I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

The distrust and fear of love are deeply rooted in Natsukawa Masuzu's heart, leading her to blame everything on lies and excuses, thereby justifying the things she has always avoided.

The desire to get close yet the fear of getting hurt is precisely the contradictory mindset that has created their current distorted relationship.

And this was all orchestrated by Yuu Tenkuji – he once thought that this was what Masuzu Natsukawa truly needed, that she could be filled with such a false romance, and that he only needed to keep giving her the warmth she needed.

"But as expected, it still didn't work."

Sky Temple sighed, turned around, and gazed at the city night scene illuminated by streetlights, the image of someone appearing in her mind.

In the end, she, like her, craved something authentic and beyond question.

If the direction is wrong, the result will also be wrong... Precisely because they are too smart, they understand this better than anyone else.

And they are absolutely unable to accept the wrong outcome from the bottom of their hearts, and can only keep deceiving and fooling themselves, unwilling to wake up from it, and continuing this endless self-comfort.

And now, he is letting Natsukawa Masami sink deeper and deeper into the lies, accompanying her to gain a little happiness from this self-deceiving love.

Without the system, Yuu Tenkuji might not care—as long as they continue to get to know each other, whether it's ten or twenty years, her distorted views will eventually be corrected.

But this is already the third mission, and two more missions would end the life of being toyed with by the dog system. Even though he said he wasn't in a hurry, Tenkuji Yu still didn't want to drag it out for so long.

What if the mission isn't complete until both of their children have been born?

After the timeline changes, will the newly born little life have to go back to its offspring bag?

Don't be ridiculous! No matter how strong your mind is, you'd break down on the spot if something like this happened, right?

It was precisely to avoid this situation that Yuuto Tenkuji made a test of Masuzu Natsukawa.

As for the outcome... it's hard to say whether it's good or bad; it's just a long and arduous journey ahead.

"Why is it so hard to have a proper relationship and start a new life in a sweet yet bittersweet atmosphere..."

In the evening breeze at the end of October, the boyfriend's sigh was carried away into the distance by the cold air.

The leaves are falling, and winter, which seeks change, is approaching.

……

After returning home and having dinner with Sora, Yuu Tenkuji went back to her room.

After finishing all his pre-bedtime tasks, he opened a locked drawer containing several strange-looking items.

A broken cell phone, a pencil broken in two, strangely colored water in a crystal jar, a T-shirt that says "Grand Strategy"...

All of these were things he obtained by using the power of "magical trade," and like getting a guaranteed item in a ten-pull gacha, they were all completely useless.

Trade an old phone for a "exploded Samsung Note7", an ordinary pen for a "pen broken by a top student", water for "Princess Charlot's holy water", and clothes for "clothes worn by the Conqueror King".

The first one has already lost its qualification as a weapon; the second one is a top student himself, so he has no need for it; the third one seems to have the power to cure all diseases, but he doesn't even want to touch it; and then there's the fourth one...

Is it a relic?

He doesn't plan to participate in the Holy Grail War, so what does he need this for?!

The reason she didn't throw them away was simply because Yuu Tenkuji wanted to collect these things so she could look back and see if her luck was good or bad, and keep them as souvenirs.

Try it once a day. If the cabinet is too full, pick out a few really useless things and throw them away.

"Let's try this today..."

Take out a charm that reads "Academic Success" and hold it in your hand.

He had casually obtained this item when he passed by a shrine during his third year of middle school, for himself and Yui Yuigahama. It wasn't anything too important, but it would be good to exchange it with the system.

If it's related to metaphysics, you might get an unexpected surprise?

With that thought in mind, Yuu Tenkuji closed her eyes and skillfully used "The Miraculous Deal".

After confirming the transaction, there were no further countdowns. A familiar drowsy feeling enveloped my mind, and the sensation of my energy being drained began to surge up, even stronger than in the past few times.

"Oh, looks like a good thing..."

With this last thought in mind, Yuu Tenkuji mustered her last bit of strength to turn off the light, cover herself with the blanket, and then drifted completely into a dim sleep.

So, the next morning.

Looking at the amulet in her hand that had turned from red to green, Yuu Tenkuji opened the window expressionlessly after a brief moment of astonishment.

"Amulet of Misfortune".

"Get as far away from me as you can!"

This is ridiculous! You can even get a debuff from this? It's just outrageous! It's ridiculous beyond belief!

Watching the amulet transform into a green comet and fly into the distance, Tenkuji Yu wiped away imaginary sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You promised you wouldn't harm me, you damn system, you've deceived my innocent feelings..."

System: "The items obtained through trading are completely random and not under the system's control. Please use this skill with caution."

"Why didn't you say so sooner—"

Before he could finish his complaint, it got stuck in his throat.

Yuu Tenkuji stared at the amulet that had somehow appeared on the bed, his cheeks twitching slightly and his expression contorted.

On the dark green fabric, the large character "厄" (evil/misery) looked as if it had been carved with blackened blood, exuding a sinister aura that sent chills down one's spine.

—This tactic seems familiar.

