I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

As she said this, Tenkuji Yu met the gaze of Yukino Yukinoshita beside her.

'Nice to meet you? I wonder who it was that stole someone's daughter away from her on their first meeting?' — That slightly mocking look seemed to convey that meaning.

Yuu Tenkuji originally didn't intend to pay attention to her. Rather, he was preoccupied with Yukino and Yui, and he couldn't be bothered with anyone except Sora.

But for some reason, perhaps some deep-seated instinct suddenly stirred up, or perhaps his brain temporarily lost its function—in short, temporary cerebral palsy—he turned his head and said to Yang Nai:

"Miss Yang Nai, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

"..." Yukino Yukinoshita was stunned for a long time before her lips twitched twice as her mother turned to look at her with a questioning gaze. Then she gave him a fake smile and said in a barbed tone.

"Me? Yeah, apart from not getting the man I like yet, I'm doing pretty well."

"Yang Nai, there's no need to say such things out loud!"

Mrs. Yukino slapped Haruno's arm reproachfully, while wondering to herself—was there some grudge between them?

Even if it's the enemy who stole your sister, there's no need to say something like that, right? That's not like Haruno's style.

On the other side, Yukino also quietly tugged at the hem of Tenkuji Yu's clothes and gave him a puzzled look.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt a bit stunned..."

Tenkuji Yu rubbed his temples and let out a shallow breath as if he had a headache.

It's no use regretting it now, so he pretended nothing had happened and looked back and forth between the two ladies in front of him.

“Talking here will disturb other people. If it’s convenient, how about I take you to my friend’s stall to rest for a bit and have lunch? It’s on me.”

"When in Rome, do as the host does." Mrs. Yukinoshita nodded politely.

As for Mrs. Yuihama, she drifted along like a carefree young girl, hooking her arm around her daughter's and laughing lightly, making it impossible to understand her thoughts.

With a worried Yukino, a serious-looking Sora who seemed to be in a state of preparation, a gloomy but thoughtful Haruno, a seemingly calm Yui, and two seemingly young and beautiful ladies, Yuu Tenkuji headed towards the school building.

Regardless of whether a chaotic scene awaits him ahead, at the very least... he mustn't let the other students hear their conversation.

……

Inside the stadium, people came and went, but Asuna Yuuki remained sitting blankly in her chair, not coming back to her senses for a long time.

Her soul seemed trapped in the past by that solo performance, unable to break free even now, constantly searching for the key to escape.

Is it nice to listen to? Yes, it is.

Does it look familiar? The way he plays the piano is very familiar, but the piece he plays is completely unfamiliar.

It was such a beautiful and perfect piano piece, more moving than any music she had ever heard before, yet for some reason, Asuna Yuuki couldn't immerse herself in it at all. In fact, the more she experienced the emotions contained within, the more intense the pain in her heart became.

That was a piece he composed for a girl.

That wasn't a piece of music written for her—no one came, she was certain of that, and then she was suffocated by her own sadness, resentment, jealousy, and other emotions.

"As expected... that time in Kyoto was definitely not our first meeting..."

Desperate to regain her senses, Asuna Yuuki bit her lip hard, a resolute and sharp light returning to her unfocused pupils, her nails digging into her palm as she clenched her fist.

There must be something.

They must have forgotten something.

Something must have happened.

There must be something I shouldn't forget, something related to him that happened!

"...Wait for me, I'll remember soon. Absolutely."

An unwavering voice gently fell into the air.

She wiped away the tears that had welled up in the corners of her eyes without her noticing, took a deep breath, and got up from her seat.

While I was lost in thought, those people had already left, and I had no idea where they went or where Tenkuji Yu was.

However, before calling him, Asuna Yuuki wanted to walk around the school alone first, calm herself down, and then meet him in the most prepared and composed manner.

Behind me, two students huddled together, looking at their phone screens, occasionally letting out excited shouts.

"Did you record that? It was so beautiful! It was the first time I'd ever heard someone play the piano so well it almost made me cry..."

"First time? Didn't you come to the autumn performance?"

"Huh? I did take the day off that day..."

"Come on, come on, our fan club has already edited that day's performance into a highlight reel, and it's just as good as this one! ...Speaking of which, it seems that Tenkuji named that song last time 'Spring Rain,' I wonder what it will be this time."

"Naming them? That means both of these songs were his original compositions? That's incredible!"

"What's there to be surprised about? Lord Tenkuji is omnipotent! Alright, alright, calm down. I'm just playing it out loud for you without headphones..."

Then, the sound of a piano, as if spring had arrived and all things were reviving, rang out. Those around who heard it couldn't help but turn their heads and then show expressions of enjoyment.

But by this time, Asuna Yuuki had already walked away alone and left the gymnasium.

……

The first-year classroom was on the first floor. Accompanied by six women—the cutest little sister in the world, a beautiful girl, a beautiful college student, and a beautiful woman—Tenkuji Yu attracted attention as he headed straight for Class 1-A, where Iroha Isshiki and Kanade Tachibana were.

Along the way, he also reopened the system panel to check the status skills he had recently obtained from Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Walls Have No Ears": Select an area centered on yourself, within which all conversations and actions related to the host will not attract the attention of others, nor will they be recorded in any known form.

Simply put, it's a group version of "You Can't See Me," the one who helped him sneak into the resort. It's perfect for sitting down with his mothers-in-law for a meal and a chat, while he confesses that he's two-timing them.

Honestly, Tenkuji Yu has suspected more than once that this broken system rewards her based on the situation—it gives her infiltration skills when she needs to go to the resort to find someone, and it gives her this targeted stealth status when she doesn't want outsiders to hear her conversations. The service quality is excellent, even more considerate than being fed.

