I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a man in a suit and tie slowly emerged from the shadows of the garage not far away.

"Well, although I didn't really want to interrupt your conversation..."

That was less an elegant sound and more a sickeningly hypocritical one.

"But Lady Yuuki, and Miss Asuna, do I really have such a low profile?"

He stepped into the area illuminated by the streetlights, seemingly to assert his presence. With his arms slightly outstretched at his sides, he approached the group with a smile that was both slightly helpless and warm and polite.

He was a tall, slender man wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit. He had a slightly long face and wore frameless glasses. Behind the thin lenses, his eyes were narrowed and slightly curved like lines, as if he always had a kind smile. He looked to be no more than thirty years old.

He was also the first person who, based solely on his impression and intuition, made Yuuko Tenkuji feel inexplicably irritated just by seeing him.

"Sorry, I accidentally overheard something just now."

After greeting Yuki and her mother, the man in the suit turned his gaze to Tenkuji Yu, pushing up his glasses and narrowing his eyes.

"You must be little brother Tenkuji? My surname is Sugo, Sugo Nobuyuki. You can just call me big brother Sugo."

After saying that, Sugo Nobuyuki extended his right hand and gave Tenkuji Yuu a friendly smile.

"..."

Chapter Sixty-Six: His acting skills are still too raw.

Looking down, Yuu Tenkuji looked at the hand that was being extended toward him.

Her nails were neat and clean, and an expensive gold-plated watch strap peeked out from the cuff of her suit, showcasing an understated yet luxurious style.

His fairly handsome face was adorned with a friendly smile. He was humble yet not subservient, and his attitude towards me, a high school student, was far better than that of Kyoko Yuuki. He had the charm of a friendly older brother next door.

Despite this, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but sneer inwardly:

'Your acting is still very immature, uncle.'

First of all, if he truly placed himself on an equal footing, this guy wouldn't have emphasized "little brother Tenkuji" just now;

Secondly, even though he was speaking to himself, he kept glancing at Asuna beside him, his narrowed gaze extremely aggressive, though he simply hid his ill intentions deep inside.

He thought he had hidden it perfectly, but in Tenkuji Yu's eyes, this acting was even more fake and ridiculous than Teacher Ma's lightning five-whip.

Xu Xiang Shenzhi, your eyes are crooked, your mouth is crooked, your smile is fake, your gaze is lewd, and you have ulterior motives. Not a single movement of yours is decent!

You think you can compete with me on the same stage with that? Keep dreaming!

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sugo."

Despite his thoughts, with the Yuuki family mother and daughter watching him, Yuu Tenkuji naturally wouldn't actually do anything impolite.

With an attitude even more natural than that of Bixuxiang, he gently shook hands with him, glanced at him with curiosity and doubt for a few moments, and then casually withdrew his hand.

Then it activated "Renewal" ten times in a row, puff puff puff...

He cleaned away all the temperature and sensation he had just experienced, but even so, a certain creepy feeling still seeped into his subcutaneous tissue, making him wish he could immediately go back and scrub with soap dozens of times.

That's disgusting.

Completely different from Asuna's soft and smooth little hands, this was the first time he realized that holding a man's hand could be so uncomfortable.

—No, it's probably a problem with the object.

Tenkuji Yu suddenly realized that from the moment they first met, he harbored a deep sense of aversion and wariness towards the man in front of him.

This was the first time he had ever felt such intense hostility towards someone—even when he was being stalked by a female stalker, his reaction hadn't been this extreme.

Why is this?

Before he could find the answer, Nobuyuki Sugo continued with a smile and an enthusiastic tone.

"Thank you for taking the time to escort Miss Asuna home. It's really dangerous for a young woman to walk alone at night. Thankfully, you helped me. Otherwise, my wife and I would have been filled with regret if something had happened."

"Eh? No, you're welcome..."

Tenkuji Yu's eyebrows twitched slightly. She tried hard to suppress a smile, but instead blinked at him innocently and naively, just like an ordinary high school student.

Seeing his appearance, Sugo Nobuyuki unconsciously puffed out his chest, subtly elevating his posture, and continued his clumsy performance:

"Oh right, I only mentioned my name, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I am the adopted son of Asuna's father, President Yuuki, a technician at RECT, and an expert in full-dive technology. I am the director of RECT's full-dive technology research department."

Regardless of whether he had heard of the company "RECT", Nobuyuki Sugo recited his impressive resume fluently, as if reciting a menu.

"The president's adopted son? The technology director? A technical expert?"

He couldn't help but gasp, his eyes widening in shock, before he sighed deeply.

"So you're Asuna's 'sworn brother'? How rude of me."

Before Sugo Nobuyuki could react, he quickly bowed at a 15-degree angle and said sincerely, "I am Asuna's soon-to-be boyfriend, Tenkuji Yu, who has become her husband in a certain game."

"To be honest, even though I have many special talents, I am just an ordinary high school student at the moment, and I cannot compare with you."

"However, I will still need your guidance in the future—like Koichiro-nii, I hope you can also approve of my relationship with Asuna!"

Sugo Nobuyuki: "..."

This seemingly weak yet subtly powerful "soft fist" left him speechless for a moment, unable to continue his prepared lines, and he was completely dumbfounded.

And this guy, there are way too many tricks hidden in just a few words...

He first emphasized his status as the adopted brother, then played the emotional card with Asuna, and implied that although Asuna did not have outstanding qualifications, he had the potential to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Finally, he compared himself to his own brother, Yuuki Koichiro, thus subtly positioning himself as an elder.

If you keep raising the steps higher and higher, he won't be a match for Tenkuji Yu, but rather someone on par with the bride's family...

