"So that's your plan, huh? Think you'll have a chance to give it to him?" Mutsumi asks as she rows the oars on a boat. The water below them sloshes about, the fountain spurting off in the distance. "Lunch on the first day should be my chance. You won't sabotage me, right?" Miku asks as she takes a bite of her prototype loafs she planned to take home. As she stops rowing and smiles, Mutsumi raises one hand. "Cross my heart and ho-..." She slowly lowers her hand. "I can't promise that, I'm sorry." She says, her face sullen. The water seems to go still, the wind howls as the sky turns from a blue to a bright orange. "Well then Mutsumi, I won't lose." Miku says. Mutsumi just looks off into the distance, something else on her mind.
"What's your plan Yotsuba? You're the class rep, so you have that going for you." She asks as the moonlight reflects off of the links of the chain swing. "Well, I want to play fair. Maybe...maybe I'll take him around where we played that day. If he realizes it on his own, it'll be better than telling him outright." Yotsuba swings forward. "Maybe after lunch. We might be able to sneak out and go to that shrine before anyone notices." She leaps off, landing just short of her previous record. Mutsumi just looks at her with a troubled face.
In school, Mutsumi walks around alone, her sisters in the library waiting. She passes by Takeda and Maeda on her way there. "It was his idea. Where the hell is he!?" Maeda grumbles. "Hmm, I think I have an idea. Let's go to the washroom." Takeda says as the fingers on his right hand spasm. "D-Does he have a washroom sensor?" Mutsumi mumbles to herself, opening the door to the library.
The air around the table is tense, their glares towards each other is fierce. "A limit of five, huh?" Itsuki asks, her sisters grumbling to themselves. "It's not like we'll even have to worry about the limit. Those four already have a plan, just them and Fuutarou-san." Mutsumi mutters as Fuutarou walks up and sits at the table.
"Oh. Miku's here, how rare." Fuutarou says, setting his bag down. "I have work after, so I can't stay long." Miku replies, brushing aside her hair. "It's the first time since the national mock exams that everyone's present, isn't it?" Itsuki asks, looking at him. As she speaks, her elders turn their stares towards her.
"What's with that look Itsuki?" Nino asks. Itsuki gets embarrassed, then tries to get started studying. "Before that, I'd like to talk about the school trip..." Miku starts off the conversation, effectively releasing the kraken.
"The group limit is five, so one of us is going to be separated from the others...Fuutarou, can you and I be in a group?" She says. "Ahm, about that..." He says before Yotsuba speaks up. "I should be with him, We're the class reps, so we'll be called upon anyways. Might as well be in one group so nobody else gets disturbed." She says, asserting her authority.
"No, I'll do it! I've already decided. Fuu-kun and I are going to be in a group. I know you're all scheming something. I want to walk around with the person I love. I won't take no for an answer." Nino stands up from her seat, not caring at all. "Well...uhm…" He mutters as Takeda and Maeda walk in and scan the room. "Oh. Well...that explains why he was nervous."
"I've already formed a group with some guys in class. You have to sort this matter out yourselves." He says, noticing the guys behind him. "Seems like they need something from me. I'll be right back." Fuutarou stands up, walking over to his group with a sigh.
"I...guess we should've let him explain...hahaha." Ichika chuckles as their faces go red. "We can't change his mind, it seems. He's enjoying their company." Itsuki points to the group, seeing a smile on their tutor's face. "So, what about us?" Miku asks.
"Hmm, it says there's a limit of five people per group." Yotsuba says. "So a group of six isn't allowed." Nino says begrudgingly. "What about two groups of three that just coincidentally stick together?" Mutsumi says. "Hmm, that might work! Who's going with who though?" Ichika asks.
They stare each other down. "How about Ichika, Nino, and I go in one group; Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki go in the other?" Mutsumi suggests. Ichika protests, but it's five to one in favor so she was overruled. "This way, we get two rooms too. Which means we can get ready sooner." Miku says.
"What're you planning? Getting in my way again, Mutsumi?" Ichika scowls at her when they arrive home that day. As Ichika presses her against the wall, her hands pushing on Mutsumi's shoulders, her sister just stares off in the distance with her own grimace. "You said I could trust you, so much for that." She lets go of her as Nino walks in with Yotsuba at her side.
