"Mutsumi!"
"What happened?"
"Your grandfather?" Fuutarou muttered, crossing his arms in a huff. The three of them brainstormed to the best of their abilities, coming up short with every plan they hatched. Mutsumi bit her lip in dissatisfaction as a knock came to her door from some staff bringing them some morning tea. "How is he able to tell you apart?"
"Lo-" Itsuki started speaking, only to be interrupted by the other two's annoyed glares.
"We get it! Repeating it without explaining won't help." Mutsumi whined, pouring everyone a cup of tea; a sweetened fruit tea that piqued her interest. "This is so stupid! Why even bother with disguised anyway!?" It was insanity, as they kept thinking and thinking of ideas that would ultimately fail. "Why did they have to do this now?" She mused her thoughts as the scent of the drink hit her nose.
"Right." Itsuki sighed. "You didn't see it." She spoke succinctly, yet it caught their attention. "The last time we came here with you was before mom died, do you remember it? That was when Yotsuba decided to start wearing her ribbon."
"Last time we visited gramps together?" Mutsumi thought, trying to recall that time in her life. Memories of the beach came to her mind first, Itsuki running up to her and Yotsuba as they talked to their mother. "Oh yeah. And you put a pair of starfi-"
"Yes. After that, you left and we started changing little by little. By the time grandpa saw us next, we were quite similar to how we are now; no longer completely identical." Itsuki's voice was grim, her eyes dark as if they were looking at someone admitted to a hospital. "He looked at us and collapsed, thinking that we were on bad terms. Luckily, father was there to give first aid." She looked up at the both of them, both listening intently. "But ever since then, we decided to keep up the image of being the same for his sake; we decided to dress as myself for as long as we are here."
"He collapsed, just from that?" Fuutarou commented in as quiet a voice he could. "But it was nice of you to do that for that scary old ma-" Mutsumi didn't think, her arm seemingly magnetized to Fuutarou's shoulder as her head pulsed with anger. "Hey!"
She retracted her arm, shaking off the slight tingle that came from punching the boy. "Don't say that about grandpa." Glaring daggers at him, she turned her body to face his. "He's a nice guy, you just have to get to know him." She went to calm down, taking small sips of her tea and letting the aroma take her mind off of Fuutarou's remarks. She had downed half her cup when a knock came to the door, which she answered. "Speak of the devil. Good morning gramps."
He leaned his head over Mutsumi's shoulder, eyeing her company curiously before he returned his attention to his granddaughter. "Breakfast will be ready soon." He muttered, pausing to think on his next words. "And blonde looks great on you Mutsumi." And with that, he continued down the hall to inform the other guests. Mutsumi stood there for a moment, thinking over his words.
"I thought he wasn't supposed to like how we're different?" Mutsumi wondered, turning her head to call Itsuki down for breakfast. After Itsuki ran up to her, the two followed their grandfather down the hallway. She glanced around, finding two of her sisters heading for their room. "Go without me Itsuki." She said, taking a few steps to the side to sneak closer to the room.
"Fuutarou-kun hiding something? He has been acting strange ever since we met up at the docks. And then there's that girl, what did you say her name was?" An Itsuki spoke to another as Mutsumi peeked her head in the slightly ajar door. Her posture and the way she addressed Fuutarou were dead giveaways that her identity was Ichika.
"She said it was Mizuna..." The second sat down, body slumped over something before her eyes drifted to the doorway. "But I think that's a lie." She said, pointing towards the door, and in turn, at Mutsumi. "Come in."
Mutsumi gulped, taking slow and steady steps as she scanned the room. It was only the three of them, as far as she knew at least. "Good morning..."
"Mizuna-san..." Ichika came up to her, looking at her. "It's very sudden, your arrival I mean." She leaned in close, a smirk on her face as if she knew everything. "Why'd you come to visit now, of all times?"
"Have these two figured me out already?" She thought, bringing her arm up to cover her mouth. "This one is definitely Ichika, just from the posture. And the other one felt like Miku..."
"Ichika, stop picking on her." The other Itsuki, supposedly Miku, interjected. "Didn't you say you had something you had to do?" She met eyes with Mutsumi, chuckling to herself as she and Ichika left the sixth sister to her own devices.
"Was...was that Miku? No way...she had too much confidence...but everything else felt like Miku..." Mutsumi shook her head, her brain in pain from thinking too much. "Argh...I'm second guessing myself!" She palmed her cheeks, kicking the ball of her foot on the floor before walking to the main hall.
