"Miku, can you pass the fish?" Nino asked, stirring a glaze made of soy sauce and honey in a saucepan. Her sister handed her a plate of fillets and the two of them brushed the glaze onto the fish before putting them in the oven to cook. "So, we're going to start class soon." She said, looking around the empty apartment save for herself and the third sister. "Ichika's always busy with work, Yotsuba is out for her morning jog, and Itsuki is talking to Shimoda-san. I guess it'll be just the two of us for a while."
"Yeah." Miku smiled, getting out the plates for later. "But I don't necessarily think that it's a bad thing." She said, giggling. With those words, Nino started down a train of thought, one that she'd been on a few times prior but this was when it was really pertinent.
"It's finally time, huh? Leaving the nest." She muttered to herself, walking out of the kitchen and into the living area of their apartment to get a glance at the second floor. "I guess it was inevitable."
"Are you worried that you'll be left behind?" Miku asked, opening up the fridge to get herself a can of soda. "Or is it that you want me to leave too?" She teased, the fizzle of the can accompanying her laughter as she popped back the opening tab.
"Maybe I do." Nino grinned back, starting another one of her friendly quarrels with the third sister. "You might ruin the food I make in school."
"Pssh... weren't you the one that messed up on your first day at work?" Miku fired back as the two of them continued to bicker for the rest of the day with smiles on their faces.
"What's this?" Their year didn't start off on the right foot. "It's overcooked! Try again." Nino watched as Miku quickly ran back to her station, picking up a bottle of oil and drizzling some into a pan as their first assessment continued on without giving the third sister any time to catch up. It was deathly quiet as the entire room's focus was directed at their individual dishes.
"That was a lot harder than I thought it'd be." Nino groaned as they were let out for their lunch break. "And we have to think of a new recipe on our own! This sucks!" She kicked her foot against the foot of an empty table's legs.
"I expected this." Miku smiled silently eating a riceball as she put down a notebook and pulled out a few cookbooks based on multiple countries' food.
"Eh? What about earlier? When the professor called you out in front of the..."
"Alright, what would happen if I cooked this French dish with Chinese flavors?" Miku pulled up her headphones, engrossed in her books as she started to list down the ingredients she'd need to look for in order to test her idea.
"Even here, I'm being left behind..." Nino thought, silently eating her lunch since she knew that her sister wasn't listening to her. She walked home ahead of Miku, standing alone in the empty apartment with only her thoughts to accompany her. "Everyone's gone..."
The days passed by, Ichika was spending less and less time at home, Itsuki had started to stay at the library and only came home late at night, Yotsuba often left to be with her university friends for practice, leaving only Miku; at least some things didn't change instantly... "No, it's too sweet." The third sister muttered to herself, putting a pan onto the burner as she reached for the salt and vinegar.
... but they were still changing. "Miku, what do you think you'll do after we finish culinary school? Are you going to start your own restaurant, or will you work for someone else first?" Nino asked, feeling a gap forming between herself and the third sister.
"I'd like to start my own, but working under someone will give me experience." She said confidently.
"So even you know what you want to do..." Nino grumbled to herself, walking into the kitchen to watch what her sister was doing. "It must be nice."
"What about you Nino? Didn't you say that you wanted to look for your goal while we went to school together?" Miku asked, leaving her pan to simmer as she lent her sister an ear.
"What of it? I can take as much time as I want!" The second sister huffed, looking at what her sister was cooking. It was like the glaze she made that one time, except it was filled with whole spices and shining with a luster that made it even more appetizing. Set to the side was a plate of prepared fish that was already proportioned and ready for the oven. She took it all in, taking a deep breath before she walked to the couch and flipped on the TV. The drama that starred Ichika was on, reminding Nino of how far her sister had gone.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't hold me back." Miku joked, expecting Nino to fire back with an equally playful taunt.
"I won't." The second said under her breath as she turned off the TV and walked to her room in frustration.
"Alright, today, you'll be cooking three dishes in pairs." Their professor said as he stood in front of a table filled with various ingredients. "You have until the next bell. Come here and get your ingredients. It is up to you to decide how you will use them. You may exclude any of the ingredients, but you will not be permitted to add any ingredients other than salt and pepper."
"Looks like we're working together," Miku said, putting on some rubber gloves since she saw that there were multiple cuts of meat. "Do you have a plan?"
"Not yet." Nino looked at the table. Aside from the meat, there were a lot of leafy greens and mushrooms but very few root crops like carrots and onions. "Looks like the lack of root vegetables is going to be the difficult part, and we have to make three?" She thought deeply as Miku went out and got some kombu, using it to make a basic stock while they thought of what to do for their other dishes.
"I have an idea." She said, getting a steamer basket that fit the pot she made stock in. "Come on, let's go." Miku took the lead, as the rest of their class took their own ingredients. "Nino, fine dice." She ordered, moving around their station while sliding Nino a bowl of washed mushrooms. All Nino did was follow Miku's lead, and they only barely managed to pass.
"'Why..." She thought to herself as she opened the door to their apartment. "Is this really the right choice to make?" She thought as she opened up her phone and started looking for other university courses that she might enjoy. Just as she found one, a text from an unexpected person arrived for her.
"Nino-chan, Miku-chan. Thanks for coming today." Isanari met the two of them as the sisters approached the Uesugi household.
"Hello there... Uesugi-san?" Miku said, her voice unsure of what to call Fuutarou's father. "Why did you call us here?"
