"Big Sis, let me cool off in here!"
"No. Out!"
Horikita Etsuka's muscular, sweat-drenched upper body was wedged halfway through the doorway. He tried to look as earnest as possible with his sunny, handsome face.
"Don't even think about it!"
Horikita Suzune braced herself against the door and refused to budge.
She wore only a light white camisole, and her tone was firm:
"You have air conditioning in your own room. Why do you need to come in here?"
"My air conditioner broke," Horikita Etsuka explained.
"No. You're all sweaty," Horikita Suzune insisted.
Etsuka was strong enough to force his way in, and Suzune wouldn't have been able to stop him. He simply didn't want to hurt his big sister.
"Big Sis—please!" Etsuka instantly put on a pitiful expression. Paired with the handsome face of a sunny young man, it was a devastating combination.
Unfortunately, Suzune had watched him grow up, so she was completely immune. She was his older sister, after all—and utterly coldhearted!
Etsuka gritted his teeth.
The heat was unbearable, and he was determined to "conquer" his big sister's cool, air-conditioned room today!
Looks like I'll have to bring out my ultimate weapon...
"Big Sis!" He took a deep breath and went all in. "For the whole summer vacation, I'll do all the cooking and washing up!"
"Deal. Come in."
Suzune answered almost instantly, pulling the door open so quickly it seemed she'd been waiting for him to say those words.
"Thump!" Etsuka dashed inside and threw himself onto the cool hardwood floor without a shred of dignity.
"Ahh, that's the stuff!"
He let out a satisfied sigh.
Suzune shut the door with a click, sealing out the sweltering heat. Cool air immediately enveloped them.
"Ah—saved at last..."
Etsuka rolled onto his back, stretched out his arms and legs, and stared up at the snow-white ceiling. He felt as if every pore in his body were cheering.
Horikita Etsuka, male, eighteen years old.
A bona fide transmigrator from Blue Star.
In his previous life, he'd been in the gifted class, and his ending was a classic: the road was slippery from the rain, and a fully insured semi-truck sent him straight to another world.
He didn't blame the driver. He'd had no ties in his previous life—he'd been an orphan, after all.
But the driver had probably uploaded a video and posted it on TikTok, right?
Maybe even set it to a song: "We're all living our lives with all our might~"
"Transmigrating is one thing, but where exactly am I?"
In his previous life, Etsuka had either been studying or on his way to study. He'd had practically no time for entertainment, so he had no idea what kind of world he'd ended up in.
This other world... was practically identical to Blue Star!
All he knew was that he'd landed in a country a lot like Japan.
The clean, plain room contained only a few simple furnishings.
Suzune wore a simple black skirt that fell below her knees. A book lay open across her lap as she quietly turned a page.
The corner of her eye caught sight of Horikita Etsuka still sprawled on the floor, and her brows instinctively furrowed.
"Etsuka, are you an idiot? You just finished exercising, and now you're lying on the floor. Are you trying to catch a cold?"
"I'm fine, Big Sis. I'm in great shape!" Etsuka waved a hand lazily.
"Get up." Suzune's voice brooked no argument.
"Let me cool off a little longer..."
"Three..." Suzune began counting down, her voice utterly calm.
"Okay, okay, I'm getting up!"
Etsuka sprang to his feet in one smooth motion.
Honestly, his big sister was gorgeous. It was just her personality... She was stricter than their mom!
She'd kept him under lock and key throughout all three years of high school, and he'd never managed to start a single romance.
He casually picked up his big sister's little mirror from the desk and examined himself from every angle. Stroking his chin, he wore a blissful expression.
"Look at this face... I wonder which lucky family's cabbage is going to be stolen by me someday?"
Suzune gave him an unapologetic eye roll.
"Horikita Etsuka, your skin gets thicker by the day."
"Big Sis, you just don't get it."
Etsuka swept back his bangs with a flourish and admired his sharply defined, handsome face in the mirror.
"At school, I get by on this face and my personality! If you just bury yourself in books like you do, you'll never make any friends!"
