I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

She raised her hand, seemingly wanting to touch his face, but after a brief hesitation, she lowered it and instead reached for her bag.

In the dark corner of the stairwell, only her voice was as clear as the morning light.

"We kissed at a shopping mall event, we embraced on the balcony of a resort. All the places we went, all the delicious food we ate, and on our last night together at the amusement park, the vows we made, the future we decided on together..."

Taking a deep breath, Yukinoshita Haruno slowly put away her smile and looked at Tenkuji Yu with a serious and indifferent expression.

"If you want to forget all of this, if you decide to abandon all of this, if you really want to pretend that nothing ever happened..."

Then tell me you hate me.

From now on, we'll be like strangers—I'll ask my parents to let me study abroad, and you don't need to worry about us bumping into each other on the road.”

It was less a resolute act and more a tragic one.

Having abandoned all weakness and suppressed her heart-wrenching emotions, she slowly took out a bracelet from her bag.

Carefully wrapped in a plastic bag, it was a testament to how much it was valued; even behind the stairs where little light penetrated, it still shimmered with a gentle, translucent luster.

As Yuu Tenkuji looked at the bracelet, images gradually surfaced in her mind, and she couldn't help but recall many things.

His eyes widened, and he asked incredulously, "Is that... handmade...?"

This handmade bracelet was a gift he made from scratch, step by step, to leave Yukino Yukinoshita with the most beautiful memories.

Although simple, it contained all my reluctance and blessings at that time, and it can be said that it carried a sentiment even stronger and purer than a wooden comb.

Unfortunately, on the way to the hotel, the bracelet came undone and fell to the ground, whether it was pulled or it wasn't tied properly to begin with; Yukinoshita Haruno wanted to spend time picking it up, but he stopped her, thinking it was unnecessary.

After all, things that are meant to disappear will disappear sooner or later.

"That's right, I spent several days making a bracelet that's even prettier than the one you gave me before."

As if oblivious to his increasingly complicated expression, Yukino Yukinoshita unpacked the package, gently touched the beads, and said with a hint of pride, "And the structure has been specially reinforced, so it won't fall apart as easily as it did that day!"

"...Why?" He could only ask this question after opening his mouth.

Yukinoshita smiled.

"Because your promise of 'next time' will never come true, right?"

So, I'll do the things you can't do for you.

It was you then, and it's me this time... all the things you gave and the emotions you experienced.

If this is the end, I want to walk the same path as the person I love most in my memories.

—This is my most precious possession.

Amidst the stunned expression on Tenkuji Yu's face, Yukinoshita Haruno handed him the bracelet, her smiling eyes gleaming with nostalgia.

"Little Youyou, stretch out your left hand."

This is something he once said.

Back then, they were a dazzling display of romance and affection, but now shadows loom over them, leaving even bystanders speechless.

"I'll give you three seconds. If you don't extend your hand, it will be considered that you have already answered that you hate me."

Despite speaking so casually, every word and sentence seemed to press down on the air, making Yuu Tenkuji forget to breathe for a moment, and even unsure whether she should raise her hand.

He simply stared blankly and in astonishment, as if locked in the gentle gaze of Yukino beneath the snow, unable to move.

"three."

There's no going back. Those decisions we made... we can't let things get any worse.

"two."

Let's draw a clear line here. The fewer people who get hurt, the better. Anyway, it's all the system's fault.

"one."

—Don't let her threaten you, this is all Yukino Yukinoshita's scheme! Think about Yukino, think about Yui, you already don't like her anymore, all the pity and sympathy you feel afterward are just choices that only a scumbag would make.

The countdown has ended during this mental tug-of-war.

"Oh, what a pity."

Relieved, Yukinoshita smiled brightly.

"It seems my first love is going to end here."

Chapter 129 True Sisters - Dedicated to Killing Him Alone - A Battlefield of Bloodshed (2/2)

Yukinoshita Haruno smiled more easily than anyone else.

However, tears flowed uncontrollably like a burst dam. The unbearable sorrow and grievances, along with the heart that had been brutally ripped open, gushed out bright red blood and clear tears.

