"Here again." Mutsumi finds herself thinking as she stands in that void, one familiar to her. "But, where are they this time?" She walks around, the sound of her footfalls ringing like bells in this silence. The walls were grey, fading in and out with every breath; the floor like glass, reflecting an image of her black shirt and jeans against the dark orange sky.
"Mutsumi~ You have to meet him! He's really cool!" Those words came from behind her, from a young girl that she knew very well. "Come, let's go! Uesugi-san is waiting!" Yotsuba says, untying her ribbon and wrapping it around Mutsumi's arm. She turns her head, finding nothing except a trail of clovers dotting the floor's surface.
Mutsumi follows them for a while, leading her to a crack on the ground. Curious to it's origin, she kneels down and inspects it. Running her finger through, she could feel what's below, the sloshing of water. She traces the entire crack as is spiderwebs across the void, climbing up the walls and fragmenting the ceiling.
"Hey! Get it together!" This voice was angry, scolding Mutsumi as she stood awestruck at the world crumbling around her. The sky was falling, coming down like shards of glass. Coming back to her senses, she feels a shard fall near her head, cutting her cheek. Once the ceiling had fallen in it's entirety, Mutsumi looked around at the devastation left in it's wake. Gone were the fading walls and the perpetual dawn; replaced by a sprawling hillside filled with flowers. "You're not doing this alone anymore." Nino's voice whispered in her ear. A finger trailed itself on her cheek, a small burning sensation emanates from the skin it touches, cauterizing her cut. Her hand rests on Mutsumi's shoulder before a swarm of butterflies soar past her, landing on the flowers nearby.
"Nino. What exactly am I doing here?" Mutsumi reaches for her sister's hand, only finding her ribbons. She sits down on the ground for a moment, calming herself down to think clearly. "This is a dream, it's obviously a dream. Then, by that logic I can..." The wind whirls around her, pulling the petals off of the flora and from that emerges Ichika. "What am I supposed to do here?" She asks. Ichika doesn't reply, only handing her the earring she wears and pointing up at the sky.
"The sky?" Mutsumi watches as it cycles from night to day with every breath. She gasps, causing it to stop on a night with a full moon. The stars shone brightly, bright enough to illuminate a path. Five spotlights lit up a paved path. "This way? Itsuki, are you sure?" She sighs, following the light into a dark forest. The starlight fades, blocked by the treetops. She makes a left then a right, unsure if she's going the right way.
"What the hell." Was all she could say as she pushed away the branches and saw a crashed plane, still burning. "This...this can't be it, can it?" She walks around the wreckage, finding bodies scattered on the charred earth. "No..." The words seemed to escape her lips as Fuutarou's burning remains were strapped to a chair. "Fuutarou-san... what does this mean?"
"It only means what you let it mean." Miku's voice washes over her, a calming coolness in her tone. "Are you just going to stand there and watch or are you going to act?" Her voice gets closer, placing a pair of headphones around Mutsumi's neck.
"Miku, I..." She turns, finding the wreckage behind her turning quickly into a shoreline, with a single ship on the horizon.
"Mutsumi. I'm glad you've come back. Now come here."
"Mom?" Mutsumi looks on, seeing the image of her mother floating on the water, a beacon of light just behind her.
"Come, stay with me here. I'll protect you. You and your sisters. Forever." Rena beckons her, extending a hand. Mutsumi slowly walks towards her, compelled by her mother's loving words. "Mutsumi, I've missed you."
Mutsumi reaches her hand, her finger just inches away from her mother's. "Just a little bit more..." She tries and tries to reach that little bit farther, but something is pulling her back.
"Don't leave again!" She turns, finding her sisters grabbing the ribbon tied around her arm. "Mutsumi, don't go!"
"My child. Don't be afraid. Come and join me." Rena slowly steps one foot into the light.
