I really don't want to be reborn.

"Yes, I have heatstroke."

"Then hurry up and go see a doctor."

Kasumigaoka Utaha closed her eyes: "The doctor can't cure it."

"Ok?"

"...Kusatsu's hot springs can't cure it either."

Kosaka was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. It was a proverb—neither doctors nor Kusatsu's hot springs could cure lovesickness.

He thought she was saying she was afraid of unrequited love.

Therefore, a smiley face indicates that it is definitely not unrequited love.

Actually, Kasumigaoka Utaha was referring to that round-headed guy walking proudly ahead.

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Good morning, I'd like to get some votes.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The cat was focused and quiet, quiet and composed.

There's a saying that goes something like this?

Playing with the world is the way of detachment for those who are engaged in the world; adapting to the world is the way of engagement for those who are detached from the world.

Think about it: the former is living a carefree life with a sense of unease about life, while the latter is enjoying life with a detached and transcendent mindset.

In Eastern aesthetics, the concepts of the secular and the external are always intertwined, mutually opposing yet inseparable, and sometimes even appearing simultaneously.

For example, Kyosuke Kosaka, an ordinary person, is like this. He wants to maintain a subtle distance from others, feeling anxious and insecure, but he also wants to have a detached mindset to enjoy life.

They don't go deep enough, and their level of involvement in most things around them can't be considered high.

However, the retreat was not thorough enough. There was no great enlightenment to find a secluded mountain forest to build a nest, and spend the days looking at the distant green mountains and waters, and the high sky and floating clouds. Such days were monotonous and leisurely, so what did it matter if the cycle of four years came around?

Unfortunately, this person was an ordinary person from beginning to end.

He always haggles, especially in front of his sister.

"So Kirino, I won't help you without a reward, so give up on that idea."

"...What did I do to offend you this time?!"

Ms. Kirino Kousaka was so angry she almost exploded.

The limited edition disk is sold out, and they still have to hold this event, a public gaming competition? Do they think otaku are clueless kids?

However, that staff member was indeed very strong, winning more than fifty times in a row. When it was her turn, Kirino thought of her dear older brother's usual teachings and steadily chose Garen... oh, no, she chose a beginner hero, an electric middle school girl.

She possesses powerful skills at both long and close range, making her a very easy character to pick up and play.

This character's ultimate move, the Railgun, is comparable to the close-range divine technique "God's Roar Fist," whose power increases through acceleration, depending on the length of the charge time.

Full of energy, Kirino was determined to achieve a magnificent victory in front of her brother!

Yes, that's how determined she is!

Whether it's love or games, she wants it all and wants to be the winner!

If you're going to do something, you have to win—in short, this is Kirino's attitude towards things, always showing a stubborn streak.

Stubbornness is the hardest temper to change.

If she has to change it, she will stubbornly do so.

When she took the stage, Kyosuke looked at her with a sense of satisfaction—doing things with a winning mentality, and thoroughly implementing simple things is more difficult than anything else.

He was well aware that people's achievements differed, and the difference between first-rate and second-rate was not entirely due to innate talent, but rather to a mindset—a mindset that Kasumigaoka Utaha had, Gokou Ruri had, and Kousaka Kirino had, but he himself did not have.

I used to have it, but I don't know when I threw it aside. Now I'm hesitating whether to pick it up or not.

Go for it, Kirino...

Silently wishing his sister well as she went on stage to take on the challenge, Kyosuke watched her figure and felt that the scene was truly exhilarating.

"ah--!?"

Then, Kirino was instantly defeated.

"...How embarrassing."

Then came the conversation we had earlier. She used her pitiful state of being instantly defeated to use her cuteness skills on her brother, but unfortunately, her brother was even more unreliable than a pigeon when it came to such trivial matters. He would say "okay, okay" but he didn't really want to do anything.

Not only did he adopt a dove-like philosophical composure, but he also put his hands together in a gesture of "I've figured it out," which infuriated Kirino.

Master Kosaka stroked her round head, putting on a convincing act, his kind expression like that of a Tibetan sage giving a revelation to the handsome young monk: "Foolish child, victory and defeat, gain and loss, are all fleeting clouds."

"I've had enough!"

If it weren't for the comfort of her brother's touch, she would have pounced on him and scratched him long ago. Kirino's rosy cheeks seemed to defy the evolutionary law of creatures seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, becoming conspicuous, as if just waiting for her brother to pinch them with his hands.

Unfortunately, his brother didn't care about the universal value of a round face, and turned to look at Kasumigaoka Utaha with an inscrutable expression: "What do you think?"

