Silent and calm, a gentle breeze blowing through the air. Mutsumi's footfalls had stopped as she stood looking at her sister kneeling down on the paved path. Itsuki looked up, shifting slightly to make room before patting the space. Mutsumi followed Itsuki's actions, brushing away loose leaves and debris from the area before the two stood up and brushed off the dust and dirt from their clothes.

"Mutsumi. What brought you here?" Itsuki asked, calmly putting her hands together and shutting her eyes. The youngest sister followed, facing a stone shrine. They didn't talk for some time, each silently thinking as the wind blew their long red hair to the side.

"Hey mom. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Mutsumi prayed, conjuring her image in her mind. The cold stare as she came home from work weary that would never change, even as she wrapped her and her sisters in an embrace. The diligence she exhibited as, through her fatigue, she taught them until she was happy with their answers. "I'm sorry...if we only found the cure earlier..." She remembered one of her final memories.

Mutsumi's shoes clicked as she walked down the halls, clutching one arm with another as a small bandage made her skin uncomfortable. To her side was a young man with black hair, a stethoscope around his neck and a coat thrown over his form. His gaze was on her, a small smile filled with hope that drained as he raised his head to look through the doorway that nurses were currently running towards. They soon joined, him getting through as the nurses blocked her with where they stood.

"Mom! Mom!" She yelled, getting the nurses' attention. They shifted to look at the child, moving enough to give her a vantage point at what was happening. Inside was a heartrate monitor, and it was going fast. The doctor rushed to the side of the bed, assessing the situation as the nurses moved her away to ensure that he had no distractions.

Their mother wouldn't come home much after that day, Mutsumi herself only seldom seeing her even with her trips to get checked up. Their mother was moved to a different room, her condition getting more and more dire with each day. On a check in with her doctor, she walked through the door, unable to see Mutsumi due to where she was seated.

"Nakano-kun, can I go? I...I want to see my daughters before I-" Their mother spoke, her voice soft and weak.

"Rena-sensei! Please, don't do this. If you stay here, we can keep you stabilized until a cure is found." The doctor stood up, turning to face his patient as a bead of sweat dripped down from his brow.

"Nakano-kun, even if I do stay here I know I don't have long."

"Sensei, please think this through. Would you like some breakfast, is there anything you'd like to eat?" He tried to change the subject, but the topic of food just made Rena look more somber.

"Pancakes." She let out, her eyes in a haze as she thought of something.

"Pancakes, you say...?"

"Well, they're surprisingly cheap to make, and my daughters love them." Rena slumped against the wall, her weakening body failing her. Doctor Nakano assisted her, laying her in a bed in the room before asking for an IV drip from one of the passing nurses and setting it up. "I wanted to make some for them one last time..."

"If only...if only we found it sooner, then it wouldn't have been the last time." Her shut eyes crinkled tighter, the tear that formed and ran down her face snapping her out of her recalled memories before she could envision the rest of the conversation.

"Mutsumi?" Itsuki asked, her hand presumably landing on the youngest's shoulder. "What are you praying for?" Her sister asked innocently, looking into Mutsumi's face.

"Just...saying hi to mom...can you not look at me like that?" Mutsumi stopped mulling her thoughts, moving her hands up to cover her face as her sister chuckled at the gesture. "Come on, all the luck and spirit juice in the world can't help you if you don't help yourself. Let's find Miku so you two can ask Fuutarou-san about what you missed." She grabbed her sister's arm, pulling her away as they both looked at the grave.

"Miku went out as well?" Itsuki turned her head towards her sister, the two of them now walking on the sidewalk. Her hair blowing in the wind perked up as Mutsumi mentioned nonchalantly that Miku had gone to the store. Curious, not having tasted Miku's cooking, Mutsumi picked up the pace. A few minutes of walking transpired before Itsuki spotted a speck of blue through a window, going away and towards the meat section.

"Heeyy sis!" Mutsumi snuck up on her sister, slamming her hand down on her shoulder along with the greeting. The timid sister jolted at the sudden interaction, tossing the cuts of meat in the air before haphazardly catching them in a panic. "Wacha gonna cook?"

"G-Glazed porkchops." Miku stuttered, still shook by the surprise. The other sextuplets glanced over at the basket slung on her arm, it contained ingredients that seemed normal.

"Honey, some spices, a durian?" Itsuki pointed at the groceries. Mutsumi picked up the prickly produce, flattening her palm to attempt to avoid getting hurt. "I don't think this will end well, I mean...durian?"

"It's a secret ingredient." Miku said as Mutsumi walked away to return it. "I...I guess I'm really not meant for the kitchen..." Miku's mood took a dive, her neutral expression now harboring a frown.

"Come on, don't say that. The honey might work out well if you use some to tenderize the meat." Mutsumi returned, picking up the jar. "Apple blossom honey, yeah."

"Apple and pork is a nice combination. Let's get some herbs to compliment that." Itsuki picked up some of the whole spices that Miku had acquired, bringing them up to her nose. "And let's get some better spices, these ones smell off." The three perused the store, guided by Itsuki's palate and Mutsumi's knowledge of science. Miku smiled, looking at the basket and picturing the finished dish.

They exit the building as the sun set, the lights from the passing cars lighting up their faces as the clouds overhead begin to thicken. "Do you think Fuutarou's still at home?" Miku asked, small flakes of white starting to float gently down as their breaths appeared in front of them.

'Probably not, why?" Mutsumi shrugged, zipping up her hoodie and rubbing her hands together. "Is this for him?" She leaned in, whispering to the third sister. "Look at her, so obvious." She thought silently, smiling as her sister's cheek turned a pale crimson. The three arrived home soon after, finding Fuutarou talking with the eldest sister who was holding a considerable stack of notes.

