I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Natsukawa Masaki answered in a daze, her eyes still closed.

He seemed to be suppressing the urge to complain, his voice slightly low: "Why did you have to ruin such a good atmosphere with this rubbing and fucking?"

She said calmly and seriously, "You misunderstood. I was just adjusting the position of my cheek, I didn't rub it."

"really?"

"Of course it's true."

"I see. I was thinking that if you were willing to tell the truth, it wouldn't be a problem to let you linger a little longer..."

"Sorry, I lied. I just couldn't help rubbing against it, after all, it was so tempting. The mountain was right there, so I had to rub against it, rub rub rub rub rub rub rub—"

Yuu Tenkuji: "..."

My girlfriend has some mental issues. Is it too late to get her brain replaced?

Chapter Seventy-Three: A Perfect Coincidence

The clock hand, guided by the sunlight, slowly moved to the top.

Looking at that pretty face that had finally fallen into a peaceful dream, as serene and beautiful as Sleeping Beauty, Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but quietly breathe a sigh of relief, leaning weakly against the back of the chair and letting out a soft sigh.

"Is dealing with a girl's coquettishness really this tiring?"

The first two "girlfriends" were both relatively independent and confident. Even if they would act cute or coquettish, it was within reasonable limits. In short, they were like normal people.

Natsukawa Masaki is the complete opposite.

On the surface, she appears confident, proud, and dignified, but in reality, she is incredibly fragile—I don't know if she's lost her mind or has simply stopped bothering to hide her true nature.

If you show even the slightest resistance or disdain towards her, this guy will immediately fall into a series of dark emotions, frantically labeling himself with all sorts of negative tags—

"You won't let me rub against you because I smell bad, right? That's right, I know. Even though I shower every day, the stench of a wicked woman emanating from my heart can never be shaken off... Someone like me, who hides in lies and pretense all day long and only amuses himself with nasty jokes, is like a virgin boy whose penis is too long and he doesn't take it out to wash it. As soon as you get close, you can smell a stench even worse than old Boulogne cheese."

By the way, Old Boulogne is the smelliest cheese in the world, while the silver-haired beauty smells much better than that stuff... Anyway, that's what Tenkuji Yu thought after smelling it, but unfortunately she wouldn't listen at all and even wanted to bury his head in the blanket so he could smell it more carefully.

Not only that, Natsukawa Marou's jealousy is incredibly intense—

"Hey, why aren't you looking at me? Why did you take out your phone? Did Tuanzi-chan text you? Or is that junior girl whose eyes are practically glued to you trying to hook you up? I'm right here, wearing nothing but my pajamas, yet you're just pointing the camera at me. Are you planning to let them see me looking so weak and useless?! No, my heart is so cold, hug me! Hug me, hug me, hug me—"

Then it's like a broken, repetitive voice, but after a short while it'll suddenly become like a split personality, returning to normal and chatting and laughing with him.

Having experienced these kinds of things more deeply now, like Natsukawa Masuri's overly neurotic and stress-prone personality, Tenkuji Yuu suddenly understood:

Why did the system allow him to fill her heart? Why is she finding it increasingly difficult to let go of this guy?

After all, if left unattended, it will break down sooner or later, right?

Just like Asuna Yuuki, who was never able to be herself due to her mother's oppression.

Natsukawa Marou's family background and past experiences may have caused her to suppress certain emotions for a long time, until now—

It wasn't until Yuu Tenkuji entered her home that she had someone she could trust, someone she could freely unleash her twisted emotions.

"Honestly, you're all like this... What will you do without me?"

Tenkuji Yu gave a soft hum, his tone tinged with self-mockery.

Holding the banner of justice, he saves whomever he wants, and seeing the smiles on their faces makes him exclaim, "I have saved their lives"... He is not the kind of self-righteous hero.

Without a system, who would care about the psychological problems of transfer students?

Who would rent a girlfriend from a complete stranger? And who would be forced to become a couple with their friend's sister in a game?

Anyway, it won't be him.

"So, isn't it a miracle, in a way, that I can be here with you?"

A sigh slipped into the cracks of sunlight, falling gently along with golden dust.

Reaching out, he gently touched her forehead, brushed aside her bangs, smoothed out her unconsciously furrowed brows, and checked her temperature.

"Very good, the fever is almost gone..."

I estimate that he will be mostly recovered by tomorrow evening.

Well, after all, she finished the whole bowl of porridge with the 'medicine' added, so it's normal that she recovered faster.

Rather, it's surprising that the medicine didn't directly cure the disease.

Tenkuji Yu let out a breath, played with her hair for a moment, and then withdrew his hand.

As for so easily wasting precious treasures from another world on people who will eventually forget them, is this behavior considered wasteful...?

For him, of course not.

Why should Natsukawa Masuzu, who is the 'source' of the reward, not be allowed to use it, while she is left to suffer from the pain of a fever?

That's incredibly inhumane.

As for the remaining six drops, Yuu Tenkuji did not intend to keep them as family heirlooms. He would use them when the time was right, and if he didn't finish them, he would wait until the conditions were right in the future to see if he could analyze them and find some clues.

Ultimately, it was something he obtained easily, not something he would value excessively.

"Well then, it's time to leave."

