"It's finally here... I wonder if he'll..." Nino muttered to herself, stretching the lingering fatigue, that still loomed over her as she opened her eyes for the first time that day, away. The lethargy still held onto her limbs, making it difficult for the second sister to stand up and get ready for school. After a few more seconds of stillness, she found herself placing a foot down on the floor, walking to the door to get breakfast ready for everyone before she would take a shower to get rid of any odor that stuck to her from the food.
"Nino-k... Nino. Good morning." However, an unusual sight caused her to stop at the top of the stairs. Sitting at the table, with Mutsumi's laptop before him, was Maruo Nakano. "It's fairly late, you should be getting ready now." He said, typing away on the computer as the other doors on the second floor opened up.
"Oh, hi dad. See you guys later." Ichika said, hurriedly walking down the stairs with a bag slung over her shoulder. She left the apartment in a hurry, dressed for work. Yotsuba and Miku caught sight of their father, turning to Nino with the same expression that she had.
"You're on breakfast duty this time," Miku said, returning to her room and shutting the door. Yotsuba said nothing while doing the same thing, leaving Nino with the doctor.
"I'll just wake Itsuki up..." Nino quickly shuffled over to the fifth sister's room.
"It's been how many days now? Get up, Itsuki; you can't keep sleeping in like this!" Mutsumi yelled, arms crossed and standing beside Itsuki's bed. The fifth sister was still slumbering, a small trail of drool reaching her pillow before the youngest of them forcefully woke her up by pulling her onto the floor. "Morning, Nino. Is dad still using my laptop?" Nino nodded, unsure of what to do. This was a strange morning.
"Mutsumi..." Itsuki groaned, getting up from the floor as Nino closed the door to the room. "There's something I want to ask you... I've noticed it, but the things you've been teaching me have been wrong."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Mutsumi watched as Itsuki walked over to her desk, pulling out some of the sheets of paper they used to review.
"I asked Shimoda-san to double-check them, and this is what she told me." The reviewer was filled with red marks, additional notes were tuck on to the side, and an entire page of corrections was stapled on. "This isn't like you. Are you even teaching me seriously?"
"Itsuki, I'm sorry. I just... have a lot on my mind." Bowing her head apologetically, the sixth sister took slow steps toward Itsuki.
"Can you tell me what it is?"
"It's about Fuutarou-san. I... lately I've been feeling strange around him." She said, genuine confusion in her voice. "I don't know what it is."
"Peculiar..." Itsuki muttered. "I don't know how to be of assistance, but I hope you can fix it soon. I'm relying on you."
"I'll try..." Even now, the sixth sister's thoughts drifted to her feelings about the tutor. There was something that might've been the case, but Mutsumi didn't want to think it was true unless she tested it herself. "Do you want to get some extra lessons in; before we get ready for school?" She asked, but Itsuki declined.
"Are you going to go today?" Nino asked, setting plates of food down on the table. They were having omelets for breakfast today. Maruo looked up from his work, hiding a small smile behind the top of the screen of the laptop.
"I will try." He said, short and succinct. "However, I will probably have to leave partway through the day." The silence that followed the statement lasted for a long time, even as Miku and Yotsuba joined them at the table. The tense atmosphere only dispersed once Mutsumi came down the stairs.
"So dad, there's something that I want to ask you." Mutsumi sat down, sitting directly across from the doctor. "What was in that folder? We're almost all here."
"It's..." Maruo hesitated, pressing his lips together tightly as he thought. "It's confidential. I'm sure you understand that I can't divulge any information regarding my patients." He said, keeping his cool.
The sixth sister raised an eyebrow, sighing before she hurriedly finished her food and went to the bathroom to freshen up. The others quickly followed, leaving to go to the school festival to help around the place.
"When should I tell them." Maruo sighed, left alone in the apartment. "Rena..." He walked over, picking up the folder in question and opening it up on a picture of an old man; their grandfather. He closed it again, setting it on the table as the light from the sun outside illuminated the title of the folder. "Family relations." A single sheet of paper flew out as he let it go, this one had a picture of a bald man.
