"Fuutarou-san." Mutsumi sat at their table as the young girl was cooking breakfast behind her. Sitting opposite of her, the tutor had his arms crossed, face deep in thought. "Thank you for...everything so far." She bowed her head.

"Do you think you're ready to go back?" Fuutarou asked, sighing as his father's snoring could be faintly heard from his room. "It's been a few days; I'm sure that everything's calmed down." He said, but Mutsumi just turned away.

"I'm still kinda scared..."

"Scared? Why?" Raiha asked, overhearing the conversation.

"Y'know...what if I say something wrong and just make things worse..." The redhead fidgeted, twirling her fingers around as there was a knock on the door. Raiha turned, nodding to her brother before returning her attention to the pan she was using. Fuutarou got up, walking towards the door as the knocking continued.

"Hey Fuutarou..." A familiar voice, woeful and distressed. "Uhm...have you seen Mutsumi?" Miku stood at the door. Mutsumi hid away, shutting herself inside a room and holding the door shut.

"Mutsumi? Did something happen?" Fuutarou lied, looking at the visitor.

"She hasn't been home for a couple of days." Another voice, slightly more composed. "We didn't want to trouble you, but she's been gone longer than anyone expected. Has she come by here?"

"I'll tell you if I find her. How's everyone handling this?"

"Everyone's busy looking for her. Yotsuba, in particular, is working herself to the bone trying to find her." Itsuki added. "So if you find her, can you give her this?" She pulled a small ticket from her purse, handing it over to the tutor.

"Apparently, Mutsumi entered us into a contest but addressed it to dad." Miku said. "It's a trip to a hot spring near our grandfather's place."

"I see. Well, I'll keep an eye out." Fuutarou said as the two sisters walked off.

"Uesugi-kun didn't see her. Do you have any other idea of where she could be?" Itsuki asked.

"Maybe she went to the cake shop? Let's ask the manager."

Fuutarou shut the door, clicking the lock back before walking to the table. "You can come out now." Mutsumi emerged from her hiding place, bashful and red in the face.

"Thanks...what did they say?" Mutsumi asked, joining him at the table.

"They're looking for you. Do you think you can go back now?" He set down the ticket. "I think they want to be with you for this."

"A ticket?" She slid it towards her with a finger, looking at it. "Grandpa..." She says, looking at the slip. She cleared her head before going over everything. "I'd love to go back before the trip, but...I'm still a little worried. I mean, I can't even look at my reflection without being shaken slightly." She raised a hand, placing it on the side of her head. "I can't do it alone."

"Then why don't we help you!?" Raiha beamed, setting plates of food down as Isanari walked out of his room to get the morning mail. "When are they going on the trip? We have to do it before then!" A simple meal of eggs, rice, and a few cheap cuts of meat. The redhead tentatively ate, her lips shifting as she gazed at the two siblings sitting to her side.

"A few days, I would assume. Something is off here..." Fuutarou examined the ticket once more. "There's no date on it."

"No date?" Mutsumi scanned the text. "It's fake." She thought, considering everything that happened. "Fuutarou-san. Did they say where the ticket came from?"

"It's from the contest, but it was sent to your pops."

"I see. Well, I like Raiha-chan's idea. But how do we do it?" Mutsumi put her hand to her face, now returning to her analytical self.

"Then I have a suggestion." Isanari walked up, holding a small envelope in his hand; opened. "Look at these." He tossed a pair of similar looking slips of paper onto the table. "We're going to the same springs. So hear me out..." Isanari sat down, the mischievous grin on his face scaring the other three slightly as his mouth moved. In essence, it was simple; Mutsumi would travel with the Uesugi family with a disguise, while Fuutarou would use Mutsumi's ticket and stay with the Nakanos. "With all of us at the hot springs, we'll all be able to support you."

"Senpai, that's a great idea...but." Mutsumi stopped, spotting the man pulling out his phone and dialing her father's number. Isanari ran back outside, impulsive and persuasive. "I guess we have no choice now." She handed her ticket to Fuutarou. "I'm counting on you."

"Alright, now that that's settled." Raiha continued digging into her food. "Mutsumi-san, you need to take a bath soon, you're starting to stink."

Mutsumi flushed, shuffling slightly away while the two men turned to the girl. "S-Sorry. I don't have a change of clothes, so..." Mutsumi muttered, hiding her face with her hands. Isanari stood up, an idea popping into his mind.

After the meal, Mutsumi grew curious of the father. She shadowed him, arriving at the door to his bedroom and hesitating before she mustered up the courage to knock. "Come in." Isanari said from inside. "Oh, it's you Mutsumi-chan. Come over here for a bit." He called her over with his hand. The room itself felt claustrophobic, his drawer taking up space along with some boxes that were scattered about; one of which was open as his arms dug around inside.

"If all of these boxes are full of things, maybe you can sell them so you can..."

