The song "fireworks" had the live broadcast room bursting with excitement. Online viewership soared past twenty thousand, and virtual gifts rained in like confetti at a festival.
"Arigatou, everyone! Really, thank you so much for your support!"
Kasumigaoka Touji—or rather, TWinter-sensei, as his online alias went—gratefully thanked the fans, interacting with them warmly before smoothly transitioning into the third song of the night: "Lemon."
A melancholic and poetic melody filled the room.
This piece was originally a major hit from the legendary artist Hachiya. Back in his original world, Touji remembered how this song had become wildly popular, mostly due to its association with the drama "Unnatural Death."
Unfortunately, in this world, the song lacked its former resonance. It wasn't just a matter of cultural differences; the complementary visuals, story, and emotional context from the original drama were missing.
"Lemon" wasn't just a song. It was a gentle, unspoken elegy about death, grief, and the quiet regrets of the living. The lyrics never mentioned death directly, but the emotion was palpable. Without the original drama's scenes, though, something essential felt lost.
Still, even here, his audience seemed touched.
Kasumigaoka Touji had often fantasized about bringing over those dramas or anime as well. But he wasn't a god, and such a feat was far beyond his power. Substitute works simply couldn't replicate the same effect.
Time ticked on quietly. Before long, the moon had climbed high above the quiet town. The sleepy silence of the small city night made the occasional passing car feel oddly loud.
Touji glanced at the corner of his screen. "Eh? Already past ten?"
After nearly two hours of non-stop singing and chatting, he stretched his arms and smiled gently at the webcam.
"Alright, minna-san~ That's all for today!"
"I've got to head to my new school tomorrow, so it's time for a shower and some sleep."
The chat exploded in reaction:
"Encore! One more song!" "Nooo! Don't go yet, Winter-sensei!" "Good night~ sweet dreams!" "Which school? Tell usss! We promise we won't stalk you (´▽`)" "Lemme take you home~ Winter-kun~!"
Others threw in teasing remarks:
"Sleep is for the weak! Party all night!" "Why sleep now? You'll sleep forever when you're dead!"
Touji chuckled. The contrast between clingy fans and chaotic memes always made his heart feel warm.
He ended the stream with a soft wave, a gentle "Oyasumi," and shut off the broadcast.
"Phew~! Yatta..."
Leaning back in his gaming chair, he removed his mask and let out a deep sigh. Task complete.
He powered off the laptop, tidied his desk a bit, and reached for his phone.
Unsurprisingly, he had a flood of new messages.
The most recent was from his mom in the family group chat: [@Touji You worked hard today. Take a bath and sleep early!]
Touji smiled softly and replied with a simple "Okay."
Next were messages from Kasumigaoka Utaha:
["I've finished bathing."] ["You can enjoy nee-san's bathwater~"] ["You worked hard today, my dear Otouto-kun~"]
She had gone to bathe at 9:30, perfectly timing it so he could soak right after finishing.
Touji rolled his eyes with a wry smile and replied with a sticker: ["I'm going to bathe now, don't you dare peek! (>///<)"]
Grabbing clean underwear and pajamas, he headed downstairs.
Halfway down, curiosity got the better of him, and he opened his messages from Kani Nayuta.
As expected, hers were the most numerous.
["Sounds good!"] she had messaged minutes into the stream, adding a flower-offering emoji.
Later came more probing messages: ["Are you a siscon?"] ["Do you like Kasumi Utako-sensei? Or is she your child bride?"]
Finally, one sweet and simple line: ["You worked hard. (^_^)"]
"...Baka," he muttered, resisting the urge to facepalm.
Opening a new chat with Utaha, Touji messaged:
[Touji.]: "Why are you telling everyone everything?!"
Utaha, who had already replied earlier with a dismissive "Who would peek at you, you idiot," had yet to respond. Touji sent an exaggerated disgust emoji to follow up.
He wasn't particularly surprised that Utaha had added Kani Nayuta to her contacts. After all, they were both published authors, and Utaha had always praised "The Silvery Landscape" quite a lot—it wasn't unusual for two fellow creators to exchange messages, especially when meeting under such dramatic livestream circumstances.
Still, Touji was a bit puzzled… How exactly did their conversation end up branding him a siscon? Or even worse… a child groom?!
[Kasumi Utako]: "So how did you reply?"
Utaha's question popped up on his screen, purposefully ignoring the actual issue.
Touji, who had just sent Kani Nayuta a "Yes, that's right" emoji in jest, arrived at the bathroom door and casually typed back:
[Touji.]: "I told her it was all fake, nothing of the sort."
[Kasumi Utako]: "You actually denied it?! Unbelievable!"
[Kasumi Utako]: "You haven't even finished what's in your own bowl, and now you're reaching for the pot?!"
[Kasumi Utako]: "You absolute scoundrel!"
[Kasumi Utako]: "Should I just chop it off right now?!"
She even followed it with a sticker: "Yandere holding a blood-stained cleaver.jpg."
[Touji.]: "…"
[Touji.]: "Calm down! Yandere isn't even your attribute!"
Now fully undressed and soaking in the warm bathwater, Touji typed out his reply with a sweatdrop on his brow. Why did she always escalate so fast?!
Utaha, of course, wasn't done yet.
[Kasumi Utako]: "Then what is my attribute?"
Touji: "…"
Before he could type a witty comeback, a new notification popped up from Kani Nayuta.
[Kani Nayuta]: "I really, really, really like Winter-sensei!"
[Kani Nayuta]: "Last year, something awful happened, and I couldn't bring myself to go to school anymore… I started shutting myself in, just numbly playing games, reading manga, and light novels all day. Then one day, I heard your song, 'Unravel'… and it brought light back into my world."
[Kani Nayuta]: "If there's even the slightest chance… please give me that opportunity. Even if I'm just a side-chick, I'm fine with that!"
And finally, as if sealing her confession, she attached a photo—a beautiful silver-haired girl with clear, determined eyes.
[Kani Nayuta]: "This is me."
"…"
Leaning back into the tub, letting the warmth envelop him, Touji picked up his phone from the bath caddy and stared at the screen.
The soft ripples in the water couldn't match the waves of chaos stirring inside his mind.
Especially after reading Kani Nayuta's message…
"…Eh?"
The live stream had ended, but the drama had only just begun.
**********
Damn, bro isn't even trying!!!
Recently, a mutual friend introduced me and my clique to her friend, a girl. I didn't know her, so, I didn't talk to her much after introducing myself.
Days later, the mutual friend tells me that this chic has a crush on me. I'm like oh, okay...
To clarify, I'm from the third world, where every girl dates or likes someone to climb up the socio-economic ladder. While I am just a fresh graduate, nothing to my account and still dreaming of employment.
However, this girl is from a loaded family, thus I thought that there might have been a possibility for something good.
Couple of weeks later, after thinking and rethinking whether I should shoot my shot, I request her phone number from the mutual friend. I get it and send the first "Hey" to kickoff the conversation....well. let's just say the crickets are doing quite the job keeping me company...
Did I mention that I'm the tropics and the weather isn't very friendly to single people right now?
And she's an 8/10 on my scale...
A friend of mine said the secret is in numbers, so I should be blowing up her inbox saying hey,hey,hey like the intro to the song "Not Stupid" by Burning Spear.
It's not looking good guys...