Has anyone ever seen a family member get involved in a fight with the groom over the bride?

Looking at the kind-smiling high school student in front of him, Nobuyuki Sugo's lips twitched slightly, and his puffed-out chest unconsciously shrank back.

His proud and confident gaze subtly softened, revealing a hint of seriousness and vigilance—but that was all.

A mere teenager who hasn't even grown up yet, who can only talk a little and has some cleverness, is not enough to make this social elite feel wary.

Not to mention, there's another possibility—

The other person genuinely wanted my support for their relationship and was completely unaware of my ulterior motives; I was simply overthinking things.

The more Sugo Nobuyuki observed Tenkuji Yu's expression, the more confident he became in his guess. A self-deprecating smile crept onto his lips, and his expression gradually relaxed.

Tenkuji Yu blinked innocently, but in reality, he was quite interested in watching the changes in the eyes of this 'amateur actor'.

What's interesting isn't the acting, but the characters in the play.

……

While Sugo Nobuyuki and Tenkuji Yu were talking, Yuuki Asuna couldn't help but look at her mother.

"Mother, why would Mr. Sugo..."

Kyoko Yuuki, her eyes half-closed, calmly said, "I sent him. I originally wanted Nobuyuki to have dinner at home and discuss your marriage..."

"Marriage?!" Before she could finish speaking, Asuna Yuuki grabbed her sleeve tightly, shaking it anxiously, "Didn't I tell you not to make decisions for me?! I already have Yu-kun, and I will absolutely not marry Mr. Sugo!"

"Let go." Kyoko Yuuki frowned and glared at her.

"I won't let go!" Her gaze was as firm as a blade as Asuna Yuuki stubbornly glared back. "Mom promised that as long as I find someone worthy of me..."

“I already said it!” Kyoko Yuuki pressed her temples with a slight emphasis and sighed, “Sigh, you’re getting more and more disobedient… If you don’t let go, I’m really going to talk to your father about your engagement to Nobuyuki.”

"Okay, I'll let go." Yuuki Asuna decisively released her grip, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her mother expectantly. "So, Mom, you won't interfere with what Yuuki and I do anymore?"

"That's really harsh. Mom is doing this all for your own good, why can't you ever understand?"

Kyoko Yuuki shook her head, turning her gaze away from her daughter and instead toward the two people talking not far away.

"As I said, I reserve my opinion on your matter. If he's inferior to Shinji in every way, and can't provide you with a comfortable life in the future..."

"Asuna, it's best to give up now and find a reliable man. That's the best option for you."

“Mom…” Her expression darkened, and after a long silence, Asuna Yuuki shook her head firmly.

"That's best for you, not for me."

Chapter Sixty-Seven: The One Who Makes the Choice Is Herself

On the other side, Yuu Tenkuji was still talking to Nobuyuki Sugo.

"Young people's love...it's really something to reminisce about. Back then, I was only focused on studying and making something of myself, and I never had a relationship with a girl. Looking back now, I still regret it a little."

Skipping over his previous topic, Nobuyuki Sugo adopted a bittersweet expression, reminiscing about the past and expressing his feelings with a wry smile.

Tenkuuji Yuzuru nodded {I understand, I understand} and said very seriously, “With your qualifications, Sugo-nii, you will definitely find a female office worker who is worthy of you! Just like Asuna and I, we are the right age, our personalities are compatible, and we will naturally walk down the aisle in the end—you have to believe in yourself, you can do it!”

Nobuyuki Sugo's eyes twitched slightly, but his face remained full of smiles: "Thank you so much for your encouragement... But besides age and personality, don't you think being well-matched in terms of social standing is also important?"

"I don't think so," Yuu Tenkuji replied frankly without hesitation.

As if he had finally found a place to attack, Sugo Nobuyuki's slightly forced smile returned to normal, and he said meaningfully, "I see, so this is the thinking of a high school student. How naive."

Yuu Tenkuji couldn't agree more: "After all, Asuna and I are both high school students, and you uncles and aunts... cough cough, adults will ultimately have a different perspective on things."

"Even if we have excellent grades in school, our youthful minds are still immature. Between love and money, we can easily and impulsively abandon money and choose noble love without considering whether we will regret it in the future..."

"It's ridiculously naive. Don't you think so, Mr. Sugo?"

He squinted his clear, bright eyes, like a high school student answering a question seeking the teacher's approval, and calmly met the gaze of the adult man in front of him, smiling slightly with ease.

Sugo Nobuyuki: "..."

The sarcastic tone, and the way of saying everything he wanted to say first, leaving him speechless...

More than feeling annoyed, Sugo Nobuyuki was concerned about whether this guy genuinely believed it or was deliberately trying to provoke him by seeing through his intentions.

In any case, he cannot afford to lose the argument, or things will become difficult!

"Since you understand this principle, I'll just be frank with you."

Taking a deep breath, Nobuyuki Sugo decided to stop his roundabout approach. A cold, venomous glint flashed in his glasses, his smile fading slightly as he looked at him and said in a deep voice, "For Asuna's future, the president and his wife are looking for a son-in-law who can provide her with a happy life. Feelings aside for now, the most important thing is whether he can meet her daily material needs..."

"Putting feelings aside for now?!"

Suddenly interrupting him, Tenkuji Yu's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed with dramatic intonation:

"Wow, so as long as you have money, you can do things like abducting young girls? No wonder they are social elites, able to do things that we can't so easily. They are truly admirable!"

"You... don't try to change the subject! Although money can't buy feelings, material life is a prerequisite. You just talked about the relationship between love and bread, you should understand that."