I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

She was probably driven to desperation by the sheer number of suitors, right? If Zhen Liang had thought of this, perhaps she wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to find a fake boyfriend to fend off her pursuers.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when my phone vibrated again in my pocket.

Masuzu: "Although I am beautiful and smart, I am far from being all-around capable. Apart from the JOJO meme, I don't have any other strengths that make me far superior to others, so this method is not suitable for me."

Ayu: "Narcissism is one thing, but don't treat JOJO references as a strength."

Zhenliang: "There are always people stronger than you. Even the kendo club president, who was as strong as a monster, was defeated by you in the end. I don't want to gamble on whether there will be another monster like you."

Ayu: "Well, that makes sense... Also, I'm not a pervert."

Zhenliang: "That's not important. Think about it carefully. If you confess to him on the day of the performance and he doesn't say yes, you'll ruin your credibility and all your efforts will be wasted. If he does say yes, then it's ASS♂WE♂CAN... Wait, this development doesn't seem so bad, does it?"

Not wanting to read the offensive message that followed, Yuu Tenkuji closed the chat window and focused her attention on the dark-skinned girl in front of her.

“I understand your request. However, I’m sorry, the factors that enabled me to defeat Captain Himura are many, including my relatively strong physique, my unique swordsmanship, my innate observation skills, my ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and a bit of luck… Some aspects are innate, some require years of training, and some even require you to have the right timing, location, and people. It’s not as simple as just doing what I say to achieve victory.”

"Therefore, I cannot tell you how to defeat Minister Himura; at most, I can only share how to become stronger."

Tenkuji Yu interlaced his fingers and rested his elbows on the table.

His calm tone and earnest explanation always draw people's attention, making them listen attentively to every word he says.

Even if he was just exaggerating and fooling others, his voice, which settled in the quiet air of the coffee shop, still made the girls, including Iroha Isshiki, take it seriously, and unconsciously straighten their backs and nod thoughtfully.

The dark-skinned girl blinked blankly, staring at him for a long time before opening her small mouth as if suddenly realizing something, revealing her bright little tiger teeth.

"I understand!"

"Aww... good that you understand." Tenkuji Yu coughed lightly, suppressing the urge to make a joke, and didn't ask her what she understood.

Because the girl quickly and excitedly explained it herself: "In other words, as long as I become strong enough, even without asking my master for a way to defeat Captain Himura, I will become invincible without even realizing it, right!?"

Tenkuji Yu replied perfunctorily, "Yes, that's right. Your comprehension is good, and you have a promising future... Also, I don't want to be your master."

"Master, do you have a way to make me super strong before I graduate as a minister?" She slapped the table, her eyes wide with excitement as she leaned closer.

Yuuki Tenkuji pulled up Iroha Isshiki's arm and used her palm to push the head back.

"I told you not to call me master... There aren't any for short periods. If you're willing to fight a long-term war, you can learn about the bald-head training method."

Two voices rang out simultaneously.

"Yes, Master, please tell me!"

"Senior, why are you using my hand?!"

Isshiki Iroha pulled her hand back with a look of disgust, gently stroking the spot where he had held her hand, her rosy cheeks puffing out slightly as she glared at him sideways.

At the same time, the phone began to vibrate wildly, and a huge resentment rose from the corner seat, vaguely forming the demon face of Prajna.

Yuu Tenkuji pretended not to notice anything and calmly told the dark-skinned girl about the "absolutely effective way to become stronger"—doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every day for three years. He repeatedly told her that this was only the most basic, and that she had to find her own way to train in other areas such as kendo and mental discipline. Only then did the girl calm down and start eating the cake that had just been served.

Maintaining a delicate distance, Isshiki tugged at his sleeve, turned her head, and whispered:

"Senpai, Kendo Club Girl is a very naive person, to put it bluntly, she's an idiot... Isn't it a bit wrong of you to lie to her like this?"

“I didn’t lie to her, doing this really does make her stronger.” Tenkuji Yu replied in a low voice, her expression unchanged, without a trace of guilt. “It was with that in mind that I added the last sentence, letting her figure out how to make up for the other aspects herself… This is not something I can help her with, and I don’t want to waste too much energy on a complete stranger.”

