Mutsumi woke up early, already typing something down when Nino comes out of her room. "Morning." Waving a hand to her groggy sister, she bites down on a piece of buttered toast. "We should be getting ready. The class is preparing for the festival now." She brushes her hair aside, letting the light of the sunrise illuminate her face.
"How will our filming do? Our time is tight as it is." The second sister asks, getting herself a glass of water. "Do you think we can do it on time?"
"Yotsuba and I already talked about it. She'll take care of the festival while I focus on this. Worst case scenario: we delay this movie." Mutsumi sighs, sipping on a cup of coffee that still had wisps of steam flowing out of it. The warm air of the room, the gentle aura that filled every crevasse with calm; soon it will be gone as they scrambled for their attendance.
"Good morning~ Oh, you're awake too Mutsumi?" Ichika gets up, surprising the two of them. She walks over to Mutsumi, reading what she's typed down. "Wait, who's going to play Nino? You have a scene where she cuts her hair, but before that..." She notices Mutsumi taking out her clips, brushing her hair down with her hands.
"Uesugi!" Mutsumi tries her best to mimic her sister. "Is that good?"
"Tsk! More anger!" The actual Nino chuckles, going back to her room to start getting ready for school.
"It's all his fault. Barging in here and doing what he pleases just because papa ordered him to..." Mutsumi reads from the script she typed out. "He has no place in the home of the six of us." Ichika's eyes widen as Nino listens in from upstairs.
"She said that?"
"Apparently, according to Fuutarou-san."
"Well, things change! I was mad at the time, okay!" Nino runs down. "And you remember what happened next, right Ichika?"
"Yeah, you knocked some books over and..."
"WAIT! I...I have to do this scene..." Mutsumi realizes her situation. "W-With Fuutarou-san...in a..."
"We're off." Nino says, turning to Ichika who has a tall glass with a Frappuccino inside it.
"See ya!" She waves them off with her free hand as she sips it through a straw. "Well, I should get ready too..." She thinks to herself, distractedly opening the mail.
School passes without a thought, though they all stay behind after hours with the rest of their class to plan for their festival; all...except for three. Those three could be found in the library, still silent but now more populated due to the event approaching them. "And there. We should be set. Let's try to ace this as soon as possible so you guys can head back to the others."
"I see. I'll be in the background until the second act. I'll get my introduction then, but a bit of my character will be showcased here." Takeda says, reading his copy of the script.
"Alright. Fuutarou-san, are you ready?" Mutsumi asks, adjusting the focus of a camera set on a tripod. Fuutarou nods, a piece of paper on the table, before he places his head on his hands like he's in deep thought. A silence followed as the script showed that the lines here were supposed to be thoughts, and thus needed his mouth to be still. A few irritated sighs and huffs and a lip bite later, Mutsumi and Takeda start their lines.
"For a foreigner, you don't seem to be having any trouble. I'll get you back for interrupting my study session." Takeda said, annoyed as he and Mutsumi enter the shot.
"Don't blame me, it's your fault for getting those answers wrong in the first place. And I'm Japanese, I just studied abroad for a while! Why did you bring me here anyway, I thought we were going to meet your, so called, rival. Don't tell me it's this loser." Mutsumi says, glancing down at Fuutarou. "He looks dead. I bet he's depressed over his test score, let's see. Uesugi Fuutarou-san scored...100." She drops the paper as it falls slowly back onto the table. Takeda walks away, glancing at Fuutarou for a split second.
"Tch. I can't even get some peace and quiet in the library." Fuutarou grunts, taking his test and bag and walking away. He manages to take a few steps before he feels a grip on his wrist. "What do you want?" He turns, sighing with slight annoyance.
"Mark my words, Fuutarou-san. I will be number one. Or my name isn't Mutsumi N-"
"Oh, is that all? Go ahead and take it, I don't really care about being the best. I just want high grades."
"Tch! Brushed aside. Fine! It's on!" Mutsumi stomps away as Fuutarou exits the shot. "Wanna do another take?" She asks the other two as they look over the footage.
"Ah! Uesugi-kun. Yotsuba was asked to help the class decide on our plan for the festival. You should look for her." The three of them meet with Itsuki in the hallway.
