Don't Make Mom So Tall / Arisu Is Playing with the Kitty

Actually, he initially planned to have a serious talk with his cat about life, but the other party had been intentionally avoiding him during this period. He didn't even know when the cat had stamped and certified the handwritten letter, as if it were saying 'I agree to this marriage'.

But then again, does he really have those kinds of feelings for Hotaru?

If Kitagawa Ryo had been asked this question before Christmas last year, he would have undoubtedly given a negative answer without hesitation, because before that, his impression of Hotaru was largely stuck in the distant past, as a little child who needed his care.

But after two years apart, when Kitagawa Ryo made a special trip to celebrate Hotaru's birthday last year, he belatedly realized that she had grown up and become someone he had never seen before and had never seen in his memory.

The arrival of puberty, the development of secondary sexual characteristics, and the questions and statements he had never heard from her before—all of this clearly demonstrated to him the fact that his sister had grown up.

Kitagawa Ryo himself certainly didn't harbor the kind of morbid possessiveness he had seen in several girls before, so he never expected Hotaru to remain forever in the position of being dependent on him and protected by him. But that didn't mean he could unconditionally accept all the changes Hotaru underwent as she grew up.

Therefore, if possible, he still hopes to have a comprehensive conversation with Ying about the past few years, especially what happened to her during the two years she was abroad, and then...

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was pondering what to say to Hotaru when they met, there were two crisp knocks on the hotel room door. However, there was no sound of "room service" or anything like that. The person couldn't be a hotel staff member. Could it be Honami or Megumi, who were staying in the room next to his?

Thinking this, Kitagawa Ryo casually said "Coming," got out of bed, put on his slippers, walked to the door and opened his room. But instead of Ichinose Honami or Karuizawa Kei as he had initially thought, it was Hotaru herself, whom he hadn't seen for more than four months.

It had been almost half a year since we last met, and I could clearly feel that my younger sister had grown taller since the last time we met. She stood there gracefully, now a truly elegant young lady. However, the expression on her face seemed somewhat complicated. When she saw him open the door, she immediately threw herself into his arms, and when she looked up, her eyes seemed to be brimming with tears.

At the moment of contact, Kitagawa Ryo reacted quickly, because he had seen Hotaru's expression and demeanor before, from Sakayanagi Arisu who had just finished her last simulation.

Considering Hotaru's mysterious behavior lately and the things he had asked her to do before, Kitagawa Ryo deduced the whole story in just a few seconds.

It can only be said that ever since Hotaru tricked him on Valentine's Day, Kitagawa Ryo has come to understand the dual nature of his cat—a good cat and a mischievous cat—and thus immediately deduced that Hotaru must have done something again. The most likely cause of this situation is that Hotaru showed his seemingly not-so-pure little sister something.

Without making a sound, Kitagawa Ryo reached out and closed the door again. He gently stroked and comforted his sister, who seemed a little out of control in his arms, without saying anything for the time being, and quietly waited for Hotaru to calm down.

Whether it was because she had already secretly cried at home, or because she felt embarrassed to cry while Kitagawa Ryo was watching, or for some other reason, although she looked like she was about to Rika tears, Hotaru stubbornly sniffled and pouted, refusing to actually shed a tear in front of Kitagawa Ryo. However, her nasal voice was still quite noticeable. After wiping her face haphazardly with the back of her hand, she immediately asked him:

"I know everything... I remember now."

She seemed to have initially intended to say 'I know everything,' but the moment she uttered it, she immediately changed it to 'I remember.' With slightly reddened eyes, Hotaru took two steps back to distance herself from Kitagawa Ryo, staring directly into his eyes as if to prevent him from continuing to lie and hide.

"About my brother, about me."

As Hotaru spoke, the scenes she had glimpsed in her dream the previous night kept replaying in her mind. It was a story from another timeline, where both the present situation and the ending were completely opposite to what she was seeing now.

Then, using this as a clue, the life of an individual named Kitagawa Ryo unfolds before her like a scroll, and using this as a clue, she gradually connects all the doubts in Hotaru's life over the past ten years, completely removing the mysterious veil that had always shrouded her brother.

