I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Excuse me, could you use even harsher language to scold me? This level doesn't even bother me anymore. You probably know how to call me a sow, right? Or should I show you some educational videos on this topic?"

"No way! Ughhhh—it's good that Natsukawa-san is back to her normal self, but it feels even stranger than before—"

Yui Yuigahama was screaming in agony, clutching her head, while Yukino Yukinoshita was exchanging glances with Yuu Tenkuji.

"You've made up?"

"There was no argument in the first place."

"Comforted you all night?"

"I didn't do anything that would affect the competition. Don't worry, Minister."

"No need. If you think it's good, then it's good. I'm not the one competing."

The conversation ended there, brief yet perfectly in sync.

With an expression and tone equally indifferent, Yukino Yukinoshita turned her face away and strode into the restaurant.

Perhaps it's just an illusion.

Yuu Tenkuji seemed to see those soft lips slightly upturned, only to return to their indifferent, pursed shape in the blink of an eye.

The four of them tacitly avoided mentioning what the two of them had done the night before, or whether they had done anything besides sleeping.

Maintaining a peaceful atmosphere that was quite different from yesterday, we entered the restaurant to enjoy breakfast.

Chapter 131 I Want to Be Your Friend

After breakfast, the kendo coach gathered everyone in the group room, which was filled with the smell of men's sweat, for pre-battle instructions and a pep talk.

Yuu Tenkuji was naturally included. After joining the kendo club members in clasping hands and chanting "Soubu Soubu, Tenka Fububu!" a few times, he said to Yukinoshita, who was waiting outside for them to finish:

"It suddenly occurred to me, where's your sister? If I'm not mistaken, she should be staying at this guesthouse too."

Yukino Yukinoshita was clearly taken aback: "She does live here... How did you know? Did she tell you?"

"No, it's just that after chatting with her for a bit yesterday, I always felt like she would appear at any moment, the closest place to me, and keep saying she wanted to come watch the game together."

Yuu Tenkuji spread his hands, indicating that he was just guessing and asking casually, and that he didn't really care about Yukinoshita's whereabouts.

Natsukawa Masaki paused in taking the notebook out of her pocket, then casually put it back.

"You guessed very accurately."

Knowing her older sister's personality well, Yukino Yukinoshita had no doubt about his statement. She just pressed her temples and sighed helplessly: "That's right, she did say that to me on the phone last night... I don't know where my sister is now. Maybe she overslept? Anyway, she'll show up sooner or later, although I'd rather she go back to Tokyo as soon as possible."

"Thanks a lot."

Yuuki Tenkuji nodded indifferently, having satisfied his curiosity, and quickly moved on from the matter.

In front of Yukino Yukinoshita, he didn't lie from beginning to end, but he also didn't honestly confess—

Yuuto couldn't bring himself to say things like how Yukino's target was actually him, and how she even secretly climbed onto his room's balcony last night in the middle of the night, trying to sneak in but failing and having to crawl back while sneezing. It would be troublesome to ask her about these things, so he was forced to cover for her.

Most importantly, my girlfriend, who's prone to jealousy, is watching from the side. If I say too much, I'll probably get questioned about whether I like mature women with big breasts.

If the reason was that he was concerned about his ex-girlfriend's whereabouts, that would be more reasonable... but he must be out of his mind to say that.

Soon, in an atmosphere filled with tension, excitement, and passion, everyone packed their things and stepped out of the guesthouse.

The battle is about to begin, and this gathering is to prepare for the competition venue, which is the gymnasium of Kyoto University.

The contestants brought their own protective gear and bamboo sword pouches, fully arming themselves before going into battle; as for the others watching, they seemed much more relaxed, as leisurely as middle school students watching a baseball game, with Yui Yuigahama even suggesting bringing popcorn and drinks.

Naturally, her words were ruthlessly rejected by Yukino Yukinoshita no ...

"Kendo is much more solemn and sacred than baseball. Even without specific rules for watching, you still need to maintain proper etiquette to avoid being looked down upon..."

Before she could finish her lecture, Natsukawa Masuzu stood in front of Yuihama, frowning as she stared at Yukino Yukinoshita, her tone righteous and awe-inspiring.

"Yukinoshita-san, that's enough. Yui-chan was just joking, there's no need to take it so seriously, is there?"

Yukino Yukinoshita's eye twitched: "..."

Yui Yuigahama was at a loss for words: "Um, I'm really happy that you spoke up for me... but I wasn't joking just now..."

"What's wrong with wanting to eat and drink when you're hungry!" Natsukawa Masuzu's expression remained unchanged as she immediately changed her tune, "If you're as concerned about rules as Yukinoshita-san, you'll never get a good figure... The proof is Yui-chan, you should repent!"

"Why don't you just say I'm fat?!" Yui Yuigahama was almost in tears.

With a look of utter disbelief, as if she'd seen someone with a mental illness, Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head and walked toward the bus without looking back.

"Yuihama-san, I suggest you ignore her for now until she's completely back to normal."

Natsukawa Masaki said with dissatisfaction, "That's really harsh. Everything I've done comes from the bottom of my heart. Only 30% of it was just to tease you."

