On the Two-Person Chairlift
"Haa… the air has gotten noticeably colder."
On the swaying chairlift, Kasumigaoka Utaha rubbed her hands together and let out a breath. The warm air from her lungs instantly condensed into a wisp of white mist upon meeting the frigid atmosphere.
"It must be below zero up here…" Touji-kun murmured.
The temperature dropped steadily with altitude. He glanced down at the ski resort blanketed in pristine white snow, watching the distant figures below—some showcasing impressive tricks and skills on the slopes, others clearly timid beginners wobbling along.
"It won't feel cold once we start moving," he added.
Even as he said this, he proactively wrapped a thin, imperceptible layer of psychokinetic energy around Kasumigaoka Utaha, forming an insulating barrier against the biting cold.
"...Huh?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha belatedly stopped rubbing her hands. She blinked, looking down at her own palms with a flicker of surprise. Then, as if connecting the dots, she turned her face toward Kasumigaoka Touji, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Did Nii-san do something just now?"
"Yep," he admitted with a small, proud smile. "Wrapped you in a layer of psychokinesis. A personal climate control system."
Kasumigaoka Touji looked at her, his gaze softening with undisguised affection.
Upon hearing this, Utaha-san's eyes widened further, followed by a spark of pure, unadulterated envy.
"Psychokinesis can be used like that too? That's incredible!"
She was genuinely envious!
Who wouldn't want to possess superpowers?
Moreover, she was still in her teens—underage and full of fantastical dreams. And as a light novel author, her yearning for such extraordinary things far surpassed that of ordinary people.
It was a pity such abilities couldn't be acquired through desire alone. In her entire life, Kasumigaoka Touji was the only person she knew who possessed them.
...
Kasumigaoka Utaha fell into thoughtful silence, her gaze lingering on her brother.
"What's up? What's on your mind?" Touji-kun asked, intrigued by her pensive expression.
"Hmm… I'm just wondering if Nii-san is even human anymore."
Upon closer reflection, his physical capabilities weren't exactly normal either…
Driven by curiosity, Kasumigaoka Utaha raised her hand and gently brushed her fingertips—delicate and tipped with a soft pink—against Kasumigaoka Touji's chest.
"Hey now! Trying to revoke my humanity card out of the blue? That's going too far!" Touji-kun protested with a laugh.
A playful smile curved her lips. "Well, normal humans aren't supposed to have superpowers, you know…"
"That's not necessarily true," he countered.
"What? Has Nii-san seen other people with abilities?" she pressed, her interest piqued.
"Not really… but I'm living proof right here, aren't I?" He puffed out his chest with theatrical pride.
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at him, blinking slowly, before delivering her verdict.
"No… I'm afraid Nii-san's humanity membership has already been officially revoked."
"You're so mean, Onee-san!"
Touji-kun reached over to tickle her sides in retaliation. Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately shrieked and squirmed, trying to defend herself. Their playful tussle caused the two-person chairlift to sway noticeably.
This drew a pair of raised eyebrows from their parents riding in the chair behind them. Kasumigaoka Airi couldn't help calling out, a note of maternal worry in her voice.
"Hey! You two! Be careful up there! Don't go falling off!"
After all, the chairlift had no seatbelts or guardrails, and they were suspended quite high above the snowy ground. Parental anxiety was a natural reflex.
"Got it!" Touji-kun called back over his shoulder, temporarily ceasing hostilities. He shot his sister a mock-stern look. "You're getting it later!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha's mind inexplicably flashed back to the previous night. Her heartbeat quickened slightly, and a familiar weakness crept into her legs. But not wanting to back down, she lifted her chin and snorted lightly.
"Don't get too cocky, Nii-san!"
She made a mental note to discuss strategy with Kani Nayuta later. Perhaps a coordinated effort… a rotation battle was needed. They had to defeat him at least once. Constant defeat was only fueling his arrogance. She felt Kasumigaoka Touji had grown noticeably more… insufferable lately.
...
Lost in their respective thoughts, the two soon arrived at the ski resort station.
Together with their parents, they rented four sets of equipment from the resort's gear shop and stepped out into the brilliant white landscape.
"So Touji-kun is getting into snowboarding now too!"
Kasumigaoka Eiji remarked with a sigh, watching his son expertly handle the snowboard. Compared to skis, snowboarding offered more freedom and flexibility, appealing to those seeking a challenge and an adrenaline rush.
(Incidentally, Dad was also on a snowboard, while Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kasumigaoka Airi had opted for skis.)
"Want your old man to give you some pointers? Is this your first time?" Kasumigaoka Eiji puffed out his chest, radiating paternal enthusiasm. This was a classic father-son bonding opportunity!
"No need, Dad. I've watched plenty of tutorial videos and know the theory. I just lack some practical experience," Touji-kun declined subtly, securing his bindings.
"Uh… alright then." A flicker of disappointment and a hint of loneliness passed over Kasumigaoka Eiji's face. His son was just too capable, too independent. As a father, he sometimes felt a distinct lack of opportunities to shine!
"Touji-kun, take it easy at first. Don't try anything fancy; focus on getting stable," Kasumigaoka Airi cautioned, her motherly concern surfacing. She was worried he'd immediately attempt advanced tricks and end up hurting himself. Snowboarding was, after all, classified as an extreme sport.
"Understood," Touji-kun replied, giving her a thumbs-up. He then turned to his sister. "Alright, you go first. I'll catch up."
"Why are you chasing me?" Kasumigaoka Utaha retorted, but a playful glint was in her eyes. With a practiced push of her ski poles, she glided smoothly away onto the groomed trail.
Kasumigaoka Touji found a suitable slope and positioned himself.
Kasumigaoka Airi and Kasumigaoka Eiji exchanged a look. Without a word, they split up—one gliding off after their daughter, the other following their son.
"Yosh—!"
With his feet securely locked into the snowboard bindings, Kasumigaoka Touji gave his father a brief nod and then pushed off down the slope.
By now, Kasumigaoka Utaha had already melted into the crowd of skiers and snowboarders. But the thin layer of psychokinesis Touji-kun had placed on her remained. It allowed him to see through the "sea of people," and from dozens or even hundreds of meters away, he instantly pinpointed Kasumigaoka Utaha's silhouette—a spot of white down jacket against the white snow. Without the psychokinetic marker, she would have been nearly impossible to track.
But now that he had her locked on…
He bent his knees, leaned forward into a more aerodynamic posture, and gave a subtle mental nudge. His snowboard, aided by an imperceptible psychokinetic push, began to pick up speed at an unnatural rate.
Behind him—
"Eh? How is he going that fast already?!"
Dad, who had just begun his own descent, was momentarily stunned. He quickly leaned into his own turn, accelerating with the skill born of years of experience.
Yet, as he watched, a look of pure bewilderment slowly spread across his face. Kasumigaoka Touji wasn't just keeping pace; he was pulling away, the distance between them growing steadily.
Kasumigaoka Eiji, the experienced snowboarder, could only stare, utterly perplexed, as his son became a rapidly shrinking dot speeding down the mountainside.