I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

It's obvious that compared to Koichiro Yuuki, Yuu Tenkuji is significantly more important and dangerous.

Regardless of his family background, which has been largely ascertained, the man himself is full of doubts and unknowns.

The unknown inspires apprehension, and repeated defeats make one more cautious.

So after saying goodbye to the five people, Yukinoshita Haruno turned around and walked towards Tenkuji Yuu.

At this moment, Koichiro Yuuki, who hadn't said much from beginning to end, suddenly spoke:

"Yono-san, if you have some free time, how about we hang out here together? With that Tenkuji-kun."

Chapter Thirty: Acknowledgments Among Sister-Complexes

"...Huh?"

Completely unprepared for this turn of events, Yukinoshita Haruno looked over in surprise.

"Shall we let...Tenkuji-kun play with us?"

Koichiro Yuuki nodded, a gentle smile on his face, and cast his gaze toward the indifferent-looking Yuu Tenkuji in the distance.

"To be honest, I accidentally bought too many game tokens just now. It would take too much time if only the five of us used them, and I don't want to waste them on the slot machines..."

"If you don't mind, could you help us use up these tokens? If we don't use them all, you can have the rest."

After he finished speaking, although they all looked somewhat surprised, the four extras... the four henchmen nodded and enthusiastically invited them to come and play together.

"I see..."

Her eyes darted around, and Yukinoshita Haruno answered with a smile.

"Although I was somewhat tempted by Yuki-kun's invitation, I'm not coming here alone after all."

"I'll go ask Tenkuji-kun first. If he agrees, I'll come. But if he's in a hurry to finish training and go home, then there's nothing I can do~"

Several people expressed their understanding.

Yukino turned around and walked quickly toward Tenkuji Yu, while also pondering Yuuki Koichiro's purpose.

Based on her limited understanding of Yuki Koichiro, it was unlikely that he, a guy with a somewhat otaku personality, would voluntarily ask someone to stay, especially a high school student he had never met before.

Was it because his previous words hadn't dampened his enthusiasm?

Or is it simply that he thinks Tenkuji-kun is good-looking and wants to get to know him?

Or perhaps he wanted to introduce her to his sister, Asuna, who was just as beautiful as Yukino but had a much better figure?

With various possibilities swirling in her mind and constantly calculating her next move, Yukino Yukinoshita stopped in front of Yuu Tenkuji.

After briefly explaining what had just happened, she shrugged: "This has nothing to do with the obligation of renting a boyfriend. You can refuse... or rather, it's best to refuse, for both of us."

Not getting too involved in the partner's private affairs is an unspoken rule in the rental partner industry.

Yukino Yukinoshita naturally understood this. If she were in that position, she probably wouldn't want to stay there and play games with other people's friends either; how awkward would that be?

Not to mention that Tenkuji Yu, who is currently disguised as a ruthless gunman, would basically not agree to this.

"After refusing them, we'll change locations to avoid running into them again while rock climbing upstairs, which would be difficult to explain."

After Yukino finished speaking, she stared straight at Yuu Tenkuji, waiting for his affirmative answer.

"Um……"

After pondering for a while, Tenkuji Yu glanced at the five people and nodded calmly:

"Let's play then, since we can get it for free anyway."

"Then I'll go and refuse... Huh? You're serious?"

Yukinoshita, who had been nonchalant, suddenly widened her eyes in disbelief, her mouth slightly agape, and she lowered her voice to make sure they couldn't hear their conversation:

"Can I ask why? You don't seem like the type of person who would go through all this trouble for a few tokens."

indeed.

No matter how he looked at it, he had no reason to hang out with that group of college students.

"The reasons are simple, there are only two." Tenkuji Yu cleared his throat, maintaining his stoic expression as he spoke eloquently.

"First of all, you and that Mr. Yuki aren't actually that close, are you?"

Through observation, he quickly discovered this:

"Although he addresses you by your name, his tone and manner are very polite but distant, and you are the same."

"Even though she wasn't interested in him, she still pretended to be enthusiastic to probe for information about him and tried to get closer to him."

But probably because of her presence, these actions weren't too obvious—it was clear she didn't want to offend anyone.

Therefore, through the integration and analysis of various clues, Yuu Tenkuji reached the following conclusion:

"This is enough to prove that your mother has probably been eyeing Mr. Yuki recently. You, who were just casual acquaintances with him, were asked to 'get on good terms with him.' Even though you weren't being forced into marriage, you still guessed what your elders were planning, so you took the initiative to start laying the groundwork for a future marriage."

He spoke with an air of certainty, as if he had witnessed it himself.

