I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"See you tomorrow, don't let Xiaoxue be exposed to the cold wind for too long."

"Of course, see you tomorrow."

"..."

The phone went dead. Tenkuji slowly put down his phone, checking to see if his heartbeat was real.

Although he was still quite shocked and confused, he was now incredibly at ease, as if the matter had been resolved and he no longer needed to worry about Yui's situation.

"She...is really amazing," Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but exclaim.

Unlike herself, who always chooses to face things immediately, Yui Yuigahama chose to temporarily escape, but she did not give up and tried to find a way forward.

She had laughed, cried, been disappointed, and been angry, but she never took her eyes off what she wanted—as the target she had her eye on, Tenkuji Yu felt not only honored, but also began to doubt whether she was "qualified".

But ultimately, do you need any qualifications to like someone or be liked by someone?

Just like otaku like anime waifus and trainers like racehorse girls, heartfelt impulses shouldn't be denied by anyone.

If that's the case, then the qualifications to date two girls at the same time... are probably comparable, right?

Yuu Tenkuji shook his head, suppressing the strange thought that suddenly popped into his mind. He put away his phone and prepared to leave Yuihama's house to find the pitiful and beautiful girl who was standing in the cold wind.

Of course, I should say goodbye to Mrs. Yuihama before leaving.

"Then I'll head back now. I'm sorry, I forgot to bring a gift when I came to visit today."

"It's okay, since you didn't come in anyway."

After watching a "good show," Mrs. Yuihama waved her hand, her attitude magnanimous and casual.

Before Tenkuji Yu could reply, she tilted her head with a smile and said, "You want to leave so soon? You only chat with Yui, not with your mom?"

"I'm so sorry, my friend is waiting for me nearby, and it's not convenient to keep her waiting too long." He bowed apologetically. "I will definitely have a long chat with you another day, Madam. It's really not convenient today."

Mrs. Yuihama glared at him, seemingly very dissatisfied with his statement.

"Your tone is too formal. Call me Mom! Mother-in-law is fine too!"

"Mother-in-law," Yuu Tenkuji called out obediently, without any resistance.

Mrs. Yuihama saw his affection for her daughter in his reply and immediately beamed with joy, stroking her smooth cheek.

"Hmm, good son-in-law~"

She stepped outside, patted his head, and pinched his strong upper arm. The young woman nodded in satisfaction and remarked:

"Although I am very interested in your affairs, including your relationship with that 'Xiaoxue,' as an adult, it's really not appropriate to interfere in children's teenage romances... But I believe in you, and I'm sure you'll bring happiness to my Yui in the end!"

Tenkuji Yu smiled and said, "I also believe in myself."

"That's a nice thing to say, but a man can't rely on just his words." She affectionately tapped his nose, and the subtle scent of a mature woman wafted into his nostrils.

Yuu Tenkuji awkwardly dodged away, but Mrs. Yuihama didn't mind and waved her little fist at him.

"Anyway, do your best like a man! I'm counting on you for Yui!"

Encouraged by the married woman, Tenkuji Yu nodded, turned around, and walked towards the street outside.

He had only taken a few steps when Mrs. Yuihama, who had been watching him go, called him back.

"Young man, what is your reason for liking Yui?"

"……reason?"

The married woman wearing an apron nodded, a serious look appearing on her gentle face: "Yui has no special features other than a good figure, while you are handsome, talented, and very popular with girls... Why do you like her so much that you are even willing to call me mother-in-law?"

Madam, how can you talk to your own daughter like that?

Thinking to himself, Yuu Tenkuji turned around with a strange expression, thought for a moment, and then spoke:

"There are too many reasons to list them all at once, but in short..."

He glanced at the second-floor window, a smile suddenly spreading across his lips, his voice carrying into the infinitely clear night sky.

"I like her, not because she has done a lot for me, nor because I fell in love with her at first sight, but because she is who she is."

"Whether she was before or after the change, Yui Yuigahama is more dazzling to me than the rising sun in the morning... Therefore, my future cannot be without her."

"..."

The withered leaves lingered on the tips of the bare branches, as if the air itself had frozen at that moment because of these earnest and unquestionable words.

Mrs. Yui blinked blankly, then slowly raised her hands, cupped her flushed face, and shyly swayed her slender waist.

"Wow~ It's been so long since I've heard such a heartfelt, innocent, and affectionate confession... Young people are truly amazing, it's so touching!"

Yuu Tenkuji coughed awkwardly twice, hastily said goodbye, and prepared to leave.

Mrs. Yuihama was still muttering behind her, "Isn't it a bit of a waste to give such a good man to Yui... Sigh, if I went back to high school, I would have married him on the spot if I heard a confession like that..."

"Mom, what are you saying?!"

"Hey, Yui, you're here?"

"Of course I am! Can't this old lady, who's almost forty, tone it down a bit? Stop saying such indecent things!"

"I wasn't talking about now. Are you worried I'll try to steal him from you? Don't worry, he doesn't seem interested in married women."

"The problem isn't with Xiaoyou, it's with you! Humph, I'm going to tell Daddy!"

"Go ahead and go ahead~ What could he possibly say if I talk to my future son-in-law? -- By the way, Yui, did you just call me an old woman?"

