I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Haha, what kind of way do you talk?!"

The sun beneath the snow is ever-changing and difficult to fathom.

When she laughs heartily, she may not be happy; when she has a blank expression, she may not be angry; and when she complains about her younger sister, she may not actually hate her.

Before today, Yuu Tenkuji thought Yukino Yukinoshita was just a troublesome egoist, willful, capricious, and perhaps a masochist.

However, now, seeing her childlike, carefree, and relaxed smile, he couldn't help but change his opinion somewhat.

Only when you stand at the same level as her, or even far surpass her, can you truly appreciate the other qualities of Yukino Yukinoshita.

...Wait, that sounds a bit strange.

She's like a Russian nesting doll, with different versions of Yukino Yukinoshita in each layer. What you see might be the real her, or it might be the real her after her careful disguise. Without the means to peel back her layers one by one, you might never know that she's actually a rather interesting person who isn't so annoying.

For example, when he was about to win a game, she deliberately came over and stood close to him, breathing into his ear and speaking in a sweet voice, trying to shake his resolve, but without actually hindering his game.

He doesn't dislike it.

Although in the end, Yuu Tenkuji was not swayed by her beauty, and with a righteous and awe-inspiring expression, he decisively won the game, but it must be said that the cue stick was really big... no, really soft... no.

cough cough.

Anyway, after this incident, Yukinoshita Haruno's image became completely three-dimensional in Tenkuji Yu's mind, and he gained a certain understanding of her as a person.

The relationship between the two may not have reached the level of friendship yet—but at least, the feeling of getting along as "rent-a-lovers" is much more natural than before.

This was only the third day since they met.

△

They spent too much time on billiards; the two activities kept them playing until noon.

Feeling a bit hungry, Yukino took Yuukoku to the fifth floor of the sports center. Everywhere she looked were signs for upscale restaurants. She patted her chest and told him to choose any restaurant he wanted, as it was her treat today.

Having accepted the rich woman's invitation with a clear conscience, Yuu Tenkuji chose a Chinese restaurant.

Leaving aside the decor, it's basically a standard upscale restaurant, with very good service and ambiance.

Yuu from Tenkuji ordered white rice, sweet and sour pork, twice-cooked pork, pineapple shrimp, and mapo eggplant.

Yukino ordered Mapo Tofu, Tianjin Fried Rice, Shrimp Shumai, and Stir-fried Vegetables. When she wanted to order alcohol, she was stopped by Yuu Tenkuji.

"Oh dear, I forgot I was driving today..." Yang Nai slapped her forehead, feeling annoyed for a moment, and then looked at him hopefully.

"Little Youyou, can you drive?"

"Yes, but I don't have a driver's license."

"That……"

"Stop thinking about it, just drink your tea." With her expression unchanged, Tenkuji Yu ordered a pot of Tieguanyin tea.

Yukino Yukinoshita naturally wouldn't actually let a high school student drive. After the joke was over, she changed her order to a pot of Longjing tea and asked the waiter to go back and deliver the order.

In the quiet Chinese restaurant, every movement seemed to carry a sound, and the two people sitting face to face were acutely aware of each other's presence.

Tenkuji Yu remained silent. If it weren't for politeness, he might have started playing on his phone to ease the awkward silence.

As for Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Hmph↗Hmm↘~"

Her fair, pink elbows rested on the table, her hands supporting her cheeks as she gazed directly at him with the typical pose of a girlfriend and her alluring, watery eyes.

With an enigmatic smile in her eyes, Yukinoshita softened her voice and spoke with a smile:

"Hey, can you tell me why you're so good at both shooting and billiards?"

When Tenkuji Yu looked into her eyes, he was almost drawn in by those beautiful eyes that were like stars in the night sky.

"Of course not."

The answer was given without hesitation.

"Even if I introduce my sister to you, it won't work?" Yang Nai tilted her head and pouted in a coquettish manner.

"She's cute and funny, isn't she? Even though her figure isn't great, I don't think you're that kind of superficial person, are you?"

"Sorry, I'm just that shallow."

Without hesitation, Tenkuji Yu lied, then mimicked her, raising the corners of his mouth in a crooked, dragon-like arc, and speaking in a low, deliberately cool voice.

"No matter how cute someone is, they're not as cute as you. No matter how funny someone is, they're not as funny as you... I'm your 'boyfriend,' so of course I wouldn't have any feelings for anyone else, Haruno."

"..."

Yukino Yukinoshita remained silent for a moment, the glint in her eyes gradually disappearing, and her DHA seemed to increase—in short, she revealed a pair of dead fish eyes.