This has nothing to do with the system; it's purely his own analytical ability, and it's nothing special.

"Roar~ Roar~"

Slowly narrowing her eyes, concealing her pupils which had shrunk in shock, Yukinoshita Haruno chuckled strangely twice.

"Although some details need to be added, it's basically correct... Ugh, this feeling of being seen through is really uncomfortable."

Tenkuji Yu pouted.

"It's not as serious as seeing through it all. You told me all of this; I just deduced and refined a little bit."

"Then, if it weren't for me, you would probably have already integrated into their group and found an opportunity to develop a relationship with Mr. Yuki, right?"

He maintained his icy demeanor, helplessly spreading his hands.

"Let's get this straight, I don't want to get in your way, and I'm even planning to help you out—I'll distract the other four so you can do what you want. That's one of the reasons I agreed."

"..."

Yukinoshita was silent for a moment, then patted his shoulder twice, seemingly with a bit of force.

But as his skin thickened, Yuu Tenkuji felt no pain at all.

"Little Youyou, do you have the superpower to read minds?"

“No, not at all.” Tenkuji Yu suppressed a laugh, trying to keep her tone calm. “Besides that, there’s another, most important reason that made me stay.”

"Most important? What is it?"

"that."

Following his finger, Yukinoshita Haruno turned to look at the advertising sign.

"There's an event at the arcade today, and I need to help my sister get a prize."

"..."

After a long pause, Yukinoshita, whose expression had been somewhat gloomy and thoughtful, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Haha, that's it? This is your most important reason?"

Despite her quiet mockery, her gaze towards Tenkuji Yu unconsciously softened and became gentle.

“You’re different from me; you’re such a good older brother.”

At that moment, Yuu Tenkuji felt the recognition among those who were obsessed with their younger sister.

He thought for a moment and decided to ask this question:

If your sister asks you for something, would you simply refuse?

She answered immediately:

"Impossible, impossible! Yukino is too competitive; she'll definitely get what she wants through her own efforts. And because she dislikes me, even if she really needs someone's help, she'd never want to contact me!"

Yukino waved her hand dismissively, then placed her fingers on her chin, tilted her head back slightly, and fell into deep thought.

"However, if that day ever comes and she asks me to get her a kitten or something like Mr. Pan..."

As she said this, her eyes softened unconsciously, and for the first time, her smile revealed the most genuine tenderness to Yuu Tenkuji.

"I'll do my best to get it for her, no matter how much it costs!"

"After all, I'm the older sister."

She habitually put on a cheerful mask, swung her fist hard, and snorted triumphantly.

"Although before that, I'll definitely play a good trick on her!"

Leaving aside the second half of the sentence, Yuu Tenkuji agrees with this.

"For us, my sister will always be the most important 'reason'."

Chapter Thirty-One: Why did it turn out like this...?

Yuuki Tenkuji was led back to the arcade by Yukino Yukinoshita.

Although they were surprised that this seemingly aloof and perhaps even somewhat withdrawn young man would agree to play with them, the five of them still warmly welcomed Tenkuji Yu's arrival and introduced themselves to him.

The sleazy-looking guy with blond hair, who looked like one of the headbangers, was named Yamada Daisuke. Surprisingly, he was a simple and honest guy, just like his name.

The other three girls were referred to as "short-haired girl," "long-haired girl," and "headband girl" to avoid padding the word count.

Among them, the girl with the headband was very interested in Tenkuji Yu. It was unclear whether she was attracted to his looks or his shooting skills. Just like a tall, imposing man encountering a cute little boy walking alone at night, she clung to him with shining eyes and great interest. She was the most attentive to him among all of them.

(The Eight-Foot Lady: Also known as the Eight-Foot Woman, a Japanese urban legend. Men who are bewitched by her will die within a few days. She has a particular fondness for young boys.)

As for the last one, the original center of the group, the gentle and refined elite-level handsome guy, Yuuki Koichiro, who is currently Yukino Yukinoshita's fiancé...

Whether it was just his imagination or not, Yuu Tenkuji felt that from the moment they met, this guy paid more attention to him than he paid attention to Yukinoshita.

Even when Yukino was talking to him, he would occasionally glance in his direction; when their eyes met, he didn't panic and turn away, but instead gave him a friendly smile and nodded gently.

...My God, it's absolutely terrifying, it sends chills down my spine.

Although these college students were all easy to get along with and didn't act like seniors to him because of the age difference, Yuu Tenkuji still couldn't help but have the urge to escape and go home as soon as possible.

As for that girl with the hairband, she didn't even notice Yukinoshita Haruno's amused gaze fixed on her; her doom was probably already flashing in the sky.