I really don't want to be reborn.

"Huh, could it be that Kyosuke is a fan of fresh wild animals?"

"...No, I usually cook seafood thoroughly. Raw fish is good to eat once or twice, but I'll definitely get used to it if I eat it too often."

Kyosuke Kosaka picked up a dried fruit from the plate: "You probably haven't eaten fresh figs. I have a deep memory of that delicate, soft, and chewy texture, as well as its fragrant, crispy, and sweet taste."

He breathed on the glass and slowly outlined the cut fig: "Look, the cut looks just like a girl's lips, and the color and luster are very similar too."

Saori stared at it for a long time, her expression complicated: "Kyosuke, you seem to be very familiar with girls' lips..."

Kyosuke Kosaka remained silent, indicating his acquiescence.

He knew from the past that kissing women was an essential part of casual flings.

"Let me tell you a little secret. When I first saw Kasumigaoka Utaha, I was attracted by the way she bit her lip."

Saori exclaimed excitedly, "Oh my, isn't it because of his face? Isn't it always because of his face that guys fall in love at first sight?"

"It is indeed the face."

Who dares to say that love at first sight has nothing to do with physical appearance?

He subconsciously touched his lips, smiling somewhat ambiguously: "Let me tell you a little common sense: if you eat too many figs, your lips will feel itchy and numb..."

Saori was utterly puzzled: "What does this mean?"

"It feels the same after kissing for a long time."

"..."

Saori Bagina remained silent for a long time, then clutched her chest in surrender: "Is it really okay to force this kind of PDA on a poor, single, homebody like me? Dare to show off even more!"

"Actually, you could try dating someone reliable..."

Saori quickly waved her hand: "No rush!"

"You seem to have something to say to me?"

"Gah-"

Kyosuke Kosaka once again defied expectations, forcefully inserting another topic into the middle of a conversation, and once he started, he pressed on relentlessly: "What do you want to say to me? They're not here now, you can say whatever you want."

"Kyosuke, you scoundrel—"

Saori had a headache, but she quickly perked up and became very serious: "Actually, what I want to ask is, Kyosuke, how do you handle other people's feelings, and how do you handle your own?"

He seemed to have expected this, his expression calm: "As for this question, I'm just like any other man."

"Do other men...suppress and control their emotions?"

"Anyone can do that."

"how do you know?"

Saori straightened her back, her expression very serious: "Most of them would run away, like the male protagonist in anime, but you didn't run away. You are very clear about your feelings for her, and you are also clear about her feelings for you."

He didn't ask who this "she" was, nor did he bother to ask.

"You can love someone wholeheartedly and without reservation, but you always maintain a certain distance from her."

Those large, round glasses reflected an unpredictable light: "You can wholeheartedly love someone who loves you, or you can completely manipulate someone who loves you just the same."

"Kyosuke, don't you think your way of handling relationships is too unfair?"

He leaned back slightly.

He gave a complicated smile.

I originally thought that Kasumigaoka Utaha would be the first to notice this, or that the perceptive Kuroneko would be the first to notice it.

It seems I underestimated this tall guy in front of me.

As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover. Saori's mind is far more delicate than her size and figure suggest.

It's not difficult to reach this conclusion. It's very simple to work backward from the end, directly tracing back from the effect to the cause. He smiled and nodded, half of his face disappearing into the twilight.

"It's not fair at all."

He tossed a dried fig into his mouth and chewed it slowly. He didn't really like the crumbly texture, but he still forced himself to eat it.

"How should I put it? She was like a fire in winter."

"Yes, a fire. Smart people know to keep a distance from the fire when they are warming themselves, and will not get too close to it."

"That's just the kind of person she is, that kind of personality. Being too emotional can easily make her lose herself."

Kyosuke Kosaka pointed to the darkening sky: "You see? That guy is probably sleeping like a log in the west right now."

Saori wanted to say something: "Kyosuke..."

"Okay, I know what you're trying to say, but if I were to actually respond, almost everything in my life would be thrown into chaos. I just want to live a few years of peaceful and happy life."

He stood up, half of his figure falling on Saori: "That's all."

The girl gave a wry smile: "But if it's like this, dragging it out is bad for everyone. It's okay if it's short-term, but if it goes on for too long, it'll be a ticking time bomb, Kyosuke."

"long?"

Kyosuke Kosaka revealed a hint of self-mockery, a self-mockery tinged with an indescribable desolation and chill: "What longevity do I have to speak of?"

Chapter Twenty-Four: A Spring Breeze Overnight, My Heart Like a Mulberry Leaf, It's Time for Flowers to Bloom Again

Yokohama’s Red Brick Warehouse hosts an arts festival every winter.

"ART LI·NK in Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse"—this year's presentation is a joint effort by schools including Yokohama Hayato Junior High School.

