37. You Were Born Before Me

"Of course, the first step is to get along well with your daughter."

"Then, I'll get information from her about your interests and preferences."

"Finally, I'll tell Oni-chan."

"That way, he can change himself to match what you like, Leonora-neesan."

"Yuki-chan, you're amazing. That's actually a great plan."

Leonora clapped her hands in approval.

"That's exactly the kind of trick a player would use."

"At its core, it's just pretending to be someone you're not and deceiving a woman's feelings."

"No one can keep up a façade forever. Sooner or later, their true nature will come out."

"Besides, most daily habits are ingrained in a person's bones."

"Forget pretending for a lifetime, even keeping it up for a week would be tough."

"For someone observant, the flaws in that approach would be obvious."

"You're still too naive, little sister."

"This kind of trick might fool an inexperienced girl, but there's no way it would work on someone like Ryoko-neesan or Sakurako-neesan."

Sawamura Akira scoffed, mercilessly mocking his little sister.

He had to deal some psychological damage to this foolish girl.

She needed to understand the dignity of an older brother.

"Oni-chan, if you're so amazing,"

"Then tell us your method."

"Anyone can talk big!"

"If she is naive, take her to see the bustling world. If she is weary of life, take her to ride the carousel."

"If he is young and inexperienced, undress before him. If he is well-versed in romance, lure him with the warmth of home."

Sawamura Akira declared smugly.

"How about that? My method is far superior, isn't it?"

Clap clap clap!

Thunderous applause erupted.

Everyone was stunned by Akira's poetic prowess.

Whether it was classical or modern poetry, he had it all at his fingertips.

And the wisdom in his words left many who had lived half a lifetime feeling ashamed.

Several middle-aged men with potbellies nodded in approval, expressing that they had learned something valuable.

The women, on the other hand, were completely enchanted.

Sawamura Akira, this beautiful young man, was simply their ideal romantic partner.

"Oni-chan, are all literary geniuses like you this much of a player?"

"No, calling you a player isn't enough."

"You're practically a modern-day romance saint."

"My Oni-chan is just too incredible."

"Can you stop giving me weird titles?"

"Wait a minute, what did I just say?"

Realizing the weight of his own words, Sawamura Akira finally snapped back to reality.

The way his childhood friends were looking at him was downright terrifying—as if they had transformed into vengeful spirits.

"Damn you, little sister, this is all your fault."

"Listen, you guys have to believe me! Those weren't my original words."

"I heard them in China!"

"I swear, this isn't my own creation!"

"Sawamura Akira, you shameless womanizer, do you think we'd believe that?"

"Akira-kun, you're the worst."

"Little Akira, you're absolute scum."

"Let me explain! Those were just some passing thoughts I had."

"I've never actually used those methods!"

"Besides, do I even need to rely on tricks like that?"

Akira was sweating bullets, desperately trying to clear his name.

"The moment you spoke to Miss Leonora, you instantly turned into an innocent young boy."

"Sawamura Akira, do you think we're blind?"

Akira: ...

Busted. He had just been exposed immediately after saying it.

"Oni-chan was right. If he went to Kabukicho, he'd definitely become the top host."

"Yuki, shut up! How can you say that about your own brother?"

Suou Yumi pulled her little devil of a daughter to her side.

This troublesome girl was still making things worse for Akira.

If not for her, Akira wouldn't be getting ganged up on by his childhood friends.

"You can't trust a single word from a player."

"Especially a modern-day romance saint."

"Ladies, if I really wanted to win a girl over, I wouldn't need to go through all that trouble."

"If you don't believe me, I'll prove it right now."

In order to clear his name, Sawamura Akira turned to Leonora, took her delicate hand, and sincerely declared:

"Leonora-neesan, from the moment I first laid eyes on you,"

"A poem immediately surfaced in my mind."

"At first, I wasn't planning to share it, but now I've gathered the courage to say it."

"What poem?"

"You were born before I was, and when I was born, you were already old."

"You regret that I was born too late, and I lament that you were born too early."

Leonora froze upon hearing the words.

Her blood-red eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Overcome with emotion, she threw herself into Akira's arms and confessed without hesitation:

"No! It's not too late at all! The timing of our meeting is just perfect!"

"This is the will of the goddess of fate, bringing us together."

Everyone: ...

"Did I just help Oni-chan score points?"

Suou Yuki murmured to herself, a faint hint of envy in her eyes as she cupped her chin.

"Suou Yuki!"

Suou Yumi was livid.

Her beloved son had fallen for a woman far older than him, one who was her peer.

How was she supposed to accept this?

And the mastermind behind it all was none other than her own daughter.

"Oni-chan, save me!"

"Mom's going to kill me!"

Seeing her furious mother approaching, Suou Yuki quickly hid behind her brother.

"Sawamura Akira, you shameless flirt, let go of my aunt!"

"Erina, can you be reasonable?"

"Look, I'm raising my hands in surrender."

Akira lifted both arms, looking utterly innocent.

"Sorry, Eriri,"

"This is fate's will, and I refuse to let go."

"I'm doomed."

"Sawamura Akira, have you considered Alice's feelings?"

"Erina, but I fell for Leonora-neesan at first sight."

"What can I do?"

"Since I'm already being called a pervert, a player, and a romance saint,"

"I might as well embrace it."

Akira said with a nonchalant shrug.

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