I really don't want to be reborn.

The phrase "bumped by a cotton ball" was rather vague.

As a member of the Literature Club, Kousaka-kun believed he needed to use precise wording, so he used a new metaphor—the light bump he just received felt like two sleepy little birds were unconsciously pecking at his back.

They have a slightly beating heart and a small, pointed beak.

He was imagining, or rather, he was wondering, that when he caught those two little birds, they would peck at his hands, but they would also peck at his palms, which would feel soft and tender.

"Two little pigeons."

Kasumigaoka Utaha asked in confusion, "What pigeon? Coo coo coo?"

Kyosuke suddenly snapped out of his daze and pointed to a shop at the end of the street: "Is that girl greeting you? I stopped to check."

"Which one?"

"That one... the one wearing butterfly sunglasses, did you see him?"

She squinted and said with relief, "Ah, it's Eriri. Let's go over there."

……

"Hey! Eriri, are you sure you don't want to see a psychologist?"

Eriri Sawamura was annoyed. She didn't want to greet her good friend even though she bumped into her, but she couldn't help but be curious about what Kasumigaoka Utaha's man looked like.

I was subtly disappointed when I saw it.

Too ordinary.

Absolutely no passion.

She has always been a romantic and passionate person. She either doesn't love at all, or when she does, she loves passionately. Just as Kasumigaoka Utaha worried, someone with her personality would suffer a severe heartbreak if she really lost love.

As expected, it was a significant blow.

Having been heartbroken for so long, this blonde, flat-chested girl with pigtails doesn't seem to have gotten over the breakup, which manifests in her hateful gaze towards any couple she sees.

"Eri, are you sure you're okay? You're acting like you just broke up with your boyfriend yesterday."

"I just... humph! It's just that man rejected me, it's no big deal!"

Eriri, whose tsundere traits completely overshadow her other attributes, added, "Besides, I was originally planning to reject him, but he beat me to it!"

"...Just keep being stubborn."

Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at Kousaka Kyosuke, who was still talking to the sales assistant at the counter, and suddenly asked, "By the way, how are those illustrations doing now?"

"..."

"I came here today specifically to see you and urge you to finish your manuscript!"

"She was on a date with her boyfriend but still remembered to urge him to finish his manuscript..."

Eriri really couldn't understand how she managed to hook up with men: "I've discovered that sometimes, you really aren't cute at all!"

What do you think of him?

"It's not as good as you described, it feels pretty ordinary."

Kasumigaoka began to sneer: "Ordinary?"

"I'm sorry, I meant to say something nice, but..."

"It's ok."

The girl with long, straight black hair didn't care at all: "I understand your feelings and emotions. Of course you're not comfortable seeing other people in love. Besides, Kosaka is an introverted person, and it's not easy for others to see her inner self."

Eriri Sawamura's expression changed for a moment, her long eyelashes easily reminding one of a Barbie doll: "I found his clothes not very fashionable, even a bit outdated."

"Um……"

"The same to you!"

Kasumigaoka reluctantly put down her water glass: "We really don't care much about our clothes, and besides, we're just high school students now."

"You don't care about him at all."

Seemingly indignant on behalf of Kyosuke Kousaka, Eriri Sawamura begins to teach some "girlfriend skills" that she used to scoff at, while the only listener thinks to herself with a touch of smugness: Who cares about whom here?!

--------

call!

As usual, I'm asking for blades, monthly tickets, and tips today.

What are your recommendations? What are your recommendations?

Chapter Seven: I Want a Fairy Snail Like This

"That woman, Kasumigaoka Utaha..."

"What happened to her? Didn't she go to the bathroom?"

Eriri transforms into Aunt Kasumigaoka at an ice cream shop on the streets of Tokyo, finding fault with Kyosuke Kousaka in every way, her eyes full of criticism—perhaps feeling that staring directly at him like that is somewhat impolite, Eriri occasionally lowers her head to eat a spoonful of ice cream.

She took a big bite, and her puffed-out cheeks didn't look like a steamed bun at all; she looked more like the Monkey King from an animation...

Kyosuke Kosaka sized up the girl of the same grade, and his eyes swept over her and found that Eriri, from head to toe, every single hair and every pore, screamed "loser," especially with her various childish little actions.

I can't deny that she is indeed cute.

However... judging from Kasumigaoka's description, this person has none of the most popular female characteristics of this era, and she is also flat-chested!

You dare to have small breasts?

