I really don't want to be reborn.

The younger sister's voice came from the other end of the phone; Kirino's voice was also hot and fiery.

The three guys she just mentioned are her three close friends who prefer staying at home.

Saori, Kuroneko, and Doma Umaru.

Since they are both female high school students who prefer staying at home, they have been spending a lot of time together lately.

Let's leave aside Umaru's perfect monster for now.

Speaking of Saori and Kuroneko alone, both of them are eccentric in different ways.

Kirino and her fellow otaku met up at the intersection of the Electric Street in Akihabara just yesterday.

"But the black one was five minutes late—"

What a petty person! Is it really necessary to get so angry over such a small thing?

Before he could answer, Kirino's exasperated voice continued.

"I started waiting an hour ago! How can that guy still be late? Isn't that unbelievable?"

"I find your enthusiasm incredible!"

Kyosuke tilted his head, holding his phone between his fingers, and pressed buttons on the handle: "And then? That's all?"

"Yeah, later we went to Donuts for dinner, you know, I was already a little tired by then—"

"I'm almost tired too, can you hurry up and tell me?"

"Ah, there I was, fighting that black guy! He said Meruru is 'just a cartoon for kids'! That's so mean! Does he think I'm a kid?"

Oh, arguing with a black cat over something like this is fine, even fighting is normal, but Kyosuke disagrees with her statement: "You're not a child."

That's exactly what I meant.

"Not many children like Meruru; they prefer 'Detective Kuku.' Meruru's biggest audience is actually otaku..."

"..."

"By the way, I also like Detective Kuku..."

"Waaah..."

He could already hear Kirino's guttural screams, like she was about to bite him. Knowing he had the upper hand, he changed the subject: "And then what did you say?"

Kirino was immediately swayed by the change of topic, completely oblivious to her brother's teasing: "Even I couldn't help but get angry when she said that, right? So I said—'Because you said it was interesting, I bought the MASCHERA DVD to watch at home, but I really, really, really can't stand those embarrassingly cringeworthy lines and that boring, wicked-eyed character design.'"

Indeed, being a "chuunibyou" (a person with delusions of grandeur) is often equated with the word "embarrassing."

For a simple example, when singing karaoke, Kirino can move her body and make hand gestures to sing along to Meruru's opening theme.

Why don't you have the black cat give an impromptu performance of "Fallen Beast ~MASCHERA"?

Kyosuke Kosaka said with satisfaction, "You actually bought the DVD and watched it all just to belittle this anime. You really went to great lengths to win the argument with Kirino. My sister, you've really put in a lot of effort."

My younger sister said proudly, "That's—hey! How could I do something like that? I just wanted to see what kind of things she liked..."

"I understand, I understand, you don't need to explain."

"I'm not that scheming!"

Kyosuke stared at the large television screen at the Doma residence, continuing, "So why were you angry? What happened next?"

Kirino immediately became furious: "But that guy, that guy, actually said—'I don't have a single penny of allowance to spend on Meruru,' I've already bought the whole MASCHERA DVD set!"

“You have to consider Black Cat’s family situation. She’s not like the three of you who don’t care about money at all… those two can spend money as they please. Besides, I remember we can put the recorded videos on the PSP to watch them.”

He changed his tune amidst Doma's gentle smile.

His sister wouldn't accept his suggestion: "The PSP's small screen simply can't convey Meruru's beauty! Let me watch the DVD on a big screen!"

…………

"That's it, they had another fight yesterday?"

"Ah, isn't that normal... Waaaaah! I'm going to die! Kousaka, you cheated!"

"I didn't pull up your chair, how did that cheat?"

Kyosuke cried out that he was wronged, thinking to himself that he didn't have Kim Gwan-jang's face—what was he doing now, playing a battle game with his neighbor, Umaru Doma?

Clang, clang, clang!

The controller connected to the laptop was worn out from pressing it so much.

On the screen, two girls in strange outfits are jumping around while fighting.

That's basically the situation.

Fighting game, real girls annihilation.

