I really don't want to be reborn.

The black cat pursed its lips, its gaze unfocused like two parallel lines, as if its inner ideals had been completely shattered. It stared blankly ahead, its two gazes unable to refocus no matter how close they were.

Oh, I see...

When I am full of confidence, I can overcome even the greatest difficulties.

But even the most insignificant mistake, the most inconspicuous contempt, can convince me that I am still... utterly worthless.

She subconsciously touched her cheek.

Sometimes, you find yourself gritting your teeth and walking a long way.

Sometimes, they can be so vulnerable that they burst into tears over a single word from someone else.

The black cat lowered its paws, as if it wanted to say something.

But what could she say at this moment? Tell the other person that what she wrote wasn't garbage?

but……

She seemed a little chilly and hugged her arms, like a cat that had lost its dreams.

President Jefferson said in the Declaration of Independence: "Everyone has the right to pursue happiness."

However, many people misinterpret this statement as meaning that everyone has the right to happiness.

Similarly, everyone has the right to pursue their dreams, but not the right to realize them.

"Black cat?"

Kousaka Kyosuke, who had noticed something was wrong earlier, looked at her with concern: "What's wrong? Why are you so down all of a sudden?"

"fine……"

Her voice was calm and steady, yet it gave him the feeling of calm waters before a hurricane, a calm exterior concealing a turbulent power.

"us……"

Black Cat suddenly raised her small face and stared at the boy who was far more outstanding than herself. She couldn't even manage a forced smile. The inferiority complex that had been hidden in her heart for a long time seemed to erupt like a virus.

How could she not feel inferior?

Everyone harbors a sense of inferiority deep down, and most people hide this inferiority and try to live their lives by ignoring it.

However, the black cat is able to confront its own inner inferiority complex.

Accept it; it's the same idea that Kirino Kousaka has expressed.

No matter how hard Kirino Kousaka tried, she couldn't catch up with her brother. It seemed that she was the same way, always only able to see a figure that was far beyond her reach, which was very frustrating.

She suddenly understood the Queen of the Night's feelings.

"Ok?"

"...Let's go back."

Kyosuke's eyes darkened, and then he pulled over the staff member in front of Ms. Kashiwagi Eri's booth again: "Come on, help me take a picture."

"Hey, how many times has this happened today! Don't go too far!"

"I'll put in a good word for you with Ms. Kashiwagi Eri and ask her to give you extra chicken legs, and you can sit at the same table as the photographer..."

He then forcibly pulled the little black cat over as well, and the two stood together holding hands.

"Well?"

"eggplant!"

The two people in the photo, one a petite, expressionless queen of the night with a cold demeanor, and the other a dark-skinned man making a peace sign and smiling, have a strangely comical quality.

So much so that the black cat couldn't help but laugh when it saw the photos on the phone.

"Pfft pfft."

Just laugh it off.

Despite lacking brilliance, but!

It's much easier to accept yourself than to try to do what others can't do, right?

She is who she is, just a small, aloof cat.

------

It's past midnight!

See that!

Isn't that awesome!

Why do I always feel like I don't get many follow-up subscriptions, even though I have quite a few favorites?

Chapter Twenty-Nine: It Begins with Envy and Ends with Embarrassment (3,000 words)

The rain lingered, and a fresh breeze circled around in the evening.

Moist and cool.

"That downpour just now was really scary."

"No, no, no, Kousaka-kun, it's scary to see someone with your personality cosplaying a chuunibyou character."

"Really? I think I saw a little brat who looks a bit like Meruru in the crowd just now. Even girls have that kind of courage—but judging from her demeanor, she should be an adult. It's so nice to have a legal loli."

Kyosuke smiled and nodded to Eriri Sawamura in thanks: "Thank you for being with her, otherwise Kasumigaoka would probably have had to spend another boring day with me."

Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned: "Even without her, wouldn't I be able to go out by myself?"

"I'm a little worried about you going alone."

"Really? Besides, if anyone should be thanking someone, it should be me. What does it have to do with you..."

Of course, this sentence, which had already reached the limit of her tsundere attitude, was spoken very softly, almost inaudible. Kousaka Kyosuke did hear it, but pretended not to.

Eriri tried her best not to look at the two who seemed to be showering each other with affection again. She stretched, revealing a pair of bright golden hair under her red hat and large glasses. If you hadn't seen her face before, Kousaka Kyosuke probably wouldn't have known that this seemingly otaku was actually a beautiful young lady with a rich and elegant style...

