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Kamiyama city, Shiragawa county, Chitanda’s house.

A young woman is sitting on the sofa in the living room, wearing dark suit and skirt, looking dignified and experienced. She is Chitanda Ako, who had just returned home.

She was holding two pieces of paper, which she kept flip through. She sometimes looked amazed and yet sometimes looked doubtful. These two papers were Kana’s report card from her elementary to high school, dug up by Chitanda Yukihiko. Kana had rarely taken any exam, so it wasn’t hard to gather.

“Kana, although she rarely go to school, she always aced her exams, even surpassing Eru a little,” when Yukihiko said that, he also seemed in disbelief.

Ako wrinkle her brows, “This girl, how… why has she kept this hidden from us all this time?”

“It can’t be called hiding,” Yukihiko opened his palm, said, “she just didn’t tell us, perhaps because she thought it was nothing Eru hadn’t said. Nevertheless…”

Nevertheless, neither of them had taken them seriously.

Since when had their relationship with their daughter become this frigid?

Ako stayed silent, mostly because she also thought almost the same.

However, Yukihiko knew that her wife and first daughter’s relationship was very vile. They were two peas in a pod, both arrogant and hard to communicate with. Ako also wouldn’t yield down lying down out of embarrassment.

“Uh…” Yukihiko patted his thigh, “Kana, after returning from the hospital, still doesn’t want to talk to me. Go and talk to her.”

Kana didn’t even want to speak with him, how would she want to speak with her mother? It’s obviously that she don’t. However, on Yukihiko’s request, Ako opened her mouth a little, and then said, “very well.”

After losing consciousness, Kana continued to experience low fever for a few days, forcing her to be absent. Missing school for a month, attend for two days, and then ask for pardon for a week. She, her year’s best examinee, quickly became the amusing topic in the school.

While she was absent from school, Kana has spent a lot of time playing FPS games, watching war films, and even order the same model gun that Furoichi Taketoshi had through mail order. She tried to fire the gun at herself, and although she was grimaced in pain, the illusion that overlap with reality and drowned her consciousness and chocked her back then didn’t appear.

“Why?” Kana depressingly massaged her forehead, the spot where a bullet just hit.

“Maybe it has the same principle has trypophobia,” Eru suggested.

“Hm?” Kana looked curiously at Eru.

Eru lifted one finger and explained, “A person can be frighten of barnacle as a reaction from trypophobia, however, they don’t react the same to rice, even though a bowl of rice clearly has a lot more holes compared to barnacle. This is because that person is very familiar with rice and subconsciously knows that it won’t do him any harm. Big sis might have reacted violently when he pulled out his gun, but not to your own gun, because you subconsciously know that you’re safe.”

“Subconsciously know that I’m safe?” Kana munched over it, nodded, “makes sense, you are really smart, let me reward you with a kiss.”

“Sis,” Eru’s extended finger pushed Kana’s lips, “never mind the kiss, help me finish this work.”

Kana’s face turned gloomy for an instant, and then she pointed at her computer, “Don’t you think something is off? “Hyouka” is obviously your classic literature club’s anthology. I’m not a member of the classic literature, so why am I editing it!” she complained.

Kamiyama High’s cultural festival has started， and Eru is Classical Literature Club’s president, and writing an anthology the club’s tradition. According to Eru, the Classic Literature Club only has five people left, and none of them have any anthology writing experience, so Eru thought of Kana.

“But I have never done anything like this either!” Kana put down her finger, “A cover, the typesetting, and on top of that, a novel. Do you think that I am a superhuman?”

“Nn,” Eru said without the slightest hesitation, “In my eyes, big sis can do anything.”

“In that case, I feel honored,” Kana rolled her eyes, “yet, you have rejected my cover designs.”

“A catgirl, a battleship, a Victoria’s Secret supermodel…,” Eru arranged the printed covers on the table, and she said seriously, “our anthology isn’t “Jump”, “Defense Publication”, neither is it “Playboy”¹these covers are too irrelevant to the topic of the Classic Literature Club. Sis, please be more serious.”

‘Mankind live only for the sake of catgirls!’ However, Eru very clearly disagree with this truth.

Kana then picked up a cover and said, “I would say this high school girl isn’t bad. I poured my heart and soul into this.”

“I certainly can see the effort in this,” Eru said, face red as tomato, “but why did you use my photo!”

