I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"I've heard that the first thing a man thinks of after he gets rich is to buy a house and keep his mistress there..."

Tenkuji Yu quickly gestured for her to lower her voice to avoid the two people overhearing and misunderstanding: "I didn't mean it that way! Don't think of your brother as that kind of person..."

Kasugano Sora looked at him suspiciously: "Really? You really don't have the idea of ​​moving to a bigger house, living under the same roof with your two girlfriends, and buying a super-sized bed to sleep with them every day?"

"..." Tenkuji Yu fell silent.

His face trembled slightly, as if he was torn between whether his reputation was more important or his insistence on not lying to his sister was more important.

Before he could answer, Kasugano Sora gave a disdainful snort and turned her face away.

"man!"

Even her Yu, apart from having incredibly strong morals and a sense of responsibility, is actually no different from those male creatures outside who dream of building a harem every day!

And the scariest thing is that, as long as he has that kind of idea, it's not entirely impossible for it to come true...

As that future came to mind, Kasugano Sora frowned and fell into deep thought with a solemn expression.

"Alright, please take good care of Qiong for me and wait for me to come back in the audience."

After escorting Yuihama, her daughter, and her younger sister away from the control room, Yuuto Tenkuji turned to Yukino Yukinoshita and said, "Since you want me to play the piano to buy time, have you prepared everything you need?"

“Of course, the equipment can be put on stage for you anytime.” With other people watching, Yukino Yukinoshita put aside her other thoughts and quickly got into work mode.

"The publicity department should change the draft of the emergency announcement to a program replacement. There's no need to exaggerate the publicity. After it's written, print it out and stick it next to each program schedule on the wall. Then post the announcement on the forum."

"Due to an emergency situation, the Hip Hop Club is unable to perform as scheduled. Therefore, the program at 12:15 has been changed to a solo piano performance by Tenkuji from the Service Club. Please forgive any dissatisfaction. Just write it like this."

"Then everyone else, come with me to the equipment room to prepare for the performance..."

The order had barely been given when a phone call came in.

Yukino Yukinoshita waved to the members, signaling them to go first. She frowned and went to the side to answer the phone. After a while, her eyes widened suddenly, her expression changed rapidly, and she glanced at Yuu Tenkuji with some complicated feelings.

"What's wrong?"

Sensing something amiss in her expression, Tenkuji Yu walked over and asked silently.

After hesitating for a moment, Yukino Yukinoshita gently bit her soft, cherry-pink lips, covered the microphone with her finger, and whispered to him:

“My mom and the others are here. They asked me where I was and said they wanted to come find me...and my boyfriend too, to say a few words.”

"..."

Tenkuji Yuu was speechless for a moment.

What's meant to be will be...

Will what's meant to happen eventually come?

Chapter 154 Yui and Haruno's Mid-Lane Matchup

Now that things have come to this, Yuu Tenkuji was already mentally prepared.

Meeting with both sets of parents is a done deal; the only uncertainty is how things will unfold...

It might just be a false alarm, or it might develop into the worst-case scenario I've ever imagined.

But in any case, he had no way out—well, he never intended to back down anyway.

"I understand. Then let them come over."

The initial shock subsided quickly, and Tenkuji Yu nodded calmly.

"But……"

Yukino Yukinoshita, who still wanted to say something, knew she didn't need to worry about him anymore once she met his eyes.

As Yuu Tenkuji said before, it was his responsibility.

Because they like it, they are willing to take on the responsibility; this is a fact that the three of them agree on.

But he wasn't the only one who made mistakes.

"it is good."

In her brief reply, Yukino Yukinoshita was equally prepared, her eyes calm and resolute, much like his.

She didn't know when it started, but she had gotten used to standing next to him.

This was true in the past, it is true now, and we will face any difficulties with him in the future.

She simply wanted to protect the boy who had become her lover.

Although such love is heavy, it gives people an incredible sense of security, as if they can do anything with him by their side and are no longer the immature person they used to be.

If things continue like this, perhaps one day, even if she really has to forget all of this, she will be able to—

The moment this thought crossed her mind, it felt as if a large hand had grabbed her throat, and her consciousness was briefly gripped by suffocation and pain.

"Yukino?"

Under the concerned gaze of Yuuki Tenkuji, whose brows furrowed slightly, Yukino Yukinoshita slowly exhaled, then turned her face away and calmly spoke into the phone again:

“We’re here at the stadium. Tenkuji-kun is going to perform on stage in half an hour, and we’re not available until then… Just come find us backstage after the performance.”

After saying that, she put away her phone, swept her long hair aside with a flourish, and stepped forward, only allowing Tenkuji Yu to see the whiteness of her profile.

"Let's go, let's go prepare for the performance later."