As they come closer, Miku and Itsuki walk in through the front door, having just come home from work. "So, does anyone need anything for the trip? I'm planning on going out shopping tomorrow." Itsuki asks as Miku hands over a croissant, it seems to glisten and shine with the butter leaving perfectly browned flakes. "I...I think I need some new underwear." Yotsuba says, snagging the bread before Itsuki could get her hands on it. "I think I'll go too, I just got paid so I might find something." Mutsumi says.
Her sisters asleep, Mutsumi sneaks about the apartment, looking into Ichika's luggage for the trip. "She really is too far gone." She fiddles with them as she puts a pair of headphones back, she walks over to the TV and turns it on. "Hey Fuutarou-san. Itsuki, Yotsuba, and I are going to the mall tomorrow. We need to talk, I need help. Bring Raiha-chan, I don't want Yotsuba hearing this." She sends without hesitating.
"Mutsumi? What are you doing awake?" Nino asks as she heads for the bathroom. Mutsumi just lets the silence answer her, her head resting on her hands in deep thought. "Nino, how far would you go for Fuutarou-san?" The sound of water stops and the door creaks open. "I'd knock all of you down if I had to." Nino replies, getting a glass of water. "And if you lose, what would you do?" Nino turns to her, opening her mouth.
"Alright, what is it?" Fuutarou says as he sits down on a bench. "It must be important if you had to have both of us here." Itsuki says. "I'll get to the point. I'm going to do something horrible in Kyoto. Before you even ask, I need to do this; it's better than the path inaction goes down. That's all I can tell you, since this also hinges on your reaction to my actions." Mutsumi says, removing a familiar wide rimmed hat from her hair and placing it on Itsuki's head. "I won't ask for you to forgive me then, that is your choice. I just ask that you listen to me after I do it, I'll explain it then." She says, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. "Take care of them, I'm counting on you." As the two are left to ponder between themselves, Mutsumi spots Yotsuba in the food court with Raiha.
"Why have me do it? What exactly are you going to do?" Itsuki catches up to her. "It's something mom would...nah, never mind it. I know you can keep them together." Mutsumi says. "Why'd you come wearing this?" She asks, holding the hat. "Because, like this persona, I'll be going away for a while." Itsuki stands there, eyes wide and mouth agape. "Are you coming back?"
"That depends."
"What do you think she's going to do?" Fuutarou asks when Itsuki walks back. "I...I don't know. But I'm scared." They get up, meeting up with Yotsuba and Raiha. The four of them continue shopping, not finding the sixth sister.
"So, Uesugi-san, what's your group planning to do on the first day?" Yotsuba asks, carrying shopping bags full of clothes. "Well, since we're going to be together as a class on the second day, my group will probably skip the popular spots." He thinks aloud. "Are you going to revisit the places you went, you know...with that girl years ago?" Raiha asks, holding Fuutarou's items. "Maybe. Who knows. Even though I'm the leader, Takeda and Maeda aren't exactly ones to just let me have my way all the time." He groans.
"You should visit that temple where the god of scholars is. If only you had their divine intervention, I wouldn't have had to deal with your sextuplet schemes." Fuutarou says jokingly as the four of them leave. "Alright. Preparations are complete." Mutsumi says as she rubs her eyes. "Tears? It's too early to have regrets."
"We're just going to follow them, huh?" Itsuki asks. "Well, that's what everyone's thinking of doing. Even if we don't want to, we can't really stop them." Mutsumi says, seeing Itsuki put on the hat. "Alright, that's in place...now..." The six of them trail the boys as they visit the temple of the god of scholars. "Fuutarou came here first? I'm not surprised." Miku says, clutching a paper bag and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "This temple, I should've prayed to the god here when we went here last time." Yotsuba says. "Those two..." Mutsumi feels a hole in her stomach. "Hey, they're moving. Let's go." Ichika motions them ahead.
"Woah...Torii! There's so many!" Yotsuba says, running slightly ahead. "I've seen them in photos before, however the real thing is truly breathtaking." Itsuki says, awestruck. "Let's take a picture!" Nino pulls out her phone, they all pose and take pictures for two minutes. "Where did Fuutarou go?" Miku asks as they all realize. "They got ahead, come on. We have to catch up." Mutsumi says as she and Yotsuba lead the charge up the path.
"H-How much farther...do we have...have to go?" Miku says, losing her breath. She takes a step forward as her leg slips. "Gotcha! You okay sis?" Mutsumi catches her, slinging her arm over her shoulder. "Yeah...thanks." Miku smiles. Mutsumi catches a glimpse of it before looking away. "It must be nice to rely on someone else to do all the work, eh Miku?" Nino taunts. "But at least you don't resort to cheap tricks, unlike a certain villainess." She glances to Ichika, who clutches her bag. The six of them arrive at the intersection.