Her sisters' screaming, her mother's beckoning, the sound of the water around her legs, it was all too loud for her to think clearly. Searching for a moment of clarity, she puts on the headphones. The sound that came out was no music, but the beating of a heart and it was beating fast. "This...is my pulse." She feels her chest, her heart's beating matches with the sound in her ears.
"I'll be waiting, for all of you." Rena says, fully surrounded by the light as it fades away. "In time, you will join me." Her voice was soft, yet looming over the entire ocean.
"Thanks guys..." Mutsumi turns around, finding the kids gone and the ribbon disintegrating into clovers. "One down." She says as she feels her heart again, the beating slowing down to a normal rhythm. The sound in her ears, the beating of her heart, was cut off.
"Help!" The voice was unrecognizable, pained, and...submerged. Mutsumi looks down, finding a metal cage in the reflection of the moon. Taking a deep breath, she lets herself sink. The cage held a redhead, her hair covering her face. She wore a white dress, flaring at the bottom with gold trimming around the edge. The water was murky, clouded by blood spilling from her head.
"Come on, find the lock, find the lock!" Mutsumi thinks as she swims around the 10ft wide cage. The light that could reach this deep shines on a certain area, revealing a small circular groove on a metal plate. Seeing the size and shape of it, she takes Ichika's earring and jams it into it. The cage lights up, illuminating the girl's face that was covered in cuts. It dissolves into foam, floating to the surface as Mutsumi grabs the girl and swims up. The two break the water, taking breaths again. "Alright, now...dream logic means." Mutsumi places Nino's ribbons on the wounds, healing them.
"You're back!" The two turn, finding the five older sisters waiting by the shore. The girl swims towards them, breaking into a sprint when she touches the sand. "We missed you." They all laugh as Mutsumi arrives.
"Thank you for setting me free." The girl extends a hand, smiling and brushing her hair aside.
"No problem, Mutsumi." They shake hands as the night ends.
"Let's talk for a while." The sisters walk off, leaving the two of them sitting by the water. "So..."
"She's sleeping so peacefully now." Ichika says as the five of them stand around the couch. "She must be having a nice dream." She walks over and brushes Mutsumi's hair out of her mouth.
"Are you sure that we should really push through with it? She might need a few days to fully recover." Itsuki chimes in, concerned. She takes a seat beside her.
"Fuutarou said that she wanted to go today. She should be fine now anyway, right?" Miku asks as she turns on the TV.
"Last night, police made a huge bust in regards to an underground ransom circle. Two suspects have been arrested and are undergoing interrogation. Inside the building they found a fifth of all the missing persons reports in a backroom. Inside the room were also tablets and syringes of Lysergic acid diethylamide, otherwise known as LSD, and many of the victims were observed to be under it's effects. On the suspects' phones were videos and photographs of the victims to be used as blackmail. This monumental arrest was all thanks to one of the victims, who managed to signal her family and keep them informed of their current location." The news reporter says, causing all of them to glance at her.
"Should we be getting ready?" Yotsuba asks. Tying her ribbon in her hair, she puts on her jacket.
"Mmmmm...Good morning~" Mutsumi yawns, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Where'd everyone go?"
"First: it's noon. Second: They all went home after breakfast. Fuutarou says to meet him at the pool in two hours." Nino says. "You hungry?"
Mutsumi nods, getting up and going to the bathroom. "The pool. Finally a way to beat the heat!" She looks in the mirror. "A...two piece...will I even..." She splashes water on herself. "No! Stop thinking like that, you'll be fine. I'll be fine."
"She seems fine now, at least from what she said. Let's go." Miku says, pacing back and forth impatiently. "I can't wait any longer." She looks into her bag.
"I wonder if he's there early." Nino thinks aloud, setting aside a plate of scrambled eggs for Mutsumi.
"He's probably still at home getting a few extra bits of sleep. Mutsumi kept us up late." Ichika yawns. "And he had to walk there right after he woke up. I can't blame him if he passed out as soon as he got home."