There was no wavering in his words.

……

"We've finally arrived."

Following Yukinoshita and her daughter, Asuna Yuuki arrived at the gymnasium as if playing a real-life stealth game, and luckily, she was not discovered along the way.

It must have been a very popular performance that had just ended. Many students filed out with satisfied and flushed faces, still discussing how great the performance was and how cute the guitarist and bassist were.

Just as she was about to enter the gymnasium with the two people, she saw students wearing armbands quickly walk out with the crowd, post a flyer on the bulletin board, and then leave in a hurry.

"This is..."

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a notification of a change in the scheduled program.

The gist of the conversation was similar to what Yukinoshita and her mother had just discussed—the hip-hop club members couldn't perform, so they temporarily replaced them with Yuu Tenkuji from the Service Club, who would give a piano performance of about ten minutes.

Yuuki Asuna certainly knew about the Service Club. During their trip to Kyoto, she had asked the three of them what "service" meant, and it sounded like a very interesting little club...

If possible, she wants to join this club after transferring schools, or rather, she absolutely must join!

After all, if her mother doesn't transfer her to a class other than the international education class, it will be difficult to get close to Yuu Tenkuji without actively creating other conditions.

To her surprise, that person actually went on stage to play the piano!

Although it was just a trivial piece of information, my brother hadn't mentioned it at all...

Indeed, to learn more about him, one must get to know him personally.

Leaving her gaze from the announcement, Asuna Yuuki entered the dimly lit gymnasium and looked around at the entrance.

The only light source inside was on the stage; the visibility in the audience depended entirely on the light coming in from outside, but it wasn't pitch black.

She took a step and circled half of the audience seats. Soon she saw Yukinoshita and her daughter, who had arrived a step earlier than her, as well as Yui Yuigahama.

It seemed that Yukinoshita Haruno had taken the initiative to approach them. Yui Yuigahama stood up rather flustered. After exchanging a few words, the five of them sat down in the same row of seats, seemingly chatting about everyday things.

"They know each other... That makes sense, after all, Yuihama-san and Yukinoshita-san are friends."

Yuuki Asuna thought about it for a moment, and for some reason, she didn't really want to go up and greet them right now.

She found a seat that was neither too close nor too far away, where there were people in the front row to prevent her from being suddenly seen, but without completely blocking her view.

As the next performance slowly began, Yuuki Asuna's gaze was not on the stage. Her thoughts drifted to an endless distance, floating in mid-air on a whim of inexplicable familiarity.

"Have I... been here before...?"

Perhaps it will take her half an hour to escape this weightless feeling of being out of place between reality and illusion.

……

"Does Mrs. Yukino watch morning dramas? That actor has a new show coming out recently..."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Yuihama, because I have to help my husband with his work on weekdays, I don't have time to learn about morning dramas..."

"Oh, I see. That's alright then, I'll tell you about the plot..."

Perhaps communication is an essential skill that every middle-aged woman must master. The two married women, who were meeting for the first time, sat together and soon began chatting happily.

On the contrary, Yui Yuigahama was trembling. The usually lively and active girl didn't want to say a word now. She sat stiffly in the chair like a frog being stared at by a snake.

As for the reason, it lies with the female college student who didn't sit next to her mother but specifically came over to sit next to her.

"What's wrong, Tuanzi-chan? How about we have a friendly chat like mothers do?"

Yukinoshita Haruno curled her lips into a half-smile, her eyes filled with the pleasure of teasing others, as if venting the frustration of a day of fruitless attempts.

However, seemingly realizing that she could no longer be so cowardly, Yui Yuigahama suddenly took a breath, then raised her head and straightened her chest, revealing a bright smile to Yukinoshita.

"Of course! Miss Yang, what would you like to talk about?"

As she asked this question, she knew in her heart that the only common topics between the two of them were between her and him.

In this situation, it's only natural that his affairs will be discussed.

"Let's keep our voices down, so they don't hear us."

Seemingly sensing Yui Yuigahama's thoughts, Yukinoshita Haruno raised her index finger to her lips and smiled meaningfully.

"After all, we can't let Yuuyuu and Yukino know our secret, right?"

"..."

After a brief silence, Yui Yuigahama quietly clenched her fist, dropped her fake smile, and stared at her intently.

"Miss Yang Nai, did you know this all along, yet you still deliberately brought your mother here?"

Yukino Yukinoshita shrugged: "I didn't plan on that. I just mentioned it casually earlier, but who knew she would insist on coming."

Yui Yuigahama was taken aback: "Eh? Really?"

Believe it or not.

The smile on her lips slowly faded. She glanced at Yui Yuigahama, who was full of suspicion, and said in a slightly cold tone, "Before you talk about me, you should examine yourself first."