I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

She shifted restlessly in the chair, wanting nothing more than to rush up to him, grab his collar, and yell at his stupid face that was good for nothing except for his good looks. She didn't care if she spat on his face; she just wanted to vent the anger that was simmering inside her.

She was so angry that her breasts swelled up several sizes!

Kasumigaoka Utaha's schedule for the whole day was very simple.

From the moment she left the flyers in the morning, she used her notebook to track Tenkuji Yu's whereabouts and followed him closely.

He went to the audiovisual classroom to watch a movie, and she waited outside.

He and his girlfriend strolled happily through the school festival, while she casually walked past the stalls, ignoring the annoying advances.

He was performing on the stage, and she paid for a ticket to go see him.

She also received a round of applause after the piano solo performance;

And now, in order to come into Class A of the first year to check the situation, she even waited outside for ten minutes for a seat!

—What the hell are you doing, you bastard!

Do you really think I'm your die-hard stalker?!

"Damn it..."

Her trembling fingers, trembling with anger, made the liquid in the teacup shake as if an earthquake had struck. She took two more sips of tea, trying to calm her increasingly agitated mood.

Unfortunately, the notebook in his hand wasn't the Future Diary, so he couldn't predict Tenkuji Yu's actions and could only follow behind and monitor him.

To warn him about the "girl who tried to pierce his heart with a sword," Kasumigaoka Utaha needs to know when he will be heading to Class 3-A, and then rush back to the stall before he arrives, disguising herself as a fortune teller to pass on this information.

If she had a choice, she wouldn't want to be a riddle teller either!

But the warning in her notebook made her not even dare to try any other methods.

For example, you could get his contact information and send him threatening text messages... But it would be a miracle if he believed you, and he might even call the police and take you away.

Humans are such pathetic creatures, only able to make choices when they have no other options.

Ultimately, if she had someone she could trust at this school, why would she have personally gone to the sea to contact Tenkuji Yu...?

Just observe from a distance, why do you have to jump into this bottomless pit?

"If I could go back to summer vacation, I would definitely break the legs of that guy who randomly followed people. What was he trying to find material for? Curiosity killed the cat. You never know if you're following an ordinary person or a light novel protagonist!"

After finishing her last sip of black tea, Kasumigaoka Utaha placed the teacup on the table, slowly exhaled a breath of hot air, and then opened the notebook on the table.

"Hmm...Did you confront your girlfriends' mothers? Judging from their harmonious expressions, you must have succeeded, right?"

She glanced at the contents above, then looked up at the seven-seater behind her. She curled her lip in disdain, once again labeling Tenkuji Yu negatively in her mind.

No matter how talented a scumbag is, only a girl who is easily fooled and has a poor sense of reason would fall head over heels for him.

Even if she was initially deceived by his gentle and perfect nature, once she learned about his past actions and his lingering entanglements with so many other people, a smart girl would have already distanced herself from him to protect herself, rather than willingly sacrificing her own feelings and compromising to become "one of" his girlfriends.

In a romance novel, only third-rate authors would write such a plot, producing fourth-rate books!

"To be honest, a sadomasochistic love triangle is clearly the most suitable relationship for them..."

Shaking her head and sighing, Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly realized something and froze in place.

—Let's make a bold guess: what if they were influenced by "something about him" that made them fall in love with him without realizing it, become his girlfriends, and even give up a lot for him?

Conspiracy theory!

She was startled and rubbed the goosebumps that had risen on her arms, trembling slightly.

Because in this way, she might become his next target, her mind controlled by something as mysterious and terrifying as this notebook, ultimately ending up with the same tragic fate as those women!

No! I don't want that kind of future!

"Is there any way to avoid this...?"

My mind raced, and I forced myself to calm down, silently observing the movements over there.

Although it was puzzling why they were talking loudly about cheating and holding hands under the table—an act that was clearly visible from behind—no one seemed to notice the strange situation.

But if even the world can be remade, it doesn't seem so strange that he has a magic that allows him to have an affair without being discovered.

Thinking of this, Kasumigaoka Utaha subconsciously put aside her earlier worries and began to speculate with great interest about how many special abilities he might possess.

After all, he's a novelist; it's impossible for him not to be interested in something that defies common sense!

And so, after three more cups of black tea, Kasumigaoka Shi** finally waited until it was time for them to get up and pay the bill.

"Phew, I've been waiting for so long..."

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and watched the group leave the classroom. Then she got up to pay the bill, hanging far behind the group of conspicuous people, maintaining a distance where she could react at any time.

Arriving at the top of the stairs, Kasumigaoka Utaha was taken aback at first, then felt a surge of excitement as she watched them walk up the stairs with what seemed like a preordained destination and without hesitation.

"It's not easy, you finally knew to come looking for me! Quick, don't stop, hurry up and get to the third floor!"

Then, the moment they take a step onto the stairs to the third floor, she turns around and runs, heading straight for Class 3-A classroom via the other side of the stairs!

Everything had been arranged beforehand, and the distance and timing were favorable to her—thank God! Everything was finally going to proceed according to plan!

Having waited all morning, she was probably just as excited as when she found out the novel was a bestseller.

Risking being discovered, Kasumigaoka Utaha quickened her pace to close the distance between them, and went upstairs with them through a small crowd.

The expectant eyes climbed higher and higher with the stairs. Three more steps and you'd be on the second floor. Two steps, one step... Great, just keep going up like this!

You've already visited all the booths of all the classes on the second floor, you can't possibly visit them again, can you?

Now that you're going up to the second floor, you're definitely going to the third floor to find that sleazy guy who deliberately threw you a flyer and hid there, right?

Like a fan watching their idol pick up the microphone and go on stage, ready to cheer for his singing, Kasumigaoka Utaha gazed at his back with eyes full of trust and expectation.

