The last thing I remembered was reaching the living room sofa.

That was where my memory cut out.

"Ugh..."

A fever and a heavy, dragging exhaustion had taken over my whole body, leaving me half-conscious.

When I came to, I was lying in the bed in my own room.

"Ichika."

My vision was hazy and blurred.

Someone was holding my right hand.

The way Mom used to hold my hand whenever I came down with a cold as a kid.

So warm.

My hand had no strength in it, but I gripped back anyway, firmly.

And the other person squeezed back, like they were answering me.

Ehehe, thank you.

But... who was it?

Nino? Miku? Yotsuba? Itsuki-chan?

Or maybe... Mom?

Wow, it's been so long!

Right, just like she used to do for me before——.

"Everyone! Thank you all so much for gathering here!"

June 10th, eight in the evening.

In the living room, with dinner finished, I called out to my assembled sisters.

"Not really? It's not like we gathered because you called us, you know?"

"We were already planning to talk about June's 'Quintuplets' Day'¹anyway."

"I can't wait! Itsuki's college culture festival!"

"I will put together a list of recommended food stalls for you. There is even an outdoor live show by an idol!"

Still seated at the dining table, my sisters traded cheerful conversation in their loungewear.

The weather, though, was the color of tears.

Now and then, big drops of rain whipped up by a strong wind drummed against the windows.

It was the dead middle of the rainy season.

The sky had been overcast for five days straight now, and the sun had made itself scarce.

Made me grateful all over again for a washing machine with a dryer function. Back in the apartment we lived in when we were little, during the rainy season we'd string up a cord and hang the laundry inside. And with five of us, there was always a mountain of it, which made it a real chore... oops.

Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

"Are you sure you're over your cold now?"

"Thanks to all of you, I've made a full recovery!"

On June 5th, I'd come down with an awful cold.

I'd spent most of these past five days laid up in bed. I was glad I didn't pass it on to anyone.

Maybe it's a quintuplet thing, but whenever one of us catches a cold and ends up bedridden, it tends to spread down the line, and a full-blown Nakano household pandemic breaks out.

When that happens, it's usually Yotsuba—a monster of stamina—who recovers first and ends up nursing the rest of us.

"Is work going to be okay?"

"Thanks for worrying, Miku. My agency president worked hard to rearrange my schedule."

"Rotten luck, huh. Getting rained on mid-shoot and catching a cold like that."

"Just because you became a working adult a step ahead of us doesn't mean you should overwork yourself. Take care of your health, all right?"

"Nino is right. That movie of yours premieres in August, too."

"Nakano Ichika's very first starring movie! As your sister, I'm so proud~!"

After Yotsuba's praise, Miku spoke up.

"That's the one you shot while on leave from high school, right?"

"I heard it's quite the big production. And on top of that—you're singing the theme song, aren't you?"

"Heh heh heh. The chance for a nationwide breakout has finally come!"

The recording was already finished.

The song would go up for streaming to coincide with the movie's premiere.

As promotion for the film, I'd been booked for a live performance on a music program, too.

Live lessons leading up to it. Plus magazine interviews for publicity. Variety show appearances to promote the broadcast. Video shoots for online ads. And of course all my other work on top of that...

What with one thing and another, lately I'd been on the hardest schedule since I'd started life as an actress.

I think my exhaustion had peaked.

That was probably why I'd been weirdly high-strung last month and ended up proposing that birthday-gift exchange.

But the biggest reason I'd let my health slip was probably...

"By the way, did you have something you wanted to discuss with us?"

At Itsuki-chan's question, I switched gears and spoke.

"Yeah. ——The culprit is among us."

"Are you sure your cold isn't still going? Spouting a stale, cheesy line straight out of some detective drama."

"Aww, Nino, you're no fun."

I fiddled with my short hair, frizzier than usual from all the humidity, and went on.

"Let's lay out the situation. June 5th, a little past five in the evening. I came home from work, ran a high fever, and couldn't move from the living room sofa."

"And then someone carried you to bed, was it?"

"Exactly, Yotsuba. One of the quintuplets—someone other than me—nursed me back to health."

"Five o'clock? At that time, I was in my club room at the circle."

"I was at the movie theater with Rose."

"And I was having tea at a café with friends from school."

"I was at club at my college... huh? Wait? That means..."

"Every single one of you has an alibi."

So someone was lying.

Hiding the fact that they'd nursed me.

"Don't be shy, just tell me, okay? I want to thank whoever it was for looking after me."

I prompted them with a smile, but the answer was silence.

Hmm, just as I figured. I'd gotten the same result yesterday when I asked them one by one.

They were probably just embarrassed about having nursed me, right?

My fever had been over 38 degrees, so my mind had been hazy and my memory was pretty vague.

The only thing I dimly remembered was that this someone had taken devoted care of me.

"Couldn't you tell from their face?"

"My vision was blurry, probably from the fever."

"It was that bad?! You need to go to the hospital right away!"

"Sorry, Yotsuba. I just didn't want to make a big deal of it."

"That's so like you, Ichika—you were thinking that if you ended up hospitalized, you'd leave a hole in your work."

"You okay? Your media exposure's gone way up since you graduated, so you must be busy, right?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I've still got plenty of work left in me!"

I puffed out my chest dramatically in answer to Miku's question.

Thanks to all the exposure, my Instagram followers had broken 250,000.

For a young actress who hadn't yet made her move to Tokyo, that was a pretty good showing.

Except maybe I'd hit a wall, because around last month the numbers had started to plateau... oops.

"I got off track. Let's pin down the culprit."

I stood up and brought a cup of vanilla ice cream and a single spoon back from the kitchen.

"What's the ice cream for?"

To a puzzled Yotsuba, I handed the spoon, and with a bright smile said,

"Feed me?"

"Huh?"

"When they nursed me, they fed me rice porridge. If I recreate the situation, maybe I'll figure out who the culprit is!"

Even as I said it, I checked Yotsuba's expression.

She seemed surprised by the sudden request, but then gave an innocent smile.

"Well, if that's the case—here you go!"

Say ahh—and she lifted a scoop of ice cream on the silver spoon to my mouth.

"Tasty?"

"Mm! It's been muggy lately, so the cool of the ice cream is just irresistible."

"...You can figure out the culprit from this?"

"What a slapdash investigation method—so very Ichika..."

"Actually, if someone made you rice porridge, wouldn't that make Nino or Miku the culprit?"

"I've started cooking for myself, too. I can manage porridge if I look at a recipe."

"It could've been the instant kind. The quality these days is nothing to scoff at."

I observed my sisters' faces as they chatted... hmm, not bad. Not bad at all.

They were all completely natural. Even as an actress, I couldn't tell which one was the culprit.

"All right, let's move on to the next part of the investigation."

Cheek stuffed with ice cream from the spoon Yotsuba had handed back, I resumed my detective routine.

"Miku? Got a sec?"

I took hold of Miku's shoulders with both hands where she sat beside me.

And brought my own face close to her cute one.

"I-Ichika?"

Her bangs, treated with conditioner so they wouldn't frizz in the humidity.

I brushed them aside and gently, bonk, pressed my forehead to hers.

"Um... what is it?"

"Hehe. When they nursed me, I feel like this is how they took my temperature."

"You didn't have to actually do it. My heart skipped."

"Sorry."

"I thought you were going to recreate the mouth-to-mouth they gave me while I was out."

"If I'd been through that much, even I'd be too shocked—my heart would stop."

When I pulled my forehead away, a faint color rose to Miku's cheeks.

She'd taken my temperature like that back at the nature school camp, but maybe the surprise just embarrassed her?

"Okay, next is Nino."

"I'm not feeding you, and I'm not doing the forehead thing either. Doing stuff like that with you is way too gross."

"No need to worry. For Nino, I'll have you read this."

"...? That's a script, isn't it?"

"My memory's fuzzy, but I think when I asked them to read me a book because I couldn't fall asleep, they read me this, which was sitting on the desk."

I handed over the script.

Nino flipped through the pages, then read aloud,

"'You're a pervert with no right to exist on this planet. Honestly, unbelievable. Scum. Garbage of society. Why don't you redo your compulsory education from first grade, properly this time?'"

"Nice! That's our Nino."

"What exactly is this role...?"

"Could it be the rookie prosecutor? I saw on some news site that you're playing one in a drama soon."

"Bingo, Miku. That line is from an interrogation of an underwear thief."

"...Prosecutor, was it? Keep messing around and I'll steal something. Like your eyes, or your teeth, or your heart."

"Ahaha, sorry, sorry. I'll investigate properly."

That said, the truth was I'd also wanted to put on a bit of a show—to let them see me cheerful and full of energy.

Everyone had been so worried when I was laid up, after all.

I had to make a point of showing them I'd fully recovered, to put their minds at ease!

