"So, where did you go?" Mere minutes after they had entered the house, Ichika broke the silence as Mutsumi carefully removed her heels. The sixth sister set her bag aside, the contents of which were her clothes from the night before, as well as the equipment from her job.
"I was working on an interview, but it got pretty late. I decided to stay the night in the other apartment." Mutsumi said, deciding to not tell everyone about what happened to her. "By the way, Onee-chan, did you find something yet?" She asked, getting almost everyone to turn their attention toward the eldest sister. They all sat around the kotatsu, all looking expectantly at Ichika.
"Find what?" Yotsuba asked, going into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of juice. Itsuki placed her hands on the table, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to say.
"Is this about you wanting to move?" She stared directly across the table, meeting eyes with Mutsumi who was taking this revelation better than she had expected.
"Yeah." The sixth sister said, rubbing her shoulders and adjusting her glasses. "It is." Her words, her calm demeanor, and her sudden change of attitude; all three of them at the same time caused the minds of the Nakano siblings to go down multiple avenues; except Ichika who knew everything.
"Moving!?" Nino exclaimed, standing up so suddenly that her movement made the table rattle against the floor. Eyes wide with shock, each they all closed in on the sixth sister. "What are you thinking?"
"I thought we went over this!" Yotsuba grabbed Mutsumi's shoulders her face displaying a mix of worry, anger, and possessiveness. "Don't leave again!" She cried, pulling Mutsumi into a hug as Mutsumi struggled to explain everything.
"I can explain... ow, too tight! Let go! Let go!" Mutsumi tapped Yotsuba's back as if she was a wrestler slated to lose. Her words fell on deaf ears, drowned out by the misguided chatter from her sisters. She looked over to Ichika for help, the eldest sister already trying to pull Yotsuba's arms apart to release her. There was only one thing that would save Mutsumi now.
"The building is going to be demolished," Miku spoke up, surprised but in a different sense compared to Nino, Yotsuba, and Itsuki. She held her phone in her hand, a soft jingle coming out of her headphones as she showed the screen to her sisters. A picture of the notice from the landlord was on the screen, framed by an orange bubble that came from an icon of a cute looking snake. Her announcement brought enough of a shock to get Yotsuba to loosen her grip, letting the sixth sister fall onto her back, lying on the floor.
"Oh..." Itsuki said, scratching the back of her head, slightly embarrassed by her presumptions. "Why didn't you tell us?" She turned her head toward the sixth sister. "Mutsumi? Mutsumi!" They all looked over, seeing that the sixth sister was staring up at the ceiling with a look of delirium. Her face was slightly blue, her air supply slowly returning to normal levels after it was cut off by the fourth sister. It took her a minute to get back to the proper condition.
"A-Anyway." Mutsumi said, taking deep breaths while placing her hand on her chest to feel her breathing. "You saw it, Miku? The app I installed." After she rubbed the parts of her body that ached because of Yotsuba's grip, she looked over to the third sister, eyes beaming with excitement. "Did you like it?"
"App?" Ichika asked, resting her body on the kotatsu. Miku exited out of the app, showing the icon to her sisters. Everyone else pulled out their own phones, finding the same app hidden away from their home screens. They opened it up, instantly greeted by a challenge. "Eh? A quiz?"
"Good luck." Mutsumi chuckled, a cheeky grin plastered on her face as she opened up her own version of the app. "I made it since I tend to disappear often. That way, you can always find me. Oh, and if you tap on this." She showed them her screen, displaying a map with six bubbles all gathered in one location. She tapped on one, the green one, causing a menu to drop down from the dot. "You can call me, call a cab to get you there or send me a message. Not only that, but you can also look at the information on my location, like a restaurant or an arcade. But, you have to finish that quiz first."
The realization soon came to all of them. The sixth sister had asked to borrow their phones shortly after they returned from Kyoto. How they missed it for that long was a wonder to all of them. "Why did you have to borrow our phones?" Nino asked already starting on her quiz.
