When Kasumigaoka Touji got home, the first thing he saw was Utaha-nee lounging gracefully in the living room, the soft light of the TV washing over her face.
She didn't even glance his way at first, her wine-red eyes calmly fixed on the news program.
Touji followed her gaze to the screen, only to be greeted with a headline so absurd he almost thought it was a comedy skit.
The anchor was reporting on a male university student—a self-proclaimed ladies' man—who, after breaking up with his girlfriend, decided to provoke her by flaunting both his new girlfriend and his mistress at the same time. Arms wrapped around them both, smug grin plastered across his face, he proudly paraded the scene before his ex.
That would've been foolish enough, but unfortunately for him, his ex wasn't just any girl.
She was a medical student.
And she snapped.
The report explained in meticulous detail that she had stabbed him twenty-two times—carefully avoiding all vital organs. The man was left horribly injured, but, to the astonishment of viewers, all the wounds were classified as "non-fatal."
Touji: "…"
He froze, mouth slightly open.
"…What the heck am I even watching?"
Was this supposed to be the Japanese equivalent of the infamous "medical student ex-girlfriend" urban legend?
No, wait—this was less! The Chinese version he remembered from his previous world involved thirty-six stabs. Thirty-six!
Touji shivered. Now that was terrifying.
"Still," he muttered, shaking his head, "this guy's a complete baka. Why would you go out of your way to provoke your ex like that? If you don't poke the hornet's nest, it won't sting you!"
Seriously, after a breakup, shouldn't you just move on quietly? Instead, he had to put on a dramatic show, practically begging to be stabbed.
The whole thing reminded Touji of another tragic fool—Makoto. He grimaced at the memory.
"…What do you think, otouto?"
A silky voice snapped him back to reality.
Touji turned to see Utaha-nee sitting elegantly on the sofa, arms crossed beneath her ample chest, her long, pale legs crossed as she regarded him with interest. The flicker of the TV danced across her flawless features, giving her an almost devilish charm.
Touji rubbed his chin theatrically, pretending to think hard. After a long pause, he nodded seriously and declared:
"In the future… I must never find a medical student girlfriend!"
"…That's it?"
Utaha-nee's lips curved, but her sharp eyes narrowed, amusement giving way to irritation.
Touji coughed lightly, raising a hand as if lecturing himself. "Also, never mess around behind someone's back. Be consistent in your words and actions."
He nodded again, as though reaffirming his own moral code.
After all, jokes aside, he wasn't wrong. Acting carelessly not only hurt others—it could drag yourself into disaster as well.
Utaha-nee's expression softened, though she wasn't about to let him off completely. Tilting her head, she gave him a sly smile, her long white legs swaying ever so slightly. "And?"
Touji blinked, then blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"…And your legs are really white."
"…"
For a moment, Utaha-nee simply stared at him, utterly speechless.
Touji gave an awkward laugh. He knew full well she had already been gracious tonight, especially with how generous she'd been regarding Nayuta. On his way back, he had been thinking about how to properly appease her. Now seemed like the perfect chance.
The house was quiet. The doors and windows locked, curtains drawn tight.
Touji's gaze flicked toward the sofa. After a brief pause, he turned and headed for the bathroom. When he returned, he was carrying a clean, neatly folded white bath towel.
He spread it carefully over the sofa cushions.
Recently, he had noticed something—Utaha-nee seemed to enjoy taking the dominant position. If that was what she wanted… well, tonight, he was more than willing to indulge her.
Just as he was about to set the mood—
"Sorry, everyone! I was delayed by some matters. My apologies!"
Touji was suddenly no longer in his living room but in front of his streaming setup, bowing to the camera. His live stream had started a few minutes late, and as always, the chat was blowing up.
"Winter-sensei is late again!"
"It's fine, it's fine, we forgive you this time!"
"Hurry and sing already!"
Some grumbled, some forgave, and some immediately started flooding him with song requests.
Touji laughed, clasping his hands together. "Alright, alright, I get it! But before we start, I have two important announcements."
