"E-Ehh!? Y-you two... seriously!" Kasumigaoka Utaha stammered, her cheeks flushed as she dabbed the corners of her lips with a tissue.
"Ara ara~, could it be that you don't want a younger brother, but a child husband instead?" Kasumigaoka Airi teased playfully, handing Utaha the tissues while her usual gentle smile curved into something more mischievous.
She stood with perfect poise, but her eyes twinkled with amusement as she peeked at her daughter's flustered state. Her gaze then drifted to Touji—or rather, Kasumigaoka Touji, the unflappable boy who rarely showed any signs of emotional disturbance. Just as she thought, even after such a shocking reveal, he merely blinked and remained calm.
Maa~! So boring!
She had secretly hoped to witness her beloved youngest son get adorably rattled. But alas, Touji was just too composed. Ever since he was small, he had always acted more like an old man in a child's body.
Utaha, on the other hand, was practically squirming. Her eyes darted to both parents, heart pounding, an indescribable blend of emotions tangled in her chest.
"You two… don't tell me… you've been peeking into my novel drafts behind my back!" she cried.
It was just too similar. The setup, the twist—everything was right out of her novel. This sort of development was exactly what she'd written!
Was this social death? Yes. She could feel the earth cracking beneath her feet.
Kasumigaoka Eiji let out a hearty chuckle. Watching his daughter's rare moment of panic was more entertaining than he expected. Still, he decided not to push too far. He returned to the topic, his voice calm and composed.
"Later on, Airi and I realized it wouldn't be healthy for Touji's emotional growth, and it would be unfair to you too, Utaha. After all, you're bound to meet many people and possibly fall in love with someone else." He folded his arms and nodded as if pondering something deep. "So we agreed to raise him as your younger brother."
Touji quietly glanced at the man he'd called his father all these years.
To say he wasn't moved would be a lie.
The Kasumigaoka couple had always treated him as family. Not once had he felt like an outsider. They had given him the same love, the same care, the same expectations as they gave to their biological daughter.
And now, Eiji's next words surprised even Touji.
"We're not telling you this because we want to force anything. There's no need to rush into getting engaged or anything like that. We just thought that, now that you know, you should have the freedom to decide—whether to remain as siblings or to... redefine your relationship."
He tapped the wooden dining table gently, glancing at each of them in turn.
Truth be told, this wasn't a conversation he had originally planned to have. He and Airi had discussed saving this revelation for much later—a bittersweet story to share once they were old and grey, something to smile about as they reminisced.
But then he noticed something.
His daughter's eyes lingered on Touji for a bit too long.
Her tone whenever she spoke about him was different.
Her latest novel? It screamed little brother complex.
If she had such strong feelings, then perhaps it was worth giving her a chance.
Besides, when they adopted Touji, Eiji had half-jokingly thought about raising him as a future husband for their daughter.
The benefits? Immeasurable!
First of all, Utaha wouldn't need to marry into someone else's family and change her surname. There wouldn't be the usual mother-in-law drama. And above all, he wouldn't have to worry about some random jerk bullying his precious daughter.
And Touji... he was perfect.
Smart. Polite. Calm. Reliable. Mature beyond his years.
The cherry on top?
He was already earning an annual income that blew Eiji's salary out of the water!
The kid hadn't even finished junior high, and yet, through blogging, streaming, music royalties, and collabs, his earnings last year topped thirty million yen.
Thirty. Million.
It wasn't even fair.
Why let a stranger benefit from such a genius when the family could keep it in-house?
And with Utaha's looks and intelligence, the two would make the perfect couple.
This was destiny. No, better—domestic destiny.
"..."
Touji and Utaha sat in stunned silence for a beat. Then, without meaning to, their eyes met.
Immediately, they looked away like startled cats.
Airi giggled and clapped her hands gently. "Touji-kun, Utaha-chan, there's no need to rush. Whether you want to stay siblings or become something more... that's up to you."
She winked mischievously, adding, "Just make sure you don't have a baby before graduation. That's our only rule."
"HUH!?"
"A b-baby?!"
The bombshell landed.
Touji choked on his tea. Utaha jumped to her feet, her entire face beet red.