"Tracking microchips, as well as some code to allow for all those extra features." Mutsumi smiled, getting out of the kotatsu and walking over to the room where they slept. "Let's get back to business. Ichika-nee and I have been looking for a new place, but it's I couldn't get any info, what about you, onee-chan?" Mutsumi asked, but was only met by a shrug from the eldest sister. "No luck? Well, I guess we have no choice. Come on, let's pack our things. Let's get ready to move back to the penthouse." She said, smiling as she opened the door and sauntered in.
"It wasn't long, but we had a lot of good memories while we were here." Miku said, smiling fondly while looking back at their apartment one Sunday morning. "It's kind of sad to leave it behind, knowing that it'll be demolished."
"Yeah..." Mutsumi replied, thinking back fondly on all the sleepless nights she spent filing the paperwork for this place last December. A strong breeze blew both sisters' hair to the side, Mutsumi having to grab the top of her head to keep her beret on her head. Her dress flowing side to side, the white of the fabric pairing well with the pale orange of her bag; both were just neutral enough to bring attention toward the choker that Ichika gave her. "Hey, do you remember the time when I still hated Fuutarou-san?" She leaned to the side, resting her head on Miku's shoulder.
"Remember when I couldn't cook?" Miku said, both of them reminiscing on everything that happened as a familiar black car drove up to them. "I'll go get them." Ebata came to a halt, opening up the trunk of the car and helping Mutsumi load her things inside. The six of them placed their bags in the car, getting into the car as Ebata started up the engine.
"Goodbye..." Mutsumi said, waving farewell to the building as they drove across town toward the highrise. She pulled out her phone as Itsuki handed out some drinks. "Mind if I pick our music for the trip?" She asked, connecting her phone to the car speakers after getting permission from her sisters. "Let's see, Goodbye To A World..." She tapped her phone, playing a slow electronic song to fill the silence of their car ride.
"I found this book, onii-san." Elsewhere, at the same time as Mutsmi's strangulation by Yotsuba the day after she slept in the suite, Raiha looked down on her brother as he pleaded while covering his face.
"You've got it wrong!" Fuutarou denied, looking at the cover at the book while his face turned red. "That's a gift for a friend!"
"You can't trick me. I can't believe that you'd be reading this kind of book." She said, turning the book around to look at the title for herself. "I was so surprised!" She squealed, beaming with excitement as she returned the romance book to her brother. "I was worried about you since you've been holed up at home since summer started. Let's go see Itsuki-san and the others right away!" The young child quickly grabbed onto Fuutarou's arms, dragging him around even with his resistance.
"Why? I've assigned them homework, and Mutsumi is there to provide assistance if they need it. Why should I go out of my way to meet with them during my break?"
"Then how about next Sunday? Let's go to the beach and invite them!" Raiha was adamant, unwilling to back down now that she knew that her brother was thinking of love.
"I have a shift at the cake sho-" Fuutarou was interrupted by the phone. "Oh, manager? Uh-huh? What!? Are you okay?" His eyes widened as the terrible news registered in his brain. "I'm free on Sunday. You were saying something about the beach?"
The two of them paid the apartment a visit, finding it surprisingly empty that weekend. Having no choice but to give up on her little quest, Raiha sighed as she and Fuutarou headed to the beach like they planned; best not to let their preparation go to waste. "The sea!" She yelled, jumping for joy at the sight of the shimmering sea.
"Alright, I'll just rest here. Go have fun." Fuutarou lumbered over to an umbrella, setting his things down as he was ready to collapse. Raiha pulled his arm, forcefully dragging him out of the shade to try and get him into the water. The young girl had spoken with Itsuki a few weeks ago, finding out that Nino had been pestering the other five about the beach since before summer break started. Combining that with the unfortunate event of Revival's manager's bike accident, she came to a simple conclusion: the Nakanos would be going to the beach today! Fuutarou looked around, his eyes widening at the sight of some people. "What? You guys came too?" Raiha took a peek, becoming disappointed by the sight of Takeda and Maeda approaching the two of them.