Judging solely from the extent to which she obtained Kitagawa Ryo's personal information, she has surpassed even any other girl.

That is why, even though it is obvious to the naked eye that Hotaru is trying her best to control her emotions, her mental state is still quite unstable, and where she will ultimately be led depends on Kitagawa Ryo's answer.

For Kitagawa Ryo himself, the pressure of this confrontation far exceeded any previous one. After all, his feelings for Hotaru were actually the same as his feelings for Ichinose Honami when he was bound to the 'A A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold' talent in the second simulation. If reality were really a dating game, then the two options that appeared before him right now would probably be 'telling Hotaru the truth' and 'I can't lie to Hotaru'.

"Yes, it's all true."

Without any hesitation, Kitagawa Ryo nodded in affirmation.

He didn't say anything like "I was planning to tell you today" or "I kept it from you for this and that," because none of that was necessary. After all, the fact that he admitted it was already an incredibly information-dense event for Ying.

"... Now I finally understand why my brother said 'I'll die' to me back then."

After muttering this softly, Hotaru looked up at Kitagawa Ryo again, but her bright green eyes, as clear as her name, no longer held any trace of tears; instead, they were filled with a joyful light.

"I finally know what happened to my brother in the past, how he really sees me, and what my place is in his heart... Hmm, want another hug?"

Seeing his sister, who seemed to have returned to normal in a second and was now snuggling up to hug him again, Kitagawa Ryo felt a question mark pop up above his head.

So, are middle school students' information processing abilities really that strong now?

"Um... excuse me, what exactly did Hotaru see?"

"Hmm? It's about what happened between the two of us last time. But back then, my brother wasn't a famous Actor and couldn't earn much money, so my illness wasn't cured, and I ended up dying in that timeline."

"... So this kind of thing can be talked about so casually?"

"Because no matter what, it's all in the past. Besides, I don't think Hotaru is like me at all. She knew she was going to die, but she didn't say a word she wanted to say or do anything she wanted to do. The last thing she did was take a picture of herself before her death. I even wondered if there was some secret note or something important written in the picture, but there was nothing—nothing at all. And then she left her brother all alone."

When talking about her own hellish jokes, Hotaru didn't seem to want to gain any merit. Instead, she sounded like an ordinary audience member sharing their thoughts with a friend after watching a movie. Her tone was quite relaxed.

"It just doesn't feel real... Then it's about my brother and Ichinose- neechan and Karuizawa- neechan, but that part goes by really fast. No wonder they started talking to my brother one by one when he was still a kid. This kind of setting could be written into a light novel."

Watching his younger sister, who seemed to have only been slightly emo before returning to her usual self, Kitagawa Ryo subconsciously pondered for a moment.

He was well aware of his and Hotaru's situation in their previous life, a memory that even he, as the person involved, didn't want to revisit. But Hotaru received it without any abnormalities, which could only mean that the cat had tampered with it during the transmission.

Wow, it turns out you're the most capable of Chronicle of Time.

It seems that Hotaru herself felt sorry for herself and took the initiative to make a director's cut. This way, Hotaru can know the truth about the past and also dilute the negative emotions brought about by that definitely not pleasant memory as much as possible.

Of course, you can't say that Ying's statement just now was completely without problems. After all, it was about "not saying a word she wanted to say" and "not doing a single thing she wanted to do." Coupled with the handwritten Valentine's Day letter that the other party had given her earlier, it was more of an explicit statement than a hint.

"So now that Ying can grow up healthy, my biggest wish has already been fulfilled."

"Once it's fulfilled, you can change to a new wish. After all, my brother is just a high school student. Let me guess, is his next wish to make other girls, like Ichinose- neechan, happy too? After all Maki did tell me some things about her family."

"... I guess so."

"I can help with that too. After all, I don't want to have to watch my brother's family drama for the next ten years or so. Just thinking about it is terrifying."

Somewhat to Kitagawa Ryo, Hotaru didn't bring up the Confessions letter again afterward. Instead, she was quite understanding and offered him encouragement and advice.

"So, what's bothering you lately, brother? Tell me—"

Even if I can't help, some things feel much better just by talking about them, and maybe I can help in some way.

The girl smiled and began to offer suggestions.

