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459 – I’ll Say It Again: Tonight, I Am Absolutely Not Sleeping!
🕑 Added 2025-08-19 15:00:18 +0000 UTCThe girls, lively and charming, sparkled with bright eyes and sweet laughter.
Their sugary giggles made an ordinary morning feel almost dreamlike, as if the scene had shifted into paradise.
…At least, that’s what it would have been—if you ignored what they were actually talking about.
Once you listened in, confusion for the entire day was guaranteed.
“But I was the one who spent more time playing with Kasuko!” Eriri puffed up her cheeks in protest, desperate to argue against the cruel reality.
So what if she had?
The bond between siblings worked differently.
Even if a brother was cold to his little sister a thousand times, that one rare moment of kindness would be enough for her to cling to him forever.
She wouldn’t lose faith in him—she’d only want to play with him more, because she’d believe that gentle side would appear again.
Instead of disappointment, it only deepened her affection, turning her into her brother’s little shadow.
She cherished every moment with him—hoping to eat meals he cooked, listening intently whenever he spoke, even if she didn’t fully understand.
Just earning his attention was enough to make her grin ear to ear, her joy overflowing in the simplest, most direct ways.
And besides, Kyousuke wasn’t just any brother—he was an exceptional one.
The day Kasuko started making friends, being able to proudly say she was Hojou Kyousuke’s little sister would definitely become her favorite brag.
That was something every sister did—without exception.
Even she, a not-so-perfect older sister, had received endless love from Yuzuru.
Whether good or bad, siblings shared everything together.
As one of the only two people there who actually had siblings, Nishimiya Shouko knew the answer to Eriri’s question all too well.
But she simply pressed her lips together, unwilling to hurt Eriri’s feelings.
Naoka, however, wasn’t nearly as gentle.
She shot Eriri a strange look and bluntly asked:
“Eriri… are you jealous?”
Jealous? Everyone froze at the word.
Jealous of Kasuko and Kyousuke?
Was Eriri envious of the little girl receiving such unearned affection, or envious of Kyousuke for showering Kasuko with that kind of doting care?
“H-Huh? What are you even saying? Kids are cute because they’re simple—they like whoever treats them well!” Eriri snapped back, still pouting furiously.
She had already been pushing snacks onto Kasuko at every chance, right up to the limit of what Aunt Mikiko allowed!
Didn’t sharing stolen treats make them the closest of friends in the world?!
“I see now. You’re jealous of how close Kasuko is with Kyousuke.” Naoka nodded knowingly.
As expected, Eriri was still a hopeless idiot.
“And you didn’t even notice—when Kyousuke was slumped over the desk daydreaming, Kasuko was starving, but she didn’t eat anything. She didn’t even ask Kyousuke to cook for her. No puppy-dog eyes, no finger-in-mouth pouting.”
Sakura cheerfully piled on the attack.
“Huh?! Don’t tell me Kasuko wasn’t imitating Kyousuke back then?!” Eriri cried out in shock.
She then recalling how the tiny girl had rested her chin on the desk, staring dreamily at Kyousuke.
That moment had melted her heart completely.
“You idiot,” Utaha cut in mercilessly. “Kasuko didn’t want to disturb him because she could see he was tired.
If you hadn’t blurted something out, she probably would’ve kept waiting, hoping quietly in her heart.
And after Kyousuke left, she would’ve just eaten something else to fill her stomach.”
Her words were sharp, but her heart rippled softly.
Ah… such beautiful sibling love.
So this was the kind of adorable girl born from Hojou’s family’s genes.
Of course—their first child in the future had to be a girl.
With that thought burning inside her, she leaned even closer to Aunt Mikiko, eagerly asking for child-raising tips.
“T-That’s what it was?!”
Eriri was dumbfounded.
She never imagined Kasuko’s sweet little act had been hiding such deep concern for her brother.
“It’s fine, Eriri. You don’t need to understand these things—you’re already cute enough as you are.”
Sakura reached over and patted her silky blonde hair, whispering a gentle ‘It’s okay, It’s okay.’
The words instantly brightened the blonde princess’s mood.
Yes! She was a natural-born beauty—being a little airheaded only made her cuter.
Besides, she was bursting with talent.
Who wanted to be flawless anyway? That would just be intimidating.
She was perfect just like this—a shining blend of beauty and genius.
