--
"Kiyono."
A soft, rising call came from ahead—sweet yet dignified, like the winter sun. It was Yukinoshita Haruno's unmistakable tone.
Kiyono stopped and looked up.
Dusk was falling, the sunset ablaze. Yukinoshita Haruno stood at a busy intersection as pedestrians hurried by. The fiery glow bathed her figure; though she stood in a crowd, only she was visible to him.
"I had a really good time today."
Her smile was unmasked now—bright and fervent, like a cherry tree bursting into bloom at the tail end of winter.
Just then the streetcar rumbled along the tracks, and the picturesque scene made Kiyono narrow his eyes.
What kind of person was this girl with the name of the sun?
She bore the family's heavy responsibilities, becoming the ideal heir of the Yukinoshita Family—always wearing a gentle smile, close to everyone, hiding her true thoughts; even her attitude toward her family remained ambiguous…
Yet in this moment, he suddenly felt that Yukinoshita Haruno was, in truth, just a normal girl.
Afterward, the two returned home and knelt on the floor to be scolded by "Big Sister" Yukino, but Yukinoshita Haruno wasn't sad at all.
Upon entering junior high, Kiyono received Haruno's old laptop and officially began his assault on the Akutagawa Prize!
Yukinoshita Haruno had always thought of herself as a mature Big Sister—much older than Kiyono and Yukino. The gap wasn't only in age, but in spirit, experience, and the way she acted.
She viewed her younger siblings as children and assumed she always would. So when a shocking fact was laid before her, she was left momentarily adrift.
That spring, Kiyono and Yukino officially became junior high students. She'd wanted to celebrate with them—until she saw Kiyono in his uniform, standing straight and tall. In that instant, she realized he was almost as tall as she was.
Before, he'd only reached her chest.
Haruno instinctively stepped in front of him, placed her hand on his head, then slid her palm to the bridge of her nose—this tall already. The realization came with it: she and Kiyono were only a few years apart.
How amazing, she couldn't help but think.
She had a younger sister, too, but Yukino went abroad after elementary school, and they'd barely seen each other. This was the first time she'd so directly felt change.
Is this what it feels like to have a younger brother? In another year he would be taller, wouldn't he? Until she had to look up at him.
Would this boy accompany her throughout life until death? What kind of person would he become? If she were bullied, would he stand up for her in anger? At her wedding, would he weep—or smile?
Thoughts like these swirled in her mind.
"What's wrong, Haruno-san?" Kiyono asked, curious; his calm tone soothed her.
"Just a bit sentimental. Xiao Kiyono is at the age where he can hide erotic books now," the high school girl said gravely.
"A Pure Love Warrior's room wouldn't have such things! Daily surprise inspections welcome, leader!" Kiyono declared.
"Eh, does Xiao Kiyono want to take the chance to do something to Big Sister in his room? He just entered junior high and already wants to be an adult!" Haruno teased.
"Please at least consider my feelings—having to hear your boring jokes first thing in the morning."
Yukino meticulously straightened her uniform and tie, her face expressionless.
"Is Xiao Yukino jealous—envious of my intimate relationship with Kiyono?"
With that, Haruno suddenly seized both their wrists and giggled, "Let's record our current heights!"
She tugged them to the study, happily pulling books from the shelf and producing a washable marker—Kiyono realized Big Sister Haruno really enjoyed these small family rituals.
"Contestant Number One, Yukinoshita Yukino—step forward!" Haruno ushered her sister to the bookshelf.
"Mother will be angry if she finds out," the cool, clear-voiced girl sighed.
"It's fine, it's fine—as long as she doesn't find out."
Once Yukino stood straight, Haruno drew a black line in the empty space midway up the fifth shelf and delivered a solemn assessment.
"Hm. Xiao Yukino is almost catching up to me. Big Sister is very pleased."
"A person's individual worth is not determined by height… Alright, I'm going to eat breakfast." Yukino coolly brushed her sister's hand aside and left the study.
Haruno didn't mind. Her gaze slid right—landing on Kiyono.
In the large study, only the Big Sister and the young boy remained.
"Come on, come on," Haruno beckoned like Doraemon.
Kiyono stood at a spot slightly to the right of where Yukino had been, back straight.
"Don't move."
Haruno stepped in close, directly in front of him. A faint scent of shampoo drifted from her dark hair. She wore light, elegant makeup today, and her more developed figure than Yukino's lent her a mature charm. Her breath was warm.
Perhaps because of the subtle differences in their roles and height, Kiyono felt a strange nervousness—despite having undergone Yanami's special training!
Haruno quickly drew a black line beside Yukino's mark, stepped back two paces, studied both lines, and announced with interest:
"Kiyono is slightly shorter than Yukino right now, but don't worry—boys develop a little later than girls. By next year, you'll definitely be taller than her!"
"By then, you'll have to look up at me!" Kiyono said with a strongman's stance.
"Big Sister will be waiting for that day."
Haruno smiled sweetly, capped the marker, and was about to turn for breakfast—when the boy spoke up.
"Haruno-san, aren't you going to record yours too?" Kiyono looked up at her.
She froze, a curious light sparkling in her eyes.
"Me? Big Sister has already passed her growth spurt, you know."
"How can Big Sister be left out when we're measuring height? Besides, aren't you only sixteen? You can definitely still grow a little taller. Come on, I'll help."
