I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Still a little?

Isn't your definition of "somewhat" a bit too extreme?

Thinking this to herself, Tenkuji Yu pursed her lips, turned her face away, and continued to maintain her taciturn and aloof demeanor.

"...I wasn't worried."

Koichiro Yuuki paused for a moment, staring at him with his mouth slightly open.

That classic line...that smug expression...

He couldn't help but touch his chest to check his heart rate, and a strange smile gradually appeared on his lips.

"Yuki-kun?"

His smile froze abruptly.

A cold voice sounded softly from beside him. Yukino Shino, with a cruel gaze that seemed to say, "You dare target my people? I'll kill you within three days and expose your cloud storage to the world!", smiled kindly as she spoke to him.

"Yuuki Tenkuji has already broken the record, what's next?"

"...Let's continue playing this game!" Yuuki Koichiro nodded quickly and said to the two still standing in front of the machine, "We'll play 2v2. I'll team up with Haruno-san, and Tenkuji-kun will team up with Hairband-chan, how about that?"

Yuu Tenkuji had no objections; he couldn't just spend someone else's money and run away. Being a companion player was perfectly fine.

The woman with the headband was even less likely to object, and a 2v2 gunfight immediately ensued.

Yukino Yukinoshita's shooting skills are beyond doubt, and Koichiro Yuuki's combat skills should not be underestimated. Both of them have the strength to challenge for the top spot on the previous ranking.

Meanwhile, Yuu Tenkuji is being held back by the girl with the headband, not only in the game but also in real life. His eardrums are on the verge of bursting, and he gets hit by the ball several times, almost losing his grip on the gun.

Because it could effectively reduce his strength, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't say anything this time, focusing on the game and trying to surpass them in the team's total score.

Then it turned out that cheating really does allow you to do whatever you want.

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward: ... Japanese Yen."

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward: a slight increase in physique (explosive power)."

"Congratulations, host, you have received the reward: Learning (Proficient Level)."

"Congratulations, host, you have received the reward: Instant Recovery (Minor Damage) (once)."

Two more rewards appeared for first meetings, but Tenkuji Yu ignored them for the time being.

"Ah, I guess I lost after all."

Yukino put down the electronic gun, knowing this would be the outcome, but still couldn't help but sigh with resentment.

She stretched out a big yawn, her beautifully curved back arching backward, revealing her prominent front armor and slender, snow-white arms, like the most beautiful portrait painting in the world.

Subconsciously, Yuu Tenkuji looked towards Koichiro Yuuki—

Good heavens, they're not even looking at this beautiful scenery, they're just staring at me!

Now there's no need to ask, it's definitely curved.

A flicker of wariness crossed her eyes, and Tenkuji Yu, expressionless, distanced herself from the other person.

Yuuki Koichiro: "???"

Good grief, am I being mistaken for being gay again?

What did that look mean?

Didn't you also skip watching Yukino Yukinoshita stretch and come to see me first?

We're the same in every way, so what right do you have to distance yourself from me?!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The smile on Yuuki Koichiro's face disappeared, and he wanted to put on the demeanor he should have as a senior and glare back with full authority.

At that moment, Yukinoshita Haruno glanced at him coolly, then turned her back as if she couldn't be bothered to look at him anymore.

...Well, a true man can bend and stretch. Blame it on yourself for letting others exploit your weaknesses.

Despite trying to comfort himself, Yuki Koichiro was still overcome with grief and couldn't help but look up at the sky and sigh – his mother was like this, and so were the daughter-in-law candidates his mother had chosen.

That's why he doesn't want to marry such a terrible woman!

"What's up with him?"

"It's nothing, I guess the blow was too great."

Yukinoshita waved her hand, naturally changing the subject:

"We still have a lot of tokens left, what should we do next?"

Tenkuji Yu glanced at her and replied noncommittally, "Either is fine, but I can't stay here for too long."

"Then let's just play around for a bit before leaving." Yukinoshita Haruno looked at Yuuki Koichiro and smiled, "After all, you're the one who provided the tokens, so you can decide."

“…Okay.” Yuki Koichiro nodded obediently.

Next, the four of them played arcade rhythm games such as Taiko no Tatsujin, Maimai, and Hatsune Miku Project DIVA.

As he played, Yuu Tenkuji suddenly discovered that the permanent reward—Muscle Mastery—was incredibly helpful in dealing with this type of game.

