I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

The heat on my body dissipated quickly, and the coolness of autumn swept over the lush green grass.

All around was quiet, so he closed his eyes.

Pain brings tears to the eyes. After another piece of her heart was removed, Yuu Tenkuji struggled to hold back the tears that were about to fall and opened her eyes again.

I don't know when, but I returned to that desolate and silent world.

In the gray and pale sky, besides the golden jade beads radiating sunlight, there was also a bright blue jade.

The rain gradually began to fall, a phenomenon that appears to be known as a sun shower.

"Oh, it's so warm..."

He lay on his back on the ground, facing the rain, and couldn't help but laugh, laughing louder and more unrestrainedly.

"Hahahaha-"

Sadness and reluctance turned into smiles, and tears disappeared along with the pain.

Because until the very end, this period of time was so happy it made you want to smile.

……

In this desolate world, his laughter echoed far, far away.

Only the shattered buildings, the two luminous orbs, and the screen flashing with snowflakes silently listened to his hearty laughter.

After an unknown amount of time, Yuu Tenkuji stood up. Despite being drenched in the drizzle, there wasn't a single wet spot on her body.

"System, I'm leaving."

"Confirmed." A stone gate, resembling the Sage's Gate, rose from the ground. "Host, you can now change the option to strip away emotions. Do you wish to cancel the stripping of emotions from the target—Yuuki Asuna?"

"Huh? Why?" As she pushed open the door, Yuu Tenkuji looked at the avatar on the screen with a puzzled expression. "Is my mission over? System, are you going to leave?"

"...No, no."

"That's right. Same as before, help me put away my feelings." Tenkuji Yu shrugged, taking a step forward as he spoke frankly.

"I'm not mature enough to become a 'sea king' (player), liking someone but becoming someone else's boyfriend... If I don't put away my feelings, I'm afraid I'll go find Asuna after completing the mission."

The system replied: "If this is the host's choice, this system will maintain the original command and strip the host of emotions."

"How many times do you have to say it? It's so annoying."

With one foot already in the white light, before leaving, Yuu Tenkuji took off the ring from her ring finger and placed it on the ground.

"Let me make this clear first, you damn system, don't you dare try anything underhanded, like helping Asuna or Yukinoshita Haruno regain their memories..."

"A girl who can truly do this on her own, no matter how many times my feelings are taken away, I will fall in love with her again—absolutely."

The door closed, and his voice, filled with strong will, echoed in the deserted world.

"So, behave yourself. Don't mess with my relationship!"

The lime dust fell in a soft rustling sound.

A deathly silence pervaded the ruins, and the rain fell silently, slanting through the sunlight onto the ground.

The avatar on the screen didn't reply or move. After a few seconds, it suddenly started flashing with static before going dark.

The ring on the ground also disappeared after a flash.

I don't know how much time passed.

"World correction complete... Host's emotions recovered."

The system's voice sounded gently.

"The system detected excessively strong emotional fluctuations in the host's mind during the game. The 'Mind Skill (Limited)' status has been automatically activated—consuming the 'Mind Skill (Limited)' status."

The screen lit up with a snap, and a girl appeared on it, fast asleep in her own bed with a virtual reality headset on the bedside table.

Like a gleaming silver diamond ring inlaid with a crystal flower, it materialized from the virtual world and slowly floated toward her left ring finger.

But just as he was about to slip it on, she flipped him over and sent him flying into the corner.

system:"……"

At that moment, the chestnut-haired girl on the bed murmured in a dreamlike voice, reaching out her hand towards the air as if trying to grab something.

"...My lord, wait for me...I will come to you right away..."

After the lingering sound faded, it was followed by steady and gentle snoring.

The silver ring sat silently in the corner for a while, then suddenly flashed with light and disappeared from the spot.

After that, the girl continued to have nightmares that she could never reach, as she was searching for something.

……

next morning.

September 22nd, 6:00 AM.

Yuu Tenkuji woke up on time, rubbed his eyes, and first looked at the spot on the bedside table where a pair of glasses used to be.

Now, there's nothing left there.

"..."

He sat on the bed for several minutes before finally managing a helpless smile and touching his chest.

"it's a pity."

After making such an easy comment, Yuu Tenkuji picked up the virtual reality headset that was placed next to the bed and logged into "Sword World".

