Let's do it again, Yukino.

……

And the empty classroom

As Haruhi gazed at the self-absorbed young lady, Shinomiya, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he silently lowered his head.

The two of them unknowingly grew a little distance apart.

Haruhi finished the cup of coffee that the young lady Shinomiya had made for him in one gulp, let out a long sigh, and gave a wry smile.

It tastes much better than "Spring Special Rye Tea".

“Miss Shinomiya, no, if you like, I may presume to call you ‘older sister,’ but—”

Under Kaguya's puzzled gaze,

Chunri first took off her glasses, and upon closer inspection, the two people's facial features did indeed bear a slight resemblance.

Chunri silently stepped back two steps, knelt down with her knees together, placed her hands together on her thighs, pressed her forehead to the ground, and leaned her body slightly forward.

Under the girl's astonished gaze.

That was the boy's past and present lives.

It’s the first time in my life that I sit down,

“I made that decision a long time ago,”

“I have long since given up on the idea of ​​being brought back to the family by that man. Seven years ago, I found the one I truly belonged to. Everyone is destined to face their own future. Even without me, my dear sister, your future life will not suffer any loss. And even without you, my life will not be much worse than before, so…”

Ignoring Lady Shinomiya, he pressed his forehead against the backs of his hands and continued speaking.

"Please, dear sister, please don't bother me anymore."

"This is my only request of you."

The boy's loud voice echoed in the student council room.

He used to be selfish and unrestrained.

After watching the grass grow and the birds fly,

Having appreciated the reversed flow of time,

At this moment, he was all sanctimonious for her sake.

Please, Kaguya Shinomiya.

He prayed silently in his heart.

……

In the cold and quiet student council room,

Kaguya Shinomiya, with her cool and aloof demeanor

Looking at the somewhat desolate scene before him,

The cup in his hand fell onto the carpet.

It made a crisp sound.

The gentle smile that had been on the girl's face froze.

"Hey?"

She was caught off guard as her younger brother knelt before her.

"No... I... I... I didn't... I just wanted to... ha..."

The girl, who had originally intended to force a smile and explain further,

It was as if the scene before him had pierced the depths of his heart.

The coffee in that cup felt like it had been spilled on her heart, leaving her with a bitter taste that was hard to describe.

The smile, which could not be maintained, suddenly collapsed like a building.

Kaguya's eyes also turned red at that moment, and she desperately wiped the corners of her eyes with her hands.

However, tears streamed down her face and into her mouth.

"Don't kneel down..."

Kaguya Shinomiya collapsed to the ground like a child and suddenly burst into soft sobs.

"You brat, I hate you!!"

(P.S.: This is my first request for votes and donations since the book was released. Thank you! Whether it gets any attention depends on you guys.)

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Garden of Shuchiin

The cicadas outside the window continued to chirp.

A crisp knock on the door,

The student council door was gently pushed open, and Hayasaka Ai, the maid of the Shinomiya family, walked in from outside.

She slowly and methodically reported the results of her trip to Kaguya Shinomiya, who was sitting on the sofa with her head down.

"Miss, I've prepared the ingredients for you. It's almost lunchtime, so why don't we head out with Young Master Qing? But I just saw him walk out of here. Was he going to the restroom, Miss?"

However, for some reason, in her eyes, the young lady Shinomiya, who had been in a good mood when she set off that morning, seemed lifeless at this moment.

She took a few steps closer, looking suspicious.

Looking at Kaguya Shinomiya, who seemed to have turned completely black and white, as if her soul had been reaped by the Grim Reaper, the girl's eyes were half-open.

……

"If it tastes bad, I won't drink it. I won't get angry over such a small thing. Why force myself to do something I don't want to do?"

Her once sweet voice had become somewhat hoarse. The girl sat on the sofa, muttering to herself as if in a daze.

“...Um...Xiao Ai.”

"Miss, did you just have an argument with Young Master Qing?"

"Ah……"

“The younger brother just kneels down in front of his older sister, how can that be considered arguing?”

Shaking her head slightly, the girl raised her head. In front of Hayasaka, who was like a sister to her, the grievance on her pure and beautiful face was completely undisguised, and a crystal tear slowly flowed from her eyes again.

"Do I really make him hate me that much?"

Like a little child, she kept rubbing her reddened eyes with her fingers.

She clearly only wanted to establish a sibling-like relationship with that guy first, and then, after taking a bath, the two of them would occasionally exchange emails in their respective beds to chat about their daily lives to pass the time. Maybe on holidays, she would take a train to Chiba or invite them to visit Tokyo.

Then, by introducing him to her circle, to her friends, and to the gentlest president—who all possessed the same fierce gaze—she was sure they would get along well.

I'll take him to meet Fujiwara-san, the girl who can get along well with anyone. If he doesn't fall for that little princess Yukinoshita, I can even tie the knot between him and Fujiwara-san. Such a lovely girl will surely take good care of her little brother.

but……

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!! You're all idiots, everyone's an idiot!!!"

A wave of frustration washed over her, and the girl suddenly screamed out loud without warning. She grabbed the teacup in her hand, intending to smash it against the door the boy had just pushed open. But as soon as she raised it, she realized that the boy had already opened the door and left long ago.

"Hey, Ai, do I really make him hate me that much? He'd rather kneel down and beg for forgiveness than let me get close to him?"

She looked at Hayasaka again, her voice tingling with grievance. Her nose stung, her throat felt choked by the burning breath, her chest tightened, and tears welled up in her eyes once more.

Although Kaguya Shinomiya always considered herself Haruhi's older sister, she was still just an underage girl, and what she had just witnessed did indeed make her somewhat sad.

"I think Young Master Qing must have his own reasons."

Hayasaka then roughly understood what had just happened. After a moment of contemplation, he comforted the particularly aggrieved young lady, Shinomiya.

“What hardship could he possibly have? Even if we’re from different mothers, I’m still his older sister. If a younger brother wants something from his older sister, he can just ask. I’ll give him whatever I can. Why did he have to kneel down like that? That’s so shameless! So shameless! That idiot is just a younger brother who needs to be loved.”

Kaguya Shinomiya was suppressing her emotions, and was making some rather unhappy comments.

In this quiet student council room

Hayasaka Aina's calm voice slowly reached Shinomiya Kaguya's ears.

"At this point in time, I'm afraid he won't be leaving Xiuzhiyuan anytime soon."

"Miss Mingming is also looking forward to dining with Young Master Qing, isn't she?"

Kaguya Shinomiya: "..."

Her ears twitched slightly, and as if in response, the girl slowly raised her fair forehead.

"Is it really possible? What if I get rejected again?"

Kaguya, like a little squirrel, asked Hayasaka with a hint of fear.

"Going might lead to failure, but not chasing after them guarantees failure, right?"

"And as Miss said, you are the older sister, shouldn't the older sister give way to the younger brother?"

Hayasaka, like an older sister, advised the equally immature Kaguya Shinomiya.

If you can't love, you can't receive love;

If you refuse to try, you'll never experience the joy of success.

……

On the sofa,

"Xiao Ai is right. I am the older sister. An older sister should be the most forgiving creature in the world. I shouldn't have thrown a tantrum at him just now."

The kind girl named Kaguya Shinomiya understood everything. She took a deep breath, wiped away a few tears from the corners of her eyes, and a smile returned to her face.

As if launched into the air, the girl leaped off the sofa and rushed out of the student council room.

boom!

Overwhelmed with excitement, the girl accidentally bumped into the door. However, Shinomiya no longer cared about that, opened the door, and rushed out into the corridor.

"..."