"Still, it's nice to spend a day relaxing for once." Itsuki sits down, her ahoge waving about. "Is Ichika serious? Why would she do this? It's so unexpected, unless she..."
"Alright, I'll go get ready. Can someone look for my phone? It wasn't in any of my pockets." Mutsumi leaves the bathroom, going up to her room, then coming back down with a towel in hand. "Woah! The water has little sparkles in it!" She exclaims from the bathroom, having some residual effects from the night before.
"Uhhh...is she really okay?" Yotsuba curiously walks up to the bathroom.
"I don't think you trust, in, my, self-righteous suicide!~"
"She's...singing?" She presses her ear to the door. "And it's horrible!"
"I can hear you Yotsuba!" Mutsumi yells as the sound of water splashing on tile fills her ears. She goes back to singing, slightly louder to irritate her sister. "Why have you forsaken me? In your eyes, forsaken me? In your thoughts, forsaken me? In you heart, forsaken me?~" Yotsuba groans, covering her ears.
"I found her phone." Itsuki says, lifting up a pillow. "5 missed calls, all from her boss. Yikes." She turns on the screen, seeing the notifications on the lock screen.
"Hey, let's fill her storage with pictures." Nino whispers, taking the phone and opening the camera app. "Strike a pose everyone!" She says, making Yotsuba run over. They take twenty, maybe thirty different photos; mostly ones with goofy faces.
"Forward some of them to my phone. I could use a new wallpaper." Miku says, leaning over and tapping the gallery. "Let's see, send me this one, and this one, and...wait, what's this video?" They all look to each other.
"The date...it was right before she came back." Itsuki taps play on it as Miku and Nino set it down on the table.
"Alright. Back in Japan...it's so surreal." Mutsumi says, turning the camera to her face. She's sitting in the back of the car. "Ebata-san doesn't look a day older than the last time I saw him." She turns the phone, filming the driver. "I'm going to meet my sisters again, it's been five years now I think. I'm excited, but if she's there then I guess it couldn't be perfect. I wonder if she realized what she did to Yotsuba in Kyoto, but I guess I'll find out when I get there. Ichika...you're a double-crossing, backstabbing snake; I'll never forgive you for that night." Her po-faced tone sending shivers up everyone's spine.
"I heard they just transferred to a new school, I wonder what they're like. Yotsuba said she'll be trying hard to get the best grades, I'm sure she's a genius by now. I wonder if I'll actually have some competition this time." She grins. "Well, at the end of the day, they're family...they won't leave me like the others. Right?" She looks up and out the window of the car. "I wonder if they'll remember me..." She begins to ramble on when the five sisters hear the sliding of the bathroom door.
Yotsuba hurriedly turns the phone off and they all try to act normal. "Where is it?" Mutsumi asks, extending her hand with a smile. Itsuki hands it over, hair flailing about frantically. Mutsumi notices it, but chooses to ignore it and checks her phone. "Crap, my boss is gonna chew me out. Well, I'll call him later." She leaves, heading to her room to get dressed.
"I...that video. Yotsuba, Ichika...are you two alright?" Miku asks, turning everyone's attention towards them. Ichika smiles, dismissing it. Yotsuba laughs it off, walking over to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
"Hmm...what to wear?" Mutsumi looks at the collection of clothes at her disposal. It wasn't as filled as her sisters', especially Nino's, but it was full of shirts and pants. "I...hmmm, I'm not feeling it today." She runs her hand across the fabrics. "This brings back memories." She says as she pulls an old dress out, it's far to small for her now. "Even our clothes were the same. It was cute." She hangs it back.
"But what am I gonna do?" She spots one of her multiple plain black shirts and a pair of scissors as a flash of brilliance lights up her face. After five minutes, she goes back to searching, finding some clothes she hasn't worn since she arrived in Japan. Surprisingly, they fit. She looks at herself in the mirror, her final outfit is the homemade crop top and black leggings with a black drawstring bag with her things already inside. "I need new clothes." She mutters to herself.
