I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

“I didn’t say anything like ‘you’re not normal.’ I can’t help it if you’re self-aware enough. Let’s just accept it as it is.”

"You have the audacity to say something like this: having someone carry you onto the sofa after you fainted, wearing someone else's coat, and drinking tea brewed by someone else."

"I appreciate everyone's concern, but that doesn't mean I'll suppress my feelings or keep quiet... Yukinoshita, aren't you the same?"

“I’m not as rude and vulgar as you.” She proudly raised her snow-white neck, looking down at me with a casual yet condescending air, and said confidently, “Even if your attitude is as bad as you imagine, as long as you fall in front of me, I will choose to save you no matter how many times.”

"What a coincidence, me too." Shrugging, Natsukawa Masaki suddenly sighed again, his confrontational expression vanishing, and he obediently lowered his head to the group.

"Putting everything else aside, thank you for taking such good care of me. I really don't know how to repay you."

"No need! Just like Xiaoxue said, classmates and friends should take care of each other."

Yui Yuigahama gently cupped her cold hand in her warm palm and comforted her earnestly, "Next time we're sick, it'll be Ryo's turn to visit us!"

Yukino Yukinoshita sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Yuigahama-kun, please don't say such unlucky things."

"Hehehe~ Everyone gets sick sometimes!"

"That's not necessarily true for idiots."

"Idiot? Where's the idiot? Huh, is there an idiot here?"

"Sigh, I really don't know what to say about you..."

Watching the two people chatting naturally, Natsukawa Masaki took a sip of tea, a smile involuntarily spreading across his lips.

"Friends...?"

This word came to mind, and for some reason, the emptiness in my chest that had been there since morning began to be filled with something warm and comforting.

She suddenly realized that she was no longer an empty shell. The existence called "Natsukawa Masuzu" had gradually returned to the present from the distant past. It was as if the feeling of having half of her soul missing still existed, but she now had the strength to face that feeling.

The cold and numb extremities gradually regained their normal temperature and flexibility.

"Tsk, doesn't this make it sound like I'm afraid of being alone? What a joke..."

Just as she was thinking this to herself with self-deprecation, an untimely and highly noticeable voice suddenly rang out from the sofa on the other side.

"Ah, the friendships of my youth are so nostalgic. I really want to relive my high school days!"

"..."

The momentum shifted, and the three of them stopped what they were doing and looked at the person who had spoken.

With a sigh, Yukinoshita Haruno shook her head and turned her head to the side, her smile warm and cheerful. She asked Natsukawa Masuzu curiously, "Hey Masuzu, you still haven't told us why you fainted."

"Although it seems like you're just starving or exhausted, I have a feeling there's more to it than meets the eye. Otherwise, you wouldn't look so lost and keep staring blankly into the air, would you?"

Seeing her slightly stunned silence, as if realizing there was a problem with what she had said, Yukinoshita Haruno quickly added in a gentle voice:

"Ah, it's okay if it's something that can't be said, it's just that I've been studying psychology recently and I'm a bit interested in this kind of thing... If you need, I can give you some advice, you know?"

"No need, thank you."

Without hesitation, he shook his head and refused. Natsukawa Masuzu remained wary and distant towards this older sister he was meeting for the first time, and naturally, he could not tell her the truth.

As for Yuihama and Yukinoshita, after hearing Natsukawa's words, they gave up on asking why. They just told her to take care of her health and to see a doctor if she felt unwell. They said that living alone required her to pay more attention to her health than before.

Natsukawa Masuzu nodded in acceptance of their concern, but couldn't help but steal a glance at Yukinoshita Haruno, who seemed lost in thought and always had a smile on her lips. She felt as if she had let a wolf into her house, and a nameless unease lingered in her heart.

About ten minutes later, Yuu Tenkuji opened the kitchen door.

"The porridge is ready. If you want some, go to the kitchen and get some disposable tableware to put in it."

As he placed the casserole on the table and lifted the lid, a sweet, salty, and fragrant aroma burst forth, seemingly accompanied by a dazzling golden light, like a savory bomb exploding in the air.

The four people present reflexively swallowed, their appetites whetted as they rubbed their bellies, staring in surprise at the pot of snow-white porridge.

"Wow, it smells so good!"

"It looks and smells amazing, and the taste is already wafting in your mouth before you even taste it... It's still the same ridiculously good cooking skills."

"And it even helps stimulate appetite, how thoughtful!"

Ignoring their hurried steps toward the kitchen while praising her, Tenkuji Yu placed the only set of bowls and chopsticks in front of Natsukawa Masuzu and nodded politely.

"Please use it."

"Thank you, I appreciate your help." She replied with the same dignified and polite manner she would use with any other student or teacher.

Natsukawa Masaki picked up her bowl and chopsticks. For some reason, she felt no resistance to eating the food prepared by her unfamiliar male classmate. As if by habit, she reached into the casserole with her spoon and scooped out a small amount.

It seems like they just wanted to try it out of politeness.

"Does this porridge have a name? A dish name?" Without thinking carefully, she asked casually.

Tenkuji Yu paused for a moment, then shook his head and replied, "It's just a simple, stomach-soothing porridge that I made casually. It's something you can find everywhere."

Without looking at him, Natsukawa Masaki said softly, "To be able to do this so casually, you are much more capable than me."

Tenkuji Yuu remained noncommittal: "Perhaps. Anyone can do it if they try hard enough."

"Alright, I'll start eating now."

Ignoring the subtle and chaotic feelings in her heart, Natsukawa Masaki slowly exhaled. The next moment, a spoonful of thick and full white porridge was poured into her slightly chapped lips.

