I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Questions and answers are useless! Come out here for a family meeting and explain your relationship with those two female students!"

The noisy argument shattered the tranquility of the night.

Even in the corners where the light couldn't reach, the brother and sister's voices still swept away the gloomy dust, temporarily escaping the lonely atmosphere of the detached house where only the two of them existed.

So before going to sleep, Tenkuji Yu gazed at the ceiling shrouded in night and began to think quietly.

"With them around, I am not alone."

"That's the only thing I don't need to be afraid of..."

Gradually, he closed his eyes.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the morning light filling the sky, and Tenkuji Yu looked forward to it.

……

On the same night, in Yukino Yukinoshita's upscale apartment where she lives alone.

Because she was caught skipping class by her all-knowing mother, Yukino Yukinoshita is temporarily forbidden from "exchanging feelings" with Yukino Yukinoshita. Furthermore, because her whereabouts are completely known, she can't secretly flirt with her "ex-boyfriend." Currently, she is pitifully acting as a good student and a good daughter.

To this, Yukino Yukinoshita could only say, "Well done! Your mother should have done this a long time ago."

However, the inability to move freely does not mean that Yukino Yukinoshita has no way to obtain information.

Thus, Yukino Yukinoshita became a victim once again.

Every night I get harassed by her phone calls, and all she asks are about that guy at school. It's so annoying, and several times I've wanted to just hang up and ignore her.

The reason I didn't do that wasn't because I was afraid of my overly free-spirited older sister, but simply because I didn't want to cause myself any more trouble.

"You don't seem to be in a good mood today, Yukino."

During the phone call, Yukinoshita asked with great interest, "What happened? With Yu-Yu?"

"You're overthinking it." Yukino Yukinoshita replied coldly while drying her damp hair. "Even if you're in a bad mood, it has nothing to do with that guy."

I don't know why, but hearing my sister call him by that affectionate name only intensifies the irritation I feel.

Yang clicked his tongue twice, bluntly exposing her pretense:

"It's rare to see Yukino lying."

Chapter 43 Yukino's Dilemma

"I always focus on the issue, not the person, so naturally I wouldn't get angry for him."

With that calm reply, Yukino Yukinoshita walked into the kitchen, phone tucked under her shoulder.

After making herself a steaming cup of black tea, she picked up a book and sat down on the sofa.

Her half-dry hair was wrapped in a bath towel, leaving her fresh, snow-white neck completely exposed to the air; the moisture gently kissed her delicate collarbone, and her slender and graceful curves were faintly visible under her pajamas, like a stunningly beautiful portrait just carved from ice crystals, enough to make any man's mouth dry at the sight of her.

"If there's nothing else, don't disturb me while I'm reading."

Yukino took a sip of black tea, her tone still cold and aloof.

"Of course something's wrong."

Knowing that if I continued teasing her, the girl, who was in a bad mood, might just hang up the phone.

Yukino Yukinoshita then dropped her mischievous tone and asked calmly, "Same as before, how was his day at school? Did he flirt with any other girls?"

"...Sister." Yukino slowly put down her teacup, her brows furrowed, and she questioned seriously, "If you care so much, why don't you just ask him directly? You don't not have his contact information, do you? I see him for less than an hour a day, why do you always have to ask me?"

Yang Nai answered cheerfully, "There are many reasons, which one do you want to hear?"

It means something like, "You want to hear how I fool you?" Anyway, it's definitely not the truth.

"...Fine, this is the last time." As if giving up, Yukino sighed softly, her voice slightly low. "It's your business if you want to be a perverted pursuer who secretly gathers information on others. At most, I'll just turn a blind eye... However, this is the extent of your favor to me. From now on, I will never answer any of your questions about him again!"

Yang Nai muttered dejectedly, "Sigh, well. I still have to spend time and money developing informants at Soubu High School. Long-distance crushes are such a hassle..."

Yukino subconsciously pressed on, "To be honest, I really don't understand how you fell for him. Was it just because of his performance at the Autumn Festival?"

Why do I like him? There are many reasons, but you wouldn't understand even if I told you, so I won't.

That's how it always is when talking about him.

Her soft laughter, like that of a little girl hiding a secret, was cheerful and mischievous.

Yukino Yukinoshita had the feeling that this person was probably so deeply in love that she had lost her mind.

"It's really hard to understand..."

With her gaze lowered, her fingers lightly tracing the words on the page, Yukino sighed almost imperceptibly: "I advise you to give up as soon as possible. Putting aside the fact that he seems completely uninterested in you, that guy is a..."

A frivolous man who admits to being unfaithful in a relationship.

He betrayed her self-righteous trust and took it for granted that he would answer "he would cheat" along with Yuihama.

No matter how capable a person is, there's nothing admirable about their character...

"But what is it?"

Hearing her sister's curious voice, Yukino blinked as if waking from a dream, unconsciously biting her lip.