"How's it going?" Fuutarou asked as Mutsumi approached their table. The blonde haired girl sat next to him, placing her elbows on the table and her head in her palms.
"I'm stuck!" She thought. "It's a hunch. I keep getting feelings that it might be one of them, but they're not giving any concrete evidence to cement their identity." She groaned, her forehead hitting the wooden furniture. "Wait...did I say that last part out loud?" She pondered as footsteps approached from the door as more guests arrived and retrieved their food.
"Uesugi. Good morning." Maruo said, before the shuffling of feet and chairs broke the awkward silence that followed his statement.
"Mutsumi. What is going on?" That voice belonged to her grandfather, the tone worried and curious. Mutsumi tilted her head up, finding his wrinkled face staring at her. "is there anything I can do to help?"
She looked at him, pushing herself to sit up straight as she thought of how she should reply. "I..." She paused, glancing around the room and finding her sisters at the table.
"Master, teach me." Fuutarou bowed, startling everyone at the table for a few seconds before everyone gave their own reactions. "I...I want to learn how to do it. To tell them apart."
"What are you doing?" Mutsumi turned to him, finding herself unable to speak out her thoughts. "But...if anyone could help us, gramps would be the one." Her eyes moved to the old man, who was looking down at Fuutarou.
"All you need to tell them apart is love." He said, almost inciting a sigh from the teens. Mutsumi was about to question him when she heard her sister speak about food. "Who do you think she is?" He asked, gesturing to that Itsuki.
"Ichika?" Fuutarou guessed, playing with his bangs as the Itsuki in question gestured towards Raiha.
"Yotsuba?" She muttered, feigning confidence before the Itsuki began sipping on some tea while muttering something to her sisters. "Or maybe it's Miku..."
"That's Yotsuba-san right?" Raiha joined in, munching on her breakfast as a plate slid closer to her courtesy of the old man. The man looked at her as if he was looking at one of his granddaughters, that smile was the same.
"Correct." He spoke. Grandpa then turned to Fuutarou, mulling over his thoughts. "I will help you, boy..." Another Itsuki entered the room at that moment, getting nothing short of twenty portions of food, which the old man noticed. "After we eat." He said, making Mutsumi chuckle to herself as images of Itsuki came to her.
After breakfast, Mutsumi returned to her room and rummaged through her things. Raiha knocked on her door, sliding it open and walking to her side. "Hey Raiha-chan!" Mutsumi smiled, yet her attention stayed on her bag. She pulled out a hair tie, a beret, and a small glass vial; she donned the disguise once more.
"Mutsumi-san. Let's go around." The girl asked. "I want to take some pictures."
"Uhhm...with me?"
"Yeah." Raiha said in a matter of fact tone. "Dad said it would be good practice for you too, so he said it was okay."
"Senpai..." Mutsumi sighed, clearly visualizing Isanari laughing hysterically. She tied her hair into a ponytail, not bothering to braid it this time, and set off with Raiha to the exit of the building. "Where do we go first?"
Raiha placed her hand to her chin, thinking about everything she saw on the way to the inn. "How about the bell again? I wanted to ring it!"
"Did they not tell you about the legend?" Mutsumi asked as the two began walking. "Then again, it's probably just there for tourists...like us." She began laughing, joined by the black haired child as the two reached the bell.
"Here..." A voice was heard talking to itself as the pair approached. "If I can meet him here..." An Itsuki was staring up at the bell, her hands clenched into fists. Her voice was confident, her gaze filled with intent.
"Nino-san?" Mutsumi muttered before covering her mouth with her hands. The Itsuki turned, meeting them with a smile. "Are we interrupting something?"
"Nah, nah. It's fine Mutsumi." That speech pattern made Mutsumi's mind identify her as Nino. Mutsumi smiled for a moment, the realization delayed until the redhead took a step closer.
"M-Mutsumi? Who's that?" The sixth sister crouched behind Raiha. "I-Is she a friend of yours?"
"You can't trick me! And your act has cracks in it, by the way." She stepped closer, Raiha stepping out of the way. "Nobody can tell us apart as easily as you have been, especially when they haven't been with us for a long time."
"Wait? I got that right? How? If I can figure it out, then I can help Fuutarou-san..." She muttered to herself, yet her voice still boomed out. "Fuck...I-I can explain sis..." She looked up at Nino, who just stared down at her. "Nino, don't tell the others..." Mutsumi spoke, only to find herself held in Nino's embrace.
