I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

“That’s right, but he refused the club fee. This kid still prefers to rely on his own efforts; his pride is about as high as yours.” After a few hearty laughs, Hiratsuka Shizuka patted him hard on the back, then looked at him with some surprise, his expression unchanged.

"Look, after I patted him like that, not only did his expression not change, he didn't even spit out blood. Isn't that pretty tough?"

"No, it would be worse if he vomited blood!"

Two identical comments rang out at the same time, and Yuuki Tenkuji and Yukino Yukinoshita met eyes and stared at each other in silence for half a second.

"...Anyway, come in and let's talk."

The girl lowered her gaze and sighed with a slightly complicated expression.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The First Encounter, About to Erupt

"You can talk to me, I have to go now, remember to lock the door."

After saying this, Hiratsuka Shizuka turned and left, closing the door behind her.

The classroom fell into an inexplicable silence once again. Yuu Tenkuji didn't stand there in a daze; he silently pulled up a chair and sat down.

Yukino Yukinoshita gazed at him, her clear, lake-like eyes unblinking, her brows slightly furrowed as if she were hesitating about something.

"The car... cough." She pursed her pink lips before speaking softly, using a light cough to cover it up, and then spoke again in a calm tone.

"Let's get to know each other first. I'm Yukino Yukinoshita, you should know me."

Her words were filled with an air of self-assurance, which made Yuu Tenkuji subtly twitch the corner of his mouth.

"Indeed, the whole school is buzzing with rumors about you and Xia Chuan today."

Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita immediately showed an expression that, although she was used to it, was still very impatient.

"Rumors? How ridiculous. The parties involved have no intention of paying any attention to them, yet others are wasting their energy on such trivial matters. Why not spend that time paying more attention to the US presidential election?"

She shook her head in disappointment, opened the paperback on her lap, and casually made a scathing comment.

"Even the schools with the highest deviation scores still have a group of fools who are easily manipulated by public opinion."

"Well, that's true..."

Even though Yukino Yukinoshita's words were true, Yuu Tenkuji inexplicably sensed an air of 'arrogance,' as if a queen were standing on a high platform, coldly mocking the crowd below.

Is this what is called "personality distortion"?

I feel like he's considerably weaker than Yukinoshita Haruno...

"However, in this situation, rather than being manipulated by public opinion, it's more accurate to say that everyone is just making fun of you, right?"

After thinking for a moment, Tenkuji Yu refuted her argument in this way.

"This has nothing to do with schools or anything like that. It's just the human tendency to watch the excitement and gain a sense of superiority at work. Whether it's the ignorant masses or 'smart people' like you, anyone can get involved."

"..."

In late summer and early autumn, even though the air conditioner wasn't running, the air around me felt subtly cool and still.

Silently putting the book she had just picked up aside, Yukino Yukinoshita stood with her legs together, her back straight, and stared at him with a slightly cold gaze.

"As the person who was mocked by my peers in jest, how dare you compare me to them? Tenkuji-kun, so you're on the side of 'evil' after all?"

Her cherry-pink, crystal-clear lips parted slightly, but her words were sharpened into a knife, slowly revealing their edge to him.

Tenkuji Yu didn't flinch, but simply met her eyes with amusement.

"Yukinoshita-kun, your attempt at twisting the facts is so clumsy!"

"……What's the meaning."

"Does mocking you in jest make those guys detach themselves from humanity and become a different species from you? My comparison is based on 'human weaknesses,' but you presumptuously assume I'm speaking for them, shifting the concept to the 'victim and victim' perspective, arbitrarily drawing a line between good and evil between us, and easily treating me as an enemy."

Tenkuji Yu shrugged, sighing as if she couldn't do anything with a mischievous child, "Just like she said, she's really innocently cute..."

Her gaze grew colder, and Yukino Yukinoshita clenched her fists, a startling anger surfacing on her pretty face.

Instead of immediately retaliating in kind, she narrowed her pupils and glared at him sharply, like a cat with its fur standing on end and growling, asking him word by word:

"You know my sister?"

"Your sister? Who is she?"

His acting was flawless, and Tenkuji Yu tilted his head in confusion.

Her brows furrowed, and her melodious voice, once so pleasant as a stream, became anything but polite: "Someone whose manner and tone of voice are just like yours, someone who makes people angry just by listening to them... The 'she' you were talking about earlier, is that Yukinoshita Haruno?"

"No, it's Hiratsuka-sensei." While reflecting on why she insisted on expressing her feelings so clearly, Tenkuji Yuu shifted the blame to Hiratsuka Shizuka, saying with a smile, "She said your personality is a bit difficult to get along with, and that I should be prepared. It seems that's true."