"Where are you going? The classroom is this way?" Mutsumi asks as the boys head out before them.
"I have to help out at the cram school. I'll help out next time." Itsuki flashes a smile.
"At least eat something before you go, let's go see if there's still people at the cafet-"
"I really have to get there soon. Sorry." Itsuki's response garnered a cocked eyebrow from her younger, something only intensified by her shifting her bag further away from her.
"The last time I ignored my suspicions when you set them off, it was about Ichika dropping out." Mutsumi says bluntly. "What are you hiding? Please tell me." She asks gently, extending her hand.
"I guess I was going to tell you eventually anyway. I need more help studying." She pulls out a slip of paper from her bag, highlighting the large "C" printed on it. "I know you're busy with the movie, but..."
"We can put it off, you come first." She says, taking a closer look at her test. "We'll talk about this at home, ask Shimoda-san for help too." She hugs Itsuki gently before giving her a light tap on the back. She walks back to the classroom, empty save for the class reps looking over some old records. A content smile forms on her face as she looks at her phone for the next item on her to-do list, adding a note on Itsuki for after she comes home.
"Alright, this goes...here? And then this..." She sits before her laptop, her brain fried by the editing. "AHH! I need a break!" She yells out to the empty apartment, her sisters still at work. She goes to the fridge, taking out a jug full of cold brew coffee. "Ichika's shooting with Fuutarou again tonight...and he's with Nino now. Miku's probably walking with the two of them once their shift is done, and Yotsuba and him have the festival planning together..." She sips, sighing. "But I'm just here..."
An hour passes of more editing and her recording her solo scenes when the door swings open. Yotsuba was the first back, holding books and papers from school. "How's the movie coming along?" She asks as she flips over to a page and lists down various foods.
"I'm starting to regret this, the festival looks so fun." She says. "And I miss being able to talk to Fuutarou-san." She thinks as Yotsuba glances her way. Mutsumi had already held her hand in front of her mouth before she could realize it.
"Is it too much?"
"This? No...I can manage. Hey Yotsuba, how are things between you and Fuutarou-san?"
"Good, it was strange when we first got back from the springs but now I can call him Fuutarou-kun without worry." Her words and accompanying smile sent a strange sensation through Mutsumi.
"I see..." Was all she could manage to say as the conflict of happiness and envy took her vocabulary away momentarily. "You said on the school trip to Kyoto that you wanted to play fair right?"
"Yeah...Mutsumi, are you okay? Do you miss him?"
"No..." She lies. "We see him every day after all." She packs up her laptop and heads to her room. "Tell the others that I already ate dinner, I'm sleeping early today."
"Itsuki! S-Sorry, I forgot." Mutsmi bows to her sister the next morning. "I was so tired and I..." She feels Itsuki's hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay. You're doing a lot. I understand." A somber smile on her face. "Come over, the food will get cold."
"I'll make it up to you, I promise. Somehow..." Mutsumi takes her sister's hand, clutching it gently.
"I still have a shift today. Maybe this Saturday?"
"We have to record a scene with Fuutarou-san, including you. And after that, we're going to Ichika's company to get her for audio recordings." Mutsumi pulls up a note on her phone, her schedule for the week.
"I see, you sure have a lot to do." Itsuki says, finishing her drink and going to her room to get ready. "I'll see if I can take a few days off."
"I can push the recordings back! You don't have to..."
"No, push through with it. I'll be with Shimoda-san." Itsuki closes the door.
"I didn't know Maeda-san worked at a takoyaki place." Mutsumi whispers to Matsui.
"We should go and see him some time soon. He's actually not bad at it." Matsui replies, causing Maeda to blush. The bell catches the entire class' attention as people instantly start to swarm around Yotsuba.
"Don't you think she's taking on too much?" Mutsumi asks Itsuki, who was busy packing her things. "We might have a repeat of the track team problem."
"She has Uesugi-kun helping her, so she'll be fine." Itsuki says as Miku, Nino, and Fuutarou walk over to help manage the requests being sent to Yotsuba.
"Do you think...dad will come?"
"I heard that there is a festival. Please do not let your studies falter because of it." Maruo says as the starlight drifts in from outside. Mutsumi is sitting by her laptop, looking at a recently recorded clip of Maruo's lines towards Fuutarou, extracting the audio.
