I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Yuu Tenkuji nodded politely: "Yes, the high school has a cultural festival today."

The florist looked nostalgic: "Cultural festival? It really brings back memories. Back then, we used our cultural festival to protest against the school and the government, fighting for autonomy..."

“Times have changed, big sister.” Without stopping, Yuu Tenkuji led Sora past the flower shop. “If you have time today, you can come and visit our school and enjoy the contemporary youth atmosphere.”

"You brat, are you trying to say I'm out of touch with the times?!" The florist waved her cigarette in feigned anger, glancing at the little burden beside him and raising an eyebrow.

"Is this your sister?"

Tenkuji Yu smiled: "You guessed right. They seem to have a sibling-like relationship."

The florist shrugged: "It's alright, but you don't look like the type to date someone younger."

"...I can only say that your guess is completely unfounded. I'll be going now, you can continue with your work."

With a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, and amidst the florist's hearty laughter and farewell, Tenkuji Yu walked away quickly, expressionless.

Kasugano Sora followed his steps, her small hands hooked around his arm. She not only didn't seem as nervous as before, but even showed a slightly relaxed, teasing smile.

"Yu, does that mean the whole shopping street knows you're into older men?"

"Don't listen to that auntie's nonsense. She doesn't know that most of the girlfriends I've dated are my age." Yuu Tenkuji rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Next time I see her carrying goods during my morning run, I won't help her. She's completely ungrateful."

"Hey~ So that's how you two met..." Kasugano Sora narrowed her eyes.

"Not really. Back when I was working odd jobs everywhere, I knew almost everyone on the entire shopping street."

Yuu casually returned the greeting from the lady at the nearby fruit and vegetable stall, accepted two apples, thanked her, and gave one to Sora before continuing:

"To save money, I used to go around trying to build good relationships with my neighbors, pretending to be a good kid. Those uncles and aunties used sweet words and even offered their bodies... So many of the ingredients you used to eat were gifts you received from them. If you really want to talk about it, the whole shopping street was kind to my family, right?"

But it wasn't some great favor that would make him grateful to tears. After all, as a middle school student, he had to endure humiliation and put aside his pride as a transmigrator to act cute and charming to these vendors. He even helped with some physical labor occasionally, and for this, he paid the price of having his cheeks rubbed red and his hair almost shaved off.

So when they saw that he was getting more and more handsome and started asking him if he had a girlfriend, trying to get him to do something to their daughter, Yuu Tenkuji decisively changed his route and never went near that shopping street again unless absolutely necessary.

"I see..."

After hearing his explanation, Kasugano Sora's expression inexplicably quieted down, and she didn't say anything more.

However, when the old woman at the grocery store greeted them, she raised her head for the first time, biting her lip slightly, and nodded gently in response.

Then she immediately shrank behind him, refusing to come out no matter what.

The mother-in-law chuckled, her eyes full of affection: "Such a shy child. Is she your little sister?"

Yuu patted Sora's head, a look of satisfaction on his face, and answered softly:

"Yes, she is my cutest and most important little sister."

……

After saying goodbye to the old lady at the general store, Yuu Tenkuji put her spoils—a small box of konpeito (Japanese candy)—into Sora's hood pocket.

After passing through the quiet alley and exiting the shopping street, you are in front of the bustling station center. The holiday crowds of office workers have been greatly reduced, but you can see many students in school uniforms swiping their cards to enter the ticket gate.

"Yu, I suddenly thought of something."

Under his guidance, Kasugano Sora entered the station after many years, and even the sound of swiping her electronic ticket felt completely unfamiliar to her.

Then, moving on to a completely unrelated topic: "The only two girlfriends you've dated before, and the ones you're currently close to breaking up with?

It's obvious that she was referring to Yukinoshita and Masuzu Natsukawa.

Tenkuji Yu looked over in confusion.

The fact that something had gone unanswered a few days ago has suddenly been brought up again, which is quite unexpected.

After hesitating for a moment, he honestly replied, "...There is a third person, but she lives far away, so we probably won't see each other again."

Kasugano Sora fiddled with his fingers, pondering thoughtfully, "Really? I thought it was that florist lady."

Tenkuji Yu's face twitched, and he sighed speechlessly.

"Little sister, your guess is really outrageous."

"Auntie is fine. As long as it's not that old lady from the fruit and vegetable shop, I can accept it."

"But I can't accept it!"

Tenkuji Yu retaliated by squeezing her hand, leaving a red mark easily on her fair and soft skin: "Don't guess wildly. That girl is both beautiful and gentle, and her fighting power is exceptionally high. I almost lost to her back then."

It seems that due to the very vague wording, these remarks about Asuna Yuuki were not censored by the system.

"There are actually monsters like this..."

With a hint of disbelief, Kasugano Sora looked up, her eyes peeking at him from under her hood.

He seemed to want to say something, but only silently asked himself:

"So, after you came back from Kyoto, that gloomy expression, that dejected attitude, and that sense of loss... were all because of these 'girlfriends'?"

Although the details are unclear, he seemed to have said something like this: with each new girlfriend, she would forget him once, and all his past memories and experiences would be wiped clean.

Even if the feelings of love have faded, the feeling of being forgotten by someone you once liked must be unpleasant, right?