Hmm, will Saori Bagina, who looks a lot like Eriri now, also become a beautiful girl after taking off her headscarf and glasses?

"Oh, today's harvest was pretty good, it's just that the weather wasn't great."

Perhaps because of the torrential rain, Ms. Saori, who had retreated immediately after yesterday's event, was forced to stay until now. She looked at the good stuff in her bag and grinned.

Then she noticed that Kyosuke Kousaka was staring at her with a gloomy expression.

"Um... Kyosuke! I really didn't know! If I had known it was your birthday yesterday, I would have stayed no matter what!"

Kyosuke waved his hand: "I remember your home is in Yokohama, which is quite far from here. It's only natural that you want to go back sooner. I'm not blaming you."

Saori smiled sheepishly: "Actually... I also have a house in Tokyo."

"..."

He paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Look at you, what an honest guy. I gave you a way out, but you won't take it. How about you make up for my birthday present later?"

Saori pushed up her round glasses and gave a slightly awkward military salute, saying, "I understand! Don't worry, Kyosuke, I'll show you a real treasure!"

Kyosuke Kosaka chuckled, thinking it was probably some kind of Gundam model. Just as he was about to haggle, he noticed Eriri Sawamura looking at Saori suspiciously, and the latter's smile gradually faded.

...I started to get nervous.

What are you nervous about?

"Big guy, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

Eriri Sawamura leaned close to Saori and circled her twice, looking just like a butcher outside a pigsty: "Wait a minute, you're so tall, I should remember you."

Kasumigaoka Utaha mocked, "I guess you have a bad memory. Last time you said you forgot you have your period, which comes once a month."

Eriri immediately shifted her attention, jumped around and grabbed the woman in black stockings by the neck. The two best friends gradually walked away amidst their playful tussle.

Kyosuke pondered for a moment, then said, "Saori, you can go first. I have something to discuss with Kuroneko alone."

Saori Bagina wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, glanced at the black cat who hadn't said a word, and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

"Leave it to me."

"Then I shall take my leave, Kyosuke, Kuroneko!"

Saori held up the rolled-up poster, smiling and waving it at the two of them. Along with it swayed her not-so-obvious but actually 88-inch bust!

(By the way, Kasumigaoka Utaha is 89 this year.)

Saori's dashing figure disappeared into the crowd in the distance, leaving Kyosuke Kousaka and Kuroneko standing there in silence.

People coming out seemed to sense an ominous atmosphere and consciously avoided them, as if they were being passively isolated.

After an unknown amount of time, the black cat slowly raised its head, its eyes slightly red: "Hey, Kousaka-kun."

"Ok?"

"Were you ever isolated at school?"

He thought about it carefully: "There really isn't one."

"Ugh, those annoying social butterflies."

With a self-deprecating laugh, the black cat finally broke its silence: "Have you ever considered that you are a special being, and everyone else is an inferior being?"

"I am indeed quite special, but I don't think of others as inferior beings."

"...No matter what you do, I just despise the people around me in my heart, and I often blame my incompetence and loneliness on others, and escape from this world."

His low, self-reflective words brought a knowing smile to his face: "Yes, for a time I felt different, like a protagonist in a novel or anime, having extraordinary adventures and beginning a legendary life—"

His voice carried a bitter taste: "Actually, being different doesn't mean happiness or joy—ah, if terrorists were to attack this school, the power hidden within me would awaken, I would kill all the attackers, save the foolish boys in my class, and win the favor of the pretty girls—"

As he spoke, he even laughed out loud. There was no sarcasm in his laughter, but rather a nostalgic feeling of lying on a haystack gazing at the leisurely white clouds: "Tell me honestly, have you ever had such bright-eyed fantasies during class?"

The black cat's eyes were now shining, and its little face was flushed: "Almost...almost..."

Taking a deep breath, the black cat looked up and said, "But that's just a fantasy, because reality is too cruel. No matter how hard you try, you can't achieve your dreams, or even reach a small goal."

She suddenly lowered her head again: "That's right, because there are many things in this world that are beyond our control."

This faint, seemingly emotionless voice was filled with an invisible pressure, even more so than the oppressive aura that had just been so unapproachable.

"I started reading guidebooks two years ago, learning, submitting manuscripts, and exchanging ideas on novel writing websites... I've been persisting in writing things that I think are good."