The clock ticked to exactly five o'clock.
Bing! Right on cue, the long-awaited notification popped up.
["Winter-sensei's Live Cooking Stream has started!"]
In an instant, thousands of fans flooded the stream room like ants to sugar.
"Yattaaa! Winter-sensei is back!! (≧▽≦)", "Missing persons report withdrawn!", "Sensei, we missed you!!", "Quick, what's on the menu today?!" "Came for the food, stayed for the voice~", "New song when???" "Anata! I'M HERE TO MARRY YOU!"
The screen filled with sparkling, chaotic bullet comments that scrolled across like a wave of confetti.
In front of the camera stood a figure that had become legendary in certain corners of the internet.
Wearing a sleek fox mask with red markings, a panda-print apron over a casual hoodie, and a headset mic that curled neatly around his cheek, Kasumigaoka Touji gave the camera a calm, slightly mischievous smile and waved.
"Good evening, minna-san~ I'm your host and chef for today, Winter-sensei…. Thanks for joining me again."
"KYAAA Winter-sama!", "It's Winter-sensei! So cuteee!!", "Please marry me~", "Let me cook for you instead!!", "Face reveal WHEN!?" "Reply to my DMs, you coward!"
Touji's eyes scanned the flood of comments with practiced ease. He chuckled softly, his smile deepening when he saw the number of viewers in the corner climbing by the second.
He leaned in slightly, voice dropping into that familiar warm tone that always got the comments buzzing:
"It's the last day of spring break already… School starts tomorrow."
"Honestly, I'm kind of looking forward to it. I'm finally going to be a high school student. It's… a pretty big deal, right?"
Doki doki!
Some fans swooned on the spot in the comments.
And of course, someone had to ask the obvious:
"Which school are you going to, Sensei?! Tell us! (っ °Д °;)っ"
Touji chuckled again and gently wagged his finger at the camera. "That's a secret~"
"Can't have you all swarming my school and turning it into a fan meeting, ne? Let me live a normal high school life, just an ordinary, unremarkable student."
The chat exploded again:
"Unremarkable!? Sensei, you're a national treasure!!" "If my child was you, I'd brag every day!" "Winter-sensei, I love you! Anata, please notice me!!" "Anata... I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!" "Such a treasure boy!!! (T⌓T)"
Meanwhile, somewhere in the same house—
Kasumigaoka Utaha sat calmly at her desk, watching the livestream with one hand on her mouse.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
She quietly memorized a certain overly affectionate username.
Then, with elegance and zero hesitation, she navigated to Touji's private message inbox and deleted a few of the sender's more aggressive messages with a small, satisfied smirk.
"...Hmph."
Back in the kitchen studio—
After chatting a bit more and thanking his fans for the gifts and Super Chats, Touji finally clapped his hands and got to the point.
"Alright, everyone! Let's get cooking. Today, we'll be making six simple, cozy dishes—covering Chinese, Western, and traditional Japanese homestyle meals!"
"All the ingredients are easy to find and affordable—perfect for students or anyone cooking at home. Feel free to record and follow along."
The chat went wild.
"What's on the menu today, sensei?! Tell us!!" "Please say wagyu, please say wagyu…" "I'm betting on omurice!"
Touji picked up a recipe board and smiled.
"For today's menu, we have: Chinese: Stir-Fried Asparagus with Corn, Braised Pork with Eggs, and Steamed Garlic Prawns. Western: Butter-Baked Potatoes. Japanese: Grilled Mackerel and Vegetable Miso Soup with Mushrooms."
"HUH?!", "That's so normal!!", "Wait, butter-baked potatoes counts as Western!?" "I was expecting foie gras or something fancy!!", "These are literally all family dishes!!" "...but also kinda perfect tbh." "Winter-sensei, if you let me eat with you, I'll sponsor A5 beef!!"
Touji chuckled as he watched the burst of disappointed yet oddly affectionate comments roll by. Then, he reached into the prep area, lifted a slab of slightly thawed pork belly, and placed it onto the cutting board.
He looked straight into the camera, eyes sparkling behind his mask.
"As long as it's cooked with love," he said, lightly tapping the meat with the side of his knife, "even the simplest home dishes can become a gourmet feast."
"Winter-sensei, you're speaking like a shokunin!" "Well said!!", "That's our Winter-kun!" "Teach me how to cook and also… how to steal hearts!! (*≧▽≦)"
Grinning at the chaos in chat, Touji held up his custom-made chef's knife—a sleek silver blade engraved with tiny sakura petals—and declared:
"Alright, enough idle chatter—let's get down to business! Like always, we'll start with the most time-consuming dish!"
With swift, clean movements, he sliced the pork belly into uniform cubes, then placed them into a pot of cold water. He added his go-to trio of de-smelling aromatics—green onion, ginger, and a splash of sake—and began heating it on medium flame. At the same time, he set up a smaller pot, gently lowering six eggs into the water.
He explained his steps calmly and clearly, his voice both soothing and focused. Occasionally, he glanced up at the massive display showing the stream and replied to fans' questions in real time.
"Winter-sensei… multitasking like a boss!" "So dreamy when he cooks seriously…" "That knife work! You could star in a cooking anime!!"
Meanwhile, in a quiet room down the hall—
Kasumigaoka Utaha sat before a second monitor, elegantly managing the chaos behind the scenes.
Her fingers moved like a seasoned professional as she skimmed through incoming private messages and business inquiries. To the industry scouts and talent managers trying to poach her dear Touji, she gave polite but firm rejections. Those who persisted found themselves quietly blocked.
For collab offers and sponsorships, she responded just enough to gauge sincerity, pinned the promising ones, and closed others with a graceful excuse: "I'll consult with the streamer and get back to you."
Of course, she didn't forget to delete the all-too-common 'Let's get to know each other~ ♡' or the overly desperate 'Can I add you, Nii-san?' Blocked. Deleted. Gone. Especially those with questionable profile pics—Utaha's finger hit the block button like she was slicing through paper with a katana.
After all, she had watched her mother manage these things for years. A proper ojou-sama learns fast.
Meanwhile, in the corner, Izumi Masamune had the easiest job of all: keeping the camera centered on Touji.
When there was a lull, he relaxed and scrolled through the comment feed.
"The fans are insane today…" he mumbled, trying not to laugh. Still, his eyes flicked back to Touji's movements. Despite the chaos, Masamune watched carefully—he had learned half his own cooking from this stream.
Elsewhere—far north in Hokkaido—
At a lively izakaya, Kasumigaoka Airi was enjoying dinner with a group of fellow housewives. Amid the chitchat, she opened the stream on her phone and propped it up discreetly beside her plate.
A woman next to her peeked at the screen. "Ara~ Airi-san, you like watching cooking streams too?"
"I don't normally," Airi replied with a warm smile, "But this one's special. That's my son."
"EHHH?!" The woman gasped, and soon several other wives gathered around, their curiosity piqued.
"Your son is Winter-sensei? He's so skilled!" "Why the fox mask?" "Over five thousand viewers… Sugoi!" "Is he in the entertainment business? Or a professional chef?" "How old is he? So mature!"
The questions poured in like a tidal wave.
Airi laughed gently, answering each one with pride sparkling in her eyes.
Watching her son shine on screen—being praised, admired, and cooking with such passion—brought a sense of pride she couldn't hide.
Beaming with joy, she sipped her tea and whispered softly to herself:
"…Touji, you've grown up so well."
…