Upon learning that her best friend, Aragaki Ayase, would be coming to keep her company the next day, Kosaka Kirino was elated. However, her smile quickly faded, replaced by a deep frown.
Her thoughts had turned to that useless brother of hers.
That guy either never left his room, or when he did venture out, it was always with that annoyingly gentle girl, Tamura Manami. The last thing she wanted was for Kosaka Kyosuke to lay eyes on her beautiful, pure-hearted best friend.
You see, Aragaki Ayase was a professional model, not a part-timer like Kirino. She had her own exclusive agency and manager. Ayase was stunningly beautiful and possessed an almost ethereal purity. If that perverted Kyosuke were to see her, it would feel like polluting Ayase's very vision.
…
Kosaka Kyosuke was in his room, immersed in his game as usual. After a while, a dry thirst compelled him to emerge, shuffling towards the kitchen for water with the intention of returning immediately to his digital world.
Glass refilled, he was halfway back to his sanctuary when a clear, sharp voice cut through the hallway silence from behind him.
"Hey! You! Stop right there!"
The girl's voice was inherently pleasant. Kyosuke usually heard it in its cheerful lilt when she chatted with friends on the phone, or in its obedient, softened tone when she addressed their parents. But when directed at him, Kosaka Kirino always used either his full name, a blunt "hey," or—most often—nothing at all. She never spared him a friendly glance, a fact that privately grated on Kyosuke. His sister really is the worst, he'd often think.
For a second, he wondered if the voice was a hallucination. Why would Kirino, who usually treated him like furniture, call out to him? What if she was talking to someone else? Responding would just be embarrassing.
Fueled by insecurity and the ingrained belief that his sister despised him, Kyosuke paused for only a fraction of a second. Then, he pretended not to have heard and continued his plodding retreat toward his room.
Kosaka Kirino saw red. She'd finally deigned to initiate contact, and this guy had the audacity to ignore her?!
Thump-thump-thump! She stormed over in her fluffy bunny slippers, planting herself in front of him and glaring up with furious eyes. "I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?!"
Kosaka Kyosuke adopted an expression of exaggerated surprise. "Oh, that 'hey' was for me? But 'hey' isn't my name."
"Hmph! Disgusting!"
Kirino knew exactly what he was hinting at—he wanted her to call him "Onii-chan." But before he entertained such delusions of grandeur, shouldn't he first consider whether he acted anything like an older brother?
This useless, indolent lump of a person filled her with nothing but frustration. She remembered him being so lively and responsible when they were little. Now he was content to be a degenerate NEET. She had no intention of giving him the satisfaction.
Being labeled "disgusting" yet again only solidified Kyosuke's internal verdict: My sister is truly, utterly unlikable.
What was so disgusting about him? She was the one who started this conversation! He bit back the retort, not daring to voice it aloud. His standing in the household hierarchy was rock bottom. If he offended Kirino, his already meager allowance would likely shrink further. He couldn't afford to provoke her.
Rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture of weary resignation, Kyosuke tried to sidestep her and resume his journey back to his room. He'd play games all night to soothe the sting of being called "disgusting" by his own sister.
Kosaka Kirino moved swiftly, blocking his path once more. She strained to make her eyes look as wide and intimidating as possible. "Listen up! We have guests coming tomorrow, and my friend is visiting! You are to stay in your room. Do not come out. Under no circumstances are you to let the guests or my friend see you. Got it?"
She jabbed a finger at his chest for emphasis. "Alternatively, you can just leave the house altogether tomorrow. But the bottom line is, I don't want to see you anywhere outside your room. Is that clear?"
Kosaka Kyosuke was rendered speechless for a moment. "Why can't the guests and your friend see me? And if we have guests, shouldn't I help entertain them too?"
"Because you're disgusting! If you dare do anything perverted, I won't let you off the hook!" Kirino hissed her final warning, then turned on her heel and shuffled away in her bunny slippers, leaving Kyosuke standing alone in the hallway, a picture of abject bewilderment and dejection.
He stood there for a long moment, a profound sadness settling over him. Did Kirino really dislike him that much? She used to call him "Onii-chan" when they were small… Where had it all gone wrong?
Unable to find an answer, Kyosuke gave up thinking. He retreated into his room, where the familiar glow of his monitor offered a far less complicated reality.
…
Meanwhile, back in her own room, Kosaka Kirino walked to her closet and slid the door open. The interior revealed a surprisingly vast, secret space. It was densely packed, floor to ceiling, with merchandise and game cases—a treasure trove of anime memorabilia and gaming discs. The majority were from the Magical Girl Meruru series.
It was a secret no one would suspect. Kosaka Kirino, the paragon of "someone else's child," the good girl who was her parents' pride and joy, was in fact a deeply closeted otaku. And not just any otaku—she was a dedicated siscon, with a particular fondness for media centered on sisterly relationships.
Among her current collection was the game disc for Magical Girl Misaki. The character designs in Misaki aligned perfectly with Kirino's aesthetic tastes. What infuriated her, however, was the author's apparent cruelty.
How could they write a scene where Misaki-senpai was beheaded? Didn't they realize how terrifying that was for the characters and the players? Even more outrageous was that several of the game's endings were profoundly tragic. Only a single route led to a perfect conclusion.
Sitting down at her computer, Kosaka Kirino logged onto the official Magical Girl Misaki website and began her routine ritual: typing out a furious rant directed at the developers.
She cursed them for their inhumanity.
And, as usual, the author remained silent—a silence that only stoked Kirino's indignation further.
...
Having successfully placated the little maid Ayano, Hozuki Nozomi returned to his room with a sense of accomplishment. No sooner had he settled in than Kamiigusa Misaki slipped in through his window (a common enough occurrence), grabbed his hand, and tugged him toward her own studio.
"Hozuki-kun, our game has been out for a while now. It's time for the mastermind scriptwriter to make an appearance. The players are practically screaming for a response."
Hozuki Nozomi smiled and nodded. "You're right. It's perfect timing, actually. The Magical Girl Misaki light novel is about to be published. I can use this to promote it."
Sitting down at Misaki's computer, and with her brief introduction to the community forums, Hozuki Nozomi officially stepped into the players' spotlight under his pen name.
Healing Dawn: "Hello, everyone. I am Healing Dawn, the planner and scriptwriter for Magical Girl Misaki. I have some good news to share: in a few days, the Magical Girl Misaki light novel will be published by Fushikawa Bunko. Please give it your full support. You'll find more game details and hidden plotlines within its pages."
The moment his post went live, the backend notifications exploded.
"DOG PLANNER! INHUMANE SCRIPTER! YOU FINALLY SHOWED YOUR FACE!""BRING YOUR HEAD HERE FOR INSPECTION! MISAKI-SENPAI'S HEAD IS STILL ON THE GROUND!""IS YOUR PEN NAME EVEN SERIOUS, 'HEALING DAWN'?""YOU SHOULD BE CALLED 'ABYSS OF DESPAIR'!"
Watching the torrent of abuse scroll by, Hozuki Nozomi was suddenly reminded of an anime called Made in Abyss. Now that was a series that truly abused its loli characters—turning adorable girls into literal blood bags for a villain's use. It was tragic, horrifying, and deeply unsettling. If he were to adapt something like that in this world, the players would probably hunt him down for real.
Kamiigusa Misaki, observing Hozuki Nozomi being ruthlessly flamed, couldn't hold back a gleeful laugh. "Haha! Kohai-kun, it seems the players harbor quite a bit of… passionate feedback for you."
Hozuki Nozomi spread his hands in a gesture of helpless innocence. "What can I say? Their hearts are just too fragile. There is a perfect ending, isn't there? Is all this outrage really necessary?"
As he spoke, he began scanning the usernames of the most vocal detractors. One, in particular, stood out for its fervent activity and creative vitriol. The user's name was Kiririn. She was, by far, the most aggressive and prolific in her curses.