I really don't want to be reborn.

He couldn't eat anymore and played his trump card: "Unless you feed me, I can't eat right now."

Kirino is a typical example of someone who gets tired of taking advantage of others.

How could I possibly do such a thing in front of my friends?

So she wouldn't agree, and naturally, she wouldn't eat it herself.

That's what he was thinking, and Kirino, upon hearing this, felt as if many birds were flapping their wings and flying overhead, causing her whole body to tremble involuntarily.

She was about to nod when she noticed her brother's scrutinizing gaze sweeping over her. The warmth in her heart felt like it had been doused with a bucket of ice water, which splashed onto the insteps of her feet and made her retreat.

We had no choice but to withdraw.

"How was the school festival? Not bad, right? What did you guys think high school school festivals were like..."

After lunch, Kyosuke Kosaka continued to stroll around the campus with the two girls. First, they visited their classroom, where everyone teased him about how cute his younger sister was.

Then she went to the Literature Club, which Kirino had hated for a long time.

Then I took them to various clubs to see what they were interested in, such as tea ceremony, shogi, flower arrangement, etc. Even though it was only two days, the content was quite rich.

Along the way, the boys he knew were practically calling him "brother-in-law" while holding his hand.

"Let me see, there's also the Game Research Department..."

Kirino was incredibly excited at the mention of games, like a dog seeing its own hair: "I want to go! I want to go! There must be so many games, right? Brother, take me with you..."

He smiled gently at his sister, then turned and walked toward the light music club.

What a load of rubbish!

"Oh, is nobody here?"

The three of them rested inside for a while. The younger sister was always busy. She could be dignified and virtuous in front of others, but when there were no outsiders around, she would start to be naughty. Now she was sitting in front of the piano with a look of great curiosity.

"Kirino, don't break it."

"Okay, really... Xiaolan, come and play too."

The two girls treated the piano like two kittens seeing a cardboard box for the first time, timidly pressing the keys, and the soft piano sound echoed in the room.

Boom!

Then they found that the piano wasn't so scary, so they started to relax and play more freely. After playing a few notes, Xiaolan took down the sheet music from the piano and looked at it.

Kirino was having a great time playing, starting with the lowest note on the left and moving from left to right with one finger, producing a deep, clanging sound.

Doraemon has diarrhea!

He sat to one side, gazing absently at his smiling sister.

The laughter, its meaning ambiguous, was like a sobbing stream in a dream.

Kirino, ah...

Suddenly he turned his head and met a pair of cold eyes.

The girl with long, straight black hair standing at the door glanced at the three of them: "What... are you doing? And stop playing, it sounds awful."

"..."

She patted her sleeves, as if brushing dust off her clothes.

Touma Kazusa slowly crossed her arms over her chest, her cold and sharp aura rising up section by section.

------

I'm guessing some people might dislike Setsuna, but I don't think anyone would dislike Touma, right?

Have it?

Chapter 18: Don't Flirt with Women Who Are Loyal and Courageous

From top to bottom.

Blue tie, white shirt, black uniform.

Three buttons held her full figure in place.

There was also a blue school uniform skirt, black stockings covering half of her calves, and white shoes at the very bottom.

Kyosuke Kosaka's gaze wasn't on those things; he was looking at the large expanse of white skin between the short skirt and stockings.

Absolute territory...?

No, no, no, the white and tender skin between the over-the-knee socks and the short skirt is what's called the absolute territory. This isn't the absolute territory.

That was my first thought. My second thought was based on the color of her legs. Her skin was very white, the kind of pale white that comes after a cherry blossom petal has lost a layer of red. Her skin was really good, highly differentiable.

This is a compliment in mathematics.

The two middle school girls were startled and stood behind him, embarrassed, thinking she was someone from the light music club. However, Kousaka Kyosuke knew very well that this girl was not from Benzen High School.

Because she was clearly wearing the student uniform of Fengcheng University Affiliated High School.

It's quite rare to see a girl wearing a tie instead of a bow tie.

"Excuse me, female student from Fengcheng Affiliated High School, what brings you to the Light Music Club?"

"..."

"Or perhaps you got lost while looking for the restroom?"

Looking for a restroom?

What is this boy saying?

She ignored him, or rather, she ignored them all. She was a girl who had no regard for anyone else and a completely indifferent attitude towards life.

A solitary beauty, self-admiring, is difficult to find harmony with.

