I really don't want to be reborn.

It was definitely a case of being prepared to help my sister and the black cat bond more deeply.

Kyosuke Kosaka had planned this all along, creating a fake rival for Ayase Aragaki. He was good at using others' strength against him, so how could a few young girls be a match for him?

"Wow, wow, that's amazing! What a coincidence!"

Kirino's face twitched when her best friend suddenly appeared.

She was carrying two bags of awful stuff, thinking that today was completely over, but then her gaze paused for a moment and she noticed the paper bag her best friend was carrying, and something seemed off.

That's a doujinshi of Meruru, right?

In an instant, Kirino Kousaka's worldview of fifteen years was shaken to its core!

Isn't Ayase the one who hates these things the most?

"This is……?"

Ayase Aragaki's smile looked like it had been transplanted from the face of a female lead in a TV drama. "Eh, well, they're all very serious books!"

"Is that so?"

"Hahaha~ Ha, ha..."

The two girls stared at the paper bags in each other's hands, remaining silent.

Ten seconds later, Aragaki pulled out a book like a treasure: "I heard it's the latest doujinshi, something like 'Kannazuki no Miko,' it seems to be about friendship between girls."

She gave Kousaka Kyosuke a sinister look, his smile suddenly freezing, and then smiled sweetly at her best friend, tilting her head cutely: "Hey, Kirino, teach me how to do this, I don't really know how."

Everyone stared at the erotic manga, which was clearly in the style of yuri (lesbian romance), and fell into deep thought.

------

It's past midnight!

I'm amazing.

Please give me some razor blades as a reward, or even just recommendations and monthly tickets.

Chapter Forty: Failed Pleasure

"Um, Saori, thank you so much for today."

"Oh, no need to be so polite, Mr. Kyosuke, you are being far too courteous!"

"It's never wrong to be overly polite."

"The strange thing is that he's a sister-complex guy."

Saori muttered something he didn't quite understand, then composed herself and said, "Actually, it's a kind of care that they're willing to come to my house to play. After all, I'm usually alone at night, and I get a little lonely."

...Was this big guy just embarrassed by his thanks, or was he serious?

To be honest, for Kyosuke Kousaka, Kuroneko's expressionless face is actually easier to understand. On the contrary, Saori's always smiling face makes it more difficult to understand the subtleties of her feelings and emotions.

Her cheerful tone and outrageous outfits were all part of the character she created for herself. Of course, he wasn't naive enough to think that what she showed on the surface was all there was to her.

However, there's no doubt that this girl is a good person.

"Today was truly enjoyable. Since they were happy, I was even happier—ah, Kyosuke would surely understand that, wouldn't he?"

Looking at his phone, Kyosuke Kosaka gave a warm smile: "Of course I understand. You're not like the other two. I have to rack my brains to guess what Kuroneko and Kirino are like."

He remembered something: "I'm a little worried about something else. You saw how Ayase Aragaki acted today, almost like she was confessing her feelings, so if possible, please don't put her in the same room as Kirino."

"Actually... they do have a good relationship, but they might just be friends, it's probably not that serious, right?"

He opened his mouth, but there were some things he couldn't say to Saori. He sighed softly, "Anyway, please keep an eye on things. By the way, come to our house to play next time. You've never been before."

Yes, I will.

After ending the call, Kyosuke Kosaka let out a soft sigh and gazed out the window of his hotel room at the last rays of the setting sun.

Although the sweltering heat of midsummer dusk was unbearable, it was still visually beautiful, with everything appearing gentle in the dim light.

Everything in sight—the Rainbow Bridge, the streets below, and the people and cars walking in the twilight—became as beautiful as butterflies.

The clouds on the horizon were like hazy, drifting twilight, while the light on the river resembled countless golden and silver threads, shimmering with the ripples.

Everything seems to be going well.

Kirino's previous request appears to have been fulfilled.

But there was a subtle sense of defeat on his face, a kind of miscalculation of people's hearts. Although it was not a big deal, it served as a wake-up call for him.

"Ayase Aragaki..."

Muttering his sister's best friend's name, Kyosuke thought of the phone call he received on his birthday night. If you don't mind going on and on, he'll go into detail about the request and favor he made regarding Ayase Aragaki.

…………

"Brother, I want to talk to you about something! It's about Kirino!"

Well, while preparing for the summer comics in Tokyo, Kyosuke Kousaka was talking to his sister and receiving her birthday fireworks gift this year when he received a call from Aragaki.

Although it doesn't seem like they've blocked each other, it's actually quite unbelievable to Kousaka Kyosuke, since they've barely been in contact since he rejected the other's ulterior motives in the park.

