(Sagiri is the heroine, not given away!) (Only siblings with Izumi Masamune!)
"Tadaima." "Okaeri."
Kasumigaoka Touji stepped into the entryway, slipping out of his shoes as a calm, homely scent drifted over from the living room. A woman who looked to be in her late twenties—wearing a soft ruffled apron over a comfy set of loungewear—walked out to greet him. Her gentle smile, her traditional black hair tied in a tidy ponytail, and the graceful way she moved radiated that classic Yamato Nadeshiko aura.
"Mom, here's the soy sauce you asked for."
"Ara, you're such a dependable son. Thank you, Touji."
Kasumigaoka Airi took the bottle of soy sauce from her son, peering curiously into the bag still in his hand. "What else did you buy, hmm?"
"A couple of light novels, some snacks... Want a bag of chips?"
Touji opened up the shopping bag, which was stuffed full.
"Hm, then I'll take the seaweed one."
She reached in and grabbed a green-labeled bag casually, already munching as they made their way toward the living room. Meanwhile, Touji put the Calpis, mugicha, and cola into the fridge before taking the rest of the goodies upstairs.
The Kasumigaoka home stood in Wako City, a quiet residential area in Saitama Prefecture. A detached, two-story home with a modest yard, it was a warm and comfortable place, slightly larger than the kind of house you'd see in a certain kids' anime with a talking dog. Three rooms filled the second floor: a toilet directly across the stairs, their father's study on the right, Touji's room beside it, and next to that—Kasumigaoka Utaha's room.
Touji opened the door to his room and, just as he expected, found someone lying on his bed with her back to him.
"Saw it. It's white~."
He spoke in a flat, report-like tone. Having seen the scene more times than he could count, he wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Of course—
The only reason he remained calm was because she always wore those "safe" shorts underneath. If they were anything remotely scandalous, he'd probably be flipping out.
"Tsk~! You really are something, Touji-kun."
Utaha turned her head and gave him a teasing look as she tugged the hem of her skirt back down.
"Don't blame me. You were the one carelessly sprawled on my bed like that. Not like I was trying to peek."
Touji placed his shopping bag on his desk and pulled out the two new light novels he'd picked up.
"So it's my fault now?"
"If I weren't your little brother, you'd have already called the police, right? I should be thanking you for your benevolence."
"Exactly! You're lucky to have such a merciful Onee-san!"
Utaha propped herself up, sitting on the edge of the bed in a somewhat duck-like posture, entirely lacking in elegance but filled with character. Her long black hair flowed over her shoulders, smooth and glossy. The light blue dress she wore had slipped a little off one side, revealing a porcelain shoulder that caught the sunlight just right.
Touji's gaze followed the curve of her delicate collarbone to the soft skin of her shoulder—and inevitably, to the... more prominent features of her chest, which were entirely too noticeable.
If he ever committed a crime in the future, he was pretty sure this moment would be Exhibit A in his defense.
He sighed internally, then casually remarked, "So should I thank you for entrapment, and then magnanimously let you off the hook?"
"What entrapment? I don't have a clue what you're talking about!" Utaha pouted, her tone as innocent as a cat knocking something off the table.
"If you didn't come into my room, or at least sat down like a normal person, none of this would've happened."
"Baka Touji! Don't play innocent after you got an eyeful!"
She sprang off the bed and lunged toward him, trying to twist his ear like a scolding teacher.
Touji dodged back a step, grabbed her wrist mid-motion, and pulled it over his head before using his other hand to snatch her second hand. But the victory was short-lived—he suddenly felt pressure on his foot.
Looking down, he saw Utaha's leg, clad in black stockings with a glossy sheen, expertly stepping on his instep, grinding in a playful yet painful rhythm.
"You've gotten a little too cocky lately, haven't you?"
"Do you think being almost in high school makes you an adult now? Think again!"
Utaha's expression morphed into something wickedly amused. Despite her childish posture, she retained an overpowering aura of elegance and danger that was very much like her.