"Oh, if it isn't Uesugi, ya punk," Maeda said, grinning as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He shuffled to his side slightly, trying to distance himself from Takeda and his speedo.
"It's been a while, are you enjoying your summer?" He asked, raising waving his hand to greet them.
"No!" Raiha said bluntly, the traumatic image of the director's son forever burned into her retinas.
"Did you two come here together?" Fuutarou asked, looking around as he started seeing familiar faces all around him.
"Other people from our class came too. It was Tsubaki-san's idea." Takeda said. "Did you not receive the email?"
"Now that you mention it, I haven't finished setting up my account on my new phone," Fuutarou said, rummaging in his bag for the phone that Mutsumi gifted him. After logging in, he quickly found the email in question. He put his phone back, noticing that the rest of the class was gathering around for a picture nearby. "Might as well..." He said, trudging over.
"Wow! You can see the ocean!" Yotsuba exclaimed, pressing her face against the car window as they passed by the beach.
"I really wanted to go..." Nino grumbled, tapping her phone as they absentmindedly drove by.
"Come on, we can always go next time..." Mutsumi said, taking a sip from a bottle of water as her phone vibrated with a notification. "Huh, a text from Tsubaki-chan? I wonder what it..." She nearly spat out the liquid she was drinking, turning to her side as she asked Ebata to stop the car. "He's there!" She quickly got out, holding onto the railing of the sidewalk with one hand as she pointed at a group of people with the other, a wide smile on her face. "Look! It's Fuutarou-san and Raiha-chan!" She was practically leaping in excitement as her sisters joined her. They instantly spotted the large and distinct hairstyle of the younger Uesugi.
"Oh wow, they really are there," Ichika said, tempted to walk over and join the fun as the class started sprinting toward the water. "But..."
"We can't, we have to move," Itsuki said, prompting her sisters to return to the car. They took a few more seconds to watch their classmates having fun, Mutsumi sending a text to Tsubaki to tell her how jealous she was before they went about their day. They arrived at the suite, staring up at the intimidating building as they walked inside, meeting with an unexpected situation.
"Hello."
"Papa!?" Nino asked the question that was on everyone's mind. The doctor was working on a laptop while seated at their dining table, a few folders resting nearby. "What are you doing here?"
"Is it wrong for a father to greet his daughters when they come home? It's been a while, hasn't it girls? Are you enjoying your summer?" Maruo said, shutting the device after saving it with a few clicks. He stood up, cleaning up the documents as the sisters walked into the room.
"Aren't you busy?" Ichika asked noticing the files.
"I've taken what I could in order to work here. It's far more comfortable compared to my office." He said, looking away to give the girls some privacy. "I simply wish to enjoy the comfort of my own home."
"He's such a tsundere..." Mutsumi muttered, knowing a side of the doctor that her sisters didn't. "Thank you, dad." She said, her chest feeling slightly puffy from her happiness.
"Whatever are you talking about, Mutsumi?" Maruo answered, hiding his grin by walking away. The girls all returned to their room, though five of them kept sneaking glances at Maruo since his suspicious behavior seemingly came out of nowhere.
"Ebata, I'll be taking my leave now. Help them with their things before you come to get me." Maruo said the moment the girls were all in their rooms. Ebata simply bowed, letting the doctor pass and head for the door. "I'll be asking you to drive me here more often in the near future."
"I see. I have no objections." Ebata replied, holding a vase in his hand which Yotsuba asked him to carry. He walked in, setting the vase down and filling it partly with water as he stared up at the second floor.
It was surprisingly quiet, despite the usual activities of the Nakano siblings.