"I won't. Everyone's still been studying once they get home. I'm sure we'll have no problems." Mutsumi smiles at her step-dad, causing him to look out the window. "Tsundere. Anyway, about the festival. Are you coming?" She hands out a pamphlet that Yotsuba brought home.
"Perhaps. Yotsuba-kun and Nino-kun have already given me an invitation."
Mutsumi sat in the classroom the next day, typing away off in the corner as the class frenzied around her. Even people in the hallway stopped to peek in, class 3-1 had been like this since the morning. "Mutsumi-chan! You're the only one that didn't choose yet! Which one do you want?"
"Me? I haven't really been thinking about it. Ask the class reps if you want an answer, I have somewhere to go." She said, packing up. "By the way, Yotsuba. Have you seen Itsuki?"
"She said that she was going somewhere with Fuutarou-kun, she wanted to talk with him about something. Did you need something from her?" Yotsuba asks, but Mutsumi was already out the door.
"Is something wrong with her?" Miku asks as the three remaining sisters watched her run down the hallway and up the stairs.
"Maybe. But I think she'll be fine. Let's get this sorted out first." Yotsuba says, tallying the votes. "We're split right down the middle."
"Did you tell him?" Mutsumi finds Itsuki at her locker.
"No. At this rate, I'll never be able to be like mom." Itsuki sighs. Her lip trembles as if she was close to tears.
"Why didn't you tell him then? Well, whatever. I'll teach you once you come back from cram school." Mutsumi offers. "This time, for sure."
"Really! Thank you!" Itsuki hugs her.
"I won't mess up this time. Okay, just rely on me for a bit."
Mutsumi was the first one home from school one day, finding Ichika sitting and watching TV. "What happened to not having time for school?" She jokes, landing herself beside her sister.
"Give me a break. An hour of TV can't be too bad. How's school and the movie anyway?"
"Nothing new. We need you for the Saturday audio. Other than that, my so hands are full with editing that I can't take part of the festivities. And then there's Itsuki..."
"Is something wrong with Itsuki-chan?"
"Nothing Fuutarou-san and I can't handle. The real problem is time." She smacks her lips together in thought, sighing before heading to the kitchen.
"Time?"
"Looks like I'll be swamped until Saturday. We recorded a bunch, so I have a lot of files to go through. Then Itsuki, Fuutarou-san, and I have to record...that scene." Mutsumi opens the fridge, finding an empty jug. "You're as gluttonous as Itsuki!" She teases, getting her favorite coffee beans from the cupboard.
"I'm home." Miku groans before collapsing onto Ichika's lap with heavy pants and shortness of breath. Though exhausted, she has a dumbstruck smile on her face. "I did it." She mutters.
"Did what?" Ichika asks, twirling the third sister's hair around her fingers. Miku smirks with a look of arrogance.
"I have a date with Fuutarou on Sunday." Mutsumi stops in her tracks at her sister's words.
Time felt like it froze for the three of them. Mutsumi's hands trembled, shaking the jug of water and soaking coffee grounds slightly. Forcing herself to smile, she turns to her sisters who were staring each other down. "Good luck Miku." She smiled, placing the jug into the fridge and heading to her room.
"Mutsumi? Are you awake? You said you were going to teach me." Itsuki knocked on her door that night. Mutsumi slowly opened it a crack, her hair disheveled and her eyes as red as their hair. With what little Itsuki saw, she noticed the bed tossed and her desk in disarray with a rag soaking up some spilled coffee.
"R-Right...Itsuki, can you bring your things here? I don't want to leave this room." Mutsumi says. The star wearing sister fixes her younger's hair slightly before leaving to get her books and notes.
They spend the next few minutes studying, except something felt off. Mutsumi was feeding Itsuki incorrect answers, which Itsuki caught almost immediately. The youngest's mind seemed to wander that study session, her eyes staring off into the distance as her hands kept moving to the front of her face. Itsuki brought her concerns to her attention.
"Oh, sorry...I guess I'm out of it today."
