I really don't want to be reborn.

Furthermore, Gokou has two younger sisters, and she and Kirino, who is obsessed with her siscon, must have a lot to talk about. They will definitely become good friends, and Gokou will definitely become the only unique friend in Kirino's life who knows about her "otaku hobbies".

In this way, he wouldn't have to worry about his sister developing a mental illness one day, his sister would have someone to play online games with at night, and he would have more time to write.

Kyosuke hoped for this, and things did start out as he wished; they got along very well. However, things gradually changed as they spent more time together.

...and this was within his expectations.

To paraphrase an old saying: I guessed the beginning, and I also guessed the ending.

One day in mid-April, the brother and sister went into the bookstore again.

"Welcome... Tch, it's you again, you bitch?"

"Ugh, I get so annoyed every time I see you. Tsk, haven't you been fired by the manager yet, you dead cat?"

The moment I entered, I was enveloped in the smoke of battle, a stark contrast to the beautiful and innocent atmosphere of our first meeting.

To add to that, Gokou Ruri's online name is Kuroneko (Black Cat), which is basically what the Kousaka siblings use most of the time.

To add to that, Kirino and Kuroneko are both huge fans of the anime "Stardust Witch Meruru" and "Mascera: The Lament of the Fallen Beasts," and since these two shows aired at the same time, they often clashed because of it.

Kyosuke took the tissue the black cat offered and wiped his sweat, ignoring the two men's harsh and vulgar language.

"I know! I bought the Maskera DVD and watched it. My god, it's full of embarrassingly silly lines and a rigid, evil-looking character. Why don't you just die already!"

"That bitch is spouting nonsense again. What do you know about animation? You think something like Meruru, which is for little kids, can be considered animation?"

Kyosuke put down the tissue: "Calm down a bit, it's just an anime, is it really that big of a deal?"

"It's just an animation?"

Kirino and the black cat suddenly roared at him together, quite in sync.

A strange smile flickered across Kousaka Kyosuke's lips: "You two are really in sync. Kuroneko, Kirino is all yours. If you need her help, don't hesitate to ask her to help with anything, whether it's mopping the floor or doing something else."

"Can we turn her into a firearm?"

"Please go ahead."

He casually picked up a book and began to read it amidst the bright spring sunshine and the girls' chatter.

------

Shopping is too tiring for my feet.

Please vote for me!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: I Like You, I Like You

"Fine! How dare you spout such nonsense... Fine, you bitch, I'll show you what true terror is, and you'll regret it in your next life!"

"Shut up! You're so noisy! You eccentric woman with weird eyes!"

"...Evil... Evil Eye... Electric Wave Girl! Whew, finally uttered that forbidden word..."

"He's cross-eyed!"

"...Kousuke Kousaka, are you trying to cause trouble?"

"No, you can continue. My sister can handle it."

"Ah, how dare they accuse me of using evil eye energy? How pathetic, I have no idea what the consequences will be! It's too late for regrets now, this immense resentment is something I can't even quell myself..."

"You idiot?! Aren't you ashamed to be alive? Go to hell!"

As the two argued more and more congenially, he slowly closed the book.

friend?

These two can be considered friends, right?

Do you have friends who argue and hurl insults at each other the moment you meet?

Still there.

Especially when two lonely people, one lonely because of their own personality and the other lonely because of their own hobbies, their loneliness will gradually lessen when they start to interact.

As darkness fell, more customers came and went. Dusk was the busiest time for buying and reading books. Black Cat had returned to his post, busy taking books, collecting money, and giving change. He had no time to continue arguing with the round-headed woman.

He put the books away and called to his sister to get ready to go home.

I remember a movie that said that you have the chance to brush past many people every day, and you may know nothing about them, but maybe one day they will become your friends or confidants.

"Kirino, cherish your friends."

"Huh? Who's friends with that guy?!"

That being said, if he didn't really consider her a friend, he didn't think Kirino would have patiently helped Kuroneko organize the books.

"Friendship in youth is more valuable than love, my sister."

"What?! I absolutely hate that guy!"

He started to laugh, a sly laugh that made Kirino's defense of her tsundere tone increasingly weak.

“A lavish wedding does not guarantee a happy marriage, and love is not directly related to the amount of jewelry one has. The same goes for friendship. I think you two are very good friends.”

My younger sister scoffed and quickly walked out of the store.

