It was a quiet and windy summer spring day as the redhead brigade walked together toward their destination. "It's been a while since we've all been together like this, right?" Yotsuba smiled, jogging slightly ahead of the others and turning around to look at them. "Are we going to do this again?"
"I don't think we should," Ichika muttered, putting her hand on her cheek sighing with a smile on her face. "But this one really wanted to do it." She placed her hand on one of her sisters' heads, roughing up her hair as the sister in question looked back pouting.
"It's not fair if Yotsuba was the only one to have this moment. I want one too." Mutsumi huffed, crossing her arms as they arrived at their destination.
"Good afternoon, girls." An old man was sweeping the floor as they opened the door, greeting them with a smile.
"Gramps." They smiled, walking up to him and wrapping him in their arms as their companions caught up to them. Isanari was pestering Maruo, as usual, the doctor questioning his decision of bringing the Uesugi's along for this trip.
"Three rooms, I see." He said, going behind the desk to pull out three keys for the Uesugis, the sisters, and Maruo and Ebata. As he pulled out the first key, Mutsumi placed her hand on his.
"Actually, gramps... we'll need a fourth room." She said with her cheeks slightly red.
"Uesugi-kun, is this the place?"
"Yeah, they already got you a room. Mutsumi will be staying with the others for a while." Fuutarou said, walking with the old man while they both held fishing rods. "Good luck, Tsubaki-san." He grinned as he and the sextuplets' grandfather entered a van and drove off to the docks to fish.
"Good luck?" She found herself asking as she twirled her hair with her finger, stepping inside and finding Itsuki walking down the hall. "Itsuki-chan, wait up!" She called out as the redhead ascended a set of stairs and escaped her vision. Tsubaki followed, looking around the hallway and finding her in the courtyard. "How?" She asked, going down to the courtyard only to find her walking in the hallway a few floors above her and entering a room. She sighed, slowly trudging up to the room in question and opening the door. "Itsuki-chan, have you seen..."
"Ah, so you were already here," Itsuki said, turning to face her as she slid the door to the side.
"Have you been to your room yet? We can show you where it is." Another Itsuki added, smiling.
"I'm sure that Uesugi-kun warned you, did he not?" A third joined in as two more entered the room from behind Tsubaki.
"So, do you understand now?" As six of them stared at Tsubaki, she just started to laugh. "Eh?"
"So this is why you wanted to come here with your sisters instead of me." The girl with the side ponytail smiled, looking over everyone as she took a few steps into the room. "This is going to be fun! Oh, but first!" She pulled out her phone, taking a few photos of the six of them since it was rare to have the six of them together and dressing the same.
"Do you think that girl will be able to tell them apart?" The old man asked, casting his line out to sea. "What was her name? Tsubaki-chan?"
"I'm sure she'll figure it out eventually," Fuutarou answered calmly, putting some bait on his hook.
"Uesugi Fuutarou-kun, I have a question for you." Gramps turned his head as his line caught something, he tugged at it while still keeping his eyes glued to Fuutarou. "Are you able to tell them apart?"
"I am. Thanks again, master." He smiled, pausing as he contemplated the next subject of conversation. "Has Yotsuba told you?"
"She has. So, you two will be living together soon." He smiled, turning his gaze back to the sea. "I can't think of anyone that would be better for her than you, Uesugi Fuutarou-kun. Take care of her, I'm sure that's what Rena would tell you too; if she could."
"Rena, their mother. I still don't know a lot about her." Fuutarou said somberly as the old man reeled in his catch.
"My daughter. She was an ambitious person ever since she was a child. We supported her with everything we had until she had found a job in the city and left us to follow her dream of being a teacher." He sighed. "She was a kind and loving person through and through, but people misused that love." He looked at his line, seeing the fish circling around the hook. His words instantly brought a certain face to the forefront of Fuutarou's mind.
"I see." Was all he could say as they continued to fish in the serene silence until they had filled up their cooler.
"Nino-chan, can you pass me some rice?" Tsubaki asked, eating lunch at the same table as the sextuplets. She turned to face one as another held a bowl of rice and handed it to her. "Wrong again..." She sighed, her mood somewhat deflating as she ate.
"You'll get it right one day." One said, patting her on her shoulder as they divided up the fish amongst themselves.
"Thanks, Yotsuba-chan." She mumbled as one of the sisters pointed toward another one, presumably the real Yotsuba. "Damn it!" She started chuckling to herself as one of them handed her a glass of water. "Thanks, Sumi."
"Why can you get her right every time?" An Itsuki asked as another simply looked back at her proudly.
"Because she loves me." The Itsuki that passed the water said, placing her hand around Tsubaki's waist. Mutsumi was about to lean over to kiss her on the cheek when one of her sisters coughed to get their attention.
"Ah, sorry Ichika-chan."
"That was Itsuki."
"Fu-"
Later that day, one of the sisters found themselves alone in the bath. "Ahh, that hits the spot," Mutsumi said, sinking into the spring as she took some time to herself away from everyone. "Ooh yeah..." She felt her eyelids getting heavy as she leaned back against the rocks. She shut them for a while, allowing the heat to take her to a land of bliss and relaxation.
"Mutsumi? Hello?" A voice reached her ears, causing her to open her eyes.
