I really don't want to be reborn.

He wiped away the cold sweat with lingering fear and redialed. This time, it was a girl's number he hadn't heard from in a long time: "Xiao Lan, are you free tomorrow?"

"Oh, it's my brother?"

The soft, cute voice was incredibly soothing. After a few seconds of contemplation, Xiaolan made time for tomorrow. In any case, Valentine's Day was meaningless to this obedient girl.

"I'm free tomorrow, is my brother going to take me out to play?"

"Yes, we're going to Disneyland to see Mr. Pan tomorrow, and then we'll go out for Western food."

The girl exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"

They're so cute, like kittens.

Kosaka teased her on purpose: "Yeah, just like you think, we're going on a date tomorrow."

As expected, Ran was neither Kasumigaoka Utaha nor Gokou Ruri. Her reaction was very girlish, and her voice was shy: "...Dating and all that, really, my brother clearly has a girlfriend."

"Don't mention her, she's been refusing to speak. We'll make her into soup this weekend."

"Oh, I see... Okay, I'll go to Disneyland with my brother tomorrow—hmm, a date? Hehe."

That natural laughter made Kyosuke Kousaka exclaim, "Compared to Aragaki, you're more like a little angel."

…………

He woke up early the next morning, stretched lazily, and reluctantly crawled out of his warm bed.

The winter chill hadn't completely passed when I suddenly lost all sleepiness.

Kyosuke slowly got dressed, went downstairs to wash up, made a cup of hot soy milk, and went to the living room to stare at his father, who was up early.

"..."

"..."

"Where's mom?"

"Sleep in late, Kyosuke, breakfast is ready."

Kyosuke Kosaka yawned and listlessly made breakfast. The cold water dispelled his lingering fatigue, and he even had the energy to tidy himself up in front of the mirror.

Hairstyle, clothing, and most importantly, facial features—the handsome young man even went up to Mr. Daisuke and swaggered around, asking, "How is it? Isn't your son super handsome?"

Daisuke pushed up his glasses and gave a fair assessment: "A beast in human clothing."

Kyosuke's smile vanished: "I'm not like that, at least I don't have any animal-like body hair."

"Hey kid, say that again!"

After the father and son hurt each other, Daisuke suddenly asked a question: "Have you been in contact with your sister lately? Mom said she's not doing very well."

"Hmm, really? I've heard her mention it before; her training is rather mediocre."

He comforted his sullen father, saying, "It's actually quite normal. In Chiba, she might be very talented because there are so many ordinary people around her, which is why she can stand out. But the place where she trains is full of track and field geniuses."

Kyosuke Kosaka paused for a moment: "We all know that Kirino is not a genius, so it's normal that she performs only moderately."

The father muttered, "She must be resentful, right?"

Yes.

It's frustrating to be outdone in track and field, and it's equally frustrating to be beaten to a relationship by someone else.

She left Japan with a sense of resignation.

……

Kyosuke Kosaka came to Disneyland with a sense of solace.

Upon entering the gate, you are greeted by the main street with Western-style buildings, and the white castle in the distance serves as a backdrop—along with a touch of rose red, which fits the theme of Valentine's Day.

He wasn't very interested in Disneyland; he'd been to that awful place many times before, and his most vivid memories were of the times he'd come here with Kirino when he was a child.

Back then, my little sister was always bouncing around, curious about everything, grabbing my hand and shaking it constantly, either asking, "Onii-chan, what's that?" or "Onii-chan, I want that."

"Onii-chan?"

Yes, it's that soft and cute voice—Kyosuke turned his head and suddenly saw Ran appear beside him without him noticing.

"Xiao Lan... is so cute."

Xiaolan deserves a big compliment. Today, she chose a dress again, and it was still a white dress. There's no need for too many details; just describe his first impression.

That feeling of walking alone to the station entrance in the early hours of the morning, enduring intense weariness and boredom, and then seeing the only small shop with its lights on by the roadside, a steaming soy milk shop.

"Wow."

"My God!"

"So cute!"

The creatures making these embarrassing noises are the core members of the new student council of Benzhan High School. They are a mix of men and women, standing around Kosaka at various distances.

