I really don't want to be reborn.

He put down the paintbrush: "I'm reminded of something from The Little Prince—that people can be tamed."

Eriri tilted her head, confused: "Hmm?"

Oh dear, this silly look is exactly like Kirino's.

After thinking for a moment, Kyosuke Kosaka put together a set of explanations that Eriri could understand, very considerate of her brain cells: "For example, in 'The Shawshank Redemption,' an old prisoner said to the newcomer: 'At first you hate prison, then you gradually get used to it, and after enough time you start to depend on it, and finally you start to find pleasure in this kind of life, and even become unable to live without it...'"

"How is a prison bully made?"

The tsundere with twin tails frowned: "Was that really said? I don't recall it, so what does that mean?"

He raised his middle finger, a gesture directed at human society: "—This is institutionalization, a few key points: being coerced by something, unable to escape, being given favors, that's what society is like."

"Therefore, humans can be tamed, whether they are Earthlings or aliens."

He added as a final point: "If my lovely girlfriend writes an ending where 'the Great Goddess accidentally wipes out humanity while using the toilet,' I'll take her to France or Venus next year."

The conversation gradually turned serious, and after being bombarded with displays of affection, Eriri had no choice but to change the subject: "Then let me ask you another question!"

"?"

"Between you and your lovely girlfriend, who will tame whom?"

this problem……

It's not a problem at all!

Because they had long ago reached a consensus—neither of them could tame the other!

"Why do you always ask questions like this? Eriri, if you want a man, just go find one yourself. I think you're the kind of golden retriever that's easy to tame..."

Ms. Sawamura placed a large bottle of black ink between the two of them with a clatter, unscrewed the cap, her eyebrows twitched, but her smile was gentle: "Let's get down to business."

…………

Okay, let's get down to business.

In the eyes of Eriri, a young girl, what constitutes "serious business" is something she is very interested in, especially other people's romances.

They care a lot about what they can't have.

Eriri Sawamura lowered her head to think. If she was destined to be tamed by another person, then her ex-boyfriend, her childhood friend, probably didn't have the mindset to tame her.

He lacked both the means and the will.

He's a homebody.

In other words, what that man really needed was a woman who could be easily tamed by him.

I am not.

"Seeing you with your head bowed in deep thought, looking so forlorn and sorrowful, are you thinking of your failed first love again?"

"Well."

"How about one more time?"

Eriri pursed her lips: "If I had to do it all over again, I think I'd still like him a little more."

Kyosuke Kosaka shook his head. Women are just so unreasonable.

"Don't look at me like I'm an idiot, Kousaka-kun. It was only after experiencing him that I truly understood men. I think men like him are extremely rare."

"You've only been in one relationship, what's the point of talking about it so world-weary?"

Then he saw a very strange expression on Eriri's face, an expression he had seen before.

The expression on my younger sister Kirino's face when she returned from a fourth-grade elementary school test after altering her score.

"Actually, when I said 'experience,' I meant to say—"

"Isn't this a relationship? Did you two do it?"

Eriri glared at him, as if giving up on something: "Actually, what I experienced was... unrequited love."

"..."

???

Wait!

In other words, Ms. Sawamura Eriri's tears this spring were not because of a breakup, but because her childhood friend, whom she had a crush on, got a girlfriend...

A dating pro!

You're a master!

They even said you were thrown out of the besieged city, but it turns out you were never even inside!

"You're laughing, aren't you! Ah, laugh all you want, I don't care anymore!"

The golden retriever's hands trembled restlessly: "I've long since let go of it all."

Eriri, who has come to a complete understanding.

"Since you've taken it all in stride, could you please take your hand off the cap of the ink bottle? I'm sure if I actually laughed, you'd immediately splash it all over my face."

Kosaka shook his head slightly: "Your understanding of men is far from 'thorough' because you haven't met enough men."

"For example?"

