I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Yuu Tenkuji sighed and rubbed his forehead, too lazy to pay any more attention to the girl and cat over there. After confirming that it was almost time, he walked straight to the gate.

At 8:50, he opened the door, welcoming the cold wind of late November and the beautiful black-haired girl who was wrapped up tightly and looked very afraid of the cold.

Good morning, you always arrive ten minutes early.

Seemingly surprised, Yukino Yukinoshita stopped in her tracks and blinked her bright, clear eyes at him.

She pulled her fingers, red from the cold, out of her pocket where she had put her phone. She pulled her scarf over her mouth and nose and let out a soft, sighing sound.

"Good morning... Isn't arriving ten minutes early the usual practice for keeping an appointment?"

Tenkuji Yu shrugged regretfully: "When you're the only one doing this, you're the most special one."

She stated it as if it were a fact: "Even if I didn't do that, I would still be the most special."

Yuu Tenkuji rolled his eyes with amusement, stepped aside to make way for the door, and bowed and raised his hand in a gentlemanly manner.

"Alright, Ms. Yukinoshita, who is shivering from the cold but still so confident, welcome to my humble abode."

"I'm not shivering from the cold." She glared at him, trying to appear serious, but all she got in return was a nonchalant smile, like he was comforting a child.

Yukino clicked her tongue softly under her scarf, then looked away, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear that had fallen across her face, and calmly and naturally walked past him into the warm house.

As soon as she entered, her gaze was drawn to the gray-spotted kitten sitting motionless at the top of the stairs, like a statue.

"This, this is..." Yukino subconsciously held her breath, as if afraid of disturbing the cat in front of her, and even deliberately lowered her voice.

Tenkuji Yu closed the door and nodded behind her.

“My cat, Yukino…n (雪乃…诺).”

Without turning her head, Yukino Yukinoshita nimbly kicked his shin, letting her long hair cover her slightly reddened ears once again.

Chapter Fifty: Please Let Me Hug You

"Stop making such frivolous jokes."

"It's just a long note, how is that frivolous?" Tenkuji Yu said innocently.

Yukino Yukinoshita ignored him, saying softly, "Excuse me," as she took off her shoes and neatly arranged them in front of the entrance.

Whether she was wearing ankle socks or pantyhose, as her long skirt swayed, her small feet, wrapped in black cotton cloth, came into view. They were delicate and exquisite, and looked like they were worth playing with.

Of course, Yuu Tenkuji was just looking at it and didn't intend to think about those messy things with his friends.

On the other side, Yukino Yukinoshita, as if bewitched, slowly floated to the gray-spotted kitten, gathered her skirts, and squatted down.

"Meow……"

Maintaining a safe distance, she dared not breathe and tentatively meowed at the cat.

The cat's bright yellow, intelligent eyes stared at her. Although it wasn't frightened and ran away, Xue Nong tilted its head in confusion and meowed at her.

"Meow?"

"!" Yukino instantly became as excited as if she had won the top prize in the imperial examination. However, she suppressed her joy, reached her arm back, and tugged hard at the hem of Tenkuji Yu's clothes.

Her pretty little face sparkled, and she couldn't help but smile, looking like she had regressed ten years in her youth.

"Look! Look! It waved to me! It definitely waved to me! It's so much smarter than the ones at the pet store!"

You're noticeably dumber than usual...

Yuuki Tenkuji thought to himself, then turned to look at Yukino and said to Yukino:

Do you want to know what Xue Nong just said?

Her expression regained its composure, and Yukino raised an eyebrow slightly: "You understand?"

"I can speak animal language and communicate with animals." Yuu Tenkuji made no attempt to hide his abilities and stated them frankly.

She could tell he wasn't lying or joking. Yukino Yukinoshita frowned slightly, but after her initial surprise, she quickly accepted the fact.

Of course, there were also cats right in front of her, so she didn't care what Yuu Tenkuji said.

"What did it say?"

"Is this just another stupid human who can't speak cat language but keeps meowing randomly?"...That's roughly the gist of it.

"..." Squatting on the ground with her little face tilted up, like an adorable roly-poly toy sitting with her knees drawn up, Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her soft pink lips and cast a cold gaze at him, "Are you playing me again?"

"No, this time really not..." Seeing that Miss Yuki's gaze was becoming increasingly serious, Tenkuji Yu decisively changed the subject, "Do you want to hold it?"

"Yes!" Yukino Yukinoshita immediately stood up. Seemingly feeling that this was too unladylike, she coughed twice with a slightly flushed face, and then repeated herself casually, "If it's convenient."