"...You spend all your time surrounded by women, dealing with them is easier than eating, just like you, a guy who doesn't mean what he says."

She still couldn't believe that the man she considered a friend would give the worst answer in that situation.

There's definitely something going on.

Unless she sees reality with her own eyes, given Yukino Yukinoshita's personality, she wouldn't make hasty judgments about her friends.

...Mocking him doesn't count.

"That's perfect! You're a good match for me, aren't you?"

Seemingly unaware of her pause, Yang Nai chuckled happily.

Yukino Yukinoshita decisively ignored it, briefly recounted her conversation with him, Yuigahama, Isshiki, and Tachibana during their meal at the Service Club earlier that day, and ended the call without mentioning the tacit understanding between them.

She put down her phone, leaned back gently on the sofa, closed her eyes slightly, and exhaled all the tightness in her chest.

"What was that guy thinking? Was he trying to make Yui-san and me even, or did he not want to lie to me, that's why he gave that answer..."

I don't understand, I don't know.

Suddenly, I realized that I didn't really understand him.

I was simply deceived by that unspoken understanding without even realizing it...

Amidst her flowing black hair, Yukino Yukinoshita quietly opened her eyes and looked at her palm.

Fragments flashed through my mind; all the things I had experienced since I met Yuu Tenkuji seemed to appear on the lines of my palm.

The two major events were the autumn performance and the Kyoto competition, but the ordinary days they spent together were countless—during lunch breaks and after school, they would occasionally argue in that well-ventilated little classroom about their different ideas, trying their best to silence each other.

Gradually, you can tell what the other person is thinking just by looking at their eyes, and at the same time, you recognize their strengths and talents.

"Is that why you can make your first friend of the opposite sex...?"

She clenched her fist gently, and a confused murmur unconsciously escaped her lips.

"Then why is it that I feel like I've forgotten so many things, and that the person I knew in the past is different from the person I know now, so unfamiliar that they're not even the same person?"

Looking back—

What important thing is missing from Tenkuji Yu's side that has made him become the way he is today?

Constantly asking and answering herself, Yukino Yukinoshita still hasn't found the right way out. Everything is just a mirage, an illusion, and she can't even be sure of it herself.

She sat on the sofa in a daze for a long time, then sighed helplessly, closed the original novel that she couldn't read a single word of, drank the half-cold bitter red tea, and got up to walk towards the bedroom.

"In short, there's no doubt that this guy is frivolous and good at attracting women."

As to whether he is the kind of scumbag who cheats on two women, as a friend, Yukino doesn't have much grounds to comment; at most, she can only offer a few criticisms.

Love life doesn't tell the whole story, not to mention he hasn't made any definite moves yet—she convinced herself of this at some point.

I think about it while walking, while eating, while showering, while brushing my teeth...

Even before going to bed, she was thinking about things related to him.

After agonizing over this for a while, Yukino finally relaxed her brow, seemingly relieved, and mumbled indistinctly as she pulled up the covers and closed her eyes:

"Tomorrow... I should be able to talk to him properly."

An anxiety that she herself was unaware of, and a longing to return to normalcy.

Regardless, he was one of Yukino Yukinoshita's few close friends.

"Sky Temple...kun."

The night gently enveloped her slender body.

Tonight, I had a dream about him.

……

Yui Yuigahama believes that a good girlfriend is one who only talks the talk but actually does things for him.

So the next day at noon, she went to the service department alone with her lunchbox.

Chapter Forty-Four: Just a Pure and Lovely Girl

The purpose of this trip, of course, is to have a private conversation with Yukino Yukinoshita.

Upon learning that Yuu Tenkuji was going to the cafeteria with Saika Totsuka, Yui Yuigahama declined Yumiko Miura's invitation and left the classroom as soon as the lunch break bell rang.

As for what to say, Yui Yuigahama had already prepared her thoughts on the way.

"Xiaoyou deliberately answered that question yesterday to try and make the match a draw!"

"You mean his reaction before the answer was revealed? That's because he told me before that he might cheat on me after he started dating, at least twice... But I knew it was a joke! Who decides how many times they'll cheat before they've even started dating?"

That's roughly the gist of it.

Although there are many flaws, Xiaoxue is smart enough to find a bunch of loopholes, but she can't explain it clearly anyway, so Xiaoyou has to do it herself. Therefore, let her understand first that Xiaoyou doesn't really want to have her cake and eat it too, and clear up some misunderstandings before slowly easing the tension between the two of them and giving them a chance to be open and honest and have a good talk.

Although the cold war had only lasted less than half a day, and even if we only count the time we spent together, it was less than half an hour... but seeing how Yuu looked yesterday, Yui Yuigahama no longer wanted to drag it out any longer.

The Tenkuji Yu she liked also included the one who laughed heartily when arguing with Koyuki.