I really don't want to be reborn.

Chapter Thirteen: The only effective way to rescue someone is to have you by my side.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

"The long-awaited second Stardust Witch Meruru Official Cosplay Contest is finally here!"

The female host standing on the stage... looks very familiar.

Kyosuke felt an instant connection upon seeing her. Hoshino, who works at the maid cafe, is your sister!

Which sister is this?

"This year, a whopping twenty-three adorable girls are participating! Each one will be dressed as a character from Meruru for a grand entrance! Please look forward to it~~"

Before the atmosphere could get heated up, the host continued, "Oh, right, this year I, Hoshino Clara, will also be the emcee. Please take good care of me..."

It has to be said that this person is a well-known resident in the otaku community... a well-known host. As soon as he finished speaking, the enthusiasm of the otaku was ignited, and the huge sound really startled Ayase.

Then something even more terrifying happened, making her stammer, "Big...big...big...big brother, you...look there..."

Kousaka Kyosuke, who was watching from the backstage area, followed Ayase's gaze and his composed expression immediately crumbled. He opened his mouth in astonishment, and a rare painful groan escaped his throat.

I covered my eyes with one hand; I didn't want to look anymore.

The people who attract there are people that everyone is familiar with.

"Yaho! Clara! Clara! Hey hey hey hey!"

The Kousaka family's precious child is frantically waving a glow stick.

Wearing a pink half-up dress, waving one hand while holding Meruru's round fan in the other—she was no different from any other otaku.

"Wow..."

But her identity as a young girl, her voice that stood out among the otaku's cheers, and her crazy, enthusiastic shouts made her incredibly attractive even from the back row.

After witnessing her best friend unleash her full power and undergo a complete transformation, Ayase Aragaki's worldview was once again shaken, no better than Kyosuke Kousaka's. She murmured in a voice as if she had seen a ghost, "Kirino... is that right? I shouldn't be seeing things, right?"

Kyosuke's expression slowly changed, like a solemn Buddha statue that had been vandalized by a child, hesitant to speak: "I don't really want to admit it, but... it's definitely her."

"Ah, that's right."

"I'm sorry, Ayase, I suddenly feel ashamed of my sister."

The beautiful girl with long, straight black hair scratched her cheek: "Actually, I can accept her as she is now more than Kirino, who likes erotic content."

"You don't like erotica?"

"Pervert! Of course I don't... like it!"

Ayase touched her chest, which was smaller than Kasumigaoka Utaha's, and felt relieved, as if she had survived a disaster: "Thank goodness, thank goodness I'm participating now, it's so good... If Kirino saw me wearing that kind of lewd outfit, I'd rather die!"

"..."

"Big brother?"

He frowned in thought: "There are risks."

"What?"

"You know, if Kirino stands out too much from the audience later—actually, her current enthusiastic cheering is already quite striking—what if Kanako—"

"Ugh! Are you worried that Kanako will be recognized by Kirino? Ah, big brother, although Kanako seems to be afraid of you, you're actually quite kind to her."

Miss Aragaki smiled at him, a smile that made no attempt to hide the affection a naive middle school girl held for him, but...

You've misunderstood.

Really, Ms. Aragaki, you've completely misunderstood.

Kyosuke didn't say anything, thinking to himself that only a fool would worry about what happened to Kanako Kurusu.

His concern was that Kanako might suddenly see Kirino acting crazy, causing the performance to suddenly stop, as people are most prone to accidents when they are in a panic.

At that time, Kanako, in a state of utter panic, might reveal the reason she came here under Kirino's questioning.

Yes, they were preparing a gift for her; it was a kind gesture.

But based on his understanding of his sister, he knew that seeing him and his best friend conspiring to keep it from her would only make her angrier, and the cold war would last even longer.

Reasoning with them won't work.

Kirino Kousaka's current state is inexplicable.

Because she still had a strong possessive desire for him.

