I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Part 5!" Yui Yuigahama answered reflexively, then remembered what she was going to say and subconsciously touched the bun on her head. "I wasn't controlled by a Stand! Of course I need to go to the bathroom, but I also want to take this opportunity to talk to Natsukawa-san alone... Uh, what's wrong?"

However, Natsukawa Masuzu completely ignored her startled expression.

"Why……"

With her jewel-like blue eyes wide open, she stared at Yui Yuigahama in shock, as if she could see Nobita telling Gian, "I'm going in," and involuntarily took a step back.

"Why are you so JOJO-like?"

"So, JOJO? Ah, do you understand what JOJO references mean?" Yui Yuigahama suddenly realized, chuckling a little sheepishly. "Didn't I mention last time that I'd watch it when I got back? 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'."

"Although it was to have something in common with you guys, there are just too many volumes. Even if the content is very interesting, I can't finish reading it all at once or keep up with your pace, so I had to ask Hina... My friend told me about some famous scenes and common references, and I plan to add more details later."

As if thinking of a strange person, Yui Yuigahama gave a wry smile: "The reason I remember the 'Face Close-up' Stand so vividly is because my friend highly recommended that...CP. As for the rest, I haven't even finished reading the first volume yet."

"...'Close-up of faces' and 'shock,' Tichonno and Skjaer." Adopting a tense, almost cryptic tone, Natsukawa Masuzu spoke as if giving a coded message, "One of the few male-male pairings depicted directly in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, known as the 'Venetian Couple'... Is your friend a fujoshi (a female fan of BL)?"

"I think so?"

Because she was unsure of the definition of "fujoshi" (a female fan of male-male romance), Yui Yuigahama was a little hesitant to answer—but if she were there, she would probably readily admit it and then enthusiastically promote her own pairing.

"Oh... I see."

Xia Chuanzhen glanced at her a few times before the wary attitude that seemed to have been unexpectedly stepped into her psychological defenses slowly dissipated. She reached out and lifted her smooth, straight silver hair, and her composed demeanor returned.

"Although you are an opponent and a typical love-obsessed person, the fact that you took the initiative to approach JOJO for the sake of the person you like is something that makes people have to show you JOJO-level respect."

"Eh? Is the one you're respecting JOJO?" Yui Yuigahama smiled subtly, showing no sign of being pleased by the compliment.

"Otherwise what? Do you want me to say, 'Ah, it's so touching to make changes for love~'?"

Putting aside her melodramatic tone, Natsukawa Masaki shrugged, making sure no one else had heard what they were saying before so frankly revealing her true feelings.

"Don't joke around. If the JOJO element were missing, I would despise you with all my might right now, you little dumpling-chan who relentlessly pursues other people's boyfriends."

"I'm not relentlessly pursuing you, we're just good friends!" Yui Yuigahama puffed out one cheek, her brow twitching, and said with dissatisfaction, "Besides, I've said it many times, please have a proper understanding of what a fake girlfriend is like in private, okay? What's with your possessiveness..."

"I'm really sorry, but I'm just a rather possessive person." Not wanting to dwell on this issue any longer, Natsukawa Masuzu chose to change the subject. "What do you want to talk to me about in private? If it's another declaration of war, I suggest you say it in front of other people; it'll be more effective."

“I didn’t mean to do that.” Yui Yuigahama shook her head and looked at her frankly. “I just noticed that Natsukawa-san looked a little unwell and wanted to come over and ask if you were feeling unwell or something… I feel like you and Yuki are the type who keep their discomfort inside and don’t want to talk about it.”

"No way? You're concerned about your love rival?" Natsukawa Masaki raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and her tone unconsciously became a little barbed. "Or is it that you don't consider me a love rival at all, and are just waiting for the commission to end so you can seamlessly take my place—that's why you came to talk to me with this attitude of not caring if I'm pitied?"

"...Ahaha, so that's what you were thinking?"

After a moment of surprise, Yui Yuigahama sighed softly, a somewhat sad and helpless smile appearing on her face.

"Even though Natsukawa-san sees you as a rival in love, I've never considered you an enemy... It's not that I look down on you, but I don't want to fight over Yu like it's a war."

"Hmph, a ceasefire treaty?"

Natsukawa Masaki frowned, but under her calm gaze, she unconsciously bit her lip, and even her strong tone became somewhat weak.

"Even if I win, so what? If Xiaoyou doesn't like me, he'll still reject my confession... If Xiaoyou likes you, he won't date me just because of what I do. We should be working on things that aren't competing with each other, that's what I think."

"So, the reason I wanted to check up on Natsukawa-kun is simply because... I like to meddle in other people's business, right?"

Yui Yuigahama scratched her cheek: "Haha, when we were taking pictures on the mountain, I was wondering if something had happened between you and Yu, and then your behavior made me more and more certain..."

"Look, only a few of us know about the 'fake girlfriend' thing. Xiaoyou is the person involved, and Xiaoxue isn't good at taking the initiative to care about others. The only person who can listen to Xia Chuan's innermost thoughts is me, whom you consider a 'love rival,' right?"

Having drawn her conclusion, Yui Yuigahama held up one finger, puffed out her chest, and said matter-of-factly, "So, if you have anything on your mind or something you can't figure out, just tell me! I may not be able to give you a good answer, but at least you'll feel better if you say it out loud."

"...Huh?"

No longer the kind of over-the-top acting, Natsukawa Masuzu stared blankly at the girl with the bun hairstyle in front of her with a bewildered look that seemed unable to comprehend something.

Despite her own love of lying, she couldn't detect a trace of deception in her words—even without personally verifying it, for some reason, Natsukawa Masuzu still couldn't deny the sincerity and kindness in those words.

"...Are you some kind of ancient fossil resurrected from a kind old man who went extinct? Aren't you stupid? Are you an idiot?"

"I'm not a dinosaur! And those insults are way too much!"

After angrily venting her frustration, Yui Yuigahama chuckled twice, then put her hands on her hips smugly: "I didn't do this just for you! Getting information that only the two of you know, and knowing more about Yui, is the greatest reward for me!"

Natsukawa Masaki bit her lip until it turned white, then silently lowered her head.

She possesses genuine concern, but also a touch of girlish cunning—

And such a person is hundreds of times more dazzling than she, who is always lying.

That's the charm that counterfeits can't possess. As a fake, I can only feel ashamed in front of the real thing, and even the slightest bit of kindness feels like an eyesore.

She couldn't get close, and she didn't want to get close—she didn't want to give up like that.

"I'm sorry, I have nothing to say to you."

After a long silence, Natsukawa Masuzu said coldly in a voice that even she herself found hoarse and deep, "You are Ayu's friend, not my friend... Even if you are just a fake rival, I'm not stupid enough to share my relationship with him with you."

"...I see."

Pretending not to hear the sound filled with disappointment and sighs, Natsukawa Masaki clenched her fists at her sides, ignored her, and walked out of the restroom.

"He and I are both fine, thank you for your concern... Well then, enjoy your meal."

"...Wait a minute, at least say 'pleasant toilet experience'!"

It's not like I'm a friendless kid, who would bring food into the toilet to eat?

Left alone in the restroom, Yui watched the silver-haired girl's departing figure, then patted the bun on her head and muttered, "What an awkward girl. I guess only Yui knows what she's thinking..."

……

Putting down her phone, Yuu Tenkuji glanced at Masaki Natsukawa, who had returned to her seat.

The moment their eyes met, she winked playfully and said with a bright smile, "What's wrong? Do you have that kind of interest in staring at girls who have just finished using the restroom? Are you even planning to sniff them a couple of times?"

Before Yuu Tenkuji could speak, two disdainful glances fell upon him—Yukino Yukinoshita and Yumiko Miura. Their prejudice against him seemed to be growing stronger.

As for Ordinary Sauce, perhaps having witnessed his dashing side at work, or perhaps understanding that Natsukawa Masuzu was just this kind of person who didn't speak like a human being, she simply chuckled a few times and remained an inconspicuous observer.

"...I just hope you remember to wash your hands. The toilet customs in Japan and Sweden should be the same, right?"

Yuuya Tenkuji was used to dealing with this kind of situation, rolled his eyes and didn't intend to argue with her.

"You're overthinking it. I lived in Japan until I was seven, so I wouldn't be that ignorant." Saying this casually, Natsukawa Masuzu pulled out a chair and sat down. Just then, the waiter brought over her first dish, which was her tomato meat sauce spaghetti.