“Yes, that’s right! I’m a beautiful idiot!” she proudly declared.
At that, Yamauchi Sakura and Hojou Mikiko exchanged glances and burst into carefree, hearty laughter—so alike in their simple, happy-hearted way.
Their newly crowned “beautiful idiot” beamed, feeling as if she’d won Kyousuke’s mother’s approval.
“…I can only agree with half of that,” Utaha finally interrupted, her child-rearing lesson rudely cut short.
“Ha! Let me guess—you’re going to say I’m an idiot but not a beauty, right? That’s fine, I gave up on your sense of taste ages ago. I mean, what can anyone expect from a woman whose most striking feature is a white headband~”
Eriri folded her arms and launched her counterattack.
“I never thought I’d be insulted by someone who wears green track suits every day, and needs her mother to deliver clothes anytime she dares step outside.”
Utaha sighed dramatically, face full of tragic despair, as if she’d just suffered an unbearable humiliation.
Eriri bristled instantly, lips parting to unleash her rebuttal.
A girl’s charm wasn’t defined by clothes—it was her natural features that mattered!
Like golden hair of artisanal quality, or… uh… flat—flat shoes! Yes!
Pure sapphire eyes, porcelain-like skin—that was the essence of a true beauty.
But just as she finished organizing her thoughts, Utaha smoothly cut in again:
“Not only were your insults completely off the mark, but even your guesses about my response were wrong. I’ll admit—you are a beauty. What I reject is the ‘idiot’ part.”
“Kasumigaoka…” Eriri’s eyes widened in shock.
She never expected to hear such words of praise from Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Wait, no—that made sense.
Of course this woman could recognize her beauty.
Still, hearing her actually say it aloud was surprisingly moving.
“Well then, since you admit I’m smart, from now on—”
“Smart? Don’t make me laugh. What I mean is, calling you an ‘idiot’ isn’t nearly strong enough. Even stupid doesn’t cover it.
You should probably take an IQ test, so everyone has a proper way to address you. Imagine it: they call you Zero—it sounds trendy, doesn’t it?
Very English, perfectly fitting your heritage.”
Utaha’s long, merciless barrage left Eriri dumbstruck.
Even Aunt Mikiko’s gaze froze slightly.
“Hohoho~~”
Utaha covered her mouth with her hand and let out a dainty laugh before suddenly throwing her arms around Aunt Mikiko, her voice flipping into a syrupy-sweet tone:
“By the way, Aunt Mikiko, did you know? Kyousuke’s been tutoring Katou lately, and I’ve been learning alongside her. His teaching style is so impressive—I just know it’ll be perfect for raising children in the future~.”
Hojou Mikiko was still looking a little dazed, as though she hadn’t yet recovered from Utaha’s poisonous verbal strike.
“But… when it comes to learning a foreign language, the environment matters most. If both parents speak English fluently, the child will naturally pick it up too. Isn’t that right, Lady Sawamura, our noble English aristocrat?”
“…Yes.” Eriri puffed out her cheeks, sulking but unable to argue.
She etched the humiliation deep into her heart, vowing never to forget it.
Even if she had to erase what little English knowledge she had left in her brain, she would make room for grudges!
“But actually, my English isn’t very good either. It’s just standard Japanese-style English. Kyousuke, on the other hand, speaks it really well.”
Mikiko spoke as if she hadn’t even noticed the verbal sparring between the two girls.
Yes, exactly!
Some kids with parents who can’t speak a word of English still grow up speaking like Londoners, while others with full-blooded British fathers can’t string a sentence together.
The world is fair like that!
Eriri immediately puffed out her chest, emboldened by this unexpected support.
Really, why did people need to master foreign languages anyway?
That’s what translation groups were for!
Preserving your own culture was everyone’s duty.
If you put too much weight on other languages, your mother tongue would get jealous!
Look at her—she spoke Japanese perfectly, didn’t she?
…That was what she thought, at least.
But when she saw Kasumigaoka open her mouth to speak again, the blonde princess panicked and quickly cut her off.
“Wait a second! It’s all your fault for causing a distraction—I almost forgot to ask Kyousuke about this sakura tree!”
Yes, that was the real issue this morning!
Everyone should be thanking her for dragging Kyousuke out of bed—otherwise, they’d have been restless with curiosity all day!
“It has a name, Eriri,” Sakura reminded her.