“There’s still 30% left… No, this isn’t the time to complain.” With a frown, Yui looked at her in confusion. “Natsukawa-san, you’re acting really strange today! It’s not that I don’t want to get along with you, it’s just that your attitude… how should I put it? It’s too deliberate, which makes me even more scared.”

"...Is that so?" Hearing her say that, Natsukawa Masaki pursed her lips, gently stroked her long hair with her fingers, lowered her eyes and pondered for a long time before sighing helplessly.

"I'm sorry, because I don't have any female friends, I really don't know what to do at this time."

"Friends?" Yui Yuigahama blinked in surprise.

"Well, to put it simply, I want to be friends with you, Yuihama-san."

Despite her straightforward admission, a blush still crept onto her fair and delicate face. Her gaze darted away uneasily, and her fingers fidgeted behind her back.

Yui Yuigahama stared in astonishment at her unusual expression, her mouth slightly agape as a barrage of questions arose, but in the end, she could only utter this one sentence:

"why?"

"Thank you for bringing me my luggage last night. As a reward, let me be your friend for a few days... Haha, even I wouldn't say something so arrogant."

Smiling with an air of nonchalance, Natsukawa Masaki quickened her pace toward the bus.

From behind, even the roots of her ears were dyed red, making her look like a bright red plum blossom in the snow amidst her swaying silver hair.

"It's not a major reason... I just wanted to start making changes from the simplest point."

The voice, which was trying its best to suppress its embarrassment, was clearly heard through the wind.

"..."

Yui Yuigahama watched her retreating figure.

He remained silent, as if even the sounds of others calling him to get on the bus were fading into his own world.

Only the beating of the heart, so heavy it felt like it could pound one's eardrums.

"...People who fall in love with Xiaoyou really will be changed by him."

As she murmured this, she couldn't help but smile.

It was like seeing a different version of myself in another world, having actually accomplished a dream that my current self had given up on. I laughed with a mixture of resentment and pride.

There was no way around it; after all… he was the boy she had liked for three years, yet she could never give up on him.

"Xiao You, you must find happiness too."

Yui Yuigahama prayed so simply.

He then wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, followed the others with a relieved smile, and discussed the upcoming kendo tournament with great interest.

……

Black Lily Girls' Academy, rest stop.

"The competition doesn't start until the afternoon, so where should we go this morning...?"

"How about we go to Shimogamo Shrine again? Maybe we'll run into that handsome guy again..."

Asuna Yuuki, who was passing by two first-year female students, overheard the conversation. After a helpless sigh, she reached out and gently tapped both of them on the head.

"Rie, Yuko, we're here to compete, not for a vacation... If the coach finds out we snuck out this time, don't say I didn't cover for you!"

"Yuki-senpai?!"

Like being caught cheating by a devilish instructor, the two female students immediately jumped up, stood at attention with serious expressions, their hands nervously wiping sweat from their sides, their calves trembling as if about to cramp.

"We were just saying it; we didn't actually plan to sneak out!"

Please let us go!

"Uh..." Asuna Yuuki scratched her cheek and couldn't help but smile wryly. "Don't be so nervous. Am I that scary?"

"..."

The female students didn't dare to utter a sound, and could only keep their eyes down, praying that she would leave them as soon as possible.

It's no wonder they're timid; this senior student is the new ace of the Black Lily Girls' Fencing Club.

Although she is only a second-year student, she has defeated everyone from the coach to the main players who participated in the national competition last year, successfully securing her position as the "Queen's Throne" in the fencing club. Her character and strength are both admirable.

She is both scholarly and martial, beautiful, and gentle. She always responds to greetings with a smile and has no airs of a young lady whatsoever.

Such a perfect existence can probably only be understood by the members of their fencing club, who can comprehend the terror and ferocity hidden within...

Simply put, this senior student enjoys practical experience.

He loves to use the guise of "instructional battles" to massacre the entire fencing club every now and then.

They rarely held back and never suffered a defeat.

Her meteor-like thrusts, relentless attacks, and fierce spirit that seemed to be venting some unpleasantness caused most of the team members to develop PTSD. They would reflexively tremble whenever they saw her pick up a rapier, and their respect and fear for her were deepening day by day.

Compared to their coach, who had decided to slack off until she graduated, these elite athletes, who were preparing to compete in the national tournament, dared not offend the chestnut-haired girl in front of them, whose eyes were gentle and warm, and who was smiling with a troubled expression.

"Oh well, whatever."

Asuna Yuuki shook her head. After all, she was used to this kind of treatment, so she wasn't particularly disappointed.

Just before leaving for training, her gaze fell upon the screen of her junior's phone on the table.

It was a profile picture of a young man. It was probably taken without his consent, so the angle and clarity weren't very good. You could only barely make out that he was a handsome guy standing in front of a stone tablet that read "World Cultural Heritage," deep in thought.

But for some reason, Asuna Yuuki couldn't tear her gaze away from it. She even subconsciously took a step past the junior who was hopping away like a little rabbit with a mournful cry, and picked up her phone.

"This is……"

"Senior, we were really wrong! Please don't confiscate our phones!"

"We guarantee we'll win the national championship! Even if we confiscate it, please return it to us after the competition!"

"Don't worry, I don't intend to confiscate your phone." Ignoring their tearful appearance, Yuuki Asuna frowned as she stared at that profile, her expression more serious than ever before, yet her tone carried a hint of puzzlement.