Many times when playing games, mistakes happen because the fingers can't keep up with the reaction speed of the brain and eyes.

For example, in the following situations:

Eyes: I see!

Head: Okay, get ready to press the red-blue-red-blue-red-blue-blue-blue-blue-blue keys in sequence.

Hand: I...I'll knock your mother's!

Once you achieve muscle mastery, it's as if radio waves bypass nerve transmission and directly send commands from your head to your muscles. Your hands react almost in sync with your eyes, hitting the rhythm precisely and with equal force. With just a sense of rhythm and dynamic vision, you can achieve a full combo on any song, no matter how difficult.

Just as the word "state" implies, muscle control has become his passive skill. No matter when, he can perfectly manipulate his muscles and do many things that he couldn't do before.

For example, making your fingers vibrate at a high frequency... Hmm, it should be useful for typing and could be used to fight against Zuan (a derogatory term for someone who is overly critical or malicious).

For example, making your tongue vibrate at a high frequency... Hmm, an essential skill for eating cherries, even Kakyoin would want to become his apprentice after seeing it.

Most importantly, if there are non-ordinary monsters in this world, perhaps only slightly stronger than humans.

"Muscle Restriction Release: 100%" or something...maybe I could give it a try?

"Ha, they're not zombies, trying this will only kill them sooner or later."

Yuu Tenkuji chuckled and dismissed the idea. His physical abilities were still at the level of an ordinary person; the amount of force he exerted would equal the amount of reaction force he would receive. It was better not to try anything too extraordinary.

Even when used solely for gaming, "Muscle Mastery" made him a human cheat code—in any game requiring skill, Yuuto Tenkuji always surpassed Yukinoshita and the other two, securing the undisputed number one spot.

He got so bored of winning that he asked to go home.

Just then, the other three people had almost spent their tokens in the gambling area, and after they joined them, they started discussing where to go next.

Of course, this has nothing to do with Yuuki Tenkuji and Yukino Yukinoshita, who are preparing to leave.

"Oh, right, before I leave..."

As if glancing casually at the boxing machine beside him, Koichiro Yuuki suddenly spoke:

"Want to have a contest?"

Chapter Thirty-Four: Yukino's Backstab

Group 4⑧87④97⑨9

"that?"

Led by him, the group arrived at the punching machine, a machine where you insert a coin and a punching bag pops up. After you punch it, the screen displays a score, indicating how strong your punch was.

Of course, its accuracy can't compare to professional punching power measurements, but it's good enough for venting and looking cool.

The highest possible score is 1000. The highest recorded score on the screen is 985. I don't know how strong this score is, but it's definitely worth the challenge.

At least that's what Daisuke Yamada thinks.

"Great! Let's have a competition between the three of us boys!"

The blond-haired man rubbed his hands together, revealing a rock 'n' roll gorilla-like smile.

"If it comes to strength, I won't lose to anyone!"

"Huh? It's Tenkuji-chan who's..."

The woman with the headband, who had witnessed Tenkuji Yu's winning streak firsthand, immediately showed an unconvinced expression and spoke up for him.

Yuuki Tenkuji didn't listen carefully, but instead glanced at Yukinoshita.

"Not bad~ It seems quite interesting!" she said.

"Well, after playing so many games, my body's pretty warmed up..."

Koichiro Yuki rolled up his sleeves, revealing strong arms with clearly defined muscles that didn't match his delicate and gentle appearance.

As he spoke, he smiled and asked Tenkuji Yu, "Tenkuji-kun, how is it?"

"This is the last match, please give me a chance to turn the tide."

Tenkuji Yu frowned and remained silent for a long time.

Yukinoshita cast a smiling glance at him, quietly observing his reaction.

He decided to shake his head, but before he could even turn his head halfway around, Koichiro Yuuki, as if anticipating his movement, spoke again:

“Okay, if I beat you, Yang Naisang will work with us from now on, and I will call a taxi to take you home safely.”

"If you beat me, I can personally give you RECT's latest product—a virtual reality infiltration helmet. This is a rare item that won't be released until the second half of the year, and you absolutely can't buy it now without the right connections."

Yuu Tenkuji: "..."

This is utterly baffling...

Why did you suddenly decide to compare this with him?

Why use Yukinoshita as a wager?

And why...?

With too many questions swirling in her mind, Yuuki Tenkuji shifted her gaze and looked again at Yukino Yukinoshita, and at the cheerful smile on her face that showed no surprise whatsoever.