At that moment, she didn't even have time to put on a mask.

“Yonai…” Yuu Tenkuji murmured unconsciously.

Ka!

The pupils reflecting her image had shrunk to their limit, and a crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out from the depths of her heart.

Yuu Tenkuji bit her lip.

"If only I hadn't regained my memories."

Yukinoshita sniffed.

Unable to control the soreness and redness in my eyes and nose, I no longer wanted to care about my choked and trembling voice.

In this blurry world, she gazes longingly at him before her, longingly at the memories she once thought would last forever.

And she said softly:

"I love you, little Youyou."

"This was true in the past, it is true now, and it will be true tomorrow."

"But things won't be like that in the future."

Her trembling, powerless teeth clenched suddenly, her face hardening with rage. She gripped both ends of the bracelet, a cold, almost triumphant laugh escaping her lips.

"This kind of thing shouldn't even exist!!!"

The bracelet suddenly tightened, the beads trembled violently, and a creaking sound came from it as if it were about to reach its limit.

Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes widened, still reeling from the shock of her sister's tears, her body reflexively lunging forward, reaching out her hand and shouting:

"Wait--"

Is it necessary to stop it? I don't know.

Is this the right thing to do? I don't know.

Suddenly, I realized that if I let her tear the bracelet, perhaps the sister who genuinely smiled would leave me forever...

Whatever the future holds, it's an outcome that Yukino Yukinoshita doesn't want to see.

However, this thought and action had only been in mind for a second when it was interrupted by a figure blocking his way.

My body is no longer stiff, and my thoughts are no longer hesitant.

He grabbed Yukino's hand and easily disarmed her, snatching the bracelet back intact.

Once he withdrew his hand, his clear voice seemed to follow his movements, completely shattering the heaviness and paleness in the shadows.

"You win, Yukinoshita Haruno."

"……What's the meaning?"

Tears continued to fall as Yukinoshita stared intently at him.

Tenkuji Yuu lowered his head, looking at the cheap plastic beaded bracelet. Not knowing what expression to make, he simply kept a blank face.

"I like Yui Yuigahama, and I also like your sister... And now, even if my feelings haven't returned, I simply can't hate you as a person."

He spoke these words almost through gritted teeth, as if complaining or mocking himself, his eyes filled with frustration and entanglement.

In short, all my words can be summed up in this one sentence:

"What I mean is, you woman, you're incredibly cunning!"

Who could possibly remain unmoved by saying goodbye in this way?

……

Yuu Tenkuji knew all along that if Yukinoshita was an ice crystal, then Yukinoshita was a piece of glass.

The stronger the sunlight, the brighter she becomes, while she dims and falls silent in the darkness; she is strong yet fragile, and when she breaks, she scatters fragments, wanting to cause mutual destruction with those who hurt her.

If you get involved with her, be prepared to be harassed to death.

"Really are……"

He slowly tightened his grip, feeling the lingering warmth of the bracelet, and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Finally, for some reason, I let out a laugh that was both painful and helpless.

"Fate is never what we want."

After expressing her feelings, Yuu Tenkuji raised her head again.

He looked at Yukino's tear-streaked, utterly disheveled face, sighed, and took out his handkerchief.

"Hey, don't act like I bullied you... You only lost love, but I'm going to continue fighting against the omnipotent god."

Seeing that Yukino was still staring blankly at him, as if she hadn't realized what he had done, Yuutokuji simply shoved a handkerchief at her still pretty face, which was covered in makeup, and wiped it haphazardly.

...Just like memories.

Even if you have lost something in the past, as long as you can still think and as long as you still have a heart, you will accumulate new things in the future and continue like this.

They were taken away, eliminated, and then met again. Similar yet different feelings arose, and their hearts were stirred by each other.

To abandon it decisively? I can't do that, unless the memory itself disappears.

Just because of that one brush with him at the corner, perhaps his life was destined to be plagued by this older woman, causing him headaches and stomachaches?

Like new shoots breaking through the soil from beneath the ashes.

Feeling defeated and resigned, Tenkuji Yu silently asked the system in her heart.