I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Actually, entering the torii gate doesn't count as reaching Shimogamo Shrine. Before that, there's another very popular attraction—Aioi Shrine.

The main deity enshrined at Aioi-sha is the "Shure-gami" (樓灵神), who was originally a deity in the Japanese "Koshoki" and "Nihon Shoki" (日本書記) who personified trees (takagi) for praying for fertility and creation. He also possesses the characteristics of continuous life and longevity, and is one of the "Three Gods of Creation" in Japanese mythology.

Visitors here usually draw a fortune stick from the fortune-telling box next to them, and then go through the prayer and worship process with their partner, praying that they can be in love forever and grow old together.

If you enjoy observing people, spending ten or twenty minutes near the Aioi Shrine will reveal this pattern—

A group of girls approached the fortune-telling box with giggling expressions, their faces filled with mystery and hope. They carefully drew wooden sticks from the box, exchanged them with the shrine maiden, and then began to pray at the adjacent shrine, trees, and stones, tossing money into the box after each prayer.

Couples, on the other hand, arrived quietly, seemingly full of happiness yet with a touch of respect, before the Aisei Shrine, doing the same thing with different feelings.

Unfortunately, none of this has anything to do with Yuu Tenkuji.

He was just there to enjoy the scenery and take pictures; he had no intention of worshipping or praying.

The "Virtuous Trees in Harmony" is located to the left of the Harmony Society. Two trees are joined together, with buds growing from the roots and different crowns growing out of them. If one of the two connected trees dies, the tree that grows from the buds will automatically reconnect with it. The tree he saw is the fourth generation of the Harmonious Trees in Harmony.

Because of this peculiar phenomenon, the "Lianli Tree" is believed to have the effect of blessing couples, safe childbirth, raising children, and family harmony. It is especially believed to have a magical effect on "marriage," which is why young men and women are keen to visit Aioi Shrine. It is even listed as one of the "Seven Mysteries of Shimogamo Shrine."

Yuu Tenkuji took out his phone and snapped a few photos, including the fortune sticks and the shrine, but deleted the shot of Yukinoshita Haruno deliberately wandering into the frame.

"How old are you, college student?"

"She can be five years old, or she can be eighteen. Girls are so versatile!"

Smiling without a trace of shame, Yukinoshita Haruno leaned closer to the sign indicating how to pay respects, examined it for a few moments, then suddenly waved to him and said with great interest:

"Hey, how about we go visit a matchmaking shrine? I heard it can help you find a partner. Even if you lose your memory, you can fall in love with them again. It's like a magical effect from a TV drama!"

Chapter 123 A Heartbroken Girl?

"..."

Yuuki Tenkuji paused slightly as he sent the photo to Sora, frowning as he looked at her.

"Miss Yang, I've been wanting to say this for a while now... Knowing that I have a girlfriend, don't you think it's inappropriate for you to say these things to me?"

"These words?" Yang Nai paused for a moment, then turned her head slightly before realizing what she meant. She then drew out her words, "Oh, you mean that I knew you were already taken, but I still teased you like this, just like a bitch trying to steal someone else's love, right?"

Tenkuji Yu's lips twitched: "I didn't say anything that bad..."

"No need to explain, I understand!"

Under his speechless gaze, Yukino Yukinoshita patted his shoulder seriously: "You're right. Putting aside other factors, my actions of saying I like you and inviting you to visit the matchmaking shrine are practically the same as seduction, right? Enough for your girlfriend to come and slap me twice."

"...Ha, I'm glad you understand."

It took a lot of effort for Yuu Tenkuji to swallow his urge to complain, and he could only manage a dry laugh.

Yukinoshita then asked, "However, have you thought about this?"

"what?"

She tilted her mature and beautiful face up, a slight smile playing on her lips, her eyes filled with a deep and mysterious aura, as if everything was under her control.

"If I found out that you two weren't really dating, and that Natsukawa Masuzu-chan didn't really like you... well, it would probably be similar to the current situation of Yui-chan, Yui-chan, Yukino's friend, right?"

"Sky Temple, do you still think I'm the kind of wicked woman who steals someone else's love?"

Her voice was soft and deep.

At that moment, the thought that popped into Yuu's mind was not, "Yukino Yukinoshita revealed the matter of the request," but rather, "Yukino Yukinoshita's intelligence gathering ability is still so terrifying."

...It made it seem like he trusted the two sisters a lot. But that wasn't the case; he simply trusted his own observational skills.

The day Yukino Yukinoshita went with the Service Club to the Autumn Performance was enough for her to see through some things; later, when she met Natsukawa Masuzu in the apartment, she must have learned the information that Masuzu wanted to know from their conversation, but Masuzu herself was completely unaware of this, and didn't even really think that Yukino Yukinoshita was targeting her.

With some simple reasoning and bold guesses, it's no surprise that if Yukinoshita Haruno wanted to know, their love lie would be as easy to puncture as paper in front of her.

That's why Yuu Tenkuji didn't show the slightest sign of panic or surprise.

He simply looked back with a deeper, calmer gaze and gave a brief answer:

"Yes."

Yukinoshita's expression froze: "...Why?"

"Because she likes me, and I like her too."

Even if it was just a decision made unilaterally, he still believed it from the bottom of his heart.

