I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Yukino Yukinoshita, you can't wait any longer..."

……

Lunchtime ended in a wonderful atmosphere.

It wasn't exactly good or bad, but with the addition of a silver-haired transfer student they weren't very familiar with, Yui Yuigahama didn't try to start conversations as enthusiastically as before. She focused on eating, occasionally exchanging a few words to keep the atmosphere from becoming heavy, and the lunchbox emptied faster than usual.

After dinner, it was time to discuss the script for the first act of the film and to rehearse it.

However, since there are only about fifteen minutes left, we should head back to the classroom after the script discussion, so the rehearsal will probably have to be held after school.

Two junior students will also come to help, but it's uncertain whether they can stay until the end—including Natsukawa Masuzu, the group created a new LINE group specifically for discussing filming and notifying each other of their free time.

Of course, the group dedicated to the Service Department still only has the three of them; no one, and perhaps no one, will become a fourth member.

"So first, the first shot will be in the hallway. If you're shy, you can also shoot it in the clubroom. The time is tentatively set after school."

Tenkuuji Yu opened his notebook, pointed to the neat and powerful handwriting, and slowly began to explain:

"The female lead is the male lead's good friend. One day, she complains to him that she has been harassed by a crazy suitor and wants him to help her get rid of him. After the male lead agrees, he pretends to be her boyfriend and the two of them meet the suitor together, hoping to make him give up in the fastest and simplest way."

Seeing Yukino Yukinoshita frowning as she looked at the notebook, Yuu Tenkuji immediately added, "I know there are some tropes, but this is just a framework. We don't have time to polish a masterpiece from scratch, so we can only recreate on the basis of the tropes—not to mention, having the script but not the acting skills is just a waste, so let's not be picky now."

"I'm not going to be picky, so stop bringing up acting skills."

She rolled her eyes at him cutely, then pointed at the phrase "crazy suitor" and said with a displeased expression, "Leaving aside the plot for now—everyone in the crew is a girl except for you. So, Mr. Protagonist, have you found this 'villain' to pursue me?"

You can't blame her for her sharp tone.

After all, Yukino Yukinoshita was indeed harassed by obsessive suitors when she was a child, and the range was not limited to her peers—and at that time, Yukino Yukinoshita did not have any male protagonists around her who could help her deal with them.

"This..." Yuu Tenkuji originally wanted to say that she could use makeup skills and camera editing to play two roles, so this was not a problem at all.

But before he could even open his mouth, Natsukawa Masuzu suddenly raised his hand and interjected with great interest:

"Excuse me, does that obsessive suitor have to be male?"

"Hmm? There's no hard and fast rule, but it's usually men..." Tenkuji Yu was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes turned strange as he looked at the eager smile on her face.

"Natsukawa-kun, you wouldn't be thinking of playing this role, would you?"

Natsukawa Masuzu nodded matter-of-factly: "Yes, I personally think this kind of 'villain' role suits me quite well. If you really can't find anyone else to play the role, could you consider me? I'm quite confident in my acting skills."

After sincerely recommending herself, she squinted her eyes with a hint of pleasure and smiled meaningfully.

"Besides, the idea of ​​me becoming Yukinoshita's obsessive pursuer and standing on the opposite side of Tenkuji... doesn't that kind of plot sound interesting?"

Chapter 107 is good, it made me angry.

The fundamental reason they filmed the video and even planned to include it as a performance project in the cultural festival was simply to divert the attention of onlookers from romance and prevent them from wasting their precious youth on gossip and thinking about who's having an affair with whom.

They just want to have fun, and that's it. Even as actors, their reasons for doing things are always related to the word "fun".

What is interesting?

Things that are unexpected, exciting, captivating, and original can generally be considered interesting.

Based on this, when Natsukawa Masuzu proposed her idea, Tenkuji Yu suddenly realized that this seemed much more interesting to the audience than playing two roles as the pursuer himself.

Sometimes, simply changing the gender of the characters can turn a tired, old-fashioned story into a new trend.

