I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Despite her smiling face, Yukinoshita Haruno secretly thought this to herself.

You won't make a living doing this, you should change jobs! No, wait, you're so young, you should be studying properly, why are you working as a rented boyfriend? Aren't you afraid of being punished by the school if they find out?

Of course, she could only think about it, but she wouldn't say it out loud. She simply stopped hoping for the "taste of love" and instead started to have fun with this little boy who was the same age as her sister.

As it turns out, the little boy named Tenkuji Yu—who appears to be a virgin—is a good source of amusement.

Upon their first separation, Yukino Haruno became somewhat interested and decided to let him "keep it for review," purely out of a mischievous, cat-and-mouse humor.

During their second separation, the more Yukino Yukino understood him, the more she looked at him differently. Her thoughts about finding a good toy changed at some point, and she began to be curious about him and had certain expectations of him.

The third time they parted, Yukinoshita Haruno reached base with him at a speed that even surprised herself. Although it was only a kiss on third base, from that day on, the term "rent-a-boyfriend" was deeply engraved in her heart, causing her to fall deeper and deeper without realizing it.

The fourth time we parted... Oh no, it seems I can't live without him anymore.

Our fifth separation... The feeling of kissing was so wonderful, when can we take it to the next level?

The sixth separation... The word "rental" is a bit jarring, but ultimately, it's a relationship built on lies, so this is the only way it can be.

The seventh time we parted... The eighth time we parted...

In just one month, Yukinoshita Haruno's heart seemed to be filled with more than a decade's worth of beautiful memories.

He patiently finished the rest of the curry, just for himself.

He once said that he would appear immediately if he asked for help, he promised himself.

He once traveled 133 kilometers to find himself.

"His smile was more dazzling than any scenery I had ever seen in this summer."

Unbeknownst to her, Yukino Shino liked watching him smile, liked seeing him smile, and got used to smiling with him.

Honestly, it's just a rented boyfriend, why is he going to such lengths for me?

—Since you've already done this, then I have no choice but to take it seriously, right?

Having realized her own feelings, she decided to cross the line between renting and lying to pursue the genuine thing that belonged only to her.

Along the way, Yukinoshita had worries and struggles, but more than anything, she felt happy and at ease knowing that he was always by her side.

Because that person never let me down.

Because that person understands me perfectly.

Because that person and he were mutually in love.

Because of this belief, Yukinoshita was able to break free from the shackles of responsibility, peel off the mask full of lies, and, like a little girl experiencing her first love, genuinely enjoy the feeling of 'being in love' with him.

Regardless of whether he's a rented boyfriend or not, Yukinoshita Haruno likes Tenkuji Yu, that's all.

So, I had a really great time on that date at the amusement park.

We went to various amusement parks together and enjoyed the romantic night view of Tokyo.

She received a gift from him and he carried her away from her mother.

Every word he uttered was like a sugar coating buried deep in my heart; when I rummaged through it, it was like a mouthful of sweetness.

How could I like someone so much? How could anyone make me like someone this much?

In any case—it's so great that he was the first person I ever liked!

The road to happiness stretches into the future, and warmth overflows from her heart. With the determination to keep her heart with him for a lifetime, Yukino even takes the underage boy to a hotel, preparing to make the deed a fait accompli and make the little boy an adult ahead of time.

Giving up her body was also her way of proving love.

From now on, there will be no need for lies.

Therefore, from now on, there will be no need to rent anymore.

From now on, she can be immature and not strong.

Because his Yang Nai wasn't the mature and strong type of girl to begin with.

"Little Youyou?"

But when he came out of the shower, he was gone.

He left her with the message that he was going to the convenience store to pick up something, leaving her alone in the empty and lonely room, feeling anxious and uneasy.

"What a terrible boyfriend!"

Clutching the cheap wooden comb, Yukinoshita Haruno lay on the bed, thinking about giving him a stimulating punishment when he came back, thinking about making him comb her hair again when he came back, thinking about saying more sweet words to him when he came back, thinking about waiting for him to come back...

As I pondered these thoughts, I drifted off to sleep with him in my thoughts.

As I pondered these thoughts, I was transported to a world where he was no longer present.

From that day on, Yukinoshita Haruno lost the most important thing.

Chapter Two: Yukino is solving a mystery.

The cold wind outside the window was rattling against the glass.

The morning sunlight was faint, and the gray gradient shone into the unlit room, where the air was still and quiet.

"Huh, huh..."

Pale-faced and covered in cold sweat, Yukino Yukinoshita gasped for breath, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints as she stared at her disheveled reflection in the mirror, her lips trembling as she murmured:

"This is the truth...? What I've been searching for all along is the memory of that time?"

Thirty-three days later, it was the time they met and the time they parted.

With her hand on her forehead, her present and past memories were all mixed up, her consciousness as chaotic and difficult to understand as a vat of paint. She couldn't calm down and think properly at all, and even felt like she was still in a dream.

The tranquility of the past was as fragile as paper at this moment. Yukino took many deep breaths, but she could not calm her trembling fingertips. She felt goosebumps all over her body, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head while she was half asleep.