She frowned as she looked at the plate of noodles, then gazed at Tenkuji Yu with a pitiful expression.

"Darling, we can't finish this!"

It was so cheesy that even Yuuto Tenkuji couldn't help but rub his arms, and Yukino Yukinoshita showed a slightly uncomfortable expression.

“…I’ll eat it for you.” He replied, rubbing his forehead.

"Wow~ Yuu is the best, so kind~" Natsukawa Masuzu clapped her hands and cheered in a very fake tone.

He immediately lowered his head, his eyes hidden in the shadow of his bangs, and said with a smile that was devoid of any real mirth, "I sensed it, your habitual attitude—have girls said that to you before? Just how many plates of girls' leftovers have you eaten?"

"..."

Tenkuji Yu looked at her speechlessly.

Is this guy's intuition A? How come his intuition is so accurate in this area?

It's all thanks to someone. He really does have a habit of helping girls solve the problems of food they can't finish, can't eat, or can't eat because it's too spicy. The two states of "food demon king" and "rapid digestion" have completely turned him into a human garbage can. As long as it's "edible food," there's no problem with how much they can eat.

However, since it was something that couldn't be said aloud, Tenkuji Yu naturally didn't intend to admit it, and simply brushed it off without changing his expression:

"I have a younger sister, and I used to help her eat the things she was picky about and wouldn't eat."

"really?"

As she questioned this, the next moment, Natsukawa Masaki pulled his hand, which was resting on the table, and gently licked his index finger with her soft tongue, then carefully savored it.

Immediately, she revealed a cunning and alluring smile, and said meaningfully, "It's the smell of a lie."

Tenkuuji Yu looked at her speechlessly: "...Are you a special version of Bucciarati?"

Natsukawa Masuzu's eyes widened, her face flushed, and she leaned back shyly, saying, "You want me to lick your cheek? How annoying! Even for me, it's still a little embarrassing to do something like that in public."

Before he could finish speaking, the gaze that seemed to regard him as a pervert shifted to him again.

My reputation has been damaged... Oh well, I never had any good reviews to begin with.

Life is tough, I can only sigh.

Ignoring Natsukawa Masaki's chuckling, Tenkuji Yu withdrew his fingers and wiped them with a tissue.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he sensed a lingering reluctance in her gaze, as if she wanted to lick his fingers a few more times. She swallowed almost imperceptibly—Tenkuji Yu pretended not to notice and asked helplessly:

"So, are you feeling better?"

The unexpected question startled Natsukawa Masuzu, but she quickly put on a flawless expression and said with a smile, "Oh my, what are you talking about? When have I ever been in a bad mood?"

"If you don't want to admit it, that's fine. At least for now, I'll be by your side." Speaking in a voice only she could hear, Tenkuji Yu pointed to her plate. "Let's eat. If you don't want to eat, I'll buy you some jelly later. The Weidein brand, right?"

"..."

Natsukawa Masaki quieted down, and after a long while, picked up his fork and shook his head without a smile.

"I can eat, thank you for your concern."

Chapter 51 The Importance of Before and After

Soon, Yui Yuigahama finished using the restroom and returned to her seat.

She glanced at Tenkuji Yu and Natsukawa Masashi, said nothing, pulled out a chair and sat down, then enthusiastically suggested:

"Just eating seems a bit boring, want to play some games?"

"Still bored with a cat around?"

While petting the British Shorthair cat that had come up to her feet, Yukino Yukinoshita gave her a look that said, "You're really unreasonable," and sighed, "Yuigahama-san, this is a cat cafe, not a board game shop or a social club."

"Hmm, that's true."

After being told that, the others seemed to lose interest as well, so Yui Yuigahama had no choice but to give up the idea.

The original intention was to use games to improve everyone's relationships and liven up the atmosphere...

However, judging from the current situation, apart from Natsukawa being a bit out of place, everyone seems to be getting along quite well.

Yui Yuigahama, who was secretly observing, breathed a sigh of relief.

To the accompaniment of soothing background music, the harmless cats roam about, their adorable appearance soothing people's nerves. Occasionally, they'll wag their tails haughtily and approach, bringing a relaxed smile to one's face.