"Excuse me, coming through." Mutsumi said, carrying a light in her hands. Revival was full of life, the film crew bustling about to get things ready. Fuutarou was still standing there, stiff as a board, beside the star actress.
"Nice to meet you~" Ichika said with a forced smile. Mutsumi grinned, watching as the actress walked over to the makeup crew. Fuutarou's manager noticed that he was by his lonesome, striking conversation with his employee while holding the actress' autographs in his hands. Mutsumi chose to remain silent, setting down the equipment near the rest of the staff. She hid herself as they began the first take of the day. "I've always wanted to check out this cake shop, ya know~" Ichika pushed a cheek up with her finger.
"What kind of movie is this?" Fuutarou asked his manager. The restaurant's manager stared on at the signatures he collected.
"A horror film...supposedly." The two curiously observed the filming. "What an odd script." The two shared the thought silently.
"Saying that she's giving off a different vibe would be an understatement...was she miscast?" Fuutarou wondered aloud.
"She was not. I believe Ichika-chan is an actress who is capable of playing a wide range of roles." A man walked up beside Fuutarou, taking off his glasses and looking at him seductively. "It's been a while." He added, causing Fuutarou to lean slightly away.
"Who the hell is that?" Mutsumi stared at the two, pulling out her phone.
"H-Hello...how's Kiku?"
"Wait! That's the kid's dad!?" Mutsumi stifled a chuckle as the scene pressed forward. Or it would've had Ichika spoken her line properly. The eldest sister seemed out of it, spacing out until one of her co-stars snapped her out of her trance.
"I'm sorry. Could you give me a minute?" Ichika stood, exciting the room and dragging Fuutarou by his arm out of view of the staff.
"What's wrong Tamako-chan?" Fuutarou asked, his tone making it hard to find out if he was teasing or genuinely using her character to not blow her cover.
"Fuutarou-kun. It's embarrassing, so could you stop watching?" Ichika pinned him against the wall, her face crimson from shame.
"Then don't take on embarrassing roles."
"I've been trying to fool everyone, but I'm concerned about my savings. I mean, stuff like food and utilities cost more than I expected. So I've decided to take on any roles, no matter how minor they might be." Ichika bowed her head. Silent footsteps approached, hiding behind the boxes of shipments that Revival had gotten. "I need to work hard, for both my sake as well as theirs. That's why, even if you try to stop me..."
"I have no intention of arguing of arguing against your efforts." Fuutarou said, looking away abashedly as the student's eyes widened. "In fact, I'm grateful to you for allowing me to continue tutoring." Ichika looked up, seeing his face facing away and his eyes focusing on something to the side. He felt her staring, turning back and looking at her with a serious expression. "But can't you do better than this? This job still doesn't pay enough to justify all the constraints, right? There's no need to be so fixated on being an actress at this point in time..."
"Just do what I say. Otherwise, I'm going to spread this around." Ichika held her phone to his face, lighting up his face. Fuutarou was shaken, going into shock as the phone showed him an image that caused him to sweat.
"...Right, I forgot about that picture..." Fuutarou's voice held his indifference, but the beads rolling down his face spoke otherwise. "Do what you want. At this point, I don't really care if people see my sleeping face."
"Oh, I see. Then I'll send this to everyone. This is Fuutarou-kun…" Ichika's mouth curls into a grin. "...having a snooze on my thighs."
"Wait, what!?" A person in a cap jumped out from behind the boxes. She pulled down a handkerchief that covered her mouth, pulling off the cap to let her hair down. "You did what!?" Stomping up to the two of them, Mutsumi looked at both of them wide eyed.
"Mutsumi-chan? You were watching too?" Ichika turned, meeting her sister's gaze. "H-How long have you been here?"
"Long enough to hear everything." Mutsumi crossed her arms. "Fuutarou-san is right, though. Can't you find any better roles?"
"Not if we have to live in that apartment." Ichika retorted.
"Then...I'll look for a job too." Mutsumi closed the distance, taking her sister's hands in her own. "This...this isn't right. You're wasting your skills here." She gazed into her sister's eyes. "You don't have to do this all on your own."
"Alright! Where's Ichika? Let's get back to filming!" The director's voice called out from back at the table. Ichika, pulling away from her sister's grasp, walked away.
"Both of you. Keep this a secret from everyone." She said grimly, yet her face carried a cheeky smile.
"Sure. But only if you send me that picture!" Mutsumi said, extending her hand. Fuutarou quietly glared at the youngest sister, his eye twitching slightly. Ichika quickly pinged Mutsumi's phone. "Thanks Onee-san!" The girl smiled as her elder sister walked back.
"How troublesome..." Fuutarou shook his head, walking slowly with Mutsumi to watch the filming.
"Hey, Fuutarou-san. They're asking if they can use that pie for the next take." Mutsumi, back in disguise, held a plate with a pie in both hands. Fuutarou, not moving his gaze from the scene, agreed as Mutsumi walked away and set the plate in front of her sister. She gave Ichika a quick wink from behind her glasses before she took post beside Fuutarou.
"Oh no." Fuutarou cried as soon as she got beside him. "Wai-"
"Mmm~ It's shoo goood~" Ichika smiled, putting both her hands to her cheeks after she took a bite of the pie. Fuutarou's stomach dropped, gloom and shock chilling the air around him.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Mutsumi turned to look at him.