"Mutsumi, I...I understand. I guess I'll just ask Uesugi-kun for help when he comes over this Saturday." Itsuki packs up her things and closes the door, her eyes holding a mix of fear and concern.
"Fuutarou-san..." Mutsumi mutters as her mind races. "I...I'm falling behind them."
In the coming days, this became their routine. Day after day the two youngest Nakanos spent their evening holed up in the sixth room with books in their hands. Things seemed to be going well, until one took a closer look at the material they were reviewing. With every session, Itsuki's scores didn't improve, but dropped instead.
"How is it?" She asked her younger as Mutsumi held it with a pen dangling from her mouth.
"Not good. I'm sorry." Mutsumi hung her head in shame.
"Can we try again? I'm sure that I can get it ri-"
"I can't." Mutsumi let herself fall onto her bed, her face into her pillow. "I just have something else on my mind. I'm sorry." She admitted.
"Is...is it important?" Itsuki asked, placing a hand on her sister's head. Mutsumi doesn't respond, at least not intelligibly; only letting out a long hum. "Well, I understand. Some things are more important than grades after all. Take care Mutsumi."
"Thanks mom..." Mutsumi mutters as Itsuki grabs the handle to the door. With a somber, melancholic smile, Itsuki shuts the door. "Fuutarou-san...I wish you were here." She clutched her pillow tightly, shutting her eyes as they began to water.
"What am I going to do?" Itsuki enters her room. "I...I'll never be a teacher if things go on like this." She shuts the door behind her, sliding down it with her hands wiping her eyes. "Mom..."
The two of them wept that night, unknown to their sisters. The next day was a busy day for the both of them, the weekend was theirs to use.
"Are you sure about this?" Fuutarou asks, holding his copy of Mutsumi's script in his hands. He's sitting on a chair while Itsuki and Mutsumi are doing their makeup and setting up the camera. "This isn't exactly something I want to relive."
"Oh my, Fuutarou-san. How noble." Mutsumi teases him, adjusting the angle of the lens. Unseen to everyone else, a frown grows on her face. "It...It just doesn't feel the same anymore." She thinks, sighing before going to her room. "Alright, let's record the scene where Itsuki catches us. We shouldn't keep her here long." She yells as she grabs a towel.
"Uesugi-kun…changing topic for a bit...my grades are-"
"Itsuki, are Nino's ribbons down there? I can't remember where I put them." Mutsumi asks from upstairs. She emerges from her room, towel in her hand and wearing a shoulderless top and a pair of shorts; her hair combed down like Nino's.
"They're over here. What were you saying, Itsuki?"
"It's nothing. You must be busy. Let's get started so you can get back to planning for the festival." Itsuki takes her spot in the doorway, holding her phone in her hand.
"Fuutarou-san, before we start, are you really that busy?" Mutsumi asks, scattering some books onto the floor and opening one of the shelves.
"Yeah, it's the same for you right?" Fuutarou responds, handing her Nino's ribbons. Mutsumi wraps herself in the towel, tying the ribbons and mimicking her sister's visage.
"Well, yeah..." The air turned still. They were set up in a compromising position when Mutsumi broke the silence. "S-So...are you free tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow? No. Miku asked to go to the aquarium for some reason."
"Overmorrow?" Mutsumi's voice cracked. It almost sounded like it pleaded for him to be free that day. The sunlight outside quickly faded as it turned cloudy.
"Ichika and I are going to study. On Tuesday, Yotsuba and I have to finish up the things for the festival. I'm pretty swamped." Fuutarou listed his appointments, not noticing Mutsumi's despairing eyes.
"Is that so..." Mutsumi tries to hide her frown. "But, you're with me now..." She mutters. "I...what am I saying?"
"What? Mutsumi?" Fuutarou sits up, leaning backwards weary of the redhead.
"Fuutarou-san. I've missed our little talks, you know. We never get to have fun anymore." She raises a hand and wraps it around his neck. "No! Stop! Why am I?"
"Mutsumi? Get a grip."
"Get a grip? Fuutarou-san. I just want you to be by my side for now...please...I just can't think straight when I hear that you're going out with everyone except me." With heavy breaths, she sits up to be level with him. "Fuutarou-san..." She was leaning in closer, stopping him from moving back with her hand. "I don't want to lose to them, I don't want to lose you."
