I really don't want to be reborn.

Kirino was silent for a moment, then asked in a barely audible voice, "The power... won't turn on?"

"Hmm, something's probably burned out. Hurry up and get out. It's okay if you haven't finished washing."

"It's all washed up."

She emerged from the darkness wrapped in a large bath towel, her hair piled on her head, looking even more disheveled than when she had cried tears of joy that morning.

"You seemed to have a habit of crying loudly when you were little, is that still not cured?"

"..."

Kirino fell silent.

In the dim candlelight, his younger sister emerged wrapped in a bath towel. Her shoulders and chest stretched out like a river of milk in his eyes, especially her glistening shoulders, which were tinged with a rosy blush.

With each explosion in the sky, she would tremble several times, her bones shrinking as if they were about to spit bubbles.

"Hurry up and get up there!"

Kyosuke urged her to go back to her room: "Just dry yourself off and go to sleep. If the battery is dead, go to sleep early. And no playing on your phone, understand?"

"Um... um."

He only let out a slow breath after his sister's footsteps disappeared.

The matter isn't over yet tonight.

After taking a quick cold shower, Kyosuke Kosaka checked the doors and windows for safety, turned off all the power switches, and then returned to his room with peace of mind.

Thunder roared, and rain poured down outside the window.

Lying quietly in bed listening to the rain outside, the world suddenly felt both extremely noisy and incredibly peaceful.

Less than half an hour later, the unlocked door was pushed open from the outside.

Kyosuke sat up as expected: "Kirino, are you still scared?"

The younger sister nodded silently. She closed the door and, just like when she was little, prepared to run into her brother's bed to avoid the thunder. However, she didn't see where she was going and tripped over something, falling onto the bed with a start.

Fortunately, the mattress was soft, so she didn't fall and get hurt. Just as she was about to get up, she was grabbed by the waist and lifted up.

"No, you're not like that anymore. A few years ago you were just a little kid, and I could lift you up high. Now you're all grown up."

In the dark room, the younger sister's voice was a little hoarse: "I'm not fat at all, I'm not even as fat as your girlfriend!"

"She's not fat... well, she's not my girlfriend yet."

Kirino hugged her brother's arm, looking aggrieved: "When will it be?"

"Maybe in a few years, maybe... tomorrow."

"You need to stay home and take care of me tomorrow."

The words, mixed with the girl's fragrance, choked him, and he could only laugh awkwardly and change the subject: "Are you feeling any better now?"

"What?!"

At that moment, she naturally felt that things couldn't be better!

The last time I snuggled up in my brother's arms to sleep was around April.

Three whole months have passed, and I've missed it terribly.

"Aren't you afraid of thunder anymore?"

So that's what she was talking about—she tried to sound calm and composed, not like a child: "I... I'm not that scared, it's mainly because of the power outage..."

"Is that right?"

"that is!"

He sighed softly, pulling his hand out of his sister's slightly damp hair: "Then go to sleep early, anyway, you can't do anything without electricity."

"Hmm... I want to email Ayase."

"No cell phones allowed!"

My brother's voice was louder than thunder.

Who knows, she might just obediently toss her phone aside.

"Kirino is so good."

When Kyosuke said those words, both brother and sister were stunned.

It seems like he hasn't said that sentence in many, many years, has he?

The little girl he held in his arms all day long, the one he cherished and treasured the most, had only lived for two or three years if we consider this four-year period as an example.

But in his true memory, he had been separated from Kirino for several years? Decades?

Kirino Kousaka did not have such deep and long-standing feelings as him.

But her body was still trembling.

It trembles occasionally.

It was love, which she had intended to bury deep in her heart, repeatedly rising from the dead, negating her previous decisions time and time again.

How easy is it to seal away feelings that are not accepted by the world in your heart? We agreed that this morning was the last hug, and we agreed that we would never shed tears again.

However, this resolve crumbled within twenty hours.