"Um, this is a bit disgusting, isn't it?"

"Hey, at least use a fake smile, don't be so blatant about it."

For some reason, Yuu Tenkuji's heart felt a little painful.

Yukino sighed and waved her hand, "Forget it, I didn't really expect to learn anything from you anyway. Talent is a more unreasonable thing than you can imagine."

"But if we don't talk about these things, what other topics can we discuss?"

She curled a strand of hair behind her ear, her long, curled eyelashes blinking slowly twice, as if she were truly contemplating the matter.

"Hmm...I didn't expect that. By the way, what do you want to play next? The 'Trial' isn't over yet; this is only the second round."

Looking at "Ping Pong" in the skill list, Yuu Tenkuji pondered for a long time.

"It's up to you to decide."

"Should I decide? Okay." Her eyes darted around, and she quickly came up with an answer.

Do you know how to shoot arrows?

Chapter Twenty-Six: The goal is to become an omnipotent monster?

As she spoke, Yukino Yukinoshita stared intently at Yuu Tenkuji's face.

He showed an expression of barely concealed surprise, his brows furrowing slightly as if he were considering how to answer.

After a while, the answer was given:

"No, I've never had any experience with it."

Yukinoshita chuckled and extended her slender index finger, tapping his forehead twice with her cool, soft fingertip.

"What a dishonest child! You need to practice your lying expressions more."

"Huh?" Tenkuuji Yu opened his mouth slightly, looking at her with some surprise. "Where did I lie?"

What exactly did this guy read from his expression?

"Here we go again~ I'm a master of lies, I'm very skilled at both lying and seeing through lies, you know?"

Like a police officer who had caught a habitual thief, Yukinoshita Haruno chuckled smugly a few times, then placed her hands on her chin, her eyes half-closed, curving into beautiful crescents, and announced in a clear voice:

"It's decided, the third trial will be ping-pong!"

Yuu Tenkuji: "..."

You're quite the clever little devil!

Ignoring his silence, Yukinoshita Haruno straightened her beautifully sculpted upper body, lightly tapped her fingers on the table, and slowly began to speak:

Do you know?

"A person's time and energy are ultimately limited, making it impossible to excel in every field. Especially someone with your completely unscientific level of strength, one or two things might be acceptable..."

At the same time, she gave him a meaningful look.

"If you have a few more skills, and you can reach a professional level or above in all of them, then it can't be explained by talent, right?"

"At least, among all the geniuses, experts, masters, and teachers I have seen, and Yukino Shino has seen, there is none who can hone two completely unrelated skills to the level you have."

"Honestly, you're really not normal."

"And the most unusual thing is that you would do this job of renting a boyfriend."

Her voice suddenly deepened, carrying a sweet yet dangerous chuckle.

"So..."

"Tell me, who exactly are you, and what are you trying to get from me?"

"Yuu Tenkuji, who is only seventeen years old this year."

She seemed to be joking, or like a venomous snake suddenly tensing up from its sleep, launching a tentative attack on herself without any warning.

The air seemed to be oppressed and terrified by those indifferent and profound gazes, and even the faintest sound gradually disappeared from our ears.

"..."

Pressing his temples, Tenkuji slowly closed his eyes, letting out a soft sigh.

How should I put it? It feels like a scene in some blockbuster movies where the police interrogate a superpowered person who accidentally reveals their true abilities.

She was the police officer who found evidence of a superpowered person's crime and started to extract information with a poppy-like smile, using every trick in the book to make him obedient.

Unfortunately, it did nothing to scare him, who was prepared all along.

After being questioned by Sora last time, Tenkuji Yu had already thought about how he should deal with a similar situation in the future, especially in front of the mission target: Yukino Yukinoshita.

Planning ahead is a consistent practice for Yuu Tenkuji, and this approach won't change now that a system exists.

So, this is how he answered her:

"So what if it's normal? So what if it's abnormal?"

"Knowing too much won't do you any good, and besides, we only have a normal 'rental' relationship."

Grandma once said that you should use your own mystification to deal with mystification.

Is it only under the snow that the sun is allowed to change in countless ways?

If he wanted, he could also create a mysterious persona for himself, specifically to deal with overly curious people like Yukino Yukinoshita.

—So now, he is just a rented boyfriend with many stories but no feelings.

“Miss Yang, I didn’t press you about your affairs, and please don’t press me about mine either… Didn’t you do the same thing when we were chatting at McDonald’s that day?”