A/N: It's been like three or four months, so here's a quick recap so you don't have to read through everything in that old, poorly formatted version. The main differences are:
-Yotsuba has no shame and is actually proud of being the one he met in Kyoto. Think "Kurobara" Yotsuba, but more in control and focused. Fuutarou also knows at this point.
-Mutsumi and Itsuki are having a quarrel. Itsuki's grades weren't satisfactory and she repeatedly asked Mutsumi for help, only to be ignored and put to the side as Mutsumi became desperate for Fuu's attention
-Mutsumi tried to forcefully kiss Fuutarou while recording a scene for the movie, Itsuki caught her.
-Mutsumi has been talking to Maruo and getting him to soften up slightly.
-Mutsumi is helming the movie by editing and filming it. Currently on hold for the festival.
-Mutsumi has become jealous since her schedule doesn't allow her time with Fuutarou and she feels like she's falling behind her sisters.
That's pretty much it, I think. Happy new year everyone!
"It sure is packed..." Mutsumi stood with Miku at her side. She, Miku, and Itsuki stood overlooking a stage, an awkward silence hanging over the fifth and sixth sister. "Itsuki...how're Shimoda-san's classes?"
"They're helpful. We had a guest visitor host a workshop the other day, her teacher." Itsuki responded dismissively, eyes glued to the stage as lights began turning on to illuminate the platform. Curtains rose, revealing the silhouettes of five students, Nino standing front and center. "Oh my." The fifth sister exclaimed, fanning her face with her hands.
"Yikes..." Miku muttered, looking on as the idol group began their performance. The crowd erupted into a loud scream with each dance, each movement; the group was rehearsed and their act was flawless.
"This is amazing...for a high-school group." Mutsumi said offhandedly, glancing around the room before smiling. "I've got to go to the washroom." She says, hurrying away and out the doors. "You ca-" She was about to shout, stopping herself when she sees the recipient of her words on their phone.
"Mutsumi." The doctor turns, putting away his phone.
"I thought you said you couldn't make it. You said so this morning." Mutsumi walked up to him, noticing the Uesugi family walking in the distance. She contemplated calling them over, but considering the relationship between the fathers, it was probably not a good idea. "What was that call about?"
"I'm sorry. But I have to go now. The hospital needs me back." Maruo said, turning away. "I'll try to be back tomorrow."
"Dad...what happened to that tsundere act?"
"Goodbye." Maruo said, waving his hand and turning on his heel.
"Fuckin' tsundere…" Mutsumi muttered to herself as she reentered the auditorium where the concert was being held. The crowd was as animated as it was when she left, even Miku and Itsuki found themselves giving in and cheering on Nino who seemed to enter a flow state as she sang out the lyrics to a song. Word after word was belted out, carried by the melody that blasted out the speakers. She felt the ground tremble, but she didn't know if it was because of the crowd, or from the bass. Eventually, however, it came to an end. The crowd began leaving, Miku and Itsuki making their exit due to their own agendas, leaving Mutsumi standing in the empty venue.
"Where'd he go?" Nino asked, coming out from backstage while still dressed in her idol clothes. "He was here right?"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Dad. I thought I saw him watching."
"Oh, about that...there was an emergency at the hospital. So..." Mutsumi muttered softly, hearing a groan from Nino as the two walked outside.
"Well, I kinda expected that to happen. Hey, hand me your hoodie." Nino said, spotting a few boys from the show and hiding behind Mutsumi.
"What? O-Okay?" Mutsumi complied, taking off her plain looking jacket to hand it over to her sister. "Take care of yourself, okay. I'll be looking around."
"Okay. Take care." Nino said, looking around for her newfound fans. "Dad came today, huh?" She muttered, going around while trying to remain concealed.
"What to do now?" Mutsumi found herself thinking, absentmindedly following her sense of smell as she perused the various stalls. "Oooh corndogs! I haven't had one of those in forever." She found herself lining up, for the stall, noticing some commotion from behind the counter.
"Alright. Everything is going great, just make sure you put that fire extinguisher somewhere you can reach!" A familiar voice shouted in glee, its owner walking out from the back and meeting eyes with the redhead. "Mutsumi! How's everything so far?"
"There's so much to see; there's too much to see! I don't know where to start!" Mutsumi smiled, finally getting to the front of the line. She got a corndog, smothering it in ketchup and mustard before walking away with her sister. "Ish a bit ovrrwhlming." She tried to talk with her mouth stuffed. The two kept walking, ending up at the takoyaki stall run by their class. Yotsuba made her safety inspection while Mutsumi continued eating her corndog.
"Where do you want to go next?" Yotsuba asked, checking her clipboard with her pencil.
"I don't really know. We have a lot of time before we have to meet up." Mutsumi said, getting an order of Takoyaki for herself. "Actually...where's Fuutarou-san? I need to apologize to him as soon as possible."
"He should be around somewhere..." Yotsuba paused, scanning the area. "I think I see him going to get some gas from storage. It's over there." She began pointing. Sure enough, the tutor's black hair walked inside the small tent they were using for storage.
"Thanks, I'll go set this right." Mutsumi smiled, running towards Fuutarou as Yotsuba went back to her duties as one of the many class reps. She approached him sheepishly, the memory of their last interaction fresh in her mind. "Fuutarou-san."
