I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

As soon as he finished speaking, the roller coaster slowly started moving.

"It's too late. Don't worry, as long as there are no piano wires in the aisle, I can protect you even if the whole car falls down."

"So stop scaring me with those kinds of words! You're such an annoying big idiot, senpai—!"

The girl's screams echoed continuously under the vast and boundless sky.

(To be continued)

Bonus Chapter: Valentine's Day x Valentine's Day Tragedy (Part 2)

"Senior, that's going too far."

"Yes Yes."

"Senior, this is really too much!"

"Okay, okay, how many times do you have to say it?"

"Speaking of how the senior truly realized his mistakes, his legs are still shaking a little!"

She slapped his shoulder angrily, then let out a snort through her nose, revealing an expression of lingering fear as if she had just returned from hell: "It's strange, actually. I've never been this scared on roller coasters before, but this time, coming with you, senior, the fear is inexplicably incredibly intense..."

"Isn't it because I deliberately said those things to scare you?"

Tenkuji Yu glanced at her and reached out his hand.

Iroha naturally cupped it in both hands, letting her icy fingers warm up to a temperature that made her heart throb, before saying smugly:

"I'm not that easily scared. It's just that girls look cuter screaming like that~ Senpai, you've been fooled by me!"

"You're really impressive." Tenkuji Yu shrugged and changed the subject, "Shall we go sit in a coffee cup next?"

"We'll talk about that later, let's go to the haunted house first!" Iroha Isshiki hugged his arm tightly, pressing her soft body against him, and pointed her finger high towards the haunted house.

When Tenkuji Yu lowers his head, he can meet her round and playful eyes.

"...You really do like screaming types, huh?"

"It's not that I like it, but guys like girls who love excitement and are easily scared and scream."

Iroha Isshiki leaned against his arm, looking ahead, and whispered, "This is just the basics to make you like me more, senpai."

Tenkuji Yu paused for a moment: "I think your current technique is already quite advanced."

"Hmm? What does that mean? Are you saying you like me terribly right now? I'm sorry, although I'm very happy, if you're going to confess, please do it formally, otherwise I'll pretend I didn't hear you..."

Yuu Tenkuji sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright, one daily task a day is enough."

"It's all your fault, senior!" Iroha Isshiki said with a smile, her face slightly flushed.

The two lined up and quickly entered the hospital-themed haunted house.

The passage was dark, with only the light from a flashlight illuminating a corner of the cluttered space. Yuu Tenkuji, carrying a pendant, moved forward slowly.

"Senior, what if a ghost jumps out and chases us..."

"Kick him into the wall."

"That's obviously not going to work! Senior, your way of thinking is too brute-force!"

"Then I'll carry you and run?"

"Hmm, this does look tempting... but the staff are watching, aren't they? I'm a little shy, so maybe I shouldn't do it."

Yuu Tenkuji rolled her eyes: "This won't work, that won't work, do you want me to come and scare you with a ghost?"

"Senior, you're usually so smart, why didn't you think of this?"

As if there was nothing she could do about him, Isshiki sighed heavily, gesturing with her fingers in front of her as if she were describing a scene she had envisioned.

"When faced with danger, isn't the most romantic and coolest scene the one where you say, 'I'll hold them off here, you go first! I'll catch up soon!'? Senior, you should be a hero to your junior!"

"And then what? Leave you all alone in the dark?" Tenkuji Yu scoffed at the idea. "I don't want to be that kind of hero. I'd rather be selfish and run as far as I can with you. If we get caught by ghosts and die, so be it. At least we won't be alone on the road to the underworld."

"..."

In the darkness, she seemed to raise her head and stare blankly at him, her steps unconsciously slowing down slightly.

Then, a soft chuckle suddenly rang out.

"Haha... Senior, you really don't know how to be cool. This kind of answer would score zero points for an average girl, you know?"

"Really?" Yuuya Tenkuji laughed, strolling leisurely with her through the eerie haunted house. "Then how many points would I get from you?"

"Ninety-nine points! One point is deducted because you're too cunning, senior." After saying this crisply, Iroha scratched his palm in dissatisfaction.

"You could have just given a casual answer, but you had to take it so seriously. If it weren't me, people would probably be thinking, 'What kind of person is this? Can they even have a conversation?' or something like that."

"I can't help it, I always speak so seriously. That's one of my few flaws," Yuu Tenkuji sighed, feigning helplessness. "Looks like I'll only be able to say these things to Iroha from now on."

“That’s right, that’s right, it’s all for your own good, Senpai.” Iroha Isshiki nodded seriously, then couldn’t help but laugh, leaning on his shoulder and chuckling softly.

boom!

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound came from the metal cabinet the two had just passed.

With a sudden jerk of her shoulders, Isshiki Hatake immediately stopped laughing, her face turning ashen as she held her breath and pressed herself tightly against Tenkuji Yuu, her voice trembling slightly.

"S-Senior, what's inside..."

