I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Natsukawa Masuzu turned around in surprise: "Oh, you mean I'm the kind of pervert who wears skirts without underwear?"

Tenkuji Yu's brow twitched slightly: "...I don't think so. Maybe he just didn't see it."

Natsukawa Masaki crossed her arms and made a rebuttal that left no room for argument.

"The wind blew it to that angle, how could you not see it? Besides, I told you to keep it a secret at the time. No matter how you look at it, the possibility that I just happened to be not wearing anything is definitely higher!"

"..."

This person is crazy.

Yuu Tenkuji pressed her temples, too lazy to argue anymore: "Fine, so you really are a perverted woman who doesn't wear underwear?"

With a triumphant smile, Natsukawa Masuzu immediately shook her head: "No, I was definitely wearing underwear at the time, but you didn't see it—I was just protesting this issue, I hope you don't misunderstand."

Yuu Tenkuji said expressionlessly, "I don't care whether you're wearing underwear or not, and I hope you don't misunderstand."

"really?"

She suddenly lifted her skirt, revealing the upper half of her snow-white, taut thighs.

"Since there's no one here anyway, how about... we recreate the scene?"

As she said this, Natsukawa Masaki gave him a tentative wink, her moist eyes filled with tenderness and allure.

Unfortunately, the man in front of her, apart from still being a virgin, had far more experience in this area than she did.

“If there’s enough time, I don’t mind.” Yuu Tenkuji stopped playing along and said decisively, “It’s a pity I still have to report to my club. Just say what you want to say directly, stop beating around the bush.”

The still wind stirred the treetops once more, and amidst the swaying shadows of the leaves, the girl's lips slowly curved into a smile.

"Oh dear, what are you saying? I don't understand."

Her tone remained pitiful, but Natsukawa Masaki's expression changed, and her smile turned cold and malicious.

Tenkuji Yu stared straight at her, completely unconcerned about the change in her demeanor that seemed to have been stripped of its mask, and spoke calmly.

"You deliberately created rumors about us in front of everyone, and even made a confession to me that lacked any sincerity. What was your purpose?"

"If it's just a regular prank, I don't plan to play along with you for long."

Natsukawa Masaki covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled softly.

"How terrifying~ No wonder she stole the show at the club performance and could even go head-to-head with that snow woman. Facing a beautiful girl like me, she not only doesn't have the slightest feeling of 'romance,' but her attitude is also so merciless..."

Her voice suddenly lowered, and she tossed her hair over her shoulder, her smile tinged with self-deprecation.

"You saw through all my lies from the very beginning, didn't you?"

"Even putting aside acting skills, anyone with a brain can see that you have ulterior motives for doing this."

"So, is it fun to treat me like a clown?"

Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but roll his eyes: "You came here on your own, and instead of thanking me for not exposing you on the spot, you're blaming me?"

That's just like being a clown.

"That's true, it's really not a fair thing to do."

Unexpectedly, Natsukawa Masuzu placed her hands in front of her and honestly bowed her head to admit her mistake: "Thank you for your kind protection, Tenkuji-kun, and I am also very sorry."

Then, the sincere tone and the sarcastic remarks blended together seamlessly.

"I shouldn't have suspected you of secretly mocking me, thinking I was a bitch, a slut, a naive public bus who seduces men everywhere, and the Shinjuku night queen who treats men as bargaining chips."

The words fell.

Completely different from the Natsukawa Masuzu we usually see at school, something far more sinister is slowly emanating from her.

Tenkuji Yu's lips didn't move, but his eyebrows twitched twice.

"No, I didn't go that far... By the way, what's with the last one?"

"So he did say that? Tsk, what a petty man."

Natsukawa Masaki straightened up quickly and let out a haughty sneer.

Tenkuji Yu pretended to turn around: "...If you don't get to the point, I'm leaving."

"Don't be in such a hurry, are you not a front-line party member?" Natsukawa Masaki casually made a lewd joke, ignoring Tenkuji Yu's strange expression, and looked up at the clear afternoon sky.

"This is a long story—"

"Then let's get to the point."

"So, as I said, could you please shut up and be quiet for a moment?" She glared at her, and after Tenkuji Yu shrugged indifferently, she continued, "Tenkuji-kun, you should know that I'm very popular, right?"

"In the twenty days since the start of the semester, I have received a total of thirty-six confessions of love—asking me out, waiting for me in person, handing me love letters, and so on. I have experienced all kinds of confessions."

"That must have been really tough," Yuu Tenkuji commented emotionlessly.

“That’s right.” Natsukawa Masuzu sighed helplessly, looking matter-of-fact, confident but not overly narcissistic. “Although it may seem like a rather extravagant problem to outsiders, being too popular is really not a good thing for the person involved.”

"Having experienced this morning and just now, I believe that Sky Temple should know what I'm talking about."

Seeing Tenkuji Yu nod, she smiled with satisfaction, her fingers twirling her waist-length silver hair.

"It's so easy talking to smart people, so I'll get straight to the point."

"I don't want to fall into the miserable life of being pursued by thousands of people and constantly receiving confessions. At the same time, I need a 'fake boyfriend' who won't take my feelings too seriously, so we can spend our campus life in a peaceful way with mutual respect."