The girl glanced at his sister casually, her tone nonchalant: "I'll just watch from here. Eriri, how's your skill level?"

Eriri Sawamura scratched her head: "That's a fighting game. I'm not really good at those kinds of games. Why don't you go? But I remember you're really bad at games."

"I knew I couldn't count on you."

Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly went around to the back and pushed out the black cat who had been silently staring at the big screen of the game: "See, the solution has come out, hasn't it?"

The black cat then came to its senses and looked up at the smiling girl with a huff: "Kasumigaoka-senpai, you scared me!"

"Please, Black Cat-chan."

The girl's calm smile and tone, which carried a hint of pressure, made the black cat reveal a rare wry smile.

She knew that Kasumigaoka Utaha was still holding a grudge about her previous attitude.

I support Kirino's stance.

Ugh, those awful high school students.

"Oh right, I remember Black Cat is really good at games, but how did you know?"

"This cat tortured Eriri until she bled last night..."

Kirino watched Saori and Kuroneko walk up, but out of the corner of her eye she saw her brother and Kasumigaoka whispering sweet nothings to each other. Her heart ached terribly, like a taxi driver in this season who had to endure the heat while dropping others off at an ice cream shop.

A few minutes later, Saori was unsurprisingly defeated. The tall girl put one hand behind her head and said, "Oh, it still doesn't work. I guess I'll have to rely on Kuroneko-san's. It's a pity Hamster-san isn't here..."

"It's alright, it's alright. This staff member is definitely skilled."

"Tch, this game is so bad! How can we possibly win? Ah, we can only watch that dark creature..."

Kirino muttered something, then turned her head and saw her brother and that woman holding hands again. Her expression turned ashen—like someone who hadn't eaten for days had their mouth pried open and a bellyful of laxatives stuffed in...

"Kirino, don't lose your temper. Your fighting game skills aren't very high to begin with, so it's normal that you can't win against someone like that. Blaming the game itself is a loser's way of thinking."

"Waaah..."

"If you lose, lose gracefully."

Loser...

Although she knew her brother was talking about winning or losing the game, her expression still showed a bit of sorrow—after being forced to take several kilograms of laxatives on an empty stomach, she still had to use an enema.

Who can bear it?

She gritted her teeth and tried to calm herself down, watching the black cat go on stage, when she heard cheers of "Wow!" from all around.

All eyes were on the winner sitting on the fighter jet platform.

The screen showed two "Magic Academy Reikas" engaged in a high-speed battle—or rather, it was more like a one-sided annihilation.

Kyosuke Kosaka squinted, not looking at the screen, nor seeing the black cat's blurry hand, but instead focusing on her delicate shoulder, mentally calculating the frequency of the trembling over those few seconds, and then shook his head.

"What's wrong? Are you also captivated by that little black cat?"

"I think she's better suited to processing image information than playing games, and she'll have no problem getting a high-paying job in the future."

Kasumigaoka Utaha was also somewhat surprised: "The little black cat is that powerful?"

"Yes, it's amazing that someone as talented as him is so devoted to writing fan fiction. It's like Zhuge Liang wielding his sword and spear, but he's the kind of person who's frustrated and unfulfilled."

He has always admired the black cat's personality.

Now, he admires the guy's demeanor and style even more.

In life and in work, one should be calm.

Come quietly, go quietly.

Work hard quietly, and you will reap the rewards quietly.

Avoid making noise.

Completely different from the dejected look of yesterday, the black cat was now calm and composed, displaying the demeanor of a victor.

He was just about to use this opportunity to teach his sister to be more calm and composed, and not to be so impetuous, when he noticed that Kirino also looked thoughtful, so he couldn't help but ask, "Do you think Kuroneko is handsome?"

"……Um!"

The answer this time was unusually quick.

"You're not so arrogant anymore. If you think it's cool, then try to learn from it."

Kirino Kousaka glanced at Utaha Kasumigaoka without saying a word.

The girl stood beside her brother, her expression unchanging, except for the occasional soft smile, a gentle, poetic smile.

They were relaxed and composed, and it was hard to see any trace of agitation.

The other party also displayed the demeanor and attitude of a victor.

She didn't fully grasp what her brother meant, but thought to herself that only victory could bring composure.

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Chapter Thirty-Nine: Gains and losses are my fate, why do you need to ramble on? (3,000 words)

In the replay, the black cat-controlled Magic Academy Reika defeated her opponent with a Perfect score in less than thirty seconds.