Aside from nerdy guys with quirky hobbies and personalities, probably no one would choose her as a girlfriend, right? (Author's rambling: I want her! I want her!)

While Kasumigaoka Utaha was in the restroom, Kousaka Kyosuke heard the girl opposite him sigh softly and asked curiously, "What's wrong with her?"

Eriri took a big bite and mumbled, "I said she's like an ice cream. She looks cold, but she's very sweet."

Kosaka waved her hand shyly: "I've never eaten it, I don't know."

"..."

Eriri almost choked, inwardly thinking, "She's acting like she's never eaten before," but managed a weak smile: "Ah, what I mean is that women like her are rare these days."

For a moment, Kyosuke Kosaka didn't understand what she was trying to say, and only vaguely replied, "I... don't really know much about the market."

Eriri rested her chin on her hand, mimicking Kasumigaoka Utaha's elegance: "Then please go and find out more about her, she seems mature, doesn't she?"

Kyosuke hesitated before nodding: "Mature..."

It is also fully developed.

"Actually, all women are the same. They may appear mature, generous, intellectual, and beautiful on the outside, but once they get home, their true colors are revealed, and they leave their shoes and socks lying around..."

He was slightly at a loss, unsure whether this Eriri was the legendary gossipy woman who stirred up trouble in relationships, so he could only say, "She's alright, I guess. She can't teach anyone how to use a washing machine, but she's good at all kinds of housework. I've observed her carefully."

"Oh."

Eriri suddenly realized something and her eyes widened: "Could it be...you two are living together?"

"It wasn't exactly living together, we just lived together for a while."

"That's still cohabitation!"

Eriri, her face contorted with jealousy, nearly slammed her hand on the table, her expression complex: "It seems she really likes you. If she didn't, she would never live with another man."

Kyosuke Kosaka wasn't arrogant at all. He raised his lemonade and smiled, "I'm honored. But don't be fooled by her quiet demeanor. She must have some worries on her mind. As her best friend, Sawamura-kun, do you know that?"

"do not know."

"I see..."

The conversation fell into an abrupt silence. Eriri finally understood how Fujima Misaki had felt before. She felt annoyed when facing this boy because she couldn't see through him at all.

Could that idiot Kasumigaoka have been tricked by this man?

"Hey, Kousaka-kun, what does she mean to you?"

"What...is it?"

"A presentable girlfriend? Or a writing partner?"

Kyosuke Kosaka was jolted by the sour lemon juice in his mouth, but his smile remained unchanged: "You're right about both, but actually neither is true."

"what is that?"

Eriri opened her eyes wide, making no attempt to hide her curiosity.

At this moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha had already come out of the restroom.

Eriri still stood with her arms crossed, looking at him, waiting for an answer.

He lowered his eyes slightly: "Her? You know 'The Clam Lady,' right? There's a similar legend in China. I think she's my fairy godmother, gentle and lovely, a beautiful companion. When I'm tired from writing late at night, I just have her turn back into her original form, stir-fry her with some chili peppers, drizzle with sesame oil, and plate her up—"

"I clapped, now you can stop showing off your love, right?"

Eriri Sawamura clapped her hands expressionlessly, looking somewhat clumsy, like a penguin that had just landed on land.

…………

"The first day of the new semester in Academy City."

That was the day a mysterious transfer student appeared at Touma Kamijou's school, the day Index made her first friend, and the day Misaka Mikoto and Index faced each other for the first time...

The introduction to Volume 6 of A Certain Magical Index is just like that, immediately revealing a strong sense of jealousy: "...It is also the day when Touma Kamijou, caught between the two of them, is still unhappy, and the day when Kuroko Shirai, who is watching things unfold, is jealous of Touma...and then, it is also the day when a certain magician attacks Academy City!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha opened a newly bought book in the car, read a passage, and then went back to look at the cover: "This girl standing next to Index, with her peculiar ahoge and glasses that look like a pineapple hidden in her chest, is supposed to be Index's first friend?"

"more or less."

The girl gazed out the car window: "You know, Index is cute, and Misaka Mikoto is cute too, so why can't they be good friends?"

Kyosuke Kosaka sat down next to her: "Because there's only one male lead."

He comforted her, saying, "Don't worry about it. A Certain Magical Index is a typical harem novel. Anyway, there's at least one new harem member in every volume. It seems like this busty bespectacled girl is definitely going to be a hit."

"I have no interest in a harem, what I'm interested in is..."

"Who?"

"Chairman."

Wow, there are actually people who like Aleister?