Kasugano Sora will never forget the scene when he lay on the sofa and asked her to be his lap pillow for the first time.

Why has Yu, who was always strong and confident, become so weak? What exactly happened during her trip to Kyoto? — She had asked this question before, but never received a clear answer.

Now I realize that it wasn't that he didn't want to say it, but rather that he couldn't bring himself to say it because "someone above was watching."

Only now do I realize that those perplexing sighs were all a final farewell to the forgotten self.

The more we regret the fleeting beauty of life, the more cruelly beautiful this world becomes.

It was only now that Kasugano Sora realized that the words he uttered contained three regrets, three cruelties, and more than three wounds.

No one but himself understood how deeply he was hurt.

'After doing that to Yu, you still dare to pester him...'

Thinking of this, an inexplicable anger welled up in her heart, and Kasugano Sora subconsciously clenched her hands and gritted her teeth.

Yuu Tenkuji noticed something was wrong and looked down at her with concern: "Sora, what's wrong?"

"...It's nothing." Kasugano Sora relaxed her grip, pulled down her hood, and said calmly, "I was just wondering if that flat-chested cat fetishist would have forgotten about you too."

Yuu Tenkuji didn't take it seriously: "You mean Yukino? Probably, if nothing unexpected happens."

"Are you ready?"

"Anyway, it's not the first time."

She paused, then forced a sound from her throat: "Don't you feel...tired?"

"Tired?... Ha, maybe."

Hearing the shouts from the ticket counter, Tenkuji turned around and waved to Yui Yuigahama, who was rushing into the station and running towards him with her dango ball.

An unconscious smile crept onto his lips. His eyes were gentle, and he spoke softly, calmly yet firmly:

"With you all supporting me, I won't give up no matter how tired I am."

Even with a system, Yuu Tenkuji cannot escape the category of humanity; and the word "human" requires someone to support him in order to stand up.

No matter how many times he is forgotten, as long as the remaining support does not disappear, he will always be able to move towards the future he wants to see.

"..."

Biting her lip in frustration, Kasugano Sora could only nod silently, gripping his hand tightly once more, conveying her feelings through her body heat.

She was just an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl, unable to interfere with the decisions of an entity that could manipulate the world and memories.

As Kasugano Sora's only family member, there's only one thing she can do now.

'It's my responsibility to protect Yu from those people and prevent him from suffering further harm...!'

Chapter 142 I'm Not a Closet Pervert!

This book was compiled by the [Hedgehog Cat Pineapple Bun Novel Exchange Group]. Copyright belongs to the original author. The text is for preview purposes only!

More novels are available in the [Hedgehog Cat Pineapple Bun Novel Exchange Group] 488749799

After meeting up with Yui Yuigahama, the three of them took a car to Inage Kaigan Station on the Keiyo Line, the closest station to Sobu High School.

It's a 15-minute walk from here to Chiba Municipal Sobu High School.

"It smells like the sea..."

As soon as she stepped out of the station, Kasugano Sora twitched her little nose and looked around.

Yui Yuigahama explained with a smile, "Because our school is by the sea, right next to the Inagekai Coast and Tokyo Bay, and the seaside park here is also very famous!"

"Really? I've lived in this area for so long, and this is the first time I've heard of it..." Kasugano Sora muttered, looking at Tenkuji Yu, "Have you been there?"

"Never been there, are you interested?"

"No interest," she answered decisively, then paused and added in a low voice, "...If there aren't many people, it would be nice to go see the sea."

"Let's wait until summer. It's too cold at the beach now, and just looking at the sea isn't very fun." Yuu patted her head thoughtfully. "The last time you swam was when you were ten, wasn't it? Shouldn't you buy a new swimsuit?"

"It's still early, at least another six months." With a complaining tone, Qiong's lips curled up slightly.

"Could it be that those swimsuits from back then are still wearable now?"

"How could that be!" Her smile vanished instantly. If Tenkuji Yu hadn't pulled her hand back quickly, she might have bitten her hand in anger. "Yu, you idiot, did you think I stopped developing?!"

If it weren't for the fact that they were in public and Yui Yuigahama was watching, Kasugano Sora would definitely have pulled his hand over and shown him just how well he had developed!

I secretly tested it before, and although I can't lie and say it's big, it's at least a B cup!

"I want to go too!" Yui Yuigahama raised her hand excitedly, her bright eyes looking back and forth between the two of them. "Let me go with Sora to choose a swimsuit. I'm thinking of getting a new swimsuit from middle school."

“Okay, it’s settled then.” Tenkuji Yu had no objections and directly decided on the event that would happen six months later.

As for Kasugano Sora, although she didn't show any obvious rejection on her face, she looked Yuigahama Yui up and down, her gaze lingering on her chest, which was still clearly visible despite her winter coat, for a few seconds before she pouted slightly in disgust, snorted, and turned her head away.

"Let's forget it. Yu can come with me to pick one out. I don't need that wretched dumpling."

"Eh?! Why~" Looking like she was about to cry, Yui Yuigahama tugged at Sora's sleeve without any semblance of seniority, sobbing in a wronged tone, "I didn't do anything, so why does Sora hate me—"

"It's because you did nothing that I hate you."

"That's so unreasonable!"