During lunchtime, Aomatsu stared at Tomoko Kuroki's face, lost in thought.

"What's with him, he's so annoying," Tomoko Kuroki thought, expressing her disdain with dead-fish eyes.

"Um, I'm a little curious..." Aomatsu adjusted his glasses and finally spoke up.

"What?"

"Are you the type who stays up all night playing games or something?"

"...," Tomoko Kuroki simply didn't want to answer such a stupid question and continued eating her meal with dead-fish eyes.

"Hmph, so it's true?" Aomatsu raised his hands triumphantly, closed his eyes smugly, and said with a mysterious confidence, "So far, I'm the only one who has discovered your secret, so you don't have to worry. But I never thought that the majestic striker of the soccer team, the character dreamed by many girls, with his sunny personality and perfect physique, would secretly be..."

"Ow! That hurts!" Before he could finish, Tomoko Kuroki's head was covered in "wells" and a book flew towards Aomatsu's face. He let out a cry of pain, and his glasses fell to the ground.

"I'm not a shut-in, and I don't stay up late. No need to apologize. Just stop being so self-righteous in the future," Tomoko Kuroki said, feeling that Aomatsu had some kind of annoying special skill, just like her older sister.

"But those dark circles under your eyes..." Aomatsu picked up his glasses in disbelief of his misjudgment, then suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh! I understand now! So that's how it is? You're... doing... 18+ things every night! Hmph, as a man, I understand..."

When a book was about 0.5 centimeters away from his face, Aomatsu quickly dodged to the right, but his knee hit the edge of the table. "Ouch!"

"So I said..." Tomoko Kuroki's head was now clouded with thunderstorms. "Stop making self-righteous fantasies... These dark circles are hereditary, got it?"

"Um... sorry. So, it's hereditary? Then your siblings should have them too, right?" Aomatsu scratched his head, awkwardly trying to diffuse the situation. "Do you have any siblings?"

Tomoko Kuroki thought of her sister, who was truly too embarrassing to mention, struggled for a moment, and said, "Yes, I do, but... they're a species far from humans... probably not even considered human... Let's not talk about it anymore, please..."

"What?" Aomatsu was baffled. Psychic powers? Endangered girls? Special constitution? Eccentric? Could this be the beginning of extraordinary encounters in high school?

During the last class of the morning, Tomoko Kuroki was already considering her lunch options. Although she discovered last semester that she wouldn't lose her seat if she stayed put, she still occasionally had the urge to use the restroom. Moreover, enduring the detestable atmosphere of the class filled with realists all morning made her want to take a break at lunch. Right?

With this in mind, she racked her brain the day before school started and finally found the perfect solution online -

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"Yes, this is it." Tomoko Kuroki silently searched through her backpack, found her target, and her smile gradually turned sinister. With this, she could eat lunch in a small area outside the rooftop door without being disturbed.

Ah, enjoying a peaceful moment with no one to bother her, freely indulging in otome games, watching videos, reading manga... it's simply blissful...

Like last year's wasted summer vacation as a shut-in?

Suddenly, her heart felt like it was being stabbed.

Oh well, even enjoying a lazy summer vacation at school is a kind of happiness. Probably.

"Ah, it's time for class to end."

Tomoko Kuroki took out her secret weapon from her backpack and put it in her lunch bag when no one was looking. Then, without anyone's notice, she ran out of the classroom and went up to the top floor. Then she took out her secret weapon and blew into it vigorously at the only small hole. But even after blowing until her face turned red and her heart was pounding, it still felt a bit deflated.

"I can't do it, I can't do it... Seems like my lung capacity isn't that good either, I guess..." Tomoko thought, preparing to make do with it and sat down. It wasn't too bad, just a bit deflated, and she would lean to the side if she wasn't careful.

Yes, this secret weapon is an inflatable stool (with the design of Chicken Nugget-kun w) and a neck-hanging phone stand. Can't deny that having hands free to eat and watch is just awesome.

And that's how Tomoko spent her almost-late but joyous lunchtime.

After school, Tomoko walked straight into Tomoki's room.

"Get out," Tomoki said as usual. But Tomoko, as usual, ignored him and sat on the floor.

"Well, I thought I didn't need to communicate with you anymore. But..." Tomoko Kuroki, with an inexplicably creepy smile, confidently tossed her black hair, "After all, I'm your gentle, caring, enthusiastic, and lovely one and only big sister, right? This bond of blood can't be ignored. How can I bear not talking to my little brother anymore?"

Can't... hit her... can't hit her... can't hit her!

After repeating this mantra several times in his mind, Tomoki finally calmed down and said one word: "Leave."

"I'll commit suicide! I really will commit suicide!" Tomoko Kuroki roared.

"Fine... What's the matter? Spit it out, then die immediately!"

"Don't be so tough. Deep down, you really want to talk to your sister, don't you? Although I sometimes have the attributes of being a cute, aloof, and tsundere, after all, I'm your sister. In short..." Tomoko Kuroki regained her mysterious confidence, "Today is an important day. So, how was the first day of your high school life, DK (High School Boy)?"

"It's fine."

"You don't have to lie to your sister. On the first day, you didn't know anyone in class, didn't make any friends, and ate lunch alone... Don't force it. If you want to cry, just cry. I won't mind at all."

What is this woman talking about...

"Sorry, but that's not true. You're the only one without friends, aren't you?" Tomoki mercilessly pointed out.

Click -

An arrow pierced Tomoko's heart, and she petrified in place.

After regaining her composure, Tomoko continued, "Oh, hehehe... Joking, how could someone as cute, lively, and smart as my realist sister not have friends? Anyway, did any of your middle school classmates attend the same high school?"

"Yes. Apart from those boys who often come to our house, there are two girls in my class, and also Aomatsu from the soccer club, whom I wasn't very familiar with before... Why do I have to explain so much to you? Besides, even if I did, you wouldn't know them. Besides, normal people wouldn't fail to make friends just because they don't know their former classmates, right?! Hurry up and leave!"

"Oh, can't sisters show concern for their little brothers? Well, today's conversation training is complete. That's it. Don't think too much about your sister, hehe."

Tomoko Kuroki stood up. Truth be told: her brother's realist reality had dealt her a blow of ten thousand points, and she couldn't take it anymore. She was outta there.