I really don't want to be reborn.

My first impression was that it was dangerous, something I absolutely shouldn't mess with, and I wasn't even willing to get to know it.

That's a glacier on an underwater volcano.

It's cold outside, but once it melts out, it's like towering magma, a torrent of emotion without reservation.

This kind of woman's emotions are not an inexhaustible fountain, but rather the saliva from a swiftlet's beak.

That magnificent little bird can only build one glistening swallow's nest with its saliva; the second one it spits out is all blood. (Note)

He doesn't want to provoke girls like that, and he simply can't afford to.

As they walked out, his younger sister, still puzzled, asked him, "Why are you in such a hurry? Is something urgent?"

Before he could speak, he heard the long-haired girl from the back door call out to him: "Hey! Do you know a boy named Kosaka?"

"Ah...sorry, I've never heard of it."

Her eyes lit up slightly, and she thought to herself that this boy wouldn't lie.

Because this lie is completely devoid of any technical sophistication.

------

Note: From Mo Yan's "Our Jing Ke"

Touma is absolutely adorable when she's hiding under the covers, only peeking out with her little head and blushing face!

Chapter Nineteen: Unaware of the babbling brook beside one's ear, yet within arm's reach.

For the student council and teachers in charge of the exchange between the two schools, the joint performance on the second day was actually a failure.

Because the students from Fengcheng High School stole all the limelight.

For most students at Bianzhan High School, the final piano recital was a real treat.

It seemed like they were competing with Kyosuke Kosaka yesterday. The ace they brought out was not only highly skilled, but also a very beautiful young woman.

A cheer erupted from below the stage, naturally ignoring the orchestral group from Benzhan High School's Light Music Club. It didn't matter that their unique closing spectacle was stolen by the other side.

Because she's a beautiful girl!

The boys' enthusiasm, in particular, was as hot and intense as a urinary tract infection.

Kyosuke Kosaka and his two younger sisters stood in a corner of the gymnasium, admiring the girl named Kazusa Touma, the girl who stood out from the crowd, playing the piano.

—Yes, two younger sisters. Let's just call Xiaolan the younger sister for now.

She called him "brother," and he didn't object. It was a mutually agreeable arrangement, and even Kirino Kousaka, who was known for her jealousy, couldn't find anything wrong with it.

Kyosuke Kosaka looked at the girl from afar. Her figure seemed somewhat faint, as if it had been drawn on.

Unlike Kasumigaoka Utaha, who is perfectly proportioned, she is a slightly slender beauty. She is especially beautiful when she is focused on something, her delicate white fingers dancing like gleaming whips striking the piano keys.

As the noise gradually subsided, the sound of the piano slowly began to rise, soothing and earnest.

"It's Bach..."

Bach's music is well-suited for large-scale string performances, but a simpler arrangement is also acceptable; a clarinet, oboe, organ, or violin concerto would suffice.

He believed that Bach's violin and piano concertos were the purest—in the most glorious era of music, this religious polyphony appeared solemn.

"You can also play the violin..."

His sister pulled him aside and asked a meaningless question.

"I only know a little bit, but if Kirino puts in the effort, she won't be able to surpass her brother for long."

Well, based on his calculations regarding his sister's sense of pitch and intelligence, this "not long" is roughly seven years. To be fair, Kirino isn't stupid!

This refers to violin playing; piano playing time is calculated separately.

"But when did you learn piano and violin? I don't remember you learning them, and I've never heard of you having any talent for them."

Kirino felt something was wrong the more she thought about it.

For the first time, the person holding her hand seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

"Wow, that's amazing."

Upon hearing such a straightforward and simple exclamation, Xiaolan blinked her eyes and said, "I'm a little envious..."

"envious?"

"A little bit, just a tiny bit..."

The soft, quiet girl playfully gestured with her thumb and forefinger, looking at him shyly: "Actually, I attended a piano training class when I was little, but I've forgotten everything now."

Kyosuke became interested: "Have you forgotten everything?"

Feeling a little awkward under that gaze, she said, "...just a little bit, just a little bit left."