"Itsuki, hurry up! We're going to be late!" Nino yells from the doorway. Itsuki had gotten hungry and ate half of Mutsumi's food. The fifth sister hurriedly cleans the plate as a blur of red, black, and white runs out the door.
"Come on! It's hot, let's hurry before we fry ourselves!" Mutsumi calls the elevator. She taps her toes impatiently as Itsuki joins
"What took you so long?" Miku asks as Mutsumi turns to face them. She's wearing the button-down Itsuki gave her over her black clothes. "You...wow..." They all look stunned.
"You said bold clothes suited me, I'm taking your advice." Mutsumi smiles as her phone vibrates with a text. "Ugh, I have to see dad in a few days." She mumbles to herself.
"Another checkup?" Itsuki asks. The elevator arrives and opens up for them.
"Probably."
"Might as well visit my manager on that day too. He should be staying there, right?" Nino thinks aloud. A grin curls on her face. "A day alone with Fuu-kun." She thinks silently, causing Miku to grow curious.
"Yakisoba for six." Fuutarou says, walking up to the star spangled sister. "You've finally done it."
"Uesugi-kun! You're late. Where were you?" Itsuki gets mad at him. "Actually, never mind that. I didn't get to tell you yesterday, but Ichika might be leaving on her own."
"What? Why?" He's shocked, nearly bumping into another visitor at the pool.
"I don't know...maybe she just got a better paying job, but..." Itsuki trails off
"So she might actually do it this time." Fuutarou sighs, remembering her words on the second year trip.
"This time? What do you mean?"
"What's keeping her? I'm hungry." Mutsumi grumbles to herself as she sits alone, waiting for the sister that ate her, would be, breakfast. "I think I see her. And there's Fuutarou-san too. Finally, food!" She gets up and begins walking towards them when she hears Nino's voice.
"You have hands, use them!" She sounds mad. Nino's staring down a boy.
"They were probably hitting on her. Serves them right." Mutsumi thinks.
"Come on, aren't you lonely at the pool by yourself." The boy says.
"Lonely..." That word repeats in her head as she sees Nino backing up away from him. She strides over confidently. "Nino, your boyfriend is looking for you. He got the food." Mutsumi says aloud. The guy begrudgingly walks away.
"Boyfriend? I like the sound of that. Fuu-kun, my boyfriend." Nino smirks, giving Mutsumi a wink.
"You wish! I'm not giving up that easily. Where's Miku, wasn't she with you?" Mutsumi looks around, watching Fuutarou get pushed back by somebody.
"That's cheating! Come on, let's go." Nino runs over, rejoining the group. Mutsumi follows a few steps behind her.
"Fuutarou-san~ How do I look?" Mutsumi asks, pressing her body up to him and looking up at him. "I'm doing it right, I think." She thinks, waiting for his reaction.
"Alright! Let's go on that!" Yotsuba points over to a tall structure.
"It's so high!" Mutsumi stares up at it in awe. "I wanna go!" She runs off ahead, leaving the other six standing there.
"She's so energetic today. She's giving Yotsuba a run for her money." Fuutarou says, glancing over at the other sisters. "What's gotten into her?"
"Who knows? Not that I'm complaining." Ichika says, hiding her face with her hat. "Let's go. She's leaving us behind."
The six of them walk, catching up to Mutsumi who was waiting at the top. "We have to go in pairs." Mutsumi says, rubbing some sunblock on her arms. "Let's go together Itsuki!"
Itsuki doesn't have enough time to think before the two of them are sitting down, looking down at the drop. Her heart skips a beat as gravity takes hold of both of them. "Mutsumi! I'm gonna die!" She screams as she feels a hand hold hers. She turns around, seeing Mutsumi smile with a look of pure joy in her eyes. The two of them reach the bottom, looking up as Yotsuba and Ichika come down.
"Wooooo!" Yotsuba exclaims as Ichika leans back on her with a relaxed face.