"Probably someone's hiding there, a common trope in haunted houses." Tenkuji Yu looked nonchalant, simply admiring the slightly frightened, cute little face in the dim light of the flashlight.

Isshiki glared at him with dissatisfaction, clutching his sleeve with her fingers, and said in a coquettish tone, "Of course I know, but I'm still scared... Let's hurry up and leave, I have a feeling it will come chasing after us."

“Okay, then…” Just as he was about to turn around and leave, Yuu Tenkuji shone his flashlight on the slowly opening cabinet, and a ray of silver light caught his eye.

He paused for a moment, then his pupils contracted, and his sharp gaze pierced through the darkness in a mere half-second, clearly seeing the long-haired figure slowly crawling out of the cabinet with its head bowed.

No matter how terrifying the haunted house or how thrilling the horror movie, nothing could bring Yuu Tenkuji such intense trembling and horror as he did at this moment.

Without any hesitation or regard for the dirt, Yuu Tenkuji put the flashlight in his mouth to light the way ahead, then scooped up the soft body of the girl beside him and carried her in a princess carry.

"Huh?!"

He only had time to let out a scream before Isshiki Hatake was like someone boarding an express train. The dark and terrifying haunted house scenery rushed past him, but the cramped and dark space did nothing to slow down his sprint.

In the blink of an eye, the two passed through the curtain of the exit. The bright and lively amusement park dispelled the chill in the haunted house, followed by a chorus of puzzled gazes.

"Senior, what happened? Why suddenly..." Clutching his shirt, Isshiki asked blankly, looking up.

"I just saw something really scary." Tenkuji Yu said with a somber face, pursing his dry lips. "This haunted house is something else... it actually scared me so much that I couldn't help but run out."

"Senpai, were you scared?" Iroha Isshiki, who had been placed on the ground, touched his cheek, her beautiful eyes widening in disbelief. "Really? I even broke out in a cold sweat... What did you see, Senpai?"

Yuu Tenkuji exhaled forcefully from his lungs, finally feeling the blood flowing through his body.

"...It's probably something in the same category as the indescribable."

"That thing that sounds terrifying?!" After her initial exclamation, Iroha Isshiki took out a handkerchief, stood on tiptoe, and carefully wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"But this is truly the first time I've ever seen my senior so scared... It's kind of novel~"

"Really? I do have quite a few things I'm afraid of." Yuu Tenkuji looked into her eyes and gave a slightly helpless, bitter smile.

"For example, being separated from Iroha Isshiki and being disliked by Iroha Isshiki."

"..."

With her soft lips slightly parted, Iroha's hand, which was wiping away sweat, unconsciously stopped, and she stared in astonishment.

After staring at him blankly for a while, the corners of her mouth gradually curved up, her short flaxen hair flying in the wind. She snorted and turned her head away.

"Ugh... having such a clingy senior is really a headache~"

Although he was saying he was troubled, his tone was full of joy and excitement as if he had received a new treasure.

She folded her handkerchief, turned her rosy face halfway, and her dimples appeared lightly on her soft cheeks.

"Well, so that my handsome senior doesn't look scared... this time, shall I hold your hand firmly?"

Isshiki smiled gently, reached out her small hand, and lightly grasped his fingers.

It felt like I could never shake it off, even without any effort.

……

Inside the haunted house, the silver-haired female ghost gazes at the seemingly warm scene outside.

The prop in her hand was crushed, her face was ashen, and she let out a cold, low laugh.

"How dare you betray me and get so close to a young and beautiful girl... It seems I have to teach my dear Ayou a lesson."

Her arm hung down, and a dark black, knife-shaped object slid out from under her sleeve. She held it firmly in her palm—even more tightly than the two people's hands were clasped together at that moment.

"This Valentine's Day is awful, but I'll make it beautifully vibrant red!"

A broken, hoarse laugh kept coming from the silver-haired beauty's mouth.

……

"Senior, I'd like to buy two ice creams!"

"It's winter now, so if we want to feed each other, it would be better to buy crepes, wouldn't it?"

"Hmm...that makes sense. I'll take the chocolate flavor, and you can get the banana flavor, senpai!"

"Okay, I'll go queue up. You wait for me here."

When Yuu Tenkuji returned with two crepes, he was ordered by Iroha Isshiki to close his eyes.

Come on, ah~

"Ah—hmm? This doesn't taste like crepes..." After chewing, Yuu Tenkuji opened his eyes in confusion.

Iroha Isshiki put her hands behind her back, as if hiding something, and suspiciously looked away.

"Never mind what it is, just tell me if it tastes good or not!"

Tenkuji Yu looked at her strangely: "No, anyone with a normal sense of taste can tell this is chocolate... It's delicious, though."

"That's good... Hmm, as expected of me!" Iroha Isshiki breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and took out the two crepes and a box of chocolates with the packaging torn open that she had been hiding behind her back.

"This is the first time I've ever made chocolate for someone, so please eat it with gratitude!"

"Thank you." Yuu Tenkuji took it, along with the banana-flavored crepe.