I really don't want to be reborn.

"How the hell would I know?"

"Security's here, you better behave yourself!"

As he listened to the conflict escalate from arguments and explanations to violence, and the incident continued to worsen, Kyosuke Kosaka patiently mopped the floor, feeling that such a trivial matter was not worth distracting him too much.

Framing someone was just something he did on a whim.

Whether she succeeds or not is not important, nor is it important whether the thug who often harasses Miss Goku gets beaten black and blue by the hot-tempered supermarket security guard.

The important thing is that after causing such a scene, this person probably won't come back.

If he can still walk in despite everyone's wariness and disapproving looks, if he has that kind of mental fortitude, then Kyosuke has nothing to say.

"I already said I didn't take it—"

"Please go to the security room, sir...wait, what's that inside your hat?"

After mopping the floor, Kyosuke leisurely tidied up the books in the next few sections, earning thanks from the other staff members. He muttered to himself, his tone sounding like he was humming a song.

"The man was wearing a faded hoodie, the hoodie's hood fluttering so lightly it looked... humph, like a creepy ghost haunting him... la la..."

He simply slipped a small item from the bookstore into the hoodie's hood when the other person wasn't looking—it was just a small thing.

But for the other party, this is like mud falling on their crotch—it's not shit, but it's still shit, and it's hard to wash off.

"That's it! This thing must have fallen off the shelf and just happened to land inside the hat! Who the hell would specifically steal something like this?"

"Yes, yes, I'm so sorry..."

"grass……"

The man stormed out of the bookstore, looking quite disheveled in the light rain.

Half an hour later, Kyosuke finally met the three Gokou sisters. Seeing the two little ones huddled under one umbrella, he thought it was really cute: "I say your sister is really cute, both of them are."

"It has nothing to do with you!"

Perverted lolicon!

She didn't say the words aloud, after all, the person had kept watch for her here for two hours. She stammered a few times before dawn but couldn't get the words of thanks out, and her face turned a little red.

"I should go back now. Miss Gokou, take your sister with you and don't go back too late."

"……Yes."

Spring rain leaps and bounds, as if many tiny water droplets are playing mischievously in mid-air. After playing enough, they take the opportunity to fall to the ground.

He loves the spring rain, the summer mornings, the autumn blankets, and the winter snow.

The rain grew heavier and heavier, and the raindrops in my eyes appeared and disappeared in an instant. When the rain lines became denser, the ground looked as if it were covered in hair.

"Um... I'll lend it to you."

The girl frowned and handed him an umbrella—her own. The boy looked at it with surprise, then added earnestly, "Remember to return it."

"Thank you so much."

See, saying thank you isn't actually that hard.

He opened his umbrella and stepped into the rain, feeling that the weather was wonderful, so wonderful that it felt like he might bump into someone he liked just by walking along.

------

I didn't cry! But I still want some votes!

Chapter Twenty-Two: When Will That Car Arrive?

Through the semi-transparent umbrella, millions of raindrops shimmered like stars in the sky.

On the ground, by the car window, the lights on both sides seemed to dim rapidly in an instant. The raindrops hit the umbrella as Shi Yu tilted her head slightly, shattering into pieces before enveloping her hair.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Holding an umbrella, I unexpectedly met the girl I liked in the spring rain.

Their eyes met, as if drawn to each other like magnets.

With a slight smile, they agreed to meet again the next day, then brushed past each other in the rain, which suddenly intensified.

There is no past to hide, nor a sordid future.

Time seemed to stand still as he imagined how soft and gentle her hand would be if he were to touch it.

She stepped into the entrance hall first, and was bumped by her younger sister who had just returned. Kirino glared at him angrily, changed into slippers, and ran upstairs like a rabbit.

"Kyosuke, what's wrong?"

"Hmm... Kirino bumped my back just now, and it still hurts a bit. I suspect she did it on purpose."

The mother glanced at her husband sideways and said, "That's called inertia, right? You should have learned that in physics. Don't be as petty as your father; he's so annoying."

Daisuke Kosaka was still wearing a yukata and reading the newspaper when he heard this. He lifted the newspaper up to cover his face.

He sneakily ran up to his mother to help her chop vegetables: "Did you two fight again?"

