She had serialization experience, but she was still a newcomer and couldn’t produce the kind of art that actively catered to the market.
So, as a standard of judgment, Kirino evaluated Kyousuke’s Name purely from the perspective of a reader.
But that was exactly why Kousaka Kirino could sense something different about it.
The moment she had unconsciously read “The Windy” aloud, she had already been drawn into the work without even realizing it.
Was it really true that a smart person could do anything?
Kirino suddenly felt a little deflated, realizing that the one talent she’d always taken pride in might not be beyond Kyousuke’s reach after all.
“Damn it, it’s so infuriating!” If she praised him to his face, he’d probably make fun of her, wouldn’t he?
Kirino pouted and shot a deeply displeased glare at Kyousuke, who had leaned against the cabinet in her room and was now dozing off thanks to the warmth inside.
He’d stayed up late again last night and had only dragged himself out of bed this morning, the belated demands of his biological instincts crying out for rest.
Kirino ignored him and continued turning the pages one by one, her mind gradually sinking deeper into the story.
The pacing of the first two chapters wasn’t particularly fast, focused mainly on establishing the background — the seal beast Kero-chan explaining the origins of the Clow Cards and detailing Sakura’s family situation.
Because The Windy had scattered all the other cards, Sakura now bore the responsibility of gathering them all back into the magic book.
With that, she formed a contract with Kero-chan and gained the ability to unlock the key’s seal.
As she turned to the end of the second chapter, Kirino paused.
The Fly card was running rampant, the main plot kicking into gear as the protagonist Kinomoto Sakura was about to directly demonstrate the core mechanics of the series.
A line of dialogue was written in the notebook, and from the paneling, Kirino could roughly make out that Sakura was holding a key.
“Key that hides the power of darkness, reveal your true powers before me.
I, Sakura, command you under our contract.
Release!”
“A setup where the magic staff activates the cards to cast spells?
And are the cards inspired by tarot cards?”
Kirino’s pace in flipping through the notebook grew slower and slower, her gaze lingering on the content far longer than it had at the start.
Sakura used The Windy to ensnare The Fly as it tried to flee, ultimately sealing it successfully.
The new card fell into Sakura’s hands, ready to be used as a tool in future battles.
“This is actually…
surprisingly interesting.”
The girl sat cross-legged on the floor, her body practically itching to move.
After Sakura activated The Fly card and soared through the sky, the third chapter officially came to an end, and Kirino let out a long breath before closing the notebook.
She stood up without a word, then extended her long right leg and drove her foot straight into Kyousuke, who was still dozing beside her.
Thud—
Kyousuke jolted awake, a dull pain radiating from his shoulder.
He opened his eyes to find Kousaka Kirino standing beside him, acting as if nothing had happened.
“Let’s go, to the studio.
I’ll try drawing some rough sketches to show you.”
“Hm?
So that means my Name passed your review, right?”
“It’s still a long way off, but I suppose it does have some merit.
I’ll reluctantly agree to collaborate with you, just this once.”
“Heh.”
Kyousuke picked himself up off the floor with a light laugh and followed her out of the room.
The quality of Cardcaptor Sakura spoke for itself — he had plenty of confidence in it.
In an era overflowing with magical girl stories, a setup this distinctive would easily catch people’s eyes, and the coherence and pacing of the plot itself were no less impressive.
A work that had endured for over twenty years in later generations without being forgotten — how could it possibly be as “barely passable” as Kirino claimed?
“By the way, you kicked me just now, didn’t you?”
“No, you were having a nightmare.”
“Heh.”
…..
After informing Mieko, the siblings took the train and arrived once more at Kousaka Kirino’s secret base.
“How much does renting this studio cost per month?”
On his second visit, Kyousuke began seriously assessing the surroundings.
The whole room was around fifty square meters, with its own bathroom and kitchen area, while the remaining space formed one large, complete room — though those tall cabinets draped in black cloth made it feel rather cramped.