"I guess we have to split up." Ichika says. "Well, we're already divided in two groups for class, let's just split up that way." Yotsuba says. "We'll take the path on the right then." Itsuki says as their group heads off. "We should go too, if Fuutarou-san is already up there, then he might be leaving before we make it to the top." Mutsumi says as Nino and Ichika begrudgingly follow.
"So, what are you scheming Ichika?" Nino asks as they walk up the path. "I don't have anything planned. What gave you that idea?" She lies, her eyes giving her away. "Give it a rest, both of you. Unlike you, I actually want to enjoy this trip instead of worrying over some boy." Mutsumi lies. "Come on, work..." She thinks. "So you're giving up? What happened to your gusto a few days ago?" Ichika asks, a small smirk on her face. "Alright, I knew it was too good to be true."
"Oh, a washroom." Nino exclaims. "Perfect timing, I think I touched something on one of the torii. It's making my hand tingle." Mutsumi says. "That's why you shouldn't go and touching random things." Ichika says as Nino walks in. Mutsumi turns, pretending to go in. "I knew it!" She thinks as she hears Ichika take off ahead of them. She pulls out her phone, checking the screen as the map on it shows two blips. "With her pace I'll be able to catch up." She breaks into a run. "Itsuki's group is going to reach it at around the same time too, but maybe she just stayed behind and let Yotsuba run ahead." She thinks as she matches her footfalls with Ichika to mask the sound.
"She hasn't noticed me yet. Good, now if I can just get close enough." She thinks as Ichika takes her hands down from her neck. "Just a bit more..."
"Looks like I made it first..." Ichika mutters to herself as she hears footsteps come up the other path. "Ichika...why do you have my sweater?" Miku asks as another set of footsteps come up behind Ichika. "Alright...I made it...Now to wait for Fuu..." Mutsumi says, stopping when she sees Yotsuba and Miku. "They're here early, but my phone says Itsuki's still coming up...did they..." She thinks as the blip from Itsuki's hat slowly makes it's way to the one in Ichika's headphones.
"Mutsumi...you too?" Miku says, her voice faltering and her eyes shaky. "How could you?! I thought I could trust you!" Miku bursts out. "You were the one that pushed me to act! Why would you do this!" Miku clenches her fists. "'It'll be okay, I'm here...' You said that six years ago..." Yotsuba mutters. "You traitor!" The two of them walk up to Mutsumi as Itsuki makes it to the top, she's talking with Fuutarou. "To think you'd stoop so low! I trusted you! Miku trusted you! And this is what you do?! You're just like her six years ago!" Yotsuba grabs her sister.
"Mutsumi...what did you do?" Ichika thinks to herself as she puts her hands to her face. She looks at the youngest sister, dressed in a similar sweater as her and the third, wearing the same headphones that the third and she... "My headphones..." Ichika's eyes focus on Mutsumi's headphones, or rather her own headphones. "To think you'd sabotage Miku's plan! I wanted to play fair, but you...Do you know how hard she worked for this?!" Yotsuba shakes Mutsumi. "She spent weeks doing this! And for you to throw her efforts away-"
"Enough!" Fuutarou yells. Everyone turns their attention to him, except for Mutsumi. Miku's anger fades as she feels tears roll down her face, Yotsuba's turns to shame as she lets go of Mutsumi. "So, this is your plan?! Look at me Mutsumi!" Fuutarou says, enraged at the sight of Miku and Yotsuba's faces. Mutsumi doesn't turn to him, instead looking at Ichika with an accepting somber smile. "I said look at me!" He snaps, running to Mutsumi's side and pulling her shoulder so he can see her face. "Y-You're smiling!? You...You..." Itsuki walks up, looking at Yotsuba and Miku, trying to calm them down. "Fuutarou...I..." Miku couldn't even finish her sentence before the tears became too much to hold back. She bolts off, meeting Nino on her way down.
"Miku? W-What? What the hell did you do?!" Nino runs up, seeing Mutsumi in her disguise. "Mutsumi! You've taken it too far! You made Miku cry!" Nino slaps Mutsumi across the face. "Didn't you hear what I said that night!? How desperate are you to win to resort to this!?" Nino readies another slap as Mutsumi turns to face her. "I thought Ichika was bad, but you're worse!"
"So what? You said you'd knock us down just to get what you want. What makes it so bad if I do it?" Mutsumi remarks in a monotone voice, sneaking a glance to Ichika. "Because..." Nino glares, staring Mutsumi straight in the eye.