The account is a weakling at level 5. The sword skill proficiency and equipment are no different from those of someone who has only played for a day. Naturally, there are no high-level accessories such as rings.

After checking his friends list and confirming it was completely blank, Yuu Tenkuji left the virtual space with satisfaction and placed the virtual reality headset in the corner of the room, intending not to touch it unless necessary.

It's more fun to wait for the official version of this game, which has so many bugs, before playing it with everyone.

"Okay, let's go for a jog!"

Having done all this, Tenkuji Yu looked out at the translucent sky and, without much thought, happily made this decision.

After washing up as usual and changing into his workout clothes, he quietly left home.

The world remains quiet, waiting to be awakened.

The rising sun was still shyly hiding between the buildings, but a ray of newly born golden light peeked out first and kissed his shoes as he stepped onto the gray pavement.

Yuu Tenkuji closed her eyes, let her hands hang naturally at her sides, and tilted her head back to take a breath of cool air.

"The future...?"

"Then I'll look forward to it. Whether in the past or now."

He chuckled to himself, then quickly began to run lightly and rhythmically toward the rising sun.

—If he could, Yuu Tenkuji really wouldn't want to have a girlfriend.

But the system won't grant his wish. There will be another time after this one, until he can use the Light Jade to make a wish and have it roll out of his body.

So before that, at the very least, he needs to learn how to enjoy the process of being in love and hold his own happiness firmly in his hands.

Then, when it's time to let go, say to her from the bottom of your heart—

"I'm so glad I could like you. Thank you for the wonderful memories you gave me."

This standard scene from a shoujo manga is probably the target for Yuu Tenkuji's next mission.

"I wonder who it could be..."

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but pray in his heart that it wouldn't be one of those troublesome people.

(End of this volume)

Ending Remarks

It's finished.

Volume Two.

I don't want to go into the specifics of my feelings, but in short, I feel relieved and hope that those who skip this can force themselves to finish it.

After all, I put a lot of things in there, and while laying foreshadowing, I also made the protagonist's mental journey change a little, instead of him going through so much but always being the same.

Honestly, if I were writing a lighthearted, less dramatic story, this book might have been a better success. Unfortunately, I just can't change my writing style. As those who read my last book know, it always had the same feel to it.

There are very few, if any, knives in this volume. I apologize to those who are disappointed... I will try to improve in the future, but honestly, I don't want to write too many stomach-churning things.

Volume 3 will officially enter the school arc, with more various events, dramatic situations, and so on. It's a return to my usual slice-of-life writing style, without forcing strange plots in.

Because of the lesson learned last time, I can't guarantee that I can write something that will satisfy everyone this time. I will just do my best to complete the story and give them a reasonably happy ending.

Thank you to all the readers who subscribed, commented, and posted. Special thanks to one reader who consistently offered critiques in every chapter, and in many chapters, half of the content consisted of your critiques.

You are all my wings, I love you all, mua~ prprprprprprpr~

...Ah, if I keep going like this, it'll probably take a million words to finish the third volume.

(By the way, that's all for today's update. I'm exhausted.)

(Let's officially begin Volume 3 tomorrow!)

Chapter One: A New Day, A New Beginning

I went home in the morning, under the snow.

Sitting in front of the dressing table, Yukinoshita Hiyano scratched her messy short hair and yawned loudly.

"Haaah~ If only a terrorist attack could suddenly happen at the university, then classes could just be suspended..."

Instead of casually making the dangerous remark, the female college student didn't pick up the Mason Pearson natural boar bristle comb from the shelf. Instead, she took out a cheap comb with spring colors painted on it from her bag and began to slowly comb her hair.

Her technique is unrefined, and she might even accidentally break a strand or two of hair, which is different from her usual style of grooming—this has recently become a habit for Yukino Yukinoshita, and it's hard to say whether it's a good thing or a bad thing.

Anyway, I don't know when it started, but although the weight of my chest hasn't changed, my shoulders feel much lighter, and I no longer impose so many rules on myself.

"People change, and at the same time, the relationships between people are also constantly changing. Everything flows and things are impermanent—as long as we learn about the changes in the world, change is to be expected."

"...Ah, I think I just said something famous again! As expected of you, Haruno-chan~"