The Middle Child

Chapter 1

Miku woke up to the sounds of silence, opening her eyes to see the dullness that was her room. Unlike the rest of her sisters, the lack of accessories, posters, or color made it bland- empty even. She wasn't sleepy, but she didn't feel refreshed either. She wanted to go back to sleep and forget the day that was ahead of her. She looked at her clock to check the time; she woke up a minute before her alarm went off. Miku mindlessly stared and felt herself shiver. She wrapped herself with her blanket but that didn't help. With only her body as the source of heat, nothing was enough to keep her warm.

After a minute gone by, the sound of the alarm clock stabbed through her ears, as if it was demanding her to get up and go through her day. Again, she mindlessly sat there. Her skin felt the sharp thorns of the cold and her blanket was doing her no justice. Miku hugged her knees, allowing the chills to crawl down her spine and her ears to bleed from the noise. She didn't mind, they were drowning out her own thoughts.

Eventually, she knew that she had to get up and dress for school. Tomorrow would be a Saturday, so all she had to do was survive today. All she had to do was survive.

Miku grudgingly got up and slapped the banshee to mute. And just like that, silence filled the room again. She looked out her window and frowned. Murky, gray clouds loomed over the city. Was it going to rain? Was it going to snow?

"Where did the sun go?" she mused. Miku sighed as she went to her closet and slithered her arm into her school uniform. Right arm. Left arm. She didn't make sluggish movements because she was tired but she just couldn't get herself to be excited for the day. Had it been Yotsuba, she would have bolted out the door with a smile. And as unfortunate as it was, Miku was not Yotsuba.

Miku finally managed to get herself dressed in her school uniform. It was the same as always: a bland, blue sweater with black tights. She looked at the standing mirror in her room and unintentionally found herself glaring at the image.

"So much for being identical."

It was a known fact that Miku was part of the Nakano Quintuplets. It was also a known fact that the Nakano Quintuplets were all attractive. Well, supposed to be. The lifeless look in her eyes seemed to have said otherwise. She swirled her hair around, making sure the bang covered at least some of her facial feature. If they all looked alike, why was Miku the only one who was an eye-sore?

Miku wasn't a girl who normally obsessed about her looks because she never felt like it was something worth to be proud of. She couldn't pull off any accessories, unlike the rest of her sisters. Maybe she should try glasses like Ichika? Her hair tickled as it hovered over her right eye. Would the star pins work, just like it did for Itsuki? She shook her head. She preferred her hair to hide her face. And as obvious at it was with the image in the mirror, Miku was not Ichika, nor was she Itsuki.

Miku realized that she was taking too long to get ready when she heard a yell made downstairs. Breakfast must have been ready. She quickly shut off her lights as she made one last look in the mirror. The dead gaze in her eyes was still there.

"You're late," Nino noted as she saw Miku made her way to the table. She was standing at the kitchen, stirring some eggs on the frying pan. "Everyone is already here, even that lazy Ichika."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"You're usually one of the first people to get up," Itsuki said. "Are you alright? Did you get enough sleep?"

Miku merely nodded her head as she sat at her chair, unwilling to meet anyone's gaze.

"At least she came in time for me to finish making breakfast," Nino said. "It's not much, but it's the best we got with the food that we have. No complaining- especially you, Itsuki."

"Isn't there more?"

"No," Nino grumbled. "Remind me to buy more food later today because you ate through our refrigerator."

"I was hungry!"

"Aren't you always?"

Miku ignored the bickering and stared at the food given to her. Her nose perked with the delicate smell of olive oil and butter mixed into the eggs. On the sides, the sweet smell of powder sugar played along with the French toast.

Nino said that the breakfast wasn't much, but it was still grand. She was always a great cook. Miku, on the other hand… She founded herself gag at the smell that was still pervasive in her memory. The discrepancy between Miku and Nino was despairing and the breakfast in front of Miku only made her feel worse about it.

She put down her fork, catching Yotsuba's attention.

"Not hungry?"

Miku shook her head. "No, not really. Do you want my portion as well?"

Yotsuba didn't seem so sure. "At least eat the French toast," she reasoned. "They're really good."

Miku offered a smile as she pushed her entire plate to Yotsuba. She then grabbed an apple off the table tray. "I know."

She took a small bite.

"What! No fair, how come Yotsuba gets to have more?"

"Don't worry. I'll share some of mine!"

Miku nibbled on her apple as she watched her sisters try to appease Itsuki. She tried to ignore the stare that Nino was giving her on the side. Maybe she irritated Nino the wrong way? Miku dismissed it as this was neither the first nor will it be the last time: they always fought.

"Hey," Nino said. "Are you alright, Miku? You seem to have-"

"It's almost time for us to go," Miku said as she got up. She pointed towards the clock nailed on the wall across the room. "Otherwise, we'll be late."

