I really don't want to be reborn.

"It's not too late to know now."

At this moment, Kasumigaoka's body, which had been stiff from tension, finally relaxed, as if she had given up and was used to being watched by men and women she knew.

"My image! The good girl image I've worked so hard to build up over the past few months, what a waste!"

"Good girl? Bah! I know you too well!"

She chuckled and gently blew into Kyosuke's ear, making him tighten his grip on her arm. He really wanted to meld this enchantress into his own body: "Then tell me... am I being good?"

"Little Shi... is so good."

……

Besides barbecue restaurants and hair salons, there is also a large lake nearby.

This lake has a rather dull name—Lake Hachiman.

What's that famous insult again?

Idiot! Fool! Hachiman! (Voice of Komachi, Aoi Yuuki)

The two walked hand in hand along the lake, talking non-stop, as if trying to make up for the lost time of the past hundred days.

"I won't let you run away again."

"Yes Yes."

"Don't run away without a word... do you hear me?"

"Ah, Kyosuke-sama is so domineering, I dare not disobey him."

It seems that, nurtured by the mountains and rivers here, this girl who grew up in the city has become less cunning and sharp, and more cheerful and gentle, though her essence remains unchanged.

Her wine-red pupils were brimming with joy. Holding his hand, a gentle sway filled the entire autumn with happiness, and even the scent of the lake seemed to warm her: "Kousaka, well done for the cultural festival."

"Of course, I am the vice minister of the Literature Department."

She smiled, her eyes narrowed: "I want to hear you play the piano when we get back. The recording of the cultural festival didn't go very well... Speaking of which, wasn't the girl who played the piano the next day from our school?"

"Hmm, probably not."

"This vague answer makes me feel like you're trying to hide something."

"A trivial matter."

Utaha looked at him gently, and took out her phone with her left hand: "Hmm... this was taken by Shino at Inasayama the night before last..."

That's a picture of him chatting with Touma Kazusa...

Kyosuke Kosaka's expression remained unchanged: "Yes, it's this girl, her name is Touma."

"Yeah."

She puffed out her cheeks, stopped moving, and tapped a different photo.

Those were photos of him and Setsuna shopping: "This was taken by Shino yesterday. I don't recognize this girl with twin tails."

Kyosuke opened his mouth slightly.

Sisters-in-law really do need to be taught a lesson.

"...This is a family friend of mine. We just agreed to go shopping together during our school trip."

"But she's really cute, isn't she?"

She stared at him.

The red wine in his eyes began to turn into aged vinegar, and just looking at it made his eyes sting with sourness: "...And a girl confessed to you, right?"

Yaoshou!

That little rascal really did tell us everything.

He took a deep breath, thankfully prepared: "I'm not interested in them."

"So what are you interested in?"

"I'm interested in eating... Let's go eat, I'm hungry."

The girl put her phone away, then took out two tightly wrapped rice balls from her bosom and said irritably, "There's no snow crab, so you're giving me this!"

The two of them sat on chairs by the lake eating rice balls.

The atmosphere of eating together finally suppressed the budding jealousy. Kasumigaoka Utaha gazed wistfully at the large lake: "This place is very nice. My mood has improved a lot since I came here. Although Grandpa and Grandma are a bit talkative, I can just pretend I don't understand their dialect."

"Here, if you like—"

"Let me finish."

The girl gently softened her brows and smiled: "You don't need to say that you'll settle down here from now on."

Kosaka remained silent; she truly understood him.

“I know you still have a career. I don’t care about myself, but I have to consider your feelings.”

He looked at her and really wanted to say that he didn't really care where he settled down.

He only noticed a grain of rice on the corner of her mouth and then stopped talking.

"Kosaka!"

"Yes, Kousaka is here."

She grabbed his hand: "Let's go back to Chiba—ah, is there something on my lip?"

"Rice grains..."

She stuck out her tongue and licked it off.

At that moment, Kyosuke Kosaka looked at her and confirmed once again that a woman's tongue could stimulate a man's adrenaline.

So he leaned closer, and before she could react, he pressed his hand against the back of her head and touched her lips to his.

This was the second time he had lost control over a woman. Although the first time was also with her, he had forgotten how long it had been since he had kissed her. It was a completely different feeling from kissing the forehead, cheek, hair, or palm.

A long-hidden desire has been unearthed.

The rice ball had fallen to the ground.

"what--"

Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't make a sound because he was biting her tongue.

She felt pain, a mixture of numbness and agony.

The long-awaited first kiss is now. In her mind, she might feel scared, shy, or bewildered.

Now only peace and tranquility remain, along with warmth, in addition to the pain.

After a long while, Kyosuke Kousaka released her. Kasumigaoka looked at him blankly, her face flushed and panting, "Friends... friends shouldn't kiss, right?"

"No."

"So... are you trying to turn our relationship into a romantic one? Or are you proposing?"

Taken aback by her line of thinking, Kosaka regained his composure: "It's too early to propose; now it's time to pursue a relationship."

Kasumigaoka Utaha took a deep breath and regained her composure: "So, you're pursuing me?"

Here it comes, a direct confession!

The confession that was never said directly: "Yes, I'm pursuing you, is that okay?"

Without a second thought, the girl shook her head slightly.

"..."

Kyosuke's voice became hoarse and dry in just a few seconds: "Why?"

Kasumigaoka looked at him with a puzzled expression: "You already caught up with him, so there's no need to repeat yourself."

"..."

He saw a mischievous grin on his girlfriend's face, and his heart, which was about to plummet into despair, soared to heaven. His heart pounded wildly, and he sighed softly, "Kasumigaoka Utaha, you wicked little devil."

Then they hugged and kissed again.

Beside the pond at home, the little girl with light blue hair picked up a handful of stones and threw them into the water one by one.

Shi then raised his head.

The crabs are cooked, and the autumn breeze is just right.

(End of Volume 4)

------

Ah, time to eat!

You can give me the razor blades now! You can give them to me now!

My back aches from typing so much, I just need a little bit, just a little bit.

Chapter One: After the Minor Snow

How many clicks does your mobile novel currently have?

"It's probably around 650,000, and it should reach about 1 million next month."

Well, that's pretty much the rule for Dengeki Bunko mobile novels these days: if the editor thinks it has potential and it gets a million clicks within three months, then it's pretty much ready for publication.

Kyosuke Kousaka also learned about this rule from the editor at Dengeki Bunko, so he let Kirino do as she pleased. Today, he accompanied her to Shinjuku, Tokyo to meet the editor.

"When the topic of publishing a book came up, I was quite taken aback..."

Kirino smiled happily, still chewing on her cake, and said, "Oh, by the way, do you know that editor?"

"Is your editor male or female?"

"It's probably... a man."

Kousaka Kyosuke nodded without saying anything. If it was a man, it should be Kumagai Ryunosuke, the famous Pudding-chan from the Dengeki Bunko editorial department.

Kirino grabbed his sleeve, a bright smile suddenly spreading across her face: "...What's wrong? Are you worried about me?"

"Yes, I was worried about you..."