"Hey! Good to see you, Fuutarou-san!" Fuutarou walked up to the crosswalk, meeting with the redhead that currently had a smile plastered on her face. Black low cut sneakers with sea blue hexagons, navy pants, a blue flannel shirt with white accents around the collar over a plain white shirt.
"You seem well, have those dreams gone away?" He asked as Mutsumi slung her arm over his shoulder, or attempted to but their height difference made it look strange.
"Not really. But I had a different one last night!" She beamed at him.
"Is that why you're so gung-ho today? What was it about?" He saw her face freeze, then it began to slowly turn red.
"Well, we were all sitting around all over the place. I was working on some gizmo, Itsuki had her face buried in a book." Mutsumi said as the two made their way to the store. "Ichika was snoozing, Nino was cooking, Miku was watching something on the TV, and Yotsuba just got back from a jog. So far, nothing strange." The two walked, each carrying baskets, and began picking up what they needed. "Then you sent us all a text. Then the next thing I knew, we were at a restaurant. Candle lit dinner, fancy wine, the whole thing!"
"This is, by far, the strangest dream I've heard in all my life." Fuutarou muttered, reaching for the milk before turning his head her way again.
"Then you got down on one knee and..." She paused. "So...what are you going to do about Miku?" He gasped, freezing in place as she snatched the carton from his fingertips.
"That was a cheap trick!" He snapped at her. Mutsumi stuck out her tongue to taunt him.
"You know, I just remembered. You don't have my contact, don't you? Hand me your phone? I can help you tutor the others better if we can communicate." Mutsumi said, getting a few apples.
"Alright, alright." Fuutarou complied, handing over his phone. Mutsumi tapped on it for a while before returning it.
"I still can't believe it though. You've had the contacts of five beautiful women on your phone, yet you're still single. When are you going to go for one of them?" Mutsumi teased. "Unless you have some hidden girlfriend that you're not telling us about. How scandalous!" She gently, but repeatedly, poked at his sides with her fingers.
"My job comes first. And love is..." Fuutarou paused. "Nevermind…"
"Still don't know how to deal with confessions? Not that I'm surprised." Mutsumi said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I wouldn't know how to deal with those kinds of feelings either." She said, a strange smell reaching her nose from his basket. "Those eggs are rotten by the way." The two headed for the checkout, finding a flyer for a raffle of some sort.
"They have one of those at this time of year?" He asked, leaning in close to see the prizes. "Gift vouchers, that'd ease up on our expenses." Fuutarou said. "Wait, how much would those rings sell for?" He asked himself in a crazed state.
"Oh hey, I know the place for prize A. It's been a while since I got to see gramps." Mutsumi smiled, her eyes seemingly staring at something in the distance. "Gramps..." She muttered as the ringing of her phone caught both of their attention. "'Scuse me!" She said, walking away a bit to answer.
"Today? Now? Ebata's waiting for me there? Alright. I'm almost done, so just wait a bit longer." She said, taking one last glance at the picture of the hot springs before hanging up. Returning to Fuutarou at the check out, she gave him a farewell and began walking to a familiar black car.
"Good morning, miss Mutsumi." The kind old man greeted her as she opened the door. "Have you been well?"
"Better than ever." Mutsumi replied. They set off, heading for the hospital as the silence in the car let her think. "It's been a while since I met with dad... This should just be checkup, right? I have a bad feeling about this." They arrived, walking out of the car and into the calm reception area. Ebata gave a bow, returning to the car and driving off to refuel.
The hospital was like usual, carrying an air of mixed emotions. It was one of the few places where you could see people for who they really are. Where the beginning and the end can be just a few steps apart, where joy and sadness can be neighbors. It was a strange sensation, Mutsumi found herself tense as she slowly made her way to her father's office.
"Mutsumi-kun. Please excuse us." Maruo said as she knocked on the door. She opened it, finding a fairly rotund man conversing with her father. "Takeda-san. Thank you for agreeing to this. Shall we continue this another time?" He extended his hand.
"Takeda? The school director?" Mutsumi thought to herself, recognizing the face from her days in school. "Why is he here? Is dad going to transfer us, even though we all passed?" Beads of sweat rolled down her face as the adults shook hands and the director took his leave. "What was that about?"
"That is none of your concerns. Shall we get started?" Maruo said coldly, fixing a set of papers on his desk. Mutsumi looked closely, seeing flashes of red from photos. It was the usual routine checkup, taking maybe an hour or two to get everything out of the way. "Now. Have a seat. We're going to have a conversation."
"Who are you now? My father, or my doctor?" She asked, scanning his posture, his body, for any signs of what could be running through his head. Maruo sat stoic, hard to read.
"Let's begin with something your doctor would ask. Are you experiencing any withdrawal symptoms?" The black haired doctor looked to her daughter, looking over her results that he had written down.
