I really don't want to be reborn.

This rebirth has made me reflect on my life, which is not long but is still quite long, and my memories and experiences, which are very complex and disordered.

This is my story.

Four years and eight months ago

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

What did you just say?

At dinner, the father, Daisuke, looked at his son in surprise: "You just said you—want to transfer schools?"

Dinner has just begun.

Jia Nai's mother put the food on the table, and then she heard her husband's unusual outburst.

Kyosuke Kosaka picked up his chopsticks and then put them down again, nodding in response to his father's serious expression: "Indeed, because of certain things, I want to transfer schools to Tokyo."

"reason?"

Kyosuke glanced at his mother and sister: "Let's go over there and see which university is more suitable for me. I also want to go to Tokyo. I'm getting a little tired of staying in Chiba all the time."

Unlike his son who used to be full of energy and high spirits.

Kyosuke seems to have become strange overnight. He's become more composed, but at the same time, he seems to have lost all his vitality and energy, as if... as if he suffered a huge setback overnight.

Kyosuke paused for a moment: "And isn't Kirino graduating from junior high school soon? I'll go over there and help her find a good high school in Tokyo."

The younger sister, with her ears perked up, slightly raised her head, but her bangs covered her eyes, so Kyosuke couldn't see what Kirino was trying to say in a glance.

Is this an expression of gratitude?

Do you still find your brother a bit annoying?

Or perhaps they don't care...

"Chiba is not without good high schools."

Daisuke Kosaka abruptly ended the conversation: "As for university, let's talk about it after your entrance exams. It's a bit early now."

Kyosuke didn't mind that his suggestion was rejected. He was just feeling a bit bored and wanted a change of scenery, but staying here wouldn't make much of a difference.

Kyosuke Kousaka's mindset has changed, and he can face the world with composure. He just feels that he lacks some impulses, such as the impulse to learn, the impulse to fall in love, and the impulse to pursue his career.

He no longer has that burning passion to accomplish something.

As for romance...

“During my adolescence, my emotions were not like a bottle of syrup with markings that was easy to control; I often overreacted to trivial things.”

"Either remain indifferent, or be utterly devastated; there is no room for error in either direction."

He made the above footnote to his idea, but he couldn't recall which book he borrowed the sentence from, though he vividly remembered the brilliant metaphor.

If you can fall in love, why not have a passionate and unforgettable romance?

“My childhood was like that of a wild beast. It was only safe to observe it when it was kept in a cage. Once released, it would instantly threaten all life.”

He reminisced about his childhood as he walked down the stairs.

Today is a new day, it's the weekend.

Kyosuke lazily walked down the stairs and bumped into his sister, their noses and foreheads hitting each other squarely.

"Ouch...ouch...Kirino, what are you doing?!"

His younger sister was also knocked to the ground, glaring at him angrily with wide eyes, not saying a word, her eyebrows raised high, as if they were suffering from lovesickness.

…………

Her hair was dyed light brown, she wore earrings, and her long nails were painted with bright nail polish.

To be fair, Kirino is already eye-catching even without makeup, and with careful dressing up, she is even more beautiful.

Girls of this age are like flower buds, tender and delicate, but Kirino's outfit makes her look very mature, not like a middle school student at all.

In addition, her precocious figure, slender and tall with prominent curves, made her look like a proper high school student when she walked around outside.

To give another example, just like in your school class there are always some prominent groups: tall guys who are good at sports, handsome guys with fair skin, and the most indispensable cute girls. The center of the class is probably this group of people.

My younger sister is probably this type at school.

The kind of girl who makes you hesitate for ages just by approaching her, as if she lives in another world.

It's worth mentioning that, according to the setting, Kousaka Kyosuke now seems to belong to the more glamorous class in the class. He has several good friends at school, has joined the literature club, and has multiple girls who secretly admire him.

He was a lonely, resentful "social butterfly".

So the brother and sister were in the same social class, and their treatment at home was not too different. Here I will briefly mention the situation of the Kosaka family - it was a two-story detached house with four people, including the parents and children. They were a family that could barely be considered well-off, nothing special, and extremely ordinary.

Now, Kyosuke went downstairs and bumped into his sister, who seemed to be going upstairs. Neither of them was paying attention, and the collision was quite hard. His sister not only clutched her forehead and cried out in pain, but her bag also flew off, scattering its contents all over the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Kyosuke apologized as he crouched down to pick up the cosmetics and other items that had fallen to the ground...

