I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Chapter 105 Are you a bad woman?

A few minutes later.

"In short, Natsukawa wanted to help out on our set and offered benefits you couldn't refuse, so you brought her to the Service Department to ask for our opinion?"

While biting his chopsticks, Yuu Tenkuji drew a conclusion after explaining Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Our film crew? It feels so formal now, like we're actually filming a movie..."

Meanwhile, Yui Yuigahama's comments were completely off-topic. As she spoke, she reached into the two bento boxes with her chopsticks and quickly exchanged the dishes among the three of them, seemingly enjoying herself immensely.

Looking at the bento box in her hand, which had lost its neat arrangement and become a mess of colors, Yukinoshita frowned and had some complaints about this exchange of dishes.

Even if it's a way to express a good relationship, it's still a bit unhygienic.

—Click!

One bite and the juices burst forth, a delightful blend of sweet and sour, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Even though it had been sitting out all morning, the sweet and sour pork was still so delicious that it felt like every cell on your tongue was cheering, making you want to swallow your saliva and eat another piece.

—It tastes like something he made himself.

Saliva rolled down her throat, and the beautiful girl with long, straight black hair elegantly and quickly shoveled down a few mouthfuls of rice, suppressing her most primal urges, before quietly exhaling with satisfaction.

...It may be unhygienic, but it was ultimately a friend's good intention, so she couldn't refuse and could only slowly get used to it.

"Yukinoshita, being tempted by profit or something, that's not like you."

Tenkuji Yu looked her up and down, his gaze slightly scrutinizing.

Yukino Yukinoshita, her eyes slightly closed, continued eating her messy bento box, seemingly having anticipated his question, and calmly replied:

"First of all, I am the head of the Service Department. As long as the client's request is not too outrageous, I will try my best to give advice and help them fulfill their wishes."

“Furthermore, I am not a saint without desires; there are things I want but cannot obtain. Although I agree with the belief of striving for everything through my own strength and trying not to rely on others, you have also told me that human strength has its limits.”

At this point, those piercing, sky-blue eyes looked straight at Tenkuji Yu, her tone and gaze equally earnest.

"If you can't get something or information on your own, then use legitimate means to exchange for it. Face all the resources you can use and keep making up for your shortcomings. Only in this way can you gradually become 'strong'."

Seemingly mimicking someone's way of speaking, Yukino Yukinoshita paused, then smiled faintly.

"In other words, I was just doing what you would do. Nothing strange about that, is it?"

Tenkuji Yu was slightly taken aback, but quickly shrugged in relief: "Indeed, I didn't notice. You're not the stubborn Yukinoshita I used to be."

Even if the timelines are changed three times, the accumulated growth will not disappear—from the moment they first met until now, neither of them is the same person they used to be.

There are good and bad, but ultimately we are moving forward... Yukino Yukinoshita is like that, and Yuu Tenkuji hopes that he is too.

She wiped the red sauce from the corner of her mouth and smiled at him teasingly, "You really dare to say that. I wonder which overly forceful guy got you into this mess. I really hope he can have some self-awareness."

"I! I am self-aware. I saved a stubborn minor!" Instead of feeling ashamed, Yuu Tenkuji proudly raised his head.

Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head with amusement, and was about to say something in response when she heard Yuu Tenkuji suddenly change the subject:

"So, what did you exchange with Natsukawa-kun?"

"..."

After a brief silence, Yukino Yukinoshita coughed twice and picked up her chopsticks again.

"It's a private matter. You don't need to worry about it."

I don't want to lie to him, but I also don't want to tell the truth.

Although she wasn't very self-aware, Yukino Yukinoshita finally understood the similar conflicted feelings she had when she was interrogated by Yuu Tenkuji about various things.

“Usually, being told something like that makes people care more about the truth.” Tenkuji Yuuya rolled his eyes at her, then looked at Natsukawa Masuzu, who had finished consuming the nutrient jelly and was listening obediently to their conversation.

Does your transaction agreement contain confidentiality clauses?

Natsukawa Masu blinked, her doll-like fake smile instantly becoming full of energy. She swung her toes and said in a light tone, "No~ So if you want to know, I can tell you everything."

"Natsukawa-san." With a click, Yukino Yukinoshita put down her lunchbox and stared at her sternly. "Don't forget what you told me before."

Natsukawa Masaki pouted and sighed pitifully.

"Alright, alright, since I'm the one who asked for help, I'll do as you say."

She looked at Tenkuji Yu again, her face full of apology, and said, "As you can see, even if I told you in private, I guess the incredibly smart Yukinoshita would quickly find out and really wouldn't let me off the hook... So I still have to keep it a secret for her."

"It's nothing, I was just asking casually."

Feeling a little uncomfortable and out of place by her calm yet enthusiastic attitude, Tenkuji Yu shook his head and decided not to pay any more attention to her after asking the question.

Natsukawa Masuzu, however, was not going to miss the opportunity to chat with him. She smiled and said, "As compensation, do you want me to tell you my measurements? This is a secret that only you can know, except for the school nurse."

Yuuki Tenkuji sensed something was wrong and quickly waved his hand.

"No, no, no, I have absolutely no interest in such mundane numbers..."

She seemed not to hear him and continued excitedly, "Or do you want to measure it yourself? No problem, let's talk about the numbers first. I remember during my last physical exam, from top to bottom it should have been..."

"Beep beep! If you keep talking, you're out, Ryo-chan!"

Before she could finish speaking, Yui Yuigahama put down her lunchbox, adopted a serious whistle-blowing posture, and stared intently at her.