"...System, explain this to me."

Tenkuji Yu pressed his temples, feeling a slight headache.

Seemingly analyzing the information of the amulet, the system remained silent for several seconds before speaking in the mind.

"Amulet made by the God of Misfortune out of boredom. It automatically binds to the user upon contact, cannot be destroyed or lost, and will absorb the misfortune present around the user. Once it reaches a certain level, a misfortune event will befall the host, and it will automatically disappear regardless of whether the user passes through it or not."

"...So, it's not just a purely cursed item?"

After calmly examining the amulet for a few moments, Tenkuji Yuu picked it up and temporarily abandoned the idea of ​​burning it.

In the face of supernatural forces, struggling to this extent is just a waste of time; figuring out how to deal with it is the most important thing to do right now.

...But it seems there's nothing I can do?

After trying to pour "the princess's holy water" on it and finding that it had no effect on exorcising evil spirits except for emitting a strange fragrance, Yuu Tenkuji reluctantly came to this conclusion.

"If we can't throw it away or extinguish it, are we just supposed to patiently wait for bad luck to strike?"

He sighed resignedly, sat on the bed and scratched his head: "Sure enough, you can't just eat any pie that falls from the sky. I'll have to be more careful with transactions in the future... By the way, system, if I hadn't gotten through that unlucky event, would I have been completely wiped out?"

"Please rest assured, host, with the system here, you will not be in any danger to your life."

"What about the danger of losing a hand or foot?"

"As long as it doesn't hinder the completion of the mission."

Tenkuji Yu gritted her teeth and said bitterly, "System, I'm heartbroken! Leave all your assets behind, let's break up!"

"..."

How much of a scumbag does a man have to be to say something like that?

Joking aside, Yuu Tenkuji had no choice but to face this sudden and terrible incident.

Fortunately, the system was able to remind him when the misfortune was collected, allowing him to prepare at that time and preventing him from living in constant fear from now on.

After leaving the bad luck charm on the bed, Yuu Tenkuji washed up, changed into her uniform, packed her schoolbag, and went downstairs to make breakfast.

"Good morning~ Meow..." Not long after, Kasugano Sora groggily entered the living room, went to the kitchen to get a cup of barley tea, and then slowly walked out.

His eyes were squinted into two narrow slits as if they were not open, and he walked unsteadily.

Carrying two freshly made salads, Yu followed her out and happened to see her almost bump her little toe on the table leg as she walked towards the chair.

The reason I say "almost" is that before the collision, Kasugano Sora's body suddenly became unsteady, and she tilted to the other side, her clean and cute toes just brushing past the table leg.

Then, without realizing it, she climbed onto the chair and continued to doze off while hugging the doll.

"...A coincidence?"

With a strange expression, Yuu Tenkuji put down the plate and reached into his pocket.

He quietly took out the green amulet that should have been on the bed.

The deep black character "厄" seems to shimmer with a mysterious light.

Chapter 90 Miss Zhenliang Makes a Phone Call

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

Half-opening her eyes, Kasugano Sora noticed her older brother staring thoughtfully at her toes. She instinctively twitched her clean, adorable toes and tilted her head to look at him with a puzzled expression.

Not fully awake yet, she didn't have any bad thoughts, only muttering somewhat blankly, "What's so interesting about my feet..."

"Don't worry about it, I was just spacing out for a bit." Yuu Tenkuji snapped out of her reverie, casually pulled out a chair and sat down, saying casually, "Your legs are as beautiful as ever, keep it that way."

"Oh, I see." She nodded blankly, resting her chin on the rabbit doll's head, her eyes gazing into the distance.

After a dozen seconds, the girl's fair face gradually turned red. She wrinkled her little nose and glared at him angrily before picking up her bowl and chopsticks and burying her head in her breakfast. Her appetite seemed to be much better than before.

Ignoring her reaction, Tenkuji Yu continued eating, still pondering the matter of the "Bad Luck Charm".

I don't know if this counts as good news...

Qiong, whose toes would have bumped into the corner of the table, successfully avoided that future of clutching her foot and weeping in despair because she absorbed the misfortune herself.

If you think about it from the perspective of selflessness, this thing can actually be considered a "lucky charm", right?

—As long as I am the one who gets hurt, I will bear the misfortune of everyone else!

If the target is limited to the younger sister, Yuu Tenkuji wouldn't mind making this sacrifice.

He didn't care if his toes hit the table leg or his fingers were cut by paper; he wasn't afraid of any pain, as long as Qiong was healthy, nothing else mattered.

...Yes, I wish this thing were really that convenient.

Leaving aside whether the misfortune he receives will immediately return to him, the description does not specify the scope or target of the misfortune absorption. If he were to bear the misfortune of everyone within a hundred meters, who knows what terrible treatment he would receive before the amulet disappears?

"It's not very cost-effective."

Having reached this conclusion, Tenkuji Yu sighed quietly and decided to put the matter of the amulet aside for the time being. In any case, there was nothing she could change, and ignoring it would be easier.

Just as I was thinking this, my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket.