I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

According to the weather forecast, it will start to rain around 2 or 3 pm. If you don't take advantage of this time to climb up the mountain and then descend as soon as possible, you will have to walk back on the muddy mountain path later.

Yuu Tenkuji had her own considerations, but because she didn't intend to say them aloud, it naturally caused misunderstandings among others.

"You bastard, are you even listening to anyone...? No, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you!?"

Her eyes flashed with a fierce light again, her beautiful face twitched slightly, and she suddenly tightened her fingers that were curling her blonde hair, almost turning the double-helix drill bit into a spiral sword.

Yuigahama Yui timely blocked her glare, a reassuring smile appearing on her face: "Well, well, isn't Yumiko's stamina pretty good? You used to be in the tennis club, climbing mountains shouldn't be a problem for you."

"It's nothing, I'm just annoyed by his attitude!"

"How about we leave him behind when we climb the mountain and make sure he can't keep up?"

"...Oh? Yui, that's a good idea."

Yumiko Miura raised an eyebrow with interest, a cruel smile gradually spreading across her lips. Her queen-like aura returned, and she said with an air of superiority and confidence, "To be honest, during the tennis club's training camps and mountain climbing trips, I could easily walk in front of everyone, even the boys could only eat dirt behind me..."

As she proudly boasted about her past glories, Yuu Tenkuji whispered to Yui Yuigahama, "Were those boys deliberately following her to peek at her butt?"

"Pervert!" Yui Yuigahama blushed and lightly slapped his arm, her cheeks puffing out in displeasure. "You're not planning to do that when we're hiking later, are you?"

"Don't worry, if she wants to compete, you guys will be the ones peeking at my butt."

"Who wants to see your butt!"

"Aren't you going to look? I consider my butt shape to be quite perfect, for an average man."

"...Even so, we're not as freakish as You! We really misjudged you!"

Yui Yuigahama said this without any confidence.

Tenkuji Yu smiled and stopped teasing the seemingly innocent and naive girl who was actually quite cunning.

He turned his gaze away, since there was still some distance to the Ferris wheel on the mountainside, and began observing people inside the light rail tram, using his keen eyesight and hearing to analyze the surrounding information.

Including them, there were thirteen passengers from Zongwu High School, nine passengers from other schools, and eight ordinary tourists.

Perhaps because they were more interested in the autumn outing than gossip, the classmates who clearly knew them didn't say much. They just gave them strange looks and then chatted enthusiastically about the upcoming itinerary.

While there are many downsides to being a celebrity, it's not to the point that everyone can be so bored—the evidence being that after the hype surrounding the scandals subsided, the rumors about Yuu Tenkuji and Masuzu Natsukawa were no longer popular, or rather, no longer news.

As long as they don't do anything shocking in public, the audience who have lost interest in them will eventually look away... Similarly, the same situation should apply to Natsukawa Masuzu's father.

The best way to avoid provoking the other party is to keep a low profile and wait until they forget about it, which would be considered a victory for them.

That's why Natsukawa Masaki proposed a cautious approach to avoid being taken back by her father.

Tenkuji Yu stroked his chin, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Actually, there's an even simpler solution..."

"If I go directly to her parents and use any means necessary to get their approval for our relationship, I can focus on developing our feelings for her without any obstacles until the mission is accomplished, right?"

After all, parents will eventually forget that they stole their daughter's cabbage.

With the system around, even if you accidentally have a child with someone, you can change everything back to a world where nothing ever happened... Of course, normally it shouldn't happen, and Yuu Tenkuji doesn't want to see that kind of scenario.

But in terms of words alone, he no longer felt much pressure. He could easily accomplish many things with his "Word Bullet" skill, saving himself a lot of trouble.

—It's not that I haven't considered using the "Word Bullet" ability, which is comparable to hypnosis, to complete the mission and try to bypass the system's rules.

Despite his thoughts, Yuu Tenkuji never actually did it.

Perhaps they simply wanted to enjoy the process and didn't want to rely on tricks to reach the end; or perhaps they thought the system wasn't stupid enough to create such a bug, and that trying it might bring some bad consequences, so they gave up the idea out of caution.

Even if he didn't know what he was persisting in, looking back now, it was precisely because of this that he was able to meet those two charming women and fall in love with the scenery that was either sunny or gentle, unique to them.

Natsukawa is truly cool, and perhaps he will be no exception.

"Let's wait and see how things develop before Zhenliang is completely helpless."

As Yuu Tenkuji emerged from her tangled thoughts, the light rail train smoothly pulled into the station with a slight sway. The gas valves made a muffled sound, and people filed out of the carriages.

Yui Yuigahama led the way, and the other two followed behind her as they left the station.

After walking a few steps, a small amusement park, including a Ferris wheel, pirate ship, and carousel, came into view. It was still quiet and deserted since it had only been open for a short time. The huge facilities stood silently in place, waiting for tourists to start their engines.

With their goal clear, the three of them headed straight for the Ferris wheel and quickly rode it around for a while. After enjoying the view, they prepared to explore other rides.

That's right, the process is that simple.

Since it was two women and one man going to ride the Ferris wheel, and the relationship between the two of them wasn't very good, there naturally wouldn't be any romantic or special developments.

Yuu Tenkuji enjoyed the scenery outside the Ferris wheel the whole time, listening to the two girls chatting away on the other side. Her mood remained calm as she stepped back onto the ground. She also chatted briefly with Hiratsuka-sensei, who had called to confirm that all the group members were present.

"If Miura were replaced by Totsuka, every moment of this autumn outing would be memorable..." For some reason, this thought popped into Tenkuji Yu's mind, and he missed his few male friends very much.

Next time I have the chance, I should just invite Totsuka Ayaka out for some fun.

Amusement parks and aquariums are nice... wait, don't get me wrong, this isn't a date.

How can two grown men going out together be called a date?

"Xiaoyou, let's go to the restroom."

With these random thoughts running through his mind, Yui Yuigahama spoke to him before heading towards the pirate ship.

There happened to be a bench nearby, and Tenkuji Yuu plopped down on it, leaning lazily against the back of the chair: "Then I'll wait for you here. Do you need any help looking after your things?"

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you~"

Yui Yuigahama naturally handed him her bag. Miura Yumiko frowned and hesitated for a moment, then took out some small items from her bag and handed him her zipped-up bag as well.

"Don't drive recklessly," he instructed, still somewhat distrustful.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested." After placing the two girls' bags beside him, Tenkuji Yuu looked at Yuigahama Yui and reminded her, "Remember to keep your phone with you. Check it carefully after you enter the cubicle, and don't miss any suspicious reflections."

"Ugh—don't talk about such scary things!" Yui Yuigahama shrugged, her brows furrowing slightly, a hint of fear in her eyes. "You idiot Yui, what are we going to do if this makes us afraid to use the restroom outside?"

Yuu Tenkuji crossed his arms and casually half-closed his eyes: "It's just to remind you to stay vigilant when you're out and about. After all, most of the time, when people encounter danger, they can only rely on themselves to protect themselves."

"Ah, indeed..." Yui Yuigahama paused for a moment, then quickly became serious and nodded vigorously. "I understand! I'll be careful!"

Standing to the side, gazing into the distance, Yumiko Miura muttered, her hair curled, "Like an old woman..."

Tenkuji Yu looked over with a smile: "Miura-kun, please be careful on your way."

"...No, you don't need to tell me. Yui, let's go."

The other person tossed his blond hair aside and walked towards the restroom without giving any face whatsoever.

Yui Yuigahama smiled at him approvingly and followed him away.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Tenkuji Yu sighed and quietly finished reciting the rest of her lines:

"...It doesn't matter what happens to you, but remember to protect Yui."

Saying things like that is an attempt to reignite the war.

However, considering that Yui Yuigahama had been trying to improve their relationship by bringing up various topics along the way, Yuu Tenkuji stopped being so sarcastic and his attitude was much better than before.

After all, who told Yumiko Miura to call him a scumbag?

Regardless of the arrogant aura of the "Queen of Flames," he, who has always been pure and devoted, would not allow anyone to tarnish his reputation with such a label.

"But, is he devoted to one person...?"

Thinking of this, Tenkuji Yu felt a little guilty for the first time and couldn't help but press her aching brow.

It wasn't that his past feelings had suddenly resurfaced, but rather that he realized something...

If he falls in love with someone who isn't the target of the mission during the mission, and the system can't take away those feelings, wouldn't he have to face the situation he tried so hard to avoid during the first mission?

"To like someone while also having to be someone else's boyfriend." — There's no worse situation than this.

Sometimes it's a system malfunction that throws back all the memories and emotions that were taken away, leaving you trapped in a living hell.

Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but shudder, shaking his head to shake that hellish scene out of his mind.

"It's a rare opportunity to have fun, so let's not think too much about it."

△

Women's restroom in the park.

After safely using the restroom, Yui Yuigahama and Yumiko Miura stood in front of the sink and tidied their appearance in front of the mirror.

"So Xiaoyou is really a good person! Although he can be a bit sharp-tongued at times, he's also thoughtful, gentle, and very reliable. You definitely won't regret getting along with him..."

Listening to her friend's endless, sales-like explanation of the advantages of a certain Sky Temple product, Miura Yumiko rolled her eyes and casually tossed the wet wipe in her hand into the trash can.

"Okay! In short, he's a good person, let's all be good friends—isn't that what you want to say?"

"Hehehe~" Yui Yuigahama scratched her cheek and laughed shyly, "Is it that obvious?"

"What do you mean by 'obvious' or 'not obvious'..." Miura Yumiko slapped her forehead, her lips twitching slightly, looking defeated. "Anyone who isn't deaf or blind can see it, okay? Even matchmakers aren't this enthusiastic!"

"No, no, no, let's forget about matchmakers..."

Yui Yuigahama said softly, then raised her eyes and looked at her seriously and frankly.

"Because Xiaoyou and Yumiko are equally important to me, I hope you can get along well and not quarrel."

To speak one's thoughts directly is an incredibly short-sighted and naive act—yet most of the time, people do just that.

Only through such gazes and words can one perceive the sincerity behind them.

"...Important things? Who knows what's important?" After a long silence, he unconsciously replied in a harsh tone.

As if to hide her shyness, Miura Yumiko clicked her tongue, lowered her fingers from her hair, and softened her tone: "Well, but Yui, what you said isn't wrong."

"That guy from Tenkuji is impeccable in every way except for his low emotional intelligence, poor communication skills, and differential treatment. If I hadn't had a bad impression of him before, I wouldn't have spoken to him that way."

"Right, right! Yuuka has so many more great things to offer!" Seeing that her friend had given her the approval of the person she liked, Yui Yuigahama was overjoyed and instinctively wanted to strike while the iron was hot to completely change Yuuka's opinion of him.

However, a sudden thought flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but carefully observe her friend's expression. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, she said guiltily, "But even though he's a good person, liking him can be exhausting, you know? So, Yui, I suggest we just stay friends..."

"puff!"

Yumiko Miura couldn't help but laugh, then her expression changed instantly, and she flicked her forehead in an annoyed tone.

"What nonsense are you talking about! Everyone knows you're interested in him, Yui. He's already been kicked out of the dating pool by me. I wouldn't like him no matter who I like! I have no interest in stealing my friend's man!"

"I... I was just making a suggestion~" Yui Yuigahama awkwardly touched her forehead, her face slightly flushed, and said softly, "Besides, he's not my man. We're just friends, good friends..."

"Maybe it's him, but it's so obvious on your end. Your eyes are practically glued to him, and you're practically radiating pink bubbles—I've never seen you like this since we met last year!"

With her palm out, Miura Yumiko vigorously rubbed her soft cheeks, like kneading dough, before letting go after she was satisfied.