"If I lose, I'd still be happy for one of us." Nino says, finishing her glass of water and returning to bed. Mutsumi shuts the TV and follows her. "I...I'm sorry everyone."
"Uesugi! Go after Miku!" Nino yells at him. Yotsuba follows him as Itsuki walks up to Ichika. "Ichika, Nino. Sleep in our room tonight. Let's give her time to think about what she's done." Itsuki scowls at Mutsumi, who is standing with her face to the sky. Mutsumi walks off as Takeda and Maeda come up, along with other visitors. "There's a tracking chip in the hat Itsuki, behind the ribbon. It looks like this." Mutsumi pulls out a small microchip from behind one of the muffs in the headphones. "Is that all you have to say!? Hey! Answer me!" Nino yells as Mutsumi walks down.
"Let's take the other path, I don't want to see her for a while." Nino says to Itsuki. "You coming?" Ichika is standing there, staring at the path Mutsumi took. "Y-Yeah..." She turns and spots something on the ground.
"Uesugi-san, I think I see her. Look!" Yotsuba points over to a bus as the two of them rush over. "Miku..." She says, taking the seat beside her. "I...I just wanted to show you...how hard I've been..." Miku mutters. Fuutarou doesn't know what to say, so he gets off of the bus. "Take care of her Yotsuba..." He says as his phone buzzes. "What the hell are you doing now?!" He exclaims in anger as he reads the text.
"Next, Itsuki." Mutsumi says as she takes her bag out of the room. "And send..." She taps her phone as she leaves her keys to the hotel room on Ichika's bed. She heads out, wearing civilian clothing and a mask to hide her face. "One ticket to Tokai." She says as she pays for a ride on the bullet train.
"Seriously, what's with her!" Nino exclaims as they wander about Kyoto. "Nino, why do you think she did it?" Ichika asks. "Who knows? That girl is troublesome. I'll give her an earful later in the room." She exclaims as she angrily stuffs her face with an onigiri. "What the hell is she thinking!" Itsuki exclaims as she checks her phone, causing the other two to stop.
"Alright, finally back." Mutsumi thinks as she unlocks the door to the apartment. It's quiet, to be expected, as it's empty. She remembers the day when they moved in, how happy everyone was to be together again. "Well, no time to waste." She says as she rummages around and finds a fancy looking card. "Goodbye everyone." She locks the door and leaves her key in the mailbox. She walks over to a familiar high-rise, using the elevator to get to the 30th floor. "I'm home..." She says to herself in the barren suite.
"Mutsumi! I'm coming in..." Ichika says as she uses her copy of the key. "So...she really left." She mutters to herself as she turns on the lights. Two bags of luggage in the corner of the room only confirm it further. "I...Mutsumi..." She lays on the bed, knocking something to the floor. "Is this...her phone? She left without it." Ichika turns it on, tears falling onto the screen when it lights up with the picture they took on the boat ride back from the island. There's one notification, one text from an unknown number. "Find me sis...please forgive me..."
"Is Miku alright?" Nino asks Yotsuba as she and Itsuki sit with her for dinner. "She's in our room, she's stopped crying at least. She seems like she wants to forget about today and try again tomorrow." Yotsuba says. "Sheesh, when did she get so headstrong? The old Miku wouldn't even be able to leave the room...I'm glad though..." Nino smiles. "I don't know when, but it was after last years finals I think. Now that I think about it, ever since she went to the washroom with Mutsumi and Ichika she's been bolder." Yotsuba puts some fish in her mouth. "Mutsumi...about her..." Itsuki says.
The three of them rush into the room, only finding Ichika looking out the window while sitting on the bed. "Damn, she planned this all out." Nino says. "I should've stopped her! If only I stopped her!" Itsuki curses herself. "Even leaving was part of her plan? I'm not surprised." Yotsuba clenches her fist. "Shut up." Ichika says.
"Uesugi-kun, is everything alright with the Nakano sisters?" Takeda asks as Maeda stands up and leaves their table. "Yeah. We need to do this, they need it now more than ever." Fuutarou says as a staff from the hotel comes up. "He just called you Uesugi-kun, right? This is for you Uesugi Fuutarou-kun." They say, handing him a letter. "Class rep, my group is now only comprised of two people. I heard that my sisters are in a group of three. You're smart, put two and two together. Also don't forget abou-" He rips it up before his mouth can say what his eyes read.