Upon reaching the second floor, Tenkuji Yu walked without hesitation towards the staircase leading to the third floor.

Then, without looking back, he walked past, leading his family and friends towards the sky bridge.

Kasumigaoka Utaha: "..."

She slowly stopped in her tracks, her aura condensing between the first and second floors, as if she had transformed into a beautiful statue, staring blankly at his departing figure.

If emotions could be expressed through color, she would probably be entirely covered in a mix of blue and black right now—blue representing the sadness of having misplaced her trust, and black representing a growing, almost manic murderous aura.

People came and went in the stairwell, and many noticed her expressionless face and deep sadness in her eyes. The desolate and gloomy shadows that fell on her caused some of the more sensitive men to feel a pang of pain in their hearts and to feel sorry for her.

Was she dumped by her boyfriend? Or did something sad happen to her?

Like a scarecrow attracting the attention of a flock of birds, before long, someone finally mustered up the courage to try to talk to this top-tier beauty who was both beautiful and alluring, pure yet seductive.

Before it could even speak, the statue suddenly came to life, and in a fit of rage, it slammed the notebook in its hand to the ground and stomped on it twice with its long, black-stockinged legs that could make anyone lick their bones.

Her vibrant black hair flew wildly in her anger.

"That shitty bastard!"

"..."

After venting her anger on the laptop for a while, she took a deep breath, ignoring the horrified and astonished looks from those around her, picked up the undamaged laptop, dusted it off, and walked upstairs with a cold and aloof expression.

……

"Hmm~ Virtual Game Research Club, is this the way we go?"

After calming down, Asuna Yuuki didn't rush to find Yuu Tenkuji. Instead, she leisurely strolled around the cultural festival and walked towards the club building.

She remembered the task her brother had asked her to do. Looking at the time, the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament should be starting soon, so she could go there now to check on things.

Of course, barring any unforeseen circumstances, she wouldn't bully children!

After emptying her stomach and throwing the food scraps into the trash can, Asuna Yuuki patted her slightly bulging belly and let out a satisfied sigh.

After confirming the location of the Virtual Game Research Club, she hurried over.

Although this club is small in size and its classroom is small and remote, perhaps it is because of the great reputation of the RECT virtual infiltration helmet, or perhaps the Virtual Research Institute's publicity is effective enough.

When Asuna Yuuki arrived, a crowd of onlookers had already gathered around, making it seem like the most bustling stall in the corridor.

"Come on, come on! For just 500 yen, you can experience the thrill of fully immersing yourself in the game 'Swordsman Online'! And for an additional 500 yen, challenge the arena, defeat the reigning champion, take their place, and defend your title for one more round to receive a super exquisite gift specially prepared by our Virtual Reality Research Institute! If you love playing games and crave the thrill of combat, don't miss out!"

Yuuki Asuna could hear their promotional voices from afar, and she couldn't help but frown.

"Defend the title? Isn't this a martial arts tournament? What's with the payment?"

With a sense of doubt, she walked to the back of the crowd and said to everyone with a gentle and polite smile, "Excuse me, could you please let me pass? I need to talk to someone from this club."

Having a beautiful appearance and a friendly attitude are the best tools for getting ahead.

Before long, Asuna Yuuki successfully broke away from the crowd and stepped into the Virtual Research Clubroom.

Koichiro Yuki lent out a total of four helmets. It seems they used two for hands-on activities, two for arena battles, and two LCD screens were hung on the wall facing the entrance, allowing the audience to see two different game screens.

Judging from the ID names, they are indeed using test accounts given to them by their older brother.

Asuna Yuuki looked around and, not seeing anything wrong, nodded.

Although it wasn't as formal as a game launch event, the fact that a small group could set up a booth like this is enough to prove that they really valued this exhibition.

What struck her as odd was that the area clearly designated for the arena battles was enclosed by curtains, making it impossible for even the players on stage to see each other, let alone the audience.

With these questions in mind, she quickly found the president of the Virtual Research Institute and revealed her identity.

"Are you Ms. Asuna? Hello, I'm very grateful for the care your brother has given me."

With a deliberately archaic tone, the president of the Virtual Research Club, a typical otaku, pushed up his glasses and said expressionlessly, "To express my gratitude, may I treat you to a meal after the cultural festival?"

As usual, Asuna Yuuki smiled and replied, "Sorry, I have dinner plans with my boyfriend."

"That's such a shame."

Seemingly used to rejection as well, the president of the Virtual Research Club did not change his expression. After learning about her question, he began to explain to her.

"We had already planned out the process for the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament and applied for an event permit from the executive committee. However, when we tried to execute it this morning, we found that the venue, manpower, and competition format were not as simple as we had imagined to make it work."

"There were all sorts of mistakes during the event, and we are a group of gamers who hate trouble, so we simply changed the martial arts tournament into a simpler ring competition. This way, it would be convenient for every visitor to go up on stage and have some fun without spending too much time on the competition."

"As for the curtains, some female players felt unsafe with so many people watching their real bodies while they wore the helmets, so we specially found a few to protect the players' vulnerable bodies after they entered the game."

"Ticket money? Didn't Senior Yuuki tell you? He was the one who suggested charging admission, and as payment for lending the equipment, we'll have to give him half of our booth's earnings... But we're not people who care that much about money. The purpose of this event is to allow everyone to enjoy the fun of virtual games and to share the joy with players from different places!"

A flash of light appeared in the mirror, and the president of the Virtual Research Club, in a flat and monotone voice, clenched his fist and shouted these impassioned words.

"I see..."

Just as Asuna was about to give him a look of admiration, she saw a rather cute-looking girl in the other game experience area take off her helmet, seemingly still wanting more after playing the game.