I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

“You can make a list.”

"Oh, good idea, but I won't."

“…Childish.” She muttered unhappily, like a child being looked down upon, then turned away expressionlessly. “Whatever. Where’s the tea?”

"In the leftmost cabinet above the stove."

"how do you know?"

"I already flipped through it!" Yuu Tenkuji said in surprise, as if to say, "I didn't expect you to be so stupid."

Taking a deep breath, Yukino Yukinoshita only showed him the back of her head, with her black hair swaying and her expression as cold as ice.

Tenkuji Yu smiled happily, then turned around and found that Yukino Yukinoshita was also looking at him with a smile, her eyes full of interest, and with a hint of danger.

—Good heavens, what mischief is this woman up to now?

With this thought flashing through her mind, Yuu forced herself to look away, took her wallet out of her bag and put it in her pocket, glanced at Natsukawa Masuzu who was lying unconscious on the sofa with a weak expression and pale lips, and walked towards the door as if it were none of her business.

"I'm going out to buy some groceries, I'll be right back. I'll leave Xia Chuan in your care... Please remember to open the door for me when I ring the doorbell."

"Ah, then I'll join you too..." Yui Yuigahama quickly put on the coat she had just taken off, and was about to follow him when a hand pressed down on her shoulder from behind.

"Wait, I'll go."

Yukino Yukinoshita said in a serious tone, "This... Natsukawa-san is your friend, right? It would be better if you stayed. After all, I'm just an older sister I don't know. If she wakes up and finds a stranger taking care of her, and gets scared and faints again, that wouldn't be good."

"Eh..." Yui Yuigahama blinked, somewhat surprised and speechless.

After all, Yukinoshita Haruno's reason was too far-fetched, and she didn't even try to hide her intention to go out with Tenkuji Yu, leaving Haruno at a loss for words and feeling a mix of emotions.

Finally, he could only look to Yuu Tenkuji for help.

Ignoring Yukino Yukinoshita's playful wink, Yukari thought for a moment and then said to Yui Yuigahama:

“Miss Yang Nai makes a good point. We still don’t know what happened to Natsukawa-san or why she suddenly fainted… If you’re by her side, it should be easier to get information from her and calm her down.”

"So, you all stay here, I'll go alone."

After saying that, without even glancing at the female college student's pink cheeks puffed up like balloons, Tenkuji Yu quickly left the Natsukawa family home.

The door was quietly closed.

The aroma of boiling water wafted from the kitchen. In the living room, two women slowly withdrew their gaze from the door and looked at each other across the sofa.

Yui Yuigahama bit her lip slightly, clenched her fists at her sides, and stared straight at the female college student with her puppy-like, moist eyes, no longer avoiding her gaze.

Yukino Yukinoshita leaned back on the sofa, her hand supporting her slightly upturned cheek, her lazy and calm gaze responding leisurely to the dango girl's stare.

"What's wrong? Is there something you want to say?"

Having no intention of engaging in a silent performance with her, Yukino Yukinoshita spoke up casually, immediately gaining the upper hand.

"Um, Ms. Yang Nai."

To her surprise, Yui Yuigahama's tone was slightly deep, her eyes were very serious, and she was not affected by her imposing manner at all.

"If I've misunderstood, then I apologize in advance..."

She took a deep breath and asked, "Miss Yang, what do you think of Xiaoyou—"

"I love it! I really love it!"

Before she could finish speaking, her decisive and sharp reply, as swift as a dagger, left Yui Yuigahama speechless for a moment.

"But...but you've only met a few times and haven't even exchanged many words..."

"That's your own opinion. And even so, can't I fall in love with him at first sight?"

With a cheerful smile, seemingly not taking her seriously at all, Yukinoshita twirled the ends of her dyed red hair and said casually, "His performance at the Autumn Festival was enough to attract anyone, wasn't it? Is it such a strange thing for me to like him?"

"But Xiaoxue..."

"Xiaoxue doesn't know, but does it have anything to do with her? Liking someone is involuntary, even if he is her sister's classmate."

Faced with this resounding statement, Yui Yuigahama had nothing to say and silently lowered her head.

Ultimately, all she wanted to do was confirm Yukinoshita Haruno's feelings, even though it was pointless.

Regardless of whether that person liked Xiaoyou or not, there were things I was unable to do or change.

That's right, just like Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't change the fact that she liked Yu and was about to become his girlfriend.

Even if she really wanted to date a younger man, to me, she would just be another rival in love... Xiao You clearly didn't want to get too close to her, so no matter how I looked at it, it was all in my favor, and there was nothing to worry about or be afraid of.

On the contrary, it must be very painful for Ms. Yang to be heartbroken, right?

I hope that when Xiaoyou rejects her, she won't use words that are too harsh.

"...I see, I understand."

As she slowly exhaled, as if she had figured something out, Yui Yuigahama easily raised her eyes and gave Yukinoshita Haruno a frank smile.

"I like Xiaoyou too, and I've liked him for almost three years. I'm currently working hard to become his girlfriend as soon as possible, and even if my rival is Xiaoxue's older sister, I won't give up!"

"……Um?"

This time, under the changing snow, Haruno's eyes widened, and she looked at her with considerable surprise at the 'peace before war' she had made peace.

With such an open-minded attitude, is it because he is confident or has given up on himself?

Chapter Thirty: Dumpling Sauce?

Recalling the scene in the elevator, Yukino's gaze darkened slightly, but a casual smile still appeared on her lips as she waved her hand cheerfully.

