I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

As if he had suddenly become a different person, Tenkuji Yu waved enthusiastically at her with a big smile:

"Of course, then I'll leave it to you, teacher~"

"You bastard..."

Feeling frustrated at being manipulated by her students, Hiratsuka Shizuka scratched her head, sighed heavily, and with a glint in her eyes, uttered a single sentence before leaving.

"With such doting on Yuki, be careful Yuihama doesn't get jealous!"

"..."

Caught off guard, Yuuki Tenkuji froze on the spot.

He ignored Hiratsuka Shizuka, who ran away after speaking, and instead glanced furtively at Yukinoshita behind him, feeling inexplicably guilty.

She acted as if she hadn't heard anything, keeping her head down and continuing to sign documents with a calm expression.

Reminded by Hiratsuka Shizuka, Tenkuji Yu suddenly remembered that the reason he was still at school was not to help Yukino Yukinoshita solve the committee's problems, but to take her to Yuigahama's house to visit Yui, who was on sick leave.

I was so focused on my work that I forgot about the important stuff...

He apologized to Yui Yuigahama in his heart.

"Under the snow, it's time for us to go."

"Well, the work is almost done."

The calm and dignified girl stood up and began tidying up the things on the table.

"Let's go find Yuihama-san."

Chapter 73 Can I Trust You?

Whether it was the open windows of the corridor, the tips of the bare branches, or the long road leading to the school gate, it was all filled with the raging cold wind of winter.

So before leaving school, Yuuki Tenkuji and Yukino Yukinoshita visited the vending machine behind the first-floor stairs.

He wasn't afraid of the cold, but Ms. Yukinoshita, whose little face was half-covered by a scarf, might need a hot drink to warm her hands and body.

"It's already this cold at the end of November; this year's Christmas will probably be a white one."

Yuu Tenkuji inserted a coin, randomly selected a can of hot coffee, and it clicked off.

He picked up the coffee and stepped back, letting Yukino Yukinoshita step forward.

"Perhaps, but those kinds of holidays have nothing to do with me," she replied indifferently.

"Who said that? We can do what the SOS Brigade does and have a Christmas party in the clubroom... Oh, do you know how to pour drinks? Do you want me to teach you?"

Yuu Tenkuji said kindly.

Yukino Yukinoshita tossed a coin in a similar motion to him, selected a can of hot black tea, and then gave him a cold, contrasting look.

"Stop treating me like some naive young lady."

There was no threat, just a cold warning, yet it made Yuu Tenkuji instantly drop his joking expression.

"I understand. I'm sorry... Are you in a bad mood?"

It seemed that Yukino Yukinoshita's mood had been low ever since she left the meeting room, as if she had something on her mind and was too lazy to keep him company.

"No, not at all." She took the black tea and turned to leave.

Tenkuji Yu chased after him: "You still think you can fool me? But I'm emotionally intelligent, I won't press you... By the way, how about I give you a pair of gloves for Christmas?"

Yukino Yukinoshita, who was warming her fingers on the surface of an aluminum can, paused for a moment, then continued walking without looking back.

"I don't care what you give me. But I already have gloves, so there's no need for me to wear the ones you give me."

"If you have it, why don't you wear it? Do you like to test the frost resistance of your fingers?"

"It's just sitting at home."

“Great, from now on I’ll bring you gloves and I’ll wear them myself and not let you take them. Then I’ll block your house every day and force you to put them on your hands, and see if you still forget them.”

As if she hadn't heard, her delicate pink fingertips emerged from her sleeve, and with a little force, she pulled open the tea cup's tab, pressing the rim against her soft lips, leaving a shallow mark.

It sounded like someone was blowing on it to cool it down, or it sounded like someone was just sighing; the faint sound was heard a moment later.

“...a frivolous fellow.”

"Congratulations, host, you have received the reward: Petting a Cat (Proficient Level)."

Yuu Tenkuji expressed his dissatisfaction: "Where is the frivolity? This is just normal concern, okay?"

Yukino Yukinoshita remained unmoved, her tone flat: "The fact that you can treat this as normal concern is irrefutable proof of your frivolity."

I think you're biased against me.

"Yes."

"What a coincidence, me too."

"...Tell me about it."

"Let me think about it... Sigh, never mind."

"childish."

Yukino Yukinoshita gently kicked him, and although her expression remained indifferent, Yuu Tenkuji laughed happily.

The fact that she's joking around with him means she's in a much better mood. Otherwise, if she were truly angry or disgusted, she would simply ignore him and treat him like he's invisible.

The two left the school side by side, walking on the much quieter streets, their drinks gradually emptying.

They tacitly avoided discussing the issue of having a detailed talk with Yui later. They chatted about all sorts of things, including small matters concerning the committee and class activities. Their interactions were similar to those in the clubroom in the past, yet there was a subtle change that was hard to pinpoint.

