I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Frowning, Tenkuji Yu stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"What should we value... what can become our goal?"

A month ago, he wouldn't have hesitated at all and would have chosen his sister and the money directly.

His sister was his only family member, a treasure he would protect for the rest of his life—his level of importance was self-evident.

Money is the guarantee of life, and with money, my younger sister can have a better life... This has not changed to this day.

Therefore, the things he values ​​are actually quite obvious.

It's Kasugano Sora.

...But even after finding the answer, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't find a direction that could be called a 'goal'.

Protecting his family is his "origin," as deeply rooted in his heart as eating and drinking.

However, Qiong is now living a happy life—although her body is still weak, as long as she goes back to the doctor regularly and eats more nutritional supplements, not to mention exercising, even having a baby should not be a problem.

The house was left by the family; there was an inheritance and no debt. The two siblings were not extravagant people, and their daily expenses were not high.

In other words, even if he only wanted to be a lazy bum, take the civil service exam, and live a life of leisure, he could still live a happy and fulfilling life with his sister.

What's the point of trying then?

He has system rewards, subtly altered physical attributes, and all sorts of bizarre skills.

Yuu Tenkuji has so many things to do—whether it's participating in competitions, writing, opening a restaurant, or auditioning for movies, as long as he has the stamina, it wouldn't be difficult for him to make a name for himself in any industry.

But it is not necessary.

Because it's something that can be done, not something that must be done.

Because those were options provided by the system, not choices he made from the bottom of his heart.

"Did I ever have that thing...?"

some.

Yuu Tenkuji recalled that in that desolate space where no one else existed, "that person" chose to separate himself from his own emotions and chose to say goodbye to Yukinoshita with a smile.

His goal was very clear: to avoid facing tomorrow with sadness.

Because the feeling of completing the entire course was too painful, he decided not to put in any effort for the next track after being forced to step onto it, and instead became a casual player.

Just like Yukino Yukinoshita said earlier, he made excuses for his cowardice and blurred the direction of the destination.

That's why Yuu Tenkuji couldn't find his target.

As he pondered, seemingly having observed his expression with great interest, Yukino Yukinoshita chuckled knowingly:

"So, did this answer solve your problem?"

"The Tenkuji-kun who is good at studying, has plenty of money and love, and is several times more handsome than the average person?"

Yuu Tenkuji: "..."

Did I reveal too many flaws, or was she just as perceptive as her sister?

"It's just average, barely good enough to be used as a reference."

Tenkuji Yu rolled his eyes in response, clearly not wanting her to be too smug.

Seeing a child who stubbornly refuses to admit their mistake, Yukino Yukinoshita covered her mouth with one hand and laughed even more happily.

"So-so? Barely? You seemed to be deep in thought for quite a while just now. Would you like to share what profound insights you've gained?"

"Okay."

Raising an eyebrow, Tenkuji Yu stepped forward instead of backing down, returning her smile: "So the Ice Queen, who is the best in the whole school, has someone by her side who she can't beat no matter how hard she tries. That's quite unexpected."

"She must be a mature, beautiful, gentle, and all-around wonderful older sister that her younger sister can't help but admire, right?"

"..."

The composed expression on her face vanished completely, and Yukino Yukinoshita glared at him with a terrifying gaze that seemed to want to kill.

Just like a kitten whose tail has been stepped on, it was practically hunching over and threatening him.

Chapter Forty: The Troubles of Adolescence

"Let's leave it at that. As expected, we didn't get to the important stuff today."

Picking up the empty lunchbox, Yuu Tenkuji ignored the shock in her piercing eyes, checked the time, and prepared to return to the classroom.

"I have to work after school, so we'll talk about the fall performance next time. I'll come again when I have time."

“You can just disappear, it’s fine. I can handle things myself,” Yukino Yukinoshita replied immediately, her voice cold and displeased.

She glanced down at the few dishes left in the lunchbox, picked up her chopsticks again, and began to eat slowly.

Ignoring her cold attitude, Tenkuji Yu stood up from her chair and smiled: "Well, I still have to thank you for answering my question seriously. It would have been even better if you had been more friendly."

“I’m friendly to all students.” After swallowing the food in her mouth, Yukinoshita smiled elegantly and gently. “If you’re willing to address me as ‘Department Head,’ I might consider giving you the same treatment.”

"Your Excellency, Minister."

After she finished shouting, Tenkuji Yu looked at her with great interest.

Yukino Yukinoshita stood there, stunned and adorable.

A moment later, she raised her hand and pressed her temples as if she couldn't do anything about him, letting out a soft sigh of helplessness.

