"What!?" Yotsuba yelled. "You beat Uesugi-san!?" She leaned forward, grabbing Mutsumi's hands tightly and shaking them. Drops of Mutsumi's tears dripped onto her fingers as the youngest sister couldn't stop smiling.
"Yeah. But more importantly..." Mutsumi took a deep breath, reaching for a glass and raising it into the air. "We all passed!" The other joined in, their clinking glasses only drowned out by their cheers. Mutsumi downed her drink, an iced tea her sisters ordered before she and Nino arrived, and the beating of her heart faded. She looked around the table, a plate of dessert for each of them. "Wait! Who's paying for this?" She asked, her smile fading.
"The manager said he was going to treat us as a congratulatory gift." Itsuki said, staring at her cake.
"What's the catch?" Mutsumi raised an eyebrow, suspicious as she looked towards the kitchen.
"It's coming out of Fuutarou's pay." Miku replied, tentatively digging her fork into her cake and offering it to Yotsuba. "Here. The modern lit problem was just like you said, thank you." She said, causing the others to do the same.
"Wait, that's how you guys studied while I was out?" Mutsumi struck herself with her palm. "Why didn't we think of that earlier." She muttered, offering her sisters portions of her tart. Sweets were passed, every sister sampling every flavor. Itsuki smiled wide as the others just shared a knowing sigh.
"Here Ichika. Thanks, and congratulations." Miku said, offering Ichika her share. "I won't lose next time."
"Lose?" Mutsumi pondered, feeling the tension between the two as Ichika looked away from the third sister. "What did she mean? Did they fight? If it's those two, then it's likely that he is what they were talking about?" She thought as she glanced around the table. Everything else seemed normal; Nino slightly more flush than usual but Mutsumi attributed that to the bike ride earlier; Itsuki seemed to have something on her mind. "Want to say something sis?" She turned her head towards Itsuki.
"Uhm...There is." Itsuki said, composing herself yet her face still looked tense. "I...want to become a school teacher." She paused, gauging everyone's reactions. Everyone else seemed apprehensive, Mutsumi even struggling to hide a laugh as she realized Itsuki's seriousness. "O-Of course, this is merely a dream that's beyond my reach..." Everyone except one.
"That's great!" Yotsuba beamed, bringing a smile to Itsuki's face. "I mean, your lessons were easy to understand. It's perfect for you!"
Mutsumi coughed. "Ah, so you don't want me to teach you anymore...I see..." Mutsumi lowered her head, sending the fourth into a panic. "Just kidding! Well, if you managed to help them pass the science exam, then you might be able to do it." She said with a smile before she pulled out her phone. "While we're on the topic of jobs, I just got hired as a photographer." She held the screen up to her, reading up on her first assignment. "My first assignment is..." She laughed, shaking her head and pocketing the device.
The sisters quickly took advantage of this, sending words of encouragement and congratulations to both of them. "It really makes you realize that we're going to be third years. Speaking of which...we had that deal with dad." Mutsumi said, bringing the mood down to a cold seriousness.
"Don't worry about that. I already talked to him directly earlier." Nino said, throwing her hair back.
"So you really did go to the apartment. What did he say?"
"Nothing positive, but he's letting us do what we want for now. I'm sure the day will come where we will have to settle things..." The second sister said, scanning the table.
"Still, how did you get here so fast?" Miku asked.
"Fuutarou-san drove her here on a bike." Mutsumi smirked. "It was so...I get shivers just thinking about it." She joked, faking a disgusted face as the others pondered the appearance.
"It really didn't suit him. It threw me off. That's why I went and said something like that..." Nino said, her mind thrown for a loop as she recalled the bike ride.
"Something like what?" Yotsuba asked, causing the second to get flustered.
"Ah! I'll bring the dishes back." Nino said, finding a way to escape the situation. She promptly headed to the back, carrying the plates in her hands. Nino out of her mind, Mutsumi returned to Ichika and Miku.
"What could those two have been talking about? A competition? And next time? Meaning that Ichika had won something recently. Was it about their scores? What was Miku going to do if she won? What will Ichika do now that she-"
"Mutsumi-chan? Is something wrong? You look really tense." Ichika called her out. Mutsumi put down her hand, still thinking.
"Ichika, Miku. Come with me for a bit. I need to go to the washroom." She said, standing up.
"Alright." She turned, facing her sisters as they stood a ways away from their table. The two looked at her, clearly hiding something. "What's going on? It's about Fuutarou-san, isn't it? You both have the hots for him and wagered something on the exams, right?"
"Uhm…" Miku flushed. "Something like that."
"Honestly, you two..." Mutsumi pinched her forehead. "You two should just take your shot."
"I...I have to be able to show him that I can do it." Miku argued. "That's why I wanted to get the best grades..."
"And what exactly will that do? Putting up barriers for yourself can be helpful, but this is absurd. What do your grades have to do with your feelings?" She said. "Telling him honestly is your best bet, in my opinion. So pull yourself together and tell him." Mutsumi groaned, sighing at her troublesome sister. "And you...congrats. I take it, from the conversations earlier, that you got the best out of the rest of us; except for me, obviously."
"T-Thanks..." Ichika stuttered, turning to go back to the table.
"I'm not done with you." Mutsumi grabbed the eldest's shoulder. "You may be an actress, but that doesn't mean you have to keep up all your acts at home. You should stop lying to yourself. If you like him, then pursue it."
"I can't...Miku is..."
"Stronger than you think. Honestly, do you still see her as a child? It's disrespectful." Mutsumi smirked, feeling Ichika tremble as the realization dawns on her. "It's honestly frustrating to see the both of you run around in circles, wasting your time. Why are you holding yourselves back!? It'd be so much easier if you just said..."
"I said that I love you."
"Exactly. At least Nino gets..." Mutsumi paused. The three stared at each other in shock. "Well, you've got to hurry. Nino's not one to hold back." Mutsumi chuckled, seeing hope slowly drain from the other two as they wondered if they were in a nightmare. "Well, no matter what happens, I'll be here to support you three."
"I hope I haven't fucked Miku and Nino over...Ichika can be..." Mutsumi shook her head as she felt her blood begin to boil. "No! You've forgiven her already...don't get angry if she hasn't actually done anything yet!" She slapped herself as she sat down with Yotsuba and Itsuki. Miku and Ichika returned after a few minutes, both looking at each other with smirks on their faces. Nino came last, her face hiding the events that transpired in the kitchen with a blank stare. They gathered their things, waving the manager and Fuutarou goodbye as they returned home and slept for the night.
"You still hate me, Mutsumi-chan?" Ichika said to her left. "Aren't family members supposed to love each other?" Her voice echoed, malicious and joined by manic laughter.
"It's not like that...I..."
"You traitor!" Nino yelled. "You helped him instead of your own sister! How dare you!? I trusted you!"
"I did it to get you back!"
"Why do you get in my way?" Yotsuba called, her tone blank. "He even thinks that you're me..."
"No! Yotsuba! I can explain."
"Mom would be disappointed in you." Itsuki's voice was chilling. "Those who love us can tell us apart...so why can't you?"
"Are you really our sister?" They said in unison. Mutsumi shrieked, clutching her head with her hands. "Shut up! Stop it! Stop it!" She shot out of her futon, tossing her blanket aside as her voiced pierced the night. She looked around, her sisters slowly rousing. "I-It was just a dream..." She said to herself, seeing Ichika turn her way. She trembled, scrambling out the door and locking herself in the bathroom.
"Empty! Empty!" She said, flinging bottles over her shoulder, sending them clattering onto the bathroom floor. "Stupid nightmares!" She said, opening another bottle. "Stupid withdrawal!" She slammed this last bottle right below her. She curled up, leaning her back against the door and rocking herself slowly.
"Mutsumi..." Miku called out from the other side.
"Yeah...it happened again..." Mutsumi managed to get out, steadying her breath. "I'm sorry..."
"Do you want some tea? It might calm you down."
"That would be nice..." Mutsumi unlocked the door, falling into Miku's arms. "You're getting better at catching me."
"I got used to it by the fifth time." Miku joked, righting her sister's stance before putting some water on for tea.
"What was it about?" Miku finished her tea, setting the cup down.
