I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

He recalled the scene when Yui Yuigahama caught up with them after they left the cafe.

She had only said one sentence in the heat of the moment, but she thought she had angered Yukino Yukinoshita and caused her to leave in a huff. She immediately felt guilty and bowed solemnly to apologize, which made Yukino Yukinoshita panic and not know how to comfort her.

After much persuasion, the two finally shifted the blame onto Haruno and Masuzu, putting her at ease with her guilt. In the end, the three of them left the amusement park together, took a group photo in front of the Christmas tree at the entrance, went to a nearby restaurant for dinner, and then went home under the escort of Tenkuji Yu.

As for matters related to the mission and the past, Yui Yuigahama didn't ask any further questions, simply offering words of encouragement with a smile.

"Two people who like each other and are truly in love can overcome any difficulty! Besides, there are three of us, so let's cheer each other on! I'll be by your side!"

She was simply happy that the two were genuinely dating, and she simply wanted to face the future with them and persevere no matter what happened—compared to herself, who would take Haruno's bracelet out of pity, Yui Yuigahama's resolve was clearly stronger and more determined.

If it is said that only those who have been hurt become strong, then how much pain must one endure to sculpt the Yui Yuigahama we know today?

Thinking of this, my heart was filled with pity and guilt, and my belief in giving her happiness became even stronger.

Even so, Yukino Yukinoshita's image still lingers in my mind; every smile, every frown, and every scene of her black hair fluttering in the cold wind are vividly present in my mind.

Although she felt somewhat helpless and even began to dislike herself, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but smile.

'So this is what it feels like to like two girls at the same time.'

The ripples in my heart caused by missing the two of them were a mix of sweetness and distress, but there was no bitterness of regret.

—Fine, I'll just be a jerk!

He couldn't bear to give up either of them, so at least before the mission ended, he would throw away his morals and have a proper relationship, so that his life of "having two girlfriends" wouldn't leave any regrets!

After summarizing her feelings about today's date, Yuu Tenkuji made this decision.

"I wasn't the one who got cheated on, how would I know how much determination she made? Besides, the one who's the philanderer is clearly You, how can you say something like that so casually!"

Behind her, Kasugano Sora, unusually, stood up for Yuigahama Yui, throwing down her game console and angrily accusing her: "Yu, you scumbag! You're not satisfied with having a cute little sister and a big-breasted girlfriend? Do you want to add all the girls who came to our house that day to your harem? Oh, and Yukinoshita's older sister and that silver-haired pervert—with so many girls eyeing you, do you think you're the male lead of a light novel?!"

"Just two, just two, that's all." With that perfunctory reply, Yuu Tenkuji resumed typing. "I'll bring them home to play another day. Whether they want to play mahjong or video games, it's fine. You'll definitely be able to accept them after spending time with them."

"Now is not the time to talk about that! You've committed bigamy. It's understandable that the little dumpling is a bit silly, but how could that seemingly smart guy with black hair and a flat chest agree to let you have your cake and eat it too?!"

"Because I asked her to do it." Skipping over the details, Tenkuji Yu stated the result matter-of-factly.

"You asked her and she agreed?!"

With an incredulous tone, Kasugano Sora jumped to the edge of the bed, asking with a strange mix of nervousness, "Are high school students this free to date these days? What if I told them I want to marry Yu in the future...?"

Yuu Tenkuji said helplessly, "Living together shouldn't be a problem, but no one can accept a brother and sister getting married, right?"

Kasugano Sora gritted her teeth in resentment, then threw herself against the back of the computer chair and hugged his head: "We're not even blood siblings! You're allowed to commit bigamy, but I'm not allowed to get close to... cough cough, do you like your cousin who's lived with you since childhood?"

Is this guy planning to say a word that will be censored?

Tenkuji Yu rolled his eyes, letting her rub her chin against the top of his head, and comforted her as usual, "Okay, okay, we'll talk about the future later. Anyway, even if your brother has two girlfriends now, he won't forget to come home and take care of you."

"If it weren't for Yu, I would have given the person who said that a kick that would make them lose all their genitals!"

After saying this fiercely, Kasugano Sora released her hands from his neck, which were wrapped around his neck as if she wanted to strangle him, and groaned as she fell back onto the bed, crumpling his blankets in a fit of rage.

"Yu wasn't like this before. It turns out all the girls outside... are bad people!"

"No, the reason for my infidelity is still my own fault." While scanning the email, Tenkuji Yu casually said, "Your brother is actually a very greedy person. Unless I really can't do it, I won't let go of anything I want, even if I know I will be scolded by others... It's just that I am occasionally disturbed by rational thinking, which makes it difficult for me to make a decisive choice."

"..." Kasugano Sora suddenly stopped what she was doing, remained silent for a few seconds, and then spoke quietly.

"Is it the same as when you wanted to work and be independent but didn't want other relatives to support you?"

Recalling the past, Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but laugh: "Yeah, it was really tough back then. Every day, well-meaning relatives would come to our house to 'kindly advise' me not to make you suffer or anything like that."

"They're idiots," Kasugano Sora muttered, burying her face in the blankets.

"Only fools let their children work to support themselves. Reality isn't a light novel. I, your brother, don't write novels to make money. Any conscientious person couldn't just leave it unattended, right?"

Tenkuji Yu shrugged and said in a relaxed tone, "Fortunately, those seemingly wrong choices have now become the right ones... So they are the fools, and I am the winner."