"Snapped!"

That was the sound of Kirino opening his hand.

Kyosuke Kosaka withdrew his hand, his brows furrowing slightly.

"...Don't touch it."

Kirino's head was drooping, so her expression was not visible.

She silently picked up the things that had fallen on the ground by herself, while Kyosuke stood to the side, expressionless and silent.

He observed his sister's reaction, which was quite strange, and his vast knowledge and experience led him to two conclusions within a second.

Or there's something shady inside that bag.

Or maybe... Kirino really hates him, to the point that she won't let him touch her things.

The word "disgust" is a bit jarring.

Kirino picked up her bag, turned her back to him, and hurried towards the entrance to leave: "...I'm going out."

With a perfunctory mutter, Kirino Kousaka slammed the door shut.

Kyosuke slowly walked to the door, as if he was thinking about something. He didn't expect his sister to return. The door was opened, and Kirino, who had come back looking for something, bumped into him again.

In their haste, their lips brushed together briefly before slipping away unintentionally.

The kiss was light and small, like a court witness touching the Bible with their lips when taking an oath in a TV drama.

The kiss was also quite interesting, because at that moment they both opened their eyes wide, their faces filled with surprise.

Chapter Three: Game, Siblings, 18+

It's square.

A thin, white box caught Kyosuke Kosaka's attention.

After accidentally wiping each other's lips with her sister, Kirino seemed disgusted and fled in a panic, leaving Kyosuke standing alone at the door, somewhat dazed.

After being stunned for a moment, he noticed the white box.

It was not far from the stairwell, and because of the visual obstruction, it was something that was not noticed at first. Judging from its appearance, it should be a DVD box.

After all, he often saw this kind of box when he went to video rental stores to rent discs... As for what type of discs he rented, there's no need to elaborate.

But why is the disc case here?

The box had a picture on it, of a cartoon little girl with big eyes, a very cute girl.

"It seems to be a romance anime, or maybe a magical girl anime or something. There are only two people in the family who watch anime: Kirino and the other one..."

Kyosuke muttered to himself, "...There's also me, but I'm completely unfamiliar with this thing."

However, on the other hand, the little girl in the pink-themed painting is dressed in a rather revealing and erotic style, with something resembling a rocket jet extending from her bandage-like clothes, and a contrail of stars trailing behind her as she flies through the air.

He saw the name at the top of the box.

"Starry Night Meruru... First Edition Limited Edition? This seems to be a very popular anime right now?"

He vaguely remembered the name. Although he didn't watch anime with this art style much, the girls in his club seemed to have mentioned it a few times, and it sold very well.

"Kirino's things?"

Just as I reached this conclusion, the front door to the entrance was opened.

"Oh, welcome back, Mom."

The mother returned home carrying a bag of groceries and saw her son sitting on the sofa, holding a DVD case and lost in thought: "Kyosuke, didn't you go out with your classmates today?"

Sigh, the activities for people who are into social life are always the same old things.

He found it more interesting to lie in bed and read novels than to waste time chatting and joking with a group of people; even writing was more interesting than going out.

"I haven't been very interested in going out lately."

"You silly child—wait, what are you holding?"

When Yoshino's mother saw the uniquely designed cover, her eyes turned strange: "Kyosuke, has your hobby changed drastically again?"

"No, this thing is—"

—It's Kirino's!

He was about to say that when a strange feeling suddenly rose in his heart, a feeling that was urgent and sad, forcing him to swallow the rest of his sentence: "—My classmate left it here with me; her family doesn't allow her to see this."

"Is it Shiyu, that child?"

Jia Nai's mother smiled with relief, then gave an ambiguous smile.

"You two have a really good relationship, Kyosuke, are you dating?"

Kyosuke Kousaka said with a straight face, "Dear Mom, please address me correctly. Also, I'm just a high school student right now, and I don't really want to be in a relationship."

He lied twice today.

Lying can change one's mood—lying is often an expression of happiness and joy. When a person is relaxed and energetic, they will not take difficult facts seriously and will feel that they have the ability to joke with reality.

Although in the end, reality inevitably turns it into a joke.

Of course, being in love wouldn't really make him very happy. The youthful, passionate flutter of his heart had turned into a mellow nostalgia over time. If he were to experience it again, it would just be like his calm nerves being tense up once more.