It is precisely because they like each other that the troubles and entanglements continue, and that they are unwilling to completely sever ties with each other.

Knowing this, yet still trying to interfere in the relationship between the two, whoever it is, is no different from a cat stealing fish.

The only thing that can prevent them from truly being together is their own inner conflict—and the system.

"..."

The smile on her face slowly disappeared, and Yukino Yukino stared into his eyes, as if trying to see into his heart from the depths of those dark eyes.

After a long while, she sighed as if giving up and turned away.

"Okay, I'll tone it down a bit... It's so hard being a caring older sister. I finally have a junior I want to pamper, but I'm being treated like a bad woman trying to be a homewrecker. It's so hurtful. *crying*"

He placed his hand on the corner of his eye, and under the snow, Yang pretended to cry a few times, sighing softly.

When he turned around again, he still had that lazy yet cheerful smile on his face.

"Well, don't worry! I won't go to any lengths to steal you away until you meet my standards for a boyfriend... You probably still have a long way to go before you become the person I like."

A distance?

Is it 131 kilometers long, or 33 days long?

Tenkuji Yu shook his head and smiled at her just as readily.

"That's good. I don't want to be targeted by a dangerous woman like you, who doesn't even rule out the option of using any means necessary."

Yukino raised an eyebrow, her gaze slightly sharp: "Oh dear, a mere high school student, how dare you speak to your senior like that?"

Tenkuji Yu shrugged innocently: "I'm just stating the facts. Should I add a polite word and say it again, senpai?"

"Really..."

As if there was nothing she could do about him, Yukinoshita Haruno put her hands on her hips, chuckled, and sighed heavily.

"I take back what I said earlier. You may be somewhat interesting, but you're more annoying than anything else!"

……

After leaving Shimogamo Shrine, Yukino Yukinoshita made an excuse to separate from Tenkuji Yu and went to the nearby park restroom to wash her face.

"She's like an iron wall... The closer you get, the more it hurts when you bump into her. She's the type I hate the most."

He murmured to himself.

The cold water and the sound fell into the sewer together. Yukinoshita forcefully slapped the water droplets off her cheeks, slowly raised her expressionless face, and her bloodless lips parted slightly.

"If that's the case, why can't I even entertain the thought of 'getting him out'? Why make myself feel so wronged?"

Even now, the painful emotions are still tearing at her heart. Just thinking about those few words makes it hard for her to breathe.

The pain was so intense that she could only use acting to mask her true feelings, making her appear as if nothing was wrong, but under the harsh white lights, she looked even more disheveled.

"A heartbroken girl? I can actually understand that feeling now. Tsk tsk tsk, that's really rare."

With a mocking laugh, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but laugh, then turned her gaze away, not wanting to see herself in the mirror anymore.

"Leaving aside romance for now, at the very least... I must find out the truth."

"I must find out what's missing from my past!"

The voices of confusion have once again become more resolute.

She took out a wooden comb from her breast pocket, and the next moment, she couldn't help but widen her eyes and stare blankly at the painted design on it.

Originally there was only a thin black line, but now, the spring colors on the comb are like glass about to shatter, covered with spiderweb-like deep black lines, as if they would scatter at the slightest touch.

It wasn't there just ten minutes ago, and it hasn't hit anything during that time, so why...?

I gently rubbed it with my thumb, and the wooden comb remained perfectly smooth, without any cracks.

"What exactly is going on?"

With a look of astonishment in her eyes, Yukino Yukino stood there for a long time before finally putting the comb back into her pocket with a complicated expression and walking out of the restroom.

……

When Yu returned to the guesthouse, it was exactly six o'clock, dinner time.

After washing my hands, I went to the restaurant to meet up. There were already quite a few people sitting in two rows. In front of each person was a dark brown wooden low table with a plate on it, containing a steaming set meal.

Tenkuji Yu first went to the Kendo Club and told them about the balcony incident, telling the Kendo Club members to be careful. Then he quickly found the location of the Service Club.

Each small table was spaced apart, so it didn't really matter who you sat next to—and Yuu Tenkuji naturally sat next to Yui Yuigahama, avoiding Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Is it really cold? Isn't she planning to come out for dinner?"

"That seems to be the case." Yui Yuigahama sighed helplessly, "She didn't respond when I called her to get up; she seems to be sleeping very soundly."

You can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.

With a soft voice, Yukino Yukinoshita glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Tenkuji Yuu sitting down in front of the plate. She then closed her delicate, white hands and spoke softly with her eyes slightly closed:

"I'm starting to eat."

"Ah, I'll start eating too!" Yui Yuigahama quickly picked up her chopsticks.

Yuu Tenkuji glanced at the steaming miso soup on his plate, thought for a moment, and then said to the dango girl beside him:

"Wait a minute, I'll go to your room. Either we'll drag her out to eat, or we'll bring her food in and feed her. She didn't seem to eat much at noon either. We can't let her continue like this."

"Huh?"

Yui Yuigahama's hand, which was picking up food, froze in mid-air. As if she hadn't reacted yet, she blinked her big, round eyes at him.

"...Come to our room?"

Chapter 124 Packing and Carrying Away

After dinner.

"Xiaoxiaoxiaoyu, please wait outside. I'll go tidy up the room and check if Xia Chuan has a habit of sleeping naked!"