"That's the pie I made." He said, getting up and walking away. "Honestly...what a troublesome student..."
"Weird." She said to herself, taking one last glance at her sister before she snuck out of the building. "But I will help you out Ichika-nee." She pulled out her gloves, slipping them on to warm up her fingers. She wandered around the streets, looking at flyers and newspapers for opportunities. "Huh? this looks promising." She picked up a newspaper that got stuck to a street light, looking at a particular section before her ears perked up.
"Nino, where to next?" A female voice spoke from the doorway of a small café. Mutsumi turned, locking eyes with Nino who was exiting the building with a drink in her hand. To Nino's side were her friends, one with short light colored hair and the other with longer darker hair. "Isn't that your sister?" The dark haired one pointed.
"H-hey..." Mutsumi gave a weak wave. "Be nice...they're Nino's friends. Don't be a dick!" She thought to herself, forcing her smile out as the three walked up to her. "I'm uhh...I gotta go." She said, folding the paper up and stuffing it into her pocket.
"Why don't you join us?" The lighter haired one offered, extending a hand to Mutsumi. Mutsumi looked at it, taking a few steps back.
"Uhmm uhh…" Mutsumi, stunned, was pulled and forced to join in as the four of them went into a clothing store in a nearby mall. "Nino...help me..." She silently prayed as the three walked around, pointing to various articles of clothing. Dresses, blouses, and skirts were all on display for all to see.
"Mutsumi, come here." Nino called her over with her hand, removing a white swing dress with a floral pattern and placing it between her eyes and her sister. "Try this on." She gently nudged her into a changing room, getting assistance from her friends.
"No...not this again." Mutsumi sighed as the curtain of the changing room is shut. She looked at the dress, that Nino placed into her hands. "This...is too much..." She said to the other side. Nino entered the changing room, placing her hands on Mutsumi's shoulders.
"No, it's not. You need more clothes anyway, I've seen your wardrobe." Nino grabbed the bottom of Mutsumi's tee, pulling it up.
"What are you doing!? You can't do this!"
"We're sisters, identical ones! We have the same body!" Nino retorted, as Mutsumi's voice got louder and louder.
Nino pulled aside the curtain, revealing Mutsumi in the dress that hugged the top of her figure before flaring out at her knees. "Amazing! It's perfect for you!" The dark haired one quickly grabbed Mutsumi's shoulders, before her eyes went downwards. "But your shoes don't match."
"There's a shoe store over there." The lighter haired one pointed out. "Wear it out, let's go." Nino put her hand on Mutsumi's shoulder as the two went on ahead.
"Are you okay?"
"I feel violated." Mutsumi said, her face redder than fire. "And embarrassed as all hell." She said. "Fuck my life." She cursed in English, clenching her fist before looking back at the mirror in the changing room.
"Do you want to go home? My friends can be really pushy." Nino said, looking carefully at Mutsumi's face. She saw the uncomfortable look on her sisters face turn to her with even more worry.
"No...no, I don't want to ruin their fun..." The younger of the two waved her hands in wildly. "I'll endure."
"You're too nice, you know." Nino said grumpily, crossing her arms.
"They're your friends. I don't want them to think poorly of you because of me." Mutsumi walked off, helplessly following Nino's friends into the next store. Nino was left staring, carrying Mutsumi's tee, arm sleeves, and sweats, before following up and continuing their shopping spree.
"Ugh...heels." Mutsumi sighed, staring at a pair of lustrous golden hued ankle straps. She was currently seated, exhausted and red in the face, holding her old shoes and socks in her hand.
"Bye Yamada! Bye Otori!" Nino said, waving goodbye to her friends as the sun began to set. The orange light filled the building as she got a text on her phone. "Mutsumi, come on, we're going."
"Oh, is it over?" Mutsumi smiled, getting up and stumbling over herself before Nino ran up and caught her. "Sorry."
"You can wear your old shoes with that. Maybe with stockings or thigh-highs it'll look good." Nino commented before she let go of her sister. "We're going grocery shopping." She slowly walked while tugging Mutsumi along.
"Maybe you should call for help, I'm not sure I can carry anything like this..." Mutsumi said, still trying to walk without looking strange.
Nino pulled out her phone, sending out a few texts before they continued on their way. "By the way, you look great."
"Well, at least one of us thinks that." Mutsumi looked down at the dress. "I can't do this cutesy, frilly, girly girl stuff." She puffed one cheek as Nino returned her cap to the top of her head, also returning her gloves and handkerchief. She held a bag in her arms, holding Mutsumi's clothes and, as Mutsumi put them in, her footwear.
"I mean to say, you always look great." Nino entered the grocery department of this mall with Mutsumi in tow. Mutsumi smiled, finally fixing her gate and walking with slightly more confidence as they pulled a cart out and began picking up food. A few minutes after they began, two sets of footsteps approached them from behind.
"Reporting for duty!" Yotsuba yelled, saluting like a soldier. Fuutarou walked up from behind her, a blank stare on his face. Nino looked curiously at the pair.
"Is Itsuki coming?" She asked. "I sent one to her too."
"Probably not. She said she was going to the library, so she might have her phone shut off." Mutsumi commented, holding the flaring part of her dress and shrinking as she hid behind Nino.
A/N: Gotta re-read chapter 2 of the original timeline for a bit. Time to jog my memory.