I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Of course..." Unlike me.

What kind of low-level villain's lines are these?! Is this how you mess up your timelines, system?!

Tenkuji Yu's cheeks twitched, and he couldn't manage a smile as he looked at the street outside the door.

—The dog system ruined his image; he, Tiankong Temple, will remember this debt!

"...It's because I can stand on top of the class and mock her now, so I'm too lazy to waste time going there."

After saying this in a calm tone, Yuu Tenkuji stepped out of the house.

"Oh, I see. You're really amazing." After giving a half-hearted compliment, Kasugano Sora covered her mouth with one hand, yawned, and turned to go upstairs. "Come back soon, haha~ If you don't care about my homework progress, then pretend I didn't say anything."

Although she didn't go to school, Yuu Tenkuji didn't let her become a gaming addict. He took on the role of her older brother's teacher and assigned her homework from the past, and her current progress is almost the same as that of a first-year high school student.

"Don't worry, you just need to finish your homework before I get back, don't just play games." The slightly amused voice disappeared after the door closed.

Kasugano Sora stood with her back to the entrance hall, in front of the wooden staircase.

"Like an old woman..." she sighed and complained before taking her first steps upstairs with her slender, white legs. "But, as for school..."

She murmured softly, her small arms unconsciously clutching the doll in her hands, her thin, soft lips biting until they turned white.

"I feel like Yu is getting further and further away from me."

Since the start of this summer vacation, the lingering unease and loneliness in my heart have gradually grown stronger; and there are more and more things I don't understand about him.

Even though only the two of them lived there, in the empty house, it seemed as if he could no longer be smelled.

—If I go to school, will I be able to be closer to him?

With conflicting thoughts swirling in her mind, Kasugano Sora angrily punched the doll, deciding to put the matter aside for the time being.

Upon reaching the second floor, she did not return to her own room. Instead, she took out a spare key, opened the door to Tenkuji Yu's room, and slipped inside.

Before long, satisfied sighs and slightly disordered breathing rang out intermittently.

"Yu..."

"do not leave Me."

△

Autumn is unlike the scorching heat of summer, the deathly cold of winter, or the warm blooming of spring.

Autumn is just autumn; beneath its beautiful scenery lies a loneliness that other seasons don't possess—neither too hot nor too cold, sentimental yet indifferent.

At the end of September, I walked to school as autumn deepened.

With his hands in his pockets, Tenkuji Yuu gazed at the leaves swirling down from the sky, pondering who his third target might be.

In general, there are three people he least wants to choose: Yukino Yukinoshita, Masuzu Natsukawa, and Shizuka Hiratsuka.

He disliked Yukino Yukinoshita unilaterally, didn't want to get close to Natsukawa Masuzu, who seemed even more troublesome than Yukinoshita, and was even less willing to have a teacher-student relationship with a thirty-year-old single woman from the JUMP department.

Then, he had three candidates he could more easily accept: Yui Yuigahama, Iroha Isshiki, and some random stranger.

First of all, Yui Yuigahama was his junior high school classmate, and she had confessed her feelings to him before. He also had feelings for her.

Now that I'm accepting her feelings now, and we're having a relationship that satisfies both of us, I think I can complete the task quickly and also leave myself with a beautiful memory.

Next, Iroha Isshiki is a junior at school and her part-time job. She is lively and well-behaved, and she calls her "senpai" (senior) in a very sweet way.

Although their relationship was only so-so, their senior-junior relationship made it easy for them to get along, and she had a beautiful smile, which even earned her a raise from her boss. Overall, dating a girl like that should be much easier—at least easier than dating a female college student or a rich, internet-addicted heiress.

As for the random passerby, there's not much to say. I just hope he doesn't have a bad personality and that I can enjoy this "boyfriend mission" and get the same level of emotional connection as the previous two times.

A cool breeze blew through his bangs, revealing a pair of earnest eyes beneath.

At this moment, Yuu Tenkuji is in a state of "love-struck" and takes this matter very seriously.

"It feels like a lottery... Can't we just pick our own target?"

The future is uncertain, and I can only sigh deeply.

Yui Yuigahama seemed to have overslept today and didn't try to stop him on the slope at their usual spot. Yuu Tenkuji didn't stop either, quickly boarding the train and heading towards Soubu High School with the growing crowd of students.

Then, the closer they got to the school gate, the more noticeable the gazes from all around became, and whispers could be heard from time to time.

Chapter Three: Scandals

"That was from yesterday's autumn exhibition..."

"Did he really defeat all those gangs...?"

"Nonsense! Otherwise, how could such a strange club as the 'Service Club' have won first place in both the overall club evaluation and the popularity ranking? I just wonder if he'll pull off the same thing again at this year's school festival..."

"No, the cultural festival doesn't have any challenge activities..."

"I want to hear him play that piece again..."

As Tenkuji Yu walked toward the school gate, the crowd automatically parted to make way for him, just like Moses parting the sea.

Admiration, awe, curiosity—gazes of all kinds enveloped him like cotton wool, making him feel itchy all over.

Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Completely different from the spotlight on stage, the daily lives of famous people are more unbearable than imagined.

"Although I wasn't entirely unprepared, the feeling of being stared at by multiple people even while walking is really uncomfortable..."

Fortunately, once the hype dies down, there probably won't be so many people having fun with it anymore.

At yesterday's Autumn Club Showcase, Yuu Tenkuji not only performed a near-perfect piano piece on stage, but also won the overall club competition.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, under the guise of "Service Club Activities," he challenged numerous clubs, including the Culinary Research Club, and ultimately achieved overwhelming victories in all but one of them, except for a narrow win by the Kendo Club.

The spoils of victory over those clubs are now displayed in the Service Department's clubroom as a memento of this impressive feat.

Not to mention recently, this is the first time since Sobu High School was established that such an extremely arrogant "club activity" has appeared, which naturally caused quite a stir.

Back then, a stalking fan club even appeared, cheering and clapping behind him every time he won a club challenge. Occasionally, you could hear his deep voice shouting things like "Yoyo!!!" or "Mommy loves you!!" which was truly chilling.

I've said it so many times, I don't want a male mother! I don't want a male mother! I don't want a male mother!

As for the incident of "helping outsiders catch a fugitive, attracting the police and causing the club performance to end early, and then swaggering into the police car," it naturally ceased to exist as the world line related to Asuna Yuuki changed, which can be considered as one less troublesome matter.

Despite her inner turmoil, Tenkuji Yu walked calmly past the gazes and stepped into the school gate.

"Ok?"

At the edge of the crowd, he spotted Yukino Yukinoshita.

With her smooth, lustrous black hair and slender, graceful figure, this quiet girl, as delicate as a snow doll, walked lightly into the school with regular and dignified steps.

She seemed very sensitive to gazes, and quickly frowned as she looked over. When she realized that the person looking at her was Tenkuji Yu, she was taken aback for a moment. Then, her gaze swept over the crowd surrounding him, and she quickly understood the current situation.

Unable to suppress her smile, Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her lips, tilted her head slightly, and gave him a faint, cute smile.

—I wished you good luck last night. Did you experience what I felt in the past?

It's like saying that.

Tenkuji Yu's eyebrows twitched, conveying her message with her eyes.

Are you gloating?

—I'm not so lowly as to gloat over someone like you.

Yukino Yukinoshita gathered her hair, gave him a proud and disdainful look, and then turned back to continue walking forward.

Because everyone's attention was drawn to Yuu Tenkuji, few people paid attention to her, and her nonchalant demeanor became even more cheerful and generous, as if she was enjoying the feeling of being ignored and undisturbed by everyone.

Sky Temple chuckled, the black in his eyes growing even deeper.

He suddenly strode towards Yukino Yukinoshita, and the gazes of those watching him subconsciously followed, scrutinizing the two, both of whom were of superior appearance.

Yukino Yukinoshita only realized something was wrong when she sensed someone approaching her—but by then it was too late to run.

"Your Excellency!"

That was a sunny and cheerful shout, just like that of an athletic boy.

Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been facing away from him, felt a chill run down her spine. She turned around in surprise, grabbed her schoolbag and took a step back in fright, hunching her shoulders and adopting a wary posture, like a puffed-up kitten making a threatening sound.

"What...what are you doing?"

"Don't be afraid, I just came to say hello."

Tenkuji Yu smiled brightly, her voice not loud but loud enough for the surrounding students to hear clearly: "Thank you for your perfect arrangements at yesterday's performance. As expected of Yukinoshita-sama, the top student in the grade, we were able to get first place in both rankings thanks to you! To be honest, the only person I can't beat is you!"

"This……"

Standing there blankly, Yukino blinked twice, her mind seemingly frozen for a few seconds before she quickly snapped back to reality amidst the changing gazes around her, her small, rosy lips slightly parted.

—Is this guy actually planning to drag himself into this mess?!

Her expression immediately turned cold and angry. The girl with long, straight black hair glared at him with her bright and beautiful eyes. Just as she was about to retaliate, she saw him suddenly bend down at a ninety-degree angle, his tone filled with pure enthusiasm and sincerity.

"So, good morning, Minister Yukinoshita! Please accept my respectful greeting!"

Yukinoshita Yukino: "..."

Is this guy out of his mind?!

Tenkuji slowly raised his head and, from an angle where no one could see, gave her a cold smile.

—As a minister, isn't it only natural to share the burden with your ministers when they are in trouble?

Receiving that look, Yukino Yukinoshita clenched her small fists, gritted her teeth silently for a moment, and then slowly smiled.

Beneath that gentle smile, seemingly enveloped by an aurora borealis, lie eyes as clear as polar ice.

—What does this have to do with me? This is just taking your anger out on me, you naive little Tenkuji.

—I'm sorry, I'm just petty. I'm sure the magnanimous Minister won't hold it against me, right?

—If you were bitten by a stray dog, wouldn't you call the arrest team? I'd love to call the police station now.

—Then go ahead and hit me?

—Foolish, why would I waste my time and phone bills on you?

"Humph……"

"Ah……"