I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned and thought for a moment before concluding that he must have used some means to catalyze the process again.

For example, he might ask members of his fan club to help him control the comments, or he might arrive at school early and bribe others to promote his activities on the forum.

In some ways, Yuu Tenkuji is very similar to her older sister; they don't rigidly adhere to the principles of honesty and integrity in their actions, but rather use any means necessary to achieve their goals.

But it's clear that he's much gentler than Yukino Yukinoshita, and both are considering how not to cause trouble for anyone.

In this way, even if the main story hasn't been filmed yet, the bad reputation of Tenkuji-kun being two-timing has disappeared before it even takes shape; the rumors about the two of them have been explained, and the news that he and Yui-hama-san are already dating will probably spread from Class F to the whole school like it is now.

The minor incident was brought to an end thanks to his incredibly timely response; all that remained was to wrap things up.

While secretly relieved, Yukino Yukinoshita found that a strange, inexplicable feeling suddenly welled up inside her, preventing her from being completely happy.

Regret? Dissatisfaction? Disappointment? It seems like all of these, yet none of them seem to be it...

Why is this so?

This was the first time she had experienced this feeling, and she couldn't bring herself to vindicate it; yet she was also afraid that if she did vindicate it, she wouldn't be able to accept the answer.

Feeling agitated, Yukino Yukinoshita decided it wasn't a good time to read, so she closed her book and, unusually, took out her phone during break time.

She doesn't play games or read e-books. The main function of her phone is to contact her family and look up information. She usually keeps it off in her schoolbag and only turns it on after school to check for new messages.

However, recently, Yukino Yukinoshita has developed a habit of checking her phone and group messages whenever she has free time—undoubtedly influenced by her two most important friends.

The cheerful green interface opens, the LINE logo flashes by, and in the group chat bar at the top, about an hour later, there are more than a dozen unread messages.

"They're in the same class and they're still using group chat, these two are really..." She smiled helplessly and was about to open the chat room to see what they were talking about.

A fresh, natural fragrance wafted by, and a shadow fell in front of me. A glimpse of silver hair flashed past my eye, and white indoor shoes landed neatly beside my chair.

He paused slightly, then casually turned off the screen.

Yukino put her phone back in the drawer, looked up at the newcomer, and calmly asked:

"Is there something you need, Natsukawa-kun?"

The summer river is so cool.

She still can't forget the way this person tried to force a kiss on Yuu Tenkuji.

Unbeknownst to herself, Yukino Yukinoshita's gaze toward Masuzu Natsukawa held a hint of hostility, and her expression grew even colder and more indifferent.

Chapter 102 Under the Snow, Your Sister Has Delusions (breathy voice)

Good morning, Yukinoshita.

After casually greeting Yukino Yukinoshita, Natsukawa Masuzu raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I don't think I've ever offended you, have I? Why do I feel like you're quite hostile towards me, your classmate?"

“Of course. After all, Tenkuji-kun is a member of our club…” Yukino Yukinoshita paused slightly, looking at her calmly, “and one of my friends. You did that kind of thing to him in front of me, and you expect me to welcome you with open arms?”

“Of course, I don’t expect that.” Natsukawa Masuzu brushed her long hair aside and said calmly with a smile, “I won’t regret what I did back then, and I don’t care whether you like me or not, just like you don’t care about other people’s opinions… In that respect, we’re actually quite similar.”

"I don't think so."

Yukino Yukinoshita didn't mince words and bluntly stated her thoughts: "I don't know what you went through to become abnormal from that day on... but I don't want to be seen as one of your kind, and I don't think we have anything in common."

"I'm not normal? That's an excessive assessment, though I agree."

Natsukawa Masaki grinned, and his thick, hollow laughter reached her ears, causing Yukino Yukinoshita to furrow her brows and take a step back, feeling a chill run down her spine.

She didn't care about the disgust on her face, and seemed oblivious to the curious glances from her classmates.