"Never..." Isanari said somberly. "More importantly, try this on; see if they fit." He pulled out an old dress, yet it was well kept and presentable. White, stopping around her knees, with faint bronze embellishments that were fading in some spots.

"What is this? Where did you get this?" Mutsumi held it up to the light from the window of the room, fascinated with the clothing in her hands.

"They're your disguise." Isanari said, moving things and pulling another box closer to himself. "You have a similar figure to my wife, so they might fit."

"Your wife? Fuutarou-san's mom? He hasn't talked about her much. Where is she, I haven't seen her around the house?" She asked, pulling it closer to her to rest the fabric on her chest and looking at herself in Isanari's mirror.

"She's gone." His tone melancholic, he turned to the girl.

"Oh. I..."

"Don't worry about it. So, what do you think? Do you think it will fit?" Isanari got up, moving over to his drawer and pulling out a smaller box from a spot near the back of its cavity.

"Yeah. But is this really okay?" Mutsumi just stared at the dress, unsure of what she's feeling. Apologetic, mournful, curious; her emotions mixed into a complex concoction as the thought of this woman entered her mind.

"Yeah. It's fine. I'm sure she would've had the same idea if she was still alive." Isanari smiled, opening the box and pulling out a set of old polaroid photos.

"What kind of person was she, if you don't mind me asking?" Mutsumi rested her back against the wall, taking a glance at the room.

"It's a long story, you probably won't want to hea-"

"What was mom like?" Raiha stood in the doorway, staring inside and walking over to see some of the photos. Isanari chuckled, putting down his shades and sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. He took a deep breath, pausing as if recalling something important. A smile formed from his lips, nostalgic yet also longing.

"Your mother...was the kind of woman that..." He stopped, searching for the right words. "that wanted to make as many people smile as she could. Before you were born, she was like a bee, buzzing around the place. Fuutarou always followed her, helping her do her tasks. We were happy, especially after you came into our lives; you were too young to remember most of it though." Setting down the photos, he pointed to the woman that was holding a newborn baby in her arms while a young black haired boy tugged at her sleeve.

"She's gorgeous." Mutsumi gently took the photo, running her finger across the paper around the woman's face. A mixture of Fuutarou and Raiha's features, the parts they inherited from her were visible. Black hair tied into a bun and covered with a hairnet, modest attire underneath an apron, and a wide toothy grin that she saw on Fuutarou's face as well.

"Before she passed, she ran a bakery in this building. We weren't rich, but it was enough to keep the kids happy." Isanari gazed at Raiha. "Fuutarou always loved her cooking, which is why I wrote down a bunch of her recipes for you. I can still remember him running into the house after school just to see if she was in the kitchen. I always came home to her warm smile." Isanari laughed, getting up and going back to searching the boxes. "But we have a job to do, so let's get back on track." He seemed cheery, pulling out some more clothes; skirts, blouses, dresses, and more. Raiha left the room, slightly teary-eyed but still smiling. Mutsumi offered a short and silent prayer, combing through Ms. Uesugi's old clothes with Isanari.

Night came before time registered in her head, attention drawn to the possible combination of clothes that would be her disguise in Isanari's plot. The man in question was currently in the last moments of a call with Maruo. Fuutarou stood nearby, listening intently as the affairs of both fathers are deeply intertwined with his future actions. "Alright! Operation: Child Swap is set in motion!" He howled haughtily. The two teens looked at each other, worried. "Now, our next problem is this." Isanari pointed to Mutsumi's head; more specifically: her hair.

"Do you have any ideas?" Mutsumi glanced up at Isanari. "A wig, or..." Her eyes instantly widened in excitement. "When are we going to do it!?" Excitedly, Mutsumi twirled her hair between her fingers.

"Sometimes, I forget that you're technically the youngest of the group..." Fuutarou muttered. "And it's times like these where I'm reminded of that fact." He groaned, going into another room to sleep for the night.

"We're do it tomorrow. And I need to get another ticket, since we've only gotten two." The blonde was eager for this entire plan; it wasn't everyday that his son would listen to his schemes, let alone give him an excuse to go on a vacation.

"Mutsumi-chan! Hold still!" Raiha placed her hands firmly on the teen's shoulder. In her arms was a box of old jewelry that Isanari had given her. Simple necklaces, bracelets, earrings, among others. In her hand, a sterilized sewing needle; a small candle set on the table nearby. Mutsumi was laying on the floor, eyes shut tightly as she squirmed in fear.

"I know I asked you to do this, but I'm starting to think it's a-AAAAAAHHHH!" She screamed as she felt a prick on her ear. She whimpered, lip trembling as a set of footsteps approached.

"Here. Maybe this'll help." Fuutarou said, setting a few things aside before walking back to his room for a few extra minutes of additional study. A cleaned white beret, as well as a small glass bottle with a spray nozzle. Raiha moved to the other side, puncturing the remaining ear with another scream from Mutsumi. Within a few days, preparations were complete and the day of the trip was upon them.