"Yikes, she's right! Come on, Nino!"

"But we still have dishes left to do," Nino protested.

"It's alright, I'll do them after we get back from school!"

"You also have a scrimmage later because you said you'll help out with the basketball team. Stop making promises you can't keep, Yotsuba!"

Yotsuba laughed as she ushered everyone else into packing. And soon enough, they walked out the elevator and headed toward the school.

"This sucks," Nino complained. "Why couldn't we get a ride? The weather is horrible."

"It's too bad that Ebata-san wasn't available today," Ichika agreed.

The wind roared across the city, sweeping through the buildings to pummel pedestrians. Miku clutched her headphones, feeling naked as her hair furiously blew behind her. Her face was exposed and she wondered what her sisters would see in it. Not taking the chances, she quickly walked ahead of the group. The wind felt coarse across her face. It was cold and wet. It stung and heat flared across her skin as another gust whipped by.

She was relinquishing the harsh air as it eased the feeling in her stomach. She only ate the apple, but she felt her insides churn. Miku dug her finger into her palms. Why was she feeling so uneasy?

All she had to do was go to school. Study. Avoid trouble. And she'll be free for the weekend. She just had to survive school for the day. All she had to do was survive.

After the cycles of dread and self-reassurance, Miku found herself inside the classroom along with the rest of the sisters. She sat at her desk, a couple of rows behind everyone else. She didn't mind. It was something that she preferred. She watched as her sisters interacted with the rest of the class.

There was Ichika, happily chatting with some of the boys that gathered around her. Nino was talking to two girls that Miku couldn't recognize. Itsuki was discussing something with the teacher. She wandered her eyes around, looking for the last sister. She smiled when she heard Yotsuba before she could see her. She was yelling across the room. After watching her sisters, Miku couldn't help but be aware of her disposition at the moment. She felt glued to the chair, unwilling to talk or move.

"What got you so gloomy?"

Miku inhaled a sharp breath and felt a stab at her gut. She turned around to see Fuutarou Uesugi. Her tutor. Her crush.

"What do you mean?"

He frowned. "You seem quiet. Well, more than usual."

Miku shrugged. She rested her head on her palm and stared ahead at the empty chalkboard. "I'm always like this."

"I'm serious. What's-"

"Hey, class-rep. Do you mind helping me out here? I'm handing out the papers we did yesterday and I have no clue who this person is. The name got smudged out."

Miku breathed a sigh of relief as their discussion was interrupted by the student. She made a small smile as she watched Fuutarou grumble a bit, but complying to the student's request. How typical.

"Sure, we'll see if the handwriting is recognizable."

"Well," the student scratched his head. "I feel really bad for not knowing the student's name, but here."

Miku watched as Fuutarou took one glance at the paper. "Oh, it's one of the Nakano sisters."

"I guess we'll have to narrow it down then," the student laughed. "I already gave Itsuki and Nino their paper. Yotsuba got it while she was talking to the teacher. So that leaves Ichika?"

"But Ichika wasn't here yesterday to do the worksheet," Fuutarou said. "See? She's turning it in right now, I'm surprised that she bothered to make up for it. Anyways, that automatically-"

"So who could it be?" The student asked as he stared at the paper. "That's all the sisters, right?"

Miku shouldn't be eavesdropping on conversations she shouldn't hear.

Fuutarou coughed. "No, not really. There's still Miku."

"Who?"

Miku shouldn't have heard that. She should not have heard that at all.

"Um, the fifth sister." Fuutarou was scratching the back of his head. "You know, the one who wears the headphones around her neck?"

The silence between them made Miku nauseous.

"Oh," the student said hesitantly, "I remember now. Damn, I feel really bad about how I forgot she was one of the five si-"

"It's alright!" Fuutarou interjected. "It seems like you still have a lot more work so why don't you leave that one to me? I'll just give it to her."

The student seemed grateful for Fuutarou's assistance as he bashfully handed the paper. Fuutarou turned around hesitantly to see Miku stare down at her desk, unwilling to meet his eyes.

"How much…of it…did you hear?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"So you heard everything."

"Again, I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm so sorry you had to hear that."

"Fuutarou-kun, I told you. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Fuutarou pursed his lips. "Sure thing. Here's the paper. It was on Japanese history, so I know you did well. We'll go over what you guys got wrong later today, alright? Make sure to be there to help your sisters."

"Sure thing."

He handed the paper that was neatly folded to hide the grade. She gingerly took the paper and examined it. Maybe getting a good grade on this assignment would help her feel better after the disaster that had occurred.

He watched her place her eyes on the paper. "How did you do?" he asked hopefully.

"I…failed."

Fuutarou flinched at what she said. "You what?"