"Go away, what's it to you?"

Kyosuke washed his hands with a smile and went upstairs.

No matter how much they argue, Mom and Dad will still live like this for the rest of their lives, because they have already lived like this for many years.

Because love is both ethereal and substantial, and with substantiality comes inertia, and because of this inertia, they will continue to live that way.

As long as it doesn't involve fundamental principles, arguments between couples are probably the most adorable wars in the world. They're like the two blades of a pair of scissors, slashing at each other but never actually hurting one another.

"That's so good, that's so good, that's how good our relationship is."

He marveled at the way the couple got along, wondering if he could be like that in the future—he would be sitting in the living room reading the newspaper, his wife cooking not far away, and their two children, bickering as they walked in from school…

Kyosuke returned to his bedroom and thought about it. There was still something he hadn't done: the DVDs he had given Kirino to play with were still with her and he hadn't gotten them back. He decided to take care of it before dinner.

He arrived at his sister's bedroom door and found it wasn't closed properly, letting in a ray of light like the morning sun. Kyosuke didn't think much of it and pushed the door open, only to be greeted with a whole bunch of "benefits" on the floor.

My younger sister is taking off her clothes.

Kirino Kousaka was taking off her school uniform, and her already discarded top was carelessly tossed on the ground. Like its owner, she stared in astonishment at the person standing in front of the door.

Unlike her usual spoiled self, Kirino now maintains a fixed posture, exuding a unique tranquility amidst the expanse of spring sunshine.

The student's short skirt slowly slid down to her knees.

She sat on the edge of the bed. In the warm-toned room, Kirino was like a mermaid hidden in the seaweed of the Red Sea, staring in disbelief as he burst in.

"..."

"..."

Kyosuke Kosaka put on his familiar, formulaic smile again: "I'm really sorry, but please remember to close the door next time you do something like this."

"boom!"

"boom!"

The first sound was the door closing.

The second sound was the cushion slamming against the door. Inside, the younger sister roared in exasperation, but her voice trembled and she almost choked on her saliva. This sound easily evoked images of beautiful mountain cherry blossoms blooming amidst the clouds.

The girl glared at the door, as if she were glaring at the person outside.

But in her eyes, which resembled a cat's angry gaze, there was hardly any anger. As if her nerves were delayed, a strange expectation was now welling up in her heart, and her heart became as soft as jelly, and as easily trembling as jelly.

Brother...where was Kyosuke looking at her just now?

She knew that look in his eyes was no longer that of a little girl.

She had encountered that kind of male gaze before when she was working as a model, but other men's gazes only made her feel disgusted, while just now she only felt pleasure.

Kirino slowly placed her hand on her heart.

I tried to suppress the joy that was about to spill out, but I couldn't stop it; it secretly escaped from my eyes.

But what should we do next?

Should we go out and give him a piece of our mind?

She didn't dare; her brother would beat her.

That night, I crawled into his bed, like in the movies?

She still didn't dare, afraid of being kicked off the bed.

This feeling is really annoying.

Kirino had no idea what her brother was thinking, and she didn't want to endure it anymore. Her current situation was like waiting for a bus that never came.

Should we wait a bit longer?

After waiting for so long, walking or taking a taxi would be incredibly frustrating.

So after changing her clothes, she decided to wait and see; that day would come eventually.

The end of the world or a new beginning will always come.

…………

During dinner, Kyosuke kept staring at his younger sister.

Honestly, how should we describe a blushing girl?

tender and beautiful?

Yes, the cherry blossoms, so beautiful and vibrant, are brazenly peeking at the world.

He felt that Kirino was indeed a grown-up girl, so he apologized for accidentally seeing her changing clothes. This apology was reflected in his dinner by personally serving his sister a bowl of rice.

The parents were pleased that their sibling relationship had been further repaired.

"Don't act like you're so good to me in front of my parents. I think you're only this good in front of them."

"Kirino, haven't I been good to you?"

In Kyosuke Kosaka's room, the siblings continued their previous life discussion, but before they could begin, the younger sister seemed to be settling old scores, her face grim: "You saw that, didn't you?"

Kyosuke nodded honestly: "I saw it, it's white."