"Ichika. Come with me today. Uesugi-san is going to be free after lunch." Yotsuba says as Ichika puts on her piercing. "Yeah...sure..." Ichika says, her mind somewhere else. "Where are the others?" Ichika asks. "Nino is with Uesugi-san right now. They both want to forget about yesterday, honestly so do I." Yotsuba says, causing Ichika to feel dejected.
"Itsuki is with Miku right now, she said thanks for giving back the bread by the way." Yotsuba ties her ribbon. "Yotsuba...there's something I want to say before we go out." Ichika looks at Mutsumi's phone, looking at the lock screen wallpaper again. "About Mutsumi...she..."
"Still can't forget about it, huh?" Fuutarou says as Nino grumbles. "Just, aaargghh. I can't even begin to say how mad I am. We're family, but she had the gall to do that to Miku! And her face, her damn face! She looked happy, like she planned it all out from the start!" Nino rants as they stand by Kiyomizu-dera. She calms down as she looks out from the railing. "Hey, isn't this where that photo you have was taken? Lemme see it." Her mood gets better. "I don't have it anymore. Mutsumi took it from me." His face contorts.
"I just ask that you listen to me after I do it, I'll explain it then." Mutsumi's words enter Fuutarou's thoughts. "Mutsumi, you better explain everything soon." He grumbles to himself. "Hey, when she went missing last time, how was she like?" Nino asks. "Well, she blamed herself. She really beat herself up over it, she wouldn't talk or...eat..." He catches himself. "You don't think that she..." The both of them run off to find Itsuki and Miku.
"Mutsumi, just what are you planning? Is it over yet?" Itsuki ponders as Miku pulls her to the area that sells charms. "Hey Miku. What do you think of Mutsumi...after everything that's happened?" She asks, causing Miku to stop and grip her hand tighter. "I...I feel betrayed. She always put us first, even if she knew that it would just get in her way, but then she does this. All of my effort went to waste yesterday, but I won't let it get to me now. After all, I already confessed to Fuutarou last year." She says, holding the paper bag of her bread in her arms.
"You confessed to him already? When?" Itsuki asks. "Well, it was late at night. I went over to his house after...Mutsumi brought me there." Nino and Fuutarou walk up to the of them. "Itsuki, this might be worse than she let on!" Fuutarou says, exasperated. "That depends." Itsuki's eyes widen as she remembers. "She won't, will she?" She says. "We need to get everyone together, what's taking Yotsuba and Ichika so long, it's almost lunch." Fuutarou says as they walk off in search for the missing sisters. They search until lunch is almost finished. "Where are they?" Nino asks as she hears Miku reach into her paper bag. "Come on, let's keep looking. Here, everyone take one." She hands some bread out.
"Mutsumi...You've got some nerve...leaving us again." Nino thinks to herself as she takes a bite. "Thanks Miku, let's check the hotel, maybe they never left."
"What? You saw that...Yotsuba, I'm so sorry..." Ichika says, covering her mouth. "Seeing Mutsumi yesterday reminded me of it." Yotsuba says, leaning back to lie down on the bed. "Still...I'm...I don't even know how much it hurt you to see me take Fuutarou-kun away from you all those years ago." Ichika leans forward, hunching her back and wiping away some tears. "Don't be...it didn't hurt for long. Mutsumi helped me feel better." Yotsuba says. "Though...now she's the one causing someone pain. That traitor." Yotsuba grits her teeth. "She always told me, family comes first. Family won't betray you." Ichika says, clutching her sister's phone. "So much for that. What a hypocrite." Yotsuba snarls. "No, she isn't..."
"Actually, those headphones yesterday were mine. I guess she took them off me when I let my guard down. I...was planning on doing the same thing. I guess I should've listened to her...she tried to stop me." Ichika's eyes overflow. "Ichika...we'll get her back." Yotsuba sits up, a smile on her face. "She's always been there for us, it's time for us to do the same."
"You got that right!" Fuutarou says, standing in the doorway. "How long have you been standing there?" Yotsuba asks. "Long enough to hear the important things. You really made this extremely complicated by not telling me about your sisters Yotsuba." He says as it starts to rain.
The rest of the tour is cancelled, not like the six of them were planning on going back. "Alright, we'll be picking courses individually tomorrow. We need to think of something as soon as possible so let's all pick the same one." Fuutarou says, putting his notepad back in his bag. "How about course B? The gardens would probably be the most quiet so we wouldn't be disturbed." Itsuki points out. "Any objections?" Fuutarou asks, no reply. "Then it's settled. It's time to repay what we owe to that impulsive brat." He smirks.
