I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Tenkuji Yu smiled helplessly, letting her carefully wipe the cold sweat from his forehead with her sleeve, and closed his eyes wearily.

—Yes, no one in this world has the right to listen to him, whether it's Kasugano Sora or Yuigahama Yui, no matter how important that person is to him.

Unless, of course, they take down that damn system that keeps squeezing his heart even during updates.

"Indeed, only you can save yourself."

The removed armor gleamed once more, Yuu Tenkuji was certain of that.

△

After a brief moment of warmth, the two went back to their respective rooms.

Kasugano Sora went to play games, while Tenkuji Yu had more important things to do.

Yuankong Network Company is still in its early stages. Even with the system plugin as a backer, he still has to put in a lot of effort to manage his business and make it a stable source of income. In the future, when the system is gone, he will have to rely on this to make money while lying down.

Yuuka Tenkuji is a man with dreams. His biggest dream is to play games while lying on his family's lap and make money.

"Oh, right, Sora."

Suddenly remembering something, he stopped and called out to Kasugano Sora, who was about to return to her room.

"I'll have a girlfriend sooner or later, maybe next month, or maybe tomorrow. I hope you can prepare yourself mentally in advance."

Before starting the mission, he made a decision during the previous mission to talk to Qiong about his girlfriend.

Although it was a bit sudden, since it was bound to happen sooner or later, and it wasn't the first time he'd faced that kind of situation, Yuu Tenkuji didn't plan to lay any more groundwork.

I wonder what kind of identity the "girlfriend" will give him this time... First, a rented boyfriend, then an online boyfriend, then a fake boyfriend, and what will come next?

Inflatable... oops, how about a tool boyfriend?

"What do you mean? You're really planning to do something to that silly little dumpling?"

Staring wide-eyed in disbelief, Qiong looked at him with astonishment in her voice: "Even though she has a big chest and has liked you for so long, aren't you afraid she might suddenly change her mind... but you're so bad at games, aren't you afraid you'll get a stroke and break up with her one day?"

“Be a little more polite to your seniors, even if you’re telling the truth…” He sighed helplessly, wondering where she learned such an impolite manner. “Anyway, I’m good at games, that’s enough. I don’t have many requirements for my girlfriend. At worst, I can teach her to be a game master.”

"Hmph, you're really patient." Qiong pouted in dissatisfaction, but did not show strong opposition.

Too lazy to explain to her that Yui was outside the scope of "girlfriend," Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but ask curiously, "Aren't you okay with it? Your brother is going to be snatched away by another girl, isn't he?"

To be honest, compared to the previous times, her reaction was strangely calm, to the point that he subconsciously resorted to a baiting tactic, as if afraid that she hadn't immediately understood what he meant.

Is it because I brought Yui Yuigahama home before I asked this question?

Because there was a buffer beforehand, he was able to act so confidently.

"I'm not as fragile as you think."

Kasugano Sora yanked the rabbit doll's ears apart like she was doing a split, glanced at the ground, pursed her lips, and said in a somewhat subtle tone:

"And I don't know why, but I always feel like I've asked you similar questions before, and I already know what you'd say... Even I find it strange that I can accept you having a girlfriend so calmly."

Tenkuji Yu looked at her with a complicated expression.

All the previous efforts weren't in vain; after three consecutive attempts to comfort her, has that overly brother-obsessed sister finally become a little more normal...?

For some reason, even though it was a good thing, he felt a strange, indescribable unease.

"Most importantly, I'm almost sixteen, and I'm not the kind of narrow-minded woman!"

As if to prove herself, Kasugano Sora straightened her thin chest, casually tossed her silver hair, and half-closed her eyes with an air of nonchalance.

"You can have many girlfriends, but you can only have one sister... As long as you don't date those bad women who want to monopolize you, even if the girlfriend is an idiot like Yui Yuigahama, I'll turn a blind eye."

"Of course, it's best not to have a girlfriend. Whatever you want, Yu... I can give you."

After saying that, she turned and closed the door as if fleeing, a blush peeking out from her silver hair.

She would never have been this shy about saying things like this before...

Yuu Tenkuji smiled wryly as he watched the door close, returning to his room with a strange sense of relief.

Chapter Seventeen: Utaha Kasumigaoka's Astonishment

That night, the city fell asleep, and the twinkling lights illuminated the crisscrossing streets.

A faint voice echoed from the void:

"System update complete."

"Error correction successful, original solution invalid... Changes complete, apply improved solution. Energy full, initiate minimum intervention."

The black glow of dawn flashed and disappeared in the cracks of the world.

……

The room I rented specifically for work is not exactly simple.

Of course, it's not that the room was originally full of dirt and mold, but rather that the owner who rented the room simply didn't know how to take care of himself and his surroundings.

Or maybe he's just lazy.

Black stockings and lace lingerie hung sloppily on the headboard. Taking advantage of the heating, a black-haired girl wearing only a thin shirt and underwear sat in front of the computer, frowning as she argued with her editor on the phone.

"I know why the third volume didn't get a good response... Don't rush me to write the fourth volume, I haven't thought of a main plot yet."

"Stop giving me pep talks. If I knew how to recapture the feeling of Volume 2, would I be worrying so much that I'm getting gray hairs every day?"

“Ms. Machida, I want to write something that surpasses your previous work even more than you do—or at least be on par with it. But the problem is, I have no inspiration. No matter how much you urge me, I can't write anything that satisfies me. A work that even the author isn't satisfied with is just toilet paper that comes with illustrations.”

