"Who am I?" Wordless, Mutsumi shut her eyes as the dark abyss surrounded her. She laughed to herself, somewhat excited. "So this is lucid dreaming?" Privy to this phenomenon due to her research, she thought of something; a memory.
"Mutsumi! Look! Look!" A familiar voice, a child's that seemed to be staring out the window. She wore a white dress; while looking at herself, Mutsumi found that she wore the same. "It's you!" The child smiled, jostling her head enough for her star to fall off.
"Itsuki...look up." Mutsumi walked over, opening the window to let the salty ocean air filled her nostrils. "It's you." She raised her arm, pointing upwards at the night sky. It was clear, not a cloud to obscure the starlit expanse of space. The moon shone on the surface of the water, bright yet subdued, a crimson hue catching their eyes. "A blood moon."
"Who are you?" Itsuki asked, the waves getting rougher and rougher as the boat began rocking. "Who are you?"
"I'm..." Mutsumi muttered as a wave crashed into the side of the boat, sending her out the window and plunging into the depths. That question echoed in her head, carried by the current of the water. "I'm Mutsumi Nakano...the youngest sist-"
"Can you really call yourself that?" She said to herself, her hands drifting upwards as she drifted down to the bottom of the sea. "You can't even tell them apart."
"Then I'm Mutsumi...the smar-" She interrupted herself, sighing and letting out bubbles that float up slowly towards the surface. She shut her lips, frowning as the image of Fuutarou entered her thoughts. She clenched her fist, bringing an arm to her face.
"Who are you?"
"What are you?"
"Why are you here?"
"I'm..." She muttered, feeling the sandy ocean floor. Light vanishing far, far above her, darkness all around her. Cold, silent, and lonely. She wandered, walking around and finding... "Nothing..."
"Nothing."
"Nothing..."
"Nothing!"
"Useless, replaceable, outclassed!" She echoed to herself. "Weak! Weak! Weak! You're nothing! A nobody to be forgotten!"
"Shut up!" She screamed, curling up and hugging her knees. "I...already know that."
"Mutsumi!"
"Mutsumi! Wake up!"
Her eyes shot open, the lightbulb in the room nearly blinding her as she felt a pair of hands shaking her body. "What!? Ahh! Who's there!?" She jerked her head, her hair covering her face and sticking to the edge of her lips.
"Are you okay? You were screaming." Miku's voice came from behind her, the hands on her body pulling away. "Bad dream?"
"Uhh...yeah." Mutsumi brushed away her fair, wiping her lips and rubbing her eyes. She looked at the kotatsu, her notes soaked and the ink smeared. "Damn..." She cursed herself as a small tear came streaking down her cheek. "I can't do anything right, can I?" She thought to herself, glancing back at Miku.
"Come back to the room. It's late." Miku yawned, extending her hand out to her sister. "Are you okay?" She asked again, pulling back her arm and taking a knee to be beside Mutsumi. "You're crying."
"I..." She brought a finger up to her eyes, her tears soaking the tip of her glove. "I'm fine..."
"Let's talk." Miku wrapped her arms around Mutsumi, pulling her in closer. "Want some tea?" Miku asked. Mutsumi shook her head slowly, her eyes having a thousand yard stare. The younger sister stood up, rubbing her eyes and walking out of the room; leaving Miku staring at her with a curious look. "Mutsumi..." Miku muttered, following her and returning to sleep.
"Are you going to join us soon?" Yotsuba called out, her voice directed at the bathroom.
"What's up with her?" Fuutarou asked, setting down a notebook while joining the others at the kotatsu.
"Mutsumi-chan? She's been like this ever since that day." Ichika rested her head on her hand. "Usually, she stays in there for ten minutes."
"Anyway, let's get back to the matter at hand." Itsuki turned to the tutor. "Please teach us!" She said fervently, the shock causing him to fall back slightly as a small drop of blood escaped his nose.
"What's wrong?" Nino asked as Yotsuba grabbed a nearby box of tissues and presented it to the boy.
"You weren't reading a naughty book, were you?" Ichika teased as Miku pulled out something from the fridge.
"No. It's her fault." He glanced at the third sister. "She's been having me eat store-bought chocolate for the past few days." His eyes lost their glimmer as he saw her holding another handful.
"I brought them today too." She presented them to him, at least 20 different types of chocolates. From full bars, to wrapped bites, Fuutarou eyed his dental nightmare with horror.
"Would you keep quiet? Shouldn't you be studying?" Mutsumi asked, the click of the bathroom door's lock getting everyone's attention. "Save stuff like that for after the exams."
"Hey, mind helping me with Itsuki? I think you can teach her better." Fuutarou asked in a whisper.
"Sure. Honestly, what would you do without me?" She teased him proudly before walking over to Itsuki's side. "Alright, where do you need help?"
"Conversion. I just can't understand it." Itsuki sighed, deflating as Mutsumi looked at the problem. "Moles to grams, and arsenic. Ah well, try this formula."
"Hey! I was working on that!" Ichika whined. Mutsumi turned the cover, a math workbook. "It's not even a science workbook."