Natsukawa Masuzu simply stared intently at Yukino Yukinoshita, and a voice, crisp yet eerie like pine needles in the wind, softly sounded before her:

“I know we don’t like each other. Not before, and not now… So, I’m just here to make a deal with you.”

"……trade?"

Even though she knew the best course of action was to ignore the other person, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but ask in confusion upon hearing those words.

Natsukawa Masaki nodded and smiled: "That's right, you're curious, aren't you? Why I was sitting in your sister's car that day."

"Isn't it just a ride home after the party? Who would be curious about something like that?"

"Is it really that simple? You should have noticed that she's been doing a lot of things behind your back."

"So what? My sister doesn't need to report anything to me anyway..." Yukino Yukinoshita frowned slightly, her tone gradually hardening.

"Natsukawa-kun, if you have something to say, please just say it. There are only two or three minutes left before class starts, and I have no interest in playing games with you."

"Sigh, you two sisters are the same, you start to get anxious when your secrets are exposed." Natsukawa Masuzu pouted, looking slightly bored.

"The answer is what I want to trade you for—I'll tell you information that's 'related to you, but your sister will never tell you,' and in return, you just need to do me a small favor. How about that? Pretty good deal, right?"

Recalling her conversation with Yukino Yukinoshita, Natsukawa Masuzu couldn't help but chuckle.

History always repeats itself.

Yukino Yukinoshita looked at her, and her first words were not a rejection, but a question: "Why should I believe you?"

“Because I had no choice.” Natsukawa Masuzu shrugged, unconcerned. “Tenkuji-kun is probably keeping his distance from me now, and Yui-kun probably harbors resentment towards me because of what happened last time… I know it’s my own fault, but I don’t intend to give up like this. I should still try my best.”

So they chose Yukino Yukinoshita, who seemed the least likely to be communicated with, but actually had the highest success rate among the three.

I wonder if Yukinoshita Haruno, who is in control of everything behind the scenes, ever imagined that she would come directly to "negotiate" with her sister?

Thinking about this, Natsukawa Masaki felt inexplicably pleased.

"You have no intention of giving up... In other words, you still want to make a move on Tenkuji-kun?"

Her gaze instantly turned cold, and Yukino Yukinoshita stared at her unhappily, saying each word clearly, "Listen to me carefully, the 'Yui-kun' you're talking about is his girlfriend!"

"Even if you're so morally depraved that you'd steal someone else's love, don't assume everyone can be so shameless—do you think I'd agree to let you interfere in their relationship just because of some ridiculous secret?"

"Wait, Yukinoshita, have you misunderstood something?" Calmly, Natsukawa Masuzu raised her hand to defend herself, "I never said I wanted you to help me break them up, don't just label people like that."

With her lips pressed tightly together, Yukino Yukinoshita remained silent, her expression cold.

"Well, I'm not surprised you think that way..." Natsukawa Masaki sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation, and then gave a self-deprecating laugh. "But to be honest, I like seeing them together even more than you do. I hope they can find happiness in each other—I know this kind of thinking is disgusting and completely unsuitable for someone like me who hates romance, but who knows? This thought just popped into my head, like an idiot, ha."

"..."

Seemingly sensing the genuine emotion on her face, Yukino Yukinoshita was slightly taken aback. After a moment, her expression softened somewhat.

"Then why did you do that to him that day?"

Natsukawa Masaki thought for a moment, then touched her soft lips with her finger: "Because my body instinctively craved him? At that time, my mind was full of thoughts of union, and I didn't think about anything else."

"A...deal?" Realizing what she'd just said, a delicate blush spread across her pale face. Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh. "I can't understand why you have such a lewd reaction, but anyway, does your 'deal' with me have nothing to do with Tenkuji-kun and the others?"

Yes, it's related.

Natsukawa Masaki admitted, her elegant and confident smile blooming once again.

Despite lacking any emotion and appearing as if she were wearing a smiling mask, Yukino Yukinoshita detected a pure and persistent longing in her voice.