"How are you feeling?" Mutsumi asked as they walked to school. Even from down the street, the sight of the school was already bright and colorful enough to be perceived. Balloons were flying out, their strings getting untied from whatever stall was decorated with them; unfortunate, but still eye-catching if only for a moment.
"What do you mean?" Nino asked, turning her head in surprise at the sixth sister's statement.
"I mean dad." Mutsumi's words brought all five of them to a stop right before they entered school. "I mean, he's been trying hard to be with us more. I just want to know what everyone thinks." She said, curious about her sister's reactions since it was her that got Maruo back into the house. "I like it... though I will admit that it's weird to have a father figure like that after going so long without one." Continuing her walk, leaving her sisters behind her, Mutsumi opened up the door that let them enter the building.
"I will agree that I find it strange," Itsuki said, coughing to pull herself together. "But all he's done is stay around the house and greet us. It is an improvement, but not by much."
"I..." Nino walked forward. "It's nice." She whispered though it sounded like she was grumbling it out reluctantly. Miku and Yotsuba shared Itsuki's and Mutsumi's perspectives respectively. They entered their classroom, Yotsuba going though one last check before they would split off for their own agendas. Fuutarou sent them a text at that moment, telling them to meet up with him later in the afternoon. Miku was to start running the pancake stall along with the other girls in the class, Itsuki would be finding a quiet place to study, Yotsuba would help her with that then go around to check on the stalls, Mutsumi was already walking toward the broadcasting club's room, and Nino...
"Nino-san, we're about to go on."
"Alright! I'm ready!" Nino said, slapping her cheeks together to get her adrenaline pumping. She pulled her gloves down to tighten them around her fingers, picking up the microphone before she got to her position on stage. The curtains slowly rose in front of her, revealing the large crowd that gathered to watch her perform. She looked out, finding Miku and Itsuki in the crowd since this was the first event of the day. Mutsumi and Tsubaki were near the front, her sister holding a camera over her shoulder as the music started to play.
"Nino looks so cool," Yotsuba exclaimed as she and the other class representatives from the other classes watched from backstage. Nino continued to scan the room, finding the doctor standing near the door with his full attention devoted to the performance. He was there! Nino couldn't contain her smile. He really did care about them. She gripped her mic tighter, pulling it close to her mouth as she took a deep breath.
"Everyone! Are you ready!? Alright! Let's go!" She belted out the lyrics to their song, the lights shining down on the group of students as they danced around the stage. Confetti and small scale pyrotechnics accented every verse as the lights flashed with every chorus. Truth be told, the second sister was apprehensive about being the one on stage; those worries were blown away the moment she started singing.
"That was amazing!" Mutsumi mouthed, the crowd still rowdy as the stage curtains slowly descended and the idol group walked backstage. She then turned to Tsubaki and the two of them started to make their rounds around the festival. Their first stops were the stalls of their year, starting off with their class' stalls.
"Oh, hi," Miku said, in the middle of ladling a large scoop of pancake batter onto the griddle. Accompanied by Matsui and another girl from their class, the three of them were the first shift of the day. "What are you two doing here?"
"Broadcasting club has to keep everyone informed. Mind if we advertise your stall?" Tsubaki asked as Mutsumi started to get the camera ready. After they got the clearance, Tsubaki cleared her throat. "Were here at class 3-1's pancake stall. It already looks like it's going to be one of the more popular ones, so be sure to come here if you want some fluffy pancakes. I mean, just look at that!" She said, getting Mutsumi to point the camera at the pancake that Miku just flipped over, the color was perfect and it towered over the spatula she held in her hand. Plating it up and drizzling it with some syrup and whipped cream, the third sister handed it over to Tsubaki with a confident smile on her face. "It looks delicious! But there's something peculiar about this class. Where are all the boys? Let's find out the answer!" Tsubaki said, digging into the food before she let out a satisfied hum. They made their way to the takoyaki stall, finding that they weren't the only ones paying the boys a visit.
"Alright, just make sure you throw your trash away. It's a fire hazard." Yotsuba said, checking something off of her clipboard.
