I really don't want to be reborn.

"So, the magazine instructed him to do this? Is that magazine toxic?"

"Ah."

"Could you give us a hint about what happens next?"

"No...because I don't know."

Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't particularly interested in mystery novels, so she wasn't as excited as Eriri. Instead, she was actually concerned about something else: "I mean, have you really become a fan of his books?"

"I wouldn't say. Actually, I'm just curious about how the story ends and I really want to finish reading it—of course, I'm more interested in him as a person, and I just want to learn about him through his book."

"His men?"

The girl in the classroom was furiously pressing her phone; this short sentence was full of ambiguity.

The blonde, twin-tailed, arrogant loser across from her, perhaps having regained her emotional intelligence after her breakup, immediately understood what she meant and quickly denied it: "It's not what you think!"

"Yeah……"

"I just want to know what kind of guy could tame Kasumigaoka Utaha so completely."

Kasumigaoka stopped replying, and when she didn't hear from Kyosuke by noon, his phone was switched off when she tried to call him. She was a little uneasy, guessing that the bastard had probably overslept.

After school in the afternoon, I walked to the apartment where Kousaka Kyosuke was staying. Downstairs, I ran into Doma Umaru, who was just returning home. I asked him and found out that he was sick again and had ended up in the hospital.

She hesitated for a long time before finally dialing a number she had almost never used before.

"Which hospital is your brother in? I want to go see him."

…………

The sunset was brilliant.

But as she walked to the hospital entrance, her heart began to sink.

A nameless fear gripped her heart.

Kasumigaoka stomped her feet at the door.

What's there to be afraid of? It's impossible to die from a cold, right? Or is it like in novels, that this hospital is haunted?

Just thinking about the complicated and incomprehensible tone in Kirino Kousaka's voice when she called her before made her very uneasy.

Yes.

She had known for a long time that she and Kyosuke's sister were like oil and water, and could never get along or have a proper conversation.

Because she had long suspected that he was a pervert who harbored twisted desires and love for his brother!

The woman's tone on the phone sounded like she was laughing. Kasumigaoka closed his eyes and imagined that the smile was probably like... like a bountiful pumpkin.

There are many bumps.

A chill ran through her as she recalled the holes on the poplar tree trunks that looked almost exactly like human eyes!

The elevator arrived. She walked to the door of the ward, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open with a heavy expression.

This is a private hospital room. The room is bright and clean, with several lunch boxes on the bedside table. The light curtains on the windows are blown by the wind, covering the empty vase next to them.

The half-lit sunlight filtered in, like a thin veil.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression was no longer heavy, but frozen.

The bag of fruit he was carrying fell limply to the ground.

She saw Kirino Kousaka kissing her brother, her own brother, who was still in a coma.

Mouth to mouth, making a smacking sound.

After an unknown amount of time, Kirino looked over as if she were a challenger, then took her arm and led her out of the ward, gently closing the door behind her.

"..."

The girl with long, straight black hair subconsciously raised her hand, then took two steps back and leaned against the wall.

No one had ever seen her expression at this moment. Even Kirino was startled. She never expected that Kasumigaoka Utaha, with her strong will, would one day have such a confused and empty look in her eyes.

Kirino met those empty eyes, feeling a chill run through her body and soul, even thinking... she might die today.

"Kasumigaoka?"

She couldn't help but shout.

As if waking from a dream, Shi Yu took a short breath, blinked, and seemed to be slowly expelling the scene she had just seen from her mind. It took a few minutes before she slowly smiled.

Yes, smile.

Perhaps when a person is truly helpless, all they can do is smile.

She faced Kirino, intending to slap her, but her hand froze in mid-air before falling back down, managing to utter the first syllable: "I..."

But what can I possibly say?

The girl's lips trembled: "Kirino, you... did a really good job."

"Yeah……"

Kirino blushed and laughed, but the laughter quickly subsided, turning into something extremely serious and earnest: "I just wanted to tell you that I can't give up on my brother."

"Is this your resolve?"

"Yes."

"Your parents won't agree."

"This matter didn't require their consent in the first place."

Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed to only just come to her senses: "I only realize now that you truly value him more than anything else, but why before?"

"Why what?"

"You and your siblings didn't have a good relationship before."

Kirino looked at her, who seemed to be thinking about something happy, and the corners of her lips curled up: "Even if he is an enemy, he is still my brother. I will tell him how I felt at that time."

"But I feel like you're taking advantage of our sibling relationship—why should you?"

"What right do you have?"

"Men and women in love want to find love in each other. They are willing to exchange all their feelings for each other's feelings. This is an exchange, not exploitation."

Shi Yu stared at her intently: "You are using the feelings between you, using his affection for you, using your unique significance to him, to get everything from him."

"..."

"You are truly despicable!"

"I didn't understand, it's very complicated."

"Of course you don't understand. You only have simple familial feelings for him. Familial feelings are the simplest. You don't understand because I'm talking about romantic love... that's a very complicated thing."

Kirino screamed, tears welling in her eyes, "I didn't!!!"

"Your brain is a daily necessity, not an ornament. Use that round head of yours to think! All you've ever given him is affection."

Kasumigaoka Utaha pushed open the door and went inside.

The sound of angrily slamming the door echoed obediently in the corridor.

------

No recommendations, no monthly passes, no tips, my heart aches.

I want it! (With a confident air)

Chapter Fourteen: You say we should keep warm? Fine, then let's keep warm within each other's sight.

Kyosuke Kosaka was hospitalized on the morning of the second day.

Kasumigaoka Utaha arrived at the hospital early and inquired about the situation from the nurses, finally feeling relieved.

She entered the ward, drew the curtains slightly, and did not turn on the lights.

"Still not awake?"

The girl frowned and stood by the bed for a long time, watching as he remained awake with his eyes closed.

Without his usual unsettling smile, the sleeping boy seemed more real. She stood quietly for a long time before she felt at ease, knowing that he truly hadn't woken up yet.

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked around, her gaze eventually returning to the hospital bed. Seeing that incredibly familiar yet gradually estranged face, her heart tightened for no reason, and she slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.

They got closer and closer.

Emotions, like wartime prices, surged in waves.

His breathing was even, like ocean waves. There was a faint sadness in his sleeping face, like a child who felt very insecure. This was the first time she had looked at his face so closely and so intently.

"..."

The sleeping person seemed to be muttering something to themselves, as if having a nightmare, but the sudden indifference between their brows suggested that they were already used to those terrifying dreams, creating a sense of weariness.

Kasumigaoka Utaha had vaguely sensed this weariness a few times, whether in the classroom at school, by the window of the clubroom, or in a fleeting glance at a bookstore.

She didn't know what he was tired of, but she had a feeling that Kyosuke Kousaka seemed to be tired of everything.

why?

He's only seventeen, why?

I don't know when it started, but this boy who seemed so energetic last year suddenly looks much older, like he's shrouded in twilight.

She had been ignoring this change, but now, for the first time, as she looked closely at his face, her desire to investigate and ponder was slowly replaced by another desire.

In an inexplicable impulse, she felt her actions no longer controlled by her brain, and subconsciously reached out to wipe away the worry between his brows.

But in the end, I didn't dare to touch it.

The instant the temperature connected, she felt an indescribable freshness and excitement, like a huge wave exploding above her head.

The feeling... was as if she was about to, and wanted to, immediately, drug and rape him.

Suddenly remembering something, Kasumigaoka Utaha abruptly withdrew her hand, a layer of pink mist rising on her fair face, her eyes gradually becoming moist, and then the corners of her eyes slowly moistened as well.

Those weren't tears, they were spring water.

"You... annoying thing..."