His smile was dazzling, and Haruno had to narrow her eyes.
All this time, she had been the eldest sister. It was natural for Big Sister to shoulder everything; natural that Big Sister wasn't cared for. Even she believed that. But now, for the first time, this boy was caring for her—the Big Sister, the one meant to be overlooked.
She watched him stand on a small stool to reach her, and—thump, thump—something stirred in her chest.
Eh? Oh no, he's just a junior high boy! What strange thoughts am I having?
Haruno coughed lightly and turned away.
After a long pause, she murmured:
"You probably need more money in junior high, right? …Do you still need money?"
Her voice was soft.
"…There's nothing I really need money for." Kiyono finished drawing a black line on the sixth shelf, hopped down, and looked up at her.
Haruno hummed and gazed at the bookshelf where three black lines now stood.
The bottom two she labeled Yukino and Kiyono, adding a heart after each.
The top was a simple black line, labeled Haruno.
After entering junior high, the class's social dynamics shifted—for Kiyono, not by much. Many of the elementary-schoolers he'd once dominated were now in the same school and even the same class. Before the first day ended, the title "Pure Love Warrior" was already trending across campus!
He happily received a three-year solo package.
Likewise, Yukino embraced her school life with calm.
With no one daring to approach him, Kiyono enjoyed the leisure and dedicated himself to hard work:
Silent research.
Reading and writing.
As for the teachers' lessons?
Toss them aside for now. He didn't need to attend seriously until second or third year of high school. Of course, he would still maintain first place in the entire school.
His current focus was still on awards for published literature. He had achieved good results in light novels and his talent kept growing—but he wasn't arrogant enough to say, "I'm strong, invincible, perfect, and need no improvement." The deeper he studied, the more he felt literature's path was endless.
Moreover, literature faces readers of all ages; achieving both popularity and depth isn't simple. His age and experience were still lacking—fortunately, experiences from different worlds made up for it.
"I've written about ten thousand words now, and most literary publications run seventy to eighty thousand. Polishing for another year or two should be enough."
Casually closing a book, Kiyono felt a gentle surge of clarity.
The more one writes, the more one understands time's importance to a work. This time, his goal was to become a literary master remembered worldwide, to write books that would fly off the shelves. Without the pressure of survival, he could settle down and even copy over previous light novels to earn extra money.
After publishing successfully, he could at least give back to Yukino and the others, right?
Time slipped quietly by—until one day, the Pure Love Warrior seemed to trigger an unexpected event.
That evening, after returning home, he opened his schoolbag and found an unfamiliar pink cloth pouch tied with a bow. The contents were unclear.
"Is this… a confession?"
He already carried a certain reputation at school. Were there still girls bold enough to confess?
Suspicious, Kiyono lifted the pouch to his ear and shook it gently. Something inside rustled and clicked together.
Since it was in his schoolbag, he could open it, right?
He hesitated, then untied the bow. Inside were cookies—and a folded piece of paper.
No words, only a vivid drawing of a twin-tailed, smiling girl. That exquisite art style and hairstyle…
Kiyono refolded the paper in silence, put it back, and quickly tied the bag again. Standing in the corridor bathed in sunset, he gazed out at the garden's little bridge and flowing water, his expression deep.
—This must be Eriri! It must be Eriri!
That "defeated girl" was secretly conveying her feelings? Why? Their interactions had only been those two times in elementary school!
Did she fall for him just because he'd helped her once from the shadows? That's far too easy!
Kiyono drew a sharp breath. Something felt off.
Rather than a confession to him, this was more like…
With that thought, the very next day—right after the dismissal bell—Kiyono found Eriri in the classroom. (Yes, they were still in the same class!)
"Sawamura, could you come to the rooftop with me? I have something important to tell you."
Eh?
Sawamura Spencer Eriri pursed her moist lips and widened her azure eyes. That… that ambiguous line—was he going to confess to her!?
On the rooftop, the iron door creaked softly. The blonde girl stepped forward to face the waiting boy.
The setting sun slanted through the wire mesh, washing her hair and cheeks in orange-red, like a cinematic filter. A gentle breeze lifted her clothes—and both their thoughts.
This is absolutely a confession!
Eriri's pretty face flushed. As a bona fide beauty, she'd been confessed to many times and knew how to refuse. She had never expected the one confessing to be Kiyono!
Her feelings for this boy were complex. From wandering child to clinging to the Yukinoshita Family, then becoming the elementary-school boss… She quite liked his personality, because that bullying incident always reminded her of herself.
But they weren't at the point of dating! Could he have developed feelings just because she'd extended a helping hand when he needed it?
She lifted her face, looked ahead, took a deep breath, and prepared to refuse politely—and to teach him, as a Big Sister, what true feelings were!
Honestly, being too popular was a kind of trouble.
Seeing her, Kiyono looked conflicted and hesitant, like a pure young boy—but he steeled himself to speak his true thoughts.
"Sawamura…"
"Mm… mm."
Eriri clasped her hands over her chest, her gaze unconsciously slipping aside.
Then the boy spoke.
"You put your confession item in the wrong place."
"You're a good person, but we're not right for each—?"
The girl, who had just lowered her head, snapped it up, eyes wide.
What she saw wasn't a bowing boy making a confession, but… a very familiar small red pouch being held out to her—the very thing she had mustered so much courage to make.