I really don't want to be reborn.

That's how things unfolded; she became timid, took a chance, and was also intoxicated—remaining in a state of prolonged intoxication because life before the neglect was sweet.

So many game scenarios came to mind, but none of them matched up.

Ethics, emotions, cognition—ultimately, they differ in length, thickness, and style.

The black cat's message came again.

This time it wasn't mockery, but encouragement from a close friend; however, these encouraging sentences seemed problematic no matter how you looked at them.

"We should have perseverance, and especially self-confidence!"

She certainly has perseverance and is also quite confident.

"We must believe that our talents are meant to be used for something."

talent?

Does playing games count?

Or perhaps writing a novel?

She replied tremblingly, "Dead cat... I almost didn't recognize you when you said something like that."

"The above is a quote from Marie Curie."

"..."

Black Cat went to great lengths to comfort her, feeding her bowl after bowl of chicken soup... no, fish soup: "Don't try to be a successful person, strive to be a valuable person."

Yes, don't try to push Kasumigaoka aside, that's unrealistic.

What you need to do is become someone valuable to your brother—a help in his career, a caring sister in his relationship, and someone whose desires you can't afford to offend...

"This is what Einstein said. Do you think it makes sense?"

"That makes sense, but Black Cat, why are you suddenly paying attention to these scientists? These scientists don't seem like they're acting like teenagers."

"What do you know? I haven't even finalized the concept of summoning scientists to fight yet..."

Kirino suddenly received a reply from her brother.

Just a simple sentence.

"Don't cry!"

When she saw those words, tears welled up in her eyes.

I love you so much!

She cried silently for a while, then started writing in her diary on her phone. She had never been this serious when writing novels before.

"November, XX day, early morning"

I'm having trouble sleeping again.

With my brother gone, I'm not afraid of being alone anymore.

But for some reason, I just can't sleep well. Even if I manage to fall asleep, I'll wake up around five o'clock.

I feel very secure when I fall asleep next to my brother, and I always wake up as usual in the morning. It's best if my brother isn't awake when I wake up, because then I can sneak a kiss on him...

It's as if you're beside me, preparing to sleep, yet I know you've already left.

This is my diary entry from early this morning.

"November, XX day, evening"

"During class during the day, Kanako said I was quiet and withdrawn, wondering if something was bothering me. Of course I was bothered, and I wanted to pin this petite girl down on the desk and spank her, to experience what it felt like when my older brother used to discipline me."

"That idea is hilarious."

"That night, when I sent out this shameful email, I felt like I was sending a love letter to the post office. I was so nervous that my hands were shaking and I couldn't put it in. I thought about it over and over again, but I just couldn't calm down."

"..."

After writing it, I read it several times, and then I read my brother's short reply again. After crying, I felt better.

Then don't cry.

If you said you wouldn't cry, then you won't cry.

See how well-behaved I am?

Kirino tossed her phone aside, then quietly slipped into her brother's bedroom to look for something useful to use later when the lights were off...

…………

"Kids are so willful. I really want to drug her, pack her up, and send her to Tottori so her older sister can have a headache."

"She's fierce and disobedient, domineering and tyrannical, often threatens me, and never acts cute..."

"I don't like it, I absolutely don't like it..."

"But it's so cute..."

When a person is embarrassed and ashamed, they inevitably become like Kong Yiji; when a person is lost and sad, they become like Xianglin's Wife.

So it's not surprising at all when Kyosuke Kosaka, reciting lines reminiscent of Wang Jingze, walks back onto the observation deck of Mount Inasa.

The camera was dark, and if it had been left in a shadowy corner, it might not have been taken. However, the observation deck was brightly lit, and there were almost no blind spots.

He knew it was hopeless as soon as he went up there, because even two hours later, there were just as many people on the observation deck, and in fact, there were even more than before.

The camera must have been taken.

He had expected this, so he wasn't too discouraged. Holding onto a last hope for the tourists' manners, he went to the front desk to ask if anyone had found the camera.

The result was, of course, no.

Never mind then, he walked out of the observation deck area and took another path down the mountain. As he passed the hot spring shop he had visited before, he suddenly spotted a tall figure that looked somewhat familiar.

The tall girl with long, straight black hair stood at the intersection, her eyes searching through the crowd going up the mountain, as if she was waiting for someone. Her increasingly disappointed expression was just like that of someone waiting for a taxi.

Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her figure was slender and tall.

Standing between light and shadow, the cold night wind made her sneeze slightly.

She stood ramrod straight, her solitude breathtaking.

She held a camera in her hands, which were a bit bigger than those of the other girls.

"...Touma, Kazusa-san?"

The other person was startled and turned around, clearly relieved.

"You left your camera at the observation deck..."

Kyosuke Kosaka raised an eyebrow, suddenly finding the way this dashing girl looked like a puppy finding its owner unexpectedly... cute.

cute?

------

Thank you for the fifty blades that I love.

Ah, I want to write an outline, I just want to write an outline.

Please vote! Please feed me!

Chapter Forty-Seven: When discussing his financial difficulties, he angrily pointed out the flaws in the universe.

Two fish that wanted to forget each other in the vast world were caught at the same time.

They looked at each other helplessly in the net of fate.

…………

"Kogiso, I want to ask you about someone."

"Huh? Who is it? Does Kousaka-kun know someone at Minegashiro University Affiliated School?"

The third day of the school trip.

Today is a free day, and there are no special rules except for meeting at 8 pm, so everyone is in high spirits.

He kept his promise and went shopping with Setsuna Ogiso, who was also traveling in Nagasaki. However, he asked this question not long after they met.

Do you know Touma Kazusa from your school?

Setsuna found the question strange: "Touma... I've heard of Touma-san too. She's a famous problem student, but we haven't interacted much, so we're not very familiar with each other."

"Problem student?"

"Oh yeah, I heard she's often late or leaves early, and she even sleeps in class. The teachers don't really care about her—but why are you asking this all of a sudden, Kousaka-kun? Do you know her?"

"I'm slightly concerned..."

Yes, I'm slightly concerned.

I waited for about two hours at the intersection of Inasayama Road just to return the camera I had left behind.

Kosaka thanked her many times last night, and then asked Touma Kazusa a question: "If you don't see her, how long are you planning to wait there?"

The other person just glared at him angrily, blushing, without saying a word.

As for why he blushed, he wasn't quite sure.

After returning the camera to Shino at the hotel, Kyosuke tossed and turned in his room for a long time. Even someone as calm as him couldn't help but have a very mundane thought—she likes me.

Look, look.

They first met at the cultural festival of Benzhan High School, specifically in the light music club's room, and that's when they had a little interaction.

Aside from that, there is only day and night, and the two basically have no overlap. Without intersection, there will be no friction, and without friction, there will be no heat to generate and thus no sparks.

Therefore, logically speaking, there is no possibility that she has fallen in love with herself.

However, he also knew very well that emotions and logic were sometimes intertwined, so close that they couldn't be separated by a saw, and sometimes they were irreconcilable, with only one of them able to survive. So he wanted to understand what factors were behind Touma Kazusa's extraordinary actions.

A normal girl who finds a boy's belongings wouldn't wait there for two hours.

People don't do inexplicable things for no reason.

If her personality is the kind that can be the gentlest towards people she's just met, then it makes sense. But if Touma Kazusa has that kind of personality...

It's easy to imagine that any boy who enters her world will easily receive her most passionate and unreserved affection.