I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Her cheeks flushed deeper and deeper. Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head and sighed softly, seemingly resigned to herself, but without much aversion.

She curled up a strand of her long, black hair, twirled it around her fingers, and fiddled with it, her thoughts churning.

He had said he didn't like ambiguity, so she wanted to figure things out now.

Admittedly, Yuu Tenkuji is a guy with a bad temper, frivolous behavior, a womanizer, a flirtatious nature, and a loose tongue.

His shortcomings are too numerous to list, and he is completely contrary to her ideal man.

How could Yukino Yukinoshita possibly like someone like that?

Rather than saying they are natural enemies, the kind that make you feel disgusted just by looking at them.

...She really held that idea a few weeks ago.

That's why love is such a mysterious thing.

Even if the other person has many flaws, if even one of their strengths attracts you, you can't help but turn back again and again, once, twice, three times... and more and more.

Until you get used to his presence, accept his many shortcomings, and even like how you feel around him, then it's too late for anything else; you can only resign yourself to it.

"I like him."

He wouldn't say such things if he were standing right next to you.

But sitting alone on the bench, Yukino Yukinoshita covered her mouth with her hand, lowered her face, and murmured earnestly, "Hmm... I like it."

Originally, she was just covering her mouth, making such a small gesture that couldn't even be considered a cover-up.

But when she heard herself actually say the word, the girl couldn't help but feel agitated and embarrassed. She pulled a scarf from her bag and wrapped it around her already flushed and hot face, even hiding her ears, and then began to take deep breaths.

"Inhale—exhale—"

The cold air filled my lungs, finally cooling down my overheated head.

As she pressed down on the scarf to reveal a gap, her soft, cherry-pink lips gently exhaled a puff of white smoke, causing her to widen her eyes in surprise—her body temperature had suddenly become so high when it hadn't been there before.

Could he have a fever?

Soon, Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head self-deprecatingly and pursed her lips.

My gaze returned to the figure buying a drink, and my heels unconsciously tapped lightly on the ground.

Perhaps she was too focused, and it wasn't until a voice rang out in front of her that Yukino Yukinoshita realized someone was talking to her.

"Hello, lovely girl, are you alone? Do you have some time?"

Two blond, blue-eyed adult men, whose English was somewhat broken and interspersed with a few French words, were looking at her with admiration and enthusiasm, gesturing as if afraid she wouldn't understand.

'Should I strike up a conversation? Or just ask for directions...?'

As she pondered this, Yukino Yukinoshita reflexively frowned.

The man's tall shadow loomed over her, and the pungent smell of his perfume hit her in the face. Having grown accustomed to his scent, this smell only made her feel more disgusted and nauseous.

After thinking for a moment, she remained seated and spoke to the two foreign men in perfect British accent: "I'm sorry, I came with my boyfriend, and we don't have time right now."

After giving a brief explanation, she quietly lowered her gaze, indicating that she did not intend to continue the conversation.

She doesn't forget to be polite, but when it comes to refusing, Yukino Yukinoshita is just as decisive, having rejected countless advances and confessions since childhood.

But perhaps they were being too polite, or perhaps the other party was also used to being rejected. Instead of leaving, the two foreigners in front of them laughed with great interest, like a pair of mercenaries preparing to challenge a dragon.

"Wow, your English is amazing! We're French, do you speak French? It's the most romantic language in the world!"

"It's okay if you have a boyfriend! I also like hanging out with handsome guys, no problem at all~ Besides, I've heard that Japanese people are very hospitable. This is our first time visiting Japan, so why don't we travel together? I hope your boyfriend is as handsome as me~"

For some reason, the two foreign men burst into laughter in front of the bench.

The girl remained silent, her small hands resting on her knees gradually clenching into fists.

"Hiss... Haa..."

Struggling to suppress her unpleasant emotions, Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath and then exhaled with a sigh.

His slightly lowered face was expressionless, and his eyes were cold and clear, brewing a chilling killing intent.

Here's a brief recap of what happened before.

Whether in China or abroad, she is used to being approached by people and not only does she not get angry about it, but she also knows how to get rid of the other person as quickly as possible.

Therefore, there is only one reason why Yukino Yukinoshita should not do that.

...What did that guy on the left, with his crooked eyes and mouth, who's so self-assured about how cool he is, just say?

Who's as ugly as you? Whose boyfriend would you like to hang out with?

An inexplicable anger burned in her chest, but Yukino Yukinoshita remained remarkably calm.

Think about it carefully, what should an ordinary girlfriend do to protect her rights when she encounters a foreign man who insults her boyfriend's appearance and even has feelings for him?

Beating? Insults?

Should we call the police directly?