"..."

She stared intently at him, but couldn't find anything suspicious in his expression. Her inadvertently agitated emotions gradually subsided.

After a while, Yukino Yukinoshita closed her eyes slightly and began to take deep breaths.

His black hair swayed slightly, and contrary to his prickly demeanor, his very humble chest rose and fell accordingly.

Tenkuji Yu glanced at it subconsciously, but she seemed to be offended by that momentary look, quickly pulling up her perfectly neat collar and looking at him with disdain.

"Ha, I thought you had some skills, but I didn't expect you to be just a refined scoundrel."

"……ha."

Even after she said that, Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but smile, finding her childishly adorable—it was just like children arguing, trying their best to mock their opponent as soon as they gained the upper hand, without any intention of leaving themselves a way out.

No wonder Yukino Yukinoshita... Never mind, I promised myself I wouldn't miss her.

He smiled and shook his head, then got up, walked to the door, and locked it.

Then he leisurely leaned against the door, crossed his arms, and looked at her with a smile.

"Alright, Yukinoshita-san."

"Now, if I were truly a civilized scoundrel, I would subdue you before you could dial the police, and show you the consequences of speaking recklessly... Even if you know Aikido, it won't help. Want to try?"

"..."

The color drained from his face, and cold sweat appeared on his pale forehead.

Even though she maintained a calm expression, Yukino Yukinoshita knew in her heart that the boy in front of her was definitely not bluffing.

He can indeed rush over and subdue you before you can do anything yourself.

After all, no matter how fast she moved, she could never be faster than that 'monster' who could rescue the puppy from under the car in less than a second.

She witnessed it all from the back seat of the car and still can't believe it. Humans can move so fast it's like teleportation, running from one end of the road to the other in the blink of an eye.

But no matter how much you disbelieve it, reality is reality, and you should only start to have doubts once you are completely safe.

...Moreover, his expression, his eyes, and his aura were just like a jackal preparing to hunt its prey; he was completely serious.

Without realizing it, I found myself in a dangerous situation.

"Tsk..."

Unconsciously holding her breath, Yukino Yukinoshita bit her lip slightly, her small hand slowly and cautiously reaching into her skirt pocket, while her eyes were fixed on him, trying to put up a little resistance without attracting his attention.

How did you know I know Aikido?

"A Kamen Rider who happened to be passing by told me this. Besides that, there's also information about your arm strength, stamina, and inability to sustain intense exercise for long," Yuu Tenkuji said casually, listing off details as if they were second nature.

Yukino Yukinoshita gave a cold smile.

"Hmph, it seems you even did some investigation. What a clever hypocrite."

"I overheard it by accident, what can I do? I can't shut those people up."

"Stop hiding it. Tell me, roughly when did you start watching me?"

She stared at him coldly, but Yukino Yukinoshita's attention was not on him.

Great, I found the phone!

Next, just press the one-button alarm...

Just as her heart was racing, preparing to turn the tide and win the battle against the perilous situation.

Tenkuji Yu suddenly sighed, and the sinister smile that had made people nervous just now disappeared. He spread his hands and shook his head.

"Forget it, I must have been stupid to waste my time acting out this 'girl and criminal' scene with you."

"you……"

Yukino Yukinoshita was stunned, her finger hovering over the screen, momentarily forgetting to press the button.

Ignoring her reaction, Yuu Tenkuji unlocked the door, walked back to her seat, picked up her bag, and didn't seem to care about the defensive stance she adopted when she approached.

"I'll come again another day if I have time. Let's skip the small talk and get straight to business then. I'll head back now."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the door.

How could I possibly let you leave so easily!

A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and Yukino Yukinoshita opened her mouth to shout, "Stand..."

"There's one more thing, under the snow."

Chapter Twenty-Four: I'm Still Quite Confident About Blended Coffee (August 27)

Before she could even speak, he interrupted her.

With half his body outside the door, Tenkuji Yu stopped and turned to face the girl who was staring at him with a gloomy expression and cold eyes.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and revealed a friendly and approachable smile.

"To be honest, I don't like to judge a woman's worth by her figure, but your barren and boring figure really makes me not even have the urge to be a hypocrite or a scoundrel. Those rumors are not entirely wrong. At least in terms of charm, you are indeed no match for that transfer student surnamed Xia Chuan."

"So please don't worry, let's get along well in the upcoming club activities!"

Ka!

He closed the classroom door, leaving the girl alone enveloped in the cold, silent air.

"..."

After a long while, heavy breathing, as if suppressing some kind of anger, broke the silence.

"Tenkuji... I was wrong to agree to let Hiratsuka-sensei send you the club fees back then, even though it was wrong... Ha, very good."