"...Kani Nayuta?"
"Touji-kun, care to explain why she's here?"
At the bustling stairwell—
Kasumigaoka Utaha descended from the upper floor with her bento box in hand. Her earlier relaxed and slightly pleased expression instantly froze upon spotting the silver-haired beauty standing beside Touji. Her brows twitched, and the air around her seemed to drop several degrees as she fixed her gaze on Touji, silently demanding an answer.
Just as he feared… she was pissed.
Touji had predicted this moment. There was no escaping it. He let out a quiet cough and opted for the most honest path forward. "She and Eriri Spencer Sawamura are friends. After realizing we were in the same class, she asked Eriri about it, and... transferred here."
Now wasn't the time for lies. If anything, lying would only make things worse. Touji had no choice but to own up to the situation.
It's not like he dragged Kani Nayuta here himself—
It was Eriri who mentioned his school to her. He hadn't even told Nayuta where he studied, let alone the class.
Of course, that didn't mean he was blameless.
He had kept chatting with Kani Nayuta, kept replying to her messages, and let his thoughts drift a little too much. He had allowed her to get close. So, in a sense, Touji knew he had brought this on himself. That's why he stood there, unusually meek.
"Sawamura? The blonde doujinshi artist from last Friday?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice was deceptively calm as she exhaled. Her ample chest visibly rose and fell with the motion, a telltale sign of her brewing irritation.
She didn't hesitate to slap a label on Eriri Spencer Sawamura—
Under normal circumstances, Utaha-san would never blurt out someone's secrets like this in public. But today was different. Her romantic rival had waltzed in, bold as ever, trying to steal her beloved little brother. Mercy wasn't an option.
Honestly, the fact that she wasn't already yelling was a miracle of her cultured upbringing.
"You've got guts, transferring schools just like that. I seriously underestimated you."
Utaha narrowed her eyes sharply, staring at Kani Nayuta, who looked as though she was just about to open her mouth.
Utaha had already been miffed watching Touji chat away with Kani Nayuta online. But back then, it was just messages on a screen, and Utaha trusted Touji. She didn't expect that a mere week later, this girl would actually transfer schools—just like that!
This level of boldness—
Totally different from her previous rivals!
A sense of unease gnawed at Utaha's heart. A creeping panic, the kind that only true love can stir. The thought of losing even a part of Touji was unbearable.
She didn't want to share him. Not even a little.
In this moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha found herself deeply regretting her past self's decision to keep Kani Nayuta's chat window pinned. She wanted to punch that version of herself. Hard.
Regret… so much regret!
"Utaha..."
Touji considered reminding her not to expose Eriri's secret in public, but given her mood, she probably wanted to burn Eriri alive right now. He wisely swallowed his words.
Better not to stoke the flames any further…
He glanced around—
Hopefully, no one overheard that bit about Eriri drawing doujinshi. It hadn't even been two minutes since class let out, and the stairwell was packed.
Still, most students were already on their way to the convenience store or cafeteria, or searching for a quiet place to eat lunch. No one seemed to be stopping to watch…
But of course, with three beautiful students standing together—clearly in the middle of some spicy drama—it was only natural for passersby to sneak glances.
"Let's go to the clubroom," Touji said quickly, not wanting to be the main act in a live soap opera.
He turned to Utaha-san and subtly gave Nayuta a wink.
Nayuta nodded without missing a beat.
Oh, how lovely. They're already exchanging looks and signals right in front of me! Who do you think you're flirting for, huh?!
Utaha's eyebrow twitched, her fury nearing critical mass.
And worst of all—Touji hadn't even tried to draw a clear line between himself and Kani Nayuta. In fact, it looked like he was just going to waltz into the clubroom with her like it was no big deal.
What are you trying to pull here, huh?!
Seriously, you little brat! Are you trying to keep both of us? Left and right hand combo?!
Utaha bit her lip in frustration, shooting Touji a glare that could probably vaporize a lesser man.
"Let's go, let's go~"
Touji, acting completely shameless, pretended he didn't see the seething fire in her eyes. He casually slung an arm over her fragrant shoulder and began leading her downstairs like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Utaha symbolically struggled a little at first, but in the end, she let herself be led down the stairs, clearly half-hearted in her resistance.
They changed into their shoes in the classroom's shoe locker area, exited the L-shaped teaching building, and made their way toward the club building.
The sun above was shining brightly, and a gentle spring breeze brushed their faces.
But despite the lovely weather, the atmosphere between the trio was icy cold.
'A heartfelt harem really isn't easy to juggle...'
Touji sighed inwardly, feeling a headache starting to form.
He wanted to be like other transmigrator senpai—keep things physical and uncomplicated. But having grown up with Kasumigaoka Utaha, and being raised under the roof of the Kasumigaoka family, he couldn't help but form emotional bonds.
Sure, he was kind of a flirt—maybe even a bit of a scumbag in the classic sense—but he wasn't heartless.
"I'll always love Kasumigaoka Utaha!"
On the way there—
Touji shamelessly spouted sweet nothings, trying to lift Utaha's mood.
If she could just soften a little… that'd be a win.
Kasumigaoka Utaha narrowed her eyes and scoffed at his words. Then she glanced sideways at Kani Nayuta walking calmly on the other side:
"Oh? So you're saying you love me... and you're adding a mistress on the side?"
Oof. That stung.
Clearly, she was picking a fight, but Kani Nayuta didn't respond. She just stayed quiet, like it didn't bother her.
To be fair, they had been doing well before Nayuta showed up and stirred things up. So calling her a mistress wasn't exactly inaccurate.
But Nayuta didn't seem to mind the label.
Being insulted didn't faze her in the slightest.
Seeing her act like an unbothered dead fish floating in boiling water, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt an unbearable tightness in her chest.
"I like Utaha the most, most, most, most, most~!"
Touji leaned in close and whispered into her ear with a mischievous grin.
His warm breath tickled her, making her flinch slightly, but she quickly recovered with a sneer:
"Your second favorite is Kani Nayuta then? How generous of you, otouto-kun. What's next? Are you going to bring in a third girl too?"
So infuriating!
When did this brat turn into such a smooth-talking scoundrel!?
Of course, she couldn't just blame Touji—
Kani Nayuta was the bigger issue here.
She was practically the source of all these headaches!
Kasumigaoka Utaha shot her a cold glare, her disapproval practically radiating.
'Ugh... she's such a pain to deal with!'
Touji groaned inwardly.
Right now, Utaha was like a walking bundle of thorns—no, scratch that, more like a spiky porcupine at max evolution.
But he understood her feelings too.
This wasn't a situation that could be smoothed over with just a few sweet words. That was wishful thinking.
No, to win her back, he needed a feast for the heart, fuel for the body, and music for the soul!
Everything, all at once!
Still—
Kasumigaoka Touji believed he had a decent shot at winning Utaha over again.
"…"
Kani Nayuta walked beside them quietly, not daring to show any animosity toward Utaha.
She wasn't embarrassed either—after all, she knew she was in the wrong.
They had been having a perfectly good moment, and she barged in uninvited. If she got slapped a few times for that, she wouldn't even have the face to complain.
But even so, she couldn't give up.
Kasumigaoka Touji was like a ray of light shining into her lonely world.
And people always chase after the light.
Even if she got burned a little…
She wanted to stay close to it.
Always.