How do I feel...?

Suddenly, Kyosuke Kosaka felt that this little brat was more like his younger sister than Kirino and Kuroneko.

You see, she said she could draw back in June.

Now she says she knows a little piano.

Who knows what else she might be good at—this humble attitude is just like his.

Then Kyosuke began his usual lecture to his sister: "Kirino, you should at least learn something. You probably don't like music, how about learning calligraphy?"

"Don't don't!"

She was determined to be a homebody for the rest of her life!

A wicked little sister who's being kept by her older brother!

"You're utterly ignorant and incompetent."

Kyosuke Kosaka sighed nonchalantly, holding her hand tightly without letting go. His doting expression made Ran lower her eyes slightly in envy.

I'm just a little envious of this.

"Boom!"

Bach's piece enters a grand finale.

The orchestra suddenly began to play, then abruptly stopped.

The piano keys rise and fall, the melodies surge and swell, eventually fading into nothingness.

She opened her eyes and returned to the world she had grown tired of.

I spotted the violin-playing boy from afar and found it fascinating.

…………

"The so-called sense of novelty is not about repeating old things with new people."

Standing by the window of the Literature Club office, Kyosuke Kousaka turned around and smiled at the innocent-looking girl who seemed like a little devil, a smile that revealed no warmth.

"The so-called sense of novelty is about two people doing a lot of new and interesting things together... so please don't sit in that seat."

Ogiso Setsuna pouted: "But she's not here, so what's wrong with letting me sit here?"

"You can sit in my seat."

"But what about you?"

“I’m standing, just like this.”

Yukina glared at him: "Why are you so stingy? You're clearly a very generous person."

"No, that's not true. I've always been very stingy."

"Just sit down for a moment."

She squinted one eye and pleaded, sitting on the throne of the Minister of Literature, unwilling to get up. Her cute and adorable manner was so endearing that any boy would let her get away with it.

Then he grabbed her by her pigtails...

"Hey, that's going too far! That's going too far!"

Like a squirrel, bullied by the children under the tree and forced to move, Ogiso Setsuna pointed at him with tears in her eyes and accused him: "You're really awful."

The next second, she burst into laughter through her tears, her expression changing quickly and naturally, without showing any sign of strain: "Kousaka-kun, you have a strong grip, is it because you use a pen often?"

"People who study piano usually have very strong wrists."

Standing in front of her, Kyosuke Kosaka apologized only after he had finished: "She is my friend, and I value her very much. So, because I love her, I value everything she left here."

"Friends? You just said we're just friends?"

Yes, my friend.

"What a touching friendship."

Ogiso gave a rare cold smile: "But I can tell from your attitude and your family's attitude that you value her more than just an ordinary friend."

"Yeah, a special friend."

"Isn't it difficult for men and women to maintain a purely platonic friendship?"

Kosaka took a slight step back: "She often hides her feelings in her writing. Even if I find out, she won't admit it, so she wants to maintain a superficial friendship."

"Huh? There are girls like this?"

Kosaka's tone was gentle: "That's why I said she's different, and I care about her a lot."

"Where is your lover?!"

"Yes, a lover who never spoke of their feelings."

Ogiso Setsuna is quite curious about love. Lacking the composure and ease she had in college, she now asks out of curiosity: "Kousaka, tell me what it feels like to be in love?"

A slight blush appeared on her cute face, as if she was longing for a romantic relationship. Unfortunately, Kousaka Kyosuke wasn't looking at her at the moment, but rather at the sky that he and Kasumigaoka had seen many times together.

"What does it feel like? It's like meeting someone as radiant as a rainbow—"

His voice lingered for a long time: "You'll feel like chili peppers have been sprinkled on your heart, hot and spicy, and your whole body is almost covered in prickly heat."

The two prepared to leave the school and head towards the Kousaka family's house.

In the corridor, perhaps because her imagination was satisfied, Ogiso Setsuna's steps were somewhat light, like a little squirrel with a long tail swinging and carrying a pine cone, walking happily.