I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

So when he asked that question, Yukino Yukinoshita shrugged and said nonchalantly:

"I'll explain to her then. But she should understand that we're definitely not in that kind of relationship, so she shouldn't misunderstand."

"Too."

The two looked at each other and smiled, neither of them showing any worry.

Soon, footsteps could be heard coming from the stairs.

They stopped chatting, turned around, and both looked at each other with blank expressions, ready to "fight".

In the silence that followed, a figure slowly emerged from around the corner, but it wasn't the sleazy type of suitor they had expected.

Instead, she was a silver-haired girl with a beautiful and elegant appearance, resembling a fairy princess.

"How could this be..."

Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked in disbelief, "Natsukawa-san? What are you doing here...?"

"You can tell just by looking, right? Asking questions you already know the answer to isn't a good habit."

Brushing her silver-white hair over her shoulder, Natsukawa Masuzu smiled slightly and said frankly, "Just as you suspected, the letters, chocolates, and photos in the shoe cabinet were all put there by me—the 'crazy pursuer' you're looking for is me, Yukinoshita-kun."

"Aren't you a girl? Why are you doing this kind of thing?" Tenkuji Yu asked, frowning.

Natsukawa Masuzu slowly turned his head, shifting his gaze from Yukino Yukinoshita to him, and the smile on his face seemed to vanish for a moment.

"So what if she's a girl?"

"Don't you understand? To be with the person you like, both men and women should use any means necessary."

Her eyes were deeper and more vacant than an empty well, and every word she uttered seemed to be wrapped in dark and profound emotions, yet she could speak them lightly.

"Love is a powerful emotion that transcends all obstacles—time, space, identity, and morality—and that tenaciously clings to the other person no matter what happens."

Not to mention something as trivial as gender.

Looking at Tenkuuji Yu, Natsukawa Masuzu once again flashed a sweet and radiant smile, and asked gently and kindly, "So, may I ask who you are?"

"Is this a new obstacle preventing me from pursuing true love?"

If you answer "yes," then killing you on the spot wouldn't be a problem, would it?

That emotionless, icy voice seemed to be making a declaration.

Rarely, Yuu Tenkuji felt fear from others, and the chilling feeling was impossible to suppress.

'Wow, that's amazing acting... No, is that even acting?'

Taking a deep breath to suppress the slight trembling in his fingertips, Tenkuji Yu observed Yukino Yukinoshita beside him without showing any emotion. He discovered that she was also frightened by his acting and couldn't help but frown, her expression even more unpleasant than his.

Like a cat being targeted by a giant python, even though the target wasn't her, Yukino Yukinoshita unconsciously took a step back and gently tugged at his sleeve, seemingly afraid to even swallow her saliva.

The sense of fear here is just as real, completely lacking the slightly immature feeling of the previous scenes.

Yuu Tenkuji naturally understood that the better an actor's performance, the more they could influence the performance of other actors and improve the overall immersion in their roles.

Even if it wasn't acting, there's no time to worry about that during filming. After only a couple of seconds of surprise after saying that, Yuuto Tenkuji put his arm around Yukino Yukinoshita's slender shoulder and said with his head held high:

"She's mine, and you're the one who's standing in the way!"

Before she could react, she was already in his arms.

"wait?!"

Yukino's eyes widened even more, her face suddenly pressed against his chest, her fair skin gradually flushing red. She instinctively struggled slightly, whispering in a flustered voice:

"We didn't say we had to go this far! And you, you're holding me too tight, you idiot..."

I definitely didn't say that.

This was an impromptu performance by Yuu Tenkuji, a counterattack he made in response to Masuzu Natsukawa's acting skills.

He whispered in her ear, "Actions speak louder than words. Just bear with it."

"Ugh..." Yukino Yukinoshita's body stiffened, then went limp as if all her strength had left her, and she gently bit her lower lip.

"I'll bear it, but don't talk in my ear."

"Okay, next time I'll use telepathy, okay?"

After Yuu Tenkuji finished speaking in a low voice and confirmed that the camera had captured the scene, he looked up at Masuzu Natsukawa with a disdainful smile.

"See? Just give up. With me here, you have no chance!"

"...I don't have a chance?"

Natsukawa Masaki muttered to himself.

She glanced at Tenkuji Yu, then looked at Yukino Yukinoshita, who was being held in his arms and trying her best to suppress her shyness with a blank expression. Gradually, the fake smile completely disappeared from her face, and her expression became ashen.

"I have no chance?"

As if asking someone, or simply expressing disdain, Natsukawa Masuzu kept repeating the same sentence, slowly reaching her hand behind her back and leaning her upper body slightly forward.

The next moment, a glint of sharpness reflected from the blade was mirrored in those dark, cold eyes.

"Don't talk nonsense. As long as 'you' disappear, my chance... isn't it right now?!"