"I-" Miku gritted her teeth-"failed. I failed spectacularly."

"How?"

"Do you think there is a reason why I'm stupid?"

"That's not what I- you're the best among the sisters in social studies."

Miku clinched the paper and she was biting her lips inside her mouth. After everything that happened, it was only the morning. It was too early for her to cry. "Maybe the rest of the quizzes and tests I took were a fluke."

"Maybe this was a hard test."

"How did you do then?"

"…I got a perfect score. Miku, don't feel too bad about-"

"It's alright." Miku tried to smile.

"But-"

"Just go, please."

And with it, she shoved down the paper in her bag, trying to drown it into nonexistence. With the voice of the teacher that indicated the start of the class, Miku pleaded for the day to be over already.

She felt pathetic.

That's because you are.

There was a reason she was the biggest washout of the five.

Miku bit her lips. She was chocking the pencil with her hand. She could see that the teacher was moving his mouth. But she couldn't hear him. She felt her mind move out of her body and be pulled back in, as if someone shoved her consciousness in a cocktail jug and furiously shook it.

What time was it? Focus. Where was she? Focus. What was going on? Focus. Why was she feeling this way? Focus. Who was she? Focus.

Who was she?

Focus. Please.

Who was she? She wasn't Ichika. She wasn't Nino. She wasn't Yotsuba. She wasn't Itsuki.

She was just Miku.

In the world full of possibilities, she was a Miku Nakano.

She felt a wave of nausea crash on her. She forced down the need to vomit. She clutched her pencil harder. She tried to distract herself by looking down at her notes, but she couldn't understand the words. There was a high pitched ring that was drowning out the teacher's voice.

"Nakano, are you alright? You look really pale."

Miku was hoping that the teacher was referring to the other sisters, but the way everyone-everyone - was staring at her proved otherwise.

"I…I…" Her vision was playing tricks with her; she felt the ground beneath her spin.

"If you're not feeling well, you should go to the nurse."

"I'm alright, please continue." She managed to choke out her words. The teacher merely shrugged as Miku tried her best to stop her rapid breathing. She deliberately ignored the concerned looks from her sisters and stared down at her journal. She just hoped that the day would be erased from existence. She wished that she would be erased from existence.

The bell rung, signifying the end of school. Somehow, she made it past the day. The weekend was finally here. She would be fine. She would be fi-

"Miku, are you alright?"

She looked up to find Yotsuba with her brows knitted together, leaning over to closely examine Miku. She felt herself flinch when she made eye contact.

"Yeah, I'm alright."

Yotsuba didn't look convinced. But before she could respond back, Miku pointed toward the door.

"Look, the basketball captain is looking for you."

"That can wait. Right now, my priority is-"

Miku waved her hand to catch the captain's attention. She looked over and walked over to the pair with an eager smile.

"Yotsuba, there you are! Come on, our game is about to start."

Yotsuba pouted at Miku as she was dragged out of the classroom. Miku knew that she wasn't going to get away with it but for now, she managed to avoid the talk and that's all that mattered. She shoved her stuff into her bag.

"That's one way to get Yotsuba off your tail."

"What do you want, Ichika?"

"Does one sister need a reason to talk to another?"

"I'm okay," Miku said. "I promise." She grabbed her pair of headphones. She ignored Ichika's protest and headed straight out the exist. She was finally able to leave.

She arrived at their apartment to find emptiness great her. She would often forget how barren her home seemed to be without her family or Fuutarou around. They were gone for the time, probably doing something productive with their lives. She walked upstairs and threw her bag across her room, sliding across the floor. It seemed lonely by itself, but that was alright with Miku. She sat on her bed, unwillingly to move. She forgot to flip the switch, but again, that was alright with Miku. The day was over and that's all that mattered. Some of her sisters were probably at the library, studying with Fuutarou. She was left alone by herself. She was left alone to be Miku.

That was not alright with Miku.

Miku was the biggest washout of the family. She was a disappointment of a sister trying to follow Ichika and Nino's footsteps as well as the disappointment of a sister to be followed by Yotsuba and Itsuki.

Miku was the middle child. The Nakano's middle child was Miku. She was Miku Nakano and that idea was something she would never be happy about. So she sat there, hugging her knees close to her aching chest.

The sounds of silence filled the room, accompanied by the sobs that were silent to the rest of the world.

Hello! I'm back! Sorry if I've been out. I've been working on my writing voice lately. Anyways...THIS SERIES IS THE BEST. OH MY GOD.

At first, I had my doubts, because, you know...it's a harem. BUT THIS IS MY NEW OBSESSION. Geez, this story is amazing. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this story. I already wrote everything, but I just didn't feel like posting the entire story down in one go. I'm going to re-edit some chapters here and there. See yah!