"We won't get anywhere leaving everything to Ichika. Let us think it through, too."

"Oh, I figured out the culprit! The culprit is everyone! We all took turns nursing you!"

"Could you not make such a novel confession? By that logic, you'd be a culprit too."

"Ichika, didn't you smell any perfume?"

"What do you mean?"

"If the culprit were Nino, you might have caught the scent of her perfume right after she got home."

"You're right! Come to think of it, I feel like there was a marine kind of scent."

"That's a lie."

After cutting it off flatly, Nino continued with her glossy lips.

"You were dripping snot right up until yesterday. With your nose all stuffed up, there's no way you could've smelled anything."

"Ugh, busted."

She's tough. Even a bluff won't get past her.

But it was strange...

"Doesn't this seem off, even so?"

Maybe out of quintuplet sympathy, Miku seemed to feel the same doubt.

"However embarrassed they are about having nursed you, hiding it this hard is weird."

"Onee-san thinks so, too. Maybe there's something they feel guilty about."

"Like taking your brand-name cosmetics from your room while you slept."

"Like trying to sell Ichika's clothes at a net auction while she slept."

"Like doodling on your face while you slept!"

"Like putting clothes back on Ichika after she got naked in her sleep?!"

"Hmm, I wonder about that."

None of them felt right. And as for Itsuki-chan's guess, that would actually be a good thing.

But their angle wasn't wrong.

Something had probably happened while I was being nursed.

"All right."

In that case——I'd act it out.

I'd become myself with a cold and trace my actions in my head.

My acting was the calculating type, working out every detail to arrive at the optimal answer.

The possession type—dropping the role onto yourself—wasn't my strong suit.

But I could analyze and recreate my own behavior. I'd been pretty weak back then, and as I said earlier, I'd surely let myself get spoiled a fair bit. Then, once the nursing was done, I'd fallen asleep in bed.

Calculate. Think it through.

The next thing weakened me would do in bed was——.

"I see."

The mystery was solved.

Far too easily.

"The culprit is Nino, isn't it."

While Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki-chan stared in surprise.

I posed the question to Nino, who was dressed in an off-the-shoulder one-piece.

"I remembered. After the culprit nursed me, I decided to go to sleep in bed. And right then, out of my usual habit, I took off my clothes."

"Ngh."

"The culprit tried to put my clothes back on me, saying my cold would get worse. And in that moment——I was hugging the culprit. Just pulled them into bed with me like a body pillow."

I'd taken off my clothes out of habit, sure, but the high fever had given me chills.

I'd tried to use the culprit's body as a substitute hot-water bottle.

"And because we were pressed together right then, even with my nose stuffed up I could feel it. Faintly, but there—the scent of a rose fragrance!"

Nailed it.

A perfect line delivery the director, the sponsors, and the viewers would all rave about!

As proof, Itsuki-chan, Yotsuba, and Miku covered their mouths with their hands and looked aghast.

"H-how awful... sisters or not, that is unforgivable..."

"Pulled into bed by force after she got naked... that must have been hard on you, Nino..."

"A popular actress, committing such savagery on the top floor of a tower condominium²..."

This was bad.

My stock as an older sister was crashing hard!

"R-right! I did a bad thing. I'm really sorry, Nino."

Nino had always idolized the idea of a prince on a white horse.

Even if it was her own sister, she surely hadn't wanted to be hauled into bed bandit-style.

"Huh?!"

But Nino's reaction was unexpected.

"Don't tell me—that's all you remember?"

"Huh...? Yeah."

"Unbelievable... pervert... just go redo your character education from preschool..."

"W-wait?! Isn't that a bit harsh, even so? I mean, did I do something else?"

"That's..."

Nino's eyes welled up faintly as she pressed her small, rose-tinted lips together.

And then, in a thin little voice unlike her usual self, she let it slip.

"...You told me you wanted a goodnight kiss."

"What?"

I just sat there, dumbfounded.

My sisters were speechless.

In the middle of it all, Nino dyed her face—nearly identical to mine—with shame and anger.

"That's right! After you got naked and pulled me into bed, you begged me to kiss you!"

"N-no way?!"

There was no way that—no, wait.

My consciousness had been so hazy back then that I think I'd mistaken Nino for Mom.

Come to think of it, long ago, on a night when I couldn't sleep and felt so anxious.

I'd begged Mom for a goodnight kiss, hadn't I——!

"Stripped, hauled into bed by force, and then a kiss..."

"That's the kind of thing the tabloids would catch on camera..."

"A pervert actress..."

Itsuki-chan, Yotsuba, and Miku turned chilly stares on me, now that another charge had been added.

"D-don't look at me like that?! It's all my fault, but the fever made me mistake Nino for Mom by accident, and a goodnight kiss——"

"We don't need your excuses!"

Itsuki-chan shouted.

The most serious of the quintuplets, the youngest, couldn't tolerate this family disgrace, it seemed.

"An accident would be one thing, but to force a kiss without even considering the other person's feelings! Despicable! Unbelievable! As your sister, I'm ashamed! Everyone feels the same way, don't they?!"

"R-right..."

Nino nodded, clearly flustered.

"F-forcing it isn't good..."

Miku looked away awkwardly.

"O-of course..."

Yotsuba gave a thoroughly half-hearted reply.

None of them had a fever, yet all three had faintly red cheeks.

Don't tell me—all three of them, just like me...

"...Why do you all look so awkward?"

"I-it's nothing."

"Could it be that all of you have forced a kiss on someone too?"

"C-cut it out, what are you talking about, Itsuki?"

"Could your partner perhaps have been Ue——"

"A-a-anyway!"

As if to forcibly change the subject, Yotsuba shouted.

"The fact that Nino hid being the culprit this much means..."

Everyone's eyes naturally gathered on Nino.

At that, Nino let out an "Ugh..." and her eyes grew even more watery.

Her usual composed face had gone as red as a ripe apple.

The only sound in the living room was the rain drumming against the windows.

As silence filled the Nakano household.

Unable to bear the strained air, I steeled myself against my own embarrassment and asked Nino,

"Um... did you do it?"

I'd stepped on it.

The landmine.

I knew it for certain, because Nino, her cheeks colored, sprang to her feet.

"I said I did, but only on the forehead, you idiot! Don't make me remember something so embarrassing?!"

Forget apologies—just let me deck you once! she meant.

Watching my sisters desperately pin down Nino as she raised her small fists, all I could do was apologize over and over...

• 9:03 a.m.

Under a gray sky. As I finished my scene in front of the camera, dressed in the school uniform they'd prepared for the shoot, the director's voice rang out from behind his sunglasses.

"Cut! That's an OK!"

"Nice work, Nakano-san! You really pull it together cleanly—big help. We've made it to Scene 20, so let's take a break."

"Thank you very much!"

I smiled, even though I personally felt the performance had been a little off.

It was a shoot for an online-streaming drama, being filmed at a park near the sea.

Staff with the cameras. The sound crew with their mics. Assistant directors rushing around with big reflector boards in hand—the set was lively.

The weather was the same rainy-season sky as ever, but at least it wasn't actually raining.

Lately it had been nothing but rain, which had pushed the shoot behind, and this location's schedule was tight.

"Good work, Ichika-chan."

When I sat down in the chair they'd set out, the president of Oda Productions, the agency I belonged to, held out a bottle of water with a straw in it.

"Thanks, president."

I took it and, in the muggy air, slipped off the blazer I'd been wearing.

This uniform was a favorite of mine—the tie was cute.

But since the scene was set in autumn, I had to keep the jacket on, which was the tough part.

The high today had climbed past 26 degrees, so it was a little muggy, too.

"President. How was that performance just now?"

"Hmm... might not be back to your best yet."

"I knew it."

"Probably the aftereffects of your cold, isn't it? You'll get better in no time."

I appreciated the president's encouragement, but I had a feeling the problem wasn't that simple.

Lately my acting just didn't have any sharpness to it.

To put it plainly, I was in a bit of a slump. I think catching that cold was caused by the fatigue from worrying over exactly this. When I'd shot the movie premiering this summer, I'd been able to do far better work.

Of course, I'd carried today's role through to the end.

I'd met the director's orders as the staging director, and as a professional, I figured I'd cleared a passing grade.

But something was missing...

【Today's the day you and Nino make up, right? We'll back you up, too!】

When I checked my phone while thinking it over, a message had come in from Yotsuba.

Today was June 16th, a Sunday.

Six days had passed since the Nakano Ichika Domestic Disaster Incident.

"I've made them all worry about me."

Ever since that day, things had been awkward with Nino. Even when we passed each other at home she'd look away, and she barely spoke to me.

This afternoon, we were all going to head to Itsuki-chan's college culture festival together.

I had to make up with her there, somehow!

"Um, Ichika-san."

