Disclaimer: I don't own Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai or any of the other works to which I will place as crossover elements at some point in the future.

Kirino and Kyousuke's relationship hadn't changed much.

Aside from the life counseling session they had a few nights back, Kirino hadn't talked to him at all. It was to be expected since he couldn't expect their relationship to change so quickly after one night alone. Although he hoped that some sort of connection was made, but it seemed like it would be a while before he could see the fruits of his labor.

"You've been looking dull recently, Kyou-chan." Manami commented as she approached his desk.

School had just ended and Kyousuke was lazily packing his books into his bag.

"I've always been dull."

He hated to admit it, but outside of his work, he was a pretty dull person. His own room is a testament to how dull he was. Then again, he always felt too lazy to actually put any effort in anything aside from his work...

"That's for sure," Kyousuke internally winced at the confirmation of his thoughts. It was one thing to admit it, it was another for someone to agree with it. "But I'm comparing you to the usual, Kyou-chan."

Kyousuke's wounds had healed quite well. He was a fast healer and injuries that he had received a few days ago was pretty minor when compared to the other major incidents he had got himself caught into. But after every time he had recovered from some sort of injury, he would feel a wave of tiredness that it commonly affected his school life.

But with what had happened recently with his sister, it had stressed him out and had allowed his tiredness (or in this case, dullness) to finally become noticeable to his childhood friend. Everyone else would probably not have notice it at all.

He found it odd that he was more stressed now, when compared to the after effects of a life threatening mission.

"Just some things happening." He replied vaguely as he stood up. "Anyway, let's head home."

"Yes!"

His childhood friend had always been there for him. She had been his childhood friend and had been his childhood friend now. They still held the same relationship as they had back then despite his, at best, foggy memories. She also served as a pseudo-tutor for him since he tended to be completely caught up at the incidents he gets himself in, in his work.

"So, what happened?" Manami asked as they finally stepped out of the school premises.

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said before, I'd be happy if you told me the reason why you've been so tired recently."

Manami had always been the one that had the ability to tell apart his current states that no other could come close in comparison. Kyousuke would sometimes admit that she can read his own state better than his own.

The fact that she's asking now despite the fact that Kyousuke usually would jump around the subject would mean that he looked a lot more tired than usual.

"The reason why I've been dull lately, huh?" Kyousuke made a gesture that looked like he was thinking hard on it before he returned to his usual dull expression, "It has nothing to do with you, so you shouldn't worry about it."

Manami looked at Kyousuke suspiciously.

"Does this have something to do with that?"

Due to Manami's great perception regarding his state of mind and body (she did know him better than anyone else – bar himself), she had known that Kyousuke participated in something. Even with constant badgering, she could never find out what exactly that something is. So she eventually stopped asking whenever its related to that something. Anything else however, is fair game.

"...sort of."

Kyousuke dearly hoped that she wouldn't notice his slip. He could never quite lie to her when she's in this state.

"Well, then!" She said with a bright smile, "Tell me everything not related to that something!"

Kyousuke resisted the urge to facepalm.

"You just can't leave others alone can you?"

For some reason she smiled more brightly and giggled at that observation.

Seeing this, Kyousuke decided to give up the futile attempt at keeping from her what was bothering him recently.

"Your little sister?"

Kyousuke nodded while he continued to walk in the same pace.

"What's the matter with your little sister?"

"She... she asked me for life counseling."

Manami didn't need to know what exactly his sister's secret is. After all, he promised to keep it a secret.

"Asking for life counseling... from you?" She asked in disbelief.

"Is it really that unbelievable?"

At least Manami had the decency to look embarrassed at what she had just said.

"Though she said it was counseling, it was just some circumstances that made me listen to her talk."

Kyousuke paused for a moment, only the sounds of the passing wind and their footsteps making sounds as they walked onwards.

"...she seems so troubled about it, but I can't do anything about it so I leaver her alone."

"I see..."

Manami placed her index finger on her lip as she looked up. A few moments later, she let out a giggle.

"Kyou-chan is so kind."

"...what gave you that idea?"

Such a bold statement made him embarrassed, so he looked away to hide it. Although his response had already given him away.

"You don't seem to be able to do anything, yet you want to do something for her, right?"

"..."

That was all the answer she needed.

Eventually they reached the crossroad to which Manami would normally head the other way while he would head another way.

"By the way, Kyou-chan. How are your studies going?"

"Not so well." Kyousuke admitted, "I've been too busy lately."

For some reason the incidents have been slowly picking up speed. Just this year alone, he had already took double the amount of work than any other years before (except his first year, although his memories of that time was extremely vague).

He was fairly smart on his own right (which was a given, due to the nature of his work and abilities). The fact that he was still passing despite all the stress that he got himself into (which would send a lesser man failing their school work or giving up altogether), was already pretty commendable. He would have been fine if the majority of his work was in-class things like test and essays but anything that involved homework or projects continued to escape him. As it stands, he either turn up to school half dead with all his homework finished (which of course would make his school and parents worry) or he can turn up presentable to the casual observer but miss most of his homework.

He could obviously allow the organization he was part of to pull some strings, but it can only go so far that people would start noticing. So he'd rather get the barest minimum so that no one, not even his father would realize something was happening behind the scenes.