"So most of what you said just now was actually just to appease Kendo Club-chan? Senpai, I didn't expect you to be such a cold person." Iroha Isshiki sighed softly, deliberately using a scared tone, "Putting aside the advantages of your peripherals, you're all talk and no action... Wow, Senpai's strength is terrifyingly high! No wonder Natsukawa-senpai fell into your clutches."

Tenkuji Yu raised an eyebrow, seemingly enjoying her praise: "Indeed, that's what I think too."

Iroha rolled her eyes, too lazy to talk to him, and distanced herself again.

Then, somehow, the resentment in the corner subsided, and the strange man in sunglasses was leisurely sipping his red tea, his phone stopping vibrating.

Tenkuji Yu felt a chill run down her spine.

—Even the girls on the other side couldn't hear what they were whispering about, so how could Natsukawa Masuzu, who was so far away, possibly hear it?

The most frightening thing is that he cannot draw any conclusions about it.

After all, this girl's perception in certain matters is so high that it makes one wonder if she has a stand-in...

"Then, next one."

Putting aside his girlfriend who was spying on him, Yuu Tenkuji turned to the girl with braided hair.

"Do you also want to defeat Minister Yukima?"

"Huh?" The girl was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly waved her hand, her simple yet cute face suddenly turning red. "No, no, no! How could I possibly have such thoughts? That would be too rude... Besides, the minister is very good to me, there is absolutely no reason for me to defeat him."

After teasing the other person, Tenkuji Yu said nonchalantly, "Is that so? Then why do you want the recipe for fried rice?"

"Phew~ This is because..."

The girl with the braided hair touched her chest, took a deep breath to calm herself, and then looked seriously into his eyes.

"I tasted my mother's cooking in your dishes... I know it sounds strange, but that's how I truly feel!"

Startled for a moment, Tenkuji Yu listened quietly as she finished speaking.

With her head down, the introverted girl said softly, "I only took one bite, but it reminded me of the egg fried rice my mother used to make for me when I was a child. It was so warm and comforting... Even if I follow the steps when I get back, I can't recreate that taste."

"If possible, I'd like my father and brother to try it again!"

She raised her eyes, her previously timid eyes now filled with a firm and sincere light, and stared steadily at Tenkuji Yu.

...He's someone with a story.

He pondered for a few seconds, then, without pressing further, sighed softly and said:

Do you have paper and pen with you?

"Ah, yes!"

With her eyes widening in surprise, she quickly took out paper and pen from her bag and handed them to Yuu Tenkuji, watching him write line after line on the paper with suppressed excitement and anticipation.

Soon, Yuu returned the paper and pen. After reading it carefully, the girl looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"These materials..."

“That’s right, it’s no different from regular fried rice… You helped prepare the ingredients, so you should know that.” Tenkuji Yu said calmly, “I’ve written down the most important things, the heat control and the seasoning formula, on it. As long as you learn these perfectly, you can make the exact same fried rice.”

"I understand. Thank you, Tenkuji-senpai!" The girl with the braided hair nodded gratefully without any suspicion, then carefully put the note away. "Although I'm not confident I can do my best, I will try my best to learn! To make fried rice that tastes like my mother's..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tenkuji Yu shook his head: "That's probably unlikely."

"Huh?" She froze, staring in astonishment at him for going back on his word. "Why..."

"The reason is simple." He rested his chin on his palm and gave a meaningful smile. "The treatment process is the same, but the medicine used is different, so naturally the fried rice won't taste the same."

"Medicine?!" The girl was startled, leaning back in her chair. "S-Senior, could it be that you used some kind of culinary technique back then...?"

"...No, I was just trying to make a joke and lighten the mood."

Yuu Tenkuji's smile froze, and she couldn't help but press her temples: "I didn't expect you to actually take it seriously... Speaking of which, does a world of 'dark cuisine' really exist?"

The girl with braided hair breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest as she answered, "Yes, my mother is one of the top four kings of the dark cuisine world."

"..."

Yuu Tenkuji decided not to delve any further into the strange settings of this world, lest the normal slice-of-life youth novel suddenly change its style again.

