I really don't want to be reborn.

All she knew was that the first thing she needed to do was to get to know Eriri through Kyosuke Kousaka, because her half-sister had shown her deep hatred on the day they first met.

So the logic is that if you want to understand Eriri Sawamura, you have to please Kyosuke Kousaka, although she can't openly do that.

She is Touma Kazusa, who finds it very difficult to even get along normally with other people, let alone try to please a boy she doesn't like.

Then we'll have to start with the people around him, like that cat-like Shino.

all in all!

Touma Kazusa felt that she was doing this with a purpose and was completely utilitarian, so no matter how good she was to that child, she could never be a lolicon!

That bastard Kyosuke Kosaka was accusing her of being a lolicon last night. How could that be? She's a genuine piano enthusiast—and definitely not a sister complex!

Impossible, impossible!

The sound of a piano drifted in from outside the window, a sound that made her want to punch someone. If it were just a child laughing and playing on the piano, it would be childlike fun, but this piano music sounded like someone was raping the piano. She really couldn't stand it.

As if jolted awake from a deathbed, Touma Kazusa jumped out of bed, walked barefoot to the balcony, and prepared to confront her neighbor.

This was definitely Kyosuke Kousaka's doing.

Shino wasn't the kind of mischievous kid, so the only person she could think of playing the piano next door was Kyosuke Kousaka, who was clearly very skilled but was deliberately messing around.

Touma Kazusa, who values ​​music highly, naturally loathed this behavior. In her eyes, it was arrogance and an insult. The girl, who had a strong sense of moral purity, hated it intensely and disliked it more than ever before.

The image she had of him at first sight had long since crumbled, and his constant attempts to conceal his humility had become a detestable hypocrisy in her eyes.

When praised for his superb skills, he was full of shame and said he didn't deserve such praise, just like a superior who accepts a bribe but returns it because he thinks the amount is too small, so that the subordinate can give him double the amount next time.

Yes, Kyosuke Kousaka is such a hypocritical and despicable man.

Now we need to add one more thing—frivolity!

She rushed to the balcony, grabbed a handful of clothes hangers, and threw them at the balcony: "Shut up! You bastard!"

…………

10 a.m.

Sinon's daily routine has always been very regular. She rarely disrupts her routine unless absolutely necessary, so she usually gets up quite early.

If you get up early, you have to make breakfast!

Shino, who took her sister's words to heart, wholeheartedly agreed, so she prepared to make breakfast—don't get the wrong idea, her way of making breakfast was to drag her still-sleeping brother-in-law out of bed: "Get up! Breakfast!"

Yes, that's how my clever sister-in-law cooks.

After dinner, Shino began her task for the day. She spent the morning at home reading or watching TV, the afternoon she went out with him to keep watch, and perhaps she could go out for a nice meal in the evening.

Unlike her incredibly lazy older sister, Shino's days are quite fulfilling, and less than an hour into the drama, someone comes to visit.

"Oh, Eriri, good morning..."

"Hmph, I'm here to wake someone up!"

The girl with golden twin tails followed Kyosuke Kousaka into the piano practice room. A few minutes later, Shino looked completely bewildered, her calm expression completely gone.

The reason is simple: the music coming from over there is just too, too, too—

That sounds awful.

Having grown accustomed to her brother-in-law's effortless and melodious piano playing, she was caught off guard by this sudden sound, and even she, a skilled player, was not immune to internal injuries.

I feel like I'm going to vomit blood.

Inside the music room, Eriri Sawamura finally managed to play a basic piece, "Prelude and Fugue," with great difficulty, and let out a triumphant sigh.

"Did I mispronounce a few notes just now?"

Kyosuke pursed his lips and looked at her without saying a word, his eyes conveying that the piano music he had just heard was rubbish: "..."

"So—uh, how many were correct?"

"..."

"Well... there are more wrong answers than right answers, right?"

Kosaka gave a polite smile and nodded slightly.

The poor Steinway piano, which usually plays beautiful melodies, sounded like cotton being fluffed, and foreign cotton at that.

Eriri Sawamura seems to be extremely tone-deaf, to the point that even the despicable and hypocritical Kousaka couldn't find any words of comfort for the time being.

Fortunately, someone helped him out of the predicament.

"Shut up! You bastard!"

Such a sound came from outside the window, followed by several coat hangers smashing against the glass. Even without opening the curtains, Kousaka Kyosuke knew how angry Touma-san was.

This was within his expectations.

Eriri Sawamura had originally intended to wake her up this way, but now the blonde had completely forgotten her earlier embarrassment and continued smugly, "See? This method is pretty simple, isn't it? It's not nearly as difficult as Miyoko Kudo described."

It's likely that Ms. Kudo, the secretary of the Touma family, often struggles with how to effectively wake up the young lady.