"Lookie here! One of the class representatives going around, keeping everything running smoothly! Class rep Nakano-chan! Do you have anything to say to the wonderful people in attendance?" Tsubaki ran up, forcing Mutsumi to pick up her own pace as they approached the fourth sister.
"Everyone! I hope you enjoy the festival! Let's go have fun!" Caught off-guard, Yotsuba blurted out the first thing that came to mind. She then went off to inspect the other stalls.
"She's very busy, making sure that everyone has fun. Let's see why she was here!"
"We're not going to lose to those girls!" One of the boys from their class exclaimed as Maeda kept churning out takoyaki at a breakneck pace. Even with that, the line continued to grow.
"And there you have it, class 3-1 is split in half! Which one will you support? Will it be the girls' pancakes or the boys' takoyaki? But remember, they aren't the only stalls here!" With that, Tsubaki and Mutsumi continued their tour of the festival, reporting on all the stalls until the very last one was covered.
"Man! My voice..." Tsubaki said, rubbing her neck as her words came out hoarse. "But at least we're done for the day." There was an audible sigh as Mutsumi rubbed her shoulder, sore from carrying a camera around for the first part of the festival. "Thanks, Sumi-chan..."
"Sumi-chan... I really need to get used to it." Mutsumi muttered, taking a seat beside Tsubaki to rest up. She pulled out her phone, noticing not only the text from Fuutarou but also a text from Takebayashi. "Takebayashi's coming tomorrow." She smiled but was too tired to put any enthusiasm into her words.
"By the way, you can go around however you want tomorrow. Thanks for today, Sumi-chan."
"Are you sure?" Mutsumi asked, watching Tsubaki stand up.
"Yeah, the other guys from the club are going to help me tomorrow, and we'll just be doing interviews with people. Go enjoy the festival." She smiled, walking away to get herself a drink.
"What time will you guys be done?" Mutsumi asked, standing up herself to trail behind. The two of them got some soda, Tsubaki and Mutsumi waving each other goodbye for now. Absentmindedly perusing the festival, the sixth sister sipped her soda as the noise around her brought a smile to her face. She got herself a corndog as she caught sight of something that brought a frown to her face. She pushed the negative thoughts away, chuckling to herself. "I guess he's really busy." She muttered to herself as she waved her arm over her head, sending a farewell to Maruo as the doctor left the campus; he gave a small wave before he walked out of sight.
"Hmm, where to go now?" Mutsumi asked herself as she noticed someone getting chased. Half out of curiosity and half out of worry, she briskly walked after them, following them and joining the crowd chasing the person as they bumped into Fuutarou.
"Where'd she go?" One of the people in the crowd asked as Fuutarou raised one of his arms. "Thank you!"
"Fuutarou-san?"
"Mutsumi-chan! What happened? Did Nino do anything!?" Ichika came out from behind Fuutarou, currently wearing a wig that made her look like Nino. The pieces fell into place, making out a funny scene in Mutsumi's mind.
"Yeah... I would take that off..." She said, removing her clips to hand them over to Ichika. "Look like me instead, it's safer." She added, watching Fuutarou lift up a gas canister. Her eyes looked over at his face as she moved beside him subconsciously. "Need my help?"
"N-No... I'm fine." He was not fine; visibly struggling to carry the tank. Mutsumi chuckled to herself, supporting some of the weight of the tank as the three of them made a delivery to one of the stalls. She waved goodbye to the two of them as her thoughts and feelings became more turbulent.
"What is going on..."
Mutsumi walked over to the inside of the campus, a much more quiet place, hoping to finally pin down where her feelings stand. "Mutsumi? Are you done with the broadcasting club?" Itsuki snapped her out of her funk, getting her attention from her seat in the silent cafeteria.
"Oh, yeah. You're studying?" Mutsumi walked over, still munching on her corndog. Taking a seat beside Itsuki, the sixth sister picked up one of her sister's pens and started reading down what she wrote. "I'll make you a few problem sets, do you have something I can write on?" She smiled, waiting as Itsuki handed her one of her notebooks, opening it on one of the blank pages.
The two of them would spend the next few minutes studying, though Mutsumi's mood still meant that she wasn't much help. "Have you made progress with your problem with Uesugi-kun?"