"So that's what it was? While I was worrying about my future, you were worried about Uesugi-kun." Itsuki reentered the room, seeing the scene.
"Itsuki, I can explain." The both of them exclaim, turning their attention to the girl with the cowlick.
"Uesugi-kun, we'll talk later. And Mutsumi, I...I'm just disappointed." She huffed, crossing her arms as her sister shrunk down. "You said that I could rely on you, but this is what you were thinking of. Did my grades and our deal even cross your mind?"
"Itsuki, please..."
"No, you can't weasel your way out of this one. You brushed me off, forgetting to teach me multiple times. And even when you did, you didn't even put in any effort to actually help me study." Itsuki stood firm. "Uesugi-kun, you can go and get Ichika now. I'm going to Shimoda-san, at least she actually helps me study."
Mutsumi was left alone for the rest of the day. Locked in her room and weeping into her pillow as her sisters returned and cleaned up her mess. "What have I done?" She muttered repeatedly as she rocked back and forth in the dark of her room.
"What did Miku mean by that...no, I think I know what she meant." Fuutarou walks home the next day, meeting up with his father as the two men walk home to find an unexpected guest.
"Uesugi-kun. I must apologize for yesterday. I was frustrated." Itsuki says as the two head out after dinner. "But I think Mutsumi has been having her way for far too long."
"Well, I hope this doesn't turn into another of those events. If everything falls apart here, then everything I had done would be meaningless." Fuutarou stares off into the night sky.
"That's not true." She grabs his attention. "Would you consider the time spent with Ichika, who's already started down her path of an actress, to be meaningless? Miku who has found her passion and is pursuing it whole heartedly. And Mutsumi, who went from practically a stranger to the one pushing us all in the right direction with your help. Is the time you spent talking, guiding, and helping them meaningless?" Itsuki's hair blew in the night wind, her eyes lighting up under the stars. "You're more than just our teacher, I'm sure everyone can agree on that. Uesugi-kun. Even if we're heading for failure in our unknown future, I'm sure none of us regret coming here and meeting you."
Fuutarou sighs, a soft smile on his face as he chuckles. "Thanks. And, aren't you forgetting something?"
"What?"
"The C." He says with a grimace.
"I'm not giving up on that university! Uesugi-kun, you may be more than just our tutor, but you're still a tutor. So please help me." She bows.
Meanwhile in the Nakano apartment, Miku returns to find Yotsuba and Nino in the kitchen with a stopwatch in their hands. "Alright, go!" Yotsuba says as Nino gets to work. In record time, she produces enough takoyaki for the five non-glutton sisters. "That was the fastest run so far."
"Where's everyone else?" Miku asks, finding some toothpicks.
"Ichika's already asleep. And Mutsumi..."
"She's been like that since yesterday." Yotsuba looks up at her sister's room. "I'll go get her." She walks up the stairs, knocking on the sixth door.
"Sis..." Mutsumi's door opens at Yotsuba's touch. "Yotsuba?"
"Mutsumi. Feeling better?" The bunny turns on the lights, illuminating the trashed room. Pillows and blankets flung around the place, her desk filled with crumpled papers, books on the floor. Mutsumi still wore the clothes she wore the day before, now covered in tears. Mutsumi herself didn't look any better, her makeup for the shoot now ran down, her hair frizzed, and her eyes bloodshot.
"Is everything okay?" Nino asks, coming up and taking a seat beside her. "Ew, you stink! You need a bath asap."
"Sorry..." Mutsumi hugged her knees, burying her head as more tears flowed down. "I'm so sorry."
"Is somebody jealous?" Miku teases from the doorway. "Well, I can sympathize."
"Mutsumi, you shouldn't apologize. At least not to us." Yotsuba commented. "Take a bath soon, let's eat dinner."
"You were desperate if you had to resort to that." Nino gets up. "But you weren't even in that bad of a spot, were you?" She fixes Mutsumi's hair. "Pull yourself together, this doesn't fit your persona."
"I..." Mutsumi wiped her eyes. "I guess you're right. Sorry for troubling everyone." She stood up, picking up a towel. "Is there anything I can do to help for the festival? I need a break from editing."