Tenkuji Yu's expression was calm, but his eyes kept changing, as if he was worried about something, and also had the unease of examining the results of an experiment. He stared intently at her throat bobbing as she swallowed the mouthful of white porridge, and gently covered her small mouth with her palm, which was slightly damp.

"This one……"

Seemingly confused, Natsukawa Masaki widened her eyes slightly, then frowned and pursed her lips, as if confirming the taste in her mouth.

Yuu Tenkuji unconsciously clenched her fist, which was resting flat on her knee. She quickly masked her troubled expression and asked casually:

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"I wouldn't call it a problem."

Natsukawa Masaki hesitated for a moment, then tentatively spoke to him as the other three returned with bowls and chopsticks:

"Although it smells delicious, this bowl of porridge has no taste at all."

Yuu Tenkuji: "..."

Chapter Thirty-Three: My car has air conditioning, why don't we get in and chat?

"No taste?"

Before Yuu Tenkuji could speak, Yui Yuigahama scooped up a mouthful of porridge with a disbelieving look on her face, blew on it twice, and then put it in her mouth, exhaling with a "haha" sound.

"It's so hot...but it's delicious! It looks like there's no seasoning, but the flavor is amazing! No wonder Xiaoyou has such great feminine charm!"

"Hoo hoo hoo~" Yukinoshita Haruno ladled out half a bowl of porridge and ate it in small bites.

Her eyes gradually narrowed into crescent moons, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

I can't believe they never told me about their cooking skills or cooked for me before. Great, now I have another account to keep in mind...

As for Yukino Yukinoshita, she blew on a small spoonful of porridge for almost a minute before carefully putting it in her mouth. Her solemn expression slowly relaxed, and she exhaled a shallow breath of warm air from her small mouth, nodding gently.

"The flavors of beef, seafood, vegetables, and Chinese herbs blend together perfectly. It's impossible to imagine how the ingredients were prepared. The rice is cooked to perfection and the moisture level is impeccable. You just want to keep eating it... You can't find this level of cuisine even in the most upscale restaurants in the heart of Tokyo. No matter how discerning you are, you can't possibly find it tasteless."

As she spoke, she slapped away Yukinoshita Haruno's hand, which was trying to sneak away the whole pot of porridge, glared at her sister, and then turned her questioning gaze to Natsukawa Masuzu.

"Is there something wrong with your tongue? I mean, could it be that you have a taste disorder due to some health problem?"

“…Perhaps.” Natsukawa Masuzu took another bite, shook her head calmly, “It really doesn’t have any taste…but you can taste that the ratio of rice to water is just right, it’s not too watery and it’s very easy to eat.”

"Should we see a doctor?" Yui asked with concern, but couldn't help adding a few more spoonfuls to her bowl.

The porridge in the pot was rapidly reduced under the girls' onslaught. Apart from Natsukawa Masuzu, the three of them were basically like they were on drugs, barely maintaining their appearance but unable to stop eating.

"We'll see. Anyway, I don't like eating, so it doesn't matter to me whether I have a sense of taste or not."

Natsukawa Masaki didn't seem too panicked. She simply lowered her eyes and calmly accepted the fact that she had suddenly lost her sense of taste.

Lost in thought, Tenkuji Yu watched her expression, then turned away before she met his gaze, picking up his coat and schoolbag hanging to the side.

"That's settled then. I'll head back now if there's nothing else. I'll leave Hiratsuka-sensei's situation to the club president."

“Alright, we’ve done most of what we could.” Reluctantly putting down her spoon, Yukino Yukinoshita stood up and said calmly, “I’ll see you downstairs.”

"Ah, me too!"

Originally planning to go home with Yuu Tenkuji and then go on a date somewhere else along the way, Yui Yuigahama didn't even care about the porridge on her lips and quickly packed her things.

Before getting up, she couldn't help but glance at Yukinoshita Haruno one last time.

Unlike them, who were preparing to leave, the female college student was leisurely leaning against the sofa, eating the remaining white porridge in the casserole with a clear conscience, as if it were the dinner that Tenkuji Yu had made for her.

Noticing the gaze directed at her, Yukinoshita blinked innocently and pursed her moist, full, rosy lips.

After thinking for a while, she placed her palm next to her face and shook her finger in a cute manner.

"Take care on the road, bye-bye~"

Then he continued licking the little bit of white porridge left.

"..."

As if envisioning her relatives being humiliated in public, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't bear to watch and turned her gaze away, sighing:

"I'm sorry, Xia Chuan, you can kick this willful girl out anytime you want. If she has any complaints, I'll ask my mother to take her home."

Upon hearing this, Yang Nai immediately became dissatisfied.

"Yukino, that's against the rules! How can we involve our parents in our problems?"

Yukino was even more dissatisfied than her: "Then please tone it down! It doesn't matter how embarrassing you are in private..."

"Sorry, I want to rest."

Before the two sisters could finish arguing, Natsukawa Masuzu got up from the sofa and walked towards her room as if it were none of her business.

"Put the bowl in the sink, and the last person to leave should remember to close the door properly; the electronic lock will lock automatically."

"Ryo, are you really alright?" Looking at her retreating figure, Yui Yuigahama, who had originally intended to leave with Yuu Tenkuji, hesitated and put down her schoolbag, saying worriedly, "Should I stay and take care of you? As long as I tell Mom, everything will be fine, and we can go to school together tomorrow!"

"Don't worry, I don't have a fever or I'm sick. At most, my mood is affecting my health. I can take care of myself."

Before closing the door, Natsukawa Masaki turned her head and gave her a faint, lonely smile.

"I'll try my best to go to school tomorrow. See you then, Dango-chan... and Yukinoshita, Tenkuji-kun."

"See you tomorrow."