As "siblings" who had lived under the same roof for over ten years, Kasumigaoka Utaha understood Kasumigaoka Touji better than anyone.
So when he suddenly responded with an unusually vague tone, she immediately caught the hint of perfunctoriness in his words.
Just as she narrowed her eyes to say something snarky, she noticed Touji tilt his head up, his gaze fixed on the space above her. Then he glanced off to the side, a mixture of surprise and tenderness flickering across his face.
"Hmm? Are you being greeted by an invisible yokai or maybe a wandering spirit?" Utaha-san asked playfully, lifting her eyes to the same spot as him.
"Of course not." Kasumigaoka Touji blinked at her. "And let's be real—assuming yokai and spirits do exist in this world, I don't exactly have Onmyo eyes or anything."
"Then what were you staring at so intently, hmm?" she asked, arching a skeptical eyebrow.
Touji gave a rare, honest answer.
"I was looking at Utaha's dream."
There was not even a shred of hesitation in his tone.
Utaha tilted her head, her expression morphing into the classic anime-style question mark look—clearly baffled.
"Looking at… my dream? What is this, some shounen power-up arc? What, is my dream floating around like a subtitle in the air or something?"
Despite the ridiculousness of his claim, she could tell from his serious expression that he wasn't lying.
"So, did you see anything good in there?"
As they made their way toward the bulletin board, Utaha lightly wrapped her hand around his arm and leaned in closer, her voice casual.
"I saw… that you want to have two children with me."
Boom.
Utaha nearly tripped on flat ground. Her body stiffened. Her cheeks, always composed and cool like a literary heroine, flushed a soft shade of pink.
She turned her head, a storm of complex emotions whirling in her eyes—shock, shyness, a hint of joy, and a touch of embarrassment.
Her lips curled into a teasing smile. "Touji-kun, are you sure that was my dream?"
"I'm starting to think you're just projecting your secret desires and blaming them on me. What a baka~!"
"I swear it's your dream! The system doesn't lie!" Touji muttered to himself while raising both hands in mock surrender, blinking innocently.
" And what about your dream then? Let me guess—" she narrowed her eyes playfully. "It's wagging your tail at your nee-san and panting like a loyal puppy, isn't it?"
Touji looked utterly scandalized. "Oi! Am I a dog to you?!"
"You can be~" she replied, smug.
"You're so dead—!" he elbowed her lightly in retaliation, earning a muffled giggle.
Just then, they arrived at the bulletin board where a crowd had already gathered to look at the newly posted class rosters.
As soon as people spotted the tall beauty that was Kasumigaoka Utaha, they instinctively stepped aside to make space. It was an unspoken rule—beauty had its privileges, especially in school.
"Alright, my cute Otouto-kun," Utaha said with a smirk, "this is the First Year class list. You start looking from Class H on the right, and I'll check from Class A on the left."
"Roger that," Touji replied, nodding before turning to scan the lists from his side.
Their brief exchange didn't go unnoticed by the surrounding students. Several boys perked up at her words.
"Did she just say... Otouto-kun?"
So they weren't a couple?
The realization hit them like a blessing from the heavens. The boys straightened their backs, fixed their ties, and tried their best to look cool. Some subtly adjusted their hair in the reflection of the bulletin board. It was a full-on display of high school male peacocking.
Unfortunately for them, the school's goddess—Kasumigaoka Utaha—had no interest in them whatsoever. She didn't even spare a glance. Her focus was entirely on the rosters in front of her.
"Found it! I'm in Class G!" Touji's voice rang out with a hint of satisfaction.
His name, Kasumigaoka Touji, was unique enough that there wasn't likely to be a duplicate. Still, Utaha insisted on double-checking the entire list to be sure. After confirming it, they moved to the next bulletin board.
"Wait, is that a senpai...?"
Some of the first-year girls behind them whispered.
"She's so pretty... like an actress straight out of a drama."
"She has that mysterious bookish aura, like a true literary heroine..."
"I know her! That's Kasumigaoka Utaha-senpai from Second Year! She's not just beautiful—she's also the top of her grade every semester!"
"No way! She's perfect... this is the level of a true school idol!"
The soft murmurs echoed behind them, a mix of admiration and awe. Even girls couldn't help being drawn to Utaha's quiet elegance.
Touji blinked as he listened to the buzz. Utaha's charm had grown even more potent since junior high—her mere presence sparked a storm of whispers. Just standing near her made him feel like he'd stepped into the background of a shoujo manga.
They made their way to the Second Year list.
"I'm in Class B," Utaha announced soon after.
"Oh. Then where's my classroom?"
"I'll take you there," she replied with a tone that brooked no argument.
"Eh? Isn't that kind of embarrassing? I'm not a kid anymore," Touji muttered with an awkward expression.
He understood, of course—this was less about escorting and more about showing territorial dominance.
"It's fine~ We're in the same building anyway. Don't make a fuss," she said nonchalantly, looping her arm through his with ease.
The First and Second Years shared the L-shaped academic building. The Third Years, meanwhile, were relegated to the rear annex. Still, Touji sighed in defeat, letting himself be dragged along.
"Ugh, can't win against this kind of doting Onee-san archetype..." he muttered under his breath.
As they neared the school building, something caught Touji's attention. Among the incoming students was a short-haired girl standing alone, and above her head floated a faint golden exclamation mark.
His eyes narrowed.
A quest marker? But… nothing popped up this time.
Was it distance? Or did he need to trigger a condition—maybe actually talking to them first?
Before he could puzzle it out, Utaha tugged him toward the entrance.
They stopped at the shoe lockers labeled by class: Class G for Touji, Class B for Utaha. After changing into their indoor slippers, the two reunited at the base of the stairs.
"Alright, let's get you settled, G-kun," Utaha said with a smirk, casually leading the way up.
"This definitely feels more like being escorted to prison..." Touji muttered with a deadpan expression.