"Hey, don't take it so seriously, Yui. Who says you have to fight over someone you like? Anyway, I'm not planning on taking him away from you yet, relax, relax~"

He clearly told her not to take it seriously and that she didn't necessarily have to snatch it, but then he said he wasn't planning to snatch it for the time being, to put her at ease.

Yukino Yukinoshita can say contradictory things as if they were perfectly natural, and lying is as natural as drinking water. Her thoughts are so changeable that they are impossible to see through.

Even so, Yui Yuigahama did not back down an inch, nor was she worried that she would lose to the beautiful and perfectly proportioned older woman in front of her.

—Because compared to mature beauties, Xiaoyou prefers girls like Xiaoqiong!

Rather than worrying about Ms. Yang, I'm more worried about whether those two, who have such great chemistry, will one day spark a romance that transcends friendship... In terms of figure alone, Xiaoxue has an advantage that I can't match.

The issue of "cheating" that he once mentioned is also a concern. So now, instead of thinking about how to prevent him from being taken away by someone else, it's better to think about how to make Tenkuji Yu like him more and more, so that he will never want to be separated from him for the rest of his life.

Yui Yuigahama, seventeen years old, is no longer the heartbreaker she used to be—

It is precisely because she has experienced failure and heartbreak that she now possesses the courage to forge ahead regardless of everything.

“Miss Haruno, I was very relaxed from the beginning.”

Under Yukino's questioning gaze, she touched the bun on her head and smiled with relief.

The hesitant expression was gone, and on that tender, round face, there was a mature and composed demeanor that made Yukinoshita Haruno change her opinion of him.

"After all, it's Xiaoyou's own decision who he likes! Unless we are his girlfriends, we don't have the right to comment on whether other people like him or not... After all, that's what unrequited love is all about."

"..."

Yukino really wanted to say, "I am his girlfriend. You like my boyfriend and say such things in front of me. You really don't respect me at all."

But unfortunately, I am not like that now.

That wretched little Youyou had no intention of admitting it, and objectively speaking, he was indeed, as she said, in the realm of unrequited love...

It has nothing to do with the simple feeling of "liking" each other. The "past and relationship between the two" is part of a mysterious event, and since we are still completely in the dark, we can only keep it to ourselves. We can't even let Xiao Youyou know about it.

So Yukino Yukinoshita simply shrugged, casually glossing over the topic, and shifted her uninterested gaze away from Yui Yuigahama.

Just then, Yukino Yukinoshita came out carrying a teapot and a mug, and said to them with a helpless expression:

"There were no teacups for guests, not even bowls and chopsticks... The kitchen was just for decoration."

"Then I'll tell Xiaoyou to buy some disposable paper cups and bring them up."

Before taking out her phone, Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head: "I've already called him and told him. Just sit and wait."

"Oh..." Looking at her friend's delicate, fair, and calm face, Yui Yuigahama pouted slightly, feeling inexplicably dejected.

Yukinoshita leaned back in her sofa chair, gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling.

Not knowing what had just happened in the living room, Yukino Yukinoshita poured half a cup of tea into a mug, blew on it a few times, and then directed Yui Yuigahama to help Masuzu Natsukawa up.

"Feed her some hot tea, and I'll go prepare a hot towel."

"Ok!"

Yui Yuigahama sat on the sofa, helped up Natsukawa Masuzu's weak and frail body, and was about to bring the teacup to her lips when...

The silver-haired mixed-race girl slowly woke up, opened her eyelids, and her dull blue sapphire eyes slowly turned, surveying her surroundings.

“…Dumpling sauce?” she asked in a hoarse voice.

"Ah, you're finally awake! Are you alright, Natsukawa-san?" Upon seeing her awake, Yui Yuigahama immediately asked with concern and placed a teacup in her hand. "Here, Yuki made you some hot tea. Drink some to warm your stomach... Be careful, it's hot."

"……Thanks."

Holding the teacup in both hands, Natsukawa Masaki took small sips, seemingly with a bit of a cat's tongue, and frowned as the tea burned her brow.

At the same time, Yuigahama Yui asked curiously, "By the way, are you talking about me, Yui-chan? When did you give me a nickname?"

"...I don't know." Her eyes were blank as she stared at the tea, continuing in that weak and hollow voice, "I just blurted it out suddenly...If you don't like it, change it back."

"No, it feels like we're really friends!" Yui Yuigahama laughed happily. "Then, can I call you Ryo-chan too?"

"Either is fine." With a slight twitch of her lips, Natsukawa Masuzu managed a smile—but she didn't even know why she was smiling or why she was being so affectionate with her.

"Speaking of which, why are you all in my house...?"

Holding a wrung-out hot towel, Yukino Yukinoshita walked over and calmly replied, "Since you fainted in front of us, we naturally had no choice but to bring you into your home to take care of you... Don't worry, we only went into the kitchen and didn't invade your privacy."

"I haven't said anything yet..."

Reflexively frowning, Natsukawa Masaki glanced at her slender figure in her winter uniform, then looked down at the trench coat covering her. After a few seconds of silence, she sighed softly:

"Thank you too, Yukinoshita."

"You're welcome. It's only right for classmates to help each other." With a slight smile, Yukino Yukinoshita rarely showed a smile, and her tone was much gentler than before. "Put the towel on your forehead and lie down to rest... By the way, tell me what happened to you."

"I……"

She had barely opened her mouth when the doorbell rang, causing her to reflexively look over.