"Mutsumi." Fuutarou turned, carrying a small tank of gas out in both his arms. "How's the festival?" He asked, a seemingly automated response that he developed from people walking up to him for help, seemingly. He turned his eyes away, uncomfortable with the girl standing before him.
"It's nice." Mutsumi found herself stammering her words out without thinking. "Uhm...About the...thing...I'm..."
"Mutsumi, I'm busy right now. I have to go."
"No! Wait..." Mutsumi grabbed the back of his shirt. "I'm sorry! I really am, so please..."
"I'm not the one you should apologize to." Fuutarou said, pulling his shirt free from her grip and walking away with the tank in his hands.
"But...I..." Mutsumi found herself standing there with her arm outstretched in his direction. "At least listen to me..." She mumbled, desperately willing her feet to follow his footsteps. She caught up to him as he threw his jacket over somebody's head. "I..." She sniffled, stopping before he noticed her presence. Mutsumi silently ran away, running inside to hide herself in the empty classroom that was their designated meeting place. There she stayed, confiding in the solitude and silence until the dedicated time arrived.
"Pardon the intrusion." Itsuki's voice snapped Mutsumi from her trance, getting the sixth sister to stare at her. "Oh, it's you Mutsumi."
"Itsuki..." Mutsumi muttered as Itsuki took a few steps and knelt down to place a hand on Mutsumi's shoulder. "I..." She wiped her eyes, drying a few tears that had welled up on her face.
"What happened?" Itsuki asked, yet her face didn't show any hint of curiosity. Unusually cunning, Itsuki asked the question while scanning Mutsumi's face.
"I tried talking to Fuutarou-san, but he-"
"Even now, all you can think of is him?" Itsuki stood up, sighing in a disappointed tone and taking a seat to wait for the others. The two sat in silence for five minutes before Yotsuba, Fuutarou, and Nino arrived.
"Hey!" Yotsuba announced their arrival with a high pitched yell. "It's just you two? Is Miku still busy at the pancake stall?"
"Probably." Mutsumi replied, glancing around the room. Her eyes turned away when she was about to gaze at Fuutarou. The five of them sat awkwardly in the silence, Yotsuba glancing out the window. "So...uhm...what do we do while we wait?" She asked, to which nobody replied. They waited a while longer, sending glances towards each other until the pattering of somebody's footsteps approached the room.
"Sorry for the wait!" Miku burst through the door, panting with an apologetic look on her face. Still wearing the apron from her stall, she leaned against the closest desk to her as she tried to regain her energy. The others gave their greetings, Nino chiding her tardiness.
"Well, we're all here now."
"No, there's still one left." Fuutarou muttered as the door slip open a second time. "Come on in."
"Ichika!" The girls exclaimed in surprise. "You don't have a shoot today?" Mutsumi asked, finally standing up from her spot in the corner of the room; Ichika shook her head.
"So, now we're finally all here." Fuutarou said, leaning back and resting his weight on his arms. The girls became lax, munching on some food Ichika had with her from all of the stalls outside.
"Why'd you want to meet with all of us?" Mutsumi asked, passing Nino some juice while she reached for a piece of karaage.
"I love all six of you."
One, five, nine seconds pass in silence as the weight of those words seemingly flew past all of their heads. Suddenly, a spray of liquid flew through the air, originating from Nino's mouth. "You what!?" The second sister quickly wiped off her mouth and turned her head to face their tutor.
"So suddenly." Ichika commented.
"The relationship the seven of us share is something I'd like to hold onto and cherish." He said, turning his head down with some humility. "But I also think that me not giving you an answer is just going to cause more problems in the future."
"Fuutarou-san, I..." Mutsumi muttered desperately as Fuutarou held up his hand.
"I'm not tactless enough to say it in the middle of the festival, though. And I'm still sorting myself out, so give me until the last day." He said, hopping off of the desk to stand on his two feet.
"Geez! How stupid!" They yell out at him "This feels like a total letdown." Nino laughed, refilling her cup since she wasted the previous serving.
"It makes you all tense, thinking of something serious all of a sudden." Yotsuba exhaled, giving off a lighthearted air that eased the nerves of everyone in the room. Itsuki wandered over to Fuutarou, muttering one or two things to him before the pair glanced Mutsumi's way. "Here you go Mutsumi!" Yotsuba caught her attention, handing her a cup of orange juice. Once everyone had gotten their share of the beverages, Ichika raised hers to toast.
"To the first day of the festival going without a hitch!" She smiled. "Cheers!" Everyone smiled, Mutsumi forgetting her worries momentarily and living in the moment.
The moment passed, her thoughts returned along with the turmoil they brought with them. She pulled up a chair near the pancake stall while they packed up their things. "Are you okay?" Miku walked over to her side, her apron folded up and carried in her arms. "What's on your mind?"
"I don't know what to do anymore." Mutsumi sighed, dropping her face into her palms. "It's almost over and he's mad at me. Itsuki won't even listen to me, which is my fault; I'll admit that. Everything I do just goes wrong." She took deep breaths, hunching over as she heaved the air through her system.
"Itsuki's still mad at you, huh?" Miku sat down beside her, cracking open a bottle of water and taking sips from it. "Kinda reminds me of that time she and Nino ran away from home."
"How come?"
"Itsuki doesn't stay mad this long unless it's something important." Miku said, turning to face her sister. "Have you done anything to apologize to her?"