They didn't get any closer, but the number of times they mocked and clashed with each other had unknowingly decreased significantly.

Friends? Lovers? It seems that the relationship doesn't matter.

It's simply about spending time with the other person in the most natural and comfortable way.

However, there are some things that should still be asked.

Not knowing how far it was from Yuigahama's house, Yukino followed him down a long slope. After hesitating for a moment, she asked directly:

"Tenkuji-kun, you should know... that my sister has feelings for you."

Tenkuji Yu paused for a moment, but his expression didn't change much. He nodded and said, "I know. She never intended to hide it."

At this point, he suddenly thought of something and frowned.

"It's not just that last problem. Could she be using you as a spy, gathering information about me through you all along?"

“…I’m sorry.” Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her head slightly, acquiescing.

“This guy really will stop at nothing…” Tenkuji Yu sighed heavily, scratching his short hair. “You don’t need to apologize. Anyway, I haven’t seen you that many times, so she can only know so much. It’s no big deal.”

"Don't worry, I already rejected her yesterday, and I won't do that kind of thing again." Her tone was resolute, almost like a vow, but then her voice unconsciously softened. "After all, I promised you..."

Dating him will fulfill the mission of becoming the "ideal boyfriend".

The word "dating" is something Yukino Yukinoshita cannot say with ease right now—at least not yet.

"Yeah, don't put too much pressure on yourself." Tenkuji Yu deliberately used a mature tone, patted her shoulder seriously, and said in a deep, weathered voice, "The company believes in you. You are the best employee of our cohort. Fight on!"

"What nonsense..." Yukino Yukinoshita was both amused and exasperated, but that wasn't what she wanted to talk about, so she didn't let him steer the conversation too far away.

She pursed her lips, her expression slightly somber, and spoke again:

“When I got back yesterday, I advised my sister to give up on you as soon as possible, because continuing to have a crush on you like this will not lead to anything.”

"..."

Tenkuji Yu's breath caught in his throat. He suppressed the astonishment in his eyes and looked at her with a subtle expression.

"Then, she scolded me..." A sense of loss and gloom unconsciously appeared on her face. Yukino Yukinoshita sighed softly, her fingers lightly rubbing the edge of the tea canister. "This is the first time she has spoken to me in such an emotionless tone. It is obvious that she is really angry."

“Yeah, that’s true…” Yuu Tenkuji rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

Telling Yukino Yukinoshita, who has regained her memories, "Your unrequited love is doomed to fail, give up" is equivalent to telling a long-distance couple, "He has long forgotten about you and is now with another woman, break up."

It was like stepping into a minefield and then doing a 360-degree Thomas Flair inside it. With her sensitive personality, it would be strange if she didn't explode.

If it weren't her sister who said those words, Yukinoshita Haruno might have slapped her across the face...

As for myself, I would probably be fine at first, but it's very likely that one day I would be drugged and locked in the basement, and then she would use various methods to turn me into a cream puppy who only knows how to shout "Sister, I want more"?

That's terrifying, thankfully I have the system.

Yuu Tenkuji secretly patted his chest in relief, but Yukino Yukinoshita did not share his optimistic attitude.

"Her feelings for you are deeper than I imagined... to the point of obsession."

Taking a deep breath of the cool air, Yukino Yukinoshita stopped and looked up into the eyes of Yuu Tenkuji, as if searching for the brightest morning star in the twilight sky.

“If she finds out about our affair, out of jealousy, she is very likely to do all sorts of impulsive things to interfere and sabotage, and she will not give up her goal even if it might affect me.”

“From childhood to adulthood, Yukinoshita Haruno has always been the kind of person who does whatever she wants and succeeds in most of them... She is someone I can never catch up to and feel ashamed of.”

Unconsciously, her hand clenched the empty aluminum can, suppressing the conflicting emotions within her. Yukino Yukinoshita stood ramrod straight, calmly looking at him, her voice still as thin and clear as ice:

"When I date you, she targets me, but I don't know how to deal with her, I have no idea what to do—"

So, I can only ask you for help.

"Tenkuji-kun, can I trust you?"

Chapter 74 Yuigahama Yui's Melancholy

Yuihama family.

"School's out..."

I could faintly hear the sound of bells, or perhaps it was just crows carrying the noise from afar.

As if sensing something, Yui Yuigahama raised her head and looked out the window at the gradually darkening sky.

She stared blankly for several seconds before turning her gaze back to the exercise book on her desk, and gently wrote down the answer she had finally managed to calculate.

"Phew...that should be about right."

Muttering to herself, Yui Yuigahama put down her pen, interlaced her fingers and stretched vigorously—a rare feeling of her body being rusty while her mind was incredibly active.