I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Then she posted a screenshot showing that she had changed his chat nickname to "cheating scumbag".

Sky Temple: "...If I were planning to cheat, would I be asking you?"

Zhenliang (aka Love Dies): "If you don't plan to cheat, why don't you just refuse?"

Sky Temple: "You hate romance so much, yet you seem to know a lot about its intricacies."

Zhenliang aka Love Dies: "Of course, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Sky Temple: "Anyway, I refused at the time, and I also told you that I have a girlfriend. I came here specifically to ask you, just to let you experience what it feels like to be valued. How about it, are you happy?"

Zhenliang (aka Love Dies): "Heh, what a routine."

Masuzu aka Love Dies: "Let's get back to the point. As my boyfriend, it's impossible for me to let you go to those shady dating spots. It's like putting a Shiba Inu in a pile of teddy bears—it's a very serious ethical issue!"

Sky Temple: "There are so many things to complain about, I don't even know how to start complaining."

Masuzu aka Love Dies: "But since it looks interesting, I gave my permission."

Sky Temple: "???"

Masuzu aka Love Dies: "But there are a few prerequisites..."

Ten minutes later, just as Isshiki Iroha returned with her full shopping basket, Tenkuji Yu had finished talking with Natsukawa Masuzu, ended their chat, and put her phone away.

"How about it! It's my real... Senior, why do you look so strange?"

"I just chatted with someone who's a little mentally challenged." Yuu Tenkuji sighed, not intending to elaborate, and instead looked at the shopping basket in her hand filled with cakes, sweets, and Häagen-Dazs.

"You've made your choice? Are you sure you can lift it?"

She puffed out her slightly heaving chest and said confidently, "Girls can unleash a thousand percent of their power for sweets!"

"That's good." Yuu Tenkuji's expression remained unchanged as she picked up the basket and prepared to pay. "You'll be carrying two bags later, so I hope you can walk back by yourself."

"Huh?" Iroha Isshiki blinked, her mischievous smile freezing on her face before she could even show it, staring blankly at his back.

"...Um, senior! Weren't you just talking big?"

"When did I ever boast?" Tenkuji Yu turned around and looked at her speechlessly. "Is this all the trust you have in your senior? How disappointing."

Iroha Isshiki looked somewhat flustered: "Eh? No, but... logically speaking, this should be a scenario where a senior tries to show off in front of a junior, only to be ruthlessly exposed! Are you really planning to take this basket of stuff, which costs tens of thousands, to pay the bill?!"

"I already said, take whatever you want, as long as you can carry it, I'll treat you."

With a huge sum of money on him and an air of extravagance, Tenkuji Yuyou raised an eyebrow, then ignored her and turned to continue walking towards the counter.

Isshiki Iroha was still muttering to herself, "Ah, I know, it's that—deliberately trying to increase my favorability towards you and make me fall in love with you. But I'm sorry, although I like money and want to marry a rich man, being treated like this doesn't make me happy at all..."

Without turning her head, Yuu Tenkuji was already in line.

The rapid-fire sound paused.

"—Waaaaaah, wait a minute, senior! It doesn't count, it doesn't count this time!"

Before she could finish speaking, she yelled as if giving up and chased after him, then snatched the shopping basket away.

"Hey……"

"Wait me a moment!"

Before Tenkuji Yu could ask her anything, Isshiki Iroha strode back to the dessert counter with heavy steps.

Not long after, she puffed out her cheeks indignantly, put her hands behind her back, and walked up to Tenkuji Yu.

"My senior's personality is really awful! I've known him for almost a month now, and I finally understand it all!"

Kara.

As she spoke, she put the strawberry cake roll she was holding behind her into the shopping basket she had started with, placing it next to the other ingredients.

Including tax, it costs 250 yen.

"What's wrong?"

Tenkuji Yu glanced at her and couldn't help but look at her with a smile.

Isshiki Hatake turned her gaze away, twirled the ends of her hair with her fingers, and stomped her heels on the ground in annoyance, deliberately sighing and complaining.

"Wouldn't that make me look like a greedy, wicked woman? Girls care a lot about their image. What if a handsome guy from Tokyo happened to walk by and see that? He wouldn't know I was joking!"

"I'll just go and explain for you." Picking up the purse, Tenkuji Yu patted her on the head and laughed, "Isn't it a shame that such a nice junior got misunderstood by a handsome guy in Tokyo?"

“That’s true!” Iroha Isshiki crossed her arms and nodded solemnly.

She quickly laughed at herself again, tucked her hair behind her ear, and looked at Tenkuji Yu again, her eyes filled with helplessness.

"Seriously~ Senior, you clearly don't come from a well-off family, so please don't make jokes like that."

Yuu Tenkuji was taken aback before realizing, "Did the shop manager tell you that?"