"Not yet." Mutsumi leaned back, eyes now gazing up at the sky. "I don't know what I can do for her..."
"Well, she spent all day today studying. You can help her with that." Miku stood up. "Because that's something only you can do." Miku smiled, extending her hand out and helping Mutsumi stand up. "Let's go look for Yotsuba. I'm sure she can help get you and Itsuki alone." The two began browsing the festival grounds, passing the stalls that were cleaning up and stopping as the smell of sulfur reaches both of their noses.
"Where's the fire extinguisher!?" A boy from their class yelled as the two began running towards the blaze that lit up the sky after the sun had set. Mutsumi glanced around, scanning the other stalls for fire extinguishers as the heat of the inferno spread across the crowd.
"Move!" Mutsumi yelled, finding a couple and calling for extra hands to help extinguish the fire. Giving a cursory scan, she saw Nino and Miku standing back as the flames roared, Yotsuba and Fuutarou came rushing over to asses the situation. She pulled the pin, aiming the nozzle of the extinguisher at the embers and releasing the concoction inside. With other people's help, they managed to contain the disaster from setting fire to other combustibles; the takoyaki stall, sadly, was rendered unusable.
"Is everyone okay?" Fuutarou asked, his words followed by the noise of Nino calling for him. Him, Yotsuba, and Mutsumi joined together, finding Miku passed out and slung over Nino's shoulder. "Someone call an ambulance." He said as Mutsumi leaned in closer to Miku's unmoving body.
"Alright, remember what they did to you." She muttered to herself, checking Miku's vitals and smiling. "She's fine. All she needs is some rest." She turned to her sisters. "Let's go home and get her into bed."
They called Ebata over, needing to load Miku's body into the car to get her home. They rode in silence, Itsuki joining them after the chaos of the incident, arriving home to see Ichika sleeping on the dinner table with her scripts strewn around her. Itsuki headed to her room almost immediately, putting her glasses on before she locked her door. "What...do I need?" Mutsumi thought silently, going into her room and looking over the mess she left.
After some cleaning, she set her bag on her desk. She let out a long breath, looking at her organized room. "I...I can't believe I let a boy do this to me." She muttered to herself, chuckling as she pulled out some paper and pens. For two hours, she sat at her desk, going over her references and making a mockup of a test as well as some flashcards in case she would need them. Binding them using a few rings, she yawned and stretched her back before she stood up and walked out of her room. "Itsuki." She called out, knocking on the fifth sister's room; there was no reply. She tried for a while more, giving up after three minutes; she returned to her room and went to bed for the night.
The second day came, and Mutsumi looked like she was back to normal; confident and determined, with a slight grin of mischief plastered on her face. Unlike the first day, she brought a fairly large satchel with her, intending to go and look for her sister. "It's time to set things right." She said.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to the second day of the sunrise festival! Is everybody having a good time?" A voice boomed from the speakers set up all over the place, accompanied by the face of one of their classmates being projected onto a large screen. "This is Tsubaki from the broadcasting club."
"We have a broadcasting club? Man, that would've been good practice for my job..." Mutsumi muttered, walking around and finding Miku resting in the auditorium. Yotsuba came out, moving some chairs back into their row. "Hey Miku, you feeling okay?"
"Yeah. I think I'm alright now." The third sister said, standing up and moving her chair back as Yotsuba joined them. ""Still, after what happened to the boys; I wonder what they're doing now." The three began walking, passing by people who were going about the festival. Running into Tsubaki, Miku gave a short interview and Mutsumi asked if they'd like to help with the movie. Eventually, they came across Fuutarou, and a black haired girl that seemed quite touchy feely with Fuutarou. "Who's that?"
"You don't think he's had a girlfriend all this time? Nah, hiding something like that would be impossible." Mutsumi commented, looking intently just as the girl grabbed Fuutarou by the hand and dragged him away, towards the pancake stall. Her eyes widened, along with those of her sisters; the three giving chase and hiding behind a corner as the two began talking with Nino and Itsuki, who were advertising the stall. Their sisters had their own reactions, ending off with some questioning.
"Hello. My name is Takebayashi. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a classmate of Fuutarou's from elementary school." The girl said calmly.
"Really? We're his classmates too, and we have a student teacher relationship. I'd say that our relationship goes beyond just being classmates." Nino said in a somewhat arrogant tone. Yotsuba sighed taking a few steps towards the group.
"Oh really? What a coincidence. I used to teach Fuutarou too." Takebayashi grasped Nino's hands excitedly, shocking all of the sisters with her statement. "It's shocking when the problem child who never listens to anyone comes to you for help."
"Actually, they're my students." Fuutarou piped up, looking away ashamed. Footsteps approached the group as Mutsumi and Yotsuba walked up, with Miku shaking her head in denial.
"You had to teach him?" Mutsumi said confidently, facing the boy. "Score one for me." Cheekily grinning at the boy, she poked Yotsuba gently in her toned stomach; then she poked slightly harder after she felt her sister's toughness. "Shouldn't you say something?"
"Right. Thank you, Takebayashi-san." Yotsuba stared into Takebayashi's eyes. "If it weren't for you, I never would've been able to meet Fuutarou-kun again." She gave a smile, bowing down to her.