"Hey, Yotsuba...do you think Mutsumi still thinks like that?" Ichika asks as they come to a stop, her tone slightly worried.
"You're still thinking about it too?" Yotsuba gets up. "We can ask her later if you're scared."
"Yeah...maybe I am a little." Ichika laughs it off. "If I leave, then she won't have to keep doing things like that...right?" Ichika thinks as the youngest sisters meet up with them.
"That just leaves Nino, Miku, and Uesugi-kun at the top right. Who's going to ride alone?" Itsuki asks, looking up and seeing two people arguing. The third, who she presumes to be Uesugi-kun, walks past them while they're distracted and rides down. "What did he mean? Has she been planning on doing this for a while? Did he know? Why is she doing it now? There's just too many questions." Itsuki thinks as he arrives, his eyes filled with shock.
"Uesugi-kun, can I talk with you for a minute?" She asks, walking off. The others look at her as Fuutarou follows her reluctantly. "How long has she been planning to leave? Do you know why?" Itsuki turns to him as soon as the two of them out of earshot.
"I don't know. She said something in second year about quitting school, but she chickened out. Why is she pushing through with it now?" He answers her question and leaves another. "Did anything happen at home? Before yesterday I mean."
"Not really, the day before the move, we found Mutsumi's letter thing. However, I believe it's unrelated." Itsuki proposes, her hair swaying back and forth
"We lack any leads other than that one conversation you overheard. Maybe you should just ask her about it?" Fuutarou says, seeing the Miku and Nino ride down.
"In time. We just finished taking care of Mutsumi. I'd like to rest for a little while."
"Speaking of Mutsumi, did anything happen earlier? She's acting strange today."
"I don't know. She's been like that since she woke up around noon. Do you think something's wrong?"
"I don't know. Maybe? It's like she's...I just can't put my finger on it." He bites his lip. "She's acting like she did on our trip to their grandpa's." He thinks to himself.
"Did he not like my swimsuit? He didn't even reply earlier." Mutsumi grits her teeth. "Maybe it just doesn't fit me..." She feels a hand tap her shoulder.
"What's on your mind?" Nino asks, whispering.
"Nino, do I even look good in this?" Mutsumi looks down at herself, covering herself up bashfully.
"This again? You look great, stop doubting yourself."
"But...It just doesn't fit my image...I'm not good with these kinds of clothes..." She covers her chest and stomach with her arms.
"You know, I read in a book once that a change of pace once in a while can help get you a boyfriend. After all, you're not getting Fuu-kun so you might as well try looking for somebody else." Nino taunts, causing Mutsumi to splash water in her face.
"You..." Mutsumi grumbles. "Well, I guess I can try a bit more on your first point. Wanna go shopping sometime?" Nino's eyes light up.
"How did you all forget to put on sunblock?!" Mutsumi asks as they all exit the pool.
"Itsuki-chan had it with her." Everyone all looks at the girl. Itsuki looks into her bag, seeing an unused bottle of sunscreen at the bottom of it.
"I-It's not my fault. Mutsumi pulled me onto the ride before I could rub some on us. Then we all went swimming...so." Itsuki gets embarrassed.
"Still, it's not all bad. Look at Fuutarou-san." Mutsumi looks back at everyone. "He's just slightly tanned. It's kinda hot." She says, smiling jokingly at him. He turns his face away, his face getting red.
"Hahaha. Fuutarou-kun is all embarrassed." Ichika looks up at him, his face illuminated by lamp post.
"Give it a rest. I'm not." He tries to play it off; nobody is fooled.
"Uesugi-san! Your face can't lie."
"I bet your heart is racing right now. Yotsuba, check!" Miku says. Fuutarou runs off ahead, followed by Yotsuba and Mutsumi.
"It's beating like a drum!" Mutsumi yells. They all make their way home, waving goodbye to Fuutarou for the night.
