I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Yukino Yukinoshita's brow twitched slightly, and her expression turned cold again.

"Teacher, I can't pretend I didn't hear that."

Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't even turn her head to look at her.

Yui Yuigahama blinked, glanced at Hiratsuka-sensei, then looked at Tenkuji Yu as if to confirm, her face showing confusion.

"Huh? So, we're going to visit Natsukawa at her house later too?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded casually and gave a thumbs up.

"That's right, the transfer students are in your hands now. Boys and girls of the Service Club!"

Chapter Twenty-Five: We've fixed several bugs in this update.

Tenkuji Yu frowned slightly and subconsciously refused.

"Teacher, do I not need to go over there?"

"What? Are you shy?" Hiratsuka Shizuka teased with a smile.

Tenkuji Yu shook his head and calmly stated his reason.

"First of all, visiting a sick classmate and delivering homework and handouts to her doesn't require so many people to go. It's not like we're throwing a party at her house."

"Furthermore, I'm a guy, and I'm not very familiar with Xia Chuan. If I suddenly go to visit her, it will only bother her, right?"

“Hmm, you’re right.” With her hands in the pockets of her white coat, Hiratsuka Shizuka said with a sudden realization, “If she’s just sick, it’s indeed not very convenient for a boy to visit her.”

"So, I'll leave it to Yui..." Tenkuji Yu shrugged, saying indifferently, "And Yukinoshita is fine too. I believe they can take good care of Natsukawa-san."

"And what was the meaning behind that subtle pause?"

Yukino Yukinoshita cast a cold glance at him, her huffy little face actually looking cuter than her usual calm and collected demeanor.

However, Yuu Tenkuji didn't look at her either, because Yui Yuigahama was tugging at his sleeve.

"Xiaoyou, are you really not going?"

Her soft lips pursed slightly, and her round eyes blinked as if trying to soften his heart, with a gentle luster in them.

"After all, we were in the same group as Xia Chuan during the autumn outing, and we played together all day... Although you two barely spoke, it shouldn't be a problem to visit someone, right?"

Concealing her thoughtful gaze, Yuu Tenkuji withdrew her hand: "So, there's no need for that..."

“Oh, let’s go together! ... Ah, didn’t I say I didn’t want to go with Yukino?” Yui Yuigahama turned to explain to Yukinoshita, but Yui Yuigahama still stared at him stubbornly.

"The teacher also said that this is a Service Club activity, and it's the last activity before the suspension! None of the three of us can be absent, right?"

"..."

As if stumped by her question, Tenkuji Yu was speechless.

He turned his eyes and looked first at Hiratsuka-sensei.

She leisurely pulled out a chair, sat down, a lollipop stick dangling from her lips, and swung her long, black-stockinged legs, waiting for them to finish their conversation.

Looking down at the snow, their eyes met.

She pursed her thin, soft lips, as if still angry about what had just happened, staring coldly at herself, but making no attempt to refute Yui Yuigahama.

Finally, he turned his gaze back to Yui Yuigahama's serious, tense face, and sighed as if giving up.

"Okay, I'll go... If I get kicked out, I'll just go straight home."

"Great!"

Yui Yuigahama immediately beamed with joy, as if she could see a tail wagging excitedly behind her.

"Don't worry, it's just a matter of handing in some documents and checking if Xia Chuan is alright. I probably won't be going into her house... After we're done, shall we go shopping in the mall?"

"Well, so that's what you were planning."

Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but chuckle and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"Is everything alright? Then it's settled!"

After admiring the scene of the students getting along well, Hiratsuka Shizuka clapped her hands vigorously, stood up from her chair, and looked down at the boys and girls in her seat.

"Whether you want to finish your work before going or go now, just call me to report back once you're done. And that's it, no pay—that's it, dismissed!"

After saying that, she gracefully tossed her white robe aside and strode away from the clubroom.

The group looked at each other, and sighed helplessly.

……

When it comes to rational considerations, Yuu Tenkuji always manages to find the right approach.

For example, after completing a mission, keep your distance from those ex-girlfriends, take advantage of the fact that you've erased past feelings, and start the next boyfriend game without any "save points".

Whether it's Yukinoshita Haruno or Yuuki Asuna, Tenkuji Yu did the same thing—it's only natural, because they don't remember themselves either.

Both of them lost something important after the mission, so why should they be reborn and carefree, while I should keep chasing after them and be reluctant to let go?

Therefore, this is undoubtedly the most correct approach.

But emotionally, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't ignore his former girlfriends with whom he had been close.

It's like digging up a time capsule buried in childhood. Even if you don't remember the solemn feeling you had back then, you will still unconsciously hold it in your palm and treasure it along with the memories.

So after waking up from the first two missions, he would always call Yuuki Koichiro immediately to check on Yukinoshita and Yuuki Asuna, and only after knowing that they were doing well could he completely relax.

As for Natsukawa Masuzu, the reason she didn't take any action until the next day was simply because she couldn't find any information about her.

Tenkuji Yu was more soft-hearted and cared about their affairs than she had imagined.

That's why, after hearing that Natsukawa Masuzu had skipped class for no apparent reason, he was caught in a dilemma between reason and emotion—he didn't want to get involved with his 'ex-girlfriend,' but he was also worried that something might have happened to her because of the change in the timeline.

