The days in April were still short, and by the time the clock struck five, the sky had already begun to darken. The streetlights along the road blinked to life one by one, casting a soft orange glow that painted the streets in a warm, nostalgic hue. Their presence gently pushed back the approaching night, giving the bustling city a calm, almost cinematic serenity.
Inside the Kasumigaoka family's reliable Toyota, the siblings settled into the backseat as their father started the engine with a quiet hum.
"What are we eating?" Kasumigaoka Touji asked as he closed the door behind him, buckling in with an eager glint in his eyes.
"We're heading to Chiyoda Ward for sukiyaki," Kasumigaoka Eiji answered from the driver's seat, sounding proud as he eased the car out of the driveway. "I made a reservation at a well-known century-old restaurant. Pretty cool, right?"
"Ehh~? That's rare for you, Otou-san. Not bad!" Utaha-san nodded, her voice tinged with genuine surprise and mild approval.
It was hard to tell whether she was more impressed by the sukiyaki or the 'century-old' part. Either way, her reaction was… satisfactory.
"It's been so long since the four of us went out together like this!" their mother, Kasumigaoka Airi, chimed in from the passenger seat with a warm smile.
"Two months, tops," Touji replied, glancing out the window. "That's not that long."
"Well, it feels long, doesn't it?" Airi-san chuckled. "Tonight, let's just relax and enjoy being a family."
"Mm." "Agreed."
Their voices blended harmoniously in the car as they left the quiet streets of Wako City behind, heading toward the Tokyo skyline. Despite being a small corner of Saitama Prefecture, Wako's proximity to the capital made the trip a breeze—just about thirty minutes.
By six o'clock, they were standing in front of a charming old building—aged, yet elegant. Its traditional façade and dim wooden lanterns gave off the kind of quiet prestige only truly historic places carried.
After confirming their reservation, the staff ushered them to a private tatami room. The space was modest but exuded refined taste—clean shoji screens, lacquered wood, and the calming aroma of tatami mats.
"You two take a look and choose what you want," Eiji-san said, handing the menu across the table after ordering a super deluxe set, two extra plates of top-tier Wagyu, Airi-san's favorite matcha pudding, and a bottle of Junmai Ginjo for himself.
Touji accepted the menu, scooting closer to Utaha as they looked over the glossy photos together.
"That looks good," Utaha said, pointing to an indulgent chocolate chip sundae with a perfectly styled swirl of whipped cream.
"You don't," Touji replied immediately, pushing her finger aside like a strict school nurse.
"Haaah?" Her crimson eyes narrowed. "Isn't our family supposed to be democratic? Since when did we let you make health decisions for me?"
"I'm not making decisions. I'm showing concern, like a good Otouto-kun should," Touji shrugged nonchalantly. "You know cold stuff's bad for your stomach, especially this time of month…"
Her eye twitched. "You… You're monitoring my cycle now too!?"
"You're acting like that's new," Touji said with a perfectly straight face. "I've always been considerate like this."
"Tch…" Not satisfied, Utaha turned toward the server kneeling politely beside them and said, "Excuse me, I'll have one chocolate chip sundae—"
"She won't," Touji cut in immediately.
"Eh?"
The server blinked, pen hovering in mid-air, clearly caught between opposing orders. She looked from Touji to Utaha, then to the parents—who were both watching with suspiciously gentle smiles.
What's with that look? Why do they look like they're watching their kids bicker on a rom-com show?
The server hesitated. Something about this family... feels dangerous.
"Fine," Touji relented. "How about you have a pudding? This place's pudding looks pretty legit."
Kasumigaoka Touji pointed at the glossy menu photos showing three distinct flavors—matcha, milk, and hōjicha pudding.
"Otouto-kun, seriously, why are you so freakishly good at PUAing people? What have you been doing behind our backs!?" Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her arms and narrowed her wine-red eyes suspiciously.
"Practicing on you, of course," Touji replied with an innocent expression that was anything but.
Utaha: "…"
Kasumigaoka Eiji burst out laughing from across the table. "Pfft, this brat…"
Kasumigaoka Airi covered her mouth with a gentle chuckle. "Ara ara~"
"…Six points," Utaha muttered under her breath, trying not to smile.
In the end, Utaha gave in and settled on a classic milk pudding. Touji also ordered one for himself, figuring it would pair well with the sukiyaki.
For drinks, she chose a cup of hot black tea, while Touji nonchalantly asked for an iced cola.
Utaha immediately shot him a glare. "Wait a sec—you stopped me from getting cold dessert because of my period, and then you go and order iced cola?"
"There's no such thing as warm cola!" Touji lifted his hands in mock surrender. "Besides, you're the one on her period, not me."
"Baka…" Utaha clicked her tongue but had no comeback. He wasn't technically wrong.
Before she could retort, two servers entered the private tatami room and began laying out the meal with practiced precision.
One of them cracked fresh, pasteurized eggs into individual bowls, meant for dipping the beef. The other began setting up the sukiyaki pot on the small portable stove in the center of the table.
First came the broth—fragrant and bubbling—followed by the high-grade Wagyu slices, tofu cubes, sliced onions, shiitake mushrooms, and seasonal greens. As the ingredients sizzled and soaked in flavor, the aroma grew richer and more mouthwatering by the second.
Touji watched the whole process silently, arms folded.
Honestly, he preferred Kansai-style sukiyaki. That style started by grilling the beef with sugar and soy sauce directly on the pan, giving it a richer caramelized texture. In contrast, this Kanto-style version leaned more toward a hot pot, boiling everything together in broth.
Not bad, but lacking the ritualistic "first sizzle" he loved.
Still, as the scent of slowly simmering beef and vegetables filled the room, even he had to admit—this was heaven.
While waiting for the sukiyaki to finish, they began sampling the side dishes that had been served earlier.
There were three: a delicate square of almond tofu, a slice of charcoal-grilled conger eel, and a traditional sashimi trio—sea bream, tuna, and octopus—each served on shiso leaves with just the right dab of wasabi.
The servings were small, refined, and exquisitely presented—each bite a tiny work of culinary art.
"Look at this beef…!" Airi-san practically squealed when a staff member finally served them each a slice of cooked Wagyu. She held it up with her chopsticks, eyes sparkling. "It's glistening!"
"You're more excited than Touji," Eiji-san teased with a grin.
"So what if I am? It's called having passion!" Airi-san puffed her cheeks playfully and dunked the beef into her egg sauce before taking a bite.
"Mm~ mm~!" she nodded repeatedly, eyes closed as she savored every fiber of the tender meat.
Watching her melt like butter made everyone else reach for their chopsticks.
Touji dipped his own slice in the egg, then popped it into his mouth.
The beef was absurdly tender, the richness balanced perfectly by the raw egg's smooth texture. A burst of umami spread across his tongue, followed by a slow melt that made him instinctively reach for his rice bowl.
Yeah… I could eat like three bowls of rice today. He didn't say it out loud, but the satisfied expression on his face said plenty.
…