Out of nowhere, a slightly tense soprano voice spoke to me.

"I was hoping you could give me some advice about acting."

The one who'd come over was Ayame-chan, a junior actress.

A newcomer who'd joined our agency back in April, she attended the same voice-training studio I did.

A second-year in middle school, with a chestnut-colored short cut that suited her.

She had a slender build, and she was just a touch taller than Raiha-chan.

"The next scene we're shooting—I couldn't act it well during the camera rehearsal."

"Ahh, this set doesn't do read-throughs."

"Even after hearing the director's notes, I couldn't fix it. I'm worried about whether I can pull it off for real..."

"Heh, you're so diligent. You're the type who reads the script over and over to build your character, aren't you, Ayame-chan?"

"I'm an actress, so of course I am!"

Ayame-chan answered like she was brimming with drive.

Even that one little gesture really made for a picture. No surprise there—this girl's mother was a veteran heavyweight actress who'd even appeared in a taiga drama.³I figured this girl was a raw lump of talent, too.

But she still lacked experience.

"There's nothing wrong with working hard, but there are times when locking your performance plan down too tightly isn't a good thing."

"Huh?! Why is that?"

"The top-tier stars who are in demand can be exceptions, but the one who decides whether a performance is OK is the director or the staging director... in other words, someone other than yourself, right?"

"That's... true."

"If you lock your performance plan down too tightly, then when that someone rejects your plan, you panic."

To Ayame-chan, who'd caught her breath like she'd realized something, I went on.

"This is just my personal opinion, but what matters for a young actor is the input ability to understand the script. The output ability to express what's written in it. And the correction ability to change your performance in line with the client's wishes."

"I see...! So I should perform flexibly, on the fly? Or maybe ask the director carefully about the staging intent before the clapperboard sounds?"

"So smart~! At this rate you'll be in demand in no time."

"N-no! I only got cast in this drama as a package deal with you, Ichika-san."

"That's not true. Have some confidence, okay? Your mom's a great actress too."

"Ichika-san is a hundred million times prettier than my mama! And than me, obviously!"

"Thank you. Hey, hey, president? Our agency really does educate its newcomers thoroughly, doesn't it?"

"Ayame-chan is just a big fan of yours, Ichika-chan."

The president smiled, stroking his neatly trimmed mustache.

"She joined Oda Productions because she admires you, Ichika-chan, and she cut her hair short because she wanted it to be like yours, didn't she?"

"President?! That was supposed to be a secret...!"

"Heh, sorry. Still, it's quite moving. To think that Ichika-chan, who debuted just a few years ago, is now teaching acting to a junior."

"I'm just putting all my many failures to good use."

I started to say that as for how I taught, I'd only been taking after an excellent tutor of mine, then stopped.

...Thinking about Fuutarou-kun does make me a little lonely, after all.

It had already been two months since Fuutarou-kun moved to Tokyo.

The other day I'd given him a call—advice, like, "You should follow up about Yotsuba's birthday present, okay?" But that alone wasn't enough to fill the hole in my chest.

I know.

We're connected.

Even so, not being able to see you is lonely...

"Ichika-san? Is something wrong?"

"Hahah. I was just thinking about something for a second."

While I played it off, I reminded myself I had no time to mope.

In August, my first starring movie would open in theaters.

The original was The Three Sisters of the Hoshii Household, a popular manga whose cumulative print run had topped ten million copies.

It was a work themed around family love, and I played a high-school girl who, as the eldest daughter, supported her poor household.

I had a real sense that I'd drawn out my own appeal to the fullest in it.

I had to give the promotion my all heading into the premiere, too!

This movie was a big production when you considered the average budget of a Japanese film, and a lot of adults and companies were involved.

It would be a lie to say I felt no pressure.

But even so, I'd carry out the work with a light expression, as if there were no pressure at all.

It's a cliché way to put it, but that's the way of life of an actor who gets called a "star."

I'd finally made it this far—after playing nothing but roles that died quickly, and ridiculous-looking characters in not-exactly-major horror movies.

Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki-chan, all cheering me on.

And I wanted to live up to Fuutarou-kun's expectations, too.

"Break's over!"

"Oh, I'm up. Let's give the rest our best, Ayame-chan."

"Yes!"

Listening to my junior's spirited reply, I thought to myself.

I wasn't a rookie actress like Ayame-chan anymore.

Thanks to Fuutarou-kun and everyone, I'd been able to graduate high school and become a working adult.

As an adult, I had to give it my all!

• 11:45 a.m.

After finishing the scenes I appeared in.

Leaving Ayame-chan behind, since she still had scenes left, I took a taxi alone to my next destination.

"So this is the place."

The sky had held out somehow, but at last it had broken down crying.

Under a clear umbrella, with disguise glasses on, I turned my eyes to a big, gaily decorated sign.

【The 52nd! Hosted by Chukyo University of Education—the Minazuki Festival!⁴】

That's right—this was the university Itsuki-chan attended.

The plan for June's "Quintuplets' Day" had been to have fun at this culture festival, but——

【Yotsuba and I are going to pretend something urgent came up and show up late.

Itsuki can't join us while she's working as a committee member, either.

Until the live show starts, it's your chance to be alone with Nino, just the two of you.】

"Thanks, Miku."

I murmured, looking at the message that had just arrived.

Grateful for my sisters' kindness, the moment I saw the words 【Live show held today!】 on the sign, tension ran down my spine.

That's right—today, I would sing here.

A so-called surprise free live. At first, a moderately popular idol group had been scheduled to sing, but five days ago, the center girl fell off the stage mid-performance and was hospitalized.

Fortunately it seemed she'd only broken her ankle, but as a result the whole group withdrew from the appearance.

The culture festival's main attraction was on the verge of cancellation.

Itsuki-chan, on the executive committee, had been holding her head in her hands in the living room over it.

So I'd ended up just blurting it out.

My schedule happened to be open—did they want me to sing?

"I really did the president dirty, though."

What I'd be performing was a song that played in the movie's PV and such, but hadn't been released yet.

In the end he'd nodded and said, "Got it! I'll get the movie's producer and the people involved to come around somehow! If we make it a surprise appearance, it might even go viral!"

It's a help that my boss is so good at his job.

【Sorry I can't be there with you because of another matter. A staff member will come by later with your live costume.

It's your first time singing in front of an audience, so you'll be nervous, but you can absolutely do it, Ichika-chan!

It's started raining, so be careful not to hurt yourself!】

As proof, a message came flying in from the president.

【Also, don't worry about what Takigawa-san said yesterday.

She's good at her job and basically a good person, but she can be a little pushy.】

"...Hahah."

I couldn't help a wry smile. Yesterday on set, someone from a local TV station had spoken to me.

Her name was Takigawa-san.

A woman producer of about forty, she had the look of a sharp, hard-charging career type.

A lot of TV-station producers dress casually, but Takigawa-san wore a crisp suit every time.

She was involved with my starring movie, too, and she'd said this:

"Did you give the matter from before any thought? I'd love to film a fly-on-the-wall documentary about you, Ichika-chan. You're a quintuplet, aren't you? How about revealing that to the whole country on TV? It's guaranteed to pull numbers!"

The broadcast would be national, in cooperation with a key station in Tokyo, apparently.

It was an incredibly generous offer, but the condition I'd been given was, "I want all five quintuplets to appear."

I understood the logic.

Revealing that we were quintuplets would have more impact, and it was a perfect fit for promoting a family-themed movie.

But media appearances aren't all good.

Everyone was busy with their new lives, and I didn't want to make them go on TV for my sake.

Her side probably meant well, but I also wanted to avoid my sisters—who weren't even celebrities—being used as material to win ratings. So even though she'd recruited me several times, I'd been gently turning her down.

I'd considered having the agency say something, but the other party was a fairly high-ranking producer.

She was pushy, sure, but good at her job and a good person, so as an adult I figured all I could do was deflect her with a smile.

"Well, I get where she's coming from, too."

A producer's job is to make the projects they're involved in succeed.

She'd said she was coming to watch today's live show, too. If she came to greet me in the dressing room, I'd have to handle it well.

"No—that's important too, but."

I had to get Nino in a good mood somehow!

Compliment her nails or her hairstyle? Or maybe casually bring up her outfit...

"...I kind of sound like a middle-school boy before his first date."

Hmm. Maybe it was because I was tired from work, but my thinking felt off.

But it's fine.

No matter how grumpy Nino is, I've been battle-hardened among working adults—I can maneuver this just fine!

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

But my prediction was off, in a good way.

While I was sheltering from the rain at the entrance of a building called Building No. 1 on campus, Nino came along.

Her short black flared skirt swaying, a beaming smile shining on her face.

"Sorry to keep you. I got here way too early, so I was looking around the campus."

"O-oh, I see."

