I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Is there even a need to ask?"

With a slight smile, Yuu Tenkuji murmured to herself.

—You can do that, that's really cool.

You were willing to wear safety shorts for me, you took the initiative to become friends with Yui, and you were willing to confess everything about your past...

Taking a step forward is something that comes easily to you, isn't it?

"Because I want you to like me more and more, I want you to stop showing that sad and hateful expression, I want you to stop being all alone..."

Resting his chin on her forehead and gently inhaling the fragrance of her hair, Yuu Tenkuji smiled and spoke:

"So, as the price of the deal, I've fallen in love with you."

The sobbing and trembling gradually stopped.

The sound of the wind suddenly became clear, and their breaths mingled with each other's, blending into the brilliant and vivid starry night.

Tenkuji Yuu released his grip, stroked Natsukawa Masaki's head, and said in a light tone:

"Love is not simply a collection of positive emotions. It is a process of hurting each other, making peace with each other, and perfecting each other... There may be times when the relationship fails, but there are also many successful cases. If you are always afraid to try, how will you know what answers you can get?"

He lowered his head, lifted her chin, and looked intently into her beautiful, still, watery eyes that had stopped crying.

"It's better to regret trust than to regret doubt."

"It's so cold. Do you choose to doubt or trust?"

"..."

Through her blurred vision, Natsukawa Masuzu stared blankly at the face so close to hers.

Doubt, or trust?

Needless to say, with the example of their mothers, who would be foolish enough to believe in something as ethereal as love...

But I want to believe him.

She wanted to believe that he would always stay by her side.

She wanted to believe that he would always give her a warm embrace.

She wanted to believe that he would always look at her with those gentle eyes.

She wanted to believe that he would appear by her side as quickly as possible during her loneliest and saddest moments, becoming her pillar of support.

These thoughts were incredibly strong, undiminished even by the November chill, spreading rapidly from the deepest part of his heart and gradually strengthening his limbs.

"I……"

No matter how deeply you've been hurt, there will always be someone who comes along and makes you forgive all the hardships you've faced in your life.

Natsukawa Masaki bit her lips until they turned white, but her watery eyes gradually lit up with light, and her expression became increasingly determined.

—A line that Yui Yuigahama once said comes to mind at this moment.

"Just try following your heart! After that, maybe you can give this feeling a name."

So, what is the name of this feeling?

What is this warmth that fills my heart?

No longer empty, no longer lonely.

The things that came into being because of him seem to be—

"I love you, Yuu Tenkuji."

In the instant the wind stilled, their lips met, their breaths mingling.

Under the moonlight, blissful smiles bloom on faces, radiating the joy of being in love.

Like a velvet flower blooming in the moonlight, it is romantic and pure, so beautiful that it makes your heart stop.

Tenkuji Yu kept her eyes open, not missing a single second of the moment.

The warmth conveyed by those lips filled his heart as well, allowing him to feel it once again—

Falling completely in love with someone is truly a very happy thing.

With a smile, Yuu Tenkuji slowly closed his eyes so as not to disturb the exquisite beauty of the moment.

'I love you too, Natsukawa Masaki.'

"Natsukawa is so cool, the gaps are filled."

"Congratulations, host, on completing the mission."

"Task rewards can be settled directly. Settlement will not be conducted until 6:11 AM on December 12th; the system will automatically begin the settlement process."

"Note: The settlement process is irreversible. Once you choose to enter the settlement, you cannot leave the settlement space until the world is corrected."

Chapter 148 Giving the Mermaid a Bubble-like Dream

The kiss seemed to last long but actually flew by, after all, Natsukawa Ryou couldn't hold her breath for that long.

"You really need to practice your kissing skills. Even if you can't breathe while kissing, you should at least learn to breathe in place."

Tenkuji Yu released her, a smile in his eyes.

"Do you think you're learning to swim?" Natsukawa Masaki rolled her eyes at him, her face as beautiful as a flower, shy and timid. "Just you wait, a box of cherries is ready. I'll show you the tongue technique you learned from Kakyoin!"

As she spoke, her fair and rosy cheeks became even redder, and one could even faintly feel the heat emanating from them.

"To make a girl say something like that, you really are a scumbag like you."

"This is called flirting, it has nothing to do with scumbags." Tenkuji Yu curled the corners of his mouth, pulled her into his arms again, and looked up at the starry night sky.

Natsukawa Masuzu obediently leaned against his chest, enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by his heartbeat and breath.

"How does it feel to decide to start believing in love again?" he suddenly teased.