"You...were you the one from the photo?" Takebayashi asked. "He kept showing me this photo and I thought the girl looked familiar. Then I remembered that I bumped into a group of quintuplet girls on our trip to Kyoto."
"Bump is an understatement, my head hurt a lot after we ran into each other." Mutsumi joked. "Actually, we're sextuplets, the last one is busy and couldn't make it."
"Let's have a talk. I'd love to get to know the girl that changed Fuutarou's life." Takebayashi, like how she did with him, grabbed Yotsuba's hand and ran off; Yotsuba was in too shocked of a state to reply or move before the two were a considerable distance away.
"Yotsuba! Wait for me!" Mutsumi yelled, breaking into a sprint and kicking off some dust as she chased them to a bench.
"So, how was Fuutarou-kun after that day in Kyoto?' Yotsuba asked as Mutsumi joined them. "I remember that he was a bit of a troublemaker while the two of us went around the city. But when I met him again last year, he was like a completely different person."
"Hmm let's see." Takebayashi leaned back, tapping her head with her finger. "'I'm an empty, hollow person. I want to have at least one thing I can be proud of!' was what he said after we got back. He's really grown up." She said, smiling with a nostalgic look in her eyes. "We would spend the time after school studying, and I would see him opening books right after he ate."
"That sounds like him, alright." Mutsumi commented. "Let's take turns. Is there anything you want to know about the current Fuutarou-san?"
"Hmm, how was he like when you met him?" The black haired girl asked, turning to the two sisters seated to her sides.
"He was..uhm...kind of a loser." Yotsuba said softly. "I heard rumors that he had no friends, and I think he only acted nice to us because it was his job."
"Well, you guys sure got him to soften up quickly." Mutsumi groaned, stretching her arms in front of her. "When I came back, he was all buddy-buddy with everyone, except for Nino." Mutsumi commented, hearing footsteps approach and call out to Yotsuba. "Why don't we continue this later, Takebayashi-san? Here's my contact info, if you want it."
"Sure. And here's mine." The three of them exchanged contacts as Takebayashi's eyes drifted down to Mutsumi's side. "If I may ask, what's in the bag? That's a big bag for browsing a festival."
"Oh. Oh! I forgot! Sorry Takebayashi-san, I have to go!" Surprise took hold of Mutsumi's head as she quickly turned a hundred and eighty degrees and sprinted off, leaving Takebayashi standing there smiling before making a call on her phone.
"Sanada. You're missing out!" She said, continuing her tour of the celebration.
Running up to Itsuki at the pancake stall. She gave Nino a nod, and the second sister took the sign away from Itsuki.
"What are you doing?" Itsuki asked as Mutsumi grabbed her arm and dragged her away.
"Apologizing. So bear with me a bit." Mutsumi turned, a wide, genuine smile on her face. Itsuki gazed at it, partially shocked. The fifth sister picked up her pace, the two of them running to the silent, by comparison, interior of the school. Finding themselves in the cafeteria, they sat down as Mutsumi cleared her throat. "Alright! Where did you leave off yesterday?"
Itsuki scanned through a book that the sixth sister had taken out. English Literature, Mathematics, and Japanese have been completed, or so she said; leaving Social Studies and Science for Mutsumi's lesson. Mutsumi gave a nod, scanning through her papers with her fingers and pulling out two sets of problems, each around the thickness of a novel. "When did you make these?" Itsuki turned, amazed by the volume of the materials.
"Last night, though it was mostly going over it a bunch of times to make sure I didn't get anything wrong." Mutsumi pulled out some pencils, setting them all down on the table. "Shall we?" For a few moments, they just sat there, going over the academic supplements that the youngest had prepared; halfway through the Social Studies module, a set of footsteps were heard approaching them.
"I've finally found you, Itsuki-chan. And this must be one of your sisters." A bald man with a beard came up to their table, holding an oversized lollipop in his hand; the sugar going straight to his slightly bulging gut. His face seemed to be upside-down, his beard looking like a decent head of hair if one could invert their gaze.
"And you are?" Mutsumi stared at him, profiling him in her mind at the mention of her sister's name in such a casual manner.
"That's Mudou-sensei." Itsuki said pensively, looking at Mutsumi. "He had a workshop at Shimoda-san's cram school a few days ago. "He used to be a teacher."
"I-Is that so?" She said, lowering her guard slightly. "What brings you here, Mudou-sensei?"
"I have to apologize for yesterday. It must've been bewildering for a stranger to say things like that to you, Itsuki-chan." He said, crunching his candy between his teeth. "There's actually something I was thinking of telling you, and it's all the better that your sister is here to hear it as well." He passed his eyes over the two girls, almost wincing as he gazed at them. "In truth, your mother used to be my student. Furthermore, she used to be my coworker, and finally...Rena used to be my wife. In other words...I'm your fa-"
"Leave." Mutsumi had her hand extended as the flapping of a notebook filled the air before it landed with a soft thud behind Mudou. "Our father disappeared before we were born. If you have anything else to say, say it quickly and leave. We're busy."
"I've wanted to see you all this time. You girls were always on my mind as I was travelling the country as a lecturer. Then I spotted Ichika-chan on TV. I then did some research and found out about Mutsumi-chan's victories in competitions overseas."
"I'll call everyo-"
"Don't, Itsuki" Mutsumi put her hand over her sister's phone. "Let him talk."
