I really don't want to be reborn.

The sky wasn't exactly azure; it was about the same color as Viagra.

He arrived at the Kawahara house carrying a carefully selected birthday gift, and bumped into Mr. Reki Kawahara, whose face was slightly bruised.

"Mr. Kawahara, did you... fall to the ground?"

"Ah...yes, that's right."

Kawahara Reki was extremely embarrassed, seemingly ashamed of the bruises on his face: "Kousaka-kun, are you here to visit your girlfriend or for a formal visit?"

"Is today my girlfriend's birthday? Didn't Xiaoshi invite Mr. Kawahara?"

"Oh...yes, I was invited, but..."

The light novel author, who would become a bestseller two years later, touched the bruises on his face, smiled wryly, and waved his hand: "I guess I, a middle-aged man, won't get involved in your young people's birthday parties."

"You're only thirty."

While wondering who had beaten him up, Kyosuke Kosaka arrived at the door of Utaha Kasumigaoka's house. He stopped at the door and looked around to see if there were any cameras, to make sure that no one was playing a trick on him.

too weird!

It's clearly a residential doorway, yet there's a signboard like those used for weddings, funerals, and other celebratory events displayed there.

What's even stranger is the writing on that signboard.

"Kousaka Kyosuke's exclusive harem birthday party venue... Ahahahahaha! Who is this Kousaka Kyosuke anyway? An exclusive harem? Is he an idiot or a pervert? He's so shameful!"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, then opened the front door.

This idea is quite interesting.

Thinking about the attendees today—it must have been Eriri who did it, since the other girls didn't do anything like that.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, as his girlfriend, would never make a joke like that, and Kuroneko isn't close enough to do that yet, as for Shino...

In fact, the first person that Kousaka Kyosuke ruled out in his heart was his sister-in-law.

That's just how Shino is; she's like the "C" in a multiple-choice question, and my feelings for her come out of nowhere.

and so……

It can only be Eriri! It can only be Eriri Sawamura!

Eriri, you're something else. I'll deal with you later.

Kyosuke Kosaka let out a cold laugh and decisively pushed open the door. He was greeted by two gentle female voices: "Welcome back, Master!"

"..."

He pretended not to see it and closed the door again.

What the hell?

Maid?

A petite maid with long, straight black hair, and a flat-chested maid with blonde hair and pigtails—neither of them had a good expression. Seriously, are there maids with such grumpy faces?

But then again, it's a maid outfit!

Someone I know is wearing a maid outfit!

He swallowed hard and opened the door again. Sure enough, the black cat and Eriri Sawamura were still on either side of the door, wearing maid outfits that looked like they had been bought from the shop in Akihabara.

"Welcome back! Lord—I can't keep up the act anymore!"

The blonde maid suddenly flew into a rage, slamming her hair accessory to the ground with a "whoosh" and saying, "Why do I have to come out in a maid outfit to greet Kousaka?!"

The black cat beside him spoke indifferently: "Because you have to accept the consequences of your bet. If Eriri-senpai hadn't insisted on making me and Sinon play checkers, things wouldn't be like this now."

Eriri Sawamura bristled, glaring angrily at the culprit.

The culprit was sitting elegantly on the sofa, his back still as straight as a pine tree. The iron-blooded seriousness of a soldier was ingrained in his bones and could not be changed in a year or six months.

The only slight difference was her expression.

Although it's a subtle difference, you can still see it if you look closely: Sinon's expression is much gentler than it was last autumn.

"If you can't handle it, then don't play. Sawamura, you have no class."

"I'm your sister's best friend! You have to call me 'Sister'!"

Sinon probably found the blonde hairy guy quite boring, so she ignored his shouting and turned to look at Kousaka Kyosuke, slowly placing the book she was holding on her lap.

Her love for books was as pure and natural as a child's love for candy. But after putting them down, that purity slowly faded, replaced by a familiar sense of emptiness.

She remained silent and motionless, her eyes radiating a passion that was the complete opposite of her outward appearance. This passion had probably been building up for a long time, to the point that even winter seemed to evaporate from her.

He was moved by the little girl: "She was like a fiery cloud hanging under a curtain."

"Ok?"

"nothing."

Kyosuke Kosaka walked up to her and ruffled her hair, smiling, "Little Shino, are you reading again? What are you reading today?"

"Something my sister wants me to see."

"Oh?"

The book lying on the little girl's lap was a very traditional romance novel. Kousaka Kyosuke was wondering why Kasumigaoka Utaha would let her younger sister read this, but then he thought—after all, Utaha was fourteen years old.