"Huh? Ah, this, this..."

"It's decided, I'll cook your least favorite dishes for dinner~ All of them, for three days in a row!"

"Waaaaah, no! I was wrong..."

After turning the corner at the park entrance, the argument between the Yuihama mother and daughter became inaudible.

When Tenkuji Yu raised his gaze, he could see a slender, elegant figure sitting on a bench, looking at him with some unease, as if he were at the center of the world.

Upon seeing him, Yukino Yukinoshita showed a slightly relieved expression and quickly stood up.

"Tenkuji-kun, you..."

Looking behind him, he didn't see Yui Yuigahama, who was supposed to have come along.

Slightly startled, as if she understood something, she couldn't help but bite her pink lips and lower her eyes.

"As expected, she's already figured out what's going on between us... She feels betrayed and doesn't want to see me anymore, right?"

Yuu Tenkuji: "?"

I haven't even said anything yet, so don't start feeling down so naturally.

"The result wasn't great, but it wasn't that bad either."

Tenkuji Yu scratched his head, sighed, and walked to the seat next to her, where he sat down.

Yukino Yukinoshita sat down as well, her shoulders close together, her fingers instinctively tugging at his clothes, just like not long ago, like a little girl seeking a sense of security.

With a hint of anxiety, that delicate little face leaned closer, her gaze focused, and she asked, word by word, "Optimistic or pessimistic? What did you say to Yui-hama? And how did she respond?"

"Okay, okay, don't rush, or we'll kiss."

"You...I...you still have the mood to joke!"

"Anyway, calm down, I'll explain it to you briefly..."

Chapter Seventy-Nine: This Night, Ex-Girls

at night.

With a snap, the drained jelly drink landed precisely in the trash can.

The silver-haired girl wiped her mouth, walked around the room naked, and looked around.

Perhaps it was because the heating was on too high, or perhaps it was because several photos had been added to the wall, but her fair, snow-white skin turned slightly red, and her breathing became a little rapid.

"Besides going to the committee to see Yukino and walking home together after school, he didn't do anything else or go anywhere else, right...? Hey? Are you listening?"

After a long silence, Yukino's voice was slightly annoyed.

"I'm listening, I'm listening~ I've told you everything I know, believe it or not."

Speaking slowly and deliberately, Natsukawa Masuzu completely ignored the phone on the table with its speakerphone on, her gaze fixed intently and fascinated on the photos on the wall: "He's even more perceptive than I imagined. Whether you try to follow someone or observe them secretly, he'll discover you very quickly. There's hardly any chance to get close... Hehehe, he's really something else~"

The excessively sticky, morbid laughter seemed to make Yukino Yukinoshita feel uncomfortable all over, and she couldn't help but click her tongue.

"I don't know what you're doing right now, but please, can you talk to me normally?"

"Normal? What nonsense are you talking about?"

With a chuckle, Natsukawa Masaki took out a photo of his profile and gently rubbed it against her own face, her voice filled with happiness.

"After losing those important memories, and only knowing that he was indispensable to me... I've become abnormal~"

"Hiss... You really are getting worse and worse." Yukinoshita gasped, clearly regretting her actions. "I should have never exchanged information with you. How did Yuuyu even get involved with someone like you...?"

"I'd like to know too~ According to you, he dated me and we even did a lot of sweet things, right?"

Natsukawa Masaki chuckled maliciously, her eyes dim and lifeless, yet her steps were light as if she were dancing.

"What a womanizer. Before I lost my memory, he probably used me all over, which is why I still can't live without him now."

"It's just a guess. Maybe you just have a crush on him." Yang Nai chuckled sarcastically, her tone suddenly turning cold. "Although you probably can't do it, I still have to warn you—don't do what you did yesterday and casually lay a hand on my little Youyou."

As Yu's girlfriend, she warned, "Without your memories restored, you're just a stalker and a pervert. You have no right to get too close to him, understand?"

"What a terrifying possessiveness. Is this what they look like after regaining their memories? They were saying we were kindred spirits at the beginning."

Kissing the photo of Tenkuji Yu, feeling a surge of happiness welling up from the bottom of her heart, Natsukawa Masaki unconsciously squeezed her thighs together, her whole body trembled, and a strange heat seemed to ignite in her lower abdomen.

At the same time, he casually replied, "Don't worry, I won't make any rash moves until I find a way to make him take me seriously."

The implication is that once I find that method, what I do is none of your business, and I can't be bothered with what you think.

Yukino Yukinoshita naturally understood that this kind of mentally unstable person, who had abandoned her principles and shame, and whose whole being seemed to exist for someone else, was useless no matter how she was threatened. Trying to force her away with underhanded tactics would only make her do-or-die, desperate actions.

Furthermore, the other party is not stupid. Using her to obtain information is already the limit. Using her as a tool to be used at will could easily backfire... Although it's not as bad as asking a tiger for its skin, seeking an 'ally' is indeed a bit ill-considered. It's conceivable that this will create many hidden dangers in the future.

Well, I guess I got impatient.

She had said she would wait for him to confess, but as time ticked by, she couldn't just sit idly by and do nothing. So she started doing these little tricks behind his back, trying to force Xiao Youyou to have no way out and to obediently change her mind and fall into her arms...