I really don't want to be reborn.

Or rather, it started with a single sentence he uttered upon his return.

"I kissed her, Kirino."

Kyosuke Kosaka still remembers his sister's expression at the time, as she sat on the bed eating a local snack he had brought back from Nagasaki.

"Wow..."

The bag slipped from her fingers, and the contents fell to the ground.

Upon hearing his words, the younger sister opened her mouth, stared blankly for a long time, and finally let out a soft "oh" before lowering her eyes and looking down. When she looked up again, she had a bright and sunny smile on her face.

That was her most professional and natural smile when she was a model.

"The relationship is confirmed? Then, congratulations, brother! But I didn't expect it to happen so soon. I thought it would happen after she came back."

"I was dragged to Tottori by Shino. We hadn't seen each other for several months, so I couldn't suppress my feelings and took the opportunity to confess."

"I see..."

The younger sister smiled faintly, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stood up and ran out the door with her back to him: "I suddenly remembered I have some urgent business to attend to, so I'm going back to my room first. Goodnight, brother!"

"Okay, go to bed early and don't stay up late."

He watched Kirino's figure disappear through the doorway, his gaze sinking down to find a few damp drops on the ground near the door.

Kyosuke Kousaka had a strange feeling at the time.

He felt that his bedroom door resembled the gates of a Victorian prison.

A black lion roars majestically at the entrance, looking down upon all who enter through the gate.

Breathe into the mirror, and the person in the mirror becomes blurry.

The sound of flushing water brought him back to reality. Next to him, a tall, well-dressed man was washing his face with water.

It was a chilly early winter day, but the man seemed very warm.

After the other person finished washing, they gave him a strange look and then quickly left. Kousaka Kyosuke looked away from the mirror, silently smiled coldly, and walked out.

…………

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, after leaving the editorial department, he finally saw his sister.

Kirino seemed to have had a successful meeting, as she wore an excited smile.

"How was it? How was that editor?"

"The editor said my novel had a good focus and that it reflected the characteristics of most girls today, which is why it resonated with readers! In short, I received a lot of praise!"

Kyosuke remained noncommittal: "...Is that so?"

He stared into Kirino's eyes: "I'm asking, what's that editor like?"

"How are people?"

"Ah."

Kirino touched her lower lip with her finger and looked at him in confusion: "Isn't that someone you know? I feel like he's a pretty serious person. How should I put it, a bit like a business elite? That's about the feeling."

Seemingly because the negotiations went well, Kirino was no longer as silent as she had been when she first came: "This editor is very kind, not at all like you described. I was worried for a long time."

"Intimate...affectionate?"

Look at this!

My younger sister handed me a business card.

Ryunosuke Kumagai, Second Editorial Department, Mobile Book Section, MEDIACII WORKS.

"That is indeed the name."

Kousaka Kyosuke remained calm: "He's probably more polite to female authors... Shall we go back now? It's getting late."

They walked out of the Dengeki Bunko building, talking as they went.

Then I saw the girl waiting on the street.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's signature tights remain unchanged, and her off-white coat looks perfectly matched. The elegant and mature girl standing there is like a ray of light, constantly attracting the attention of passersby.

Kyosuke Kosaka likes her very much.

Look at her current color layering, black at the bottom and white on top, with her white headband on top—doesn't it look just like Mount Fuji?

To like someone is like to like Mount Fuji.

She smiled at the siblings and asked, "How did it go? You must have gained something, right?"

"Yes, the editor is Kumagai."

"Oh, it's pudding sauce."

Kirino asked in confusion, "Pudding-chan? Is that a nickname? Judging from his appearance, I thought a handsome guy like him would at least have a cool nickname. Pudding is too girly..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked even more puzzled at Kousaka Kyosuke: "Pudding? Handsome guy?"

She remembered Pudding as looking like Gouki, what kind of handsome guy is that?

Kosaka shook his head almost imperceptibly, and Shiyu didn't ask any more questions. Her boyfriend was meticulous and complex, and he must have his own ideas.

