"You think we should hang these up somewhere?" Miku asked as they entered their restaurant. Nino smiled, looking down at what was in their hands. They placed their degrees on one of the tables for the moment, walking around the counter to make herself a drink using some coffee they had prepared. Miku looked at the clock, it was late and it wasn't one of the days where they'd be normally open. But today was different.
"Maybe, but it wouldn't fit with the look of the room." The second sister commented, still the one with the keenest eyes for aesthetics. "Let's talk about it later, we have to get ready. They're going to be here in a few hours." She added, looking at her phone to check the time with the setting sun illuminating the room. The two of them hurried into the kitchen, firing up the burners and getting their pans ready.
"How much should we make?" Miku asked, smiling as she opened up a container full of spices.
"Itsuki's coming over." That was all Nino needed to say to get her to understand the scale of the situation. "We have three hours." She added, getting out some flour and sugar before stopping in her tracks. "Do you think that the managers would bring us a cake?" Miku shrugged, pulling out some fish and a sack of rice.
"Nino-san, Miku-san! Congratulations!" The first one to arrive, to nobody's surprise, was the Uesugi family that lived next door. Raiha ran up to them, embracing both of them around their waists and nearly spilling the food that they were holding onto the floor. "Here! It's not much, but dad and I think it would help bring more people in." She gestured toward her father, who came in carrying a small chalkboard easel.
"Oh, that's so nice of you; it's so cute," Nino said, hugging the child as Isanari set their gift in the corner of the room. "Nobody else is here yet, so feel free to get comfortable." She added as Miku went back into the kitchen to get the next few dishes out.
"Can I help in the kitchen? It's weird to have you guys cooking when it's your party." Raiha said, modestly walking toward the door.
"Sure. But it's not just our party." Opening the door, the third sister let the child into the back, handing her a few plates as she took some of her own. "We're not the only ones that went to the next year, after all." They set the plates down as the chime on the door got their attention. One by one, everyone started arriving. First was Itsuki, then Yotsuba; Mutsumi and Ichika arrived together though they did seem exhausted from their flight, their two former managers came after them; as Nino predicted, they brought cake. Maruo and Ebata arrived halfway through the celebration, finding a seat near Isanari as the two shared some alcohol amongst themselves.
"He's late..." Miku muttered, looking out at everyone as their food dwindled. The two fathers were having a not-so-friendly conversation as it appeared as if Isanari was getting on the doctor's nerves. Ebata was walking around, going over to Ichika and Mutsumi's table to cover the two sleeping sisters with a blanket as Raiha sat with them and joined them in dreamland. The managers left early, walking out of the restaurant together. Yotsuba and Itsuki walked up to Miku as the three of them walked out of the restaurant to wait for someone.
"He's coming, right?" Nino asked, looking over her shoulder as her sisters walked out the door. They stood in silence under the stars for a moment before Nino spoke up again. "So, this is where we start; huh, Miku?" She asked, looking up at the sign of their restaurant.
"You two have a head start." Yotsuba smiled. "We're finally becoming adults now, huh?" Laughing as they saw the moon peek out from behind a cloud, they all felt a chill run up their spine.
"Do you still wear those kiddie panties?" Nino jested, expecting the fourth sister to get flustered. Surprisingly, she stayed composed. "We really have grown up." They thought as a set of footsteps approached them.
"Woah."
Fuutarou stood on the street, slackjawed at the sight of his old home. His eyes were fixated on the restaurant and the sign that lit up the street. He seemed drawn to it, walking to it like a moth to a flame. "Fuutarou-kun?" Yotsuba asked, waving her hand in front of his face to get him back to his senses. He blinked, smiling and congratulating them before he stepped inside.
"Fuutarou! You're late!" Isanari bellowed out, jumping to his feet and wrapping his arm around his son. "It's your first time seeing it, right? What do you think?"
Fuutarou was speechless, still enraptured by the sight of the renovated restaurant to the point where tears started to form in his eyes. "Uesugi-kun. Congratulations on making it to your third year at Tokyo U. It truly is an amazing feat." Maruo said, getting his attention as the four sisters returned indoors. "Come now, it's a celebration. Why do you look so tense?"
"It's just a bit surreal. This place used to..." He started talking but stopped halfway through, not wanting to ruin the mood. "Sorry, I'm late. I was busy getting something for everyone."
