Kasumigaoka Utaha bit her lip, having heard similar words countless times. What genius is born knowing everything? The reason she consistently ranked first in school was due to extraordinary effort far beyond what was normal. While other students were enjoying their youth, she was buried in her studies. As time went on, she naturally drifted away from others. Her exceptional looks, excellent grades, and refusal to tolerate superficial people eventually earned her the label "High-Grown Flower." No one was able to step into her inner world and understand the passionate heart hidden beneath her cool exterior.
Then, by chance, she read Your Lie in April. The final, transcendental performance between the male and female leads opened the door to her heart. Utaha deeply admired the Platonic love shared by the protagonists in the book. This story, full of lies, slowly became the spiritual pillar of her solitary world.
She lifted her head and looked directly into her mother's eyes with a firm gaze, arguing, "No, I want to read them."
"What did you say?" Mrs. Kasumigaoka was surprised, having never been directly contradicted by her daughter before. Has Utaha reached the age of rebellion?
Kasumigaoka Utaha seized the moment of her mother's surprise, picked up the book from the table, and hugged it to her chest. She declared loudly, "These books are not useless!" Without looking back, she quickly ran to her room.
Mrs. Kasumigaoka watched Utaha leave, her eyes filled with complex emotions: relief that her daughter was safely home, but also worry for Utaha's future. Finally, she sat back on the sofa, her utter helplessness condensing into a soft sigh.
In the bedroom, Kasumigaoka Utaha lay on her bed, gazing at the ceiling. Her silky, waterfall-like black hair fanned out naturally across the sheets. Since childhood, she had always been the obedient daughter in her parents' eyes. This one act of contradicting her parents made her feel scared, yet also a little thrill.
She had tried to communicate properly with her parents before. But no matter the topic, their words always returned to it's for your own good. That heavy, suffocating love would be forced upon her until she was left speechless. Gradually, her communication with her parents dwindled. It was only online that she could momentarily reclaim her true self.
Utaha slowly sat up, shaking her head, reluctant to deal with the issues. She opened her phone, intending to tell Teacher Ryou that she had bought his new book. But for some reason, she didn't input anything about Ryou in the text box as usual. Instead, as if by a sudden impulse, she sent Ryou a private message detailing the conflict she'd just had with her mother.
No sooner had she sent it than the message was instantly replied to.
"Ryou: Every family has its own difficulties, it seems."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's hand shook upon seeing the immediate reply, and her phone dropped onto the soft bed. She quickly picked it up and drafted a new message.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Ryou. I didn't mean to send you that. Please just ignore it. I did buy your new work today, and I'll always support you."
On the other side, Hiratsuka Ryosuke was browsing his personal website, wanting to check the reception of his new work. As soon as he logged in, he received a message from Kasumigaoka Utaha (under her pen name). This time, the message was distinctly different from before. She didn't mention anything related to his work, but instead talked about her family conflict.
Hiratsuka Ryosuke felt a sense of helplessness; the generation gap between children and parents was often unavoidable.
"Ryosuke, want some grapes?" Hiratsuka Shizuka walked into Ryosuke's room with a fruit platter.
"Not right now," Ryosuke said, frowning at the screen and contemplating. He wasn't close to Utaha, and interfering in someone else's family matters felt inappropriate.
Hiratsuka Shizuka peered at the screen next to the computer and said with a note of surprise, "Eh? Ryosuke, are you giving someone life advice?" Then, noticing the user ID and the tone of the message, she turned to Ryosuke, her eyes narrowing, and she inhaled sharply. Finally, she spoke with a hint of grievance, "Why is your luck with girls always so good, you brat?"
"Huh? You've already determined it's a girl? There are plenty of guys online who use feminine IDs or speak cutely, right?" Ryosuke glanced at Shizuka, questioning her judgment.
"My foolish little brother, don't underestimate the intuition of a schoolteacher! I've seen countless troubled students. Tsk tsk, family conflict—it really is a topic most students can't avoid." Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand, signaling Ryosuke to move aside.
