I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

These high school students, who usually pretend to be dead and never show up, are now running faster than Yukino Yukinoshita. The level of gossip among them would probably make a reporter weep.

He shook his head helplessly, then smiled, crossed his arms and leaned against the door, leisurely raising an eyebrow at the people:

"Stop looking! Do you think I'm some kind of celebrity in the zoo? Be careful, or I'll start charging you!"

Upon hearing this, many people burst into laughter, and the tense atmosphere became a little more cheerful.

Immediately, some of the more outgoing members were about to speak to him with a grin, but before that, Yuu Tenkuji smiled and let his voice fill the entire conference room.

Make them hear only their own words, and make them swallow all the words they want to say:

"There are so many unfamiliar faces here. Did they just transfer in or are they returning from a leave of absence?"

"Why didn't I see you guys when I came last time? I only saw a bunch of unattended work."

"Those of you who didn't come last time, are you here today to apologize, or to have an afternoon tea party?"

Chapter Ninety-Three: Give Me Face

Although he was smiling, his tone was full of mockery.

Several of the previously grinning members instantly froze, as if these words had touched a nerve. Some turned away guiltily, while others looked angrily displeased.

A tense atmosphere filled the conference room. Tenkuji Yuu stood at the front with an air of nonchalance, bathed in gazes filled with varying emotions, showing no intention of making a joke to get by.

Finally, someone, unable to contain their frustration at being mocked to their face, began to mutter under their breath:

"Tch, they're clearly not even members of the committee, yet they're meddling so much..."

Before anyone else could chime in, Tenkuji Yu appeared in front of the person who had spoken in a single second, smiling as she asked, "You know I'm not a committee member, right? Then why am I here, here to help the understaffed committee?"

The somewhat roguish-looking male student was startled and instinctively took a few steps back before glaring angrily at him, his neck stiff: "You're just here to help your disdainful girlfriend, right? You're flirting so openly under the guise of work, do you really think you're so great?"

Although the momentum was weak, at least the key points were addressed, and Yuu Tenkuji was very satisfied.

He glanced coldly at his companion who was trying to speak up for him, and after not letting anyone interrupt him, Tenkuji slowly turned his gaze back and began to speak unhurriedly:

"First, if I say Yukino is my girlfriend, does that mean she's my girlfriend? If I say you're the girlfriend of the person next to you, are you going to come out of the closet right now?"

The male student tensed even more, a hint of fear even showing on his face: "W-how did you know!?...No, who are you saying came out, you bastard!"

Seemingly enraged, the male student, his face flushed, forcefully shoved Tenkuji Yu's chest, waving his fists and feet as if he were so ashamed and indignant that he wanted to fight him to the death.

The boy's companion quickly grabbed him and pulled him back to prevent the conflict from escalating further—or rather, to prevent someone from suddenly pulling out a bamboo sword and cutting them all down.

However, contrary to their expectations of immediate anger, Yuu Tenkuji did not get angry even though he wasn't pushed back.

He simply looked at the two of them with a somewhat peculiar gaze, hesitated for a moment, then coughed twice, a little embarrassed and apologetic, his tone inexplicably less sarcastic:

"Secondly, I'm not that great, but even an outsider like me can come and help the committee. Don't you ask yourselves honestly, who are the real problems? Is it me, or you who are constantly taking leave and skipping work?"

"..."

“I’m not trying to lecture you, I just feel that we are all partners who want to make this cultural festival a success. Why can you leave so much work to others and then enjoy the fruits of their labor without a care in the world, and even say that I, who am helping out of a free will, am meddling?”

Tenkuji Yu's eyes were very sincere, completely different from when he had been arrogantly mocking everyone just now.

The softened voice seemed to reach straight to their hearts, amplifying the guilt in their hearts.

Not only the two male students in front of him, but nearly half of the people in the entire conference room who heard these words lowered their heads guiltily. The guy who was originally unconvinced also shut his mouth and dared not say any more opinions in front of him.

The main reason was that the scene of finding the source of the sound in that instant and appearing in front of the other person like a ghost was really scary. No one wanted to be the second person to experience it, nor did they want to be mocked so closely.