"Did you hear? Miku and Yotsuba are going to be late. Can't be helped, so let's go around just the two of us!"

"Y-yeah."

What do I do? This is way too unexpected.

I'd stayed at a hotel near the set yesterday and the day before, so the last time I'd seen Nino was three days ago.

When we'd met in the living room she'd still been in a bad mood.

"Ichika, you haven't had lunch yet, right? According to the pamphlet, the food stuff is at the stalls outside."

Smiling and pulling me by the hand, umbrella in her other hand, Nino started walking through the campus.

Well, whatever.

Maybe Nino didn't want things to stay awkward forever either, so she'd forgiven me.

How mature. She used to act on her feelings so much in the old days.

Like when she realized she had feelings for Fuutarou-kun and turned into a runaway love-train with broken brakes.

"Thank you."

"...? Did you say something?"

"Yeah. That today's Nino is even cuter than usual. You've got your nails done, too."

"Heh. It's a precious day off, after all. I have to make the most of it to make up for what I can't do at school."

Trading smiles and conversation, not caring that my short boots and the hems of my denim were getting wet in the puddles, I decided to go around the festival with Nino, our hands still joined.

• 12:08 p.m.

"This waffle's not great."

"Really?"

"It's underbaked. It'd taste better if they grilled it until the edges got crispier. The jam topping is cheap stuff from a supermarket, too. Five hundred yen for this is a rip-off."

"Nitpicking the price at a school festival is kind of..."

"That takoyaki of yours is about the same."

"True. The price is pretty steep, and..."

"Give me another one."

"You're into it, aren't you?! So stubborn about admitting it."

"Are you into it?"

"Yeah. Maybe because I'm with you, Nino? Everything tastes good."

"Bleh. What's with that cheesy line, like it's out of some bargain-bin romance movie?"

"Aww, sharp-tongued as ever. I was only teasing you a little. At a moment like this it's cuter to say, 'Actually, I was thinking the same thing,' you know?"

"Sure. Then I'll say it."

"Huh."

"When I'm with you too, Ichika, everything tastes good."

"Nino..."

"And so. I'll be taking this."

"H-hey, that's cheating! That's the biggest one!"

"Heh. Eat one of the others. Everything tastes good when you're with me, doesn't it?"

• 12:33 p.m.

"Look, look! This poster—it's Ichika-chan! So cute~!"

"She's been getting popular lately, huh! I follow her on Insta too."

"...Did you hear that just now? Not bad, Ichika-chan."

"Ahaha, good thing I'm wearing the disguise glasses... I brought my other disguise gear too, just in case, but it looks like I won't need it for now."

"More importantly, what's with that poster? Why are you dressed as a police officer?"

"That's the kind of job that came my way, so it can't be helped. It's fine, right? An anti-fraud poster."

"Your whole existence is fraud."

"That's a slanderous remark I could win a lawsuit over!"

"At home you're a lazy slob, but in front of a camera you act all cool and deceive the public."

"Hahah, merciless as always. Nino, isn't 'queen' a better calling for you than 'cake-shop girl'?"

"Heh, actually I already changed careers. Come by the shop and I'll verbally abuse you at twenty percent off."

"Even your jokes are razor-sharp... Praise me a little more~. Do you know how brutal my schedule was when we shot that poster?"

"...I see. So you really are struggling with all kinds of things."

"Nino?"

"Ah, it's nothing! More importantly, let's go around and see the indoor exhibits too? This planetarium thing looks good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah! Let's keep going... ah."

"H-hey, Ichika."

"Sorry. Those girls from before came back."

"That doesn't mean you have to cling to me...!"

"If I do this against the wall, they can't see my face. And they'll think they're intruding and go somewhere else, right?"

"That's a strangely practiced explanation. Don't tell me this isn't your first time?"

"Uh, no, this was back in my second year of high school..."

"I knew it! Who was it with? Don't tell me—Fuu-kun?"

"Ahaha, I'll leave that to your imaginat——"

"Oh my. Going red, are we~? I'd love to hear the details, Ichika-chan?"

"Ngh... Nino, you meanie."

• 1:43 p.m.

"Think we've pretty much made the rounds of the interesting exhibits?"

"The light-music club's band was a pretty high level. We might want to hit the history research society's exhibit one more time once we meet up with Miku. And competitive karuta looks like something we could go invincible at if we go with Yotsuba. Even a beginner won't lose on pure reflexes at karuta."

"Right... ah, Nino. Look over there?"

"Date-san! Is it true we're running short on pamphlets?"

"Yeah! Seems like way more guests are coming than yesterday! I wonder what's causing it?"

"I'm not sure, but how about negotiating with the upperclassmen? We could make a simple monochrome pamphlet and hand it out."

"Nice idea, Nakano-san! Let's head back to the club room for now!"

"Yes!"

"Itsuki-chan didn't notice us over here, huh."

"I was surprised when I heard she was becoming a festival committee member, but she's working hard at it."

"The girl next to her, that's her friend from the circle, right? I think her name was Date..."

"Momo. She came over to our place last month, remember?"

"Right, right. I was relieved she seemed like a nice girl."

"If it'd been a guy friend acting like her boyfriend, I'd never have let him in the house."

"Hahah, you're like a stubborn old man from the Showa era. The whole 'I'd never hand my daughter over to the likes of you!' thing?"

"Not a daughter, a little sister, though... huh?!"

"What's wrong?"

"My umbrella's gone..."

"Uh-oh. Did someone take it by mistake, maybe? It's still raining outside."

"Unbelievable, I just bought that umbrella!"

"There, there. Mine's still here, so let's get fancy and share one umbrella?"

"Sharing with you, huh. Kind of humiliating."

"How rude. Come on in. Guess I'll let myself act like the boyfriend here!"

• 2:02 p.m.

"With it this muggy, it's a little late to say so, but I'm glad I cut my hair."

A little ways from the bustle of the festival, in an empty classroom in a building marked Building No. 6 at the edge of campus.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the festival, we'd decided to rest somewhere with no one around.

"Long hair is a pain to take care of."

"It's been a while since you cut your hair, huh, Nino. That surprised me at the time."

I reminisced as I took off my disguise glasses.

When I'd gone to the hotel Nino was staying at, there'd been Miku, standing stock-still with scissors in hand.

"By the way, what time's the live show?"

"Four. There's makeup and all kinds of prep, so I have to get to the dressing room in about thirty minutes."

"I see. Well, do your best, okay?"

"Of course! Though I got a message just now—the van the staff was using to bring my live costume got in an accident."

"Huh?!"

Nino's face clouded over with worry.

"Are they okay?"

"A light car that skidded in the rain rear-ended them, apparently. They got off with minor injuries, but they might not be able to bring the costume."

Hmm, this is a problem. I'd planned to sing in an idol-ish outfit.

My outfit today was a white lace blouse and loose, sky-blue denim.

Not bad as casual wear, but it wouldn't pop on stage...

"Heh. Be grateful, Ichika."

"...? What do you mean? Don't tell me you've got some kind of idea?"

"Of course! A real special one."

Sitting on a desk in the empty classroom, Nino smiled and patted the bag set on the desk, pat pat.

Come to think of it, that's not the tote bag she always carries.

It was pretty big—I wondered what was inside. Even as I thought it, I let out a relieved breath.

Looking at Nino's smile, I'd stopped caring about the costume at all.

I was glad we'd made up. She must have forgiven me. Since we'd gone to the trouble of coming to an empty classroom, I'd apologize properly again for the cold incident. That would solve the problem!

"On another note, Ichika."

But it seemed I wasn't the only one who'd wanted to talk somewhere with no one around.

The moment I heard Nino's words, I understood that.

"Is it true you've gotten an offer for a documentary program?"

"Huh...?"

A lie? Why does Nino know about that?

"Before I met up with you. Since I got here too early, I was walking around campus, and someone who said they were a TV-station producer spoke to me."

"Don't tell me—Takigawa-san? Why would Nino..."

"She probably mistook me for you, didn't she? We are quintuplets."

Come to think of it, Takigawa-san had come to watch my live show, too.

My hairstyle is different from Nino's, but since it was in public, maybe she assumed Nino was me in disguise.

"While she had me mistaken for you, she talked to me about the documentary program. That person doesn't just want you, she wants us to appear too, doesn't she? To promote the movie."

"...You heard all the way to that part, huh."

But I really did want to avoid Nino and the others appearing.

I'd realized it after becoming an actress—being in the media isn't all upside.

You get talked about all kinds of ways on social media, antis latch onto you... there are downsides too.

"I don't mind appearing in the documentary."

"Huh?!"

To my surprise, Nino went on, oddly high-strung.

"It sounds fun! I might get to meet my favorite actor at the TV station!"

"...Hahah. I don't think you'd get to meet them that easily?"