Desire and emotion once again took control of her body, leading her to this room. The thunder was like an aphrodisiac bestowed upon her by heaven. She opened her eyes like a puppy seeing milk, staring at her brother's peaceful sleeping face.

He licked his lips.

She didn't know if her brother was asleep, and she didn't know how many emotions fermented in her heart into courage, a courage that was almost fearless and desperate. Then, she took that desperate gamble and slowly kissed her brother.

Kyosuke Kosaka did not move.

During the time she slightly raised her head to kiss him, or in the silence that followed, Kyosuke Kousaka did not open his eyes as Kirino had expected, nor did he ask her why she did it.

He didn't move an inch, even when the girl in his arms was holding him tightly, her hair sweeping against his neck, his expression didn't change at all.

My brother is not asleep.

Neither reject nor encourage.

There was no push, and no response.

Kirino licked her lips and moved her round head slightly, wanting to kiss him again, but before she could get close, Kyosuke grabbed her chin with his hand.

He pinched his sister's mouth so hard she couldn't get close or speak to him.

She could only furrow her brows and fiercely express her dissatisfaction.

Kousaka Kyosuke didn't open his eyes, and let go of his hand: "Go to sleep. If you move around again, you can go back to your room."

Kirino muttered something vaguely and unwillingly, snuggling tightly against him.

This is happiness.

Although she knew there was no moon in the storm, she still felt as happy as if she had flown from Earth to the moon.

------(fourteen)

Does anyone feed them? Anything will do.

Chapter Sixteen: My Sister Can't Be This Soft and Cuddly

The annoying alarm clock suddenly stopped.

The morning air is exceptionally cool, even in the sweltering summer.

"Onii-chan! When are you going to stop sleeping? It's already dawn!"

His sister's voice made Kyosuke Kousaka slightly open his eyes.

With a swish, the world in her eyes brightened as she drew back the curtains.

He drew back the curtains, and his sister bent down to look at him.

"Kirino..."

"Get up, you lazybones!"

She pouted and shook his shoulder: "Get up quickly, breakfast is going to get cold, and all that effort I put into making it is wasted."

Kyosuke sat up and faced his younger sister, who was standing by the bed in a sailor uniform.

Kirino Kousaka is fourteen years old and a very beautiful girl.

Her beautiful black hair was adorned with cute hair clips, and her tall, slender figure and slightly round face created a quiet and gentle atmosphere.

Compared to himself, who was born with knowledge, Kirino seemed rather ordinary. She didn't join any clubs and didn't have any particularly noteworthy skills, but her personality was just like his—extremely stubborn, incredibly stubborn.

For example, this woman's so-called "extra effort in making breakfast"—if she dares to complain that it's bad, she'll surely make a super feast soon enough.

Whether you call it hard work or she's like a donkey that needs a whip to move—in any case, she's the younger sister that Kousaka Kyosuke is so proud of.

"Take off your clothes, I need to take them to wash."

"You say that every morning, Kirino, your wifely charm is off the charts!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Kirino huffed and turned her face away: "Alright, alright, get up now. Didn't you say you were going on a date with Utaha-neechan today?"

He deftly took off his shirt: "Here's your shirt. Do you need to wash your underwear too?"

The younger sister turned her back completely, refusing to look at him: "Hurry up and take it off."

Kyosuke Kosaka thought his timid little sister was too cute and wanted to tease her: "Kirino, I know you're probably curious about these things at your age, but you absolutely can't peek when a boy takes his pants off!"

"Who would peek?"

The black-haired younger sister lowered her head and clenched her fists, her face flushed with shame and indignation. You didn't even need to look to know that her whole face was red.

"Onii-chan is so mean, he always teases me."

Seeing his sister like this, Kyosuke finally couldn't help but laugh out loud: "What are you shy about? What's there to care about between siblings?"

"Of course I care!"

"We used to shower together, especially every day in the summer..."