If we continue to think this way, the cliché plot of [the two being exposed by their suitors, and the second female lead quitting the club to let them be together] can be changed to an ending like [after hearing her deny the female suitors' comments, the second female lead, who has yuri tendencies, is heartbroken but unwilling to give up, so she decides to confirm their feelings by quitting the club, and in the end, she not only rejects the first male lead's confession but also declares war on him].

Thoughts burst forth like cola mixed with mandoline, and the original script in my mind instantly changed.

Having quickly organized his thoughts, Yuu Tenkuji found revising the script on paper too troublesome and directly dictated his revised version to them.

"In other words, the core idea of ​​'friendship born from misunderstanding' remains unchanged. However, rather than the clichéd love story between a man and a woman, in this short ten-minute film, we should focus more on depicting the delicate, bittersweet emotions of the girls, reflecting values ​​that contradict contemporary mainstream values... We could even reduce the male lead's screen time, and, given the major plot twist revealed in the PV, try to maintain the audience's interest and viewing experience."

He poured out all his thoughts without stopping, even unconsciously adopting the tone of a university lecturer, speaking eloquently to them at the table and casually spouting a bunch of impressive-sounding but incomprehensible words.

After finishing his speech, Tenkuji Yuu, without even panting, looked at the girls in front of him, who all seemed a little dazed and were still processing what he had just said. He then realized what was happening, quickly suppressed his overly excited emotions, and coughed twice in a composed manner.

"Anyway, I think this way of performing would be more interesting than before. If you have different ideas, feel free to share them so we can discuss them together."

Natsukawa Masuzu was the first to shake off her doubts, clapping her hands with a sincere expression: "I also find it very interesting. As expected of Tenkuji-kun!"

"You flatter me." Tenkuji Yu nodded casually, without the slightest bit of embarrassment.

As was commonplace, Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama sighed simultaneously, exchanged a surprised glance, and then inexplicably blushed as they looked away.

Natsukawa Masuzu stopped clapping and asked with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation, "But if the focus is shifted to the girls' feelings, won't that increase the screen time for the 'pursuers'?"

Considering how much she had just praised herself, Tenkuji Yu thought about it seriously for a moment, then smiled gently and said:

"Due to time constraints, we won't be giving extras more screen time. Sorry."

"..."

Great, I'm really annoyed.

But even this feeling of frustration from being annoyed by his few words made her feel a strange sense of longing and happiness—it felt as if ants were crawling all over her body, subconsciously craving more, craving the warmth he could give her to fill the emptiness in her chest.

Despite a slightly awkward smile on her face, Natsukawa Masuzu's mood was surprisingly calm as she confirmed her suspicions once again in her heart.

I was indeed the same as Yukinoshita.

She had something happen with Yuu Tenkuji, but for some mysterious reason, she lost all her memories—no, not only memories, but not even a trace of their time together.

Making an excuse to contact him was definitely the right choice.

Watching the boy explaining the plot to the other two, Natsukawa Masuzu pursed her lips, secretly clenched her fist, and pressed her neatly trimmed nails into her palm.

...That's right, if we keep sticking around him, he'll eventually remember.

Having grown up with the loss of many things, she is unwilling to lose the source of this feeling.

Whether or not she can recall it, Natsukawa Masuzu will not regret the choice she made at this moment; just like on a vast ocean, she instinctively shouted out the voice of not wanting to give up.

This is just the first step.

Even after the filming was over and the cultural festival was over... no matter who was his girlfriend among the two people, she would shamelessly follow Tenkuji Yu until her empty heart was filled.

"Ah, this kind of future is actually quite exciting..."

For some unknown reason, Natsukawa Masaki slowly grinned, letting out a low chuckle with lifeless eyes.

……

The lunch break ended quickly. After discussing the script, everyone went back to their respective classrooms.

Although we agreed to meet at the Service Club after school, everyone was busy with their own tasks and committee matters, so we couldn't set a specific arrival time. We could only promise to get to the clubroom as soon as we were done.

Seemingly having nothing else to do, Natsukawa Masuzu hurried towards the Service Club as soon as school was over, but unfortunately, she didn't have the key and was locked out for a long time.