"Don't do something stupid like this again! You have no idea how much we worried about you!" Nino whispered, pulling away with a smile. "But it sounds like you have a plan, so for now I'll listen to you." She gave a wink.
The three took a few pictures by the bell. "We're going to the beach with grandpa. You should come too." Nino said as they overlooked the cliff by the bell. "Grandpa will be there, so Fuu-kun will be too." She added.
"Dad and I are going out to eat soon, sorry. What about you, Mutsumi-san?" Raiha said, sounding slightly down. Mutsumi looked down at the beach from her vantage point, the ocean glistening as it reflected the sunlight. The wind blew her dyed hair to the side as she turned to her sister. "Sure. But if everyone's going to be there, then won't my disguise..."
"Don't worry about it. Shall we go?" Nino grabbed Mutsumi's wrist as she began walking back to the inn, finding their grandfather and Fuutarou loading fishing equipment into the back of a van.
The crimson haired squad were mostly on the beach, a couple were out and browsing the stores stationed on the nearby road. Mutsumi stayed in the bus, adjusting aspects of her disguise with the help of a small bag she brought with her. "Headband or hat?" She muttered to herself, holding them in her hands before placing the headband back inside her bag. A few spritz of the rose scented perfume, small dangling earrings, a pair of glasses, and her hair still tied into a ponytail; her disguise was simple.
She emerged from the bus to see a fish fly through the air and land a two feet to her right. "Nice catch. It's huge." She bent down, picking it up by the fishing line. "A rockfish, and about as big as one can be. At least from what my old biology books told me." She looked at Fuutarou, who was holding onto the same rod as her grandfather, both getting ready to cast another line out to sea. "How's the training going?"
"He hasn't told me anything yet. It's just been the same thing over and over again." He groaned, baiting his hook. "What is love anyway? It's too vague." His words were joined by a sigh from her grandfather, who had already cast his line back out.
"Time." He spoke softly, gently waiting for the next bite. "Devoting time to know their little quirks, their voices, their habits; would you not call that devotion love?" He pointed towards the beach, to the batch of Nakano girls playing in the water. "Here is another test. Two are missing. Who are they?" He asked, first pointing to the left most sister.
"The one on the left seems to be looking our way a lot." Mutsumi thought aloud. "Her posture is slumped over and defensive. My guess would be Miku." Mutsumi guessed first, noticing the seemingly cold face on the first sister they had to identify.
"Now that you mention it, she was always the one with the least confidence. By that logic, the one with the goofy smile would be Yotsuba, right?"
"And the last one..." Mutsumi paused, pushing up her glasses. The girls on the beach were splashing water on each other, and the girl in question was about to get soaked by another; her hair shot up. "Her hair just began moving on its own. There's no way a wig's cowlick could do that, so it has to be the real Itsuki, right?" She turned to her grandfather, who was smiling contently. The teens all began to converge at their location, including the two that went shopping.
"Hello, Mizuna-san" Itsuki spoke up first, giving a look as she kept up with Mutsumi's charade. The other sisters looked at Mutsumi, except for Yotsuba who was distracted by the amount of fish the two men had caught in the time they spent there. The sixth sister stared at the forth, who was counting the fish in the cooler they used for storage.
"I know Nino and Itsuki know the truth...but what about the other two?" She fretted about her identity, taking steps closer to her false cousin. Miku kept her eyes on her, looking through Mutsumi with everything she had. "Well, I...I guess I can tease them a bit. If they know, they'll call me out and I can talk to Yotsuba with everyone around." Her mind quickly turned its attention to Miku as she waved her hand. "Fuu-kun. I think your student is a bit jealous." She gripped his arm, getting glares from not only Miku but also Nino who had finally come into earshot.
She could see Miku's face go red and her fingers twitch slightly in trepidation; Nino was only held up for a moment, instead focusing her gaze on the tutor as a myriad of thoughts collected in her mind. Ichika quickly turned to peek at Nino, strangely filled with worry and relief simultaneously. Mutsumi released her grip, giving a sly wink to her sisters as she boarded the bus first. She chose to sit in the back by a window, soon joined by Miku who sat at her side. "This isn't fair, Mutsumi. Why are you pretending to be his cousin?" Miku asked before any of the others could board.
"So you did know. Are you jealous?" Mutsumi answered with a grin and a short hug. "And..."
"And...?"
