"But I refuse!"
Hearing that shameless plea for help, Kasumigaoka Utaha raised an eyebrow and gave a mischievous smile.
Then, arms folded, she tilted her head and put on a faux-serious expression.
"If we were, say, lovers right now, then maybe... just maybe, I'd consider it."
She closed one eye and gave Touji a teasing wink, practically radiating smugness.
Kasumigaoka Touji caught the implication immediately and raised a hand in mock solemnity:
"May I ask if it's too late for me to confess now?"
"Of course... it's already too late!"
Utaha turned her nose up at him dramatically. "Otouto-kun, how could you do something so indecent and still have the gall to ask for help? Disgraceful! I look down on that kind of shamelessness!"
With that, she forcefully shoved him out the door, slamming it shut with a loud bang! Then she leaned against the door, hand pressed to her chest as a smirk tugged at her lips.
Her heart, however, was strangely restless.
"Baka..."
Outside the door, Kasumigaoka Touji clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.
"Tch... So mean!"
This woman...!
He had been played—again!
For a second, he considered knocking the door down and giving her a piece of his mind, but he ultimately let out a sigh and returned to his room instead.
Now alone, he began to think seriously about confessing.
If he was being honest, Touji had initially hoped that Utaha would be the one to confess.
After all, who wouldn't want the girl they liked to take that first step?
But over the past few days, she had dropped so many hints it was almost criminal.
It was like a battle of attrition now—who would cave first.
And being the man here, he figured he might as well do it.
After all, the end result would be the same.
"..."
Back in his own room, Touji opened his laptop.
He had confessed before in his past life, so he wasn't a total amateur. Standard protocol was to go out to eat, watch a movie, maybe take a walk under the evening lights, and then confess under a starry sky...
If he had the budget, a bouquet of flowers was also a nice touch.
This time, he'd do it right.
He pulled up a browser and began researching date spots nearby. Cafés, cinemas, parks, cozy restaurants...
"If I push it to next weekend, that gives me enough time to prepare. Maybe even make it an overnight trip..."
His eyes gleamed. "Then, at the right moment... boom! Home run!"
But right as he clenched his fist in excitement, a grim realization dawned on him.
"Wait a sec... isn't that her time of the month...?"
"Tch!" Touji smacked his desk in frustration. "Talk about terrible timing!"
Shaking his head, he decided to make a proper plan first.
He opened a new document and started drafting a confession guide.
And while he was at it, why not annoy the neighbor a little?
He messaged his next-door acquaintance:
[Touji.]: "Hey, got any good dating spots around here?"
A few seconds passed.
[Izumi Masamune]: "???"
[Izumi Masamune]: "You ask me? I should be asking you! Since when do I look like a normie?!"
[Izumi Masamune]: "Wait... are you guys dating?!"
Touji grinned at his screen.
[Touji.]: "Not yet. I'm prepping a confession."
[Touji.]: "Any suggestions?"
[Izumi Masamune]: "Suggestions!? You want advice from me?!"
[Izumi Masamune]: "I mean... I've watched pigs run before, but I ain't raised one!"
[Izumi Masamune]: "No, wait a minute. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!"
[Izumi Masamune]: "Damn normies, explode!! (╯‵□‵)・︿★!!"
[Touji.]: "Hahahahaha~~." [Touji.]: "Bingo."
[Izumi Masamune]: "You heartless fiend! You picked up all your bad habits from your sister!"
[Izumi Masamune]: "Bear-pounding-chest, heartbroken.jpg!"
Kasumigaoka Touji reined in his smile and typed:
[Touji.]: "Are you free next weekend? If you are, help me out—act as a wingman and secretly pass me a bouquet of flowers."
He had put a lot of thought into this. Surprises were key in romance! Holding a bouquet was one thing, but having it appear at just the right moment, seemingly out of nowhere? That was a whole other level. And Masamune was the perfect accomplice.
[Izumi Masamune]: "Which day?"
[Izumi Masamune]: "I should be free."
[Touji.]: "Saturday, I guess."
Glancing at the weather forecast on his screen, Kasumigaoka Touji nodded with satisfaction. No rain. Clear skies. Ideal conditions for what he had in mind.
[Izumi Masamune]: "Okay!"
Masamune agreed without hesitation. A true bro!
With the plan slowly taking shape, the chat ended. Kasumigaoka Touji turned back to his computer, refining the details of his confession strategy, even cross-checking blog posts and dating forums. He wanted it to be flawless. No room for missteps.
…
Meanwhile—
In the bathroom downstairs, the soft sound of running water echoed.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had already removed her hoodie and shorts, tossing them casually atop the washing machine. Her undergarments found their way into the laundry basket. Naked, she stepped into the bathroom, letting the humid steam wrap around her pale skin.
Her hand hovered over the door lock.
But then… she didn't turn it.
Instead, she left the door unlocked, her heartbeat quickening just slightly. There was a trace of tension in her chest—a kind of anticipation she couldn't quite name. A faint, almost imperceptible hope.
But nothing happened.
Minutes passed. The door stayed shut. No footsteps approached. The faint blush on her cheeks faded away with the rising steam.
After her bath, Kasumigaoka Utaha returned to her bedroom in a fresh robe, her expression blank. She reached for her phone with robotic precision and tapped out a single message:
[Utaha]: "Baka."
Kasumigaoka Touji, upstairs and immersed in refining his romantic strategy, blinked as the message popped up.
"...Huh?"
He stared at it for a second, scratching his head, then replied with a question mark.
[Touji.]: "?"
Followed by a sticker of a chubby cartoon bear tilting its head in confusion.
He waited.
No response.
"So weird…" he muttered, genuinely puzzled.
Shrugging, he pushed the moment aside and continued building the ultimate confession plan. It had to be romantic. It had to be unforgettable. It had to be… perfect.
Little did he know, someone downstairs was now sulking under her blankets.