"Yotsuba, come in. It's just me." Mutsumi turned her head, calling her sister over as the two of them shared the hot water. "So, how are things with Fuutarou-san?" She asked, after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.
"Well, the two of us have been trying to meet up more often for dates and stuff. And I do have a plan for the future since I'm done with university." Yotsuba smiled, moving closer to her sister. "What about you, how's America with Ichika?" She asked, looking at the sixth sister curiously.
"Lots of work. I'm thankful that dad is paying for the education, but Ichika is about to leave for Los Angeles so I'll be on my own again. And New York is kinda... expensive." Mutsumi ranted, sighing with a smile on her face. "But it'll all be worth it in the end, I know it." Unbeknownst to the two of them, someone was listening in on them.
"So that's what Takebayashi-chan meant... I'll see if I can do it." Tsubaki muttered to herself, tentatively walking into the woman's bath to join the two sisters. "Uhm, can I... join in?"
Meanwhile, the other guests of the inn spent their time exploring the island. "This bell..." Itsuki muttered, smiling to herself as Raiha looked up at her curiously.
"What do you mean, Itsuki-san?" The kid asked, both of them staring at the bell of vows.
"It's nothing." Itsuki shook her head, smiling as a fond memory came to mind. Nino and Miku called out to them, each carrying lunch boxes that they prepared. as they headed for the beach. They walked on the sand until they found a nice and quiet spot to set down a beach towel and parasol, the soothing waves making their food even sweeter.
"Maruo, have you seen this?" The fathers took their turn on the fishing rods, Isanari holding up his most recent catch, a rather large porgy. "It's the biggest one so far."
"Uesugi. Please be quiet." Maruo sighed, his attention focused on his line.
"You know, it's times like these that take me back to our school days, don't you think so?" Isanari, not caring, continued to pester the doctor. "Those were the days, eh? You were always such a teacher's pet."
"I don't know what you mean." The doctor sighed, pulling a greenling out of the ocean. "Though, I will agree with you that this reminds me of our days in school. I never would've thought that you'd be able to rival the amount of irritation you gave me at the time, but you proved me wrong." He joked, though his face was stoic.
"Tsundere." Isanari chuckled as the two of them tossed their lines back into the water as Ebata put their fish into the cooler.
"Tsubaki." Mutsumi said, opening the door to her room while waving at her. "Let's go for a stroll tonight." She offered, extending her hand as Tsubaki rubbed her eyes. She reluctantly stood up, taking Mutsumi's hand as they walked out of the in into the cold night air.
The stars twinkled in the sky as the moon looked down on them, the waves crashing with a soothing rhythm that accompanied the ambiance provided by the nocturnal life living in the trees nearby. "What's this bell? I passed it earlier, but I cou-" She turned in time for Mutsumi to press her lips against hers, pushing her against one of the support poles of the bell. The sixth sister took her hand, guiding it toward the rope on the bell; the two of them rang it that night, the sound reverberating through the night sky.
"It's the bell of vows. Legend has it that if a man and a woman ring it together, they'll be bound for eternity." Mutsumi said, looking up at the bell. "Though, I don't know if it'll work for us."
"It's worth a shot, maybe we should ring it more," Tsubaki suggested, gripping onto the rope again. Mutsumi put her hand over hers, both of them tugging at the bell for a second time. "Still, I can't believe that you believe in this stuff. It doesn't seem like you."
"It couldn't hurt, right. And, even if it's not true, it gives me a chance to do this." The sixth sister quickly pecked her on the cheek before she started to nonchalantly walk back to the inn.
"Why you..." Tsubaki chuckled catching up to her as they made their way back to their room for the night. The vacation came and went sooner than anyone could have expected; three days seemed so long last time.
"Grandpa, we'll come back again next year!" Yotsuba said, waving her hand in wide arcs over her head as they slowly walked away from the inn. Their grandfather waved back, a soft smile on his face as he saw them walk away. He started turning back, his smile fading as his face was out of sight. There was a set of footsteps walking slightly slower than the others on their way to the boats.
"Girls. Don't you want to take a photo with your grandfather?" The doctor asked his daughters before they got too far from the inn. "It's not every day that you get to see him, I would take one to capture the moment." He said, nudging Isanari slightly to let them borrow his camera. The elder Uesugi reluctantly handed his old camera over to Mutsumi as the six of them made their way back up the path. The doctor sighed.
"Is it really the last time?" Fuutarou asked, walking up to Maruo while choking down some air. The doctor silently nodded. "I see... so he really doesn't have that much longer..."
"Their grandpa..." Tsubaki muttered piecing everything together from the two's reactions. "I think I left something in my room, I'll go back and check." She said, telling the others to wait for her before departing. As she walked up, the sextuplets walked past her; she told them the same thing.
"Tsubaki-chan, right?"
"Thank you, grandpa." Tsubaki bowed. "It was nice getting to meet you."
"Take care of her."
"Eh?"
"Mutsumi's always been one that likes to get down to mischief. She's always pushing for what she wants, even if it means that she pushes some people away too. It caused her to get into trouble." He smiled as Tsubaki raised her head. "So take care of her. I leave her in your care."
"Grandpa..." Tsubaki muttered, slowly taking steps and warily stretching out her hands for an embrace that the old man took. "Please... I want you to see the two of us as a married couple. We'll come back one day."
"I'll be waiting."