"A gift, for us?" Miku asked as he pulled out an assortment of things from his bag. The girls woke up the two sisters as all six of them got ready for their present.
"What's this, Fuutarou-kun?" Ichika asked, holding up a voucher for a shopping mall. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Probably..." Mutsumi said, looking at a handwritten letter. "But what could it be..." Looking around at what the others got, she started thinking.
"Are you calling me fat?" Miku asked just as Mutsumi suddenly slammed her fist against the table.
"You dick! You're a genius, but a dick!" She exclaimed. "Remember the national mock exams?" Fuutarou started chuckling to himself, turning his head away to hide his grin as he played with his bangs. "Scented candles, paper cranes, the energy drink. Fuutarou-san, you cunning bastard." She cursed at him, playfully jabbing his shoulder as he pulled out something else from his bag, a photo album.
"The other one is getting full, right? I got another one." He said, opening it up to the first page. "And this time, we'll all be there." He said, pointing at his little section of the album. It was already filled with photos of Tokyo. He and Takeda seemed to have gotten close based on the pictures.
"How come there's an extra section? There's only seven of us." Itsuki asked, flipping over and finding their graduation photo on the first page of the extra section. "Oh..."
The festivities came to a close and the sisters once again bid farewell to Fuutarou as they did during their time in high school. Returning to their apartment, it was the first time in a long time that they slept under one roof. But they didn't go to sleep right away, they had a lot to catch up on. "Yo, hold up! You're already tutoring someone?" Mutsumi rubbed her eyes as she fell onto Nino's bed. The six of them packed themselves into the room, using pillows to make the floor comfortable.
"Yes. They're just children, and the lessons are quite basic, but it serves as a valuable experience for the future." Itsuki replied, putting her glasses away for the night as Ichika chucked a pillow at her face. "Honestly, act your age Ichika, aren't you going to be living on your own soon?" She asked, turning everyone's attention toward the eldest sister.
"Yeah, but..."
"Acting our age? Come on, we won't stay this young forever, we have to enjoy it." Mutsumi argued, picking up a pillow herself and barraging Yotsuba with light swings. Yotsuba glared back at her, grinning wide as she caught the pillow and started pelting Mutsumi until she burst out laughing.
"But still, you get to go to Hollywood! That's amazing." Miku muttered as their gossip continued until they all passed out due to exhaustion. Their time together wasn't long, Mutsumi and Ichika had a flight back to America only a few days after they arrived. Nino and Miku left the other two to their own devices, busy running the restaurant as they started opening up every day. It had only been a few weeks when the trouble started popping up.
"What? You can't make the delivery? How are we going to..." Nino paced around the place a few minutes before they were going to open.
"Nino, what's going on?" Miku walked out of the kitchen. "When are the potatoes coming?"
"They're not. The truck got a flat tire and they won't make it in time. We need to think of something or we'll run out of them before the weekend." The second sister looked around their storage, all of their supplies were dwindling.
"We could close sooner. Or maybe we could look for another supplier." The two of them worried as a chime signaled that someone paid them a visit. "We still didn't open, right?" Miku asked as the two of them peeked out into the dining area. "Hello?"
"Ah, so they were right." A familiar, light-haired woman stood inside, looking at the two of them with a smile on her face.
"Ah, sorry. We're still closed." Nino said, walking out. "Matsui-san, is there something we can do for you?"
"Actually, Maeda and I have been looking for someone to..." She blushed, muttering the rest as her face. She couldn't bear with it, unable to speak due to her embarrassment. Instead, all she did was extend her hand to show them a ring. The two sisters instantly realized what she wanted. "So can you?"
"When is it?" Nino asked as Miku brought her attention toward the people outside. Their regulars were slowly drifting in. "Matsui-chan, if you don't mind, we can discuss this later. You see, we're about to open up." She said as Matsui took the menu and sat at one of the tables.
"I'll have a club sandwich." Matsui smiled as if the previous conversation never happened.
"This is bad." Miku muttered, standing alone in the kitchen as a stew started bubbling. She was handling fewer pans than usual, but that wasn't a good thing. Due to their meager stock, they had a much more restricted menu. "We're not going to last until Thursday." She sighed, plating up another order as Nino came to take them out. Things were worse than she thought since they wouldn't be able to open up shop tomorrow.