"And I can brag to Fuu-kun about it!"

"Think about it calmly. It's Fuutarou-kun, you know? Do you think he even owns a TV?"

"Ugh... true. He doesn't seem interested in TV programs either. But I am! I don't know if Miku and the others will agree, so if it comes to it, I'll appear by myself——"

"Wait."

I hadn't been the eldest daughter of the Nakano household for nineteen years for nothing.

Nino was lying.

She probably wasn't all that interested in being on media. The reason she was acting eager was...

"You're as stubborn as ever about being honest. If you want to support me, just say so honestly."

"Ugh..."

When I said it teasingly, Nino let out a breath like she'd given up.

"Busted, huh."

"Obviously. You can't fool your onee-san's eyes."

After I said it, I put on a strong, confident smile.

"Thanks for looking out for me! It's fine! I can promote the movie just fine without a program like that! I've been in top form lately, after all!"

"...Really?"

Nino furrowed her pretty brows, looking uneasy.

And then, somehow finding it hard to say, she told me.

"Ichika, aren't you worried about something?"

"Huh."

"Lately your acting just doesn't seem to have any sharpness to it."

...This is rough. She really has been my sister for nineteen years.

To think she'd even picked up on the slump.

But—maybe,

"This could be a chance!"

"Huh?"

"Please, Nino. Could you give me some advice about acting?"

"Why me?! Ask someone from the agency for that kind of thing."

"No good. Once you become a popular enough actress, the people around you tiptoe and won't give you honest opinions."

"What about your fellow actors?"

"Some of them are eccentric and out there, and if they give me unorthodox advice, my acting will fall apart instead."

"They're that eccentric?"

"My room's pretty out there too, isn't it?"

"If you're aware of it, then clean it..."

Nino let out a sigh through her lips, glossy with lip gloss, looking exasperated.

"Are you sure I'm the one to advise you?"

"You haven't watched that much of my work, right, Nino? But precisely because we're sisters, you'd give me a frank opinion."

"But whether I can give good advice is..."

"Right now I'll take any tiny little clue I can get! Okay?! Please~!"

I'll do something to thank you later! I said, pressing my hands together and bowing my head.

At that, Nino firmed up her expression, like she was switching gears.

"All right. You want a frank opinion, yes? I'll say it up front, but I won't hold back, you know?"

"Yeah. That helps more."

"Then I'll say it."

Phew.

Nino took one deep breath, and then,

"Your acting lately, Ichika, is no good at all."

"........"

"It's just neatly put together, that's all. I don't feel any standout appeal at all."

"Sorry. Actually, hold on? The way you phrase things really hits home, so I'm taking more damage than I expected..."

"The PV for that movie premiering this summer was pretty good. But lately, like when you're rehearsing in the living room with a script in hand, that wasn't like you."

"U-um, Nino?"

"If I had to give it a score, it's like you settled around 80 points. Not the perfect-100 Nakano Ichika of the old days. It feels like you're trying to dress yourself up oddly, and you're not performing as your true self."

"Are you listening to a word I'm saying?!"

This is bad! She was laying into me way, way beyond anything I'd imagined!

It was like how she treated Fuutarou-kun back when they first met. I was being slashed bloody by knives made of words. Maybe queen really is Nino's true calling?!

Or so I thought, but...

"...Hahah. I don't think your point is wrong, Nino."

I found myself agreeing despite it all.

"Nice work, Nakano-san! You really pull it together cleanly—big help."

The director had said that during today's shoot, too.

Pulled it together cleanly.

That isn't praise to me, not in the slightest.

I'd just been told, "You managed an average score."

"Hmm... might not be back to your best yet."

The president's face had been dark because he knew that. Right now, as an actor, I'd settled down in the bad sense of the word.

The fatigue and pressure of carrying myself as the lead of a big-budget film.

The request to put my sisters on a documentary program.

And the fact that Fuutarou-kun wasn't here.

Worries like those were dragging my mood down.

Even so, I had to work as a member of society, and trying somehow to do things as usual...

The result was that I'd been giving subdued performances that were merely put together.

"Thank you. For saying something hard to say."

"Hmph. I don't need thanks. More importantly... well? Think you can improve the acting?"

"Hmm, honestly, I don't know..."

It was precisely because it was Nino that an honest opinion slipped out.

I knew this wasn't like me, but I didn't know if I could get to where I performed well.

"Maybe this is my limit. Well, for me, I've done pretty well, haven't I."

I said it in a joking tone, wanting to brush off my heavy mood.

But even putting on a smile on the surface, the unease in my chest wouldn't go away.

If things stayed like this forever, then it wouldn't be a joke—this really would be my limit——.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

While I was lost in thought, Nino shouted at me like she was scolding me.

"Don't say irresponsible things so lightly! The Ichika of now is different from the old days—you've got tons of fans now!"

"Nino..."

"And isn't that because you worked for it? You chose it yourself, took leave from school, and walked this path knowing you couldn't spend high-school life with us or Fuu-kun, didn't you?!"

Even though she was yelling at me, strangely it didn't feel unpleasant.

"It's not just fans cheering you on! Miku, Yotsuba, Itsuki, and Fuu-kun—we're all cheering for you!"

Nino was saying this because she cared about me.

I could tell that clearly.

"And yet, 'this is my limit'? Quit fooling around already! Even if you meant it as a joke! Saying words that betray your past effort and everyone else—that's way too unlike you, Ichika!"

She was genuinely, purely angry, for my sake.

But... because of that, exactly.

I didn't want to make Nino worry any more than this——.

"Have more confidence and stand tall! You're not the same as when you played dumb little Tamako-chan in that B-grade horror movie anymore!"

...Wait?

Just now, what did this girl say?

"...Hey, Nino? Why do you know about Tamako-chan?"

Tamako-chan was my character's name from last year, when I appeared in a horror movie called Cursed Reply.

She was a ditzy character who talked like, "Tamako doesn't get it, it's too hard~." I really didn't want anyone to see that, so I'd kept it a secret from everyone except Fuutarou-kun...!

"Th-that's..."

At my question, Nino's cheeks flushed faintly and she looked down.

After a few seconds of silence.

She raised her face, like she'd made up her mind.

"Because I'm your fan, Ichika."

"Huh?"

A fan?

What's that?

What do you mean?

To me, baffled, Nino wove her words together with a serious expression.

"I've watched everything you've been in. The movies, the dramas, the commercials, the magazine interviews—all of it."

"E-everything...?!"

"My favorite is probably the movie you auditioned for in your second year of high school. The scene where you say 'I'm glad you were my teacher' especially stuck with me. Your acting in the zombie movie Itsuki and I went to see was good, too. You died right away, though. And even though you seemed to be hiding it, the Tamako-chan role had an unexpected side to it, and the ditziness was cute. You died right away, though. And let's not forget the soda commercial. I feel like that brought in quite a few new fans, and I like it too."

You've got to be kidding.

Nino's watched a ton of my work.

Nino's the most family-loving of all us sisters, so it wouldn't be strange for her to keep tabs on me, but...

"J-just between us... I follow Ichika's Insta, too!"

There, Nino said, cheeks faintly flushed as she showed me her phone screen.

It was probably a secret account.

And there in the following list of an Instagram page under a name different from her real one, was my name, sure enough...!

"I'm not an actress! And I'm not Ichika!"

Maybe admitting she was a fan had made her throw caution to the wind—Nino shouted forcefully, even as her face went red.

There was no stopping her momentum.

If anything, it accelerated, like she was venting everything she'd never been able to say.

"I don't understand everything you're carrying! Just because we're quintuplets doesn't mean we know everything about each other!"

"Um, Nino?"

"But there are things I can tell as a fan! The Ichika of right now—is definitely worried about something other than acting! Otherwise there's no way you'd say something that irresponsible, even as a joke!"

"H-hey, let's calm down?! Let's just be rational for a—"

"No! If there's something you want to talk to someone about, I'll listen! All of it!!"

"B-but, if I talk, I might be a burden on you, Nino..."

"Don't be an idiot?!"

After she shouted, Nino pointed her nail-painted index finger at me, and then,

"For a fan, anything their favorite says is a reward! And not just on Insta—in real life too, I'll give you a 'like'!"

What is this girl?!

What she's saying makes no sense! Her brakes are broken! She won't stop!

It's the runaway love-train, all over again!!

And I just remembered—Nino's secret account, that's the person who always gave my Insta a "like"!

I'd been so sure they were just an enthusiastic fan...

"...Wh-what? Got something you want to say?"

She must have been aware that she'd made an embarrassing confession in the heat of the moment.

Past merely flushing, her cheeks bright red, Nino glared at me.

"Just so you know, it's not like I treat you more special than the other sisters. Among actors, you're just... well, the one I push the most."