If the person who stands up is immediately suppressed, it will take even more courage for the next person to step forward.

Clearly, they lack the courage to confront Yukino Yukinoshita and instead rely on their numbers to slack off.

Yuichi Tenkuji remained silent, and the surroundings quieted down again, with only the sound of some students who were already working diligently carefully turning the pages of their papers echoing in the otherwise silent meeting room.

Now, no one dares to talk about his gossip with Yukinoshita, or even think about it, for fear of being caught by him as he surveys his surroundings and given a "good talk".

Despite his kind and approachable smile, there was a sharp and intimidating aura in his eyes that made people afraid to meet his gaze.

Now they finally understood why this seemingly ordinary second-year student, who could make people cry with his piano playing, single-handedly defeat most sports clubs, lead the kendo club to victory, and hang out with beautiful girls every day, was so admired by so many people and even had a dedicated fan club.

"It seems everyone knows the answer? It would be best if we could reason with each other." After confirming that no one had any objections, Tenkuji Yu nodded with satisfaction, and clapped his hands lightly twice as if to dispel the dull atmosphere.

"So, I hope that from now on you can get along well, work hard, and contribute to the wonderful cultural season of our school. I will not have the opportunity to come out and help my minister again."

Yuu Tenkuji heard familiar footsteps and subconsciously quickened his speech:

"Furthermore, without the person's confirmation, spreading rumors about others, whether in real life or online, is a disgraceful thing. I hope some people can stop this... Around 10 p.m., I will upload a video to the campus network. Then you will know what I meant by what I said last time."

As the curious gazes of the crowd turned towards him, Yuu Tenkuji smiled mysteriously, then turned his head and saw Yukino Yukinoshita walking in through the door.

"Sorry, I was called in for a talk with the teacher, so I'm late." She sighed, sounding a little tired. Her fair and flawless face didn't look very energetic, but her expression remained relatively calm.

Then, when she looked up and saw the subtle atmosphere in front of her, which for some reason gave off a feeling of collective repentance, she couldn't help but freeze in place, her little mouth slightly open in a cute way.

"What are you doing...?"

"Were you shocked by everyone's low attendance today? Don't be surprised, everyone has a chance to turn over a new leaf." Tenkuji Yu walked up to her, patted her slender shoulder encouragingly, and smiled. "It seems I won't be needed today. I'll go prepare the equipment we'll need later. You should try to be a well-liked chairperson... at least don't be so harsh when assigning tasks."

“Don’t you have some misunderstanding about my personality? When I was assigning tasks…” Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly frowned halfway through her sentence, reached out to smooth the wrinkles in his clothes, and her gaze pierced through the committee members behind him like a knife, her voice turning cold as she asked:

What just happened?

"..."

Yuu Tenkuji didn't answer, but instead gave her a look that suggested she be mindful of the occasion.

Yukino Yukinoshita reacted quickly, withdrawing her hand as if electrocuted, and turned to walk towards the chairperson's seat with a blank expression, her attitude showing no mercy:

"You can go now. I'll ask Okuda-kun about the details."

This time she was careful not to let her slightly reddened ears show through her hair.

“Okay, please remember to bring the script for this cultural festival.” Nodding, Yuu Tenkuji raised her voice seriously. “Otherwise, I’ll just have to improvise like last time~”

"No need for you to say more." Pulling out a chair and sitting down, Yukino Yukinoshita resumed her cold and serious expression, straightened her back and looked at the many more committee members, quickly bringing the entire meeting room into an atmosphere of discussing serious matters.

"The meeting is now starting. Everyone, please sit down. Each group leader will report the number of people and the progress of their work. We don't have much time to waste."

I told her to be gentle... never mind, her gentleness would probably make those people uncomfortable.

Tenkuji Yu shook his head, concealing the smile on his lips, and closed the door to the Executive Committee.

I've memorized their faces, including their names and classes.

If he finds anyone else who dares to outwardly comply with Yukino Yukino's wishes and then secretly plot against her, he wouldn't mind spending some time talking to that audacious person in private.

After dealing with the unexpected situation, Yuu Tenkuji thought for a moment and decided to head towards the Film Studies Club's classroom.