"It uses the same formula. You just need to swap out a few numbers, but in essence it's the same." Mutsumi pointed to the problem, setting it down for the others to see.
"I still don't get it." Itsuki looked at it closer, bringing it up and shifting her glasses. "How does this formula work?"
"It goes like this." Ichika leaned over, guiding Itsuki through the problem and leaving Mutsumi to her own devices.
"You can handle the rest, Fuutarou-san. I'll be in here if you need me." Mutsumi said, entering another room with a handful of books and notes.
Time passed, Mutsumi burying herself in her books. "More..." She muttered, scratching her head in frustration. "I have to...do more!" She gripped her notebook tightly, her nails digging into its cover. Disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes, sweat dripping down from her brow onto the paper set before her. The room, papers scattered around, books and binders thrown around, pens and pencils snapped in half around her. She sighed, raising her review material over her head before throwing it on the tatami mat floor. She bent down, sighing as she sat down in exhaustion. "Why? Why can't I do it?" She asked in a whimper, curling up into a ball as the door slowly squeaked open.
Footsteps, muffled by fabric of some sort, approached cautiously, tiptoeing around the chaos. "Mutsumi...?"
"Leave me alone! I'm fine, Miku! I can do this! I have to do this!" Mutsumi screamed, tears dripping down her face as a desperate smile plastered itself on her face. "I can do this! If I can't then...what can I do?"
Wordlessly, the third sister walked closer and picked up the torn shreds of paper and splintered pencils. "You can be you. And that's all you need to be." She said to Mutsumi, hearing a muffled hic and sob as the girl's smile grew pained. "You're usually so headstrong. But it's okay if you can't do everything."
"I...I...what am I?" Her voice trembling, Mutsumi shuddered; a rare sight. "If I'm not smart...then what am I?" She raised an arm to wipe her tears, sniffling and shaking as her elder sister placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You're you. And you don't need anyone else's opinions, because you'll always be you." Miku said gently. Mutsumi leaned forward, resting her head against the third's shoulder and tried to hold back the next set of tears.
"Chocolate..." The youngest muttered, smelling her sister as she stifled the effects of her crying. "R-Right...thanks...I needed that." Mutsumi smiled, cleaning up the room before getting changed to go outside. "I'll be back by dinner." She said, smiling as she pulled up the hood of a black hoodie.
Elsewhere, the younger Uesugi sibling was taking an afternoon stroll, passing by a cake shop by the name of Revival. She glanced through the window, finding a black head facing away from her and hunched forward in a seat. The store was empty, save for that person and an employee mopping the floors. She sighed, entering the building and silently walking to the seated figure. "Honestly Onii-chan! You nev-"
"Raiha-chan?" A feminine voice responded. Raiha took a step back, reassessing the situation. She glanced back at the figure, the height, the curves; it wasn't her brother. "Did you really think I was Fuutarou-san? I'd understand if it was one of my sisters, but him?"
"Hahaha...well, you were giving off a similar aura. He's had his cold and serious air around him for as long as I can remember." The black haired girl took the seat opposite her friend. "Why are you here, Mutsumi-san? Wouldn't it be easier to study with everyone else?"
"Well, I don't want to cheat by copying Fuutarou-san. He and I are competing for better scores this time." Pulling down her hood, the crimson haired girl stared back at the child. "And what was that about a cold and serious aura?"
"All Onii-chan ever does at home is study. And he's so serious that he has no friends. He kept saying stuff like how love has no place in high school, or that only money grades and money matter in the world so getting other hobbies would be a waste of time." Raiha's words felt like daggers, each statement seeming to strike a vital within Mutsumi.
"D-Do I really come off like that?"
"Yep!"
"You don't hold back, do you?" Mutsumi laughed, half angry. "Do you want anything? Your brother isn't on shift today, so we can't mess with him." Raiha shook her head, picking up one of Mutsumi's notebooks.
"Mutsumi-san? Is everything okay? Does your apartment have a leak, this page is wet."
"D-Don't mind that." Mutsumi hid behind one of her books, getting back to work.
"Itsuki. Can I come with you this time? Just for a bit." Mutsumi asked, meeting the fifth sister as she brushed her hair. Mutsumi wore a beige trench coat over a blouse, a black fedora on her head, and her gloves on her hands; slacks and a pair of brown boots. "There's something I want to talk about."
Itsuki nodded, getting a change of clothes and entering another room to get dressed. In a few minutes, she was out and the two began walking. "What is it?"
"...I still can't tell you guys apart." Mutsumi said, glancing over her shoulder at the apartment.
"It takes time, Mutsumi." Itsuki said as the two turned a corner. "One day, you'll be able to tell us apart again. I'm not angry that you can't differentiate us. We were all acting identical when you left, yet you returned to us having our own distinct personalities."
"When you put it that way, it makes sense." Mutsumi knitted her hands together, putting them behind her head as they continued down their path. "But it doesn't really make me feel any better. I'll be known as the sister that forgot she was a sextuplet."
"You'll be able to do it eventually. Even Uesugi-kun is able to tell us apart now." Itsuki replied, her ahoge flitting about.