"——Yeah. Thank you."

Listening to those very Nino-like words, I thought to myself.

Ah, I see. Nino had been watching over me all along.

My career in show business.

And even now, she'd deliberately given me her honest feelings to help me.

She'd confided that she was a fan.

"Actually, you know."

Once I thought of it that way, staying silent felt unfair.

So I decided to talk.

About my starring movie. The documentary. And about Fuutarou-kun.

I hadn't wanted to talk to my sisters about my work troubles because it seemed like it would make them worry, but...

"All right. I get it."

When I'd told her most of the situation, Nino nodded with a smile.

"I can't think of a way to solve the pressure of the movie right now. I understand the lonely feeling of not getting to see Fuu-kun—I feel it too—but I don't think it can be solved immediately. So let's clear up the one that seems easiest, shall we?"

"The documentary thing?"

"I'll go settle it with that producer."

"Absolutely not."

"Why?! Ichika, she's been recruiting you over and over, hasn't she? The other side probably means well, but there's a limit even so! I'll turn her down flat, as your family!"

"It'd be fine if it ended at that, but."

"What is it?"

"Um, don't get mad when you hear this, okay? The Nino right now seems like she'd haul off and slap her."

"Ahaha. As if."

"Right? Surely not that far."

"There's no way it'd end with one slap, is there?"

"Don't say stuff like that even as a joke?!"

Yeah, runaway-train mode really does have its brakes broken...

It was a very family-loving thing for Nino to say, but I really wanted to avoid producing a caught-in-the-act assault case from within my own family.

"Sorry? For causing trouble because of me."

"You don't have to apologize. Honestly, Ichika, you're all confidence normally, but the second you lose your composure you turn into a damp little mess."

"...Hahah, no excuse."

"Why not just hit the producer with your honest feelings?"

"...? You mean..."

"You just say, 'I'm a future star! For a documentary, me appearing alone is plenty!'"

"...I can't. I'm an adult now."

For a young actress to talk that big to an important client would be a violation of industry rules.

But just like Nino said, the me of right now was a damp mess.

My usual confidence was gone. Could I really do the live show feeling like this?

And on top of that, I didn't even have a costume to dress up in...

"Snap out of it. The old you was a thick-skinned little ringleader, wasn't she?"

As if she'd read my feelings, Nino gave my shoulder a pat.

"How about being selfish once in a while, like when you were a kid?"

"Selfish?"

"Like that time you begged Mom for a kiss."

Huh? When I asked back with my eyes,

Nino smiled faintly, bashful, and hummed, "You don't remember?"

"It's from back in elementary school. On a night when I couldn't fall asleep well, I secretly... begged Mom for a goodnight kiss."

"You did, Nino?"

"Yeah. And then you, who were awake next to me, shouted, 'No fair! Me too~!'"

"D-did that really happen?"

When I asked, wanting to cover up my embarrassment, Nino's lips loosened. "It did, it did."

"Everyone woke up because of your voice, Ichika, and Mom ended up kissing all of our foreheads."

"...Hahah, so the kisses were divided into five too, huh."

"Nope. You went, 'I'm Mutsumi! The sixth sister!'⁵and pretended to be someone else——"

"I remember now! I was trying to get a second kiss!"

Maybe because that had happened, I'd ended up begging Nino for a kiss the other day.

"The old me was way too selfish. I could never do something like that now."

"Heh, listen to you. Back when we were all fighting over Fuu-kun, you did whatever you pleased. You just can't be selfish because you carry yourself as an actress—deep down, I bet you haven't changed at all——"

She got that far, and then.

Nino thought it over a little, and opened her mouth. "Hey, Ichika."

"Talking with you, I came up with just one plan."

And she smiled boldly.

Exactly like a kid who'd thought up a real special prank.

"A way for you to be selfish."

• 3:33 p.m.

"Excuse me a moment?"

An empty classroom inside the university.

In that room, provided as a dressing room, I called out to Takigawa-san, who'd come to greet Ichika.

It wasn't just Ichika in the dressing room—Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki were there too, but no other staff.

Miku and the others had come to cheer Ichika on before the live show, but their expressions seemed somehow tense.

Understandable.

After all, they all knew what I was about to do.

"Oh, the little sister? Could it be you heard about the documentary from Ichika-chan?"

In her suit, Takigawa-san went on with a genial smile.

"If you all appear, Ichika-chan's popularity will rise even further. It's guaranteed to make numbers, and it'd promote the movie too——"

"I'm sorry. We're nothing more than ordinary people. We aren't celebrities."

I refused flatly. At that, Takigawa-san furrowed her brows, looking disappointed.

"You're right. I may have been a bit pushy. Well then, let's call off the documentary——"

"Please wait. Would Ichika appearing alone be unacceptable?"

"Huh...?"

Takigawa-san stared at me, looking puzzled.

Suppressing my nerves, I told her,

"Ichika can carry a documentary through on her own! Even without using her family as material to win numbers, she should be able to deliver results!"

"But..."

"I understand what you want to say. Ichika has been in a bit of a slump lately. Actually, isn't it because you understood that, Takigawa-san, that you tried to get us to appear?"

"........ That's..."

"It's fine! Ichika can get good footage without any unnecessary tricks! Because..."

"...Because?"

Asked back, my words came to a halt despite myself.

The person in front of me was a TV-station bigwig.

A little late to wonder it now, but—was it really okay to say something like this? When I unconsciously looked away,

——It's fine.

My eyes met Ichika's.

——Be honest about your own feelings!

Eye contact that gets through precisely because we're quintuplets.

With a gentle gaze, it felt like she was sending me her cheer.

——Thank you, Ichika.

Returning my thanks with my eyes, I clenched my fist down by my thigh and steeled myself.

And then, with all my might, I shouted.

"Ichika is definitely going to become a star actress someday!"

"Nino!"

Right after I shouted, Ichika raised her voice.

And stepping between me and Takigawa-san, she bowed deeply to her. Just as planned.

"...I'm so sorry. My sister said something rude."

"Don't worry about it? If anything, she's a good sister. To have this much faith in you, Ichika-chan, and cheer you on."

Takigawa-san smiled with an adult's composure.

As if she'd been waiting for that moment, Ichika spoke up in a crisp, clear tone.

"My sister just said something about 'not using family as material to win numbers,' but I understand your feelings, Takigawa-san. You were only trying to do your job as a producer. For the sake of all the many people involved in the movie."

"Ichika-chan..."

"But Nino is my precious family. And I want to live up to my family's expectations."

"Huh?"

"It's difficult for my sisters to appear, and I think revealing we're quintuplets would be a hard sell. Even so, could you let me take on the documentary by myself?"

"........ I'll grant you the drive, but..."

"Family appearances are off the table, but I don't mind showing my room, at least. I'll clean it up, too."

"Ahaha, TV-wise it'd be tastier a little messy, you know."

You're underestimating it way too much?!

If that room got broadcast on terrestrial TV, Nakano Ichika's acting career would be over... or so I thought, while

Ichika wove her words together.

"Please! It's true that I've been in a bit of a slump lately. It's only natural that you'd be reluctant, Takigawa-san. But even so——!"

After taking a big, deep breath.

Ichika shouted, like she was hurling out the honest feelings deep in her heart.

"Now that my family has cheered me on, I think I can give my best performance!"

Silence.

After a stillness like water poured over the dressing room.

"——All right."

Takigawa-san smiled quietly.

"I'll consider it with just Ichika-chan appearing. I'll keep the quintuplet thing a secret, too."

"Really?!"

"Hearing your sister's words and yours, Ichika-chan, reminded me. You've been in a bit of a slump lately, but you originally had a strong character that could pull numbers! My eye doesn't miss! Just like your sister said, you'll overcome the slump and definitely become a star someday, Ichika-chan!"

"Thank you so much!"

"Still, it really is a shame your sister can't appear... I think she has a character every bit as strong as yours, Ichika-chan."

"No need to worry. Ichika will work hard enough for my share, too!"

When I answered, Takigawa-san said, "Right. Well then, I'm looking forward to the live show," and left the dressing room with a smile.

And then.

Ichika smiled at me, and then——she said,

"That was pretty good acting, Ichika."

——Ah, I see.

The act is over.

I'm not Nino, after all.

"You were the one giving a star performance, Nino."

After lightly returning a smile, I took off the medium-bob wig.

I went back to being Nakano Ichika.

And facing Nino, who'd likewise taken off her short-hair wig,

"It worked!"

"Obviously! We're quintuplets!"

We struck our right hands together high in the air—a high five.

That's right—me disguising myself as Nino, that is, as someone else.

That was the plan Nino had thought up, the way for me to be selfish.

For a young actress to talk that big to a bigwig—"I'm going to be a star someday, so just me appearing!"—would be a violation of industry rules.

