"I'm full."
"Thank you for the meal."
Izumi Masamune set his bowl and chopsticks down, pressed his palms together in gratitude, then stood up and carried his dishes to the kitchen to wash them.
Kasumigaoka Utaha was the next to finish. But instead of helping clean up, she casually reached for her phone, thumbs tapping away as she waited for her turn at the sink.
Kasumigaoka Touji, who was multitasking between replying to Kani Nayuta and negotiating the dessert shop collaboration, was the last to finish eating. By the time he brought his dishes over, Masamune was already scrubbing the pot.
"Nice, saved me some effort. Good job, Izumi-kun," Touji said with a light chuckle, tossing him a nod of approval.
As he turned, he noticed Utaha approaching. But before he could greet her, she gently kicked his calf.
"Ow?! What was that for?" Touji looked at her, puzzled.
Utaha put on a serene, elegant smile. "Sorry, the space is a bit tight. I must've accidentally bumped into you."
She then set her dishes beside the sink.
"Say, how about Otouto-kun helps me wash them today?"
Three people crowding into a small kitchen was far from ideal, and Utaha clearly had no desire to elbow her way in.
Before Touji could respond, she added playfully, "There's a reward, you know~."
"A reward? What kind of reward?"
"Mmm, that's a secret. You'll have to wait and see~."
Touji gave her a deadpan look. "You're just baiting me with a shiny promise, aren't you? I bet it's nothing special."
"It's already been decided!" Utaha cheerfully declared before turning and striding off like a smug cat who had just claimed victory.
"Wait, I never agreed!"
Masamune, elbow-deep in suds, sighed dramatically. "I feel more and more like background furniture whenever I come over here."
"Then stop coming."
Masamune: "..."
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Touji grinned as he started washing Utaha's dishes.
"Is this what rose-colored youth looks like?" Masamune muttered under his breath.
"Envious, aren't you?"
Masamune clicked his tongue. "I'm this close to punching you."
"You'll get your own someday, Izumi-kun. Don't give up."
"Heh... if only."
A short while later, Masamune dried his hands and made his way to the door. "Alright, I'm heading back. Thanks for the food."
"Take care. Say hi to your sister for me," Touji said, walking him out.
After closing and locking the front door, Touji returned to the living room, where Utaha was lounging with her phone. He crossed his arms and raised a brow.
"Alright, where's my reward?"
Utaha looked up with a sly smile. "Close your eyes."
"It's just a kiss, isn't it?"
He obediently shut his eyes, and a second later, he felt her lips press lightly against his cheek.
"That's it? Just a cheek peck?"
Touji opened one eye skeptically. "Wait—did you even wipe your mouth? It feels oily. Did you kiss me with grilled mackerel lips?!"
He exaggeratedly wiped his cheek, looking like he'd been grievously wronged.
Utaha smacked his shoulder with a mock punch. "Baka! Who has an oily mouth?!"
She huffed, crossing her arms. "You're being greedy, Otouto-kun. That was a thank-you reward for washing dishes. What more do you want? Be grateful I didn't just blow you a kiss from across the room."
"Even greedy capitalists aren't this stingy... your conscience must be completely rotten!"
As he said that, Touji's eyes subtly drifted downward feeling like his hand was moving on its own.
Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow with a dangerous smile.
Utaha caught his gaze instantly, arms still crossed over her chest. She raised a brow and gave
"Otouto-kun.. where do you think you're looking?"
Touji put on an innocent face. "I think... I think I heard your conscience tell me to touch it."
Utaha looked like she was about to burst into laughter. "Oh, please! Baka! Get your ears cleaned, pervert-kun."
Kasumigaoka Utaha nearly burst out laughing, but held it back with a tsundere huff.
"Baka..." she muttered.
After their usual comedic banter, KasumigaokaTouji inally called out to her, "Come on, Utaha-chan, help me bring my laptop and mic upstairs. It's almost time for my 8 PM show."
...
Kasumigaoka Touji usually did his singing streams from his room. His setup was minimalist—just a laptop, Bluetooth mic, speaker, and of course, his signature fox mask.
The clock struck eight.
The moment his stream went live, the chat erupted like a fireworks display at a summer festival.
"Evening, Winter-sensei!", "You're back again! Yay!", "Sing something upbeat today!", "'Fireworks' please!", "Just got dumped, give me something emo!", "How about 'Unravel'?!", "'Lemon'! Lemon! Lemon!", "Can Winter-sensei write me a love song? I'll pay in bento!"
The chat box scrolled at lightning speed, filled with heart emojis, song requests, and unfiltered passion.
Within minutes, the viewer count shot up far faster than his earlier cooking stream. It was clear his music fans were the real army. Compared to the 'wife' fans, 'auntie' fans, and 'older sister' fans from the afternoon, these guys came prepared to be emotionally wrecked—or healed.
Not everyone knew Kasumigaoka Touji could cook, but everyone knew about his voice.
Tonight's setlist was unannounced, but that didn't stop fans from bombarding him with hopeful demands and heartfelt pleas.
Facing the camera, Touji waved lightly and thanked viewers for their gifts. He casually bantered for a bit, then declared:
"Tonight, we're starting with 'Unravel.' I promised someone earlier, after all."
"Wait—who?!", "Is it Kani Nayuta-sensei?!", "Ouch! That hurts, Touji-kun! My heart!", "You traitorrrr~!", "Just stab me next time! T_T"
Neon netizens were never short on drama.
As the backing track began, the mood shifted.
Touji closed his eyes, lips curling into a serene smile.
He leaned toward the mic, voice low and steady—
[Tell me, please tell me the secret within it Who exactly is inside my body?]
A tranquil aura descended as his voice glided through the opening lines.
But once the words "but I can't see anything" left his lips—
Boom.
The drums hit.
Then came the furious piano, rushing forward like a tidal wave.
Guitars joined next, then strings—every note building, blending, climbing.
The entire atmosphere ignited.
The harmony of melody and lyrics carried power and vulnerability, hope and despair.
Combined with Touji's delicate yet emotionally resonant voice—
It was enough to give everyone watching goosebumps.
Even without seeing his face, they could feel it.
His voice pierced screens, pierced hearts.
**********
You can comment the song who's lyrics you'd like to be shown, rather than this one...I'll go with the most liked comment!!