If it weren't for Yui Yuigahama's insistence, perhaps Yuu Tenkuji would have convinced himself with the excuse that "they'll see how things go, and we can ask them then."

Now, reason has taken a backseat, and emotion has taken over. He can't help but wonder what the reason is for Natsukawa Masami's absence from school and the cutting off of contact.

"System, do you have any self-awareness?"

After subconsciously asking himself this question, Tenkuji Yuu suddenly remembered that the system hadn't been updated yet, and what new features had been added.

He brought up the system panel and found nothing different from before, but he also didn't see the small print "System update in progress: XXX".

"system?"

Yuu Tenkuji called out in her heart several times, but that ever-present, often annoying voice still didn't appear. It was as if she had unknowingly pressed the button to turn off notifications and sounds, leaving her in a state of eerie silence.

He frowned slightly and temporarily shut down the system panel.

"Did the update mess up my game? Hello, we've fixed several bugs in this update?"

The system shouldn't be that stupid... It's more likely that it's plotting something malicious.

Although there was nothing she could do to stop the system from doing what it wanted, Yuu Tenkuji was still on guard and mentally prepared for a sneak attack.

Even so, he couldn't help but complain—first the curse charm, then the failed system update; how come this mission hasn't even started yet and a bunch of troubles are already piling up...

As evening approached, the streetlights illuminated the dim street corners.

After finishing their respective tasks, the Service Club trio left the school and headed to the upscale apartment where Yukino Yukinoshita and Masuzu Natsukawa lived.

Chapter Twenty-Six: It's coming, it's coming, she's coming!

Three pairs of footprints walked through the streets of Chiba, from the bustling city with its whistling traffic to the brightly lit, dimly lit houses with the faint sounds of television conversations, and gradually entered a quiet and elegant residential area for the wealthy.

Although it was only a little past five or six o'clock, the sky had already darkened, and dim starlight twinkled in the distance, as if it hadn't had time to say goodbye to summer and had already arrived at a certain constellation in winter.

Yui Yuigahama raised her head, her slender and graceful neck almost straight up, but she wasn't looking at the calm and indifferent night sky, but rather at the towering and solemn apartment building in front of her.

Her eyes widened, and she exclaimed from the bottom of her heart, "It looks so expensive! Does Xiaoxue live alone in a place like this...?"

“Yes, I moved here shortly after the start of the semester.” Yukino Yukinoshita took out her access card and swiped it on the black box in front of the door. The glass door slid open automatically. “The price of a single room is indeed a bit high, but my mother bought several rooms when she was making investments in the early days. Compared to now, the cost is extremely low.”

"That's not important. Yui was just making a casual remark." Yuu followed behind her, stepping into the apartment lobby, which he had been visiting almost every day for some time.

The floor was spotless, so much so that one could almost see under the girl's skirt through the reflection—but even the sharpest eye couldn't catch that mysterious dark scene.

Because Yukino was wrapped in a trench coat, her slender and delicate body was tightly covered, and only the beautifully curved lines of her calves could be seen.

Although Yui Yuigahama's skirt had been shortened, perhaps out of a girl's instinct, she always skillfully avoided any pose that would expose her. At this moment, her absolute territory transformed into a wall of sighs, blocking the gaze of desire behind the swaying fabric, making the barely visible upper thighs even more alluring.

...After saying all that, Tenkuji Yuu didn't stare at them to peek under their skirts; he wasn't that desperate.

I only glanced at it briefly.

To be fair, her legs are really nice.

Instead of talking about housing prices, let's talk about the problems you encounter when living alone.

Upon hearing what Yuuki Tenkuji said, Yui Yuigahama immediately hugged Yukinoshita's arm, her eyes sparkling as she said, "Yeah, Yukinoshita, do you usually cook by yourself? Or do you order takeout? Don't you feel lonely when you come home and no one answers or greets you?"

"Are you underestimating me, Yuihama-san?"

With a cold snort, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't turn her head, her back proudly straight, as strong and awe-inspiring as a cedar tree.

"It's just living alone, what's the problem? As for loneliness, it varies from person to person."

Looking at her profile, the corners of her mouth curved slightly, and her tone became much lighter as her expression changed: "At least I feel that I am more relaxed and comfortable now than at home, so naturally I don't feel lonely."

Oh, is it because you've distanced yourself from Haruno, that perfect superhero...?

Raising an eyebrow, Yuu Tenkuji didn't say those words aloud, but simply watched as she pressed the elevator button, and the floor display slowly descended to the first floor.

As the elevator doors opened, Yukino Yukinoshita turned around and asked, "My apartment is on the eleventh floor, and Natsukawa-san's is on the tenth floor... Would you like to come to my place first, put down your bags, have a cup of tea, and then go to her, or should we go straight to the tenth floor?"

"You actually invited us to your house for tea?" Tenkuji Yu asked in surprise. "I thought you would kick us out after the commission was completed."

Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at him and said calmly, "You don't have to come, or rather, it's best if you don't come. I don't want to use my hospitality on you."

Tenkuji Yu shook his head: "We're friends, after all. This is too formal."

Her black hair twirled halfway around, and her clear, well-water-like eyes looked directly at her, their gaze sharp and earnest.

"So in your mind, I'm just an rude person who brings 'friends' to your door and then turns them away?"

"..."

Tenkuji Yu was stunned for a long time before scratching the back of his neck in annoyance and deliberately looking away.