Despite this, he wasn't all too worried about his school life. His work had already given him a college degree in Forensics and the like (they were all legal albeit, the way it was obtained was so roundabout and some of the channels too hidden, that people might think it was illegal) but he couldn't really give an explanation as to how he got that college degree without revealing his line of work.

So in order to further his cover as an average high school student, he had to get another degree through common routes (i.e. Actually going to some sort of public [as in, not hidden or secret] school and graduating). It would only be then that he would be allowed to use his other degrees.

The problem however, is if he can even pass his current school work.

"It's because you always miss on doing your homework." She lightly scolded, "If that's the case, then let me help you."

Despite how she looks, she's actually pretty smart. In fact, she's the only reason that he's doing so well since she always assisted him on finishing his school work and projects.

"That would be a great help! I just can't seem to get myself to do my homework when I'm all alone."

"Let me guess, you've been using your time at home to sleep?"

"Are you some sort of esper or something?"

She saw right through him. But even then she was still smiling.

Studies and entrance exams were the usual subject that students in high school talked about. Since he had no need to worry about the kind of school he needed to go (no doubt his sister would take some high profile college and completely outshine him anyway – that and he wasn't really allowed to get too much attention in public as it might threaten his cover), he just opted to go where Manami was planning to go to which was a local university.

"Okay, let's meet up at my house and then head over to the library. Oh, and a new flavor is out. Would you like to try it too?"

"Hm? That would be most helpful."

Manami's family ran a Japanese sweets shop. So whenever a new flavor came out, Manami would always give him a sample taste.

Whenever he tasted one, he would always feel a sense of nostalgia that he couldn't really quite place. So he always accepted her offer whenever she'd give her a sample.

"Sure. I don't think I can help with your sister's life counseling, so I'll be nice to Kyou-chan instead."

"You're too nice." Kyousuke said fondly.

Manami took this as high praise since she began swinging her bag in front of her. This would normally convey nothing to a person that didn't have the same bond as he did with Manami, but for him, it was a lot like a dog eagerly swinging their tail. This action meant, in words, 'praise me more'.

"You would make a good wife someday." He turned around not looking at Manami as she glowed a bright red at his praise.

Once Kyousuke was going to turn right, he noticed his sister and her friends coming.

If one compares Kyousuke and Manami to Kirino and her friends, it would seem like an imaginary spotlight would shine on them as Kyousuke and Manami's presence seemed to be magnifying their presence.

Manami watched the girl's pass by with admiration.

"Those were really cute girls. It must be nice to be young."

With those kind of comments, it wasn't a surprise that Kyousuke normally thought of Manami as a grandmother suddenly turned young.

"Granny, remember you're a high school girl. You've been forgetting too many things recently." Kyousuke teased.

"I know, Grandpa." Manami countered, "But even when I was in middle school I wasn't as shiny like them. They're still kids... yet they are much more mature than me. Maybe I should work harder."

"You're fine the way you are Manami." Kyousuke said stiffly.

Left unsaid was the fact that if Manami became like them, he would no longer have any safe haven of normality.

A day had passed and Kyousuke was currently typing away at his laptop.

He was currently going through various applications of advanced physics and chemistry. This level of work is already at a college undergraduate level, but he wasn't doing this since he was good at it. He was doing it since he was bad at it.

No, he wasn't a perfectionist nor does he want to seem like some sort of genius despite that people who often thought of him as a lazy and dull person would have a change of heart. He was doing this since he might need it at sometime in the future. Though technically speaking, physics and chemistry was something that people encounter in a near daily basis.

Inputting the last few calculations to what needs to be done in order to reduce the forces that is applied to a person falling from a high height with the sudden addition of a single force that pulls into the person's hip. Essentially, this is a person falling from a high height and then suddenly using a grappling hook. So he's trying to find out what to do to make the person survive the sudden jerking sensation and to analyze the structure of the string used if it would break at that situation. Once the analysis is done, he could find a way through the use of several advance calculations to find how or which structure should the string be to withstand the force for the duration or for that instant to which the full force is felt.

Kyousuke sighed and pushed himself away from his laptop as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Numbers. It was one thing that he could never really escape from and it annoyed him to no end. If this didn't apply to his work so much, he would have never bothered with it.

Why the heck was he spending his free time on doing things that good students would do? He wasn't even a model student himself anyway!

Really, in these brief moments of lull, he should find something to occupy his time aside from sleeping. All his homework was done since he finished it with Manami the day before. Maybe he should get himself one of those portable gaming devices. He hadn't played a single video game for months now and even then, it was only when his school friends pulled him into one...

He was brought out of his thoughts when his phone began to ring.

Not even looking at where his phone was, his hand fumbled around his desk as he kept his eye shut. Once he found it, he placed it to his ears.

"Hello?"

"Kyou-sempai! How are you doing? Your injuries healing well?"

Resisting the urge to slam down the phone and ignore the caller, he took a deep breath.

"Cut the crap Junpei. What is it this time?"

Author's Notes:

Here's the third chapter of the story. Next chapter would give most of you who are wondering what exactly Kyousuke does for work the answer that you are seeking. I also apologize if this is shorter than intended, but I didn't think that it would mix in well with this chapter if I added any more.

The next chapter might be delayed since I've decided to rewrite some of the things I have written in advance.

Also, thanks to those who have inputted constructive criticism. I haven't actually corrected it until I updated with this chapter since I was too busy (or too lazy)... And like I've said before, I don't have a beta so I might have missed something so feel free to tell me if a mistake does show up.