"T-that escalated way too fast!"
"Okaasan, don't say weird things so casually!! Baka~!"
Airi covered her mouth like a playful kitsune, laughing softly. "Ufufu~ How cute you two are!"
Seeing they were about to explode from embarrassment, she waved them off. "Okay, okay, you two can go now. Think about it carefully, okay?"
Kasumigaoka Touji and Kasumigaoka Utaha almost instinctively slipped away upon hearing that. If they didn't leave, they might have just spontaneously combusted from secondhand embarrassment!
However, just as they were about to bolt up the stairs, Kasumigaoka Eiji called out: "Tomorrow night, let's go out for a meal together, have a proper get-together. The day after tomorrow morning, Airi and I will be heading off to Hokkaido."
"That soon?" Kasumigaoka Touji blinked, clearly caught off guard.
Kasumigaoka Utaha also turned around, her expression laced with surprise.
"Yes, everything at the branch office has been arranged. They're just waiting for us to get things started."
"Well… I guess there's no helping it."
And with that, the conversation officially came to a close—!
Kasumigaoka Touji and Kasumigaoka Utaha wasted no time fleeing upstairs, leaving a trail of awkward energy behind them.
Once out of their parents' sight, the ambient noise from the living room dulled into background murmurs. For Touji, it felt as if the air had shifted—quieter, heavier, charged with unspoken thoughts.
Even his footsteps on the stairs slowed. Each step felt unusually deliberate.
There was a tingling sensation at the back of his neck—he could feel Utaha's gaze on him. His limbs felt stiffer than usual, his movements clumsier. He wanted to turn back, say something clever, but the words caught in his throat.
His chest felt... weird. Stirred.
Heh, so he was almost raised to be his sister's future husband, huh?
When he first transmigrated, the only Japanese words he could utter were things like "baka" and "dame." He must've been a real handful for the Kasumigaoka couple back then…
They had cared for him, protected him, nurtured him. They were family.
And now…
Utaha. Her name echoed louder than the thoughts crowding his mind.
"...What do you think?"
Touji's voice was quiet but steady as he pushed open the door to his bedroom. Utaha was right beside her own door, hand on the knob, but she paused and turned toward him.
Her wine-colored eyes met his. "What does Younger brother think?"
She answered his question with a question, her tone softer than usual, lacking her usual acerbic edge. It wasn't like her to beat around the bush.
Was she nervous? She looked away for a second. Her fingers twitched near the edge of her skirt.
Touji tilted his head, stole a glance at his room, then scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I think… we can try to change our relationship."
"Mm."
Utaha nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear, the motion graceful and oddly intimate. She smiled. Bright, dazzling, honest.
Touji's heart skipped.
"Come on."
"Huh?"
"Confess to me! Let me hear Younger brother's burning, passionate heart!"
She crossed her arms and lifted her chin, taking on a commanding pose like a queen awaiting tribute. Her eyes sparkled with challenge.
Touji: "..."
Who tells someone how to confess?!
And that tone—what was she, a romance game heroine with DLC side quests?
With a dramatic sigh, he raised a hand. An instinct born from years of comedic skirmishes.
"I mean… can I skip the confession and go straight to the final step?"
Utaha's expression froze.
Then—
"Scram!!"
She gave an exaggerated eye-roll and huffed dramatically, but the flush blooming on her cheeks betrayed her. Even her frustration was kind of cute.
"I give you a chance and you blow it!" she snapped. "No wonder you've been single your whole life!"
Bang! She retreated into her room and slammed the door shut.
Touji could only stare blankly after her.
Tch. Look who's talking.
And whose fault do you think it is that he's been single for so long?
Sure, he was popular with girls. Good grades, decent looks, composed personality.
But every time someone tried to get close to him, Kasumigaoka Utaha would appear out of nowhere and wreck everything!
She even spread rumors about him being an incurable siscon pervert!
Of course girls stopped approaching after that!
Not that he minded all that much. He wasn't really a perverted lolicon either, contrary to what Utaha claimed when she was in a jealous mood.
He let out a long sigh, opened the door to his room, and stepped inside.