In the cover, Eru was wearing her high school uniform. She was hugging a book and stood by a wooden window frame. She looked up the blue sky, lifting her head by 45 degree angle, and the simple curtain and the jet-black hair gently blown by the wind from outside.

It was an artful scene, a hybrid between classics and modernity. Kana felt like there couldn’t be any better cover for “Hyouka” than this, but the sensitive Eru persistently refused, so the cover designing meet a deadlock.

Clunk.

Chitanda Ako opened the door and allowed herself in, smiling, “Eru, Kana, what are you doing?”

“Mom,” Eru smiled back.

“Knock the door before entering,” Kana coldly said.

This woman is Kana and Eru’s mother, Chitanda Ako. If Kana and Yukihiko’s relationship is described as frigid, then Kana’s relationship with her mother is instead filled with hostility.

That’s because for the last few years, Ako has dedicated herself into looking for a good husband for Eru, which is a husband that would make Ako’s political life smoother and broader.

Not only was Eru especially outstanding, she had also grown to be pretty, making her an extraordinary political bargaining chip. Ako also disliked the idea of using her early, so until today, Eru hasn’t been engaged yet.

“I already knocked, but you guys were too absorbed in your chatting that you didn’t hear.” she lied through her teeth like a politician’s second nature. Ako extended her hand to stroke Kana’s hair and asked, “Kana, how do you feel?”

Kana slightly avoided her hand, “Don’t bother asking. In any case, I’m not dead yet.”

“It is mom’s fault to miss your birthday,” Ako retracted her hand, smiling, “however, you have to give your mom a chance to make up for it.”

“Oh?” Kana lifted her eye and asked, “how would you make up for it?”

“Hm…” Ako bit her lip to show that she was thinking, after a while, she said, “tomorrow, the Mantohashi family will be holding a wine reception. Would you like to join me?”

Kana immediately sneered, and then mocked her, “were you just trying to lure me into mating with someone because you saw my decent asset?”

Ako’s smile turned rigid. She did have a small ulterior motive of introducing her to someone, however, Kana had relentlessly puncture the thought that hasn’t even turn concrete idea yet. Ako only realized by then that she knew too little about Kana. This first daughter’s intelligence has preceded her age.

“Sis…” according to past patterns, this is a prelude to another fight, Eru gripped Kana’s hand to stop her for continuing her speech, worry painted her face.

However, Kana had no slightest intention to back down, she continued to be vile, “self-righteous girl, do you think your little gesture can cover up your lie?”

Ako herself is also arrogant, how could she resist. Kana’s taunt? “oh my, aren’t you the self-righteous one? I’m your mother. Did you think that you can speak to your mother like that because you ranked first in your year?”

“Mother?” Kana smiled like she is looking at a trash, “A third-rate art student like you had to resort to your position as a mother so you won’t be quivering in your shoes?”

“A third-rate art student?” Ako seethed with anger, she looked around, and saw the work-in-progress product on her computer screen and printed cover in her hand, she ridiculed her, “Did you make this? Not bad, although only someone who like this artstyle would say something like a third-rate art student.”

Ako graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, the best educational establishment on arts Japan has to offer, and it is something she is really proud of. If she didn’t walk the path the politics, she would have become a famous artist instead.

“What do you know? Old hag, this style is trending right now amongst high schoolers,” Kana retorted, lifting up her chin.

“Ha? But this is a classical literature magazine!” Ako pointed at the cover’s title, “How can a classical literature magazine use such a gaudy style!”

Kana curled up into a smile, “then what do you think the cover should be?”

“Obviously a simple writing on top of white background,” Ako took a pen, and as she draws, she explained, “the title is best drawn with a brush, a childish strokes will be okay, it can even give it a feeling of returning to simplicity, however…”

As she said that, she felt funny. Her hand stopped moving instantaneously.

Ako slowly looked up, and saw Kana seriously looking at her pen.

This girl… she is really smart.

“Kana,” Ako called her, and Kana then looked at her, winking, her face looked serene, as if she didn’t explode with anger earlier.

Ako then let out a bitter smile, “if you want my help, just say so.”

1. Jump is referring to a manga magazine. It is released every month, containing the latest chapters of many manga.
   Defense Publication is likely referring to magazines in the topic of defense. Many countries publish their defense policy to communicate what they perceive as threats, what kind of capabilities they want to respond to them, and how are they going to obtain these capabilities to the world. Not every country does this, however.
   Playboy is a men’s lifestyle and entertainment magazine, I know little about this magazine, but men be men, I guess.