Kousaka Kyosuke walked behind, wondering about something he hadn't noticed before: his sister's words were tinged with excessive boasting.

A true lady doesn't flaunt what she has. She doesn't tell people what books she's read, where she's been, or how much money she has each month, because she has no inferiority complex.

and so……

Why does Kirino have feelings of inferiority?

What exactly is she insecure about?

Black Cat answered the question like this: "Hmm? That woman seems to have a bit of OCD. To put it bluntly, she seems to be chasing after someone's shadow, trying her best to do her best."

Whose silhouette is she chasing?

The black cat with a beauty mark under its eye stared blankly at him, thinking to itself, "Don't you, as the older brother, know this?"

"But he's really lucky, that guy."

Kyosuke asked her to pack up the things they needed to buy: "What's so great about her? She's just a little more developed than you, isn't she?"

The black cat glared at him, its gaze like that of the Queen of the Night looking at Meruru: "Of course I envy her. She has good grades and is beautiful. Although she's a bit of a idiot, she has a pretty face and can make money just by taking pictures."

Realizing she had misspoke, she hurriedly lowered her head to pack her books halfway through her sentence, muttering under her breath with a hint of resentment, "She's really living like a child..."

Kyosuke smiled thoughtfully: "Adults have all gone astray. God is testing them. You and Kirino haven't grown up yet. You should live according to the ideas of children."

The cat bared its teeth unhappily: "I'm not a child!"

…………

"What did you say to that dead cat?"

I asked her if she wanted to have dinner with us.

Kosaka Kirino didn't believe it.

That's right, this is when the black cat is busy, how could he possibly bring this up? So Kirino became suspicious: "Is she talking badly about me? Or is she talking badly about me?"

She seems to care a lot about people saying bad things about her.

“Okay, I was telling her that as long as a person has willpower, they can overcome their circumstances.”

The younger sister pouted, confused: "What does this mean?"

Kyosuke said strangely, "Didn't you notice that your friend, Miss Kuroneko, was in a situation of being isolated and ostracized while she was working?"

"Huh? Why?!"

"Because she's not like you, where you can pretend to be a good girl at school. She's different; she doesn't seem to know how to hide her true self."

Kirino blushed when her brother accused her of acting like a good girl, unable to refute him.

Then, slightly dazed, he looked down and gritted his teeth, "It feels... just like that woman from Kasumigaoka."

Kyosuke Kosaka stopped in his tracks.

That tone again...

This hostility is already very obvious.

He pulled his sister's sleeve to make way for passing vehicles: "They are different. Kasumigaoka Utaha disdains to hide her true feelings, while Kuroneko is not very good at hiding them."

Kirino thought it made a lot of sense.

So her anger towards that stinky cat slowly softened into sympathy. She also knew that the guy's family situation wasn't actually that good, after all, she couldn't even bear to buy Meruru's DVDs.

She also has two younger sisters, her parents are often away from home, and she herself often works part-time jobs, so Kirino Kousaka generously forgave that guy's great disrespect and even considered whether he should come and visit her more often...

"Kirino."

"Uh-huh?"

"Pay attention when walking and watch out for vehicles."

"Oh."

Her gentle voice was just like the teachings she had heard in her childhood. Her brother had also led her slowly down the street, teaching her the proper way to walk. Back then, the two of them held hands.

Now, her brother can only hold onto her sleeve.

Or rather, she could only be led by the sleeve by her brother.

The gap between reality and memory is unpleasant, frustrating, unacceptable, and unyielding.

Negative emotions eventually led to reality.

While Kyosuke Kosaka was still pondering some issues, he suddenly realized something was wrong. His hand was casually grabbed by his sister, her soft palm holding his four fingers.

As if nothing had happened.

She was still rambling on about how utterly annoying the black cat was, and expressing her disgust for the cartoon the black cat liked, without the slightest change in her expression, as if holding hands was a very natural and ordinary thing.

Kirino felt as if she had split into two parts: one part was her body, which was trying to disguise itself so that the person holding her hand would not notice anything unusual; the other part was her mind, which was experiencing all the sensations of her body, feeling like a hydrogen balloon, or like the exhilarating feeling of running on a playground.

It felt as if a powerful force was supporting her. She knew her adrenaline was pumping, and she knew her legs were starting to feel weak and her feet were floating.

The streetlights along the roadside were dim and yellow, but the light was warm.