Moreover, regardless of the circumstances, he portrayed himself in front of his sister's friends as an unsatisfied older brother who enjoys erotic content. Although this image was not very successful, it is unlikely that Aragaki would have much affection for him.

He was also worried about his sister's sexual orientation, so he stopped contacting her and they were content not to see each other.

"I'm really surprised you would call me."

"It is...a very important thing."

"Kirino..."

Then came another period of silent, unspoken time.

Ayase took a breath on the phone, her voice even carrying a hint of a sob: "This is... this is what I'm about to tell you."

What's wrong with Kirino again?

He wasn't impatient at all; on the contrary, he seemed quite interested: "Please tell me what you think, I'll listen carefully."

"Kirino has been acting strangely lately. Sometimes when you talk to her, she gets distracted and often sends emails to other people."

With whom?

"It doesn't matter who you're with, listen to what she says, it's that friend over there? Yeah, that's about it."

"That's with Black Cat and the others."

Kyosuke lost interest again: "I thought it was something serious. I thought you should be used to it."

"I was already next to her, shouldn't she have been talking to me? What was this all about? The worst part was that she was muttering some name, and I only found out later that it was a girl from the game!!!"

Kyosuke chuckled dryly, not finding it strange.

Sitting down is a normal procedure.

"Are the girls in games any better than me?!"

"Ask those otaku about this first. Anything else?"

Ayase suddenly sobbed softly, and just by listening to her voice, one could feel her pitifulness and grievance, as if Qin Xianglian, whose husband had thrown himself into the arms of a princess, was beating the drum in the Kaifeng government office to appeal to Judge Bao.

Strangely, Bao Heizi not only didn't feel sorry for her, but actually felt a little pleased: "Alright, you need to explain clearly before I can help you. What else is she acting strangely?"

"And, and... Kirino is ignoring me."

Despite Ayase Aragaki's stammering and highly emotional state, he managed to get a general understanding of the situation.

It turns out that after the commotion caused at home by the package sent by Saori, Kirino's terrible hobby was not exposed to her friends because he took the blame.

Although there were some speculations and associations in private, and although Kirino occasionally revealed her otaku tendencies in her words and actions afterward—that's just how strange girls are; as long as it's not said outright, they'll slowly accept even the slightest changes.

Kirino Kousaka, an outstanding student at school, enjoys reading unusual books and shares some hobbies with boys, but upon closer examination, there's nothing wrong with that.

Because she is still so outstanding and it hasn't affected her at all, everyone turns a blind eye and is unwilling to investigate her somewhat acceptable hobbies.

However, this does not include Ayase Aragaki. Sometimes, when everyone is ready to let the topic pass, this girl will turn into a curious child and ask questions with a serious expression.

"Is that game fun?"

"Kirino, how did you know?"

"What does 'preaching' mean? I don't understand at all..."

"A figurine? But they're just plastic things, I don't understand what's so great about them..."

OK, OK.

This has made their relationship somewhat distant. According to her, Kirino hasn't spoken to her much for several days.

"Big brother, what should I do?"

Kyosuke Kosaka fell into deep thought, thinking that being your friend must be really tiring, having to consider your likes and dislikes as well as your opinions.

After internally criticizing him, he came up with a brilliant idea, albeit a flawed one: "Since we like different things, the topics we want to bring up will naturally be different. Ayase, why don't you try having the same hobbies as Kirino?"

"what?"

“Take one of them, the one you can accept the most—Meruru.”

"Tsk tsk."

Aragaki expressed her disdain and disgust for that thing on her phone, not wanting to use those words at all. I wonder if Meruru ate a lot of rice from her house—it should be said that this girl still has a bad impression of anime.

"It's not that you actually like her, just to make it look like a chance encounter. Comic is selling Meruru doujinshi these days. As long as you bring them along and pretend to bump into her, she'll think you've become one of them."

Kyosuke Kosaka smiled wisely at the time: "If you just tell her that you like Meruru, it will be too abrupt, and she might not believe you. It's much more effective to witness it firsthand."

Ayase Aragaki still hesitated: "Kirino...would she believe me?"

"That's an idiot, he won't suspect anything."

Kyosuke was touched by his sister's birthday gift, so his tone was unusually gentle. He said the word "idiot" in a soft voice, like a fox's tail, as if it were a word of sympathy.

"Oh, well... I'll give it a try then. Where and when?"

"I'll arrange it..."

He was full of confidence and a sense of satisfaction in resolving his sister's friendship crisis. That night, he explained the plan to Aragaki in detail. The plan was not complicated: he would carry Meruru's notebook, bump into Kirino when she came out, and then talk about Meruru.

It's a simple thing; it only requires a little patience and acting skills.