“I’ve heard that the theme of this year’s festival is ‘ice theater,’ which is probably about performing plays while skating. Anyway, I’m not too sure.”

"Huh, what are those scrolls and paintings of birds and beasts...? Huh, there really is the Fallen Saint of my great Chiba!"

"No, no, Mr. Black Cat, calm down. It's just two black cat pictures overlapping, not a cat demon..."

Saori quickly grabbed the black cat, who was trying to rush up and demand an explanation, while Kousaka Kyosuke also picked up Shino.

"Let go, I have a well-thought-out plan."

"Shino, what trouble are you trying to cause now? You'd better stay with us tonight. You know, the little black cat isn't very good at skating yet, so you're responsible for her safety."

Sinon showed obvious displeasure, and her limbs, which had been hanging in the air, stretched slightly and broke free from Kousaka Kyosuke's control: "Don't lift me like that again."

She stomped her foot on the ground.

The feeling of being lifted up by him for the first time suddenly shattered into fragments with a loud crash in my memory, the horrifying sharpness making my heart pound.

She looked at it: "A black cat?"

The black cat, as arrogant as ever, tossed its hair and said, "Hmph, you underestimate me, the Fallen Saint. Ice skating is nothing but a boring trick of bored humans."

"Oh, then I won't help."

"..."

The petite blue-haired girl wasn't enthusiastic about helping the black cat learn to skate. She and Saori got together and excitedly put on their skates and rushed onto the ice.

By this time, it was completely dark, and the ice rink, just as advertised, was illuminated by warm, dark red lights.

Many people had already arrived at the ice rink, mostly couples teaching each other or lingering around. Just then, a light darted out from the crowd... and a swallow darted across the crowd!

beautiful!

It was a small, azure swallow, darting across the ice with swift, coordinated movements. Its actions weren't particularly elegant, but its posture was full of tension, like a graceful dancer.

Without any deliberate attempt, it unconsciously reveals an unimaginable beauty and power.

"Wow, Shino skates so beautifully... Hmm, I guess I need to work harder too, otherwise I'll end up sliding down a huge, ridiculous pathetic spot."

I don't know what Saori is thinking, nor do I care about other people's opinions. Shino is breathing heavily, her eyes closed in the cold night wind, her feet moving gently and circling around, casually stretching her limbs on the ice, like a real swallow dancing in the sky.

"Hey, is that girl really that good?"

The black cat stared incredulously at the ice rink from the sidelines, tugging at his sleeve: "I've always wanted to ask, what does Kasumigaoka Utaha's sister do? She doesn't seem to go to school."

Kosaka chuckled strangely: "In the field of physical fitness, she and I are alike, knowing a little bit about everything."

He was also looking at Shino, and at his sister-in-law.

There were two small red pom-poms on either side of the fluffy collar. The zipper was open, and the scarf and hem of the garment fluttered with her movements. He thought it was cool.

Kyosuke Kosaka also changed his shoes with the black cat and went to a relatively quiet corner of the ice rink. He was going to teach the little black cat how to skate, which was no easy task.

When teaching someone to ice skate, you must always pay attention to their safety, because beginners can easily lose their balance and fall, ending up with bruises and swelling.

"Ouch!"

As expected, the black cat fell down and landed in Kyosuke Kousaka's arms.

Hmm... He didn't mind physical contact with the little black cat. To be honest, he was quite happy to see the little black cat's panicked expression, especially since the cat had fallen many times in just forty minutes.

"I can see that you have a lot of ideas in terms of physical fitness, and your body has a strong will to survive."

"Hmph... Hmph, let me go, I want to try again!"

"Don't push yourself, Black Cat. I've suggested it several times already. Let me hold you and skate once to get a feel for it."

"Humph!"

Kyosuke Kosaka was speechless. Seeing the strange expression on the black cat's face, he knew that she didn't believe he was a gentleman at all. Right now, her little head was probably filled with all sorts of wild thoughts about plots that only appeared in books.

His sister Kirino is openly a pervert, while this gloomy, chuunibyou-ish black cat is probably a sly, repressed pervert.

Kyosuke Kosaka helplessly helped her up again and again, and during the rest, the cat suddenly asked an abrupt question.

"Brother, do you like Sinon?"

As she spoke, she was tidying her messy long hair. Although Hinata had described it as "malnourished," under the light, her long, straight black hair looked surprisingly smooth and shiny.

(Long, straight, black hair!)

It's very beautiful.

However, the question she asked was not elegant; it was quite sinister.

Kyosuke became wary: "Why are you suddenly asking this? Do you know I have a phobia of this kind of question?"

Yes, my girlfriend recently used this question to trick me.

The girl frowned slightly, looked into the distance, and saw that Shino seemed to be gliding towards them.