"Haa~."
Kasumigaoka Touji yawned broadly, slinging his school bag over his shoulder as he trudged into the classroom just as the bell rang. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, still groggy from the night before.
And it was all Baka Utaha's fault!
She had the nerve to barge into his room at 2:30 AM for a "surprise attack," leaving him with barely any sleep. If he hadn't set multiple alarms before his nap, he would've easily slept straight through the morning.
No time for breakfast or bento prep today—Touji and his sister, Kasumigaoka Utaha, had to rush their morning routine. They took turns using the sink and left the house with their school bags slung over their backs.
Breakfast was convenience store steamed buns, lunch was already packed rice balls for Touji, and a pineapple bun for Utaha. They'd prepared these in advance, sparing themselves from the dreadful queue at the school store later.
"..."
"Eriri Spencer Sawamura, are you okay? You look kinda out of it today. Did you not sleep well?"
One of the girls surrounding Eriri looked at her with concern, noticing her lack of energy.
"Huh? Last night..."
Eriri blinked and tried to come up with an excuse, but before she could say more, another girl piped up confidently.
"It must be because of that creep, Anjima Masahei, right?"
"Ugh, yeah. If I had to deal with someone like that, I wouldn't be able to sleep either. That guy gives me the chills."
The first girl scowled and shot a glare at Anjima's desk, her expression one of clear disgust.
There was no denying it—among the girls, Anjima Masahei was as welcome as a cockroach in a bento box.
"Yeah, that's right!" Eriri quickly nodded, thankful they provided her a reason.
She cast a sneaky glance toward the back of the classroom where Touji had just sat down, still yawning like a zombie.
He didn't look well-rested either...
Could it be... he was also waiting for her message last night?
Come to think of it, Touji had sent her several texts, and she hadn't replied to a single one.
Eriri puffed her cheeks in slight embarrassment, her eyes flicking back to her phone.
"Speaking of which, Anjima hasn't shown up today either."
"Hmph, probably too ashamed to come back."
"Wouldn't blame him..."
"..."
In the end, Anjima never came back at all.
A few days later, during the morning assembly, Touji heard from Kojima Kana that Anjima had transferred schools.
Just as expected.
...
The gentle breeze of spring drifted through the open windows as lunchtime arrived. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, their petals fluttering like confetti in the wind.
Touji stood by the wire mesh fence on the school rooftop, holding a teriyaki chicken rice ball in hand as he gazed down at the cherry blossom path that stretched from the school gates.
Beside him sat Kasumigaoka Utaha.
She was elegantly multitasking: her left hand held volume three of The Reincarnated Silver Wolf, and her right clutched a half-eaten pineapple bun. She flipped pages and took small bites in perfect rhythm, looking like a painting come to life.
Suddenly, she paused. Moving both book and bun to the side, she looked down at Touji, who had casually rested his head on her lap.
"Touji-kun, what exactly do you think you're doing?"
Her wine-red eyes blinked twice, her voice smooth but tinged with amusement. Her exquisite features, framed by silky hair, curved into a faint smile.
"I'm taking a break. That's all."
From this angle, her thighs looked like a gentle slope from the side—but from the front, they were... well, majestic.
Lying beneath her, Touji was thoroughly mesmerized.
When she leaned forward to scold him, a few soft strands of her hair tickled his face.
He instinctively reached up and brushed them away.
"Since when did my lap become your personal pillow? And you even look so smug about it..."
Utaha lowered her book and switched her pineapple bun to the other hand, using her free hand to gently pinch his cheek.
Her touch was light, her fingertips warm and soft—more like a relaxing massage than punishment. Touji, ever the opportunist, took full advantage of it.
"Whose fault do you think it is that I'm dead tired?"
"Tsk~"
Utaha raised a brow. "You were the one acting all eager and excited last night. Practically vibrating with anticipation after my 'hint'..."
"And now you're pretending like nothing happened? You shameless little weasel."
"Oi! Don't twist things! Who the heck does a surprise raid at 2:30 in the morning?! That's criminal behavior!"
Touji groaned in protest, glaring up at her.
"That's just how our family rolls."
Utaha smirked, her lips curving like a mischievous fox.
Touji sighed in defeat.
He was seriously starting to think their family needed an exorcist.
...
"Our family tradition," Utaha said proudly, her lips curving into a teasing smile.
As she looked up from her book, perhaps due to the angle of her neck, Utaha stretched slightly, straightening her posture.
Her chest bounced with that motion—a natural yet devastating sight.
Touji felt his heartbeat spike.
"Maybe I should... discipline her again."
He banished the thought with a cough.
...
Lunchtime passed in the blink of an eye. When the bell signaled the end, Touji and Utaha left the rooftop and returned to class.
As soon as he took his seat, a message popped up on his phone screen:
[Eriri Spencer Sawamura]: "Don't run off after school. We need to talk."
Touji raised an eyebrow.
"Oho? The fish has bitten the hook... But what's with this delinquent-like tone?"
Still, considering Eriri's tsundere tendencies, he shrugged it off and casually replied: "Fine."
The remaining afternoon classes passed without incident. Yesterday's chaos involving Anjima Masahei had blown over quickly—Toyosaki Private Academy still prided itself on discipline.
When the final bell rang, Touji lazily packed his bag and looked toward Eriri.
She was surrounded by a group of curious classmates.
"Sorry, sorry~ I already have plans after school," Eriri said in her polished ojou-sama tone, placing her hands together politely.
"Eh? Is it a date?" someone asked, tension rising.
"Nope," Eriri responded flatly, before turning toward Touji with a dazzling smile.
"I just want to thank Kasumigaoka-kun for stepping in so gallantly yesterday. I thought a small treat would be appropriate."
All eyes in the room shifted to him.
Touji kept a straight face and nodded calmly. "That's right."
"You lucky bastard!" "Damn, I'm so jealous!" "You already have an upperclassman! Leave Eriri-chan alone!"
Ignoring the muttering chorus of envy, Touji left the classroom with Eriri.
As they walked down the hallway, Touji glanced over and asked, "Hey, mind if Utaha comes along? I don't really keep secrets from her."
Eriri visibly stiffened.
Her identity as Kashiwagi Eri wasn't something she wanted widely known. Still, knowing Utaha's background as a published author, she hesitated.
"Utaha-senpai won't say anything... right?"
"Of course not," Touji replied, full of confidence. "Utaha's as tight-lipped as they come."
Eriri narrowed her eyes. "You said the exact same thing yesterday... and that very night, she found out."
Touji: "..."
"Ahem, okay, that's on me. But it was a total accident! I didn't expect you two to know each other online! This world is too small, seriously! And I didn't even drop your name—I just said you were a classmate!"
He waved his hands defensively.
Eriri gave a soft snort but didn't refute him.
She already knew all that.
Otherwise, she wouldn't even be speaking to him right now.
...