After carefully considering the feasibility, Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head, raised her eyes with some regret, and after her gaze passed through the two tall figures, she suddenly thought of the best method.

After whispering a sentence in her heart, she couldn't help but smile, as if ice and snow were melting away.

That genuine, gentle smile made the two people in front of her pause in their laughter, their faces showing a stunned expression.

Unfortunately, Yukino Yukinoshita paid no attention to the two extras, but stared at what was behind them, her eyes narrowing into cute crescent moons with delight.

"Don't give me that scary look. They don't have, and won't have, the chance to do anything to me, okay?"

"No flirting or anything? I can only decide whether to knock out a few teeth depending on the situation."

"Don't worry, at most he just said he's interested in you... I'm the one who should be angry."

"Wow, it seems we're both becoming more and more self-aware as a couple."

Upon hearing the sound, the two foreign men snapped out of their daze at the stunning smile and turned around in surprise to look behind them.

"Hey……"

"This is..."

Before they could finish speaking, the handsome young man holding the drink tilted his head with a smile and said politely and kindly, in the tone of the most perfect waiter:

"Hello, you two. Since you understand English, using English should be effective too, right..."

Without giving them time to react, Tenkuji Yu glared coldly and said in a low voice:

“Stay away from my girlfriend, or I’ll kick your balls.”

The long-unused verbal bullets were forcefully blasted into the ears of the two men.

The next moment, almost reflexively, they raised their hands and shouted:

“J, Je suis vraiment désol!” (French: I'm very sorry!)

Then they ran away quickly in different directions, showing no shame or annoyance at being frightened by the high school student, and ran very fast as if they were afraid he would catch up.

"You actually dare to go out and chat people up with that kind of guts..."

Turning her gaze away from the fleeting figure, Tenkuji Yu curled her lip, casually handing the drink to the girl on the bench as if swatting away a mosquito: "You could have easily dealt with them in a few moves, why did you drag it out until you had to ask me for help?"

"Oh dear, did I ask you for help?" Holding her drink, she grinned like a mischievous kitten leaping onto the shelf with a remote control in its mouth. "You didn't say a word?"

"Your eyes, huh?" Yuu rolled her eyes and lazily sat down next to her. "When you looked at me just now, you were thinking, 'If you don't come and help me right now, you're dead,' weren't you?"

"Hmm...not quite right, but not far off either." She shrugged noncommittally, even throwing in some classical Chinese phrases.

Tenkuji Yu glanced at her speechlessly, too lazy to say anything more, and simply sipped his drink slowly, enjoying this moment of leisure.

Yukino Yukinoshita gently bit her straw, her eyes crinkling as she smiled happily, oblivious to everyone around her, as if she had encountered something delightful.

Only she herself knows the truth.

In the instant her eyes met Tenkuji Yu's, what she thought wasn't something like, "You're dead if you don't come help me right now," but rather a sigh:

Even though you have a terrible personality, are always being irresponsible, and still want to see me scared...

However, you wouldn't do anything to harm me, and whenever I ask for your help, no matter where I am or what danger I encounter, you'll come to my rescue, right?

After so many attempts to strike up a conversation, this is the first time I've felt safe.

Because she felt at ease, she could smile without any reservations; and because she was able to let go of her pride and act coquettishly towards him after confirming that she truly liked him.

"Hey, if I get hit on next time, you'll still come and help me, right?"

"That's not of course... wait, you wouldn't deliberately let someone hit on you so I'd come and rescue you, would you?"

"Am I the kind of person who would do such a pointless thing? You can apologize to me right now."

"You're quite assertive, but it would be even better if you didn't casually rest your head on my shoulder..."

"Shut up, pillow, and don't overthink or talk nonsense."

"Ah, okay, okay... wait, are you sniffing me?!"

"How pathetic, so young and already unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. Looks like only washing your head over at the fountain will calm you down. You're not food, why should I smell you?"

"Because I smell better than those two! Are you lying to deny that fact?"

"Well……"

After resting on a bench for a while, and engaging in some intimate little interactions like a couple that they would never have done before, Yuuki Tenkuji pulled Yukino Yukinoshita to her feet, preparing to head towards their last stop of the day—the Ferris wheel.

On the way, the pure and lovely girl with long, straight black hair sighed listlessly.

"To be honest, I don't like Ferris wheels... Why don't we just go find Yuihama-san instead?"

Are you afraid of heights?

"It's just that I don't like it."

"That means they're afraid of heights."

"Sigh, Tenkuji-kun."

"what happened?"

"Shut up."

"Oh……"

As dusk fell, the cold wind that blew through the withered branches and leaves seemed to grow increasingly eerie.