I really don't want to be reborn.

She patted her best friend's hand, her stiff tone gradually softening and taking on some of the warmth of the sun: "So I won't blame Ayase, really."

"Yes, Kirino is right, it's all Big Brother's fault."

What could my brother have done wrong?

Kirino smiled bitterly from an angle she couldn't see; if she had anyone to blame, it would only be herself.

She felt utterly exhausted, a kind of exhaustion that came after such a dramatic rise and fall, even more intense than her tradition of participating in the Chiba Marathon. She wanted nothing more than to go back to her room, cover her head with a blanket, and have a good sleep.

But she also knew that tonight's sleep, like an open and aboveboard sibling relationship, was something she couldn't pursue.

The three young guests left the Kousaka house. As the older brother, Kousaka Kyosuke saw them off to the street in place of his younger sister. Aragaki Ayase turned back to look at him cautiously and murmured a few times.

She is not a fool.

She had a vague idea of ​​whose things those were.

But she won't say it out loud.

Because once the truth is revealed, the relationship with Kirino will shatter again. I've already experienced that feeling of shattering before; it's like shards of glass have pierced my heart, making it almost impossible to breathe, and only crying can express it.

So now she can only force herself to believe that those terrible manuscripts belong to her older brother, and force herself to hate him. This is what is called playing dumb.

Why can't we just pretend we don't know?

Why put every action on the frying pan of reason and fry it over and over again?

He waved goodbye to the three girls and politely invited them to "come visit often," watching their gazes disappear around the street corner.

"Finally, it's over."

The smile on his face faded, and he prepared to turn around and go home to check on Kirino. As he looked up slightly, he noticed that there were many more clouds in the sky. Perhaps due to the season, the clouds in the high sky were swirling and moving very fast, visible to the naked eye.

It was about six o'clock. He stood on the street for a while, staring blankly into space.

The twilight was like the sea, and the drifting clouds were like whales.

"Clap clap clap..."

The sound of light footsteps broke Kyosuke's reverie. He turned around and saw a girl running back, stopping at a subtle distance in front of him.

"that……"

"……Um?"

This girl wasn't Aragaki, nor was she Kanako Kurusu; she was Ran, who had traveled with them. Her sister told her that this girl wasn't her classmate, but rather a very good colleague.

She had comforted Kirino in the bedroom before; she was very polite and seemed to be the timid, obedient type.

Why did she run back?

Once her breathing had calmed down, Kyosuke asked with a smile, "What can I do for you? Did you forget something?"

No, no, that's not it.

The short-haired girl nervously pressed her fingers against her pure white skirt, her large eyes blinking slightly: "Um, about Kirino... could we talk for a little while?"

She spoke with a shy and tentative air, as timid as a clear, shallow beach. Seeing that he didn't speak, she cautiously asked, "Actually, those things, are they Kirino's?"

Kyosuke Kosaka shook his head slightly and remained silent.

Looking at the gentle smile on his face, Xiaolan mustered her courage: "I know that Kirino works very hard, and I've heard that she studies very hard too... She's extremely hardworking, and she's also a very bold person."

"She's very bold?"

"Yeah! When she's out shopping and someone tries to chat her up, Kirino gets really fierce, like she's not afraid of those people at all."

She lowered her head and smiled shyly: "So I think that even if it's something unhealthy for middle school students, Kirino would definitely do it if she really liked it."

Kyosuke Kosaka looked her up and down: "...You're right, she is indeed that kind of person, but those doujinshi are indeed mine, and have nothing to do with Kirino."

Xiaolan opened her eyes wide, pursed her lips, wanting to accuse him of lying, but she didn't have the courage. She could only hum almost imperceptibly, "I'm not a child..."

Kyosuke shrugged slightly: "I'm the kind of perverted otaku you middle school girls see. Aren't you disappointed?"

"That's not true at all!"

She looked up, her face serious: "I don't believe in perverts or anything like that. There must be some other reason, there must be! Although I shouldn't be the one to say this, I know very well that you love Kirino."

Is there any direct connection between being a pervert and loving Kirino?

So loving your sister doesn't mean you're not a pervert?

"...I feel a little ashamed."

"It must be! Although this is just my intuition! But, but I saw that sketch in Kirino's room. I've studied drawing too. How could you draw something like that if you didn't really like someone?"

She was incoherent, her heart racing with excitement, and her speech became increasingly rapid. Despite being a soft and adorable character, she was unusually assertive at this moment.

"Yes, she is my sister. I have no reason not to like her, but of course, she's not as admirable as you make her out to be."