People who are not familiar with each other begin their first cautious attempt at probing – observation.

Women are visual creatures, and men are even more visually driven. The first impression they make largely determines the closeness or distance of their relationship over the next year.

Observation is the earliest form of Yin-Yang theory among humankind.

Xiao Lan interrupted the process because the child was quite adorable, especially the innocent look in her tilted head, which made her look like a cute little animal, and it aroused the protective instincts of several people.

That "Onii-chan" directed at Kyosuke Kousaka was so cute it made everyone's noses bleed, even Kyosaka, a seasoned driver, couldn't handle it.

"Let's go, today's meal is all paid for by the student union, so don't hold back."

As he led a group of people into Disneyland, he spoke generously, then whispered to Xiaolan beside him, "Xiaolan, it's the same. It's the school's money anyway, so don't be shy with me."

Xiaolan pouted timidly, "Isn't this inappropriate?"

"No problem, right?"

The girl silently accepted his kindness and distorted values, and excitedly looked around: "I've only been here once before, back in elementary school."

"Yeah, about the same."

"Are you with Kirino?"

Kyosuke nodded: "That bastard isn't as well-behaved as you. I always think how wonderful it would be if she were as well-behaved as you."

Xiaolan wanted to argue, but finally sighed softly, "That's not how it is."

Stopping in front of a clothing store in the park, Kyosuke Kosaka glanced at the sign, then at Ran, a sly smile spreading across his face: "Ran-chan?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Let's go, I'll go buy you some clothes."

The girl stared blankly and asked, "Huh?"

"That's right, it's still very cold. You should change into something warmer."

That's true. Although the girl's clothes are cute and fashionable, there's one problem: they're not very warm. He noticed Xiaolan breathing on her hands half an hour ago.

Even though you feel cold, you don't say it.

She's actually a bit of a handful for her younger sister.

"Buying clothes...really?"

Kyosuke Kosaka replied firmly, "Really."

He just wanted to see her wear cartoon-style clothes.

This guy is such a lolicon and a sister-obsessed idiot, and he's all serious and self-righteous: "I have OCD, and I feel uncomfortable when I see other people wearing less clothing in winter."

"..."

Xiaolan lowered her head, her fingers tugging at the hem of his clothes, a little shy: "Okay... alright."

------

Happy Dragon Boat Festival! Are you going to eat zongzi or jump into the river?

Chapter Thirteen: Back Then We Had Dreams, About Twin Tails, About Claw Machines

All beautiful things are achieved through a roundabout approach to one's goal.

Everything that is straight is deceptive, all truth is crooked, and time itself is a circle.

—Nietzsche

Nietzsche was telling the truth; at least a woman's physical beauty is primarily reflected in the curves of her body... rather than in straight lines.

This is the truth.

Kousaka Kyosuke likes the truth.

He is now appreciating the truth—the girl in front of him has a relatively gentle figure, but at least it is a small truth.

"Ran-chan's figure is pretty good."

A girl with C-cup breasts and glasses in the group said this. Of course, you could tell from her hesitant expression that she was just trying to comfort her, since Xiaolan hadn't fully developed yet.

The hills are actually quite nice.

Conversely, this gentleman, Kyosuke Kosaka, actually quite likes hills; they're just the right size to hold in one hand. Right now, he's admiring this soft and adorable little Ran: "I think, not bad, quite cute, cute!"

With each word he spoke, Xiaolan would tremble.

That scene depicted a gentleman and his little squirrel.

To be honest, the cartoon furry items in the Disney store, worn by the already soft and fluffy Lan, did create a visually unexpected layering effect.

Seeing her helplessly raise the kitten-shaped mittens and scratch them, looking around in surprise, many women around her turned to look and exclaimed in astonishment.

"Brother~"

The girl was clearly not comfortable with the style of the clothing and hid behind him like a little animal, saying, "This...this is too embarrassing."

"No, apart from the art style being a bit childish, I think it's alright."

Xiaolan remained silent and shrank back, then asked cautiously, "Is it cute?"

That statement was made with a subtle hint of insecurity.

Kosaka couldn't understand this lack of self-confidence: "Don't you know how cute you are?"