kidding of course."

Yotsuba:"Fuutarou-kun won't be with us starting tomorrow…"

Ichika wiped a tear from Yotsuba's cheek.

Ichika:"No crying. It's too early for that."

Yotsuba:"Y-Yeah, I have to see him off with a smile!"

As Yotsuba perked up, Ichika looked away for a bit.

Ichika:"Man, your crying is contagious, you know."

Yotsuba:"Fuutarou-kun! It's thanks to you that I came to terms with my past. I promise I won't let your efforts go to waste! It's Yotsuba's time to shine!"

Ichika:"Fuutarou-kun, if it wasn't for you, I would have kept lying to myself. You were a beacon of light to me. I promise to make you proud!"

Fuutarou:"Ichika...Yotsuba…"

Itsuki walked up.

Itsuki:"Uesugi-kun. Thanks to you, I feel like I've finally found myself. The Itsuki that I was playing has grown into her own person. I promise that the decisions I make will be mine and mine alone!"

Fuutarou:"Itsuki…"

Nino came up.

Nino:"I don't feel like saying goodbye. It makes it sound like we'll never see each other again, and that's just not true. You better not forget about us, you hear?"

Fuutarou:"How could I ever forget five annoying brats?"

Nino:"Says the idiot!...Fuu-kun...Not only did you help our grades, but our relationships with each other...with our family...Thank you, you jerk!"

Nino softly punched Fuutarou's stomach.

Fuutarou:"Nino…"

With that, Miku was the last to come up.

Miku:"I don't really know what to say at this point...My life really changed thanks to you. In a way, it's scary to think you won't be right there to hug me, or to tutor, or to make me laugh. But...I'm also excited to see where life takes me next. As soon as we can, we should get together, to count tales from our new experiences and to hang out...Fuutarou, from the bottom of my heart, I love you. I'm so glad I met you!"

Fuutarou's heart sank once again. He looked at Miku for a bit before giving her a final hug.

Fuutarou:"Thank you, Miku. I know you can do it."

Miku:"I'll be waiting for you."

Fuutarou:"As will I."

Takeda:"The train's coming!"

Fuutarou turned to see the aforementioned train coming towards the station. After yet another heart skip, he suddenly felt a big sensation surrounding him. The sisters all gave him a hug at the same time. Fuutarou, without saying anything, smiled. Once they let go, they all gave him a smile right back.

Ichika:"Well, see ya."

Nino:"Good luck."

Yotsuba:"If anything happens, give us a call!"

Itsuki:"Take care. I'll be looking forward to seeing you again."

Miku:"Until we meet again."

Fuutarou quickly ran back to the station and picked up his suitcase. The girls followed him to the entrance. The door opened, allowing him and Takeda to go inside. Once he stepped in, Fuutarou turned around as the door closed behind him. That moment where the train was still at the station felt like an eternity. But, eventually, the train began to move. The sisters were planning on simply watching, but without thinking, their legs began to move. They started to run with the train. Fuutarou watched through the window as they did their best to keep up.

Nino:"Thank you for everything!"

Itsuki:"You'll always be our friend!"

Ichika:"Please don't worry about us!"

Yotsuba:"I'll do my best, so you better not run away!"

Miku:"I love you, Fuutarou! I'll always treasure our memories!"

Fuutarou nodded as he tried to hold back his tears. The five sisters kept up with the train until it was simply too fast. The five continued to run even as it got away, thanking Fuutarou along the way. Before long, they would need to stop due to the safe area running out. They continued to wave for a while before the train would begin to fade away in the distance. The moment it did, all five of them burst into tears, holding each other in an attempt to comfort the hole in their hearts.

Miku:[No matter how far apart we are, we'll always be together. The bonds we've made will never be broken.]

Fuutarou sat next to Takeda and looked out the window for much of the ride, remembering all the memories he had made.

Takeda:"Do you have any regrets?"

Fuutarou:"No way in hell."

Fuutarou had left.

…

Soon enough, the sisters would begin to split up themselves. First was Ichika, who was already in demand for her next job. She hugged her sisters before getting in the manager's car.

Ichika:"Take care."

Nino:"Outperform everyone!"

Miku:"You can do it."

Yotsuba:"If anyone can, it's you."

Itsuki:"Thank you for being our big sister!"

As Ichika waved, she would be the next to leave.

…

Yotsuba was next, going by bus to her college.

Yotsuba:"You better not forget about me!"

Nino:"Follow my instructions, you hear? Prove that you can live alone just fine."

Miku:"Don't be afraid to say no. Don't overwork yourself."

Itsuki:"You've already grown so much, so I believe in you!"

Yotsuba would quickly get on the bus and drive away. There were three sisters left.

…

Itsuki was next. She would take a taxi to her destination.

Itsuki:"Take care, you two."

Nino:"Make sure not to eat too much."

Miku:"Don't let strange men tempt you with food."

Itsuki:"Ehh? You underestimate me too much! But, thank you."

Itsuki hugged the two of them.

Itsuki:"I love you all."

Miku:"We love you too."

Nino:"That will never change."

Itsuki then got in the taxi and left the two sisters. They were the only ones left.

...

Nino would be next, having scheduled a personal ride.

Miku:"Wait, before you go!"

Miku took out a bag and handed it to Nino. Upon opening it, she took out the present, they were new hair ribbons.

Miku:"I got them a while ago, but didn't know when to give them to you."

Nino:"These were at the store I went to with Fuu-kun…"

She quickly took off her current ribbons and put on the new ones.

Miku:"Nino?"

Nino:"Thought I should let you see how I look in them."

Miku:"...You look great."

Nino:"Naturally!...Take care on your trip. Text me every 30 minutes if you have to."

Miku:"Are you my mom? You do the same, don't accidentally create a super weapon."

Nino:"The only weapon I need is my beauty."

Miku:"Haha, is that so?"

After a final hug, Nino would get in, but not before some final words.

Nino:"You're beautiful too. Keep rocking that hair style."

With that, she would leave. Miku was the only one left.

…

"Flight 309 will depart soon."

The announcement through the intercom caught the attention of Miku, who was waiting with her suitcase. She quickly made her way to the plane and took her seat. After a while, it went through the runway and found itself up in the air. Miku looked down at the city she had so many fond memories of before disappearing in the clouds. She then took out a picture that Fuutarou had given her. Taken during their last party was everyone having fun. Miku smiled with a blush. As she put the photo back, the plane would slowly take its leave out of the country. Their new lives had begun.

End of Chapter 168