"You're getting a warning now! Only a bad woman would flirt with her friend's boyfriend in front of her! So, Xiao Liang, are you a bad woman?"

"Bad woman...?"

Natsukawa Masaki slowly tilted her head, pursed her lips, and quietly met her gaze without flinching.

For a moment, Tenkuji Yu thought she was about to sneer and said nonchalantly, "Yes, I am a bad woman. I will do anything to satisfy my desires."

But after a moment, Natsukawa Masuzu simply patted her head lightly, stuck out her tongue shyly, and looked bashful.

"I'm sorry, Yui, I didn't notice... Don't worry, I also hate those bad women who steal other people's boyfriends, and I hate even more bad men who get seduced by bad women!"

She clenched her fist and said emphatically:

"I can apologize for what happened last time as many times as I want. But no matter what, I will never become a third party in your relationship with Tenkuji-kun!"

The words fell heavily.

The act of chewing rice grains suddenly stopped, and Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her long eyelashes, as if she hadn't heard.

Chapter 106 Becoming her suitor?

"Then..."

Yui Yuigahama was about to nod subconsciously when she suddenly remembered that Yukino Yukinoshita was right beside her.

Considering her friend's feelings, she dared not agree, but denying it felt strange, so she could only stop herself and awkwardly chuckle while touching the bun on her head.

"Oh, I see... Haha, there's no need to be so formal."

"I just wanted to put your mind at ease." As if she hadn't noticed their strange reaction, Natsukawa Masuzu said with a smile, "It's just that I don't have many friends, so I subconsciously wanted to stick close to you guys who are the most familiar to me in this school. I hope you don't misunderstand. If you're not used to it, I'll try my best to restrain myself."

"Hmm, oh..."

The other party's attitude was humble yet undeniably stubborn, leaving Yui Yuigahama unsure how to respond. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to turn her attention to Yuu Tenkuji and ask for help from the sidelines.

Yuu Tenkuji naturally wouldn't stand idly by.

Even without Yui Yuigahama's prompting glance, seeing Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes, which were definitely starting to wander into wild thoughts again, he knew he couldn't stay silent any longer.

If you just stand there and watch the show, you won't even be able to meet the expectations of an ordinary boyfriend, let alone be an "ideal boyfriend."

"Alright, since Yukinoshita has agreed, then please come to the Service Club after school to assist us with the filming or to play a minor role." Sōtenji Yū said businesslike, smoothing over the awkward atmosphere.

"Let me make it clear beforehand that we will not give you any compensation. If you really want to come and help, you have to follow our instructions and do what we say. Basically, there is no benefit to you."

"The good thing is that I'll be very happy; it's really my first time making a short film with other people!"

Natsukawa Masuzu clasped her hands together, tilted her head slightly, and smiled elegantly like a lady: "I will be very obedient. I will do whatever Tenkuji-kun asks me to do, and I will definitely not resist—well, only for photography work."

In her seat, Yui Yuigahama stopped whistling, puffed out her cheeks, and looked at Masuzu Natsukawa with a strange and slightly wary gaze.

Yuuki Tenkuji acted as if she hadn't heard anything. After confirming that everything was alright on her end, she turned to look at Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Actually, you don't need to ask for our opinion. As long as you think it's okay, neither of us will object—you still have that much ministerial authority."

She glanced at him briefly and said coldly, "I'm not such a dictatorial minister."

Tenkuji Yu gently encouraged, "It's alright, I was just saying that casually. If you really become a dictator, I will still resist—but for now, there's no need to worry about us. Just do what you want to do, Minister!"

"Alright, stop just talking nice things. You really have no self-awareness at all."

Yukino Yukinoshita rolled her eyes, her tone full of disdain, and then continued eating the half-eaten bento.

She lowered her head for only a few seconds before she couldn't help but smile again, quickly covering the upward curve of her lips with grains of rice.

"Congratulations, host, you have received the reward: Language Proficiency (Status)."

...They're really easy to coax.

With a somewhat amused expression, Yuu Tenkuji turned his gaze away from her and glanced at Masaki Natsukawa, who was curiously examining the clubroom.

I don't know what her purpose was, or what conditions she negotiated with Yukinoshita to get that righteous freak to let a man who attempted to kiss her into the clubroom...

There is too much unknown information.

However, one could sense that she harbored no ill will towards him, nor did she seem to have regained her memories and was trying to test him.

Perhaps it's the lingering feelings that are pushing her forward?

Although it was somewhat troublesome, seeing that Natsukawa Masuzu had regained some of her spirits, Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but feel relieved. She no longer had to worry that the shock of losing her memory would be too great and cause her to start contemplating suicide one day.

If it really came to that, he didn't think he could continue to stand by and watch. Even if completely severing ties with her was the right thing to do, he still couldn't bring himself to do it.

Moreover, to be honest, both Haruno and Asuna cheered up after the world line changed, so why did only Natsukawa Masuzu regress instead of progressing, and why are the 'aftereffects' she left behind so great?

Is it a difference in personality, or is the dog system secretly manipulating things again?

Thinking of Haruno, Tenkuji Yu recalled the weekend when she brought Natsukawa Masuzu to visit.

That was no coincidence, but a carefully orchestrated encounter... like someone adding a catalyst to a stable chemical liquid to accelerate a certain process.

—Could it be that everything Natsukawa Masuzu has done so far has been orchestrated by her behind the scenes?

As he thoughtfully chewed on his chopsticks, Tenkuji Yu narrowed his eyes, his mood slightly somber.

Once the seed of doubt is planted, it will begin to take root and sprout in the heart until it becomes difficult to eradicate.