"You're not actually here to help that secretary, but just to see Touma Kazusa so annoyed at being woken up, right, Eriri-chan?"

"Don't call me that, it's disgusting!"

"No, what's most disgusting is what you just played..."

Kyosuke Kosaka shrugged: "You succeeded. Not only did you wake her up, but you also made her hate me even more—how come I never knew you were such a scheming woman?"

Eriri scoffed, "Women are all fickle, and I think you, a scumbag, should know that."

She stretched her limbs happily, and even her small breasts exuded a youthful and innocent charm. He had to admit that her small breasts were actually one of Eriri Ri-chan's most endearing qualities.

"Take a break and listen to me play a piece to soothe your nerves."

"Who cares? I'm going out to play with Shino!"

Despite saying that, everyone knows she's a total tsundere, and you often have to take her words the opposite way. She sat on the chair next to him, watching the boy place his hands on the piano keys.

The music was soothing and lingering, and the emotions conveyed in the notes were not very intense. This calmed Eriri's mood and even relieved her recent worries.

He glanced at her and noticed that Eriri had her eyes closed, as if she was about to fall asleep. He pondered for a moment and then asked, "How badly did your parents argue?"

"They're about to start fighting—"

Eriri spoke instinctively, but suddenly her whole body stiffened, and she opened her eyes wide to look at Kyosuke Kousaka.

His expression remained calm and gentle as always.

But she suddenly realized that there were many things she couldn't understand beneath that gentle expression.

"How...how did you know?"

After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a dry sentence, her usually arrogant and sneer expression now showing a rare hint of bitterness and irritation.

"If you didn't have something bothering you at home, you wouldn't be coming here so often. If that trouble hadn't involved Touma Kazusa, why would you come over so early in the morning to vent your anger?"

The piano music stopped abruptly. Kyosuke pressed a few black keys, and the cool sensation traveled from his fingertips to his brain, driving away the gradually creeping laziness.

"Is it still because of what happened more than ten years ago?"

"Ah."

Sawamura sighed softly.

To be able to become lovers with a woman like Kasumigaoka Utaha, his intelligence and perceptiveness far surpassed those of his peers, and his father always shook his head in regret when talking about him, lamenting that Kousaka had no intention of entering politics.

Even sophisticated adults can't always keep up the act, so it's normal for him to see through someone his own age.

"Eri, don't blame me for being nosy."

He hesitated before saying what he didn't want to say: "Some people from your maternal grandfather's family will be nominated this year, and at this time, no scandals can be allowed to occur. I'm sure your wife is in a difficult position."

She was taken aback. She had thought it was just a simple family dispute, but she had no idea that there were so many twists and turns: "Then... what should I do?"

“Your maternal grandfather’s family is one factor, another is the diplomatic changes between Japan and Britain, and even the relationship with the United States. If the defense between Japan and Britain is really expanded, it is inevitable that some people will use your family’s scandals to make a fuss.”

After discussing topics she didn't understand, Kosaka suddenly stopped: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pried into your family's privacy."

"Hmph, whatever, I wasn't planning on guarding against you anyway."

Just a few minutes ago, she was still immersed in superficial family conflicts, and her thoughts were all about emotional disputes and entanglements. A few minutes later, she jumped to a larger level, and her mind was still a little overwhelmed.

By the time she figured it out, she was already quite exhausted: "Just... just pretend nothing happened."

“I think you did a good job. Since the situation is like this, the best course of action is to wait and see. You don’t need to worry about your parents; they won’t suffer any losses.”

He suddenly looked at the curtains: "The only people I need to be concerned about are my neighbors, Touma Kazusa and her mother. If they have other ideas, they might be taken advantage of."

Eriri's eyes welled up with intense emotions she couldn't quite decipher: "I'll tell Dad!"

This child is quite clever; he suddenly became intelligent and knew that these words were meant for Mr. Spencer.

"Um...right, Kousaka."

Kyosuke looked at her with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong?"

Eriri Sawamura puffed out her cheeks and widened her eyes: "Play another piece!"

He casually played another cheerful piece, which made Eriri feel much more at ease. The girl, who had never truly been in love, suddenly understood what Kasumigaoka Utaha meant by the sense of security she always talked about.

So this is it? This feeling is truly wonderful.

Feeling a little embarrassed and ashamed, the girl quickly stood up and walked outside, saying, "Kousaka...thanks."

puff puff!

I never knew that Miss Sawamura, who is of mixed Japanese and English descent, could speak English so fluently!

Between friends, there's no need to say thank you.

"Really? Friends shouldn't say these things."

She bit her lip and turned her head: "I have a question for you. What do you think of Touma Kazusa?"

"...?"

How about it? Of course I'll yell!

------

The last two days will be for scheduled chapter releases, because I won't be home tomorrow; I'll be back for the Party Founding Day.

I heard that the Flower Palace will be coming out that day too... Let's play!