"Well, it's getting late, you should get some rest too. I'll call you once I figure out how to write it. Until then, please don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary—let me have some peace and quiet for a while, unless the editorial department is planning to cancel 'Love Metronome'."

After saying the last sentence in a low voice, Kasumigaoka Utaha threw the phone, which had ended the call, back onto the table, covered her eyes with her arm, leaned back, and let out a heavy sigh.

"The third volume was clearly one of my most confident works, so why did this happen... Damn it, this generation of readers has no discernment!"

However, despite saying this, just like she had just talked to the editor, she understood better than anyone the reasons for her sharp decline in popularity.

It has nothing to do with the readers; it's simply that she lacks talent.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, who writes under the pen name Kasumigaoka Utaha, had a lukewarm reception for the first volume of her work, "Love Metronome," and even faced the possibility of being forced to cancel the second volume. However, after she wrote the second volume and gained soaring popularity and enthusiastic praise, everything changed.

Her reputation as a beautiful high school student author was heavily promoted, and her sales once topped the monthly light novel bestseller list. This directly boosted the sales of the first volume, making her incredibly popular and filling her with confidence and pride as a bestselling author.

And so, amidst great anticipation, the third volume was written.

Then she learned what it meant to climb high and fall hard.

Objectively speaking, the third volume is a significant improvement over the first. For a new author, it's quite good to be able to write a novel of this caliber. However, compared to the second volume, which features a dramatic plot, vivid characters, and is incredibly moving, the reading experience is a major drop. It completely lacks the emotional impact it once had on readers, and some have even bluntly stated that the first and second volumes were not written by the same author at all.

When Kasumigaoka Utaha saw these comments, she almost punched the screen. She was so angry that she felt chest tightness and vomited blood. For a while, her mind went blank, and her fingers were on the keyboard, but she couldn't type a single word.

Her newly built confidence was ruthlessly shattered by those harsh comments, and she even considered giving up writing altogether, letting whoever wanted to be a pretty high school girl writer take the role.

It is her pride in not admitting defeat to her readers that has kept her going until now.

Kasumigaoka Utaha swore that she would write a perfect work that would make all her critics lick her boots, and that she would make all those who looked down on her cry with the heartbreak of her stories.

Even now, no matter how many vows she makes, she has only increased the number of discarded drafts in the trash can.

"I haven't run out of ideas, I'm just waiting for inspiration to strike... Damn it! I'll show you what I'm capable of!"

Biting her lip in frustration, Kasumigaoka Utaha wiped her eyes hard and put her hands back on the keyboard.

The empty room was quiet and lonely, and the night outside the window remained still and unchanged.

With a soft sigh, the crisp tapping sound disappeared once again.

"Sure enough, when writing the second volume, that feeling of it suddenly appearing and taking shape is gone..."

She murmured to herself, pulled a book from the bookshelf next to her that was crammed with books, and flipped through a few pages at random.

She had only intended to take a quick look, but an hour had passed in the blink of an eye, and she, as the author, had unknowingly become engrossed in it.

"Sure enough, it's different from mine; it's really well written."

With a self-deprecating laugh, Kasumigaoka Utaha put down her book, took out her phone, and opened her photo album.

Besides photos of various documents, the most eye-catching image is of a boy standing in front of a piano, smiling confidently at the audience.

This is the only photo that Kasumigaoka Utaha secretly took of him, and the purpose... was, of course, to gather material.

The key to the second volume's immense popularity, and the important supporting character beloved by many readers, is the one she wrote about after meeting Yuu Tenkuji during the summer vacation, based on her simple impressions of him and her (tailing) observations.

I never expected the second volume to become so popular because of him, I never expected the subject of my story to be from my own school, and I never expected him to be such an amazing person...

Even so, Kasumigaoka Utaha did not immediately acknowledge him, let alone apologize or thank him.

Anyone with a normal sense of shame wouldn't bring up the fact that they received concern after being caught stalking someone.

However, if the third volume also sells well, then sign your name on the note he left behind and return it to him with a smug look on your face!

—That was Kasumigaoka Utaha's original plan.

Then, well, that's the part everyone knows about.

The new work was a complete flop, and the character design of that important supporting character also had many problems. There are still people on the 2ch forum criticizing this point. She has no right to meet the junior who helped her so much.

Therefore, in order to avoid becoming too mentally exhausted, Kasumigaoka chose to escape reality.

Now she rarely goes to class; she just stays at home writing novels, producing a bunch of useless drafts. Then, after being advised and comforted by her editor, her condition worsens, and she continues to write garbage, trapped in a vicious cycle from which she cannot escape.

Unable to recall any story scenes, Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned back weakly in her chair, letting her phone slip from her hand and fall to the floor, her eyes staring blankly at the bookshelf in front of her.

The word "admit defeat" gradually took over my mind.

"Either I cut it in half, or I go and try to get back to that junior and see if I can regain my 'former' state... Hmm?"

Muttering to herself, Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly paused, her unfocused gaze quickly refocusing.

She looked at the unfamiliar book with a pure black spine, sandwiched between the first and third volumes of "Love Metronome".

The second volume is still on the table; logically, there should be an empty seat there...

When was this book inserted?

Confused, and after confirming that she did not remember stuffing the book haphazardly, Kasumigaoka Utaha reached out and pulled it out.

The cover, the same black as the spine, is devoid of any text or design. Its simple yet pure blackness seems to exude a chill, and holding it in your hand feels like a breath of coolness.

But for some reason, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't dislike this design; in fact, she felt a sense of familiarity with it, as if she were holding her favorite notebook.

"What is this? The Death Pen?"