Mudou cleared his throat, clearing chunks of candy from his beard. "You attending my workshop was no coincidence. You were troubled about something, and confided in me. Now it's time for me to fulfil my duty as a fath-"
"What are you saying after all this time!?" Itsuki yelled, gripping her phone tightly. "Mom told us all about you! You disappeared after you found out she was carrying sextuplets! Can you imagine how she felt at the time? When it...comes to you, I...we..."
"Forgive me!" Mudou got down on all fours as the faint smell of blood entered Mutsumi and Itsuki's nose. He banged his head on the tiles of the cafeteria, leaving an gash on his skin that let blood drip onto the floor. "I was so pathetic! I've always regretted it. If I were more dependable back then, you girls would've been spa-"
"Shut up, old man. Groveling won't change our minds." Mutsumi said cruelly, bending down to look at his pathetic face. "Is that all you want to say? If so, then leave; you're not worth our time. And we already have a father; we don't need you."
"Nakano-kun, huh?" Mudou got up on one knee, then he stood upright again, the whole process taking much longer than a normal person would need. Mutsumi and Itsuki kept staring at him, trying to find the right words to say in retort to his claims.
"He was an excellent student, but I must say that he failed as a father." He said, looking down at his daughters. "A relationship by blood is essential between a father and daughter. What was he able to do for you when your mother died?" His eyes narrowed on Itsuki. "He allowed my daughter to keep chasing the shadow of her deceased mother. You're even about to go down the same misguided path as she did. You should know better than anyone that you're not cut out to be a teacher."
"I've heard enough. Itsuki, let's go." Mutsumi walked past him, picking up the notebook she threw earlier. Itsuki paused for a moment before packing up Mutsumi's things back into her bag. "Please, never talk to us again, Mudou."
"I'm sure your mother must have said something similar to you, did she not?" At Mudou's words, Itsuki stopped in her tracks.
"Itsuki..." Mutsumi scanned her sister's face, seeing the hopelessness, that Mudou had instilled in her, plastered all over. "Come on, let's find some place a bit quieter." The two entered an empty classroom, Itsuki slumping into a chair. "What's wrong?"
"Is...Is it wrong for me to aspire to become a teacher?" She turned, teary eyed, towards Mutsumi. "Even mom said so, after all. So is it wrong for me to become like mom?"
"I..." Mutsumi stepped back, caught off guard by the grief in her sister's voice. "I'm not going to tell you if it's wrong or right, because it's your dream and you decide if it's worth pursuing. All I will say is that you're not alone."
"But everyone around me is saying the same things as Mudou-sensei."
"Not everyone. Hold on Itsuki, I've got to make a few phone calls." Mutsumi excused herself, stepping out into the hallway and calling up Fuutarou. "I need your help. Talk to Itsuki...we ran into an old man that said some things that really got to her...huh? You knew..oh" She hung up, dialing another number, then another, and another. All in all, she took half an hour to make all the calls she needed, luckily each one was short and straight to the point.
"What took you so long?" Itsuki asked as Mutsumi reentered. She had already taken out what they were working on and resumed; noticeably, the paper directly under her face was slightly damp. Mutsumi was about to reply when a text was sent to both her and Itsuki's phone, Yotsuba had collapsed from overwork.
"I...I think we should go check things out."
"Takebayashi-san?" Mutsumi asked as they approached her. Takebayashi stood next to Fuutarou, the two seemingly having a conversation before Mutsumi and Itsuki arrived. "Why are you here?"
"She was with Yotsuba when she collapsed. She was running around so much since she took on so many jobs. I'm going around to everywhere that she volunteered for and apologizing in her place." Fuutarou said, looking at a small clipboard. "Luckily for me, I don't have to do much."
"What do you mean? Surely her workload for the day would've fallen on..." Mutsumi said, stopping as she noticed a band from her class carrying some boards and boxes. Another girl from their class, big round glasses and twin braids, came over and took the clipboard from Fuutarou. "What's going on?"
"They're all people Yotsuba helped. Now the only problem is the play. I'm heading over to the theatre club now, they need a replacement since Yotsuba was the main antagonist." Fuutarou then shot a glance at Mutsumi and Itsuki. "How fast are you at memorizing?"
"You got it. Itsuki, take my things. Bye for now! Let's go." She ran off with Fuutarou, meeting up with a few familiar faces as they knocked on the door backstage. "Eba-senpai, right?" Mutsumi asked, staring at the former track captain as she held her arms to her side. Another student went around with a tape measure, writing down the measurements and looking at the costume that was made for Yotsuba, giving a nod to the theatre club members before taking it with her to a table and pulling out her phone.
"Oh, it's Nakano-san's sister. It's been a while."
"What are you doing here?" Mutsumi asked as the theatre club handed over a copy of the script to the former captain. "Don't tell me..."
"Well, everything is settled. I'm here to apologize in Yotsuba's place. She's left you in quite the bind, but I see you managed to get out of it." Fuutarou breathed a sigh of relief, walking out the door with a smile.
"Yotsuba, if only you could see what you've done." Mutsumi chuckled to herself, following Fuutarou out.
"We're lucky that Yotsuba was so selfless, people came to her rescue without us having to do anything." Mutsumi said. "Anyway, Fuutarou-san. I know I've been a bit of a nuisance recently, but I really need your help. So...please forgive me." Mutsumi bowed, leaving a silence in the hallway as Fuutarou turned to face her.
