I really don't want to be reborn.

But, I'm scared, meow...

------

Upon closer inspection, this chapter actually has two thousand four hundred words.

Chapter Thirteen: Liking and Being Liked, Life is Like a Cookie Jar

After the national holiday, it's back to the fervent days of studying.

The weather is hot, and so is the learning atmosphere. The fleeting gentleness of summer only lasts in the morning; after noon, it feels like being inside a steamer.

Chiba is near the sea, and the combination of high humidity and high temperature is simply unbearable.

Fumigation can easily make people drowsy, and coupled with her habit of not getting enough rest at night, Kasumigaoka Utaha started to doze off at the beginning of the third period.

I felt completely weak, even my chest was too weak. When I tried to sleep on the table, I couldn't support my head, so I had to borrow Mr. Kosaka's arm as a pillow...

broad daylight!

Under the clear blue sky!

The math teacher standing on the classroom platform, all the students in the classroom, and the boys and girls who usually interacted with Kyosuke Kosaka all had this... this... expression on their faces.

How can I describe this expression?

Kohei Akagi turned his head, thinking with a headache.

The handsome Akagi scratched his head, wrote a note, and passed it to the back: "Sleeping in math class? Could it be... you guys did something?"

Upon receiving the message, Kyosuke Kousaka immediately replied: "Did you do it? What did you do?"

"Love".

"What is that?"

Akagi wore a typical "eat shit" expression and made a smug gesture of putting on a ring.

Oh, Kyosuke got it. This repressed brother complex was actually asking himself if he had completely won over Kasumigaoka Utaha, indulging in secret pleasures day and night, which was causing the girl to be so tired and listless.

I see, I see!

"What does this have to do with you? You siscon, turn your sister into a woman first before you talk to me."

Chi Cheng was speechless.

Kousaka Kyosuke didn't speak to him either. Instead, he looked at the desk behind him and slowly withdrew his sore and numb arm under the math teacher's murderous glare: "Awake?"

Her damp breath still lingered on the back of my hand.

Her breath was damp, as were her red eyes, like the Red Sea. The bewilderment she felt when she opened her eyes was a sense of helplessness, as if she were setting sail at dusk.

The ocean is surging!

The waves, churning with white foam, passionately crash over the reefs, creating a breathtaking spectacle in the depths of the ocean—a deep red passion that gradually calms down after its dance.

Their eyes met, and they understood each other without a word.

When those bewildered eyes saw him, it was as if the sailor had returned from the ocean to land, feeling extremely refreshed. The boy's dark eyes were like a bowl of warm water, quenching her thirst and instantly sobering her up.

"Um……"

Even though Kasumigaoka Utaha is very bold and has a unique personality, she felt a little shy under the awkward gazes of the entire class. Her shy, downcast expression made a group of boys groan.

"Why is Kosaka so lucky?!"

"Damn it, all male literature students should be punished by heaven!"

"Class, please be quiet! Don't disturb their lovey-dovey display..."

Even the usually composed class monitor couldn't resist cracking a joke when everyone was teasing him, turning the sour atmosphere in the class into a youthful one, filled with a joyful mood.

The math teacher was quite the character; seeing that everyone was losing interest in class, he started talking about the love lives of mathematicians. When he mentioned this, Kyosuke Kousaka immediately thought of a classic mystery novel that had just been published this year.

…………

"To what extent can one love someone? What kind of encounter would make one willing to give their life without regret?"

The end of logic is not the ideal state of reason and order, but the love I offered my life for.

"Don't touch him!" Yukawa stopped him, "Let him cry his heart out..."

The stone god continued to roar, as if trying to vomit out its soul.

After reading a few passages from the book, Kasumigaoka's gaze lingered on the last sentence in sight: "Vomiting out one's soul... I can't imagine what kind of emotion could turn a rational man like Ishigami into this."

Inside the literature department's office, she stared blankly at the boy sitting opposite her: "Is this what love is?"

Kyosuke Kosaka closed the book: "That's not love, Kasumigaoka. To be precise, it's not entirely love—a math teacher's view of love is something we can't understand for now, and Keigo Higashino's personal expression doesn't apply to a complete concept."

She sat there, a gentle breeze passing through her fingertips outside the window, sunlight streaming in.

Seeing her somewhat bewildered expression, he knew that this girl must have been moved by the passionate intensity in Keigo Higashino's novels. He sat down next to her with a box of long, thin egg rolls in hand.

Closeness, that's what we call a sense of security.