Touji, smirking, replied, "I've always been more mature than you, Utaha. Since we were kids. Don't you agree, Utaha?"
Kasumigaoka Touji's thin lips gently curved as he breathed in the faint, floral fragrance wafting from his so-called Onee-san. A small, amused smile played on his face.
"Call me Onee-san!"
Utaha pouted, clearly not thrilled with how this exchange was turning out. "You're definitely getting more shameless with age, you know. You were way cuter back when you still drooled in your sleep."
Touji raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you mistaking me for someone else, Utaha-san?"
Utaha frowned, glancing at their interlocked hands with a huff. "How long are you going to hold my hands like this? Aren't your arms getting tired?"
"Not even a little," he replied smugly.
"Then let's play your game—call me Onii-chan, and I'll let go."
Kasumigaoka Touji grinned mischievously. The roles had reversed. His smugness radiated like a shounen protagonist after pulling a surprise counterattack.
"Tch… you cheeky little brat."
Utaha narrowed her eyes as she remembered the last time she'd fallen for that trick. Her lips twitched, and she gave him a sweet but dangerous smile.
"Unbelievable. You're actually trying to make your beloved Onee-san call you Onii-chan. Where are your morals?!"
"They got eaten. By a dog."
"Let me guess—the dog's name was Touji?"
"Want me to bite you and make it official?"
"...Six out of ten."
Utaha clicked her tongue, clearly unsatisfied with the direction this was going. She lifted her leg, aiming a sneaky knee strike toward his stomach. But Touji, having long developed anti-Utaha reflexes, caught her move, twisted her shoulders so she faced away from him, and delivered a gentle—but firm—kick to her rear.
"Kyaa?!"
Before she could retaliate, she was sent tumbling onto his bed.
Touji exhaled proudly. "Training successful."
"Baka Touji! You're really starting to enjoy bullying your Onee-san, huh?!"
Utaha wasn't one to stay down. She pushed herself up and glared at him with those deep, wine-red eyes of hers. Her pride flared like a boss character before phase two.
It was strange. Despite being older, and despite having learned karate during her growth spurt years, Utaha had never managed to overpower Touji in any of their sibling scuffles. Even when she was a full head taller than him.
"I'm not as amazing as you think~," Touji said, scratching his head with fake modesty, striking a Shin-chan-esque pose that made Utaha roll her eyes hard.
"Who said that was praise?! Baka!"
Their banter slowly faded into a more peaceful rhythm.
"So," Utaha asked, walking over to his desk, "what did you buy today?"
"GAGAGA Bunko's Gold Prize winner, Silver Season, and the ninth volume of Fantasy Demon Blade Legend by Senju Muramasa-sensei."
"This one won Gold?"
Utaha immediately picked up Silver Season, her expression unreadable. A flicker of something passed through her eyes.
She herself had debuted just a month ago as a light novel author. Her first work, Love Metronome, had caused a bit of a stir—not least because it had somehow turned into a little brother complex romance. Perhaps... due to a certain real-life influence?
Touji had discovered the novel by accident and had never brought it up again out of mutual embarrassment. Utaha never showed it to him directly, either.
She had always dreamed of being an author, but it was Touji who encouraged her to polish and submit her drafts seriously. Eventually, under the pen name "Xia Shizi," she debuted through Undead River Bunko, taking home a Silver Prize.
"What's wrong? Getting jealous, Xia Shizi-sensei?"
Touji glanced at her with a teasing smile, poking at the pride she always tried to keep so well hidden.
"Hmph. Not jealous," she said, picking up the book. "But I do want to see what's so great about this novel."
Looking at the author's pen name—Kano Nayuta—she silently assumed it was written by a girl.
"So competitive," Touji muttered with a smirk.
"Curiosity, that's all," she huffed, flipping the book open.
Seeing her completely absorbed, Touji decided to leave her alone and grabbed his own copy of Fantasy Demon Blade Legend to begin reading himself.
A gentle silence filled the room, broken only by the occasional sound of turning pages and the quiet hum of summer air from the ceiling fan above.