"I don't know. And honestly, I'm kind of scared. Maybe I..." Mutsumi paused, contemplating whether to say what was on her mind or not. "Maybe I fell out of love with him." Biting the proverbial bullet, she let Itsuki into her heart. "But I... I don't know. Things just don't feel the same when I talk to him, it's not like it's bad, but it just doesn't feel like it did before."
"Well, whatever the case, I will be here if you need someone to talk to." Itsuki placed her hand on Mutsumi's shoulder, patting her on the back.
"Maybe my feelings for him... maybe they weren't love in the first place..." The sixth sister added, muttering to herself before she looked at her phone. "I... I think I'll go to the room first. I'll see you later." She waved goodbye to Itsuki, walking to their designated meeting place ahead of everyone else. She looked out at the festival from the window, finding Yotsuba and Fuutarou buzzing about while trying to keep everything going well. For the rest of the time, until they were supposed to meet, Mutsumi sat in silence, nearly falling asleep as Nino, Yotsuba, and Fuutarou walked in.
"I love all of you." Fuutarou said after all six of the sisters gathered in the room. All eyes turned toward him, disbelief on all of their faces. "The relationship the seven of us share is something I treasure. But I know that I can't put this off forever, and I want to give you all an answer soon." He added before he started to backpedal. "But I'm not tactless enough to do it during the festival. And I still need to think this through, so please give me some more time."
The sisters groaned, berating him for flaking out when he made it seem like it was the end. "You're such a jerk! Making us all tense like that!" Mutsumi stomped up to him, punching him in the shoulder before she frowned. "It really is gone..." She muttered. Once they calmed down, they continued with their business. Eating snacks and sipping on juice for the rest of the hour, the seven of them finally had time to relax on the first day of the festival. Ichika had to leave early, so Fuutarou and Mutsumi accompanied her off of the school grounds.
"I might not be able to be back on the third day," Ichika said, standing right beside the door of the taxi. "So, if you don't mind, I'd like to hear your answer now." She asked, leaning forward as Mutsumi and Fuutarou stared at each other. The sixth sister agreed with Ichika, both of them pressuring him for an answer. Fuutarou sighed, shutting his eyes as he opened his mouth.
"I'm choosing no one."
Ichika's taxi drove off, leaving Mutsumi and Fuutarou alone together. "You deserved that." She said, crossing her arms as she jokingly puffed out her cheeks. "Don't you know how much everyone's worked for this. If you do that, I'll kill you if the others don't."
"But I honestly don't have an answer yet." Fuutarou rubbed his cheek as he started to walk back.
"Fuutarou-san. Even if you aren't sure about it, just take your shot. If you're worried about the others, I promise you that we'll be fine." Mutsumi said, looking him in the eye. "It will hurt for a while, but I'm sure that we'll be able to get through it. So just bring this to an end." She took a few steps closer, looking facing him head-on by forcibly spinning him around. "And, I'm sorry." She pulled his collar toward her body, her head closer to hers...
"Mutsumi?" Fuutarou asked as Mutsumi released her grip on his clothes. Her eyes looked away slightly disappointed, but she smiled. "Were you planning to kiss me?"
"Yeah... but..." Mutsumi chuckled, but there was a hint of sadness in her voice. "But I just don't feel like it anymore." She playfully jabbed him in the shoulder, walking back into the school to pick up her things. She and Itsuki would be leaving before the others; Nino and Miku had to help with their stalls while Fuutarou and Yotsuba still had their duties to attend to.
"Did you finally resolve it? You seem happier." Itsuki asked as they walked home. Her voice seemed gloomier compared to earlier in the day, which was something that Mutsumi noticed.
"Yeah. I did." Mutsumi looked up at the sky as the sunset dyed it orange. "I hope he doesn't pick me. That'd be a problem..." She joked, laughing at the possibility. The two of them arrived home, instantly getting some study materials out to continue where they left off. They had only been home for a few minutes when their phones rang with calls from Nino and Yotsuba; Mutsumi answered hers first. "What!? Miku collapsed!?"