"Alright." He said nonchalantly. "What do you need me to do?"
"Just talk to Itsuki. I tried to cheer her up, but I don't know what else I can say." Mutsumi then brought her hand to her face, cupping it slightly over her mouth. "I need to find a way to get dad here tomorrow...but..."
"If you need to talk with your father, let me do it. I was already going there later. Just get everything else prepared." He said, the light from the end of the hall bathing him in a nice angle as his outline became smaller with every step he took. Mutsumi felt her face go red, remembering the events before the festival.
"Hey, when was the last time we talked like this, Fuutarou-san?"
"Right after we got Ichika on board with our movie, why are you asking?" Fuutarou paused once more as Mutsumi ran to catch up to him.
"I just missed these little one on one talks we have. So don't leave okay." She clasped his hand, pulling his arm closer to hers as her other hand grabbed the side of his head and pushed it to hers. The lower half of their bodied bathed in light while the upper half cast in shadow, the two of them stayed like that for a few seconds before Mutsumi pulled away, a faint bit more moisture on her lips than usual. "Because this distance between us...I don't want it to get bigger." She gave a cheeky smile, slapping Fuutarou in the back before she ran outside ahead of the stunned tutor.
The night of the second day was tiring, Mutsumi continuing the conversations she had on the phone until the clock struck midnight. Eventually, however, everything came together; though it was haphazard and barely coherent. "Tsubaki-chan, can you hear me?" Mutsumi muttered to her headset's mic as she fitted Itsuki's stars into Miku's hair.
"Loud and clear! We've also got the cameras on him right now." The girl with the side-tail said, her voice reaching Mutsumi through the headset. "And I also got a message from Uesugi-san, his end of the plan is going well."
"Alright, here we go." Mutsumi said, fitting a microphone to Miku's collar and telling her to take steps towards their target: Mudou.
"Good afternoon, Mudou-sensei. It's Itsuki." The third sister spoke calmly, mimicking the fifth's speech patters perfectly.
"Hey. I wasn't expecting you to come to me, Itsuki-chan." Mudou got on his feet, turning to face her. "Can I take it that...you've decided to lend an ear to what I have to say."
"Please explain it to me again. If my dream of wanting to become a teacher is a mistake, then what should I do?"
"I want Itsuki-chan to be Itsuki-chan, and I want to help you with that. Even now, you're still being possessed by the spirit of her mother. Mudou said as his voice echoed in Mutsumi's headset. Mutsumi chuckled, looking at the feed from the various cameras she and the broadcasting club set up earlier in the day.
"Hook, line, and sinker." She muttered as the conversation continued. "Alright, I see them. Send Fuutarou-san his signal." Mutsumi glanced at her laptop as footsteps could be heard from Miku's mic.
"Gahaha! You, a father!? That's hilarious!" Isanari's voice cut through the air. Mudou turned, meeting with not only Isanari, but also Shimoda. "Sup. It's been a while, sensei."
"That being said, the one who has business with you isn't us." Shimoda said, stepping aside to allow Maruo to pass.
"Mudou-sensei. You seem well." The doctor greeted his former teacher blandly, gazing at Miku in disguise before returning his attention to the old man.
"Alright, Miku. Feign surprise. Make it seem that they weren't supposed to be here." Mutsumi said, a grin on her face that won't seem to go away. She then turned to her side, seeing her sisters watching and listening intently; Itsuki giving a thankful smile before returning her gaze to the screen. The conversation had progressed quite a bit, Mutsumi enlarging the feed of the camera with the best angle of the action.
"No, I'm grateful to you. Your irresponsible actions brought my daughters and I together." The doctor said, staring down the round father of the quints; biologically speaking.
"Is that right? From my point of view, you also weren't fulfilling your responsibilities either." Mudou's voice gained confidence, bordering on smugness; Mutsumi grinned wider as her teeth grinded against each other in excitement. "That's why Itsuki-chan came here herself. Not to you, who isn't dependable, but to me."
"Checkmate. Everyone, let's go pay dad a visit." Mutsumi said sinisterly, standing up and telling Tsubaki to take over the feeds, fiddling with her collar and hair before they went. She, along with her four sisters, went to meet up with the third. By the time they arrived, Marou and Miku had revealed their deception.
"I'm over here." Itsuki said as she stepped in front of their group.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"I apologize for deceiving you. However, I was able to understand something through this."
"What of it? I've simply mistaken..."
"How can a father say he's mistaken his own children. Don't give us that bullshit." Mutsumi spoke up. "You don't care about us, you don't love us like a father should. You never even asked for my name yesterday, even though I was your child like Itsuki."
"Mom used to say that one can tell us apart as long as there's love." Itsuki said. Mudou clenched his fist and Mutsumi stood in front of Itsuki with her hand covering her sister's body.
"You're still talking about that woman!? Give it a rest already!" He screamed into the air, pointing at his offspring. "Stop hurling those empty words around! How long are you going to keep believing in them!? Forget about that foolishness, right now! Your mother must have said something to that affect as well! Go ahead and recall what your mother had said." He walked up to Itsuki and Mutsumi, leaning closer in a vain attempt to intimidate them.
"I do recall mom speaking of her regrets." Itsuki said. Mudou seemed elated, opening his mouth to reply but getting interrupted.