"A change of pace..." Mutsumi looks at her collection of clothes that she hasn't worn yet, dresses, blouses, and skirts; too small for her now. "How long has it been since I acted like this?" She thinks to herself. "Actually...not that long ago. Had to do it while we went to the hot springs. But this time, it won't be because of a disguise." She smiles as she closes her closet. Her phone starts to ring, the number on screen is her boss'
"Hello boss. Sorry about missing your calls, something came up."
"It doesn't matter. Did you see the news earlier this morning? There was a huge bust by the police earlier today. They say that it was because one of the victims set off an alarm or something that called her family. We want you to interview her once the team finds out who-"
"It was me boss. I was the one that triggered the alarm."
"...you're kidding right?"
"What do I gain from lying?"
"I see. My apologies." There's an uncomfortable silence for ten seconds. Mutsumi sighs, deciding on something.
"I'll do the interview, but can I have a few days. I'm still recovering."
"Of course. Would you be fine with August 19?"
"I can make that work. Thank you for your understanding boss." She hangs up, looking at her phone and noticing that her memory card is almost full. "When did I..." She opens up her gallery, sorted by recently viewed. "They saw it!"
"...I'll never forgive you for that night." Those words reverberate in her head. She lies down in her bed, the pang of regret in her chest. She stays there, silent. Thinking of her next move, she looks at her phone. All she has to do is call her manager. Before she could even move over to reach for it, there's a knock on the door.
"Ichika, can I come in?" Mutsumi asks.
"It's unlocked." Ichika says, not getting up from her bed.
"Hey sis..." Mutsumi says gently, taking a seat on the side of Ichika's bed. "You have fun today?"
"Yeah. But I'm so sleepy." She turns away from her, unable to look at her face.
"When are you not?" Mutsumi teases. "When's your next movie coming out? I heard you've been getting bigger and bigger roles."
"That's all because of your reports. I never got offers like these before."
"Hey, when your next movie gets released, wanna watch it after school? Just the two of us?" Mutsumi offers, leaving a silence as Ichika ponders it.
"After school..." Ichika thinks silently. "Sure." She flashes a smile at Mutsumi, who has laid herself beside Ichika.
"I'm sorry. I was wrong back then, sis."
"What do you mean?"
"The video. You guys saw it, didn't you?" She mutters. "I shouldn't have kept it around. I didn't mean it, well I did...but that was back then."
"I see..."
"Are you mad?"
"Mad? no." Ichika says. "Not at you." She thinks, not letting the words escape.
"Well, things are different now. Don't beat yourself up over what I said in that dumb recording." Mutsumi wraps her arm around Ichika's body.
"Just you watch Mutsumi. I'll do it this time for sure!" Yotsuba gets dressed, heading outside to the library. "Now, I just need some reference books. I should find them here...Fuutarou-kun!?" She glances around the library, finding her tutor by a bookshelf. "Are those romance manga Uesugi-san?" She walks up to him, surprising him.
"T-This isn't for me. Raiha said she..."
"You can't fool my ribbon. It's a lie detector." Yotsuba jokes. "Why are you even looking at this stuff?" Yotsuba asks, getting a book on physics as the two of them sit at a table.
"Well. I have to study." He sighs. "I have no idea how relationships work, especially romantic ones. And five of you all..."
"Sheesh, you can't learn about love from a book." Yotsuba groans. "You don't use your brain for love, you use this." She presses her finger onto Fuutarou's chest.
"The heart is on the other side Yotsuba." He says, causing her to quickly move her hand.
"In any case...you just gotta get a feel for it. Ya know, like earlier today."
"What?"
"You didn't think about why we went to the pool, or how it'd help. We just went because you invited us. It's the same when you invited us. You listened to your heart in that call right." Yotsuba has a wide smile. "Fuutarou-kun. You can't learn everything from books." Yotsuba sits down. "Now excuse me while I try to learn everything in this book."
"Hypocrite." He chuckles as they spend most of the night with their heads buried in the pages of their books.