"It's a long story. And I don't want to talk about it...not here." Mutsumi said, forcing herself to chug the rest of her drink as she took both cups to the sink. "Let's go out for a walk...just the two of us."
"Let me get changed." Miku said, entering another room quickly and coming out dressed for a cold night. "We're only staying out until you finish your story."
"That's fair." Mutsumi said, slinging a hoodie over her shoulder. "Let's go." The two walked in the lamplit streets, walking by a park.
"Where are we going?" Miku asked, running her hands over the wooden posts that serve as barriers from the lake.
"Nowhere in particular. Let's ride that boat." Mutsumi said, smiling and gesturing towards a rowboat that floated on the lake surface. "After you."
"So...what was it about?" Miku said as they drifted to the middle of the lake. Mutsumi stopped rowing, looking her sister in the eye.
"It was about the others." Mutsumi lowered her gaze towards the water, seeing the reflection of the faces in her dream. "Sometimes...sometimes I don't feel like I'm your sister." She said, reaching down to cause a ripple that broke the image. "Ever since I got back, I've just been going against everyone. And I...I don't know. It just feels like I'm out of place sometimes. I keep wondering if it was really the right choice to come back to Jap-"
"Of course it was." Miku said, drawing Mutsumi's attention to her. "Honestly, I was a little scared when you first came back. I kept wondering what kind of person you would be like. Sure, you were intimidating at first, especially when you declared that bet against Fuutarou, but then you started joining us and we started having fun as a family again."
"Wow, you're not holding back... Where did this confidence come from?" Mutsumi joked before carefully analyzing Miku's words. "I sure got lucky that my personality matched well with you guys then."
"Maybe. But I think things would've been the same between the six of us, no matter what kind of person you came back as." Miku said. "Because we're sextuplets, because we're family. Family will be there to support you, no matter what."
"Miku..." Mutsumi gazed into her sister's azure eyes. "Such sophistry..." She joked, smiling as they rowed back to dock the boat. Miku turned, walking home. "Hey...there's somewhere else I want to go."
Miku clung onto Mutsumi's arms as the two walked through the poorer area of the city, stopping at a run down café. It was a quiet building, light streaming out the front door as someone walked out. "Is this Fuutarou's house?" Miku asked as the boy turned his head towards them. "Why did you bring me here?"
"A thank you gift." Mutsumi pulled her sister's fingers off as the tutor approached the two. "It's time to stop holding yourself back. Good luck."
"What are you two doing here?" Fuutarou asked as he stepped up to them.
"Ah...uhm…" Miku mumbled as Mutsumi gave Fuutarou a wink and began walking back the way they came.
She stood at the edge of the dock, staring at the boat as the wood creaked with footsteps from behind her. "Fuutarou-san. Did you bring Miku home?"
"Yeah. Honestly, you just love causing chaos for you sisters, don't you."
"What can I say? I have to make up for lost time." Mutsumi joked. "What were you planning to do by the way? Why'd you leave your house?"
"Well, I still think about what you said on Christmas." Fuutarou walked up to her, staring at the surface of the lake. "I'm still trying to figure out which one of you I was with that day."
"Well, you're not getting an answer from me." Mutsumi smiled at him. "After all, I love causing chaos, right?"
"Yeah. Waking your sisters with your nightmare screams sure does that."
"She told you!?" Mutsumi stepped back in shock. Fuutarou let out a mischievous chuckle before finding himself jettisoned from his spot and into the water. Mutsumi looked down at him as he swam to the surface, a laugh echoing through the night air. "Man, this really helps with my nightmares. Thanks, Fuutarou-san. Laughter is the best medicine." She helped him back on the dock, his clothes now drenched. "Here, an apology gift." She pulled out a familiar photo.
"Oh...I...don't think I can accept that." Fuutarou said, shivering.
"Your call. But, are you sure?"
"I don't need it anymore. I've let go." He said, walking away.
"Good on you, Fuutarou-san. I'll see you around." Mutsumi said, watching as the boy raised a hand and waved without turning around. "Actually, we're running low on groceries, mind joining me this weekend for some shopping?" He didn't say anything back, just thinking for a while before his hand gave her a thumbs up.