I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

No matter how reasonable this statement may be, the gap between knowing and doing is always daunting, and one can never muster the courage to utter the words.

Therefore, the opportunity to move forward was missed, and the confession that should have been accepted was missed... In all these ways, cowardice is a line of defense for human beings to protect themselves. However, ironically, most cowardice will eventually lead to regret rather than the relief of escaping disaster.

Yuu Tenkuji believes that people who can face their desires and overcome their weaknesses are very cool.

This includes herself, as well as Asuna Yuuki, who, after a conversation with her mother, successfully persuaded her to take leave next weekend to go to Soubu High School to participate in the "Autumn Club Showcase".

"Mom said she doesn't care about your background. As long as you can prove that you are no less than anyone else, she will no longer oppose our relationship... Sigh, this stubborn old woman, she really won't listen to any advice!"

During her pre-sleep hotline chat, she complained bitterly.

As expected, Tenkuji Yu smiled and said, "Well, I don't think that just saying a few big words will make her willingly hand over the daughter she raised for seventeen years."

With a soft "hmm," Asuna Yuuki clearly disagreed with this statement.

"If she were really so reluctant to let me go, she wouldn't have made me go on a blind date with Mr. Sugo! Besides, Grandpa and Grandma didn't make any demands on Dad, so why is it so complicated with her..."

Tenkuji Yu shrugged, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes: "There are all kinds of people, and there are also mothers who, for the sake of the family, would send their daughters abroad if their boyfriends didn't marry into the family."

After a moment of silence, Asuna Yuuki still couldn't let it go, and sighed.

"It's really strange... Isn't it natural to date and marry someone you like? It's fine if you think that way yourself, but why force your children to measure their feelings by value?"

"This is the adult world; it's normal that we can't understand it."

Amidst her steady breathing, you could hear her gently kicking the bed, her voice a little girl's complaint.

"Anyway, I don't care. If she's still like this after next weekend... Hmph, I'll just run away from home to show her! Let her go and marry Mr. Sugo herself!"

Those clearly defiant words startled Yuu Tenkuji: "Run away from home? Where can you go?"

"Where else can I go? I don't have any good friends at school to stay with, so I had no choice but to come to you."

Speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, Asuna Yuuki softened her voice and said in a feigned aggrieved tone, "Are you planning to abandon me, Yu-kun? We even slept in the same bed in that world, but in reality you won't even let me sleep on the sofa... That's so mean, I'm crying."

The teasing and mockery in his tone was so obvious that Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead in exasperation: "No, that's not the point..."

But Yuuki Asuna, caught up in the moment, clearly didn't take his words to heart.

"Oh, by the way, speaking of which, may I visit your home sometime when I have time?"

"……what?"

"To be honest, I'd rather have an older sister or a younger sister than an older brother. I'm a little curious... Even though we're not officially dating yet, you've already met my family, but I don't even know what your sister looks like. Don't you think that's unfair...?"

Yuu Tenkuji: "..."

Meeting family isn't like drawing cards; you draw one and I draw one. Where's the unfairness in that?

The same thing happened with Yukinoshita last time; she got angry if I didn't let her see her... Why are girls so fixated on this kind of thing?

This is truly baffling!

"You know what? My sister is super jealous. Getting to know my sister won't improve your relationship as sisters-in-law. On the contrary, it will make me, the one stuck in the middle, feel uncomfortable."

"So I'm sorry, I'll definitely do it next time."

Unfortunately, no matter how much she thought about it, Tenkuji Yuu ultimately didn't have the courage to say those words aloud.

……

Friday was a sunny day, and the air was especially fresh after the rain.

After replying to Asuna Yuuki's message to say good morning, Yuu Tenkuji changed into her school uniform and went downstairs to prepare breakfast.

Before long, the aroma of toast and fried eggs filled the entire house, as if announcing that the morning had officially begun.

He called out a few times from the living room, and Kasugano Sora dragged her unsteady steps and looked dazed as she went downstairs to eat breakfast.

After seeing him off in a daze, she went upstairs again, looking confused, as if she was going to catch up on some sleep.

—This kid probably played games past the allotted time again last night; his steps are a bit unsteady.

Having made up her mind to give her a good talking-to when she got back, Tenkuji Yu locked the door and headed towards the station.

It wasn't too early, but many office workers and students had already taken to the streets, like the blood of the city beginning to circulate and continuously supply nutrients.

Under the clear blue sky, the roadside trees dot the ordinary street scene of Chiba City. The green leaves have been tinged with a few traces of yellow, but they still stubbornly refuse to fall.

Gazing at the autumn sky, Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but sigh:

"Autumn is here, and winter is not far behind..."

"So you have to buy some of the fattest crabs to cook at home before winter."

He's not a sentimental poet.

Compared to her writing, which she has hardly ever used, Yuu Tenkuji is increasingly refining her culinary skills and has honed her "cooking" abilities to the pinnacle of mastery, seemingly on the verge of breaking through to perfection at any moment.

To use a certain comic's rating system, his current level when he gets serious is the pinnacle of a Qilin-level chef, only half a step away from a Dragon-level chef... It's just that to avoid his sister making a fuss, he hasn't actually made any dishes that emit light or give people hallucinations.

This is all thanks to the skill of "learning".

Otherwise, given Tenkuji Yu's own talent, he can only accept what the system gives him. If he wants to become fully proficient and improve without relying on rewards, he probably still has a long way to go.