But if it wasn't the person herself, just a relative, then with good follow-up it might be barely safe.

Takigawa-san was pretty pushy, but she was good at her job, and there was a high chance she'd respond like an adult.

Still, shouting something like that at a producer was something the confidence-drained me could never have done...

"Thank you! Thanks to becoming Nino, I got to say everything I'd been holding deep in my heart!"

"Heh. I feel refreshed too. I got to have you say what I wanted to say, as well. Thanks to that, I didn't have to slap her."

"My heart nearly stopped over here..."

Itsuki-chan let out a relieved breath, and Miku followed.

"It was a surprise when you explained the situation."

"It was amazing, Ichika's acting! I usually tell you apart right away, but for a second I couldn't... you were just like the real Nino!"

"Thanks, Yotsuba."

I had a sense of accomplishment unlike any before, even to me.

Maybe because the subject I was playing was Nino, strangely, I'd been able to act in a way unlike my usual reason-driven method.

I'd been able to play her more than perfectly.

Like the role had possessed me!

"Your acting was good too, Nino?"

"Hmph. Imitating you is a piece of cake."

"It really helped that you brought all kinds of things besides the glasses."

The sisters' disguise gear, for passing ourselves off as someone other than a celebrity.

I was glad I'd brought a few wigs along just in case. And we'd even gone to the trouble of swapping clothes, Nino and me.

"With this, the problem's solved!"

Not only that—I'd landed the documentary job too!

Riding out industry trouble with a smile is the adult way to handle things.

And maybe at times like this I should manage it with my own words instead of disguising myself, but...

"Sometimes, using lies skillfully to protect the people you care about and yourself might also be an adult's life skill."

"Heh. That's more like you. Though—'the people you care about,' huh."

"Hm? Is that the part that bothers you~? After you said all that to me in the classroom~."

"Th-that's..."

Maybe remembering that she'd confessed to being my fan, Nino pressed her rose-colored lips together, and then,

"Hmph. I'll bill you for the advice fee later."

As if to cover up her embarrassment, she let the corners of her mouth soften.

Caught by Nino's smile, I smiled too.

Thank goodness. For a while I'd wondered how things would turn out, but thanks to Nino I could feel a lot clearer.

At this rate, the live show would surely go well too!

"It's almost showtime. The costume didn't make it, but I'll sing my heart out in my street clothes."

"Ah, about that, I have an idea."

What Nino pulled from her big bag with a proud look was a bright-red costume.

This was... the idol costume Nino wore at last year's school festival?

"Nostalgic! It's Red!"

"Why do you have this?"

To Miku's question, Nino replied in a breezy tone.

"I'd taken this costume home as a keepsake. I thought maybe wearing it for sheer impact wasn't a bad idea. ——Not me, but Fuu-kun."

"Huh?!"

To me, who'd cried out despite myself, Nino went on.

"Ichika, you gave Fuu-kun advice over the phone about Yotsuba's birthday present, right? Apparently at that time Fuu-kun noticed something off about your voice, Ichika."

"Fuutarou-kun did...?"

"So he called me to talk it over. 'Ichika—doesn't she seem like she has something on her mind?'"

Nino told me about it.

When she'd told Fuutarou-kun about the surprise live, he'd said, "Maybe she's worried about whether she can really get the show going."

And he'd suggested wearing this costume.

It seemed talking with Nino on the phone had reminded him of it.

"The content of the worry was wrong, but it's a good thing I prepared according to Fuu-kun's plan."

"No way... Fuutarou-kun..."

To think he'd picked up on my slump from my voice alone.

Ah, Fuutarou-kun.

You really are...!

"He's perceptive in the weirdest places, so why can't he pay attention to Yotsuba's birthday present..."

"Well, thinking about it calmly, it's really just like Fuu-kun."

"A-anyway! With this, the costume problem is solved!"

"Ichika Red, explosive birth."

"It'll definitely suit you! ...Huh? Please wait."

Gazing at the costume, Itsuki-chan furrowed her slim brows.

"This costume—I'm fairly sure it was made based on an actual idol's costume, wasn't it? At the school festival I overheard someone telling such a story."

"...? That's true, but what about it?"

"Ah, sorry, Nino. In that case, wearing this costume is a bad idea."

"Huh?! W-why?"

"Copyright issues. For a high-schoolers' project like a school festival they'll let it slide, but I'm a professional actress. If I cosplay and sing without permission it'll become a problem, and worst case it could blow up online."

"No way...!"

After going to all the trouble of bringing it... Nino slumped.

But I was grateful to Nino and Fuutarou-kun.

I see——if there's no costume, then I just have to prepare a replacement!

"Itsuki-chan! That pair of scissors we used earlier to remodel the wig into a short cut—do you still have them?!"

"The ones I brought from the club room. I haven't gone to return them yet, but are you going to use them?"

"Yeah! And there's something I want to borrow from Miku and Yotsuba, too!"

I remembered. Nino's words from earlier in the day, "Long hair is a pain to take care of."

And the memory of the day Nino cut her hair short.

When I'd gone to the hotel Nino was staying at that time, there'd been Miku, holding scissors.

"Thank you, Nino."

When I said it, Nino tilted her head, puzzled. "Huh?"

By the time I noticed, the rain outside the window had stopped.

In the classroom where sunlight leaking through gaps in the clouds streamed in, my expression lit up.

"Thanks to Nino, I can show everyone the perfect-100 Nakano Ichika!"

• 3:59 p.m.

A temporary stage built in the plaza on campus.

The live venue, where the rain had stopped and patches of clear sky had begun to show, was packed full with a huge crowd.

"Is it really true? That Ichika-chan's appearing?"

"There's no official announcement, but probably."

"Like she's going to sing the song from the movie's PV!"

The voices of the audience reached me where I waited in the wings.

Uh-oh, the info leaked from somewhere, huh.

Well, that's common in this industry.

You hear plenty of stories about someone planning a surprise reveal at a big venue, only for it to get leaked, written up on a news site, spread on social media, and end with the bigwigs furious.

But——thanks to that, the venue was packed!

I think there were fans of mine who came after hearing the rumor.

Counting the guests who'd already been at the festival, there had to be around a thousand people, right?

A first live show with this many people really is nerve-racking.

I'd put in live lessons to prepare for the music program, but when it came to singing, I was still an amateur.

But for now, let me enjoy this tension.

I put a hand to my chest, wanting to feel the loud, pounding beat.

I remembered Nino's words in the classroom.

The me of right now can't act the way I used to.

Because of various worries, my acting had unconsciously settled down.

At a time like this, in a movie or drama, the protagonist returns to their roots and awakens.

They'd go off and tear it up, but unfortunately reality isn't quite that easy.

But——acting like a protagonist, that I can do.

I'm an actor.

A professional actress.

"Remember."

What I was about to do was the Method acting technique from a book Fuutarou-kun gave me for my birthday.

By reliving my own past emotions, I'd raise the reality of my performance.

Back in my second year of high school. The audition I'd slipped away from the fireworks festival to attend.

The movie Nino said was her very favorite.

I'd acted feeling the tension of if I don't win this role, I can't move forward as an actress.

Remembering Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, Itsuki-chan... everyone's smiles.

Encouraged by the kind words Fuutarou-kun gave me...

"You sure it's okay to do that during such an important time for a student?"

"You always laugh at crucial moments and hide your true feelings. It pisses me off."

"Maybe you don't have any talent for acting."

Yep! Thinking back on it calmly, they weren't all kind words!

But that's kind of what makes them Fuutarou-kun.

Back then I also said stuff like, "Why are you being so meddlesome?" so maybe we're even.

And besides——

"I'll come with you when you go to apologize to them. We're partners, after all."

That you were by my side that night is a precious memory to me.

Even today, you moved to Tokyo and still cared about my live show!

"Heh."

Simple as ever, aren't I.

When I learned you'd been looking out for me, far from feeling lonely, it actually filled me with courage.

Now then, let me possess myself with the me of that day.

Play it through! The Nakano Ichika that Fuutarou-kun pushed forward on the night of the summer festival...! Wait? I'm thinking something gutsier than usual?

Maybe it's the aftereffect of playing Nino just now. Like I haven't fully shaken the role.

But——for now, this is fine.

Let's go with the broken-brakes feeling!

"Thank you for waiting! It's the start of a live stage by Nakano Ichika-san!"

With the announcement from Itsuki-chan's friend, the venue heated up all at once.

Amid cheers like a rumbling of the earth, the song began.

Riding the rhythm of the intro as it started to flow, I leaped out from the wings onto the stage.

"Awesome!"

"What's with that outfit?!"

"Ichika-chan's going way too bold!"

The cheers turned to astonishment.

Of course, what I was wearing wasn't an idol costume.

Just a plain T-shirt paired with short denim—a casual outfit!

