The word "Bro" hung in the air, freezing everyone in place.
Akane and Aoyama both stared at Yuto, blink-reflexes synchronized.
Aoyama's mind raced. Was this a relative of the original owner? He genuinely didn't know. When his soul had first occupied this body, there had been no family in sight. He'd woken up in the rainy outskirts of the Metropolis, possessing nothing but the clothes on his back, a pair of worn-out shoes, and an ID card tucked into his pocket along with a few hundred yen.
The ID had said "Hayashi Aoyama." Same as his name from his previous life.
He hadn't inherited a single shred of the original owner's memory. No address, no family history, no connections. He'd spent a few nights under a bridge before using his meager cash to find the cheapest room he could rent. The rest was history: the system awakening, the purchase of paper and pens, the start of his career.
And now, suddenly, someone was calling him "Bro."
Aoyama felt a flicker of annoyance. His personality, and his vague, long-term plan of eventually finding a way back, didn't exactly have room for complicated family ties. He'd actually been a little relieved when it seemed he was an orphan. It meant zero obligations. Zero people looking over his shoulder.
But if the original owner did have family... he couldn't just ignore it, could he? He was living in this guy's skin, after all. A debt was a debt.
Akane stepped forward, her eyes darting between them. "Yuto... is Aoyama your brother?"
"Aoyama?" Yuto hesitated at the name. "My... well, my cousin's name is Hayashi Kento. But..."
He looked at Aoyama again. The bone structure, the jawline; it was almost identical to the cousin he'd admired. But Kento had disappeared two years ago, right after everything happened with his parents and his younger brother. Vanished without a trace. No one knew where he'd gone.
But his cousin had been the definition of upright and serious, a scholar to his core. This man had unruly, long hair and a lazy, almost irreverent posture. People could look alike, and they could certainly change their hair, but changing an entire personality into its polar opposite?
Maybe... he just looks like him?
Aoyama let out a quiet breath of relief. His ID said "Aoyama," not "Kento." He was in the clear.
"You've got the wrong guy," Aoyama said with a cheeky grin. "My ID says Hayashi Aoyama. See?"
He actually pulled out his card and flashed it toward Akane and Yuto.
She'd been hoping he wasn't alone in the world, that he had a family waiting for him somewhere.
...
Akane looked at the name and felt a strange, contradictory pang of disappointment.
But Yuto stared at the ID photo.
His breath hitched.
The photo on the card was of the Hayashi Kento he remembered.
But the man standing in front of him was currently waving his hands dismissively, looking entirely too relaxed for a genius Ph.D. candidate who'd been missing for two years. Yuto opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. This wasn't the time. Not in front of everyone.
"Anyway, isn't today supposed to be a celebration?" Aoyama announced, waving them forward. "Let's move! Hope you guys don't mind an older guy tagging along for the ride."
Emi rolled her eyes discreetly. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go. I'm starving."
"Right. Let's head out," Akane said, though her gaze lingered on Aoyama for a second longer than usual.
Yuto followed, but his mind was miles away. He was vibrating with questions he couldn't ask yet. He decided to wait. He'd talk to his father when he went home for the break. He'd confirm it then: whether this "Hayashi Aoyama" was the same Hayashi Kento who had skipped grades to finish his doctorate by twenty-three.
As the group moved toward the restaurant, the conversation split. Aki, prodded by Hana and Akane, managed to strike up a nervous but continuous chat with Seino Gakuji. Once they were focused on each other, Akane moved back to Aoyama's side.
Emi watched them walk together, her brow furrowed. She moved closer to the silent, brooding Yuto.
"I thought the plan was for you to talk to Akane," she whispered.
She wasn't just helping Yuto for the "perks" he provided. She genuinely believed that someone like Akane, brilliant, wealthy, and beautiful, belonged with someone like Yuto. He was her equal in every metric. Aoyama? Aoyama was a dropout mangaka who'd been struggling in a cheap rental.
Yuto looked at her and shook his head. "I'm not thinking about that right now."
"What? Why?" Emi stared at him. "You don't actually think he's your cousin, do you?"
Yuto hesitated. "I don't know. But he looks just like him. Same age, too..."
"But you called him Kento. And his ID says Aoyama. Besides, if he was your cousin, why would he lie?"
"I don't know," Yuto repeated. "I need to ask my dad."
He fell silent again, memories of his cousin surfacing. Kento's branch of the family had been different. His parents were both Seika University professors with Ph.D.s from the States. They were strict, academic, and brilliant. Kento was the standout, a legend at twenty-three.
...
Both of Yuto's cousins had been child prodigies.
And then, two years ago, the accident happened.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]