As he rose from his chair, Tenkuji stretched lazily, his bones cracking.

This simple action caused Natsukawa Masuzu, who should have been fast asleep, to utter a faint murmur in her sleep, as if she were about to wake up at any moment.

Without hesitation, Yuu Tenkuji immediately activated "Presence Adjustment," turning the power to reduce presence to the maximum, which finally calmed the girl on the bed down. She mumbled a few words and then turned over to face away from him.

"Really..."

Seeing her curled up in bed, looking just like a little girl lacking a sense of security, he couldn't help but smile. Without thinking, he leaned down and gently kissed the end of her hair.

"Hurry up and turn back into your usual, more energetic and annoying self, and have sweet dreams."

After speaking in a low voice, Yuu Tenkuji did nothing more and turned to walk outside.

I was originally expecting a scene where she suddenly realized her low presence and called out to me, asking where I was going.

However, wishful thinking is still wishful thinking. Just like after the second mission, I had the expectation that Yuuki Asuna would keep her promise and remember everything she had forgotten—it was precisely because it was impossible to achieve that it seemed so absurd and ridiculous.

Until the door closed quietly, the silver-haired girl on the bed slept soundly and peacefully, undisturbed by any noise.

It was as if someone could finally hold her hand and say goodnight to her before nightfall.

△

After taking her spare key, locking the door, and slipping the key under the door, Yuu Tenkuji walked toward the elevator.

He habitually glanced around and noticed that there seemed to be only two households living on each floor of this luxury apartment building. The other household did not have a nameplate, so it was probably not occupied yet.

The wall lights were soft, and the corridor, covered with a bright red carpet, was elegant and luxurious, making almost no sound when you stepped on it.

After glancing around a few times, he pressed the elevator button. The number went from one to ten, but the elevator skipped his tenth floor and stopped on the eleventh floor.

"Did someone else press the elevator button upstairs?" Tenkuji Yu frowned slightly.

Residents on different floors all pressed the down button, and the elevator would first stop at the top floor and then slowly descend.

This wouldn't normally be anything to worry about, but coincidentally, Yuu Tenkuji had recently received information that Yukino Yukinoshita lived upstairs, and a vague premonition arose in his heart.

"Could it be such a coincidence that I'll run into her in the elevator?"

Even if they ran into each other, it wouldn't be a big deal. Even if Yukino Yukinoshita knew they were just pretending to be lovers, he could still use the excuse of "visiting a poor soul with no friends" to get away with it.

Wait, even if they really are dating, it has nothing to do with her, right? There's no need to make excuses; just tell the truth!

Tenkuji Yuu immediately relaxed, and his expression became more casual.

The elevator quickly descended the stairs, and with a ding, the doors opened to the sides. Sure enough, someone was standing in front of the elevator door. At first glance, all you could see was jet-black, slightly wavy hair with pinkish-red ends.

He stepped inside, and after confirming that the elevator button on the first floor was lit, he glanced at the other person.

Then, I involuntarily froze.

"Hmm? You are..."

When their eyes met, the other person seemed surprised as well. After a moment of stunned silence, the corners of his thin lips slowly curved into a familiar, joyful smile, and his handsome eyes narrowed into slits like a fox's.

"How could we meet here? Is Chiba City just too small, or are we simply destined to meet?"

As the elevator doors slowly closed, leaving only the two of them in the enclosed space.

"It exudes a sweet yet dangerous scent," Yukino Yukinoshita said with a smile.

"Long time no see, Tenkuji-kun."

Chapter 74 Why? I'm looking for the reason now.

What fell was not snow, but the brilliance of sunshine covering the ground.

Yuu Tenkuji stood at the very back of the elevator car, looking at Yukinoshita Haruno next to the elevator door, and at the floor numbers slowly decreasing on the dial.

The initial shock was fleeting, quickly masked by an expression of surprise.

"Miss Haruno? Are you here to see Yukinoshita?"

After asking this question without giving herself away, Tenkuji Yu calculated the time it would take for the elevator to reach the first floor.

— About twenty seconds passed quickly.

Like a prisoner alone in a cage with a wild beast, wishing he could kick open the door and escape—even though reason tells him, "There's nothing to panic about, she doesn't remember anything from the past," his emotions make Yuu Tenkuji subconsciously tense up, fighting against the awkward atmosphere that is becoming increasingly hot.

This reaction is very abnormal.

They have no memory of each other and no feelings for each other. They can be considered strangers, but for some reason, they can't help but care about each other.

Last time, it was alright because there were other people around, but now that the two of them are alone in the elevator, this feeling is even more pronounced.

Tenkuji Yu clicked his tongue inwardly.

I wouldn't care whether she lived or died if we didn't meet... Damn it, are the habits left by my body so hard to break?

"Yes. I've gotten into the habit of playing with Yukino lately; teasing her is just as fun as teasing a cat!"

Seemingly oblivious to his cautious demeanor, Yukinoshita crossed her arms and said casually, "And you? You're probably here to see your girlfriend, right? I remember her name is... Fuyukawa Masuzu?"

The elevator arrived at the seventh floor.

"It's Natsukawa. You've asked her a ton of questions, at least remember her name, okay?" Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but complain.