I should know what I need to know.

Don't keep talking about virginity, hymen, hymen. It's embarrassing. So, are you planning to teach this kind of knowledge in an entertaining way through novels?

You really put a lot of thought into this, my girlfriend.

Kyosuke mentally gave a thumbs-up to his adorable girlfriend, and then he heard Sinon speak: "Brother-in-law, are you here today to take away my sister's virginity?"

"..."

Where's the book you're reading?

Where did you get to read that!

Kyosuke Kosaka stared at the outspoken brat, thinking to himself that this was unacceptable; being constantly teased by his sister-in-law was too embarrassing. So he chuckled maliciously, "That's right, right here tonight! I'm going to eat your sister up, you know, the kind of thing—"

The sound stopped abruptly.

His arrogant expression froze.

Mrs. Kasumigaoka, wearing an apron, stood helplessly at the corner leading to the kitchen, watching him and listening to his declaration that sounded like "I'm going to fuck your daughter in your house tonight." She was speechless and dumbfounded.

Shino hadn't expected her mother to come at this time, and she raised her hand a little fearfully: "Mom..."

Kyosuke Kousaka lost his mind and, in his desperation, tried to explain himself, but in his haste, he blurted out, "Mom..." just like Sinon.

Mrs. Kasumigaoka ran to the kitchen in a panic, shouting, "Shizuka, Shizuka, your boyfriend! Kyosuke-chan is so bold today! Wow, wow, he called me 'Mom' right now! It scared me to death..."

Half a minute later, Eriri Sawamura's maniacal laughter echoed in the living room. The blonde was laughing so hard she rolled around on the floor, her voice broken as she said, "Kousaka, Kousaka... you've finally met your match..."

"..."

"How embarrassing, hahaha..."

The black cat pulled her up while making soft, smacking noises.

Only Xiao Shi remained calm. Staring at her silent brother-in-law, she exclaimed in admiration, "This exquisite silence transcends everything..."

Kosaka was so moved by those words that he felt like a pot of thick porridge had been spilled on the ground. He couldn't stay tough, so he helplessly rubbed her cute little face and said, "You little rascal, don't use Yukio Mishima's quotes like that!"

When Shino had her face rubbed by him, it was a completely different feeling compared to when her sister had her face rubbed.

Of course, she likes them all.

------

Chapter Six: Everyone Has a Fire in Their Heart

"Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday!"

As the birthday girl today, Kasumigaoka Utaha was busy in the kitchen for a while before her boyfriend kicked her out.

Kyosuke Kosaka claims to be a responsible boyfriend and should be more considerate of her, so he has paid for both lunch and dinner today. He is currently busy in the kitchen with his future mother-in-law.

"Oh, don't be so polite, it's just a birthday."

Shiyu watched TV idly: "I really don't know why they're so serious, and they even have the audacity to deprive me of my right to use the kitchen for a day?"

Of course, despite her complaints, the happiness of being pampered and cherished by her boyfriend was clearly evident in the subtle curve of her lips.

The black cat sighed softly, "How wonderful, Shiwa-senpai."

Is this happiness?

"This shameless boasting, knowing full well the answer, is truly something else."

Eriri was the one who spoke up in mockery. The blonde had been unable to stand it any longer. This woman with long, straight black hair kept showing that infuriating smile ever since her boyfriend kicked her out of the kitchen.

He's laughing like he has hemorrhoids!

Perhaps sensing her best friend's envy and jealousy, Kasumigaoka Utaha generously refrained from letting Sawamura Eriri sneer, instead offering a warm smile: "Eri-chan..."

Whether it's that "warm smile" or that "Eri-chan," Eriri Sawamura shows a disgusted expression: "What is it? Are you going to do something weird again?"

Kasumigaoka was baffled: "It's not like I often do weird things to you. Even if I do, it's you who did it to me."

Black Cat and Sinon looked at each other in bewilderment.

I have a feeling that there's some strange bond between these two high school girls who are best friends.

"I just wanted to ask, your birthday is in March, right?"

"Yes, March 20th."

Silently calculating in her mind, Kasumigaoka Utaha looked up: "You must be a Pisces—judging from the expressions of the three of you, it seems none of you believe this?"

Poetry is the most direct approach; he shook his head and said, "I don't believe it."

"Astrology."

The veteran chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) sufferer, who has dedicated himself to chuunibyou for many years, has some knowledge of that area: "In essence, it should belong to a branch or variant of statistics and psychology, and it is a very broad subject."

"I guess so. What I care about most is the connection between astrology and personality, like Eriri."