"The biggest of which was believing in you." Mutsumi cut him off before he could start, allowing Itsuki to speak without his interference.
"However, I don't believe that to be true." Itsuki continued, letting out a long exhale in order to calm her nerves and collect her thoughts.
"What you believe is irrelevant! When Rena herself said so!"
"That's right! It's irrelevant! Even if my mom truly rejects her own life, I will simply reject her rejection!" She said, stepping in front of Mutsumi and causing Mudou to take several steps backwards.
"It's fine for me to do that, right? Because I'm not my mother!" She shouted before relaxing once more. "I say that because I watched her carefully. I watched the silhouette of my mother who threw everything away to devote herself to us." She gestured to her sisters as Miku took her spot in the sea of red. "There's no way that such a kind person's life was a mistake."
"Itsuki..." Yotsuba muttered, smiling proudly at her younger sister.
"Yeah. I'm sure that's how it is." Ichika spoke, her face serious and glad at Itsuki's statement.
"You abandoned us, abandoned her. You have no right to tell us how she felt or how she thought, since you never knew her the way we did." Mutsumi sent one last stab at Mudou's psyche, stepping back to allow her sister to take the lead.
"The things that come out of ignorant kids' mouths..." Mudou clenched his fists tighter; everyone noticing the action.
"We could say the same for you." Maruo intervened, stepping closer to the lot of them. "You kept talking as if you know everything."
"What do you mean by that, Nakano-kun?" Mudou asked, to which Maruo smiled.
"It's a fact that you betrayed, cast aside and wounded the feelings of the woman who looked up to you and wanted to become a teacher like you. But you only knew how she was up until you ran out on her." He said, looking over his daughters. "You don't know how much hope those girls brought out in her afterwards." His voice was gentle, his message mainly directed at the sextuplets though addressed to Mudou. Maruo then furrowed his brows, returning his intense stare at his former teacher. "You have no right to say anything about her."
Mutsumi looked around the scene, Nino muttered something to herself as she held her hands together, Miku and Ichika looking on at Itsuki who was given time to breathe, Yotsuba kept her gaze on Mudou who had been backpedaling for a while, and the lenses of all of the cameras they set up the lights still on. "Tsubaki-chan, you still getting this?" She muttered into her collar, getting an affirmative into her earpiece that she put on after leaving her surveillance station.
"Itsuki-kun, I'm also not qualified to talk about her, but..." Maruo turned towards the fifth sister. "My wish is for you to pursue the path that you believe in. I'm certain your mother would feel the same." His words brought Itsuki to tears, tears of joy. Itsuki sniffled, wiping away her sobs with her sleeve.
"I will..." She shook her head, facing Mudou for the last time. "Mudou-sensei, to the very end, you never uttered a single word of apology to mom. I'll never forgive you. I will not let you use me as a tool for easing your conscience! However, the day you pay for your sins will come. Be prepared." Itsuki furrowed her brows, giving Mutsumi a short glance before starting to walk away.
"Even though I went out of my way to..."
"You're just embarrassing yourself, old man." Isanari commented, walking away himself. Mudou looked around, grumbling to himself as he left the school grounds in solitude.
"That was awesome!" Yotsuba embraced Itsuki the moment they got far enough away from Mudou. "You were so cool!"
"You weren't half bad out there." Nino said, patting Itsuki on the back as Ichika sighed.
"I was all butterflies." Ichika said, fanning herself with her hands as Miku went and got drinks for all of them from a vending machine.
"But you didn't say anything." The third sister said, grinning to the eldest as she opened a can of matcha soda.
"It's because I wasn't alone." Itsuki said, turning her attention to Mutsumi, who approached with a relaxed smile that was relieved that everything had passed without a hitch. "Thank you."
"No prob, sis." The youngest said, getting her can of iced coffee from Miku. "I'll take care of the rest. We'll make him pay." Mutsumi's face changed sinisterly, her aura growing dark as her smirk brought chills to her sisters' spines.
"You're scary, Mutsumi-chan." Isanari walked up, Shimoda standing beside him. "Not only your news agency, but you've already got people to spread it around. Not to mention all of that footage."
"I doubt he'll ever find a job again." Shimoda commented. "I kinda feel bad for him." She said as Maruo approached.
"Itsuki." He said, taking a step closer to his daughters. "Everyone. No matter how aloof I am, know that I am proud of you." He said, shocking five of his six daughters.
"Tsundere!" Mutsumi and Isanari yelled, chuckling at the doctor, who returned death glares in their direction.
"Well then. I will be off. Enjoy this last day of your festival." The doctor departed, followed by Shimoda. Isanari decided to stay until sunset, trying out more of the stalls in the mean time.
The Itsuki left off somewhere for a while, leaving the other five on a bench waiting for her to return. "So...what now?" Mutsumi asked, sighing. "He's finally going to make a choice, huh?"
"Let's not talk about that. It'll ruin the mood." Nino said. "Let's walk around."
"Alright! On the count of three we-" Yotsuba pumped her fist in the air before Nino spoke up again.
"No way, we'll all end up pointing at different things anyway." Nino said matter-of-factly.
"Even though we're sextuplets?" Mutsumi asked.
"Because we're sextuplets." Nino replied as Itsuki's footsteps approached.
"I'm sorry for making you wait." Itsuki said, stopping in front of her five sisters.
"How did it go, Itsuki?"