"I never expected you to be so shameless... Fine, since you've begged me so much, I'll adjust my attitude towards you from now on."

“No need for that. Arguing with you is quite enjoyable.” As she looked at her with surprise and confusion, Tenkuji Yu added with a smile, “It’s like educating a child who refuses to admit his mistakes. It’s full of challenging fun, and I quite like it.”

"So, it's okay if your eyes are a little fiercer, please keep it up, Minister."

"..."

Yukino Yukinoshita rarely dislikes a specific person.

Even the guys who bullied her back then, she only remembered their names and categorized them as trash, treating them with the same contempt and disgust.

She also has mixed feelings about her older sister, disliking certain aspects of her but unable to completely hate her as a person.

But at this moment, watching Tenkuji Yu's departing figure, her heart was stirred with a feeling she had never experienced before.

It was a strange feeling that made you tremble uncontrollably, your blood rush, your mind filled with his every move, and you wanted nothing more than to rush over, hug him tightly, and give him a German throw...

This was the first time Yukino Yukinoshita had ever experienced the feeling of hating someone so much that she wanted to punch them.

From that moment on, Tenkuji Yu was completely etched into her mind, albeit in a negative light.

"I'll bite you to death..."

Taking advantage of the empty clubroom, Yukino Yukinoshita bit off the head of the panda rice ball and muttered resentfully.

△

"Something important, huh..."

On the way back to the classroom, Tenkuji Yu looked out at the gloomy sky and sighed heavily.

I just wanted to find a goal to enrich my life, but I accidentally got caught up in even bigger troubles...

Is this what they call puberty?

Tenkuji Yu shook his head and smiled, his expression returning to normal.

"Even if I'm accused of escaping, it doesn't matter. My choice was the right one... Any smart person would do this for their own sake."

With this firm resolve, the day's classes quickly came to an end.

After saying goodbye to Totsuka Saika, Yuu Tenkuji chatted casually with Yui Yuigahama, who seemed to walk up to him unintentionally, and boasted about getting fourth place in his grade before heading towards "Angel Cafe".

The new part-time employee will officially start work today, and naturally, he will need to provide guidance on the first day, which is something he promised the store manager.

Fortunately, the part-time worker was not late and was very polite. Although she was not as serious and hardworking as the previous newcomer, Aoyama, she was very good at acting cute and could win the favor of customers and the store manager.

She hadn't even learned how to brew coffee yet, but she quickly immersed herself in the atmosphere of "Angel Coffee," treating the place like her own home. She even asked the manager to pay for a cup of tea and a piece of cake, and he welcomed her with great satisfaction.

In addition, Isshiki Hachi, who is a newcomer, is now very familiar with calling him senpai.

"Senior, I'm sorry! I don't know how to do this!"

"I'll teach you, remember it, and you can figure it out yourself next time."

"Senior, this is too difficult~ Please tell me again. You go first, and I'll watch from the side?"

"...You're not planning to slack off, are you?"

"Eh?! This is a misunderstanding! I've only been here for one day, how could I dare to slack off under the nose of my seniors!"

"Really? I misunderstood you. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, yeah, senior, you actually misunderstood me, that's so unfair, waaaaah... *sneak peek*"

"Stop faking your tears. Look at how I do it. I won't teach you a third time."

"Yes, I understand."

That's about it for the coffee shop incident. Aside from meeting a somewhat mischievous junior, there's not much else to say.

As night fell, Yuu Tenkuji returned home.

After finishing dinner, before going online to find Asuna, he played some games with Sora in the room that adults would also play.

Connect your NS to the big screen, Mario Kart, go!

"Yu, what's bothering you?"

Holding the handle, Kasugano Sora selected the plumber wearing a red hat and casually asked him a question.

Yuu Tenkuji chose Princess Bitch, and then asked in confusion, "Why are you suddenly saying that?"

"Idiot, you're being too obvious." She suddenly raised her hand, her cool fingertips touching the center of his forehead, and gently rubbed it with a touch of tenderness.

Her fair, delicate face showed a slight frown, and her tone was filled with obvious worry: "You've been frowning ever since you got home, it's almost gotten into wrinkles. Is it a serious problem?"

“…Well, I don’t think so.” Giving up on trying to defend her sister, Yuu Tenkuji sighed helplessly. “It’s the kind of problem where you know it won’t matter if you don’t care, but if you don’t resolve it soon, you feel like you’re being really lame.”

"Can you speak human language?" Kasugano Sora frowned as well.

After thinking for a moment, Yuu Tenkuji changed his words to this: "It's like when you're playing a game and you casually accept a side quest, even though it's not really a big deal, but you want to complete it before you start the main quest."