At that, he raised two fingers dramatically.
The comments erupted instantly.
"A new song?!"
"Are you going to debut, sensei?!"
"Face reveal when?!"
"I want to hear Fireworks! Please sing it tonight!"
Touji chuckled, shaking his head. "Not a debut, calm down, minna. But yes—first announcement. My new song has been recorded! It's currently in post-production and will be released by next Friday at the latest. Please look forward to it!"
The barrage exploded again:
"I knew it!" "Perfect timing, I'm going to confess to my crush!" "Can you preview it tonight?!"
"To that guy planning to confess," Touji smirked, "this song may not actually be the best choice for you."
He raised his hand again. "And no, I won't be singing it tonight. Gotta keep some suspense, right?"
The viewers spammed disappointed emojis, but he pressed on.
"Second announcement. Recently, I had the honor of meeting an incredibly talented artist. We've decided to collaborate—I will provide the main storyline, while the artist will handle the drawing. Together, we'll be creating a themed manga based on my song Unravel! The character designs are already done, and the serialization should begin in two to three months. Please support us!"
The chat went wild.
The moment the word manga left his mouth, the comment section went absolutely nuclear.
"HUH?!"
"Did I hear wrong?!"
"Σ(｀д*ノ)ノ"
"Winter-sensei, are you serious?!"
"Who's the artist?? Spill it!"
"A chef who doesn't make manga isn't a good singer LOL!"
"A manga inspired by a song… I've never even heard of that before!"
"This is outrageous—but in a good way!!"
"Winter-sensei, you're too amazing!"
"No matter what it looks like, I'll support it—but if it's trash, I'll flame you without mercy!"
Touji laughed at the mix of cheers, skepticism, and playful threats. His expression softened just a little, as though speaking more earnestly now. "The preliminary plot outline and character designs are already done. The artist has begun working on the draft, so with luck, serialization should start in about two to three months. Please keep supporting us. That's all for today's announcements!"
The stream chat didn't calm down for several minutes, buzzing with theories about which illustrator he had roped into his mysterious project.
...
Tokyo, Kita Ward — Eriri Spencer Sawamura's bedroom.
At that exact moment, Eriri was sprawled on her bed with a handheld console in her hands, headphones tilted halfway off as she listened to Touji's live stream.
When she heard him call her an "excellent artist," her pale cheeks flushed slightly, and her lips curved upward despite herself.
"Hmph… good taste, Winter-sensei. Not bad at all. At least it wasn't for nothing that I sacrificed my precious gaming time for you."
Her eyes flicked toward the sketch-covered desk beside her. These days, Eriri only played games long enough to clear daily quests and finish special events. Every other spare minute was poured into drawing.
The progress on their manga was moving smoothly—she had already completed half of the first chapter draft. At this pace, serialization in two months was no pipe dream.
Eriri's sapphire eyes glittered with anticipation. To finally step into the light as a manga artist with a work like Tokyo Ghoul… she couldn't help but feel proud.
Still, there was one thing nagging at her.
"…Pen name, huh?" She rolled onto her back, twirling her pen between her fingers. "Should I stick with Kashiwagi Eri, or… maybe it's time to change?"
She hadn't decided yet. But one way or another, the world was going to see her work soon.
...
Wako City — Kasumigaoka Touji's bedroom.
After calming the tidal wave of comments, Touji shifted gears and launched into the real live stream. He began with "Fireworks," the most requested song of the night, his smooth voice filling the chat with hearts and excited reactions.
Song after song followed—his own creations, trending hits, even a few fan-requested tracks he hadn't practiced in ages. The atmosphere was warm and lively, the chat brimming with playful teasing, confessions, and endless demands for encore after encore.
Nearly two hours later, Touji finally ended the broadcast with a smile, thanking everyone for their support before signing off.
With the stream wrapped up, he stretched, shut off his equipment, and headed downstairs. A quick shower washed away the lingering fatigue of the day. After saying goodnight to Nayuta and Utaha-nee, he finally collapsed into his bed.