The beginning of this game is actually about winning over the younger sister. First, you read the story, choose options, and build up your affection with her—overall, it's still about raising and battling.

It is said that tens of thousands of people have participated, and the Kosaka siblings often exchange ideas with a few fellow otaku online.

Kyosuke's cooking skills were quite good; even Umaru struggled to keep up, but he was distracted by other things on his mind.

Then--

The middle school girl he was controlling flew to the other side of the screen.

Game over.

"I'm not coming anymore, I've lost several times in a row."

Umaru, the giant hamster, reached out her hand, just like the swindlers at street chess scams: "Let's play a few more times, you'll definitely win this time!"

He waved his hand at the shut-in: "I should have gone home last night. If I hadn't gone home, Kirino would have sent Meruru to beat me to death."

Kyosuke Kosaka went back to his room to pack his things. As soon as he went downstairs, he heard his sister call again. His sister's voice sounded hesitant.

"What's wrong? Why are you calling at this hour?"

"Um, that..."

She was troubled and distressed, and her tone was endearing.

At this age, the little sister must be just like a kitten.

He seemed to see his sister's uneasy expression, like a kitten struggling with something she had never seen before, looking left and right as if afraid others would think she was making a fuss, and occasionally stealing a glance at him.

So his voice softened slightly: "What happened? Tell me. Was the curry Mom made too spicy? Or did Mom see the H-shaped plushie pillow I brought home yesterday?"

Kyosuke seems to habitually blame his younger sister's anxieties and hesitations on their mother.

"Um, no, no, I just remembered something. Some friends are coming over today. Could you come back a little later?"

"This matter..."

It's still within his tolerance range.

It's normal. When his sister's friends come over, it's best for him, as the older brother, to go out and have fun, otherwise they'll feel restricted and won't enjoy themselves as much.

This is a privilege for children.

"Alright then, I'll be back a little later, then I can play a few rounds with Xiaomai..."

"Then come back now!"

His sister's sudden change of mind surprised him. Kousaka Kyosuke probably hadn't expected Kirino's possessiveness towards him to be growing stronger, so he didn't ask any more questions: "Alright, I'll be home in a little while."

With a strange expression, he prepared to put his phone away when another call came in: "Oh dear!"

"May I ask who this is?"

"Eh, cough! I am Saori!"

"Hmm, Saori Bagina," he thought, "I'm not very familiar with this girl, at least not as familiar as Black Cat is. Is there something wrong?"

"Hmm, I mailed some things to Mr. Kyosuke yesterday. Have you received them yet?"

"For me?"

"No, no, it's Xiaotongtongshi... Although I know the home address and phone number, I don't know Xiaotongtongshi's real name, so I can only write Jingjie's name."

His voice softened: "Don't worry, she's at home. She'll sign for any packages herself."

After putting his phone away, Kyosuke Kosaka headed home.

The cicadas chirp in summer, but because it's not yet July, their calls are sparse, harsh, and lack any melody.

Each sound was like a thorn piercing the bone.

------

Yes, I will be releasing it around 10 a.m. tomorrow, and I'll probably have a launch message tonight.

Why are there no recommendation votes?

why?

As for the reward... let me check tomorrow's first order figures first.

Testimonials

I almost forgot I had to write this.

There's really not much to say. Writing is writing, and a novel is a novel. There's nothing else to gain sympathy from others.

My dear readers, the reason you feel "how did I suddenly become popular" or "the book exploded to 200,000 words immediately after being published" is simply because you have been deceived by my disguise for a long time, and you have become confused about me and some other boastful authors.

After writing the first 100,000 words of this novel, I finally had the leisure to chat in the group, but I was still filled with frustration, probably because I knew that just piling up words wouldn't save a lazy bum!

I'm going to learn some techniques in the future.

…………

Okay, let's get down to business. How about giving me a first subscription tomorrow?

I want the monthly pass too!

Chapter Thirty-Five: Remembrance – The Moment When Words Lose Their Color

"Please come in, welcome."