"How could such a thing happen... Ha, is it a prank by the gods? Or have I received memories from other worlds, and those things actually happened in parallel worlds?"

Yukinoshita Haruno was proud of her mental fortitude for being able to make such a joke.

She forced herself to close her eyes and clenched her fists, hitting her head twice to try and regain some composure through the pain and darkness.

In any case, that memory was not fabricated.

No matter how bizarre or strange the process, Yukino Yukinoshita will believe from the bottom of her heart that this is the reality that happened to her and has only now been revealed.

Even though she lost her memory, November unknowingly fell in love with Tenkuji Yu—how could a troublesome and burdensome woman like her fall in love with someone else just because she lost her memory?

"Then let's sort out the situation one by one."

Gently rubbing her brow, Yukinoshita closed her eyes and murmured to herself, "First of all, I've found the answer to the question of 'why I care so much about a junior I've never met, and why it hurts when I see him with other girls.'"

—Because Yuu Tenkuji is my boyfriend.

"Next, why did I lose my memory... No, rather than losing my memory, it's more like the whole world has been 'reorganized' once again?"

As her words fell calmly, the bewildered and horrified expression receded like the tide, and the composed and confident demeanor of a strong woman gradually returned to her.

Yukinoshita Haruno quickly checked her memories and discovered that there were two versions in total—

One version is Xiaoyouyou's bittersweet love story up to August 25th;

Another scenario is that Xiao Youyou's existence completely disappears, and she is always alone, whether she goes to the sports center, eats curry, visits an amusement park, or stays in a hotel. She is on a lonely and desolate journey where she doesn't even know what the key to her confusion is.

Thinking of this, she felt a strange pang of bitterness and displeasure, and her heels unconsciously tapped the ground, which she then forcibly stopped.

Bringing her thoughts back on track, Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath after carefully examining the differences between the two versions.

"It's like forcibly removing someone who was supposed to be in a pre-written script, while still trying to make the plot seem reasonable..."

But something still feels off.

It felt like the fog hadn't been cleared away, and she could only see the top layer. This made Yukinoshita ponder for a long time, but she still couldn't find the way in.

She could only put aside this premonition for the time being, and to confirm it further, she went to the bedside table to get her phone.

I opened the messaging app and instinctively tried to find my boyfriend's friends list, but I found that his name wasn't there at all, and his number wasn't in my phonebook either.

"Only when memories are restored, do all the things that happened just disappear like that?"

Yukino Yukinoshita remembers clearly that although she had deleted all of his contact information, on the day of their date at the amusement park, she added Yukino back to her LINE friends list and phone number, and changed the nickname to "My Favorite Boyfriend". She was even planning to show it off to Yukino Yukino someday.

Is it really impossible for them to come back...?

With a slight frown, Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head. Now is not the time for sentimentality.

She remembered the number, but after weighing her options, she temporarily gave up on calling Yuu Tenkuji and instead found a name she had almost forgotten at the very bottom of her contacts.

The busy tone lasted for about twenty seconds before being replaced by a lazy, decadent male voice.

"Hello? Who is it...?"

"Yukinoshita Haruno. I'm sorry to have woken you up so suddenly. I have something to ask you." Her voice was gentle and cheerful, but Yukinoshita Haruno used a commanding tone that was anything but polite.

"Yuki, answer me as quickly as possible: did my boyfriend come to see me the day I went to Karuizawa?"

Seemingly still not quite processing what was happening, or perhaps not even having a brain at all, Yuuki Koichiro on the other end of the phone replied blankly, "Huh? Your boyfriend? When did you get a boyfriend? That's truly the first time anyone has ever had one..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yukinoshita Haruno hastily thanked him and hung up the phone, then called her mother downstairs.

"Yang Nai? You're upstairs, right? Why did you call specifically..."

"Well, I was a little tied up, I'll explain later..." After giving a perfunctory answer, Yukinoshita Haruno asked seriously, "Mom, I'm asking you, why did I go to the amusement park on August 24th and stay out all night?"

"August 24th? The amusement park?" The mother pondered for a moment, then answered uncertainly, "Is it to show off to Yukino? Not coming home is just because you're too lazy to take a taxi at night. Why are you asking me this?"

"Then why did I start pursuing free marriage?"

"You said you wanted to expand your business abroad after graduation, and that you could find a better marriage partner based on your own judgment. Most importantly, you didn't like the Yuki family's children."

The mother answered fluently, but then her voice became serious, with a hint of worry in it.

"Yang Nai, are you out of your mind? Do you need to see a doctor?"

With a slight twitch of her cheek, Yukinoshita chuckled, "Next time, please use a more tactful way of saying it, my dear mother."

Xiao Youyou often uses this way of speaking to annoy people too!

Honestly, the son-in-law is just like the mother-in-law; her stomach will hurt from anger sooner or later...

Putting down her jumbled thoughts and phone, Yukino Yukinoshita's expression returned to seriousness. She crossed her legs on the edge of the bed, her fingers gently pinching her chin, revealing the thoughtful look of a detective solving a case.

"Does no one remember what happened during that time besides me?"