The sizzle of oil and garlic filled the kitchen, mingling with the soft lull of Kawai Kitty's theme song still playing faintly from the living room speakers. Raito stirred the pot with one hand, the other gently seasoning the tofu and vegetables like he'd done this a thousand times before—which, to be fair, he had.
Behind him at the kitchen table, Raika and her friends sat, trying to look casual while not-so-subtly stealing glances at him.
"He's like... built different," Nanami whispered, leaning close to Raika.
"I swear, I've never seen someone look that good while dicing an onion," Hikari added dreamily.
Raika groaned internally, already regretting her life choices.
"Focus, people," she hissed under her breath. "He's my brother, remember?"
"But like, not your boyfriend?" Nanami raised a brow, eyes gleaming.
Raika blinked. "What? Obviously not!"
"So, then... it's okay if I ask him out?" Nanami asked with the fakest innocence imaginable.
Raika slammed her hands on the table. "No!"
Nanami and Hikari looked at her, amused.
"Oho~ What's this? Possessiveness?"
"You sure you're not hiding something, Raika-chan?"
Raika turned red. "N-no! I just—he's private! He doesn't like people!"
"Yeah, well, we're people," Nanami smirked. "Cute people."
"I said no!"
The two friends giggled, clearly enjoying themselves.
"Aww, Raika, you're jealous! You like your big brother! Scandalous~!"
"I DO NOT!" Raika half-whispered, half-shrieked. "He's just… complicated! You wouldn't understand!"
"Mhmm, complicated," Hikari hummed. "You mean emotionally unavailable but hot enough that you keep hoping he'll open up to you at 2 a.m. while holding a baby?"
Raika looked like she was about to combust. "Wh—where did that image come from?!"
"Oh, please. You know it's accurate."
Raika buried her face in her hands.
Meanwhile, Raito continued cooking with clinical efficiency, unaware of the chaos behind him—or so they thought. In truth, he'd caught enough of the conversation to realize Raika's friends were either far too observant or dangerously imaginative.
Either way, he wasn't getting involved. As far as he was concerned, the plan was simple: feed them, send them home, and go back to pretending this was a normal household.
That is, until—
"Oh, by the way," Nanami said suddenly, stirring her juice box with the straw, "Akemi said she'd stop by in a bit."
That word—Akemi—hit like a record scratch.
Raito's hand paused mid-stir. Just for a moment. Barely perceptible to the average eye. But it was enough for Kurai to notice.
"Oh? That name rings a bell, doesn't it, Raito?"
Raito turned, casual as ever, wiping his hands on a towel as he approached the table.
"Akemi?" he echoed smoothly. "Wouldn't be Akemi Inoue by any chance?"
Nanami and Hikari blinked in surprise.
"Woah, how'd you guess that?" Hikari asked. "Are you, like, a secret fan or something?"
Raito gave a dry chuckle, brushing it off. "Just joking."
But internally?
He was screaming.
It can't be that Akemi. No way. There are a thousand girls named Akemi. Probably tens of thousands. But…
Raika was from a wealthy background. One of those private schools for the elite. It wasn't out of the question that she'd crossed paths with a young starlet from a similarly privileged upbringing. And if that Akemi really did walk through his front door, it wouldn't take her long to recognize him.
Especially if she connected the dots between her mysterious Kawai Kitty savior and Raika's "older brother."
"This is why I told you to live in a cave, Raito." Kurai sighed with mock gravity. "People. Too many people."
Raito plastered on a thin smile. "Sounds exciting. I'll make enough for her too, then."
Raika looked at him strangely. She could tell something was off.
But Raito had already turned back toward the kitchen, flipping the tofu and hiding the tension that now coiled around his shoulders like a vice.
He didn't like complications.
And this? This was turning into one hell of a complication.