Now that "learning" has officially reached the expert level, the effects it brings have given him a bold idea... but he hasn't had time to test it yet.

Upon arriving at Sobu High School, I changed into indoor shoes and entered Class 2-F.

The classroom was quite lively early in the morning, with different chattering voices clearly distinguishing each other in their respective small groups, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

"morning."

Good morning, Yu.

Not long after putting down his schoolbag, before he could even chat with the still adorable Totsuka Saika, Tenkuji Yu was called to Hiratsuka Shizuka's office.

"Kid, you should know why I called you here."

Perhaps he had been reading some strange manga recently, because Hiratsuka-sensei deliberately spoke in a rough voice and glared at him fiercely.

She still had a lollipop stick in her mouth, her long black hair draped over a white lab coat, and despite her mature and slender figure, she was surprisingly not alluring at all.

Tenkuji Yu nodded without changing his expression: "I know, it's about that matter, right?"

"Yes, that's the one."

The teacher, who seemed more like a health clinic teacher than a Chinese teacher, crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, removed the candy stick with two fingers, and exhaled in a deliberately deep voice.

"Next week is the deadline. I don't mean to rush you, but I need to know how you're doing."

Tenkuji Yu gave her a look: "Don't worry, things are going very smoothly."

Hiratsuka Shizuka raised an eyebrow: "Then tell me a name so I can know how smoothly things went."

"Snow falls on the snow..."

"Alright, the moment you uttered that name, I knew things were going nowhere." She pressed her temples as if in pain, then clenched a clean, white fist and examined it thoughtfully.

"Sky Temple, the term 'death deadline' is sometimes more than just a figure of speech."

“Teacher, that’s not right.” Taking a half step back, Tenkuji Yu said seriously, “You asked me to do this, how can you threaten me? A teacher can’t be without professional ethics.”

"Don't worry, I don't intend to do anything to you." With a smirk, Hiratsuka Shizuka lowered her fist and got back to business. "I just wanted to tell you that if you don't have anyone in mind yet, I have someone here who's willing to join the club."

"Willing to join?" Tenkuji Yu blinked in surprise. "Does this person know what our club does?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka scratched her hair, looking at him with a strange expression for some reason.

Well, let's leave it at that.

"This person knows things that even I don't know...tsk tsk."

Although the cause and effect are unclear, a troublesome matter has been put to rest.

Sky Temple Yu nodded with a smile: "Indeed, it's more reliable to have the club advisor recruit new members."

"No, I didn't recruit her."

With her eyes half-closed, Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed inexplicably and bit down hard on the candy stick.

“Yesterday after school, she came over to ask me something else, and we happened to talk about the ‘Service Club’. She said that as long as the Service Club could help her with something, she would be willing to join any club or anything… She’s such a well-behaved, obedient, and cooperative girl.”

Tenkuji Yu looked at her, puzzled. "This is a good thing, so why do you look so unhappy?"

"Unhappy? Of course you are!"

Slowly opening her eyes wide, Hiratsuka Shizuka glared at him with murderous intent, her fists clenched so tightly they cracked, her voice filled with a grief-stricken indignation like the mournful cry of a cuckoo:

"I thought the student had some career dilemmas to discuss with me, but before I could even finish a few sentences, I was suddenly bombarded with a mouthful of PDA, and it was even the bittersweet taste of youth—do you think I was in a good mood? Do you even know how many years I've been single?!"

Yuu Tenkuji subconsciously replied, "Twenty-nine years and twelve months?"

blow!

A faint, mournful cry, as if piercing the air, rang out. A sharp, chilling gust of wind from a punch grazed the side of my face, bringing a slight, cutting pain.

Before the boy's eyes, the soul gem of an older single woman was tainted with darkness, and a terrifying creature called the "Witch" was about to be born.

A powerful wave, like that of a demon, swept over us, and a deep killing intent began to envelop the entire classroom and office.

For the sake of his life, Yuu Tenkuji stepped back again, keeping his distance from the teacher who was on the verge of turning evil, and gently comforted him:

"You're single because you're waiting for someone better. Your persistence is something to be proud of. You're a guiding light for single people... So what is that person's wish? Will they come to the Service Club after school?"

"Tsk..."

This obvious and clumsy attempt to change the subject, along with the completely insincere flattery, left Hiratsuka Shizuka with nowhere to vent her anger and no good reason to take action against him.

After glancing at his weaknesses a few times, the single female teacher finally swallowed her anger and reluctantly withdrew her fist: "I guess so. Anyway, I only told her where the 'Service Department' was, and I left the rest to you."

Yuu Tenkuji pressed his temples speechlessly: "Teacher, you're really good at being a hands-off manager."

"What do you know, kid? This is called trusting your abilities and giving you the maximum room to perform... Since you've promised me, don't let me down."

Without showing the slightest embarrassment, Hiratsuka Shizuka faced the desk and casually waved to Tenkuji Yu, indicating that he could leave.

Tenkuji Yu sighed, turned to leave, but then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Who was that person who wanted to ask for help? Was it a girl from our class?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka gave a cold laugh, somewhat gloating.

"You'll see when the time comes. Remember to treat her well with Yukinoshita... Also, just explode on the spot, you damn hottie!"

"This is so inexplicable..."

Back in the classroom.

Even knowing that Hiratsuka-sensei's targeting of him was likely related to "her" who voluntarily joined the club, Tenkuji Yu still couldn't determine who it was in advance.