"Then let's immediately welcome our first contestant—little sister Bridget, who has come all the way from England!"

The appearance of the champion candidate caused the entire stadium to erupt in cheers.

She was a European loli with blonde hair, the same age as the magical girl "Alpha Omega" she was playing—a ten-year-old girl.

Unlike Meruru, whose outfit is predominantly pink, Al's outfit features an overall black design.

He was wearing a black cloak and holding a golden longsword.

—Her appearance is somewhat similar to that of a favored concubine.

With a childlike face bearing a ridiculously fake mature expression, he walked to the center of the stage and began to perform.

"Behold! My sword aura!"

A longsword sweeps across!

Longsword leaps and slashes!

Hmph, ha, hey!

The cool lines, the flashy moves... he couldn't stand it anymore; his tolerance for cringeworthy chuunibyou stuff was decreasing lately.

A huge cheer erupted from the crowd, and Kirino's cheer was so loud that it drew attention.

"Let's go. Kanako can't go up; it's too risky."

"Then...brother, why don't you go and talk to Kirino now and ask her to keep a low profile?"

Kyosuke remained silent, finding it difficult to speak: "To be honest with you, Ayase, Kirino hasn't been talking to me much lately. I guess she dislikes me."

"Huh? Hey hey!"

Ayase Aragaki originally wanted to tease him a bit, but seeing his dejected expression, she couldn't say anything.

My mind drifted back to our first meeting at the track and field meet last year, and to the day I discovered Kirino's terrible hobby this June.

She suddenly realized that her older brother must have a tough time. He was an outstanding and all-around talented brother who had to date while also taking care of his younger sister's feelings, and even endured her pranks time and time again...

Ayase took a deep breath.

She suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for her brother, who was usually so assertive, now showing such a vulnerable expression.

"Then, then I'll go talk to her!"

"They'll investigate thoroughly, so the only solution now is to replace them."

"Change the player?"

Kousaka Kyosuke didn't say anything, and amidst the cheers of the otaku, he led her back to the backstage dressing room.

He explained the current situation to Kanako.

Sure enough, Kanako Kurusu, who had initially been quite enthusiastic, preferred to go home in that outfit rather than go on stage.

If I don't tell her, she'll probably be nervous when she goes on stage.

I told her to prepare her mentally, but knowing that Kirino was also there, she absolutely refused to go on stage.

This is a dead logic.

The group of people looked at each other in bewilderment.

Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed, "What are you planning to do?"

"I just looked into it. Al-chan's corrupted form is not only skilled in swordsmanship, but also in assembling guns and cannons. But even professional cosplayers may not know that much about it."

"so what?"

Kyosuke Kosaka stood by the window, took a deep breath, then opened the glass window and roared.

"Poetry...you...save me!!!"

"Shh!"

The blue-haired loli who jumped in through the window frowned unhappily: "Too loud, noisy."

Then she saw her sister's ambiguous smile...

"..."

His calm eyes instantly turned into one of intense shame and anger, and a murderous glint appeared in them.

Her older sister was looking at her meaningfully: "Is Shino following me? Or is she following... Kousaka?"

No, no.

The murderous-looking girl touched her hair, then hung her head dejectedly and remained silent.

"Kasumigaoka, would you like to see your sister's cosplay?"

"emmm..."

------

I don't like eating fatty meat—that means I hate fatty meat, it means I dislike it.

I don't like Xiaobeifang—this is a denial of "like," and doesn't necessarily mean I dislike it.

Of course, the above are just examples, and I really do hate fatty meat.

Chapter Fourteen: Awaiting the Collapse of the Mountain, the Pen and Ink Take Center Stage

Miss Bridget from the UK has the highest score so far, just one point away from a perfect score of 99.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this is practically the championship.

In Miss Clara's words, "After removing all the judges' unnecessary concerns, it's practically a perfect score! Maybe the champion will be decided right away..."