They need to shoot the PV today, but they don't have time to buy a new camera, and shooting with a mobile phone is too rough; a certain perfectionist would definitely not accept it.

I'll have to borrow it from someone.

The Film Research Society's autumn showcase will feature short films they produced themselves; they should have fairly professional equipment there.

His connections are quite good, so if he goes to borrow money, those people will surely give him face!

Full of confidence, Tenkuji Yu walked to the club building, politely knocked on the door, and explained his purpose.

Then I heard this sentence:

"I'm sorry, Tenkuji-kun... we can't lend it to you."

"..."

Chapter Ninety-Four concerns the incident of the junior female student groping her senior in the hallway.

Tenkuji Yu's smile froze almost imperceptibly for a moment, then she politely asked:

"If you can't, then forget it. But could you tell me why?"

"It was borrowed yesterday, and that's all the equipment we have. We're really sorry," the head of the Film Research Department said apologetically. "I don't know how long they'll use it. Maybe I should let Tenkuji know when it's returned?"

"No need, no need, that would be too much trouble. I'll figure it out myself. I feel bad for bothering you." Tenkuji Yu breathed a sigh of relief, smiled at the other person, and then turned to leave.

Before they had taken two steps, they saw Isshiki Iroha and Tachibana Kanade appear at the corner of the stairs.

"Ah, it's you, senior!" Iroha Isshiki's eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace as she walked over, setting up her camera.

Pointing the camera at him, her tone of surprise quickly turned somber as she began to mutter to herself, "Look everyone, this is our famous second-year student, Yuu Tenkuji, who's one of the top students in Mathematics at Soubu High School! Not only is he handsome and athletic, but he's also said to be number one in the entire school academically. He's incredibly popular among girls in all grades and even has his own dedicated fan club!"

Tenkuji Yu glanced at her, then turned to Tachibana Kanade and asked, "What is she doing?"

"To film a video," Tachibana Kanade replied briefly, her silver hair swaying behind her. Her pale gold eyes, devoid of much emotion, remained unchanged, so clear they seemed to reflect people's hearts.

"That's how it is!" Iroha Isshiki blocked his view of Kanade Tachibana, and as if to emphasize her presence, she raised her hand outside the camera's view, her clear and charming voice full of energy.

"We're interviewing students everywhere, preparing to make a video documentary about a pre-election political survey. It's much simpler and more fun than handing out questionnaires! Haha, although we definitely can't show it at the cultural festival~"

"Oh, I see." Recalling the embarrassed expression on the head of the Film Research Club, Tenkuji Yu suddenly realized, "So you were the ones who borrowed the equipment? What a coincidence, we can't believe we ran into each other."

"Hmm? So, you want to make a video too, senpai? With the upperclassmen?" Iroha blinked, then blushed slightly, covered her mouth, and backed away, her eyes widening in disbelief. "It wouldn't be... one of those lewd videos, would it?"

"...The sound was all recorded, huh?" Yuu Tenkuji pointed at the camera, her anger rising by twenty percent with a smile.

"Ugh~" Iroha stuck out her little tongue, waved her hand cutely on her cheek, and said with a smile, looking down on people, "Of course the video will be edited after it's filmed. Do you think I'm so stupid as to cut in any parts that are bad for me?"

"The parts that are unfavorable to me?"

"Of course, I'll cut it out and use it as material to threaten... oh no, I mean, to communicate with my seniors~"

"Very well, death penalty."

Tenkuji Yu snapped his fingers, then strode forward, preparing to snatch the camera from her hand.

Iroha immediately hid behind Tachibana Kanade, using the innocent-looking girl as a shield, and placed the camera on her head, shouting in a sorrowful and indignant tone:

"If you dare lay a hand on this child, then try it!"

"..."

Tachibana Kanade silently rolled her eyes, first backward, then forward, and blinked twice at him, her voice as soft as a feather:

"Should we make a move?"

"No, how could that be?" Stared at by those pure and innocent eyes, Tenkuji Yu had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​teasing his junior, and gave Isshiki Hajime a friendly glare.

“Oh, I see…” Tachibana Kanade lowered her gaze.

Tenkuji Yu's expression was strange: "Why do you seem so disappointed..."