Thinking back to the live piano recording she received yesterday, besides the skilled fingering, what she cared about more was the feeling of burning away all the gloom and resentment in one's heart, and walking alone with glory and pain on one's back.

She had listened to the music more than ten times; she couldn't be wrong about the emotions conveyed in it.

"Croatian Rhapsody" was not difficult for her, but she could never play it with the passion that seemed to be blood and fire, nor could she imitate the deep-seated loneliness.

That's why she came here, wanting to hear and see.

Unfortunately, the boy who was supposedly from the light music club never showed up, and many people here were stammering, as if they were hiding something.

When asked about the person named Iizuka, he only knew that the other person's surname was Kousaka, and he hadn't inquired about any other details.

Iizuka is such a useless person.

Touma Kazusa restlessly placed her hands on the piano keys, thinking it was a pity it wasn't a Steinway. She wanted to sleep a little longer, but the frustration of not getting what she wanted made her desperately need to vent.

The girl began to play the piano, her eyes drooping naturally beneath her neat bangs, seemingly playing the instrument, but Kyosuke, watching from the sidelines, felt that she was shedding tears, those tears falling into the black and white ocean, becoming salty seawater.

Ding dong, ding dong.

She was playing a piece from the sheet music.

That piece was originally intended for the members of the Light Music Club to practice.

Even Kirino recognized the tune: "This is... Castle in the Sky, right? It's definitely it, I remember it perfectly."

"Quiet."

He patted his sister's hand, signaling her to be quiet, but the guy immediately grabbed her hand and held it together.

Kyosuke smiled wryly to himself; his sister was too clingy.

"Kirino, do you remember how you reacted when you looked at clouds when you were little? Hmm, you were very greedy back then, and you would keep asking for cotton candy whenever you saw big, fluffy white clouds."

Kirino asked softly, "Really?"

She seems to have forgotten a little.

But my brother remembered every single detail, and it never faded from his heart.

Does this piece of music remind you of the clouds from your childhood, or the wild and whimsical thoughts you had as a child?

He seemed to be asking his sister, but he also seemed to be asking himself.

What is Castle in the Sky like?

The departed souls ascend to heaven, reflecting on their joys and sorrows on earth. Passing by clouds and wind, the earth gradually blurs into a vast expanse of green—an indescribable beauty of death.

Will it?

Kirino, unaware of the situation, tugged at his clothes and said, "I heard them say that you were really in the spotlight yesterday, brother. You played the piano so well. Let's compare you and this senior to see who's better."

Xiao Lan looked at him softly, staring at him for a long time before smiling: "It feels like... Brother seems to be good at everything. He's great at writing novels and playing the piano too."

"I only have a basic understanding."

This guy can be incredibly humble, but his sister keeps tugging at his clothes, practically begging him to give her a beating.

"If you really want to listen..."

Kyosuke Kosaka casually picked up a violin from the shelf, grumbled about its quality, and then calmly stepped in as the piano notes rose.

"..."

A series of gradually rising syllables poured out, flowing smoothly and repeatedly, while the violin's sorrow flowed alongside, a silent beginning, loneliness flowing from the fingertips.

The girl moved to the rhythm of the music, raising her head slightly.

A light mist hangs in the air; who is over there?

The violin music perfectly matches the tone of this piece, like frost brushing against one's brows and temples, and when it falls on the eyes, it makes one feel a stinging sensation, as if the wind is blowing in one's eyes, making one want to cry.

The sound lingers and softens, followed by the sorrowful, poignant sound of cherry blossoms falling.

The piano and violin duet begins with the violins, which, like ice being sliced, immediately take the lead, dragging the piano down into an abyss. The bass notes build up in tight, stepped progressions to the treble, where they abruptly stop, as if to throw the listener's heart into the sky in one fell swoop.

The girl looked down at the black and white piano keys, hearing the meaning in the lingering melody. To describe it as poignant would be too vague; it was full of aspirations, striving, and an indomitable spirit.

That was someone who, knowing the tragic outcome, still threw themselves into it without hesitation...

"You played the piano really well."

Kyosuke Kosaka put down his violin, nodded to her, and then decisively pulled Kirino and Ran away from the light music club room, not wanting to stay a second longer.

Just as Ogiso Setsuna felt a sense of danger towards him, he felt the same way about this unfamiliar girl.