"The next shipment comes on Saturday, but we'll have to stay closed until then," Nino muttered as they closed up for the day and the, probably, rest of the week. "I guess I'll call Matsui-chan about her wedding." She suggested as Miku headed for the door. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to see if I can get something for us to use. I don't really want to shut down if I can do anything about it." The third sister answered, a determined look on her face. She walked off, going into the city to find a grocery store. She returned to the restaurant with as many bags as she could carry. "I think that this would last for a few customers, at least." She said, plopping down the groceries on the table as Nino counted the ingredients.
"That... how are we going to manage our customers?" Nino asked as Miku pulled in the chalkboard, scribbling something down. "Reservations?" The two of them lit up. They solved their supply shortage, and this would keep them open for the rest of the week until their next delivery arrived; however, it came with its own problems.
"It's been weeks..." Miku walked around the restaurant, the silence was deafening. Since their conundrum with their supplier, and their solution of switching to reservations, their customers had thought that they had changed their rules regarding dining. Fewer people would show up, and their restaurant seemed barren.
"I wonder what we can do about this?" Nino grumbled, sipping a drink. She was about to put down her cup when the chime on the door rang out to get their attention. "Oh, a custo... it's just you." Nino's excitement quickly faded as they spotted a familiar cowlick walk into the place.
"Another slow day?" Itsuki asked, taking a seat at the counter. "How long has it been since you've filled this place up?" Looking around, ideas started to fly through the fifth sister's head.
"A couple of weeks. You having your usual?" Miku got behind the counter, resting her weight on it as she looked out of the windows.
"No, not today..." The fifth sister replied, pulling out her phone as Nino placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't..." She said, refusing to get assistance from the food critic that Itsuki played on the internet.
"Whatever do you mean?" Itsuki looked away as another idea came to mind. "Actually, I just came by for a quick visit. I still have some business to attend to. I'll see you at home." She gave her sisters a friendly wave as the chime on the door announced her exit.
"Miku, look. Customers!" Nino said, barging into the kitchen as Miku was stirring a sauce. The third sister took a peek at the dining area, smiling as she saw a kid with twin-tails looking at their menu with her mustachioed father. It had been a while since someone had sat down and had a meal inside. Nino went back out, returning to the kitchen with their orders as Miku took out the necessary ingredients. They served their food and wandered around the room, watering the plants to avoid staring at them. Minutes passed as the father and daughter ate silently.
"What do you think?"
"It's good. It's just like what my tutor said." The kid answered her father, smiling uncontrollably as she continued digging into her food. "Can we go here again next week?"
"If you get another perfect score. And I have to thank that tutor for that too..." The father answered as his phone vibrated with a text. He shot a quick glance at it, grumbling to himself. "Another shoot tomorrow..." He muttered under his breath as another pair of people walked through the doors.
"Otori, Yamada?" Nino walked up and hugged her old friends. "I haven't seen you two in ages." Miku watched from the counter, smiling as her sister led her friends to a table. That smile would only grow in the coming days as they got more and more customers. First, Yamada would bring Otori and Yamauchi there, along with one of his friends in an attempt to get Otori a boyfriend. Then the child would have a study session with her classmates while snacking on Nino's cookies. Soon, they would become regulars, and the people they brought with them would enjoy the food.
"Fuutarou... thank you for showing me what I could achieve." The third sister thought to herself as she stared out at the half-filled dining area as a mix of old and new customers found their places at the tables. "Is table three ready?" She yelled into the kitchen as Nino set out plates full of food onto a tray that Miku took out with a smile on her face.
Nakano's wouldn't be an overnight boom, but a steadily growing business, spreading through word of mouth. A place for people to relax with the quiet and calming atmosphere inside. The third sister smiled as she closed up shop one day after they'd been in business for a few years.
"I... I never would've imagined that I'd end up like this." She muttered to herself, remembering how she was when she first met her tutor. How far she'd come, that thought made her feel fuzzy inside. Nino tapped her shoulder with her finger and the two of them returned home.
"Miku. Look at this. It's finally here." The second sister got the third's attention, holding up a letter from Yotsuba.
"We don't have to make the cake, do we?" She joked, reading it together with Itsuki and Nino before the three of them went to bed.
A/N: Meant for this part to be more Miku focused, but her arcs have all wrapped up at this point and I couldn't think of anywhere I could take her character other than using the restaurant, hence why she and Nino shared their parts.