"Mutsumi-kun." A voice called out to her, ringing in her mind as she shut her eyes tighter. "Mutsumi-kun." Again, it reached her ears again, sending a mix of both cold and heat coursing through her as she balled her fists in frustration.

"Stop! You're not my real parent! Stop!" She curled up, her knees pressing up against her chest as her arms wrapped around her legs. "Just leave me alone!"

"Mutsumi." Another voice, one she hasn't heard in years, sent an even colder chill through the air. Dead and dry, wispy and raspy; the sound of her mother nearly forced her eyes to open. "You're next..."

"No!" She yelled, shooting up from her futon and throwing the covers off of her body. Cold and sweaty, her body trembling as she panted in the darkness. Mutsumi moved her hand to her chest to calm herself as the shuffling of the other girls in the room moved her sheets away from her feet. She looked around, Yotsuba and Nino were still sound asleep, and Ichika wasn't in the room at all. How long was she asleep?

"Nightmare again?" Miku asked, sitting up while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Mutsumi nodded as Itsuki rubbed the back of the neck, getting up to leave the room. "Want some tea?" The third sister saw the sixth nod again, both of them getting up to head to the kitchen. "Let's talk."

The three of them found Ichika snoozing, her head resting on top of her script as her breathing repeatedly blew one of the pages off of her face, only for it to fall back. "It was about dad," Mutsumi said, holding her cup with both hands as the other two walked around the kitchen. Itsuki froze up; her arm in the middle of grabbing some chocolate that she hid in their refrigerator.

"Father? Did something happen between you two?"She asked, her back still turned toward the other two. "Is it something concerning the illness?"

"It's nothing like that. But...I did hear mom's voice."

"What did she say?" The third sister asked, sipping on her tea as they all moved to sit near the kotatsu.

"That I'm next... it's ominous, isn't it?" Mutsumi chuckled, trying to joke about the omen that woke her up. "Anyway, something did happen between dad and me. We haven't really had a face to face conversation since the national mock exam results came out. And all I'll say about that is that it wasn't a pleasant experience."

"Well then, I won't pry," Miku said, setting her cup down. "But I would suggest that you talk it out with him. I'm sure that if anyone can get through to him, it would be you."

"..." Mutsumi stared down at the liquid in her cup, her reflection dancing from the ripples. Her face, though contorted by the tea's surface, was somber, contemplative, and scared. "I... I think I'm going to go to bed." She drank the rest of it down, standing up with her hair covering her face. She returned to their room, fixing the futon once more and forcing herself to sleep by shutting her eyes tightly.

"What was that? What did it mean?" Mutsumi muttered to herself, closing her eyes as she came to a stop at her destination. The sun shone down on her, her cap casting a shadow on her face as she tilted her head down. "I'm next... it couldn't be..." She thought, bringing her hand up to her face as the wind blew her hair back.

"What a surprise. Your last set was filled with great shots." Loud and brash, a person walked up to her with one of his hands waving over his head.

"Uesugi-senpai, thank you," Mutsumi said, her body staying fixed in place. "What brings you here?"

"I should ask the same thing to you. Or I would if I didn't know any better." Isanari took post to Mutsumi's left, setting something on the ground before turning to face the girl. He noticed her grim expression, prompting him to ask something. "Did something happen?"

"Senpai, do you know an apartment for rent nearby? One that's within my budget preferably." Mutsumi asked, taking a deep breath as her mind shifted from one topic to another.

"An apartment? Are you going to move?" Isanari asked as he shut his eyes. "Wait, couldn't you just go back to the place that Maruo rented?" Pointing out the obvious made the girl fidget.

"I'd like to remain independent, if at all possible." She opened her eyes, putting her hands in her pockets. "And... Nakano-san and I aren't on good terms."

"I see... I guess I can ask around. But you should really talk with him about it." He said as the clack of another pair of shoes got both of their attention. "It's been a while, Shimoda-san."

"It has. Hello, Itsuki-ch... No, you're one of her sister's aren't you?" A woman with large round glasses and a business suit walked up to them. "I won't be long, so would you two like to join me? Let's have a chat." She said, walking up and placing down a small bouquet of flowers down on Rena's grave, setting hers beside Isanari's offering. They stayed for another five minutes, the hairs on Isanari's neck standing up, telling him something was amiss; he didn't say a word. They moved over to Revival, Shimoda thankful that Itsuki's appetite wasn't something that Mutsumi shared. The conversation Mutsumi had with Isanari was essentially repeated, explaining the current situation to the cram school teacher. Bidding them farewell, Mutsumi finally came to a decision, walking with purpose while secretly hoping for a huge stroke of luck.

"Enter."

"Hey." Mutsumi walked into her father's office, watching as he asked his assistant to leave for a few minutes. "..."

"What are you going to ask me for this time?" The doctor's tone remained cold, but there was a hint of sass in his statement. "Another trip to your grandfather's? Perhaps a tropical vacation? It is summer, after all."

"Why you..." Mutsumi clenched her fist, a vein bulging on her forehead. She took in a deep breath through her teeth, trying to calm herself down. "The apartment is slated for demolition. Ichika and I are looking for a new place, but I thought it would be pertinent to tell you about it."