"...And then what? What happened to the book publication?"

Kirino's tone was a little smug: "Ah, the editor said he hopes I will release a new work. He pointed out that I am currently 'not getting enough reader attention,' so I should create something more targeted at readers. Writing consciously like this will make me more popular."

Kasumigaoka felt even more puzzled.

Based on her understanding, this was not something that Pudding-chan, who appeared rough on the outside but was actually very sensitive, would say.

"...Are you planning to accept this suggestion?"

"It's a rare opportunity, I'm going to give it a try."

"Alright."

Kyosuke patted his sister's shoulder with a meaningful smile: "Since that's how it is, it's your own decision, and I don't intend to say anything more... Although it's not good to dampen your enthusiasm, there's still one more problem."

They boarded the tram back to Chiba.

"Kirino...do you have time to do this?"

His sister is the ace of the track and field team.

She is a model for a youth magazine.

He was also one of the top junior high school students in the county.

Of course, she also has the identity of a homebody who just made her first appearance at the summer anime convention. She must have a lot of games to play and a lot of cars to ride... Where does she get all that energy?

Kasumigaoka Utaha agreed with her idea of ​​giving up writing now: "Besides, you also have club activities. If you don't let go of anything, the end of the year will be very busy, right?"

Kirino's expression changed several times, and finally she gritted her teeth and said, "There will definitely be a way. Who do you think I am?"

Seeing her confident expression, Kasumigaoka Utaha said nothing more.

She looked at her boyfriend and saw a helpless heartache and... a hint of regret on his face.

------

I really want to find someone to marry!

Chapter Three: How to Recreate Dreams Above Dreams

You can see the view below from here.

Fallen leaves drifted down, and the dry sea breeze whipped up dust.

Looking out from the school, you can see a few pedestrians with their coat collars turned up to protect themselves from the cold wind and dust.

Winter finally arrived in Chiba.

Although there was no calendar in the Benzhan Literature Club's office, both people in the office knew the current date very well.

This method of confirming the date involves placing origami cranes on the table.

These are clearly origami cranes folded by a girl, each representing a sweet day—not just an ordinary day, but a day filled with hugs and kisses.

In other words, if you kiss someone on this day, you will get one more origami crane.

There are now exactly ten paper cranes, all neatly arranged.

In early December, in about twenty days it will be the New Year, and this year—2005—will come to an end.

Everything has already been determined and set in stone.

It's too late to go back to the past.

Gazing at the distant sky, he realized once again that this year was truly coming to an end, and his "friendship" with Kasumigaoka Utaha was also over.

Now, it's the turn of the lovers' relationship.

"It's a bit cold."

The girl, with her back to the window, sat writing, gently stamping her feet as if to shatter the ice that had frozen the room in silence.

"Are you cold? Would you like to put on a scarf?"

"Need not."

Girls in love are strange creatures; many logics don't apply to them for the time being. This naturally applies to Kasumigaoka Utaha as well. After all, she is a normal girl.

And it was still in the early stages of a relationship.

Although what she's writing has little to do with romance.

"How many more? It's just a doujinshi, don't make it too long. It doesn't matter if it's a Nisio Rei doujinshi, but a Tanigawa Naru doujinshi doesn't need to be too long."

"Well, we can wrap this up now."

The girl, deep in thought, was earnest and beautiful, beautiful in her earnestness. He stood behind her and couldn't see this beauty, but he could appreciate her silhouette and quiet black hair.

While flowing black hair blown by the wind is certainly stylish and charming, long, straight black hair that is quiet and pleasing to the eye is also quite attractive, and—it can even be played with.

Without disturbing her as much as possible, Kyosuke Kosaka ran his fingers through her hair. His fingers warmed up, and as they gently intertwined, he felt as if his heart was being entwined with hers.

"The winter exhibition is coming soon, isn't it?"

"Yes, if it weren't for Eriri's help, I might have had to trouble you again this time—but you still need to take a look after it's finished, both the text and the illustrations."