And it was this same considerate system that, step by step, led me to this point where I'm now desperately struggling between various women.

"Damn system, are you here to harm me or to help me?" After closing the system panel, Yuu Tenkuji sighed inwardly.

Naturally, the system fell into a deathly silence once again.

Seemingly misunderstanding that he was troubled by the upcoming conversation, Yukino Yukinoshita casually leaned her shoulder against his and whispered firmly:

"Don't worry, I'm here!"

If she weren't afraid of being discovered, she would have already taken his hand to reassure him.

Yuu Tenkuji shook her head without explaining, only giving her a look to reassure her not to worry about herself.

They arrived at Class 1A's classroom quickly. Although it was the busiest time of day at noon, there weren't many people queuing outside, and it was soon their turn to enter.

"Welcome! -- Wait, why is it 'senpai'?!"

He had just shouted that in a sweet tone when the junior schoolgirl's expression immediately changed. She glared at him with an expression that was hard to tell whether it was disgust or shyness. Her glistening, cherry-colored lips twisted into a ball, making her look indescribably charming and cute.

"What? Wasn't it you who told me to come and patronize the business whenever I had time?"

With his arms crossed, Tenkuji Yu looked her over with an air of superiority, then nodded reluctantly: "Well, it suits me fairly well, but a maid outfit is definitely better."

"It suits you perfectly, okay! You big pervert, senpai, you maid-loving guy!" With one hand on her waist, which was cinched so tightly by the tuxedo, Isshiki Hatake bared her teeth at him, but she wasn't as angry as she seemed.

"I did ask you to come, but why did you have to come during the busiest time of the year? That way, I wouldn't have a chance to use chatting with my senior as an excuse to slack off and have you treat me to something to eat, right? You idiot senior, can't you read the room?"

"Hey junior, you've got way too many little tricks up your sleeve..." Tenkuji Yu looked at her speechlessly, almost at a loss for words.

Because of a certain great will that did not want the female students to give away fan service to random characters, Class 1-A, which was originally going to be a maid cafe, was changed to the opposite, a butler cafe. Inside, both men and women wore handsome and fitted butler uniforms. Although they were covered up tightly and did not reveal any skin, their attractiveness was not much less than that of a maid cafe.

Take Iroha Isshiki in front of him, for example. Her flaxen shoulder-length hair was tied into a dashing ponytail. She had a slender, fair nape, delicate, and small earlobes. In addition, her outfit was boyish yet couldn't hide her charming figure. She was clearly trying to dress up as a pretty boy, but her charm as a beautiful girl was on another level.

No wonder Isshiki Hatake was assigned to greet customers at the door. With her cool yet adorable appearance, coupled with her signature charming and coquettish tactics, even I might not be able to resist the temptation and be dragged into the store to make a purchase.

"...Senior, could you please stop staring at me like that?"

It seemed that his thoughtful gaze had lingered on her face for a while, and Iroha Isshiki puffed out her slightly flushed cheeks, looked away awkwardly, and muttered softly.

"If you accidentally fall for someone, just tell them directly. They'll hesitate for a moment before politely rejecting you."

"...You don't need to refuse, I already have a girlfriend."

Yuuki Tenkuji turned around nonchalantly and said to Yukino Yukinoshita, who was behind him because of the narrow doorway, "Yukino, you agree, right?"

"Huh? What did you say?" Yukino blinked, looking a little confused.

Because the entire conversation took place in a situation where "the walls have no ears"—limited to just the two of them.

So neither his conversation with Iroha Isshiki nor the way the junior schoolmate blushed did anything strange to Yukino Yukinoshita, who was standing right next to him. In fact, if someone suddenly started talking to her, she would find it very inexplicable.

...Well, there are many extended uses, but he tries hard not to let himself think divergently, and then uses this state to develop some exciting ways to play.

That's right, it's just something to use to confront my mothers-in-law.

Yuu Tenkuji took a deep breath, and finding it troublesome, he used "Heart of Still Water" to clear his mind of all distractions, while simultaneously withdrawing the "No Ears Behind the Wall" domain.

"It's nothing." After saying that to Yukino, he turned back to Iroha Isshiki. "There are seven of us. Are your seats big enough?"

"Huh? Seven people?"

Isshiki blinked in confusion, then poked her head out the door.

Then, he stood there, mouth agape, stunned, muttering to himself in a daze:

"Senior...did you bring someone to a parent-teacher conference?"

Chapter 157 The Belated Battleground (Part 1)

Appearing before Iroha were two senior students, a younger sister, an older sister, and two ladies who looked so much like their daughters that they could be easily distinguished at a glance.

Following behind Yuu Tenkuji, it was just like a large family visiting the school; they were the most eye-catching people in the entire corridor!

How should I put it...

Surprise gradually turned into a sense of realization, and at this moment, only one thought remained in Iroha Isshiki's mind.

—Truly worthy of being called the senior of Tenkuji!

"Stop spacing out and hurry up and take us to our seats."

After being flicked on the forehead by Yuu Tenkuji, Iroha Isshiki finally came to her senses. She muttered, "I know, I know~" while bowing slightly to the group as a greeting.

Then, she put on a cool, business-like smile, placed one hand on her chest, gestured with the other, and gave a slight bow, perfectly displaying the demeanor of a handsome young butler.

"Young masters and ladies, you've come at the perfect time. Our only large table of guests has just left. Please come with me."

As the group filed in following the signs, Mrs. Yuihama excitedly whispered, "This is my first time in a cosplay cafe... So this is what it feels like to be called 'Miss'? It's amazing!"

"Okay, Mom, I'll take you to a few more places another day... Calm down first!"