"I see. Is that all?" Speaking as he normally does, Maruo looked at her expectantly. "Nothing else to say."

She bit her lip, having a difficult time repressing the scathing words she'd love to say about his attitude. "Can you do another scan? I have some... concerns about the disease that took mom." Walking forward, she took a seat near his desk as he arranged his papers. He called his assistant back and, after a few minutes, they extracted a sample of blood from Mutsumi. "Are you going to go?"

"I am a very busy man, Mutsumi-kun."

"I see." With that, she left the office and returned home.

"Mutsumi-chan. Come here for a bit." Ichika said, beckoning her sister over to the kotatsu while simultaneously pulling out a small box. "Here, you can have this."

"Onee-chan..." Mutsumi was taken aback, but her brain saw an opportunity to mess with her sister. "I'm not ready for that yet, but if it's you... Yes! Yes! I will." She played up her joke, looking away abashedly as she extended her hand out, palm down. "How'd you get my ring size?"

Ichika chuckled, playing along. "We have the same bodies, remember." She took Mutsumi's hand in hers, standing up to be level with her before she took a step closer. Snaking her other arm along Mutsumi's back, she tickled the rear of her sister's neck before breaking out into a chuckle. "In all seriousness, this is for you. I hope you like it." Placing the box in her hands, she watched with bated breath as Mutsumi opened the box.

Inside the box was a black choker, a single hexagon was the only design on it. "What's this about?"

"I'm really sorry. I really am, about Kyoto, about not listening to you. I caused you a lot of troub-" Ichika felt Mutsumi's finger on her lips, silencing her as her eyes widened in surprise.

"Thanks." Mutsumi took it out, putting it on and feeling her neck to get herself comfortable with her new accessory. "I love it. And I love you, onee-chan." She pulled Ichika into a hug. "Anyway, did you find a place yet?" Asking about their new apartment, she could only frown as Ichika admitted that she hadn't been lucky enough to find one.

"What about you?" The eldest asked as Mutsumi's phone started to vibrate.

"It's work. It's something big." Mutsumi said, staring down at her screen. "I have to go. I'll probably be home late." She sighed, pocketing her phone and walking over to get her things.

"Okay, stay safe." Waving her sister off, Ichika shut the door for her as Mutsumi started to walk to the building of her news agency. Finding a familiar face emerging from a bookstore on the way there. She handed off a box, only giving the recipient a smile and a wave as she hurried to her job.

"Nakano-san. This is going to be another big one. You're one of our best photographers, and you're the best person for the job." Her boss said, pulling up a folder from a cabinet in the room. "There's this new place in town, very popular with people around your age. I was thinking of getting some interviews of the place, staff, customers, anyone that has anything to say. Take some pictures, talk to some people, it's simple. I'll give you a few weeks to finish this job up, so take your time and enjoy the place."

"What kind of place is it? If it's a bar, then..."

"No, but it's close. It's kinda close, but since it's aimed toward a younger crowd it's been a bit modernized. A mix of local, and western-style bars, but no alcohol. Instead of that, they have a room filled with game consoles filled with multiplayer games, they do have mocktails though. Other than that, it's just like any other restaurant or bar." Mutsumi received the file, reading a summary of the location as well as the prospects of this job.

"Sounds interesting, I'm in." Mutsumi smiled, looking at the few photos included in the folder. "How many pictures do you want? Also, who's paying for this?"

"At least twelve. Anyway, that's all. And we'll cover the expenses, for every ten pictures you take, we'll allow you to take someone along free of charge." The boss said, dismissing Mutsumi for the day. As she walked out of the building, she caught a glance of the latest articles they were reporting. A nearby zoo's new gorilla enclosure, probably an ad in order to get some more visitors; a lecturer was coming to town soon to assist some cram schools in the area; and a few pictures submitted by the police to help with their cases: missing people and criminal mugshots. She got to the streets as the sun started to set over the horizon, pulling out her phone and composing a text.

"Tsubaki-san, Matsui-san, wanna go to that new pseudo-bar?" She sent the text to them, getting affirmative replies almost immediately. "Mind if I bring someone along?"

The next weekend, after a few more days of fruitless searching, Mutsumi had a day to relax. She was waiting in front of the restaurant, already having done the interviews with the staff earlier in the day, all she had to do was get the customers' opinions. Luckily, she had a full charge on all of her equipment, including the mic she had hidden on the inside of her hoodie. "Hey!" She yelled, calling out to her friends as three people walked toward her.

"How've ya been?" Maeda asked, slicking his hair back. "Those punks ain't coming?" Looking around he frowned slightly.

"Yuusuke-san was busy with the library. I don't know what Fuutarou-san is doing, but his sister made it seem like he was really thinking about something difficult." Mutsumi answered.

"So, is that everyone?" Matsui tilted her head as they heard footsteps coming from down the street.

"Ah, you're here early, Mutsumi." Takebayashi gave her a joking salute with one arm, the other wrapped around the arm of a boy with spikey hair and glasses. "I'm Takebayashi, Mutsumi's friend. This is Sanada." Sanada only gave a nod, which Maeda reciprocated.

"That's everyone! Let's go in! It's on me!" Mutsumi brought everyone inside as they saw the moon start to rise behind one of the buildings.