"Yotsuba and I had a fight. Did she tell you anything?" She asked, to which Miku shook her head. "I see...of course she wouldn't tell anyone that she had a problem. I was scared for nothing." She leaned back in her seat, sliding forward to the point that her legs touched the back of the seat in front of her. After a moment of silence, her hand went to remove her hat, brushing her hair aside to reveal the spot where Yotsuba hit her; she massaged it gently as her sisters came aboard.
They arrived back at the inn, Yotsuba running out first with the cooler full of fish in her arms. Miku whispered something into Ichika's ear; the eldest sister then nodded, cocked her head back to stare at Mutsumi, and chuckled while shaking her head. Mutsumi could faintly hear her words. "That's so like her. I knew something was up."
"Is my disguise that bad?" She muttered as Nino and Itsuki walked past her. Nino stood just a few steps ahead of her, her head following Fuutarou as he entered the building on a course to his room.
"It's not a bad disguise, Mutsumi. It's just..." Itsuki spoke, looking her sister in the eyes. "We love you." Everyone still standing outside the inn; Mutsumi, Nino, Miku, Ichika, and their grandfather; all of them stared at the fifth sister.
"That...that just sounds so...what's the word I'm looking for? Patronizing?" She joked, complaining with a smile on her face. "Well, since everyone knows now, might as well end this." She grinned, gulping down something in her throat as she cracked her knuckles in anticipation. She took steps inside, getting wishes of good luck from Ichika as she passed her.
"Alright, she wasn't in their room..." Mutsumi muttered, waving goodbye to Nino as she exited their quarters. "Where could she have gone?" She walked towards her room, wanting to sit and brood over her next step like she usually does. "Maybe I'll pull her aside after dinner..." She thought as she slid the door open, finding her room occupied.
"Ah! Mizuna-san! It's not what it looks like!" Yotsuba was standing in the far corner, nursing her leg. "I just needed some privacy." Mutsumi glanced at it, finding a bruise in around the same spot where the fake Itsuki would've gotten one.
"So you went to my room? You know what...there's something more important here." Mutsumi huffed, pulling up her hair to show Yotsuba her injuries. "Yotsuba..."
"Mutsumi? I..." Yotsuba got up, slowly inching towards Mutsumi with her head down and her hair covering her face. She raised her arms, placing her hands together; an open palm over her fist.
"...Is she still mad?" Mutsumi froze, eyes never leaving her sister's hands. Yotsuba stepped closer again as Mutsumi buckled under the pressure, taking a step back and out into the hallway.
"Well I'm sick of it! You always interfere, even when nobody asked for it!" The memory of that night resurfaced as Mutsumi felt a throbbing in her head. "You shouldn't have come back!"
"Yotsuba...I" Her legs trembled as Yotsuba got within arms reach. "I...I can't do this." She just stared at her sister's figure, menacing and imposing as the light from the window behind her covered her body in shadow; a deer in headlights. Her lips quaked, her fingers fidgeted, her heartrate skyrocketed as her body moved on its own; down the hall.
"Mutsumi!" Yotsuba reached out, only managing to grab her hair tie as the youngest sister sprinted as fast as she could away from her; blonde hair flying past. Yotsuba blinked a few times as she processed everything, staring at her hands sorrowfully for a few seconds before giving chase.
"Run! Keep running!" Mutsumi thought to herself, weaving around people as fast as she could. "Don't let her catch you! Don't let her hit you again!" In a panicked state, her manic mindset ran into overdrive as the fight or flight instinct moved her body.
"Mutsumi! Come back!" She could hear Yotsuba yell behind her, the fourth's footsteps sounding closer with each second.
"Break the chase! She'll catch you if you don't do anything!" She muttered to herself as she turned a corner, pulling out the perfume from her pocket and chucking it down a hall. She hid in an open room, shutting the door and waiting as footsteps ran past. "Alright...now be sneaky..." She ran as quiet as she could as she made her way down the hall, taking deep and quiet breaths.
"Over here!" Miku's voice came from behind her. Mutsumi took no chances, ditching any semblance of covertness as she broke into a full sprint once more. Left, right, around people and up a set of stairs, she ran and ran until.
"Uh Aaaahhh!" Mutsumi grunted, knocking into somebody as she dashed up the stairs. "Shit, no no n-" She turned her head just enough to angle her impact to her temple; the same one that Yotsuba struck. Sharp pain coursed through her for a moment before darkness took her conscience.
A/N: Now to continue the first version, maybe. I still need to think through how the festival would progress in that version of the fanfic.