I really don't want to be reborn.

The black cat was expressionless, and the distinct layers of light coming through the car window cast an unpredictable shadow on her small face, making her look like an angry cat.

So cute.

Yes, she and Kirino are definitely not from the same world, judging from their appearances.

Kirino Kousaka is glamorous and beautiful, but what about her?

She is gloomy and sharp-tongued, and a complete homebody. She is almost friendless and lonely, and in some ways she is actually quite insecure.

That's what Gokou Ruri thought.

However, she didn't know that Kirino Kousaka actually admired her even more, and Kirino would feel a little inferior in front of her—don't be proud of your own cowardice, and don't mock those who are braver and more passionate than you.

The tram swayed.

Aragaki turned around and found the person she had made fun of right behind her. Her face almost burned, and she hurriedly turned around to apologize: "I'm so sorry—ooh!"

The tram swayed.

She turned around too quickly, and just then the train jolted, causing Aragaki to uncontrollably pounce on the startled black cat, resulting in a chaotic scene.

"Ouch, ouch—"

If I had to use a good metaphor... actually, there are already too many metaphors for me to handle. For example, "This tram is long and thin," or "This face is big and round." These descriptions are certainly very apt and intimidating, so they don't need any metaphors at all.

To put it more poetically, they are like two long, straight black hairs stacked together.

With a thud, it was the sound of someone playing mahjong, banging the table loudly.

Miss Black Cat initially stared wide-eyed, seemingly at the sight of two dots.

Now, with its teeth bared, eyebrows crooked, and eyes squinting, its cute little face has turned into a seven of bamboo.

Hey meow, all of them are the same color!

------

All the panties are the same color! Anyone want one for me? Only 100 yuan a pair! You won't lose out, you won't be cheated...

Okay, let's get down to business.

Requesting recommendations, monthly tickets, and donations (including swords and tips).

This is important! It's the right thing to do!

Chapter Twenty-Seven: I once had a brief, passionate, yet shy crush on him.

In mid-June, I received my first payment from Dengeki Bunko.

After living on a shoestring budget for over a month, Kyosuke Kosaka finally ended his impoverished days, and his wallet suddenly became much fuller. He even generously added a hot dog to his roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

His first thought was—when will the next payment for the manuscript arrive?

That's how material enjoyment works. Even someone like him, who has theoretically lived for many years, is not immune to it. Except for the occasional painful physical stimulation when needed, people are usually content with comfort and enjoyment.

Human hearts are as greedy as a resentful woman.

Human hearts are as thin as spring ice.

Yes, people's hearts are actually as vibrant as a hot pot.

"Kousaka, what's wrong with middle school girls these days? I really can't understand it."

Kohei Akagi, sitting at the table in front of him, turned around. His expression was as if he had died once, and he had dark circles under his eyes. It was clear that he had reached a certain level of cultivation.

Kousaka Kyosuke glanced at him, analyzed the "middle school girl" in his words, and roughly understood: "What's wrong with your cute little sister that you praised so highly, the one that you wish you could hold in your arms all the time?"

He paused for a moment after saying that, then said, "Why did I use 'again'? I always felt that your sister wasn't exactly an easy person to deal with."

Akagi wanted to refute, but he couldn't.

His sister does have some... well... unusual hobbies that are hard to talk about, and some of her recent outrageous behavior is even a bit too much for him, a hardcore siscon.

"As for junior high school girls these days, it depends on which aspect you look at. In terms of personality, of course, the changes are indescribable and difficult to define. This is a sensitive period, so while you are strengthening education, you should not forget to relax the policies..."

He lowered his head and flipped through the book, not caring whether Akagi Kohei actually had the ability to "educate" his sister. After a moment of silence, his serious and gentle expression suddenly turned strange.

"If you're asking about their physical development..."

"Oh? I'm also very interested in this topic! You must know a lot of beautiful girls in junior high school, right?"

Kyosuke Kosaka exchanged a knowing smile with his friend at the table in front of him. The smile was as lewd as it could possibly be, yet it was done with an air of refinement: "Well... whether you're thin or fat, you're good-looking. It's like the saying, 'a suckling pig has no fat meat!'"

"Wow! Brilliant, brilliant, Kosaka Daisaku..."

"Please excuse my poor writing; it's not worthy of serious consideration."

A cold, angry snort came from behind Kyosuke, freezing the two boys' playful laughter. Akagi Kohei glanced at his friend with pity and turned away dejectedly.