What she saw last night was indeed Kitagawa Ryo's director's cut of the Chronicle of Time, but its direction was completely different from what he had envisioned.

That's an epic masterpiece, selected by another Hotaru, a fusion of the previous real-world Shiina Hiyori and numerous simulated timelines. Its contents include, but are not limited to: <Why Hotaru is the True Hidden Heroine>, <First and foremost, Ichinose Honami Karuizawa Kei Sakayanagi Arisu sin of arrogance>, <A Three-Point Analysis of Karuizawa Megumi and Her Becoming a Captive of Shiina Hiyori in the Two Simulations>, <What Details Were Essential for Horikita Suzune's Success>, <The Showdown in the White Room: Why Was Amasawa Ichika Ayaka...

Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Mother Who Isn't That Tall

"I see... I see, I see."

After listening to Kitagawa Ryo's entire account of everything related to snow, Hotaru, who had somehow taken off her shoes and sat on his bed, also appeared to completely understand, and then directly stated her thoughts:

"If you ask me, it's entirely because you weren't assertive enough, brother."

In which aspect?

Having indeed received some good advice from Amasawa Ichika, Kitagawa Ryo, knowing the saying "the onlooker sees more of the game Bystander player," humbly asked his sister for the same advice.

"I think it applies to every aspect. For example, people who always say 'Stop being so cute!' are often the type who unconsciously like to be cute with others. Isn't Sister Xue one of those types?"

I don't know where she learned all this random stuff, but Yingtou continued to express her opinions in a very authoritative manner:

"Could it be that my brother can really find some kind of 'maternal' comfort in those kinds of children? This is reality, not a two-dimensional world. And even if he could, he should immediately realize that this is a completely twisted product."

"In fact, the combination of 'children' and 'Cloth Mother' is essentially the same as the 'Lolita mom' archetype that has resurfaced in recent years. The root cause of this personality or attribute is the premature absence or failure of adults in her upbringing."

"The lack of independent personality and self-esteem developed in a good environment leads to excessive precocity and a sense of responsibility completely out of line with their age. They actively choose to take on the roles that adults, or parents, should play, which causes them to lose the personality they should have."

"The so-called tall mothers who grow up like this only possess instrumental personalities, and their so-called maturity is nothing more than the maturity of a puppet. Just like what Sister Xue always likes to say about 'pure white,' it is actually just 'colorless' in essence. That's what it is inside."

"So, the best way for an older brother to deal with a girl like this is to never treat her as, or continue to let her play, the role of a mother. Instead, he should treat her like a younger sister... or a daughter."

"Where did you learn all this? Xue is older than you, so why are you calling her 'kid' all the time?"

"Hmm... it's probably because of my memories? After all, I also have memories of my past life, so I'm adding my age from my past life to my current age..."

"Don't add it. The age of a reborn person isn't calculated like that. Besides, Xue also has memories from the last simulation."

Kitagawa Ryo gently tapped his younger sister's fair, smooth forehead, who seemed a little carried away with her pride. He then stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"However, what Ying just said isn't entirely without merit."

The reason he was able to play the role of the Cloth mother well in the White Room was essentially because the talents he drew that time were quite compatible, plus he had already experienced several simulations and two cycles of reality by then, so he was no longer a child at all.

But Xue was different. At that time, she was indeed a genuine elementary school student, and combined with Ying's reasonable and well-founded words, it seemed to make sense in some aspects.

"But if I were to suddenly take a hard line... I don't think I can think of a specific way to do it right now."

"Hmm? Wasn't my brother quite tough on me before?"

Ying tilted her head slightly and immediately began to imitate on the spot:

"If you don't go, you'll die—I still remember the look on my brother's face and the tone of his voice when he said that."

Is it really that exaggerated?

"Because it was really scary... and back then I always had this feeling that if I insisted on shaking my head and disagreeing, it would be my brother who would die first, not me."

At this point, Hotaru glanced cautiously at Kitagawa Ryo's expression before continuing:

"Actually, even you, brother, probably haven't noticed, but when you're really determined to achieve a goal, your attitude in all aspects can sometimes be quite intimidating. So the fact that you've been hesitating with Sister Xue until now shows that you yourself haven't thought things through very clearly."