Only when Yuuki Tenkuji, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Yui Yuigahama appeared together did she put away her listless expression and follow them into the Service Club.

Not long after, the two junior students who were assisting with the photography also entered the clubroom and were surprised by the "uninvited guest" who suddenly appeared there. After Yuu Tenkuji explained, they reluctantly accepted the fact that this person also wanted to shoot a short film with them.

Kanade Tachibana didn't seem to have any objections, remaining as honest and simple as ever, and showing no hostility or distance towards Masuzu Natsukawa.

Isshiki Iroha had some complaints, but as a minor person, she had no power and no chance to whisper in her senior's ear. She could only force herself to forget the "forced kiss" she had just witnessed and act as if nothing had happened, getting along amicably with this fairy-like and beautiful senior.

Once the equipment and script were all prepared, Yuuto Tenkuji and Yukino Yukinoshita stood one in front of the other at the door of the clubroom, poised to push the door open and enter.

"Okay, three, two, one... Go!"

With a command from Isshiki Iroha, Yuu Tenkuji instantly got into character, unconsciously influencing the atmosphere around him.

His expression changed naturally, and looking at Yukino Yukinoshita with a hint of helplessness, he offered words of comfort:

"Alright, Yukino, I know how that feels. Do you think I've never been pursued? So many perverts want to be my girlfriend. I'm lucky I'm still alive..."

Following his retreating figure into the Service Club, Yukino Yukinoshita said impatiently, "What do you know? Wait until you're being pursued by a boy before you say things like that."

Yuu Tenkuji helplessly shrugged.

"That's why I'm saying it now."

Yukino Yukinoshita stopped in her tracks, her mouth agape in astonishment: "...So you...you really do?"

"Card!"

Iroha Isshiki immediately shouted, then slapped the notebook roll in her hand hard.

"Senior, I understand how genuinely you felt after being scared. I'm also wondering if it's zero or one for you... But please follow the script when filming! If you want to improvise, please wait until later. We don't have much time left!"

A girl with short, flaxen hair, a year younger than them, spoke arrogantly and sharply, lecturing a senior colleague without any respect, as if she were the biggest director here.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Yukino Yukinoshita obediently endured the scolding. Only after Iroha Isshiki finished speaking did he stare at her with a chilling gaze and begin to say, word by word:

"I'm sorry, Director Isshiki. There won't be a next time!"

"Well……"

Coming to her senses from her smugness, the crab, which had been baring its claws, immediately retracted its large pincers. Its colorful plumage gave her a docile, ingratiating smile, and it shrank its neck, completely devoid of any spirit, and waved its fist.

"Okay, sure~ Please go ahead, and keep up the good work!"

Yukino Yukinoshita ignored her and, after reflecting on her actions, returned to her position at the door, her expression as serious and solemn as if she were stepping onto a battlefield.

So the acting continued.

Chapter 108 It's not about being afraid of walking at night.

After school, in the corridor of the special building.

The winter night enveloped the entire campus early, the light bulbs flickering a pale white light, exuding a desolate atmosphere.

Having arranged a time and place with her obsessive suitor, Yuuki Tenkuji and Yukino Yukinoshita arrived early to wait for him, intending to pretend to be his girlfriend to make him give up on her completely.

Even if someone is unusually stubborn, they can still use underhanded methods to make them submit in this sparsely populated place.

"But aren't you afraid that guy will spread the word that you have a boyfriend everywhere?"

While stretching his limbs, Yuu from the Sky Temple casually asked a question.

"It doesn't matter. Once the rumors get out, it'll be good for other overconfident guys to back down."

Standing with her arms crossed, Yukino Yukinoshita said coldly from the bottom of her heart, "I didn't plan to have a boyfriend during my school years. Let them misunderstand if they want, just ignore it."

"You really do things your own way..." Yuu Tenkuji wasn't surprised, but just sighed, "Didn't you consider my feelings? How am I supposed to find a girlfriend like this?"

As close friends of the opposite sex, they naturally knew each other very well.