"You two are about to finish your first year in culinary school, right? There's something I want to show you." He said, pulling out a key and bending down to unlock the metal shutter door that was next to the door to their house. "I haven't been inside this place in years..." He said somewhat melancholically, taking steps inside the dusty, empty room. It was decrepit, the paint was chipping away and there were webs in the corners. The photographer reached for the light switch, the bulbs flickering to life and bringing all of the insects to their attention.
"Is this what the sign outside was for?" Nino asked. "Uesugi's..."
"It was my wife." He said, putting his hands into his pockets. "She always wanted to have her own restaurant, and she did... for a time."
The three of them went back outside since it wasn't exactly a place to talk with all of the dust. "I want to ask you, do you already have a restaurant in mind?" Isanari turned on his heel. Gone was his usual jovial and carefree smile and all that was left was a somber seriousness. "You see, I want to entrust this place to you. She used to love cooking, and just seeing her customers leave with smiles would put a smile on her face."
"Are you sure..." Nino asked but she was ignored.
"I want to entrust her dream to you." He added, looking at the sisters. "So, what'll it be?"
"I'll do it," Miku said without hesitation. "What about you, Nino?"
"I... I'll think about it." The second sister replied, looking up at the rundown location with a strange and uncomfortable feeling in her chest.
"Thanks for the food." Itsuki said as she clapped her hands together, eyes glued on a plate of freshly baked cookies. Nino sat down at the table across from her, tapping her toe against the floor as she still thought about that feeling she got when looking at the old restaurant. "Is something the matter?"
"It's just. I don't know." Nino groaned, resting her upper body against the table. "I feel like everyone's leaving me behind; Mutsumi and Ichika are in America! Sure, I finished my first year in culinary school, but it might not be the right thing for me." She said, her arm reaching out to get some cookies. "Everyone else has their goals in mind, but I'm still thinking about it."
"You don't have to decide now. But you have to keep doing something." Itsuki's words got her to raise her head enough for her to look at the fifth sister's eyes. "Somebody told me that while I was with Shimoda-san. It's alright to not have all of your life planned out, but you must keep doing something with it. And who knows?" Itsuki smiled, putting one of the cookies into her mouth as she shrugged with her shoulders. "Maybe you'll find what you want to do while doing something, but you'll never know if you never do anything. Which is why I must commend you for staying in the culinary school even when you've been thinking about this."
"You're already starting to sound like a teacher." Nino teased. "If only you looked like one too." Grinning mischievously, the second sister got up and walked behind Itsuki, grabbing her stomach with her hands. Even though she was playing around with Itsuki, Nino took those words to heart as she thought of what she'd do for her second year.
"Still, to think that you'd be so close to Raiha-chan. I'm kind of jealous." Yotsuba laughed, carrying a heavy table into the old restaurant. "Excuse me!" She called out, unable to see anything as Ebata walked out of the way. "Where does this one go?" She asked as the sound of a vacuum cleaner stopped and left them with silence.
"Just put it down there for a while. We can move it later." Isanari smiled, holding a few chairs as he shuffled past everyone. "Do you think this is enough?" He asked, looking at his old classmate as he set down the fifteenth chair.
"Perhaps, but it wouldn't be used for a while," Maruo replied, calling Miku over as he dealt with the paperwork. "Which one of you will handle the sanitation?" He asked, his gaze passing over Nino and Miku before he put both of their names on the list. Just then, two people walked in and saw the hustle that everyone was pulling.
"I remember when I first started." Revival's manager commented, pulling one of the chairs over as Komigi-ya's manager waved over at Miku. "Is this why you called us over, Miku-chan? It looks like you have everything covered." He said, looking at the documents to doublecheck everything. "I guess we can help get the place ready." He offered as Yotsuba walked out and back in with another table. They would spend the rest of the day cleaning up and fixing what was broken until it looked presentable.
"I'm home!" Raiha said, coming back with eyes half-closed from fatigue after playing with her friends. "Itsuki-san is with... Woah!" She rubbed her eyes, nearly blinded at the sight of the restaurant. The walls had a new coat of paint, tables and chairs set up for customers, shelves and a counter; even though they were empty, it still looked better than it did before.
"Raiha-chan!" She didn't have long to admire the view since Yotsuba instantly swept her up into her arms. "Do you like what we did to the place?"
"It looks great... but..." Raiha looked down after her shock wore off. "It does look kind of empty."
"Ah, don't worry about that. I'll bring some of my babies over." Yotsuba said nonchalantly, getting everyone to turn their gaze toward her. It took a few seconds for her words to register in her mind, turning the fourth sister's face a shade of crimson that rivaled the color of their hair. "I meant my plants! My plants from home!" She felt the gaze of the doctor staring her down from behind as a bell got all of their attention.
"Thanks for your help everyone," Miku said, walking out with Nino as both of them carried trays full of food. "It isn't much, but take this as a token of our appreciation." She smiled looking at Nino as they watched everyone dig in. A small smile curled onto the second sister's face as she placed a hand on her chest right where her heart was.
"Did we forget to turn on the air conditioner, I feel warm." She joked, laughing to herself as she removed her ribbons from her hair. "You know, this isn't so bad. Maybe I'll stick around for a bit longer to help you out."
"Stay as long as you like. And here..." Miku smiled, brushing her hair away from her face as she handed Nino a pair of scrunchies. "That's one goal down. What do you want to do now?"
"I think I'm okay with this for now." The two of them joined the others for dinner as Nino found herself liking the dream that she found herself pursuing. The two would run the restaurant on their days off from school, their classmates slowly finding out about Nakano's through the gossip that ran abuzz through the campus. Even their professor would eat there. However, it wasn't always smooth sailing for Nino and Miku.