Kitagawa Ryo did not deny Hotaru's accusation, but nodded in agreement:

"So, aren't I asking Hotaru's opinion right now?"

"Opinions are one thing, but implementation is another. After all, the person involved is my brother himself. If he hasn't thought it through himself, there's no point in us offering too many opinions and suggestions."

As she spoke, as if suddenly remembering something, Ying's eyes lit up and she came up with a new idea:

"Although I don't know if it's feasible or not, I think if Sister Xue and Brother could really go through that experience again, or if we could create a story as she wishes, it might help you two re-examine and break through your current relationship."

"Just like I was last night."

"Otherwise, one can only use self-pity to create self-pity, then imprison and harm oneself, leaving those who cannot understand to helplessly watch a masochist abuse themselves."

As she spoke, Hotaru pointed at Kitagawa Ryo:

"Furthermore, brother, you should never think that you are the one who understands Sister Xue. You should realize that yourself, right?"

Even if you were witnesses to the same event, the memories that remain in your minds at this moment are completely different.

"Memory is never something indestructible; the longer it's stored up, the more easily it becomes distorted."

Hotaru pursed her lips, not uttering the last sentence she was thinking, because that might also reveal her true thoughts to Kitagawa Ryo.

[Of course, there is another possibility: that no one has ever forgotten the truth, but has simply become better at lying.]

Just like she is now.

Some say that learning to lie means growing up, while others say that children are born liars. Perhaps neither of these statements is wrong.

Lying and being truthful are essentially both ways to achieve a certain goal or realize a dream.

Oh, that's exactly what she's thinking now.

However, she needs to wait for the right opportunity, at least until Kitagawa Ryo graduates from Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

But it's okay, Hotaru can wait.

I'm willing to wait.

After all, if you think about it, it's just another two years.

And...

Thinking of the kitten she had seen in her dream last night, Hotaru unconsciously smiled.

She has allies too.

They call themselves their allies.

Chapter 30: Arisu is playing with the cat.

Meanwhile, inside the dormitory building for second-year Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School.

The late spring breeze, carrying a hint of early summer heat, blew into the room through the open window. Sakayanagi Arisu put down the book she was reading, reached for the bone china cup on the coffee table, took a small sip of the still-scalding hot black tea, and then saw a snow-white figure roll out from the corner of her room.

The pure white kitten held its fluffy tail upright, its fluorescent pupils shimmering like liquid under the room light, revealing a joy that was clearly visible to the naked eye.

"... Why do you seem unusually boisterous this time?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked helplessly at Hotaru, who was being temporarily fostered in her room because of the Drama Club's departure.

This task should theoretically be left to Asahina Nazuna, a third-year student who is a professional cat owner. However, she has been busy these past few days. The Special Exam for third-year students are not synchronized with those for first and second-year students, and she is currently working on them intensively. Therefore, she doesn't have much time or energy to help take care of the cat.

Although Hotaru often felt that Sakayanagi Arisu was a terrifying demon king, Kitagawa Ryo himself was unaware of the story after that simulation extension. Therefore, with the idea of keeping an eye on Arisu had been up to lately, he simply and neatly passed Hotaru over to him.

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't refuse, after all, she had raised Hotaru for at least ten years in total during the two simulations, and knew that Hotaru herself wasn't the kind of person who was particularly annoying. Plus, she would only be taking care of her for two days this time, so she casually agreed.

It was as if she was being deliberately tormented. All day long, she could see the kitten jumping around in her room, lying flat and letting herself be petted, and sometimes looking delighted. The variety of its expressions and movements was enough to fill an entire pet channel.

Are you hungry?

As she spoke, Sakayanagi Arisu glanced again at the cat food bowl in the corner of her room; there was still a lot of cat food left after she had poured it out that evening.

"Or are you thirsty?"

After thinking for a while, she poured another bowl of water and pushed it toward the kitten, but Hotaru still didn't seem interested. Instead, she jumped onto Sakayanagi Arisu's body. This sudden action caused the girl's upper body to sway slightly, and her reflection in the water swayed as well. Her bright purple pupils shattered into tiny diamonds along with the ripples.

Do you want me to play with you?