Eriri wrinkled her nose, looking troubled.
“Still… calling a tree ‘No Doubt About It’ feels way too awkward. People would think I’m an idiot.”
“I never thought I’d hear that from the same girl who named a koi fish ‘General Bubble.’ This world really is full of surprises.”
Sakura sighed in wonder, and Mikiko along with the others burst out laughing.
Kasumigaoka, surprisingly, didn’t join in mocking Eriri this time.
But then again, considering she was the one who had named a puppy Momotarou, she really didn’t have the right to laugh.
‘Wait—what? Momotarou’s owner was Kasumigaoka, not Kyousuke, and definitely not Yamauchi Sakura? When did that happen? ‘
Oh… right. It was that way from the very beginning.
And Eriri? She was just Momotarou’s close playmate.
“Fine, fine! ‘No Doubt About It, No Doubt About It!’” Eriri shouted, her cheeks flushed bright red.
“See? Doesn’t it sound just like a flower’s name when you say it out loud? It fits perfectly!” Sakura grinned in satisfaction.
“No doubt about it…” Eriri mumbled, repeating the name under her breath as her head started nodding unconsciously.
Now that she thought about it, it did feel kind of like something out of a hot-blooded shounen manga!
“No, wait! The real question is why ‘No Doubt About It’ started blooming again!” She shook her head vigorously, trying to drive Sakura’s brainwashing words out of her mind.
“Oh, I know that one!”
Sakura jumped in before anyone else could speak.
Everyone who knew she’d been the only one to see Kyousuke last night turned to look at her.
Actually, there were two people who wanted to wait for Kyousuke to come home yesterday.
But everyone knew Eriri would always end up being coaxed into bed.
It wasn’t just Yamauchi Sakura who had done it—Yukari, Naoka, even Shouko had all taken their turn.
Every night, the little blonde wanted to stay up until Kyousuke returned.
It was as if she couldn’t end the day without seeing him before she slept.
But… she was never the only one who felt that way. And she was always tricked into falling asleep somehow.
Yukari would gently cradle her, cleaning her ears with such tender care that Eriri usually drifted off before one side was even finished.
Naoka would pull her into endless dress-up sessions, drowning her in sweet compliments until she grew too tired to resist.
Outfit after outfit wore her down, and soon enough she was watching silver needles stitch delicate patterns onto fabric with drooping eyelids.
Shouko’s method was the simplest—she would pick out a light novel and read it aloud with her irresistibly beautiful voice.
For a hopeless otaku like Eriri, there was no standing up to a real-life seiyuu’s magic.
And so, every night ended with baby-like sleep.
Almost all the girls in the dorm had seen Eriri’s adorable sleeping face.
The one exception was Kasumigaoka Utaha.
She was the most generous of them all—willing to quietly wait beside Eriri until Kyousuke came home, and even unbothered when Kyousuke carried the sleeping blonde back to her room.
What did it matter? Sure, Kyousuke had just been holding Eriri.
But now he was holding her, kissing her.
He’d already forgotten the blonde completely.
“Why?” Eriri asked bluntly.
She had just been tricked by Sakura a moment ago, but her short-term memory wasn’t strong enough to save her from falling for it again.
Besides… didn’t ‘No Doubt About It’ really sound like a flower’s name?
Sakura had a point!
“Because I have a special talent!” Yamauchi Sakura nodded firmly, her tone deep and resolute.
‘…A special talent?’
Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on her.
Messy hair sticking out like a pinecone tail, eyelids so heavy they seemed ready to shut at any moment, and those supposedly “wise” eyes… If she’d said she wanted to compete with Eriri for the title of “biggest idiot,” that would’ve made sense.
But talent?
Her talent was spouting nonsense with a straight face?
The girls all rolled their eyes together, silently scolding themselves for ever expecting anything from Yamauchi Sakura.
“No, really! I’m serious! The tree only bloomed again because of me!” Sakura shouted when she saw everyone tuning her out.
“…Fine. I’ll hear you out. Just one sentence, though!”
The kind hearted Eriri showed mercy, her crystal-clear stupidity shining bright.
Kasumigaoka leaned her elbow on the table, nibbling at a piece of pancake as if settling in to hear a bedtime story.
Mikiko’s eyes curved with a smile, looking forward to finding out what kind of “talent” her star pupil was about to reveal.