That's because they've lost something, which is why their feelings are more profound and ingrained than anyone else's.

“I want to be closer to him, even if I can only watch him and Yui being affectionate, it doesn’t matter, in fact, it’s better this way… As long as I can stay by his side, I don’t care what price I have to pay.”

There is no confusion in this one sentence alone.

"you……"

As if unable to comprehend it, Yukino Yukinoshita opened her mouth, staring in astonishment at the beautiful mixed-race girl in front of her with a serious expression.

I instinctively wanted to say something, but suddenly realized that no amount of lecturing or scolding would work on her.

There is only one light in her eyes, and it will not be swayed by the will of others.

Therefore, this is the only way to evaluate it:

"Xia Chuan, you're even more abnormal than I imagined..."

“For me, ‘love’ is the most abnormal thing in the world,” Natsukawa Masuzu said cheerfully, appreciating her helpless sigh.

"Yukinoshita, please trust me for now. Just give me a chance to get close to him. As for whether I can stay by his side in the future, I will rely on my own efforts. You don't need to feel too much pressure."

Even if you say that…

Sensing that her attitude was wavering, Natsukawa Masaki's lips curled up slightly, and she suddenly took a step forward, bringing her lips close to her ear and breathing softly.

"In that case, I'll pay the down payment first."

Black and silver hair intertwined and overlapped on her chest, her fair cheeks, no less stunning than the other's, pressed together as if kissing.

Before Yukino Yukinoshita could react and back away, Natsukawa Masuzu chuckled and spoke:

"Your sister has delusions; she keeps saying that Tenkuji Yu is her boyfriend."

"Last night, he even asked me to interfere with his relationship with Yui-san..."

Her body instantly stiffened in the chair, and Yukino Yukinoshita stared wide-eyed in shock.

Chapter 103 If you're bullied, you'll cry for a long time, right?

Since the newly purchased camera hadn't arrived yet, after discussing it with Isshiki and Tachibana, Tenkuji Yu continued to use the filming equipment from the Film Research Society to shoot films.

Before lunch break, he had already written the script for the filming after school today, and planned to bring it to the Service Club during lunch to discuss it with Yukino Yukinoshita and the others—this process would probably continue several times.

Yuu Tenkuji wasn't sure either, after all, it was his first time directing and his first time making a short film with two beautiful girls. He was a complete novice with no experience in any aspect.

But when it comes to controlling public opinion, he's already quite adept; you could say he's a seasoned pro.

The incident had only been brewing for about a day when he used his wisdom, connections, and money to completely quell the storm before it escalated further. The price he paid was simply spending some after-school time with his friends to happily perform a short play and enjoy a different kind of cultural festival atmosphere.

Although it was a bit troublesome, they all enjoyed making a short film together. By the end, they might have even forgotten their original purpose and were just working hard to make the final product better.

A world where no one got hurt was completed so simply—Tenkuji Yuu wanted to pat himself on the shoulder and give himself a pat on the back.

The atmosphere in Class 2-F today was much better than yesterday.

High school students are easy to influence. Through the messages released on forums and various "channels," many people took the initiative to talk to him this morning, and their attitude was more enthusiastic than before.

It's not about apologizing or anything; I just wanted to express goodwill in this way and distance myself from the group of people who suspected him of cheating.

The higher his status in the class, the more people care about his thoughts and are unwilling to offend him—even if they can't be his enemies, at least they can't be hated by Tenkuji Yuu.

Unless you're confident you can beat him or be smarter than him.

In the microcosm of the campus, their thoughts weren't particularly complex; most of them simply acted on instinct and experience. Some, being rather oblivious, even patted him on the shoulder and said:

"Tenkuji, I believed you weren't the kind of person who would easily change your mind! I saw your confession in the movie, it wasn't acting, it was absolutely from the heart, right? Hahaha, you must bring happiness to Yuihama in our class!"