If Kirino was truly willing to collaborate, then as her partner, he didn’t mind chipping in some financial support.
“Three hundred thousand.”
Kyousuke froze.
“What?”
“I said the monthly rent here is about three hundred thousand yen.
Are your ears not working?” Kirino swept an impatient glance his way.
Kyousuke hadn’t misheard — he simply doubted whether his ears were functioning correctly.
Was she kidding?
This was Sakaemachi in Chiba Prefecture.
A typical vacant single-family house in the area wouldn’t cost much more than that, so what on earth made this ordinary apartment so expensive?
But then he recalled the mountain of cash under Kirino’s bed and let it go.
Given how easily the girl before him had been swindled into signing that solicited manuscript contract by Iori Setsuna, she’d probably never bothered to research the going rental rates in the area either.
She’d clearly been taken for a ride.
If he were a real estate agent, he’d probably love a client like this — lots of money, few demands, and not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
“When does the lease end?”
With this in mind, Kyousuke felt it was necessary to stop his sister from continuing to hemorrhage money like this, so he asked another question.
Kirino sat down at her work desk and began rummaging through the drawers for manuscript paper.
You’re so annoying, stop interrupting my train of thought.” The blonde girl pulled out a fresh stack of manuscript paper and slapped it onto the work desk, shooting a vicious glare at Kyousuke.
What was his deal?
Was he just making conversation for the sake of it?
The image she’d just started to piece together in her mind had been completely scattered by his chatter, and she should’ve known better than to bring him here.
He really was an insufferable guy.
“There’s a sofa over there, go sleep there or something.
From now on, don’t talk to me.”
Kirino pointed to the right of the work desk, where she’d set up a designated break area with two Hello Kitty hug pillows sitting on the sofa.
Whenever she got tired from drawing, she’d rest there.
Kyousuke wisely shut his mouth and sat down gently on the sofa, his gaze locking onto the blonde girl.
She’d jumped into work mode that quickly?
In the entire room, besides the sound of their breathing, the only noise was the soft scratch of the dip pen gliding across paper.
Kousaka Kirino’s focus was entirely concentrated on the pen in her hand, her brow unconsciously smoothing out as a smile gradually spread across her face.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, draping over the girl as if she were clothed in a veil of golden wedding lace, and Kyousuke rested his chin on his hand, leaning back against the sofa and openly appreciating the sight.
This sister of his really did love drawing — in all the time since their families had merged, this was the first time he’d seen her smile like that.
The temperature in the room rose steadily as the heater did its work, and Kyousuke felt a wave of warmth wash over him, the drowsiness that had been chased away earlier creeping back in.
‘She’ll probably be at this for a while, might as well take a short nap.’
So Kousaka Kyousuke thought as his eyelids drooped shut, leaning back against the sofa and sinking into a deep sleep.
….
Two hours later, Kousaka Kirino set down her pen and looked over the several sheets of artwork before her, stretching with satisfaction.
“As expected of me, I can sketch these out so quickly.”
Across the manuscript paper, the characters from the first three chapters of Cardcaptor Sakura had sprung vividly to life.
She hadn’t rushed to produce finished pages directly from the Name — she’d simply been working on character designs, which might end up being different from what that guy had in mind.
She’d start on the proper manuscript pages once the designs were finalized.
So Kirino thought as her gaze drifted over to Kyousuke.
“Seriously?
I’m here working my butt off, and he fell asleep again.
Is he really that tired?”
The girl carefully slipped away from her work desk, walked over to the sofa, and crouched down to study Kyousuke’s face intently.
The boy’s clean-cut features wore an expression of complete relaxation, utterly defenseless.
“This guy…
even his eyelashes are annoyingly long.”
Kirino couldn’t resist reaching out to touch them, but Kyousuke didn’t stir.
“Out cold.” As if suddenly struck by an idea, a mischievous grin crept across her face.
Quietly, she rose to her feet, retrieved an oil-based marker from her work desk, and crouched back down beside him.