Accompanied by a sharp, excited laugh, silver hair suddenly flew wildly, and a cleaver, flashing silver light, swiftly appeared in front of the two, then was raised high.

"Hahahaha, die!"

Without any semblance of a pretty girl, she grinned, her face filled with an excited and manic smile. Without hesitation, Natsukawa Masuzu forcefully swung her arm down at Yukino Yukinoshita.

Even though he knew it was just acting, Yuu Tenkuji instinctively shielded the girl in his arms, letting the blade slice into his own arm.

"Cut! Cut, cut, cut!"

Behind the group, Isshiki Iroha, holding a camera, shouted and jumped up and down in a fit of anger.

"Ugh! It was a perfect shot that could have been done in one take, so why did Natsukawa-senpai have to kill the wrong person at the end?!"

"You didn't attack the wrong person, did you?"

With an instant change in expression, Natsukawa Masaki tilted her head innocently.

She kept chopping at Tenkuji Yu's strong arm with the prop cleaver in her hand, and seemed to find it very interesting, with a smile unconsciously appearing on her face.

"The villain is also very clever. He knows that he would definitely protect his 'girlfriend' more than himself, so he deliberately attacked Yukinoshita to make him give up the option of running away... No, it would be better if he really ran away, because that way he could destroy their relationship."

"But...but the script..."

"This is how I've interpreted the character, Isshiki-senpai."

Natsukawa Masuzu stared at Isshiki Iroha until she was rendered speechless by the pressure, then turned her gentler gaze to Tenkuji Yu.

"So, do I qualify for 'improvisation' in terms of acting skills? Or am I destined to just rigidly follow the script like them?"

Tenkuji Yuu frowned slightly, looking at Yukino Yukinoshita's bright eyes that seemed to be expecting praise, and then thinking that Yukino Yukinoshita was right beside him, he really couldn't give a false evaluation.

In the end, he could only nod and honestly admit her acting skills.

"An unexpected yet logical blow. Just add the line 'I knew you'd do this,' and you can surprise the audience while explaining the character's madness—just act it out like that from now on."

"Hmm, senpai... Hmph!" With a somewhat disappointed sigh, Isshiki Hatake pouted and turned her head away, sulking as if she were being difficult.

As for Natsukawa Masaki, she naturally wouldn't care about the reaction or mood of a mere junior student who was just a tool.

"Thank you for your recognition, I am truly honored."

After bowing respectfully with his hand on his chest, Natsukawa Masuri suddenly pointed the tip of his sword at Yukino Yukinoshita and said with a smile:

"Oh dear, Yukinoshita, the director's already yelled 'cut'! Why are you still nestled in Tenkuji's arms?"

"...It's because he held me too tightly."

Yukino Yukinoshita gave her a cold glance, then looked up and gave an order to Yuu Tenkuji:

"open."

"Ok."

When Tenkuji Yu let go of her hand, she didn't step aside as if to avoid suspicion, but simply stood there, her fingers unconsciously lightly touching her flushed face.

She took a deep breath, then casually touched her hair, her expression returning to its cool and aloof state, and began to tidy up the hair that wasn't actually that messy.

Yui Yuigahama also emerged from the corner where they had planned to hide, stood next to Yuuto Tenkuji, straightened the wrinkles in Yukino Yukinoshita's clothes, and praised their acting skills.

As if repelled by the air around the three, Natsukawa Masuzu stood alone in front, with no one paying attention to her.

She still had a smile on her face, and even stretched lazily in a good mood.

"Ha! Acting is truly a wonderful thing!"

I wish there were more opportunities like this where I could get close to him and vent my frustrations...

Unfortunately, after nightfall, and having successfully finished filming today's scenes...

Natsukawa Masaki no longer had a chance to appear, and the rest of the time belonged to the three of them.

……

Despite the many minor hiccups along the way, the busy time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to leave.

Students are only allowed to stay on campus to prepare for the cultural festival; otherwise, they can only stay until 6 p.m. at the latest.

After packing their things, everyone left the school before the gates closed.

"That's settled then."

See you tomorrow!

They parted ways in front of the station and turned to leave.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw silver hair fluttering in the wind, and her steps faltered. Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly realized that she and Masuzu Natsukawa were on the same path—or rather, they would not separate until they took the elevator to the tenth floor.

This was originally nothing.

Although she and Natsukawa Masuzu don't get along at all, she is an honest and proud person, and she also has Aikido and self-defense techniques to protect herself.

Regardless of who the target is, Yukino Yukinoshita believes she has no reason to care or be afraid—after all, this is a society governed by the rule of law.

But when she thought about the scene in the corridor that afternoon, where the person next to her was holding a prop kitchen knife and laughing wildly as he charged towards her; even though she knew it was just acting, the vivid and lifelike madness that came towards her was still deeply etched in her memory, giving her a chill just thinking about it.

So, despite the fact that it wasn't necessary, Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly wanted to have someone escort her back.

"Sky Temple..."