Ichika was already taking a nap, the clothes she was wearing just minutes before already thrown onto the floor of her room. Nino was enjoying the comfort and the cushioning sensation of her bed, gone were her tireless nights due to sleeping on futons. Miku was quietly reading the recipe book that she got recently, making a list of ingredients that she wanted to buy now that she had access to all of the pots and pans that they couldn't take with them last winter. Yotsuba was sorting out her bouquet of flowers, deciding to display the bluebells in the vase while keeping the daisies in her room. Itsuki was seated at her desk, organizing her notebooks and pens for her next study session. And Mutsumi, after she had put aside all of her tinkering things, opened up her wardrobe.
"I need to go shopping again..." She groaned, shutting the closet as she walked out and entered the kitchen. "I wonder what they're doing..."
Meanwhile at the beach. "Left! Left!" The class spoke in a chorus as the class rep held a stick in his hands. Fuutarou swung it down, the sound of wood cutting through the air was broken by a loud scream.
"Maeda..." Matsui muttered, taking a few steps toward the boy who was currently buried up to his head in the sand. "It's bleeding..."
"Go on..." Tsubaki caught sight of her, nudging her forward as the other people in class scattered about. Matsui huffed, stomping over.
"Jeez, how unmanly can you get?" She groaned, bending down to dig him out while putting something on his head to stop the bleeding. "Stop whining... it doesn't look cool."
"So you're the class rep's little sister?" A girl with long bangs walked up to Raiha. "Wanna have some yakisoba?"
"How are the Nakanos doing?" Takeda asked, leading a group of the boys as they covered Fuutarou in the sand to make him look like a woman.
"Tsubaki told me that they were moving today. No wonder their apartment was empty." Fuutarou groaned, finally noticing the two large breasts made of sand that his classmates put on him. "Hey!" He struggled, trying to free his arm but it was a fruitless attempt. Class 3-1, sans the Nakano siblings, enjoyed the day of relaxation, reveling in the sunlight and the cool ocean air.
"Take care!" Matsui yelled, waving Tsubaki off as they started going away from her. Their numbers had dwindled, leaving only her, Maeda, Takeda, and the two Uesugi siblings. Maeda was still rubbing his bruise, grumbling about the pain as Matsui took steps toward the boys. "You're still whining about that? That's not very manly. Over here..." She took a seat beside him, handing him a cold soda can to act as an ice pack. "Does that feel better?"
"Yeah..." He replied, looking away in a bashful way. "Thanks, Matsui..."
"I'm glad that everyone had fun. Even Uesugi-kun was enjoying himself." Takeda said, leaning against a vending machine while staring up at the stary sky. He raised his hand out as if to grab at the stars in space.
"Huh? I was?" Fuutarou asked, stroking Raiha's hair as she lay sleeping on his lap.
"Yeah, you looked like you were having fun," Takeda said, bringing his gaze down toward his rival. "We're going to set off some fireworks, want to join us?"
"I'm going to head home. Raiha's all tuckered out too." Fuutarou grunted as he lifted his sister up onto his back. "Give everyone my regards."
"That's a surprise, coming from you. Who knew that you could become so friendly?" Takeda jested, walking over to stand beside him. "You've made quite a change compared to last year. What, no who... No, I feel like I already know who made you that way."
Fuutarou waved goodbye to the three of them, walking home in silence; Raiha's breathing keeping him company as his mind wandered. "Damn it. It probably would've been even more fun if they were here too." He mumbled to himself, accidentally waking his sister up with his voice. Raiha got off, the two of them walking home hand in hand as Fuutarou pulled out his new phone.
"What's up, Uesugi-san?" Yotsuba answered, reclining on the sofa as the Nakano sisters waited for dinner after a long day of moving bags and boxes.
"Hey, put it on speaker!" Mutsumi said, looking up from a circuit board she was soldering resistors onto with a cheerful smile plastered on her face. Yotsuba pressed the icon on her phone as Mutsumi removed her goggles. "Yo, Fuutarou-san!"
"Ah, I'm on speaker now? So, if you guys aren't busy, then..." His voice made everyone stop whatever they were doing. "Do you want to go to the pool?"
"You're the one extending the invitation!?"