"After a long period of observation and review, Yuu Tenkuji, you are the best candidate in my mind. There is no one else but you."

Natsukawa Masaki's tone became sincere again, as if the carnivorous flower was emitting a sweet fragrance, luring hungry insects into its trap.

"Therefore, I am making my formal request to you once again—"

As she spoke, the elfin-like girl stepped forward, her deep blue eyes, almost touching his, fixed on him, and she exhaled a soft, alluring breath.

"Please be my shield... no, my 'boyfriend'!"

Yuu Tenkuji: "..."

Does this guy really have the sincerity to ask someone for a favor?

Before he could say anything, the system panel popped up on its own, as if it had seized the opportunity.

"Note: The mission has been initiated."

"Become Natsukawa Masuzu's fake boyfriend, use your charm to fill the void in her heart! Rewards will be given based on the host's performance."

Mission end time: Unknown.

Chapter Seven: There really are all kinds of people in this world.

"???"

Looking at the mission prompt, Tenkuji Yu was full of question marks.

Why did the mission suddenly change? This is a "boyfriend system," not some common "strategy system" or "romance system," right?

What's with this "showing off your charm" nonsense? What happened to fulfilling wishes?

Although what I did before seemed to fit the description of "filling the void in her heart"...

But something just feels off!

"Oh my, is this something that needs to be considered for so long?" Seeing his strange expression and silence, Natsukawa Masuzu frowned, not understanding what he was struggling with. "A beautiful girl like me would answer this kind of request without even using my brain, just with my lower body, right?"

"Or is it that Tenkuji-kun's lower body isn't..."

"Whether it works or not, nobody's lower body can think." Putting aside the system for the moment, Tenkuji Yu looked at her speechlessly, "It seems you've really been suppressing yourself at school for a long time. Your usual well-behaved and quiet demeanor was all an act. This foul-mouthed version of you is your true nature, isn't it?"

"That's hard to say. What if I'm just pretending too?" She laughed happily, gently poking his chest with her finger and finding it surprisingly hard. "The interplay of truth and falsehood, that's the charm of a woman."

“…Perhaps.” Suddenly remembering someone, Tenkuji Yu swallowed her rebuttal, slapped her fingers away, and sighed, “As for the answer, I believe you know in your heart that it is a refusal.”

"Well, I knew you weren't someone who was so easy to deal with." Natsukawa Masuzu said nonchalantly, tossing her smooth, shiny silver hair. "Even if it's just accompanying me home from school, you probably wouldn't be willing to make me ask someone else for help—that's what makes you so different from other men."

Why do you think that?

Yuu Tenkuji was very curious. Where did this guy get all this information about him? He seemed to know him very well.

Natsukawa Masaki smiled.

"I've done a lot of investigation in secret, you know? The information about you at home is probably stacked up to this height."

She raised her fair arm, making it level with her own, her expression slightly proud.

Tenkuji Yuu couldn't help but shudder: "That's too many! Are you a professional stalker?"

"By the way, the amount of data scanned and uploaded to the cloud drive is about 1TB, and I have already applied for world record status."

"1TB... That's so outrageous that it leaves you speechless."

"You're quite the comedian, just like your appearance suggests." For reasons unknown, Natsukawa Masuzu smiled and nodded. "Enough of the jokes, let's get back to the main topic."

"Tenkuji-kun, the question you most want to ask is probably, 'Why did I ask you to be my fake boyfriend?' right?"

"You could say that. But no matter what your reasons are, I will never agree to be your shield."

Yuu Tenkuji glanced at the system; the task panel didn't change because of his refusal, or perhaps it would simply crush his heart and turn back time.

Although he said this morning that he would approach the mission from a "love-struck" perspective and enjoy a romance without any regrets... that doesn't mean he has to be completely obedient to the "target," do whatever she says, and become a simp just to complete the mission.

After all, normally, no one who isn't blinded by beauty would agree to a fake relationship with a girl they barely know, offering to shield her from harassment from suitors and share the burden of rumors.

Why should I be dragged down with you and cause trouble for myself? It's better to die for my friend than for me.

Even if she has to complete a mission, the current Yuu Tenkuji will find a way that she can accept, instead of obediently becoming a rented boyfriend or being forced into a virtual marriage because of the game, as she did before...

Anyway, the system only looks at the result; the process is determined by your own choices.

"Don't be so sure of yourself, okay?"

With a meaningful smile, Natsukawa Masaki put his hands behind his back and slowly began to stroll along the edge of the grove.

“First of all, I once heard you say somewhere that ‘those rumors aren’t entirely wrong, but at least in terms of charm, you really can’t compare to that transfer student named Xia Chuan.’”

She spoke with great emotion, as if reciting lines from an animated film, while her azure eyes looked at him with amusement.

Yuu Tenkuji quickly realized: "It was what I said to Yukinoshita in the Service Club after the start of the semester... You were eavesdropping outside?"

"How rude of me. It was just that I happened to be passing by and you were talking too loudly. I would never do something so tasteless."

After clarifying her position with dissatisfaction, Natsukawa Masuzu shrugged: "From that time on, I've been very concerned about you~ After all, someone who can insult Yukinoshita so ruthlessly and without any mercy must have given up on 'love' by now, right?"