Amidst a growing, thunderous hum, the fuselage vibrated, and the plane began its accelerating dash down the runway. Inside the cabin, Kasumigaoka Touji and the others first felt themselves pressed back into their seats, followed by a distinct upward surge—a sensation that lasted several minutes before everything smoothed out, returning to the previous relaxed and stable state.
They had reached cruising altitude, entering the steady flight phase.
Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced out the window, but only inky darkness met her gaze. If it were daytime, she could have enjoyed the vivid azure of the sky up close, or even been lucky enough to see a cotton-candy sea of clouds. Unfortunately, it was night.
She took one look and withdrew her gaze, lowering her head to continue flipping through her light novel.
Touji was also reading a novel—a different one.
Kojima Kana, meanwhile, was secretly observing them. She had, of course, seen the trending news over the past few days. It was still somewhat surreal that one of the people involved was actually her own student.
Suddenly, she felt she understood Kani Nayuta a little better; perhaps the girl had been drawn in by his talent. Kojima Kana had also curiously listened to Touji's music these past few days and had to admit it was genuinely good.
Because of this, her impression of Kasumigaoka Touji had undergone a subtle transformation: from 'that helpful but philandering student' to 'that helpful, talented young man.' And after their brief interaction just now, he'd evolved further into 'that respectful, helpful, and talented young man.'
His impression score was skyrocketing!
Upon closer inspection, Kojima Kana found that this 'Otouto-kun' was also quite good-looking. His clean, layered cut had a modern, refreshing feel, paired with handsome features—especially his high nose bridge and thin lips, which gave him a very masculine air…
Wait, what the hell!
Why are you getting horny over your own student?!
Kojima Kana abruptly and awkwardly averted her gaze, a faint, flustered heat prickling at her cheeks.
...
Touji had naturally noticed Kojima Kana's unusual behavior. His senses were quite sharp, especially with the enhancements from various superpowers; he'd felt her gaze the moment it landed on him.
However, he didn't think much of it at first. But gradually, he began to feel something was off.
Firstly, she'd been looking for a bit too long, and it wasn't an open, casual glance—it felt more like she was secretly peeking. Finally, when she withdrew her gaze, he couldn't shake the feeling she seemed… guilty? Though it was also possible he was misreading her.
But all in all, this wasn't the usual, sternly composed Kojima Kana he knew!
Touji was intensely curious about what had been going through her mind just then, but he didn't ask. He was afraid of embarrassing her—he was, after all, very considerate of his teacher's feelings.
And at this moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha remained blissfully unaware of this entire silent exchange.
...
Inside the cabin, the sound of flight attendants beginning meal service soon echoed.
Japan Airlines' in-flight meals could be pre-ordered—when purchasing tickets, meal options would pop up. Unlike standard menus, this system was very user-friendly, catering to various dietary needs: infants, children, vegetarians, religious restrictions, allergies, sugar-free diets, etc. It also offered specialized meals like fruit platters, seafood, and low-calorie options based on personal preference.
Their mother had ordered Western meals for both Touji and Kasumigaoka Utaha. However, one was steak pasta, and the other was pan-seared white salmon with crayfish cream sauce.
Their meals were delivered quickly, along with Kojima Kana's unagi don (grilled eel rice bowl).
"What would you like to drink?" The flight attendant gently distributed the meal sets according to seat numbers before asking.
Beverages were also freely chosen from a decent variety.
"Café au lait," Kasumigaoka Utaha, seated on the innermost side, answered first.
Touji followed immediately: "Cola, please."
After speaking, he glanced at Kasumigaoka Utaha, offering a kind reminder. "Drinking coffee at this hour… be careful you can't sleep tonight."
"I'm not worried. When the time comes, I'll just have Nii-san keep me company," she replied, her wine-red eyes glancing at him with a hint of a playful smile before she lowered her head again to open her meal box lid.
Touji shot her a mock-fierce look. "If you dare disturb my sleep, I'll smack you!"
"Nii-san, you can't be a domestic abuser!" she retorted without looking up.
Touji: "..."
Is this considered domestic abuse already? Why don't you look for the reason within yourself?
"I won't."
...
Kojima Kana felt herself to be somewhat… superfluous.
She watched as the flight attendant handed the café au lait and cola to the Kasumigaoka siblings, then turned expectant eyes toward her. Hesitating for a moment, she said, "Please give me a bottle of sake."
If she were alone, she'd probably choose orange juice. But with two students sitting beside her, she inexplicably felt the urge to drink something more… adult.
"Certainly." The flight attendant smiled in response, retrieved a small bottle of sake from the meal cart, and handed it to her along with a wine glass. "I wish you all a pleasant meal!"
With that, she pushed the cart onward to serve the passengers behind them.
Touji and the others each said a quiet "Itadakimasu" before beginning to enjoy their dinners.
Although airline meals are pre-prepared, the taste was actually quite good. The entire cabin was filled with various enticing food aromas, which invisibly stimulated one's appetite.
Kasumigaoka Utaha ate a piece of salmon, then sampled some of the other side dishes. Her gaze drifted to Touji's plate. "Nii-san, let me try your steak."
As she spoke, she picked up a few pieces of her own salmon and placed them on the edge of his plate.
Touji, hearing this, also cut off a small portion of his steak and transferred it to hers.
Kojima Kana watched the two interacting with such natural warmth and suddenly found herself entertaining the thought of finding a boyfriend.
She was… admittedly a little envious.
Thinking about it carefully, she wasn't exactly young anymore. Many of her peers were already married with children, and even those who weren't usually had partners. It was rare to find someone like her, single since birth.
But when it came to the practical matter of how to find a boyfriend, Kojima Kana felt completely at a loss. She had zero experience!
Forget it. Let's just eat first.
With that thought, Kojima Kana picked up her wine glass and took a sip of sake.
She repeated this action several times. Soon, a tempting, rosy blush bloomed across her fair, flawless, doll-like face…
Kojima Kana—
Was not good at holding her liquor.