"Hmph." Suzune scoffed, not bothering to argue.
She had always believed in the same truth: once she improved her own worth and abilities, high-quality friends would naturally come to her.
Ding-dong!
The clear chime of the doorbell rang out unexpectedly.
"Hello! Delivery!"
Suzune glanced at Etsuka.
"Got it~ I'll get the door!"
Etsuka had long since learned to understand every one of his sister's looks.
He opened the door, signed for the package, and was back in no time.
Etsuka returned with a medium-sized parcel and casually tore open the seal.
Inside was a kraft-paper envelope and... two neatly folded, strikingly bright-red suit jackets?
Curiously, he pulled the documents from the envelope.
"An admission notice?"
Etsuka's eyes were instantly drawn to the large, imposing black letters at the top of the page:
[Advanced Nurturing High School]...
The bus rolled along smoothly as the scenery outside the window shifted.
Wearing the striking pale-red school uniform, Horikita Etsuka slouched in his seat and let out a huge yawn.
By the window, Horikita Suzune sat as straight as a ruler, an open book on her knees as she turned a page.
Without looking up, she asked in her cool voice, "Stayed up late again?"
"Mm-hm." Etsuka rubbed his sore eyes, his voice lazy with sleep.
"School starts today, after all. Gotta have one last night of fun. You know what I mean?"
Suzune gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head and said nothing more.
Ever since Etsuka had come of age, she had indeed been less strict with him.
In her view, adults had to take responsibility for their own choices and actions.
The bus was fairly quiet, with only the low rumble of the engine and the occasional stop announcement.
Suddenly, a clear, slightly anxious female voice broke the silence.
"Um... excuse me, could you give this elderly lady your seat?"
Looking over, they saw a short-haired girl in the same pale-red school uniform. She was supporting an elderly woman with white hair and a slightly stooped frame as she spoke to a long-haired blond boy sitting diagonally ahead.
The boy looked relaxed, even a little arrogant.
The blond boy lazily brushed a shining lock of hair from his forehead. His crossed leg swung back and forth, and a playful smile tugged at his lips.
"Oh, dear lady~ Your request sounds like a crazy question to me."
He spread his hands, his voice carrying an unmistakable air of detachment.
"Unfortunately, I have no intention of giving up my seat."
"But..."
The short-haired girl looked at how tired the elderly woman seemed, her voice growing more earnest.
"She doesn't look well. Giving up a seat is a small thing, and it's a way to contribute to society!"
"Haha! Contribute?"
The blond boy let out a short laugh, as if he'd heard some amusing joke.
"Contribute to society? What would I get out of that, lady? You're trying to play the moral-blackmail game, aren't you?"
"The law—"
He raised one finger and emphasized, unhurriedly, "doesn't say I have to stand up."
"It's all right, dear. I can stand. Don't trouble the young man..."
The elderly woman quickly waved her hand and gave a kind smile that couldn't quite hide her exhaustion, trying to ease the awkwardness.
"But..."
Seeing that the blond boy wouldn't budge, the short-haired girl bit her lip. She looked hopefully at the passengers around them who seemed relatively free, then raised her voice a little.
"Excuse me... is there anyone kind enough to give this elderly lady a seat?"
Etsuka rested his chin on one hand, watching the scene with interest.
He considered himself a positive young man—as long as it didn't affect his own interests.
After all, he still had more than ten stops to go before he reached that "Advanced Nurturing High School."
If the old woman sat for a long time, wouldn't he end up standing until his legs went numb?
Just as he watched, wondering which "kind person" would step forward, he suddenly felt an unusual gaze crawling up his back.
Without changing his expression, Etsuka let his eyes drift naturally toward the seat beside him.
A boy with center-parted hair sat next to him, quietly watching the streets rush past outside the window. His profile was sharply defined, and he was quite handsome.
He looked so absorbed that he might as well have been the only person on the bus.
Hm? Was that my imagination?
Etsuka wondered to himself. That fleeting feeling of being watched seemed to have been nothing more than his imagination.
Before you continue