"Is this what they call 'gap moe' (a Japanese term for unexpected charm)..." Muttering words she couldn't understand, Tenkuji Yu turned to Yukino and instructed, "Let her hug you."

Under Yukino's surprised gaze, Yukino raised her cat head and shouted at him with righteous indignation:

"Meow! (Is she the new mistress?)"

"No, he is your master's friend."

"Meow. (That won't do; the little master's orders take precedence.)"

"Just give her a hug. If she wants to go upstairs, you can just wag her tail."

"Meow~ (Okay, this is the mission of a house cat, I've figured it out~)"

"Where did you learn to talk like that? Where did your original Knight King style go?"

"Meow. (I've watched too many anime with my little owner, I've long forgotten. *shrug*)"

Sky Temple Yuu sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

Has my cat started acting so strangely without me even realizing it...? Is it going to turn into a human next?

Just then, I felt my clothes being tugged again.

Looking down, he saw the kitten under the snow blinking its big eyes at him, a healthy blush rising on its snow-white face beneath the scarf.

"Are you done?"

"All right."

Perhaps influenced by her well-behaved and adorable appearance, Yuu Tenkuji subconsciously reached out and tried to pat her head.

Then she reacted quickly, shielding her head with her hand, and glared at her with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance.

"What do you want to do?"

"No, it's just that you have something on your head..."

"lie."

“…Hair. I haven’t finished talking yet.” As if changing the subject, Yuu Tenkuji pointed to the gray-spotted kitten, “It said it can be held now.”

Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath, calming the inexplicable panic and shyness in her heart, and turned her gaze to the cat.

Then, carefully reaching out, gently supporting the cat's front paws under its armpits, she picked it up, a soft smile gradually spreading across her face.

"The softness and luster of the fur, the clean eyes without a single impurity... you take very good care of it."

“It’s mainly my sister who takes care of it. This cat is like family to her, so it’s impossible for her not to care about it.” Yuu Tenkuji looked upstairs. The stairwell was dark, with only a few strands of silver hair visible behind the wall at the corner.

"Then, she also made Xue Nong stay here and stop anyone who wanted to go upstairs."

"I see..." Yukino Yukinoshita glanced furtively at Yuu Tenkuji, her expression showing a hint of unease and uncertainty about how to proceed. She unconsciously bit her lower lip. "Should I greet her first? Or should I just pretend I didn't notice her..."

Yuu Tenkuji shrugged: "Say hello. Even though she might not respond."

Yukino Yukinoshita nodded, and with the cat in tow, she turned towards the stairwell, took a deep breath, and bowed slightly.

Then, a clear and gentle voice traveled clearly from downstairs to upstairs.

"I am your brother's friend, Yukino Yukinoshita. Please forgive me for disturbing you with this visit."

"..."

There was no reply from upstairs.

Straightening up, Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at Yuuto Tenkuji, then at the kitten in her arms. After some seemingly logical thought, she solemnly declared:

"If possible, please let me hug your family members!"

Yuu Tenkuji: "...?"

Xue Nong: "Meow?"

stairwell: "..."

A few seconds later, Kasugano Sora emerged from behind the wall, looking down angrily at Yukino Yukinoshita, who was still unaware of her mistake, and shouted like an angry kitten:

"Who wants to hug you! I thought you looked so proper, but it turns out you've been eyeing You just like everyone else! You shameless woman!"

"Huh?"

Yukino Yukinoshita stood there, somewhat bewildered, not understanding why her sister had called her shameless.

She just wanted to cuddle a cat, what did she do wrong? She wants to have her own cat too, but neither her home nor her apartment allows it...

With a confused and aggrieved feeling, her gaze slowly shifted from the gritting face upstairs to the kitten in her hands, and then slowly looked at Tenkuji Yu beside her.

Family, leisure...

With her intelligence returning from the cat, Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly realized something.

Doesn't that sound like you want to hug Tenkuji-kun?

Thinking of this, she silently raised the cat to cover her rapidly flushing face, and then tried to explain:

"I'm sorry...that's not what I meant. Please don't worry, little sister, I don't have that kind of interest in your brother..."

"I don't believe you! Besides, I'm not your sister!"

"..."

Yuu Tenkuji decided to let Yukino Yukinoshita undergo her "trial" here, then turned away indifferently and returned to the door to prepare to greet the next visitor.

……

By the way.

When Yukino was being held and rubbed against by Yukinoshita Yukinono, it had the following thoughts:

"Meow... (Even though I'm older than my little master, I'm the same age as him...)"