"How well do you know your childhood sweetheart? How well do you know your father? And how well do you know me—these are the three men you frequently encounter in your life."

"emmm..."

Upon hearing this, Eriri, who was clearly a beautiful girl, suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

“In that case, young girls wouldn’t say it, because they are too naive and haven’t had enough experience with age, so they should go out and meet more men.”

"Meeting more men... I find your statement rather lewd."

"Of course, it's best for a girl to stay with one man for life."

She looked at him, a smile playing on her lips, which slowly turned into a sneer: "Why is it that men can have multiple women and be considered charming and carefree, while women who sleep with several men are condemned as sluts? Don't you find that disgusting?"

Kosaka didn't find it disgusting, and he didn't say anything.

This isn't a feminist statement; Eriri's words mainly express her strong opinion on the issue of "infidelity."

Moreover, judging from her angry and helpless expression, there must be something she doesn't want others to know.

"You can think of it this way: a man is like a key, and a woman is like a lock."

"If a key can open many locks, people will praise it as a master key."

He continued to paint: "But if a lock can be opened with any key, then people will say it's a broken lock—do you think that makes sense?"

"That makes absolutely no sense."

She was about to argue when she suddenly heard her mother knocking on the door: "Eri, your Aunt Kudo is here! Do you want to go down and see her?"

Eriri's face was unusually cold: "I'm not going! She's here to see Dad again, isn't she? That woman..."

The wife chuckled outside, "Oh dear, my darling is stealing her best friend's boyfriend again..."

"No, that's not true!"

With a loud "Wah wah wah!", the golden retriever, as if it had been scalded by water while washing its bottom, suddenly rushed out.

------

This chapter is 3,600 words long! I'm really amazing.

Anyone want to throw some razor blades? I actually wanted to update another chapter.

Chapter Thirty: As his feelings for her deepened, he became increasingly indifferent to everything around him.

Eriri Sawamura is just as annoying as her mother.

They are all the kind of women who clearly hate the other person to the point of wanting to die, but always put on a magnanimous and gentle expression on their faces, which is quite hypocritical.

However, Eriri hadn't learned to hide her gaze, and the malice in her eyes was very obvious.

He's still just a child.

—That's what Kudo Miyoko was thinking.

She smiled to herself, realizing that she had no right or standing to judge other mothers and daughters. Ultimately, it was her own boss who was in the wrong, morally indebted.

"If Mr. Spencer is not here, then I will visit him another day—"

After saying this softly, Kudo Miyoko gave a neat bow to the mother and daughter, then turned and walked out of the living room.

I come here every year anyway.

She always made sure to choose a day when the male homeowner wasn't home—because the real people she was visiting were Eriri and her daughter. This was her boss's way of showing weakness, and both of them knew it perfectly well.

"There's simply not enough time to finish a full-color painting. You really want to exhaust the black cat to death!"

"By the way, what's Kuroneko's work for this winter exhibition? Or is it her Beelzemon doujinshi?"

"The battle between the Fallen Beasts and Meruru... I think it's doomed. What theme did Eriri choose...?"

"That guy said it was a secret and wouldn't tell me."

Before leaving, she heard a man and a woman talking louder and louder. As Kudo Miyoko drove out of the manor, she happened to pass by the man and the woman.

The rearview mirror reflected a young couple holding hands; they both looked like high school students.

Amidst the laughter and cheerful conversation, there was an unyielding sweetness.

They have great chemistry and are a perfect match.

It's so good to be young...

The boss told me that she and Mr. Spencer had a similarly sweet relationship back then.

Unfortunately, we can never go back to that innocent era.

Suddenly, the boy's sharp gaze swept over her, as if he had noticed her spying. His gentle eyes suddenly turned deep, startling her.

My heart was beating a little faster, and even the car engine made a startled whimpering sound.

That look in her eyes is really...

It couldn't be described as powerful or sharp; the way the gaze looked down from a high place made her uncomfortable and quite fearful at the same time.