"Filthy language, utterly unbearable to hear!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha kicked his chair for the entire class period, feeling that his last comment was a dig at her for being fat.

…………

There's nothing particularly noteworthy about the Literature Department's offices.

But after thinking about it for a long time, I felt I should write something. For example, the mottled marks on the off-white wall might be the last traces left by previous members of the Literature Department at this school.

Because of these marks, even if you clean every day, it looks like it can never be clean because it's so old.

"Drip, drip, drip."

The clock on the wall kept ticking, but its appearance gave people the first impression that "it's hard to tell how accurate the time is."

There's an electric fan with dusty blades in the corner below the clock. I'll try using it this summer; if it doesn't work, it'll be swept out of the house.

Now, the water dispenser that had been used for who knows how many years has been replaced. He originally wanted to buy a coffee machine, but Kasumigaoka Utaha thought coffee and tea were both good, so he simply bought a better water dispenser instead.

"If you use a coffee machine to make tea, you have to grind the tea leaves to the same size as coffee powder, which is too inconvenient. I'll just use coffee powder to make coffee. I'm not too particular about it."

"It would be easier if they had an American-style machine, but most places nowadays serve Italian-style drinks—oh, what would you like to drink today?"

"Tea……"

The Minister of Literature's voice was muffled.

He made her a cup of tea, then made himself a can of coffee, and as he drove, he sat down opposite her: "Minister, you seem rather quiet today."

His bangs slightly obscured the girl's eyes: "It's nothing... A friend of mine just broke up with her boyfriend, and I went to Tokyo to comfort her again yesterday. Suddenly, I've become interested in the topic of women."

She was reading his short stories serialized in a magazine. After finishing, she let out a long sigh and pursed her lips: "Kousaka, don't you feel that you lack a comprehensive understanding of the women you create? Every female character seems to be extreme?"

"extreme?"

"In other words... it's a yandere-like, demonic nature, wanting to control everything about men, with a possessiveness that's terrifying to an extreme, stemming from a biological instinct for evil—is that how you view women who commit crimes?"

"Women are more emotional than men. Yandere is a cute attribute that I derived from anime. What are your thoughts?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha closed the magazine: "I don't deny that women like that exist, but they are rare."

He was silent for a moment, then looked at her and smiled: "And you?"

"I?"

The girl unconsciously frowned, carefully choosing her words: "I don't know, maybe I will become that kind of woman in the future, but what I am sure of is that the reason why there are yanderes is that those terrible and pitiful women lack one thing."

"A lack of...men?"

"No, it's a lack of security."

"sense of security……"

Kyosuke pondered the word, took a sip of his sweetened coffee (black coffee was still a bit difficult for him), and the sweetness in the coffee was just right: "So, do you feel safe now?"

Kasumigaoka looked up, the warmth of the tea making her face slightly flushed, the steam making her eyes watery: "I think it's still a bit lacking."

He sighed and sat down next to her: "And now?"

"……good."

The boy and girl sat quietly.

Kyosuke had no idea what she was thinking.

All he knew was that the process of liking someone turning into love was a long and gentle one, which had already begun before he even realized it.

Unlike the nameless crush at the beginning of a relationship, this was his first love.

First love, when is it first love?

When you fall in love for the first time, you think it will be your last.

And your final romance will make you feel that this is truly your first love.

As this thought crossed his mind, Kyosuke Kousaka, feeling himself teetering on the edge of either extreme, quietly enjoyed the leisurely afternoon.

What about Kasumigaoka Utaha?

She thought that possession was wrong, and the root of yandere was not a lack of security, but an inability to be independent, which was not normal.

If you like someone, you have to give them freedom.

If it comes back to you, then love belongs to you; if it doesn't come back, then you never had it in the first place.

The pen tip wrote a passage of English on the magazine cover, the English words crisp and sweet.

I had a crush on him

"Kirino has something to do this weekend and won't be able to bother us. Where should we go then?"

"What?"

He was playing a game on the computer, grumbling inwardly about the lack of internet at his crappy school, when he casually remarked, "Going out for inspiration."

Hmm, a date, huh?

------

I have to start trading because of the lack of recommended slots. Please forgive me.

The subject of this transaction is the famous author "Broken Shoes Blue and White" on Shuke, whose work is a rare historical novel titled "He Changed the Tang Dynasty," with a flamboyant synopsis as follows:

During the Zhenguan era, why were there square dances accompanied by pipa music every night in the streets of Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty?

Why are the outlaws in the tavern fighting over the outcome of a game of "Three Kingdoms Kill"?