He told the girl with the braided hair a lot about cooking techniques such as "heartfelt intention is the seasoning", "emotion is like drugging", and "infuse the dish with soul". She took out her notebook and wrote them down one by one, and promised that she would study them carefully when she got back, and definitely make "Mother's Fried Rice" that would bring back the warmth of the past for her family.

The last one is a girl with long, straight black hair. The reason she wanted the piano sheet music for "Spring Rain" has already been clearly explained: it's her dedication as a musician and a musician.

"Any price is fine. If you don't like money, I can exchange it with sheet music of equal value."

The girl seemed to be a wealthy woman. Although she didn't have the ethereal and transparent temperament of Yukino Yukinoshita, she was still noble, elegant, confident, and generous, which showed that she was well-off.

Unfortunately, Tenkuji Yuu had no interest in any of this. He simply got up, walked to the counter, and said to the shop manager who was watching the commotion from behind:

"May I play the piano in the shop?"

Angel Cafe does have a piano. It is said that the manager used to hire a pianist to create the atmosphere of a high-end restaurant. However, due to poor performance and the increasing salaries offered by applicants, they eventually just used a stereo system to play music.

"Ah, yes, yes..." The shopkeeper's always narrowed eyes opened slightly, a sharp glint flashing in them, and the corners of his mouth turned up. "But it hasn't been used in a long time, so it needs some tuning, right?... To be honest, I'm quite confident in my tuning skills."

"No need to trouble you, I can do it myself." After saying that, Yuu Tenkuji pulled out the piano chair, sat down, opened the piano lid to dust off the dust, and began to tune the piano with skillful and quick movements.

The store manager stood behind the counter, wiping the cups with a disappointed look on his face.

There were only a few of them in the store at that moment. Iroha Isshiki and three other girls got up and surrounded him, watching him roll up his sleeves and move his joints slightly.

A suspicious person also pulled down his sunglasses and stared intently at him as he set up his piano.

"I'll play the 'sheet music' version for you first." Turning to the girl, Tenkuji Yu said this, then looked at the black and white keys and smoothly struck out the notes.

The girl with braided pigtails quickly became immersed in the beautiful piano music, smiling and swaying her body gently.

The dark-skinned girl tilted her head in confusion, seemingly not understanding what was so good about it, but she restrained herself and stood obediently in place.

The girl with long, straight black hair listened intently with her eyes closed, nodding occasionally, but her eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper, as if she had encountered some unsolvable problem.

As for Iroha...

She didn't care whether he played well or not; her gaze remained fixed on his long, slender, and clean fingers with distinct knuckles. When no one else was paying attention to her, her eyes revealed undisguised admiration and attraction.

Looking at them, you not only want to touch them, but also want to lick them from the fingertips to the bottom of the fingers and suck on every knuckle—they are such beautiful hands.

As he watched, for some reason, a chill ran down his spine, as if a massive killing intent was enveloping him.

Isshiki Hachiko quietly turned around and, apart from a suspicious guest who was drinking red tea and playing on his phone, did not notice anyone else staring at her.

Is it just my imagination?

Before she could find the answer, the music came to an end. Tenkuji Yu played the last note, withdrew her hands, and looked behind her.

"How is it? Is it the same as what you played?"

The girl with long, straight black hair, who was about to say something, opened her mouth slightly and asked in a daze, "How...how did you know?"

"You've already written out the score for this piece by ear, right? Even so, you still can't play it with that feeling. That's when you started to wonder if there was something you missed, or if there was some technique that you couldn't hear yourself, so you decided to come directly to me for advice."

"...That's right."

The other person nodded slightly, their clear eyes revealing a hint of heartfelt admiration and respect.

Based on just that information, he was able to deduce the situation he was in with almost perfect accuracy—amazing! No wonder he's the senior Tenkuji who won first place in two competitions!

Outwardly elegant and composed, the girl inwardly cheered like a devoted fan.

I really want him to be my piano teacher, so I can have sex with him every day... (drooling)...

“Unfortunately, it’s probably impossible for you to recapture that feeling using sheet music,” Yuu Tenkuji said.