"I accidentally mentioned it during our chat, since I've been pretty free lately!" Iroha Isshiki waved her hand, telling him not to worry about it. "Even if you seem to have found a side job and are planning to quit your job, offering to treat me unconditionally is just too much! You're more likely to get scammed by bad women like that, you know?"

As she said this, she blinked cutely, her long eyelashes fluttering and her small, cherry-colored lips pouting slightly.

"That's right, just like me!"

Then Tenkuji Yu burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha—Isshiki, you're the one who's joking around."

"...Oh, is that so?"

Issei Iroha stared at him expressionlessly, her eyes cold and sharp, and she didn't want to say anything more.

Unfortunately, Tenkuji Yu didn't care at all, and didn't even offer her any comfort.

The two of them stood quietly in line at the counter, the air heavy as if frozen.

After paying, he handed the shopping bag to Isshiki Hatake, still ignoring her sullen expression.

"Take care on the road, I'm heading back now."

It's not heavy; a girl can lift it with one hand.

Isshiki Yu paused for a moment, then saw the strawberry cake roll in the bag. Her awkward little bit of reserve could no longer be maintained, and it instantly melted away, turning into a helpless smile.

"Haa—" she sighed heavily, "Senior, being your girlfriend must be very hard, right?"

Tenkuji Yu shrugged: "You'll have to ask him yourself. I don't think so."

"Hmph, they're really confident..."

The setting sun painted the slope red, and in front of the convenience store, a girl with flaxen hair looked up at Tenkuji Yu.

Pedestrians and the cawing of crows became part of the background, seemingly separated into another world.

Even surrounded by a deep orange-red hue, his facial contours, eye color, and the curve of his lips...

Everything was crystal clear in her eyes, with an unprecedented brightness and depth.

Her cheeks looked as if they had been sunburned by the setting sun. Iroha squinted her eyes, turned her head, and laughed from the bottom of her heart.

Well, let's just say that's how it is!

"Thank you for the 'reward,' senior!"

Her sweet, clear voice, with its deliberately drawn-out intonation, made the already adorable girl even more adorable.

△

"By the way, about that social event..."

"Huh? Didn't you refuse, senior? Because you have a girlfriend."

"That's the problem... My girlfriend said it's okay, even if all her partners are girls."

"...Senior, are you two okay with your relationship? I'm worried about your cute junior."

"I'm leaving, goodbye."

Leave of absence and explanation

I'm taking a break today (January 3rd), and I'd like to take this opportunity to mention my update plan for tomorrow.

If nothing unexpected happens, in addition to the regular double updates, there will also be a side story about Yui Yuigahama from three years ago, with an uncertain word count (I'm an old hand at writing side stories, I've written quite a few with over 10,000 words).

However, rather than being a side story, it's more like filling in the gaps in the plot, or something similar to a prequel. Its purpose is to complete Yuigahama Yui's story and prevent her emotions from feeling too abrupt, so that everyone doesn't think it's just wishful thinking.

Readers who don't like Tuanzi can turn off the custom settings and skip the side story, although I don't recommend doing so... I wrote this side story specifically to make you like and value this character, so you can read it whether you like it or not, since it's related to the main storyline.

I know I can't please everyone, so I will arrange the story according to my own ideas and try to make up for my shortcomings. Please forgive me... Everyone has their own role, so that the characters won't be stereotyped and the interactions can be more exciting and profound.

I'll probably update earlier tomorrow. I'm so happy to see you all again in the mortal realm.

The third volume is a transitional volume, so it will focus on Natsukawa Masuzu and gradually deepen the interaction with other characters, thus advancing the later plot... Some characters who haven't appeared in a long time will also make an appearance, so don't panic.

Please look forward to tomorrow's update! There will probably be ten chapters as a reward, so I need to start stockpiling chapters and release them all at once!

Chapter Seventeen: Professional Accomplices

After watching Isshiki Hajime return along the same path, and waving to her as she turned around at the corner, Yuu Tenkuji then stepped away.

Just before the golden sphere was swallowed by the inky sky, he returned home, went upstairs to his room to put down his schoolbag and change his clothes.

As she opened the locked door and stepped inside, Yuu Tenkuji subconsciously frowned.

"This feeling..."

Has anyone been in here?

He stood at the doorway, looked around the room, and even sniffed the air.

...She looked no different from how she did before she left home.

That's what they say, but even though her memory is much better than before, Yuu Tenkuji isn't so good that she can remember every detail of the room's layout, and she certainly wouldn't slip a hair or a piece of paper under the door to check if anyone has entered or left her room.

There was no evidence whatsoever; at most, it was just a feeling that someone had been in her room—like a warehouse that hadn't been opened in a long time suddenly being ventilated for a few seconds. The difference was so subtle that it was almost an illusion, and even Yuu Tenkuji wondered if she was being paranoid.

"Qiong, have you been in my room?"

He put down his schoolbag, changed his clothes, and casually asked a question as he passed by Qiong's room.

"Wasn't your room locked? And why would I go into your room if there's nothing wrong with it?"