When she is uncomfortable or feels lost, he will tactfully come closer, even in the summer, which can be described as them warming each other.

Therefore, one can imagine that these two will probably be hugging each other all the time in the clubroom this winter.

When he sat down, Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned against his shoulder, looking somewhat vulnerable: "I'm still sleepy. I want to buy an air conditioner."

"I doubt it will work; the school won't allow it."

She slowly opened her eyes, but there was no trace of bewilderment or emotion left in them.

This is a little trick I recently discovered.

She wondered if she had acted a bit too assertive before, and if she acted a little more submissive now, this guy would probably take the initiative.

And honestly, Kosaka's scent is wonderful. Leaning against him like this feels like drinking ice-cold soda. With just a gentle touch, the bubbles in my heart seem to rise to my throat.

The feeling was as if I had just drunk the entire Milky Way.

"One Yukawa Manabu, or rather, one truth ruined four people. I think this ending is probably an irony of the 'truth faction' led by Detective Conan. The culprit Ishigami's final roar was not just because of the Hanaoka mother and daughter..."

"Besides, their foundations are too unequal!"

“That woman never liked him from beginning to end. It’s a tragedy for a math genius. I think he should have been more sweet-talking and said ‘I like you’ several times a day.”

Kasumigaoka Utaha closed her eyes, feeling sleepy: "Subconscious hypnosis?"

"No, not really..."

Kyosuke Kosaka immediately abandoned Keigo Higashino and was tempted to try it out—should he confess his feelings?

Unfortunately, she didn't give him a chance.

Hmm, I don't want him to say it now. Why?

When burning incense, it should happen at the very moment of burning; when tasting wine, it should happen in the instant of tasting; and the impulse of love naturally also lies in that crucial moment of timing.

If the two people get through this point uneventfully, then even if they later develop a closer relationship and deepen their bond, it will be like a frantic, chaotic affair.

"You went to bed late? Did you stay up until 3 a.m. again yesterday?"

She closed her eyes, her voice devoid of any liveliness, clearly very sleepy: "No way, it's half an hour early."

"I think it's necessary to monitor your sleep."

Kyosuke Kosaka pulled out an egg roll and teased the girl's soft lips: "Good girl, open your mouth."

She was so teased that she couldn't sleep. She angrily ate the long, thin egg roll, making a crunching sound like a squirrel eating nuts.

She took small bites, biting them slowly, and even wanted to bite his fingers.

------(twelve)

The title of this chapter has a source.

I checked and found that "The Devotion of Suspect X" was published in 05, but I couldn't find the specific month.

Chapter Fourteen: Faint Thunder, Anticipation of Storms

"Kyosuke, my dad and I are going to my uncle's funeral in Fukushima tomorrow."

"Um, should I go too?"

"No, since you're free this weekend, I'm letting you come back early to cook for Kirino. Kyosuke, your cooking is even better than your mother's."

This is what Jia Nai's mother said on the night before the weekend.

Kyosuke Kosaka glanced at his silent father and asked, "So, how many days are you going to be gone?"

The father's voice was deep and resonant: "About two days, Kyosuke, no problem, it won't take up too much of your time."

He glanced to the side again.

The person sitting there eating is his sister.

A fashionable second-year junior high school student.

Although she's only in the second year of junior high, you can see her beautiful profile and long, curled eyelashes. If she doesn't throw a tantrum or act spoiled, she looks quite mature.

Unfortunately, he still sees him as a child.

"Kirino."

Kano's mother said to Kirino, "I'll leave the house to you two for the next couple of days. Listen to your brother, Kirino. We'll buy some souvenirs for you—if your brother beats you up these next few days, I won't be able to help you."

The seemingly mature Kirino Kousaka immediately bared her teeth and revealed her true colors: "He wouldn't dare! If he hits me again, I'll scratch him to death!"

Her little face was flushed, indicating that she wasn't afraid of her brother at all.

Even when he stared at her with gentle eyes, she wouldn't show the slightest fear, but inside, a major earthquake had already occurred, and the aftershocks were still ongoing.

Two days is enough time to spend alone with my brother.

Kirino Kousaka suppressed her joyful feelings and couldn't sleep all night. She felt like the wind was living in her blood, making her feel uncomfortable and excited. Her heart was pounding as if it would be blown away by the wind.

When she was with her brother, she felt that the anticipation she felt was just like when she was a child, looking forward to a grand spring outing.

What now?

Now I feel like I'm looking forward to eating saury every day—after all, the school only organizes spring outings once or twice a year, while saury can be eaten every day.