"I don't believe in that kind of thing, I believe in you," she said proudly. "Without your love, there's no value in believing at all!"

"She's really stubborn..." Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but smile wryly. "Oh well, there was no need to believe in her anyway. As long as I feel happy, it doesn't matter whether it's love or not."

But thinking about it, it seems that exactly fifty days have passed since the mission started.

Seventeen years of loneliness, fifty days of love... Is this why she always says she wants to practice her tongue skills with cherries?

Even fate is playing tricks on her.

"That's what I think too." Natsukawa Masuzu answered his previous question, nuzzling her head against his chest and making a childlike, coquettish sound. "So, Yu, if you leave me, I'll become the same person I used to be, hating love, okay?"

"Wouldn't that mean all our efforts would be in vain?"

"It's not just about hating love, it's about hating humanity and life itself."

"So heavy!"

"I hate smiles, I hate happiness, and what I hate most is myself... I hate the self that fell in love with you, I hate the self that stopped deceiving myself."

Yuu Tenkuji sighed helplessly: "Such a memorable time, let's not say such discouraging things to ruin the atmosphere."

"I just wanted you to know how important you are to me." Her voice was heavy in her chest, and she laughed triumphantly, like a wicked she-devil who had succeeded in her scheme.

"I've taken advantage of your guilt to bind you in a shackle that you'll never be able to leave me—how about that? This is Miss Masuzu's cunning scheme!"

Beautiful and bold, cunning and clever, whether it's true or not, Natsukawa Masuzu, as his girlfriend, has never changed.

Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but laugh.

"That's terrifying, you really don't want me to leave you?"

"The moment you have this thought, I will die instantly, in my soul." Suddenly, all her smiles vanished, and she said seriously, "Natsukawa Masami is such a troublesome and clingy woman. Are you sure you really want to date her? It's not too late to back out now."

"Idiot, it's too late now..." A silent sigh fell as Tenkuji Yu covered her eyes with his palm, leaned close to her ear, and said gently, "I'm sure I won't leave you."

"Hehehe, that's good~"

Her serious expression instantly crumbled, and she grinned foolishly, letting him hold her tightly as if nothing had happened.

"Ayu?"

"I'm here."

"It suddenly occurred to me, didn't you also have something you wanted to say to me?"

“Well, I’ve already covered most of that.” Yuu Tenkuji glanced at his watch; it was 11:55, almost midnight. “The rest, let me think about how to bring it up with you.”

"Hmm? You also have things you can't say?"

Natsukawa Masaki looked up in confusion, but his chest and chin blocked her view of his expression.

"Could it be that he really had an affair with Tuanzi-chan?"

"Don't talk nonsense, she's my best friend." Yuu Tenkuji gently tapped her head.

"She's my best friend now... Hmm, I still need to break this habit. It's not good to make jokes about friends."

After muttering to himself thoughtfully, Natsukawa Masaki suddenly took two tickets out of his pocket and quietly slipped them into his palm.

"What's this?" Yuu Tenkuji glanced at the words on it. It was a couple's ticket for an amusement park located in western Tokyo, some distance from Chiba. "Amagi Brilliant... Isn't that the amusement park that's been really popular lately?"

"Do you remember when you came to my house last time? I wanted to give you this ticket then, but I just couldn't bring myself to say it."

Natsukawa Masuzu sighed, looking down. Only her ears, tinged with a blush, were visible through her silver hair. "I can't help it. After all, it's the first time I've invited someone out, and I was afraid you'd refuse with the excuse, 'We're not really boyfriend and girlfriend, why would we go there?'"

"You're the only one who would say that, right?"

Seeing her adorable behavior, Tenkuji Yuuki chuckled and carefully put the ticket into his pocket.

"Okay, if you remember this, let's go to the amusement park together."

"How forgetful do you think I am? Don't think you can look down on people just because you're number one."

With her fingers digging into his hard thigh, Natsukawa Masaki said unhappily, "As long as I study hard, being first in the whole school is a piece of cake... No, let's just make sure the top two are both us. That way, even if we flaunt our love on campus, I doubt any teacher will dare to interfere!"

The topic jumped around very quickly, and her beautiful sapphire eyes sparkled as if she were planning how to make the entire school understand just how deep their love was.

"Forget it, Hiratsuka-sensei would probably just slap her lemon fist right in my face."

Yuu Tenkuji shook his head, glanced at the time, and saw it was already 11:59 PM.

Although I can stay up until six o'clock at the latest, what difference would it make if I stayed up for another six hours?