"...It's gone."
With a soft thud, Eriri Spencer Sawamura turned to the last page and stared at it with dissatisfaction. Her lips formed a small pout, her sky-blue eyes shimmering with a deep sense of... loss.
"Eh? That's it? So short?! Baka Touji... I didn't even get to savor it properly!"
She flopped back into her gamer chair, limbs dangling as if life had drained from her. Her long twin tails swayed with the motion. The taste of the story still lingered on her mental palate, bittersweet and full of tension.
"Kaneki Ken... what happened to him after he got the 'food'? Did he eat it? He must've, right? Poor guy can't eat human food anymore... so he has no choice but to—" she paused, shivering slightly, "—munch on people? Uwahh, dark."
Question after question flooded her overactive mind. The story was gripping enough, sure—but what really messed with her tsundere brain was this:
"Touji-kun... you actually wrote this? Seriously? Like... seriously seriously? After coming home from school? Not even during vacation or something?!"
Eriri clasped her cheeks with both hands and made a disbelieving noise. Her cheeks puffed out.
"Unbelievable... baka Touji... How did you even pull this off?!"
Despite her suspicion, she had no choice but to accept the truth.
Because...
The narrative and tone matched "Unravel" perfectly. It was like someone had reverse-engineered the manga from the song. Or maybe the song was secretly born from the manga?!
Her heart skipped a beat. "That's just crazy...!"
"Creating a manga from a song isn't the same as writing lyrics for a story, you know! It's a whole different dimension of effort!"
Lyrics compress meaning into a few verses, like syrup distilled from raw fruit. But this... expanding a few haunting lines into an immersive, emotional narrative?
Eriri sat upright and clenched her fists. "If he can keep this up...!"
Her heartbeat betrayed her. "Thump, thump—"
No, no, no! Get a grip, Eriri! she thought as she fanned her cheeks with both hands.
Yet she couldn't stop herself. Her gaze flickered toward her phone.
Almost as if possessed, she opened Line and began furiously typing:
'What about the rest? I need to see the rest before making a decision.'
Her thumb hovered over the send button.
But her pride, the ever-burning fire of a true tsundere, screamed in protest.
"Ugh... I can't just message him like this, right after totally dismissing him earlier...! He'll think I'm just flip-flopping or something. Arghhh, mouuu!"
Delete.
The message vanished.
Eriri folded her arms and huffed. "Hmph! I'll wait. Let him message me first. Then I'll consider replying. Maybe."
She scrolled back to the beginning of the document, reading it again for the third time.
Still gripping her phone like a lifeline. Still waiting.
"..."
Meanwhile—
Kasumigaoka Touji was saying his goodnights to Kani Nayuta.
『Nayuta-san, rest early. Don't push yourself too hard.』
『Mmm. You too, senpai.』
After the brief exchange, he gently set his phone down on the bedside table.
10:03 PM.
Unlike Eriri, he didn't message Utaha.
There was no need.
They understood each other beyond words—a sort of silent synchronization.
Saying anything else would just be excessive.
The room was quiet, bathed in darkness. Heavy curtains muffled the glow from the outside streetlamps.
Touji lay under his light AC blanket, warm and cozy. His heart pounded with anticipation.
Tonight's the night...
He was prepared.
Prepared for her to sneak into his room like some mischievous ninja in a midnight raid.
He'd counterattack! Reverse the ambush! Maybe even... go all the way.
He paused.
"Wait... is her period over? If not... well, there are other ways. Hehe."
Touji chuckled to himself in the dark, the sound of a teenage boy lost in a romantic daydream.
Like a rollercoaster, his mind dipped and rose, every thought spiking his adrenaline.
But then... time passed.
Too much time.
"Where is she...?"
Touji turned to look at the clock again.
11:02 PM.
His heart sank.
"Don't tell me... that sly fox is playing with me!"
It was completely within the realm of possibility. Utaha loved to tease. This wouldn't be out of character for her at all.
Touji sat up, ears perked like a cat, trying to catch the slightest sound from the room next door.
Nothing.
Absolute silence.
"Is she... sleeping already?! I waited like an idiot for an hour!" he whispered in frustration.
He couldn't take it anymore.
"Forget this!"
He tossed off his blanket, grabbed a certain essential item—ahem—and slipped on his slippers.
With ninja-like stealth, Touji tiptoed toward the door, phone in hand, flashlight on.