"Welcome back." Fuutarou said, grabbing his things. He was about to walk out, but Mutsumi raised her leg to block the hallway. "Mutsumi, I've got to go home." Fuutarou said, his stare seeming distant; something on his mind. "Can I go?"

"So, he is planning something. I guess I should thank his dad for the heads up." Mutsumi smirked at him. "Why, scared of Miku's cooking? How bad can it be?" She asked, deciding to not bring it up.

"It's not that...Raiha's cooking curry tonight, so I'm..."

"Yeah, Uesugi otou-sama-kun? Yeah, still don't know what to call you, sorry. Hmm, yeah he's still here, so sir..." Mutsumi quickly called and talked with the elder Uesugi. "He said, and I quote:"

"Be a gentleman and eat the girl's cooking. I'll tell Raiha to save some curry for you just in case you come home somehow still hungry."

"Old man..." Fuutarou grumbled, twirling his hair with his fingers. "Ugh fine."

"You treat it like it's a punishment. Do you really want to walk out there while it's snowing?" Mutsumi put her foot down, pointing out to the sky as the snowfall got thicker and the winds blew faster. Fuutarou sighed, relaxing his shoulders and trudging through nothing back to the sofas. "As I thought! I'll call the others once the food is ready." Mutsumi berated him pompously, seating herself beside Ichika and leaning on her sister's shoulder.

Mutsumi buried her face in her sister's lap, half from exhaustion and half for hiding her expression from the others. "So, Fuutarou-san's planning something. Could it be a reward of some sort? No, he's not the type to do that I think. Maybe he's worried about the exams? Maybe he's found a better paying job, but that's unlikely...maybe..maybe…" She thought, trying not to breathe heavily to make her sister awkward. With her short breaths, she caught a scent hanging in the air. Carbon, faint due to the small amount of gas entering her nose, but faint still meant that it was there.

"Miku?! Is everything okay?" Itsuki asked. Mutsumi shifted her head to let one eye out to see. Itsuki's head turned towards the kitchen, away from the plate of snacks she got in the interim for dinner. Her eyes instantly widened upon witnessing what was happening, which was enough for Mutsumi to spur into action.

"What's going on!?" She exclaimed, examining the...shambles that the kitchen was in. A column of smoke from the stove, swirls of honey splattered on the wall, paprika sprinkled on the counter top; all accompanied with the burning of food. "I-I'll go help. Hold on." Mutsumi bolted, examining the pork. It was seared on, but touching the meat showed that it was still raw in the center. Mutsumi lowered the temperature, setting the chops aside to not char the exterior any further. Miku held a bowl of the rub she applied to the meat, earning a curious look and a quick taste from Mutsumi. "Too sweet and that's a lot of salt..." She muttered, going into the fridge and getting a lemon she stowed away for drinks.

"T-Thanks Mutsumi." Miku hid her face, cleaning up the spices with a rag. "Maybe I shouldn't be in the kitchen." She said sullen, walking away before looking at the chops longingly.

"Hold on." Mutsumi grabbed her wrist, pulling her sister to her side and handing her the pan and tongs. "You want to learn to cook because of Fuutarou-san, right? Don't give up now." She whispered into her ear, making her heat red face get redder. "You're almost there. Only missing a few steps isn't something to be sad about, so don't go back to square one." She said, gently holding her sister's hands as they cooked through the rest of the meat.

"I'm just..." Miku began muttering as they finished and began plating up. "Nevermind." She said, setting the table and calling everyone down.

"This is great." Fuutarou said, cutting into the meat.

"Your taste buds are broken! I'll be the judge of...that..." Yotsuba said cheerily, chewing on her food before freezing and facing Mutsumi and Miku. "It's...wow." She was awestruck, in such surprise that she couldn't even compliment or berate it. She blinked for a moment, looking down at the plate before continuing to eat, slightly slower to savor the flavor.

"You should be proud Miku, Yotsuba's taste buds aren't as easy to please as some people." Ichika teased, jabbing her elbow into Fuutarou's side. Miku just shook her head.

"Next time...next time I'll do it on my own." She whispered to herself, a small spark of determination shining in her azure eyes. Mutsumi smiled, enjoying her sister more than the meal.

"Take care on your way, okay." Ichika said as she and Mutsumi waved to the boy, who was walking home with a coat that Ichika picked up from the floor of her room. Mutsumi caught a quick glance at her sister's face, seeing something familiar; a mirror image of Miku. She let out a sigh that showed in the air.

"So you like him too." She said as the two sisters stood at the entrance to the building. Ichika took a few steps back, nearly bumping into the control panel on the side. "Boy, that's tough." Mutsumi added, pouting and leaning her head to the side.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Ichika tried to defend herself, waving her hands in front of her body.

"You can't lie to me, I've seen that lovestruck face before, quite literally." She added, holding up 3 fingers. "So, what're you going to do about it?"

"Me? No, I'm fine. Miku is..."

"Are you really fine? I know you Onee-chan. How long will you be able to hold yourself back?" She leaned in closer to her sister, walking up and pressing her hands against the wall to pin Ichika in place.

"I shouldn't get involved. I'll be fine, I don't like him that way." Ichika said as her cheeks became a rosy pink.

"Actress or not, you still can't fool me." Mutsumi pushed off, walking towards the elevator. "Miku's a lot stronger willed than you think. I saw that earlier. Maybe she can handle a little...competition." She winked before stepping into the elevator, going up and leaving Ichika to think things through on her own for the night.