"We're you able to pass the message on to Fuutarou-kun?"
"Yes. I also thanked him in regards to the incident with our biological father as well." She said, fidgeting with her fingers. "I would also like to formally thank you all again."
"Sheesh sis. Why do you always have to act so stuffy, we're at a festival for crying out loud." Mutsumi whined, causing Itsuki to pout as she took a deep breath.
"B-But...Thanks!" Itsuki said, her tone awkward as she transitioned to informal speech.
"Forget what I just said. Stay formal, it just sounds weird if you talk like that." Mutsumi said, turning to her sisters who shared the sentiment.
"No way...even you girls too!?" Itsuki complained. "Ah! Mutsumi, Miku, thank you. You went out of your way for that."
"It was nothing. I'm not satisfied with such a sloppy disguise anyway." Miku said, taking offense to how easy it was to break through the disguise; she didn't even wear a wig.
"But it had to be sloppy. Having it be so painfully obvious made him look even worse when he couldn't figure it out." Mutsumi slapped Miku on the shoulder.
"But even changing that little would throw a normal person off..." Ichika commented as the six of them began walking through what's left of the festival.
"Yeah, even if the person on the inside is different, we all have the same face." Yotsuba added.
"I wonder how long we'll stay sextuplets..."
"Sextuplet or not...I'm glad to have you all as my sisters." Mutsumi said, taking the front of the pack. "There's no time to waste! Let's go celebrate!" She raised her arms, getting cheers from Yotsuba immediately, then the others joined in somewhat halfheartedly.
"Alright then, since I'm the eldest, how about I choose where to go first?" Ichika suggested, having surprisingly no objections. She directed them to a concert by the band that Mutsumi saw earlier, they were what you'd expect from a group of high schoolers. While the sisters were enjoying the music, Mutsumi noticed a girl from another class walk up to Ichika and hand her something.
"What was that about?" Mutsumi asked as the eldest rejoined them.
"Who knows. But I wonder if this is what they mean when they say that it was all worth it..."
Next they went to their stall, finding it deserted since most of their class had gone to the awarding of the sales competition. Changing course, Mutsumi could hear Itsuki and Nino talking behind her.
"I couldn't have done it if Mutsumi didn't talk to him, at least not this easily." Nino said.
"What's with the holdup? We're going to miss it if you don't hurry up." Mutsumi yelled from the front, hiding her smile with her hands.
At the awarding, their class fared the best. Mutsumi left for a bit, congratulating their classmates for them as she saw Miku and Yotsuba talking to each other from the railing above them. All that was left after that was where Itsuki and Mutsumi wanted to go, and they met up to quickly go through them since their time was running out. They were about to ask Itsuki just as her stomach growled audibly.
"Well, that answers that." Mutsumi said. "Though, I wonder if any stalls are still open. Most of them came here to see who won."
"Oh, we can use this voucher I just got. It's for a popcorn stall, I think."
Arriving at the stall, they came into one last problem for the festival. "There's a variety of flavors!" Itsuki exclaimed, looking at the small sign set out nearby. She turned to her sisters, insisting to hear them out and decide after. "What about you Mutsumi?" Itsuki looked around, finding the sixth sister talking with the student operating the stall.
"He says there's only salted popcorn left. Pass me the voucher." She said, taking the small bucket of food in her hands as Ichika handed over the voucher. "Here you go." She said, handing it over to Itsuki. "And...I'm sorry for how I've been acting the past few days. Once this is over, we'll get your grades up for sure."
"Alright." Itsuki nodded. "All that's left is where you want to go, Mutsumi."
"I don't have anywhere in particular, just somewhere quiet will work." Mutsumi said, as Yotsuba directed them to some chairs she set out earlier. "Wait...is that, Fuutarou-san, Yuusuke-san, and Maeda-san?" Mutsumi said, causing Yotsuba to divert them somewhere else, the bench where they talked with Takebayashi.
"What was it you wanted silence for?" Miku asked. Mutsumi pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"Hello? Mutumi-san, what's up?" Takebayashi's voice came through the speaker. "Is it time?"
"Yeah. I'm kind of nervous." Mutsumi said.
"You can relax. I'm sure that even after this, Fuutarou will still love all of you." She replied. "Good luck, to all of you." She said as the call ended.
"We should get going." Mutsumi said, clapping her hands as they made their way inside the school building. "I...Good luck." Mutsumi said, extending her fist with her pinky and thumb outstretched. "I'm glad that you're my sisters, I'm glad that we're sextuplets." She said as the six of them linked their fingers and went their separate ways.
Mutsumi went up the stairs, then up another flight, and another until she found herself looking over the festival from the roof. There she stood, waiting and watching everything unfold below her. The cold night air blew past her as her eyes scanned the figures below. Then, the door to the roof creaked open. "You've made your choice..." She said, looking down at the ground, at all of the lights that were slowly flickering off with the festival's end.
"Mutsumi..."
"I don't know what to say..." Mutsumi continued staring down, not wanting to turn around.
"Mutsumi...what are you?"
"Thank you..."
"Itsuki..." Mutsumi said, collapsing to her knees as she sees Yotsuba and Fuutarou running past the bonfire below. Tears streamed down her face as she fought to contain the wails of sorrow that built up inside her. Itsuki walked over, kneeling next to her sister and pulling her into an embrace.