Imagining their upcoming cohabitation, Kasumigaoka Touji's heart pounded like a taiko drum at a summer festival. His thoughts were swirling, his emotions rising like a tidal wave—he couldn't calm down no matter how hard he tried! It felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest!
In such moments, there was only one thing to do—share it with someone!
Touji reached for his phone, opened Line, and tapped on the familiar icon of his lifelong friend: Izumi Masamune. They'd gone to the same kindergarten, elementary school, and junior high. Childhood friends to the core.
If only Masamune had been born a girl—then maybe he would've had that childhood sweetheart trope going for him. But fate was never that cliché… or so he thought. Until now.
Because now he did have a childhood sweetheart. Onee-san next door—Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Touji's fingers hovered over the keyboard before finally typing: [Touji]: "I might be getting out of being single."
Masamune's reply came almost instantly, as if he were waiting to pounce. "Eh!? Who is it?" "Do I know her??" "Wait—don't tell me it's…!"
Touji smiled slightly and replied: [Touji]: "You know her. It's Utaha."
"...!" "...!" "...!"
An eerie pause filled the chat, followed by a message that practically screamed relief:
"Ahh, this must be an April Fool's joke, right!?"
Masamune's digital sigh practically echoed across the screen. "You really scared me there for a second!" "But Touji-kun making jokes like this now… what a time to be alive."
He chuckled nervously. Masamune had made weird jokes before. So had Utaha. But Touji? Never.
Then another message came. [Touji]: "When have you ever seen me play an April Fool's joke? I'm serious! (￢_￢)"
Masamune stared at the screen, stunned. "Wait… eh? EH??"
"You're… not joking!?"
His worldview tilted. The room spun. His fingers shook as he typed:
"You can't be serious, right!?" "This kind of thing—it's legally forbidden! The law, Touji! Think of the law!!" "Do your parents know!?" "Don't tell me you plan to go public!? You'll be booked a room in German orthopedics if this continues!"
Touji was still typing, but his friend's messages were flying in faster than he could respond. [Touji]: "We're not blood-related. Mom and Dad just told me last night I was adopted—"
Masamune: "You sure they weren't joking?" "Maybe they were pulling your leg! It is April Fool's Day!" "If you fall for it, you're doomed, bro!"
[Touji]: "..."
Touji let out a sigh. Texting with Masamune was like trying to win a shooting game while your controller's unplugged. So, he gave up and held the talk button.
"They weren't joking, Masamune. I've never seen a parent joke about pairing up their own kids—multiple times, at that."
Masamune's reply came as a gasp: "Wait… multiple times?!" "Bro, I'm officially stunned!" "My brain can't compute this!"
Touji let out a soft chuckle and kept going:
"Yeah… they even said at first they wanted to raise me as a child husband, but changed their minds 'for the sake of my mental health' or something. Right now, I'm feeling all sorts of complicated…"
He didn't deny it. There was a trace of pride in his voice. He was, after all, basking in the glow of being a "winner in life."
And yes, he wanted to show off. Just a little. He was like a kid who got the latest game console and couldn't wait to rub it in his best friend's face.
"Besides, I've always felt something was off. I don't look anything like my parents. Utaha at least has Mom's eyes. Me? Not even close."
After sending a batch of voice messages, Touji stared at his phone, wondering why Masamune had gone silent.
Then—
KNOCK KNOCK!
Touji blinked and turned toward his door.
"Wait… don't tell me…!"
He opened it, and sure enough—
There stood Izumi Masamune, panting slightly as if he'd run over in a panic. His expression was a mix of shock, judgment, and raw envy.
"What the heck, man!?" Masamune stepped forward and jabbed a finger into Touji's chest.
"You… You're living a literal light novel!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Touji raised an eyebrow.
"You hateful main character! You blessed normie! Go explode!" Masamune cried dramatically, punching Touji lightly in the shoulder.
"Shh! Keep it down!" Touji hissed, glancing toward Utaha's door like a ninja wary of detection.
Masamune folded his arms, still pouting. "Seriously, how did this even happen? I can't believe it. My childhood friend's going to become… something else entirely."
Kasumigaoka Touji quickly glanced toward Kasumigaoka Utaha's room next door, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Don't get so worked up. It's useless even if you're jealous. This is fate, you know?"
"Waaahhh—!" Izumi Masamune wailed dramatically, clutching his chest as if pierced by an arrow of injustice. "You're seriously the worst kind of winner in life!"
Touji rolled his eyes, but then his brows furrowed as he took a better look at his friend.
"How long has it been since you slept properly?"
He noticed the heavy dark circles under Izumi's eyes and his slightly disheveled look. He didn't seem sleep-deprived from just one or two nights—it looked like a whole week of burnout.
"Hmm... maybe about a week," Izumi muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've been stuck in this endless loop of getting rejected and rewriting. It's driving me insane!"
His sigh was the kind of world-weary one you'd hear from a salaryman after ten hours of overtime.
"Jeez, you really should get some proper rest," Touji said gently, sounding like a responsible older brother for once. "When your third volume begins serialization, I'll help promote it on my blog, alright?"
"That'd be a huge help... Seriously, I'm counting on you, Touji-kun!" Izumi clapped his hands together in a pleading gesture, his expression half-grateful, half-desperate.
Touji nodded with a light smile.
Even though Izumi was constantly on the edge, he had worked hard to get this far. A little support from a friend could go a long way.
"I really was thinking of getting some rest. My body's been screaming at me these days."
"You should listen to it before it starts staging a full-blown rebellion."
Izumi chuckled. "I'll collapse in style, thanks. But yeah, once I finish this third volume—the final one—I'll hibernate for a week. Just watch me."
Touji blinked. "Wait, final? As in, that's it?"
"Yup!" Izumi's eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of someone who had finally reached the summit of a long climb. "The story was always planned to be a tight, three-volume arc. It's my first full series, you know. I want it to end properly."
"Huh, now that you mention it, it did always feel like a three-act structure." Touji nodded thoughtfully. "Still, isn't it doing pretty well? You could easily stretch it out for another volume or two."
Izumi shook his head almost immediately. "That's exactly why I won't. So many stories fall apart when they drag on. I'd rather leave readers wanting more than make them wish it ended sooner."
Touji chuckled. "A wise choice for a light novel author. Rare, too."
Izumi puffed his chest proudly. "Heh, I aim to be different!"
"Just don't burn out trying to be unique."
After that, the two friends continued chatting casually—about plots, annoying editors, and the bizarre things readers sometimes comment online.
Before long, Izumi let out another wide yawn, stretched his arms, and stood up.
"Alright, I'm gonna crash. My brain's already half in dreamland."
"Don't let the dark circles win," Touji said as he walked him to the door.
Izumi gave a weak wave as he stepped into the hallway. "Night, Touji. And hey… congrats again. You're ridiculously lucky."
"Yeah, yeah. Get some sleep, baka."
As the door clicked shut, Kasumigaoka Touji let out a quiet sigh.
He walked back to his desk and picked up his copy of "Fantasy Demonic Blade Scroll," the one he hadn't had time to finish earlier that day. There were still a dozen pages left.
Flipping it open, he leaned back in his chair, letting his thoughts fade into the world of fantasy and demons.
Though tonight had been loud and chaotic, now it was peaceful once again.
Just him, his book, and the sound of pages turning.