"If you won't come to me, then I'll raid you! Fufufu... prepare yourself, Utaha-nee!"
The thrill of rebellion made his steps light.
Reaching her bedroom door, he noticed the absence of light beneath it.
"Lights off. She's probably in bed already... Perfect!"
Heart racing like a drumroll before a final boss battle, Touji reached for the doorknob.
Twist.
Push.
Clunk!
The door didn't budge.
Touji's face fell.
Locked.
"Oi... did you actually anticipate this?!"
"You... locked it?! Baka Utaha! That's cheating!!"
Kasumigaoka Touji was now more inclined to believe that Kasumigaoka Utaha was just playing with him… What was even more frustrating was that he had actually fallen for it, baka na ore! He'd waited like some lovestruck kouhai for over an hour, expecting her to show up like a ninja in the night.
"This is highway robbery!"
"So what do I do now?!"
Kasumigaoka Touji didn't know how to pick locks, nor did he have a master key to Utaha-nee-san's room. And banging on her door like a child throwing a tantrum? That lacked all dignity of a proper night raid.
He stood there in the pitch-black hallway, tsukkomi-ing in his head for a while, before glaring at Utaha's bedroom door like a shounen protagonist glaring down his nemesis. Then, with a dissatisfied "hmph!" he turned on his heel and returned to his room, tail between his legs.
"Damn you, Utaha… you'll pay for this tomorrow!"
"How dare you toy with my pure heart like this! You must take responsibility, you hear me?!"
"(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻"
"I'll spank your cute little butt until it's red!" he growled.
"…Ugh, but please no surprise blood. That would be bad. Real bad."
…
2:30 AM.
A sharp, soft alarm echoed in Kasumigaoka Utaha's bedroom. It wasn't loud, just enough to awaken someone who had been half-expecting it.
She opened her sleepy eyes, blinking into the darkness, still not fully awake.
But then… a sly smirk tugged at the corners of her lips.
"Fufu~ now it's my turn to attack~"
Utaha-nee-san sat up with a start, gracefully tossing off her air-conditioning blanket like a caped crusader beginning her mission.
With the dim glow of her phone lighting her way, she padded over to her door.
"Hm? Has he already come?"
She noticed the hair tie she'd left on the doorknob—a covert signal—was lying on the floor. Her crimson eyes gleamed in the dark like a mischievous youkai.
"Fufu~ impatient little brother~ you really came sneaking around like a hentai protagonist~"
She bent down, scooped up the hair tie, tossed it onto her bed, then carefully and quietly unlocked her door.
Now free— Utaha tiptoed down the hall, headed straight for Touji's bedroom. Her steps were light, but her heart? It was pounding like a war drum.
"2:30 AM… should be prime sleeping time for young boys. Perfect."
Like a kunoichi, she approached his door, phone in hand, and reached for the knob.
Click.
It opened!
Mission: Night Raid was a go!
Her eyes sparkled with mischief and excitement. She silently stepped inside like a cat stalking its prey.
There he was—Kasumigaoka Touji, sleeping like an innocent little kouhai. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she approached.
Her breath quickened.
Carefully placing her phone on the nightstand, she knelt beside the bed, then slowly slid one hand beneath the covers...
…
Touji twitched.
In his dreams, he was in a gorgeous sakura-filled park. The petals rained down like snow, swirling all around. He was laughing, surrounded by friends and admiration.
Suddenly, a giant hand descended from the heavens, grabbed him like a claw machine catching a rare prize, and yanked him into the clouds—
"Gghh…?"
His brows furrowed.
Something felt… off.
In his drowsy haze, he felt an unnatural warmth—something soft, something moving. A hand?
"Huh?!"
His eyes shot open.
A silhouette loomed beside his bed. A dark figure. A GIRL?!
"Oi—W-What the hell?!"
He sat bolt upright, heart racing. "Who—?!"
"Eep~! You scared me, baka~!"
The shadow leaned back, then leaned forward again—unapologetically—still groping beneath the covers with a devilish grin.
"You're so naughty when you sleep, Touji-kun~"
"…Kasumigaoka Utaha!!"
He recognized that silky voice immediately and almost growled her name.
"Mou~! Say 'Onee-san,' you ungrateful brat!" she chided, still playing the part.
"So this is how you wanna play, huh?" Touji growled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "This is your idea of a night raid?"