"That's only because we all dress differently." Mutsumi glanced to the side. "Alright, I'll see you at home later. I have a job interview." She waved, leaving a shocked sister standing and staring as she entered a skyscraper.
She walked into the building, talking to a receptionist that had her wait on a seat nearby. It was fairly quiet, a few people entering and exiting the elevators or walking through the entrance, but otherwise it was barren. She was promptly called, directed into enter a room on the second floor. Mutsumi swallowed a knot in her throat, steeling herself as she approached the designated door.
"Uhh, Mutsumi-chan? Right?" A familiar voice, boisterous and energetic. "Why are you here?"
"Ah, Uesugi...san? No, that'd be confusing since Yotsuba..." Mutsumi pivoted, facing the blonde muscular man that currently looked at her with confusion. "I have an interview. I want to help, even a little, with the funds at home. Relying on one person when we're all the same age seems scummy to me."
"I see. How nice of you." Isanari let out a laugh. "Well, we'll talk more about this if you get the job. What exactly is the job you want?"
"Anything really, I don't really have a preference."
"No matter what you get, you gotta put your heart into it if you want to feel accomplished. Take it from me!" He smiled, walking away as Mutsumi entered for her interview.
"Put my heart into it?" She thought as she stared down the final exam before her. She glanced around the room, her class already starting. Itsuki's head bobbed up and down, pondering every option she was thinking through; Fuutarou, in contrast, barely moved every scribble on his paper made with purpose and confidence. "I'll beat you this time for sure!" She monologued in whispers to herself, gripping her pen with a smirk on her face.
"And the winner of the competition! Mutsumi Nakano!" An announcer screamed into the microphone in his hand as the crowd around erupted in cheers. Mutsumi stood on a stage overlooking them, a small trophy in her hand as she looked on with a blank stare.
"Mutsumi! You're the top score again!? That's three in a row!" A young girl ran up to her, holding up a phone with a picture of rankings of some sort; the grades of the first year's finals. Mutsumi took a quick glance before walking away and entering a classroom.
"Why am I remembering this? Why now?" Mutsumi raised a hand up as the other grabbed her results. "It's not like those were all that important anyway..." She said, dismissing her memories as she glanced at the numbers with a frown.
She left school alone, taking a detour to get materials for her next side project: remaking the trackers that shorted out on Christmas. On her way to the store, her phone vibrated in her pocket. "Oh. I got the job. A photographer...and I'm on back up if we run out of interviewers. Another photographer is going to show me the ropes..." She glanced down at the email sent to her, walking through the door and bumping into another customer that was currently in a call.
"Ugh! Watch whe- Mutsumi-chan? My bad!" Isanari shifted to the side, getting back to the call. "Wait, boss? You heard me. Yeah...wait! Alright." He ended the call, stuffing his phone back into his pocket as Mutsumi looked at him constantly changing his expression.
"Let me guess, you're the one that's going to teach me." She guessed, getting a nod from the adult. "Alright, I look forward to working with you Uesugi-senpai." She said before going back to browsing.
"You know, for someone who just got a job, you don't seem very happy."
"You were wrong, Uesugi-senpai. I didn't put my heart into the interview, yet I was still rewarded with the job."
"I didn't say that. You can still get rewards without doing anything, but you'll only feel accomplished if you put your heart into it." Isanari said, breaking his jovial air with a serious tone.
"I don't follow. I have somewhere to be, sorry senpai." Mutsumi got a handful of what she needed, bringing them to an employee to pay. "When do I start?"
"It's more like an assignment. You have to get shots of an actress, if you get a short interview then it'd be a bonus. It should be sent to you along with the other email." Isanari looked at some of the cameras on display, checking the price tags and sighing.
That encounter done, she arrived at revival just as a couple dismounted from a bike. "Nino!? Fuutarou-san!? What...y'know what. I don't want to know." She laughed, walking up to Nino as Fuutarou entered ahead of them. "Hey, what'd you get?" She asked, snatching a paper slip from Nino's hands as the two rejoined the sisters at the table.
"What about you? How are your scores?" Nino asked as they took their seats. Mutsumi pulled out her results, setting them on the table. "495..."
"That's rough, you missed three on the Japanese exam." Ichika looked at the slip, frowning. "You were so close to a perfect score."
"Yeah, but I'm more impressed with Nino. She got over 400." Mutsumi said nonchalantly, getting eyes from everyone, even Nino. "459."
"That's...not mine." Nino said, getting Mutsumi to tilt her head. "That's Uesugi's."
Mutsumi dropped the paper, staring at both in a stunned silence. A smile formed on her face, uncontrolled, uninhibited. She shut her eyes as she felt her chest get lighter. Her heart began beating faster and faster as tears welled up in her eyes. "I...won..." She said, still in a daze. She put her hands to her mouth, hiding the smile she had. "So...this is what senpai meant?" She thought as she turned to gaze at her opponent. "Round 3 next year?"
A/N: After this is conquest begins. I think it'd be redundant to do the others, since Mutsumi had a more isolated storyline this time and the others wouldn't have too many changes. So after this is conquest begins. After some extras, maybe.