"I want to borrow sneakers from Yotsuba."

It came back to me.

The dressing room just before the live. After Nino and I swapped clothes again, the conversation I'd had with everyone.

"With those shoes I can perform even on a stage after the rain, right?"

"Oh! Ichika, you're smart! And our sizes are the same!"

"Yeah. And from Miku, I want to borrow that shirt you're wearing under your jacket."

"Is the jacket okay? Just a T-shirt won't pop on stage, will it?"

"It's fine. Because I'll do this."

After swapping with my top.

When I tied the hem of the shirt up around under my chest and bared my waist completely, Miku looked surprised.

"Bold. Showing your belly button when it's not even a swimsuit—I could never."

"Heh heh heh, the time has come to show off the results of my daily jogging!"

"Ichika, what are the scissors for?"

"For the finishing touch, of course."

After saying that, I took off the sky-blue denim I'd been wearing.

I cut around the thighs with the scissors—remodeling them into short denim!

When I put on the finished outfit, Nino praised it, looking impressed.

"That's so like you. To stand on stage in an outfit like that—you'd have to have a lot of confidence in yourself to pull it off."

"It was thanks to you that I thought of it, Nino."

That's right—an outfit I came up with from Nino cutting her hair short two years ago.

On top of that, in a nod to my starring movie The Three Sisters of the Hoshii Household, I put a single star-shaped hairpin borrowed from Itsuki-chan in my hair.

No matter how many people were in the audience, I wouldn't dress myself up in a fluffy gown.

In this simple outfit, made of combined quintuplet power!

I'd play myself as I really am!

"———"

I sang.

On the stage, with a smile as full as I could make it, so as not to lose to the sun showing through the gaps in the clouds.

Carried on the bright, up-tempo melody, I could tell the venue's voltage was rising even higher.

Amazing. The air felt about to boil over.

But not yet. Nowhere near enough. Since it was a song they were hearing for the first time, some people couldn't ride it well.

I had to get them going more, much more.

That's right—if using lies skillfully is sometimes an adult's life skill, then.

June's damp, muggy air, the pressure of being a lead actress, the me who'd lost her edge to the slump—all of it, every last bit...

I'd blow it all away with my acting!

"———"

Being careful not to trip, I dashed to the edge of the stage.

I reached out from the stage toward a little girl who was off in a corner of the venue.

Ah, she made a surprised face. I get it. You couldn't quite match the mood around you and felt out of place, right? It's okay! You can let your voice out more freely! Let's have fun together!

When I sang with a smile, like I was calling out to her that way, she answered with a smile too, and threw her fist up.

Good, I'm doing this right.

Even in this broken-brakes exhilaration, I can grasp the situation.

I have been the eldest daughter of quintuplets for nineteen years, after all.

Paying attention to all kinds of things is my specialty!

As proof, when the interlude came, I spotted the president and Ayame-chan at the edge of the venue.

Had the two of them come once their shoot wrapped?

The president had a nervous look, like, "Just don't get hurt~?!"... oh, Takigawa-san's here too.

A more serious expression than I'd ever seen.

Maybe, as a producer, she was trying to confirm my ability as an actress all over again.

When I thought that, my once-light body suddenly felt heavy...

"Ngh."

I somehow held back my expression from freezing in surprise.

When I looked out over the venue, I spotted Nino and the others.

Maybe they'd prepared it as a surprise—everyone was holding up handmade-looking cheering fans.

Messages written in yellow letters on black fans.

Miku's read 【Give me a smile】.

So earnest and cute, I'll give you tons of smiles!

Yotsuba's read 【I LOVE YOU!】.

Thanks~. The straightforward cheer is so Yotsuba. And she didn't even misspell it. Good job.

Itsuki-chan's read 【Thank you always】.

Thanks for playing my stand-in, maybe? No, thank you—because of it I'm getting precious experience!

What's Nino's? Could it be a "like"?

Or maybe she'd written some sharp advice.

When I turned my eyes to Nino, wondering, what came into view was——

【Ichika is my #1 pick ♡】

"Ahaha!"

At a message that was far too straightforward, a smile spilled out despite myself.

That's our Nino!

She surely didn't aim for it, but she'd splendidly shattered my nerves!

——Still, isn't the heart going too far? Does she push her onee-san that much~?

As if to cover up my embarrassment, I teased her with eye contact from the stage.

At that, Nino glared back this way, looking embarrassed.

——Just so you know, the heart is something everyone else added on!

It felt like she was telling me that with her eyes.

Finding naive Nino's attitude cute, by the time I noticed, my body was moving lightly.

From up on the stage, I blew a kiss toward Nino in the audience.

In that instant—the biggest excitement of the day!

Maybe she felt the peak of the heat, because I saw Takigawa-san smile contentedly in the audience.

Yes! As I clenched my fist inwardly, a huge cheer enveloped me.

"A blown kiss?!"

"Who was that just now a reply to?!"

"Ichika-chan looks like she's having so much fun!"

Yeah, I'm having the best time.

Being an actor is hard in all sorts of ways. I really struggled this time too.

But if I show good footage like this, I can make tons of people happy.

Everyone cheering me on.

Nino. Miku. Yotsuba. Itsuki-chan.

And I can live up to Fuutarou-kun's expectations too... no.

If I'm aiming to be a star, that alone isn't enough, is it?

Betray the audience's expectations in a good way, and present them with excitement beyond what they expected.

That, surely, is a professional actress in the true sense!

Of course it's not an easy thing, but it's fine.

Because I'm——

"Now that my family has cheered me on, I think I can give my best performance!"

Remembering the line Nino gave me in the dressing room.

Still smiling, standing tall, I spun out the song.

"This is crazy!"

After Ichika's live show ended.

In the venue, where the lingering excitement and buzz still remained, Yotsuba—who'd swapped shoes with Ichika—shouted.

"Ichika, she's the number-one trend!"

"Really?!"

"Someone posted a video of the live, and it's going incredibly viral?! It only went up a little while ago and it's already over thirty thousand likes!"

Look! Yotsuba showed off her green phone, looking excited.

In the end Ichika sang three songs, including the coupling track to the movie's theme song, but...

【Ichika-chan is too amazing!】【I had no idea she could sing like that】【People on-site, please upload more videos!】【Definitely going to see the movie too】【That girl who only ever played roles that died fast has grown up so well】【First time seeing Nakano Ichika, but wow, she's incredible】【My heart was racing!】【I didn't know Ichika-chan made a face this happy!】

"She's getting rave reviews online! Her Insta followers shot past 300,000 all at once!"

"Let's go to the dressing room and tell Ichika. We have to congratulate her on a job well done."

"After that, let's all go around the festival together. The festival has an after-party too, so it'll go on into the night."

"Heh. If we're going around, Ichika will need a thorough disguise, won't she."

The online praise made me as happy as if it were about me, and the corners of my mouth loosened despite myself.

"By the way. That kiss earlier—wasn't it a thank-you to Nino?"

Miku, wearing Ichika's lace blouse, teased.

"She was demanding an advice fee in the dressing room, too."

"Hmph. I don't need any thanks."

It's fine. I should be able to keep a composed face.

Still, no matter how much I kept it off my face, in the back of my mind a memory came back.

"...Just for today, this is special."

June 5th.

I gave a goodnight kiss to the forehead of Ichika, who lay bedridden, hazy with fever.

Everyone must have thought I was mad about that and avoiding Ichika.

But the truth is different.

After the kiss, Ichika, delirious with high fever, with an innocent face just like a child's,

"Ehehe. Thank you. I love you so much."

I think she probably mistook me for Mom.

Otherwise there's no way she'd say such an honest line to me when she wasn't even teasing!

Ichika didn't remember this, but that's convenient for me!

It was embarrassing, so I'd ended up avoiding Ichika these past few days.

——No, when I think about it, did I do something embarrassing today too?

I went and blew my cover as a fan. When we go to the dressing room I'll have to play it off. Let me declare, "Monitoring your Insta really was going too far, so I'll never do it again."

Of course, I won't stop, though.

I'll make a separate account and secretly keep at it!

And besides, I went and said I'd bill her for an advice fee before the live, but honestly, I don't need any of that.

A special side of Ichika she'd never show the fans whooping it up online.

Getting to see not only the grown-up Ichika but the childish, old-times Ichika's smile too, my chest went warm—even though I hadn't caught her cold.

Well, getting begged for a kiss bandit-style like that grates on me, but... in the end her cold healed fine, and it seems she's pulled out of the slump too.

As a fan and as family, I can rest easy!

That's right. I don't need any thanks. Because——

"That smile that day and that song today are enough."

After whispering it in a small voice that wouldn't reach anyone, I smiled.

I was simply looking forward to going around the festival with Ichika, who'd given a 120-point live show.