She had deliberately waited until the dead of night, snuck into his room, and then had the gall to act all flirty while touching him?!
Yare yare daze…
"Tonight," Touji said, voice dripping with vengeance, "I'm going to properly punish you."
The words had barely left his lips before he lunged.
"W-Wait—kyaa~!" Utaha yelped as she was yanked onto the bed, squeaking like a startled mascot character.
His hands moved quickly—one striking her heart (metaphorically), the other going on the offensive.
"Your yelps only increase my critical hit rate, you know!" he muttered darkly.
"Y-You brute! This is abuse!"
"You planned this, didn't you?! Playing innocent and locking the door earlier!"
"W-Wait! That—Ah! I-I can explain—!"
"Too late, Utaha! Time to face judgment!"
Touji's smirk widened as he pinned Utaha under him, caging her in with his arms. "You've been driving me crazy all day, Utaha. It's only fair I return the favor."
He leaned down, his breath tickling her ear. "Unless, of course, you want me to stop." His voice dripped with challenge.
She shivered, her cheeks flushing as she looked up at him. "Don't you dare."
He chuckled, low and predatory, before capturing her mouth in a searing kiss. His hands roamed her body, exploring her curves through the thin fabric of her clothes. She gasped, arching into his touch, her hands gripping his shoulders for support.
He broke the kiss, trailing his lips down her neck, her collarbone, until he reached the hem of her top. He looked up, his eyes dark with desire. "May I?"
She nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes."
He pulled her top off, his eyes appreciating the view of her lacy bra. He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the swell of her breast. Her breath hitched as he traced the edge of her bra with his finger, his knuckle brushing against her nipple.
He looked up, his smile wicked. "You like that, don't you?"
She bit her lip, nodding. He chuckled, his finger hooking into the strap of her bra, pulling it down. Her breast popped out, her nipple hard and straining. He leaned down, capturing it in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the peak.
She cried out, her fingers tangling in his hair, holding him to her. He switched to her other breast, giving it the same attention while his hand caressed her thigh, inching higher and higher. She squirmed, her breath coming in short gasps.
He slid his hand under her skirt, his fingers finding the edge of her panties. He traced the lace, his knuckle brushing against her core. She whimpered, her hips jerking. He looked up, his eyes gleaming. "You're already so wet, Utaha. Such a good girl."
He slipped a finger inside her, his thumb circling her clit. She moaned, her body moving in sync with his hand. He added another finger, filling her, stretching her. She gasped, her body tensing as her orgasm approached.
He withdrew his fingers, making her whimper in protest. He stood up, his hands going to his belt. "What's wrong, Utaha? Don't you want more?"
She nodded, her eyes wide. He smirked, pushing down his pants and underwear, revealing himself. He guided her hand to him, wrapping her fingers around his length. She gasped, her eyes meeting his.
He leaned down, capturing her mouth in another kiss. "Touch me, Utaha. Show me how much you want this."
She did, her hand moving in steady strokes as he guided her with his own hand. He broke the kiss, his breath ragged. "That's enough, for now."
He spun her around, bending her over the bed. He pulled down her skirt and panties, leaving her exposed. She gasped, her fingers digging into the bedsheets.
He knelt behind her, his hands gripping her hips. He leaned down, his tongue tracing her slit. She cried out, her body writhing as he teased her with his mouth and fingers.
He built her up slowly, torturously, until she was begging for release. And when she finally came, it was with a scream that echoed through the room. But he didn't stop there. He continued to tease her, kiss her, lick her, drawing out one orgasm after another, until she was boneless and spent.
Two hours later, he finally relented, pulling her into his lap as they caught their breath together. "Had enough, Utaha?"
She smirked, turning to face him. "Not even close."
And so, the night continued.
She had no chance to escape. Touji was relentless. His combo attacks were precise. Her HP bar? Depleting rapidly.
The punishment continued… and continued… for two whole hours!
By the time the faint light of dawn peeked through the curtains, Utaha lay breathless, completely subdued.
In that quiet moment, both of them could hear the soft chirping of birds waking up with the sun.
"…Next time," Utaha whispered with a faint smile, "I'm bringing reinforcements."
"Bring whoever you want," Touji replied smugly. "I'll take you all down."
And thus, the night raid came to its legendary end.
…Until next time.
—To be continued—
******