Ryosuke frowned but obediently gave up his seat. He cautiously asked, "Shizuka-nee, this is just a netizen. Isn't it wrong to casually interfere with someone else's private matters?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka twisted her neck, then cracked her fingers, making a popping sound. She then spoke to Ryosuke in the tone of a passionate, simple-minded hero, "You see a netizen. As a teacher, I see a lost little girl. I can't just stand by."
Hiratsuka Shizuka sat down in the chair, winked her star-like eyes playfully, and told Ryosuke with deep meaning, "After helping someone, whether they repay you or not is normal. But if the initial intention of helping is for repayment, then it can't be called righteousness."
Hiratsuka Shizuka then sat where Ryosuke had been, typing out a reply while giving Ryosuke a lecture. "Actually, most family conflicts can be expressed with a simple formula: Conflict = Expectation - Reality."
"Once a child's actual situation is less than the parents' expectation, conflict arises. The reverse is also true."
"Didn't you notice? When you helped Nishimiya Shoko, the actual result you achieved far exceeded Mrs. Nishimiya's original expectations, so the conflict was resolved in a way that surpassed her hopes, and that's why she accepted you."
"Ah, the other side replied. It turns out this girl's grades are excellent, top of the school. She's being told that reading light novels is frivolous and will affect her studies, and she was lectured for staying out all night to buy your book."
"This problem is actually very easy to solve. Leave it to me!"
"First, achieve good results on the school's entrance exam to prove that reading novels won't affect her studies, easing her parents' worries."
"Second, find the positive value that light novels bring her."
"Third, Ryosuke, this fan seems to really like your books. How about you just mail them to her in the future? I've already asked for her address."
Hiratsuka Ryosuke stared at Hiratsuka Shizuka in shock, as if she were some kind of monster. It's only been a few minutes? You already got her home address? However, Shizuka-nee was truly amazing to solve the problem so quickly. Perhaps the sense of righteousness he had when he helped Nishimiya Shoko was an unconscious imitation of his sister, the passionate, simple-minded hero.
Ryosuke recalled his years spent with Shizuka-nee. The brother and sister had rarely had any conflicts, which might be due to Shizuka-nee's unique gentleness. An older sister like this is kind of cool. He realized he had been receiving his sister's silent care all these years.
At this thought, Ryosuke's gaze became gradually distant, and he unconsciously murmured from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you, Onee-chan."
Hiratsuka Shizuka's ears twitched, hearing Ryosuke's unintentional whisper. Her whole body froze in shock for a few seconds. She turned her head to Ryosuke with a stunned expression, a little disbelieving. What did he just call me? "Onee-chan" (Onē-chan)? Ryosuke usually called her Shizuka-nee (Shizuka nē) or the more formal "older sister" (Onē-san). This was the first time in so many years she had heard Ryosuke call her "Onē-chan."
Goosebumps immediately broke out all over her body. She recovered and said with an expression of disgust, "Ugh, Ryosuke, that's so gross!?"
Hearing his sister's words, Ryosuke returned to his usual state, feeling slightly embarrassed. Just as he was about to explain, his sister's next words interrupted his thoughts.
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked deeply at Ryosuke, squeezed her eye at him, and then tentatively asked, "So, how about you say it again?"
"Eh? Onē-chan?"
"Ugh, so gross. Try saying it one more time."
"Onē-chan, Onē-chan."
"Mmm, I can't take it anymore."
Hiratsuka Ryosuke looked down at Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was trembling uncontrollably in the chair, awkwardly clutching herself. He actually felt a little scared; he thought his sister was acting very strange today.
A sudden phone call interrupted Ryosuke's wild thoughts. Ryosuke picked up his phone and saw the caller ID: Nishimiya Yuzuru. He answered the phone, but before he could speak, he heard the urgent voice on the other end.
"Ryosuke-nii, can you come over to my house today? My sister has been acting a little strange recently."