"Today's the last day of the trip, huh..." Mutsumi sits at the table with an egg and some rice. "I wonder if they're having fun..." She looks up at the second floor of the apartment. She looks back at her plate, her food wet with droplets of water. "How...how long has I been crying?" She wipes away her tears as she loses her appetite. She walks over to the bathroom, getting into a pre-made bath. "Will they forgive me?" She sinks into the water. "Are they worrying about me?" Sinking deeper. "Did I go too far?" She's now completely below the water holding her breath. "Mom, I'm sorry..."
It's sunset now, footsteps walk to the table, seeing a phone next to a plate of rice and an egg, they pick it up. "Are you sure about this? You'll be leaving them again." Maruo's voice says from the phone. "I'm..." Mutsumi says, packing all her things into an even larger suitcase. A doorbell interrupts her as she goes to answer it.
"Don't you dare run away again!" Nino grabs Mutsumi by her shoulders and pulls her out into the hallway. "You made us worry so much, what the hell were you thinking!" Miku says, pinning her to the wall. Everyone is there, glaring at her. "Mutsumi..." Ichika says as Miku lets her take the lead. "I'm sorry..." Ichika pulls her into a tight embrace. "I should've listened, I should've listened."
"Let's take it inside." The seven of them enter, seeing the place barely touched. "Is that all you've eaten?" Miku asks, pointing to the sad meal. "Let's get to work then, give us fifteen minutes." Nino says as the two of them enter the kitchen. "Did you guys have fun?" Mutsumi asks, looking down at her hands. "No, not really. We spent the entire trip worrying about a certain someone." Fuutarou says teasingly. "I see..." She says. "Sorry..." Mutsumi starts heading for her room, but Yotsuba gets in her way. "Out of my way Yotsuba."
"Sit down Mutsumi. It'll be okay, we're here." Yotsuba says with a gentle smile. "Here..." Fuutarou hands something over. "Wait, what's that?" Itsuki asks. "I planned to give it at a better time, but take this." She opens it up. "A photo album?" She asks as she flips over the pages and pages of pictures. "So you were behind those peeping tom incidents." Ichika says as Mutsumi shuts the album. "I see. I'll take it with me on the plane." Mutsumi says.
"Plane? What? Why?" Itsuki asks as everyone stops what they're doing. "It's better if I went away." She says. "I don't know what's going through your head, but nobody here wants that!" Nino says, walking up to her. "And next time, tell us! We're in this together, no matter what. You can trust us!" Nino gets in Mutsumi's face. "Nino...take care of them." Mutsumi starts walking up the stairs. "Them? What about you? You're family too, so don't act like we're not!" Nino can see a tear roll down Mutsumi's face as she pulls her burner phone out. "Dad, cancel the flight."
"You know, there's a few pages left at the back of that album." Fuutarou says, pulling out a camera.
That night, the seven of them sleep there, or at least that's what everyone should be doing. Mutsumi stands on the balcony, looking up at the stars. "Nino, I know you can hear me." The wind blows. "There's something on my mind. How come you helped Miku, Ichika, and Yotsuba, but not me?" Nino asks, leaning on the railing beside her. "You didn't need it. Those three were holding themselves back, but you confessed to him on your own." Mutsumi feels her hair flowing in the breeze.
"Actually, if anything, you need to hold back a bit." She adds. "Why though? You love him too, so why?" Nino asks, brushing her hair aside. "You said it best, we're family. That's why." Mutsumi says, turning to face Nino. "That's so cheesy." Nino turns. "Yeah, I know." Mutsumi giggles. "Don't leave, okay? We'll work through the next problem together." Nino says. The two of them share a hug before going to sleep.
"Thanks Itsuki...I heard that Ichika already told you everything. Thanks for coming for me." Mutsumi says as she takes her suitcase out the door. "You know, I wonder what mom would think of me right now." Mutsumi wonders as the two of them walk to the run down apartment. "I think she'll be happy." Itsuki smiles. "She's probably happier with you, you kept everyone together, even after what I did." Itsuki turns to her. "I didn't."
"What do you mean?" Mutsumi asks as they walk up the stairs. "The one thing that brought us together...were our memories of what you did for us..." Itsuki says, causing Mutsumi to blush. "Well, except Nino...I haven't done anything for her yet." She chuckles as she opens the door.
"Mutsumi, there's something you need to know." Yotsuba says.