Itoshi woke with the hush of dawn, a yawn blooming from his lips as he veiled it with a weary hand.
"Finally.. A day with no fatigue!"
Itoshi caught sight of Kara and Jayu by the counter, their movements quiet and deliberate as they shaped the morning with the rhythm of breakfast.
"Oh goodmorning!"
Kara and Jayu turned to him with warm smiles, their voices light with the morning air.
"Good morning, Koya!" chirped Kara.
"Morning, Itoshi-nii!" Jayu echoed, his tone bright and easy.
"Just a little bit longer.. This is almost done!"
Kara added.
"Oke! Can't wait!"
Itoshi's eyes drifted to Kirashi, still tangled in sleep, limbs sprawled in a position that defied both comfort and logic.
"Dang.. You're slacking off again huh!.. And what the hell is that sleeping position you have... Face down... Both hands on the back.. Y-you're under arrest?!"
In a split second, a mischievous spark lit within Itoshi's mind. A smirk curled onto his lips, swift and silent. Without missing a beat, he turned to Kara.
"Kara... do we have any markers around here?"
"Uh.. yeah! At the table!"
"Hehe"
He sneered.
Itoshi snatched the pen with quiet urgency, eyes gleaming.
"I've always wanted to do this,"
he muttered under his breath, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"But with everything we've been through... there was never the chance"
Kara watched as her big brother slipped into mischief, a glint in his eyes she hadn't seen in what felt like ages. A small, fond sigh escaped her lips.
"Jeez... sometimes your childishness really shows,"
She muttered, though her voice carried more warmth than scolding.
With the care of a scheming artist, Itoshi gently turned Kirashi onto his back. The steady rhythm of snores filled the room—deep, unbothered, oblivious.
Carefully, Itoshi uncapped the pen with a soft click, mischief dancing in his eyes.
Then, with silent precision, he began to draw, ink tracing bold declarations across Kirashi's unsuspecting face.
"Right here.. Like this... and.. Done!"
Itoshi leaned back to admire his handiwork, a gleam of pride in his eyes as if he'd just completed a masterpiece. With a stifled chuckle, he called out, loud enough to rattle the peace:
"Arise, oh mighty Penis God!"
Dominating Kirashi's forehead was a comically oversized phallus, bold and unmistakable.
Surrounding it, Itoshi had scrawled exaggerated native-like markings across his cheeks and nose, finishing it all off with a grand, curling moustache that stretched almost ear to ear.
Itoshi stepped back, took one long look at his living canvas—and burst into uncontrollable laughter.
It spilled from him in waves, wild and hysterical, echoing through the quiet morning like the cackle of a mischievous spirit finally set free.
"Jeez!! Koya! We have a child here!"
Kara complained.
Itoshi collapsed onto the floor, hands resting lightly over his stomach, his laughter rolling out in soft waves that shook his whole body.
The joy of the prank wrapped around him like a warm, carefree tide, unrestrained and genuine.
Jayu moved toward Itoshi, determination in her steps, while Kara reached out, voice pleading.
"Jayu! Wait!"
But Jayu paid no heed. Instead, she leaned in, eyes scanning Itoshi's bold masterpiece with growing curiosity. The laughter in the room faltered, suspended for a heartbeat—then burst anew.
With a sudden, playful bow, Jayu declared with mock reverence,
"Bless us, oh mighty Penis God!"
Kara's cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink, eyes wide with shock at Jayu's cheeky words.
Suddenly, three distinct bonks echoed through the quiet hotel lobby—sharp, unmistakable.
In an instant, three small bumps blossomed on Itoshi's forehead, swelling like mischievous badges of honor.
"Jeez, Koya! You're setting such a bad example for the kid!"
Kara exclaimed, tugging Jayu gently but firmly away before she could escalate the chaos.
Just as Kara dared to breathe a sigh of relief, a sudden flare erupted from the pan where breakfast was cooking. Flames licked upward, wild and fierce, casting flickering shadows across the room.
Jayu and Kara both jumped back, startled breaths catching in their throats as the blaze startled the quiet morning—turning calm into chaos in an instant.
Aldrin burst through the hotel room door, his voice bright and brimming with cheer.
"Good morning, everyone!"
But the spark in his eyes dimmed just as fast as it had flared, taking in the scene before him. Kara and Jayu sat slumped at the table, the weight of defeat heavy in their posture. The acrid scent of burnt food hung thick in the air.
Itoshi lay sprawled on the floor, knocked out cold from laughter or exhaustion, while Kirashi's face bore the unmistakable marks of Itoshi's handiwork—a living, breathing canvas of mischief.
Aldrin blinked, his smile faltering as he stammered,
"Eh... ehh?.."
Shortly after, Ayro and Ryujin entered, their steps light and casual—until their eyes fell upon Kirashi, now awake with a dazed, utterly ridiculous expression etched across his face.
The usual calm and cool veneer they wore cracked instantly. With barely contained amusement, they exchanged glances and stifled quiet laughter behind their hands, the room's tension dissolving in the warmth of shared mirth.
Kirashi slowly rose to his feet, blinking away the last haze of sleep.
Then his eyes took in the full horror of the scene—the burnt scent hanging thick, Itoshi sprawled unconscious, and the bold, mocking artwork that now adorned his face.
A stunned silence fell over him as the weight of it all settled, his expression frozen somewhere between disbelief and disbelief's more colorful cousin: utter bewilderment.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Kara had dreamed of a morning where everyone would gather around a breakfast she and Jayu lovingly prepared—a simple moment of joy and warmth.
But fate had other plans. The charred remnants and chaos left that hope in ashes. With a resigned smile, they all agreed to set aside the morning's disaster and instead find comfort in the nearby Miso store, letting the scent of sizzling batter and savory morsels replace the smoky air.
As they gathered around the steaming plates, Itoshi's mischievous grin never faded, a silent invitation to trouble lingering in his eyes.
Between bites, he leaned toward Kirashi with a teasing edge in his voice.
"Hey, Kirashi... your bangs are down today."
Usually, Kirashi's hairstyle proudly revealed his forehead, but today, circumstances had it hidden beneath a curtain of hair—an unspoken reminder of the morning's chaos.
Kirashi's calm shattered in an instant—pure fury blazing in his eyes. Without warning, he lunged at Itoshi right there at the table, the two erupting into a chaotic tangle of punches and shoves amidst the clatter of plates.
Tall and unbothered, Ayro rose with effortless strength, stepping between them and hauling the brawlers out of the shop. With a sigh, he returned to his meal, crunching quietly on his Miso as if the chaos had never even stirred the air.
Kara sighed, resting her fist against her cheek on the table, a mix of exasperation and affection in her voice.
"Jeez... Koya, sometimes..."
Ayro, sitting beside her, nodded with a knowing smile.
"I feel you."
Kara glanced over at Jayu, who was quietly nibbling her Miso, then added with a wry smile,
"Even Jayu-chan isn't safe from his teasing... no one can escape him."
Moments later, Itoshi and Kirashi returned to the shop as if nothing had happened.
"Dang!"
Kirashi exclaimed, a grin breaking through his usual stoic mask.
"That was... pretty fun. Haven't felt like that in a while"
He muttered, a flicker of something lighter in his voice.
Itoshi matched his smile with a knowing nod.
"Right, right?"
They settled back into their seats, and Ayro reached out, patting Kirashi's back once more.
"Stop that... please"
Kirashi groaned, half amused, half resigned.
~~~To be Continued~~~