"Those being?" She asked.
"Do you feel anxious? Are you more restless or irritable?"
"Sometimes...I do get worried around my sisters." He began listing and she began nodding. "Dad. I have a selfish request." She asked, the tension from their last meeting at the café looming over her.
"Oh, now you think of me as your father. Amusing." He replied. "But I will listen to it. After all, that's what a father does."
"Such a tsundere." She thought silently. "I was out shopping earlier, and I came across this raffle..."
"I am not going to rig the raffle so that you win." Maruo interrupted her.
"It's not that. The grand prize were two tickets to the hotsprings near grandpa's place." Mutsumi looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "So, that got me thinking..."
"You want everyone to go, but since it's only two tickets and you're not guaranteed to win, it'd be impossible." Maruo finished her thought. "So you would like for me to buy tickets." Mutsumi nodded. "Your grandfather..."
"I know this is an outrageous request, especially after the incident at the café. But..."
"I'll consider it. You'll hear from Ebata when I have made my choice." Maruo said. "That's all for today."
"Thanks dad." Mutsumi said, gathering her things and shutting the door behind her.
It wasn't long before she arrived home, a quick stop at the parts shop only added about twenty minutes to her walk home. Just from standing outside the door, she could hear the chaos that ensued inside.
"Fooooood!" Itsuki cried, then a loud banging sound echoed over and over again. "Where is she!" The fifth sister seemed different, almost feral.
"Note to self: Never make Itsuki hangry again." She said as she gulped down her fear and reached for the door knob.
"Mutsumi! Perfect!" Nino ran up, snatching up the groceries as Mutsumi looked around the place. Itsuki was pinned down, Yotsuba pushing her torso down while Ichika and Miku restrained her arms. The fifth sister's eyes darted to her figure, two growls coming from her form; one from her mouth, the other from her stomach. Nino sprinted to the kitchen, looking at the ingredients and picking out the ones that cook the fastest.
"Sorry I'm late. Dad called. Just the usual checkup though." Mutsumi sighed, sitting in front of her sisters before a cheeky smile crept up onto her face. "It was a bad time too, I was on a date with Fuutarou-san!" She moaned, making a pouting face. The air seemed still as the words registered in the others' minds. Nino stopped cooking, luckily she hadn't put anything on the stove yet.
"You were what!?" Ichika yelled, her face going red. "T-This isn't some kind of sick joke, is it?" She was nervous, but was playing it off well.
"So you've become one of my rivals as well." Miku said, the weight of everything making her words come out threatening. "And after what you did for me a few days ago. I let my guard down."
"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're my sisters." Nino said from the kitchen.
Itsuki and Yotsuba stayed quiet; Itsuki was shocked, the revelation seeming to knock her out of her starvation based rage; Yotsuba just smiled, staying silent. Mutsumi grinned, putting a finger to her lips. "Maybe I'll call him out again, we were having such a nice talk. A café sounds nice at this time of day. Don't you think that the two of us sitting together at a table while the sun sets in the background just looks romantic?" She placed her hands on her cheeks, feigning being as lovestruck as her sisters.
"Ah! That's right, I have to meet up with the badminton club today! They wanted to tell me something!" Yotsuba exclaimed, getting on her feet and changing into sportswear. "I'll be back by dinner." She ran out the door, her ribbon flopping about in the air.
"Well, I can't keep him waiting long." Mutsumi teased, checking her wallet. "Oh damn, I can probably only get one drink..." She turned to Ichika and Miku. "Guess we'll have to share~" With one last jab, she set off.
The creaking of the chain rang out as the sun began to set on the horizon. Light slowly fading as the lone person playing on the swings began talking to herself. "Uesugi-san has gotten really popular. Even Mutsumi..." Yotsuba said, her voice trying to hide her unhappiness. I was scared that he'd be a loner, but I guess I was wrong. Miku, Ichika, now Mutsumi..." She began to slow herself. "It's a little lonely, but as long as everyone is happy..." She stopped, leaning back for a stronger swing. "Uesugi-san...Fuutarou-kun. I love you." She yelled out into the night. "I always have."
"You know." A voice called out to her, accompanied by clapping. "Those words don't mean anything unless he hears them." Mutsumi walked up, stepping onto the other swing.
"I thought you were going to see him?" Yotsuba asked, gripping the chains tighter.
"You believed that? That was a lie, just a little teasing." Mutsumi said, rolling up her sleeves.
"Why are you here?"
"Because you're here." Mutsumi looked her sister in the eyes, Yotsuba stopping her momentum. "Let's have a chat." The clouds overhead cast a blanket of dark on them, blocking out the stars and moon. Yotsuba looked towards Mutsumi, smiling melancholically and sitting down on the swing.