“That’s right!” Curled up on the bed, Kasugano Sora let out a happy, cat-like laugh. “Hehe, I love Yu’s shameless confidence!”

"Where am I shameless..." Tenkuji Yu pouted.

He suddenly stopped typing, pulled open the desk drawer, and saw a beaded bracelet stored in a transparent box.

Under the lamplight, the colorful and exquisitely crafted bracelet seemed to shimmer with the neon lights of memories, but upon closer inspection, it was just an ordinary little ornament worth only a few hundred yen.

Tenkuji Yu let out a soft breath, closed the drawer, and calmed her mind.

Whether it's playing both sides, genuinely falling in love with Yukino Yukinoshita, or temporarily accepting Haruno's necklace as a delaying tactic...

I'm sure my future self will agree with all the choices I've made today.

I can't agree with that... Haha, well, there's nothing I can do about it, that's just what I want to do.

Tenkuji shrugged, stretched out his fingers, and his eyes were full of spirit.

—If you don't want to give up, then just like when I worked to support my younger sister, grit your teeth and keep going!

He has nothing to fear as long as he is not alone.

"By the way, Yu."

"what happened?"

"Your school's cultural festival is coming up soon, right?"

"It's next weekend, isn't it? Didn't you say you wanted me to take you? What, you don't want to go anymore?"

"No, of course I'm going."

Kasugano Sora rolled over, grabbed her phone from the bedside table, opened Notepad, and quickly typed in some words.

Yukino Yukinoshita, Yui Yuigahama...

The older sister beneath the snow, the silver-haired kissing maniac...

Junior, Kozo...

—Six, that should be it, right?

A thoughtful look flashed across her face, but she continued casually, "I hope that when we go shopping, we don't run into your other female friends at school, all vying to become my sister-in-law."

"Heh, you're overthinking it." With a sneer, Tenkuji Yu said proudly, "Just because I'm popular at school doesn't mean I'm a shameless hormone-spreading machine... You'll find out soon enough how aloof your kind and amiable brother really is to others!"

Kasugano Sora rolled her eyes cutely: "Then I'll just look forward to it without expecting anything in return."

"Are you even looking forward to it?!"

"I have expectations, but not all of them."

Inside the room, the siblings' conversation returned to a peaceful tone.

As night deepened, the stars and moon became hidden, and the cold wind chilled the balcony glass.

"..."

Turning her gaze away from the neon-lit streetscape, Yukino Yukinoshita turned away from the window, her sleeves longer than her palms, the hot black tea she held now cold.

She walked slowly toward the armchair, her dark blue eyes still seeming to reflect the colors of the night, unlike her bright and spirited gaze that morning.

"If you date for a certain purpose and develop genuine feelings in the relationship, you will lose your memory at a crucial moment... and end up like your sister and Natsukawa."

I don't know how many times this sigh has slipped from my lips and disappeared into the quiet air.

She curled up into the soft sofa, her knees bent. Even though the heating was on, her delicate, white toes twitched as if they were cold, and her clenched teeth almost left marks on her lips.

Her black hair hung down to her waist, piled messily behind her.

Yukino Yukinoshita simply tilted her head back and stared blankly at the fluorescent light, as if trying to find an answer that could calm her mind from the dazzling halo.

But as time passed, only a desolate echo lingered in my heart.

"So, is this my fate?"

"If I complete his request, I will lose all my memories from the past to the present, and he will see me as a nuisance that will allow him to get close to his next target..."

Will I one day cry and make a painful decision to force him to stay with me?

"That kind of thing... absolutely not."

As if sensing fear, the black-haired girl slowly hunched her shoulders, buried her face in her knees, and her slender, petite body trembled slightly.

This was the first time, and Yukino Yukinoshita hated how fast her brain worked.

I hate that I saw things clearly, and I hate that I imagined the worst possible outcome before anything even happened.

That's not foresight; it's just a coward making excuses for his hesitation.

"Why would such an illogical thing happen... Why did I fall in love with him before I even knew about this...?"

A faint, ethereal voice kept questioning itself; it was constantly being pulled by confusion until its entire heart sank into a bottomless pit, unable to see even a glimmer of light.

"Can anyone tell me what to do..."

She was like a kitten shoved into the ground by snow, curled up shivering with cold, so lonely that she couldn't even cry for help.

That was Yukino Yukinoshita, whom she absolutely did not want others to see—vulnerable, helpless, and ridiculously real.

The reason she was so angry that she left the private room in the coffee shop was not only because of her sister and Natsukawa Masuzu's deliberately provocative words.

Or perhaps it was because she was thinking about her future, about the future Service Department.

[

She lost her memory of that time, and he lost his feelings for her.

When the two walked hand in hand into the clubroom, she simply looked up, greeted Yuihama-san first, and then looked at him indifferently.

"Good afternoon, Tenkuji-kun."

A hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes, but there was no lingering attachment. He simply smiled naturally and answered in this way.

Good afternoon, Yukinoshita.

]

"..."

The scene was the same as always, but starting today, it brings a heart-wrenching pain.

That resolute and unwavering determination, after leaving his side, became more fragile than snowflakes.

And so, I don't know how much time passed.

After leaving the sofa, Yukino Yukinoshita put the empty teacup in the sink, washed it quickly, and went straight into the bathroom.