The girl nodded and said, "So, the brother who likes Kirino wouldn't bring those awful things home, so I said... I said that Kirino must have ordered them in her brother's name."

"..."

Kyosuke Kousaka was completely bewildered, utterly baffled by this bizarre logic.

Your thought process is truly amazing!

Suppressing his urge to make a sarcastic remark, Kousaka Kyosuke heard Ran say worriedly, "But what if Ayase finds out again? She's so serious and likes Kirino so much..."

"Yes, I will tell your sister what you said, don't worry."

Kyosuke sincerely expressed his gratitude to her.

This girl was worried about Kirino and said so much, so he wanted to thank her no matter what.

I thought the people who came today were all immature little kids.

It seems that Kirino does have some reliable friends after all.

"Oh dear, I seem to have said a lot of things I shouldn't have, really, really—"

She waved very shyly.

Kyosuke Kosaka found the child increasingly adorable, though he was too timid. He probably always followed his sister's lead, and despite being very intelligent, he listened to an idiot.

He apologized for this: "Um... I'm entrusting Kirino to you from now on as well."

"Yeah, we're good friends! Ah!"

The cute short-haired girl suddenly clapped her hands: "Oh, right! I need to ask you a favor, brother... can we exchange addresses?"

Unlike Ayase Aragaki's way of addressing him, she directly calls him "brother," a term that carries a sense of intimacy and closeness, which is probably something her sister used to call him before middle school.

As he put his phone away, Xiaolan was already backing away and leaving. Kousaka Kyosuke waved goodbye to her, then suddenly realized he didn't know her name.

"Nice to meet you, I am Kyosuke Kousaka."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I haven't said anything yet—"

Under the twilight sky, the girl tapped her head with one hand and smiled shyly: "My name is Xiaolan."

"..."

interesting.

My sister's friend is quite interesting.

--------

I've drastically altered the personality of Miyamoto Ran from the original work; fans of the original shouldn't mind.

Anime fans probably don't even remember this character...

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Rain is a Lifetime of Mistakes, Rain is a Journey of Joy and Sorrow

I always felt that...

The sound of rain is exactly the same as the sound of grilling meat.

Chiba, during the rainy season.

Dark shadows fell from the sky, and a heavy wind whipped up white rain, which rolled like white embroidered balls in the sweeping light of car headlights.

The rain gradually subsided in the afternoon.

"Hmm, that woman is..."

June is rainy.

Regardless of day or night, the heavens kept shedding tears, sometimes heartbroken, sometimes weeping bitterly, the tears dripping incessantly.

Kyosuke Kosaka went out to buy books wearing a dark coat, and the umbrella he opened was no longer the cute little black cat umbrella, but a deep blue one.

Rainy weather is the gentlest, but also the saddest. For a moment, he felt as if he didn't know what he was doing. Living in the crowd, he felt like he was always going with the flow, which was very frustrating.

A voice inside him urged him to move forward and not to back down.

That's how reincarnation works; it can only cycle endlessly in one direction.

In a rather unpleasant mood, Kyosuke Kosaka encountered a woman at the entrance of the bookstore. The woman was probably in her thirties, with an ordinary appearance, and did not often appear in the media or magazines—but he happened to know her.

This ordinary, unremarkable woman has been making waves in the past few years. In 2005, she published her first standalone novel, "A Job Unsuitable for Girls," with Tokyo's Sogensha, which was later adapted into a Japanese drama.

The trilogy-style epic novel "The Legend of the Akakuchiba Family," to be published next year, is expected to win the 60th Mystery Writers of Japan Award and be shortlisted for the 137th Naoki Prize. It has been praised by Japanese media as "Japan's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'."

In 2008, he won the 138th Naoki Prize for "My Man," and was hailed by the Japanese media as "Japan's Wuthering Heights."

By now, some of you should have guessed who this brilliant female writer is.

Kazuki Sakuraba!

Kazuki Sakuraba, the author of "GOSICK".

In other words, she is Wei Baozi's real "mother".

Kyosuke Kosaka was deeply impressed by her 08 novel, "My Man," a mystery that depicted the forbidden love between a father and daughter.

Of course, what left a deeper impression was "GOSICK," which later became well-known among anime fans. Although this one was of poor quality in the eyes of veteran mystery enthusiasts, there is one thing to note.

GOSICK is a genuine "light novel".

This is a regret in some people's eyes, but Kyosuke feels fortunate. The chubby-faced loli detective holds a higher place in his heart than Holo the Wise Wolf.

I wonder when we'll be able to see the animation.