I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"So, you can't even treat them both fairly now, so I don't need to say anything more about the future, right? Will you compensate Yukino in private and have Yui watch from the sidelines, or will you just spoil Yui and let Yukino silently endure it?"

Mrs. Yukinoshita put away her fan, shook her head, and a smile, whether mocking or bitter, appeared on her soft, thin lips.

"No matter what you do, your heart can't be divided in two. If you like two people at the same time, one of them will inevitably get hurt... Not to mention that after experiencing the pleasure of cheating, a man's self-control will drop sharply, and it's hard to say whether there will still be two people in the end."

"Tenkuji-kun, these are all problems you will inevitably face in the future. Putting aside all those long-winded explanations, can you tell me in your own words how to ensure those two people achieve equal happiness?"

She tilted her head slightly, but stared into his eyes as if she were looking down at him.

Only now did the head of the Yukinoshita family display his proper demeanor and authority.

Despite the gentle tone of casual conversation, the clear and decisive words were aggressive, like a soft knife held to the throat, closing in without giving anyone a chance to breathe. It was full of pressure yet stood on the side of reason, leaving no room for rebuttal and only able to bow down and listen.

The future is uncertain, and happiness is not a monetary value—even so, Yukinoshita Saori pressed him with such certainty, her cold and sharp gaze fixed on Tenkuji Yu's face, not letting go of even the slightest hint of guilt or unease.

"...There's nothing we can do about it."

After a long silence, he said something that shocked her.

"What……"

“I said, there’s no way to be equal, there never will be.” Tenkuji Yu shrugged helplessly and sighed to his wife, whose lips were slightly parted. “I don’t think I ever said that I could give them the same love after dating them… That would be too arrogant. No normal person could do that.”

Just as his wife was about to speak, he politely raised his hand to stop her, and then continued speaking.

"I am human, I can be biased, and I know who I actually like more right now... I feel guilty because of these thoughts, and I try to make amends when I interact with them, even though I know it hurts them more."

"I'm sorry, I've never been able to do one thing perfectly, not even now."

Tenkuji Yu smiled and looked calmly at Mrs. Yukinoshita, unmoved by her terrifying gaze.

"No matter how capable you are, when it comes to dating, you're just an ordinary high school student."

"At most, we can only try to make them smile and make up for all the harm they have suffered, from now into the future."

The doors of the luxury car closed slowly, shutting out the cold wind from outside.

Yukinoshita Saori watched the scenery pass by outside the window, and saw the group of high school students watching her leave in the rearview mirror. Her fingers unconsciously began to stroke the cypress fan handle.

Then, she couldn't help but sigh, touching her smooth forehead, looking defeated.

“‘So you can come visit Yukino anytime. If she shows even the slightest sign of unhappiness, feel free to bring your bodyguards and beat me up. I will absolutely not fight back.’... She’s so realistic that she can produce a formally formatted future project proposal, yet so naive that she can say such things with such conviction.”

"Yuu Tenkuji is really hard to understand..."

"Right, right~" Yukinoshita Haruno, who had been forcibly pulled into the car by her mother and had a slightly unhappy expression, immediately smiled upon hearing this.

After giving a couple of proud hums, she suddenly rolled her eyes, leaned forward into the seat in front of her, and suggested, seemingly out of kindness, "Since you can't break them up anyway, why don't you just ignore the situation over there for now and let time decide?"

Yukinoshita Saori gave her a disgruntled look: "That's what I was thinking... It seems you're quite satisfied with your brother-in-law."

“Hmm…” Yang Nai pursed her lips and frowned, saying seriously, “Half dissatisfied, half satisfied! As for him as a person, as long as you spend enough time with him, no one should dislike him.”

"That's a surprisingly high compliment..." Unaware of the underlying meaning in Haruno's words, Yukinoshita Saori suddenly opened her fan and lightly touched her smiling lips. "So, Haruno, when are you going to bring your boyfriend back? I'm really looking forward to seeing him."

"Well..." For some reason, Yang Nai suddenly looked away guiltily, twirling a strand of hair in front of her chest with her fingers, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Yukinoshita Saori raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong? Did you fail? He was the first man to receive a handmade gift from you."

"No, it's not a failure, it's just that the situation is a bit complicated..." After thinking for a moment, Yang Nai put on an indifferent expression, shrugged, and said, "Don't worry, thanks to bringing you along this time, I already have a plan in mind... but it will take some time before it can be officially implemented. For now, we can only wait for the right opportunity."

She also looked out the window, towards the receding school gate, and slowly narrowed her eyes into a light, fox-like smile.

"I will definitely bring my boyfriend home to meet you then."

The mother in the front seat, like a curious child, blinked and leaned closer: "What plan? Tell me so I can take a look?"

"Take a look at your head." Yang Nai politely pushed the married woman's head back. "Even if I told you now, you'd forget it sooner or later. So I'd better not say it."

"What do you mean?" Yukinoshita Saori frowned, pursing her lips in displeasure. "Are you questioning the memory of the Yukinoshita family head?"

Yang Nai rolled her eyes, a disdainful smile playing on her lips: "You've completely forgotten what happened back then, and you still dare to say you have a good memory..."

Yukinoshita Saori's eyes widened, and she snapped her fan shut: "Yino, explain yourself!"

"Hehe, I didn't say anything~"

A black sedan sped along the highway.

The cold wind howled outside the window, and the only sounds of the mother and daughter arguing over a trivial matter could be heard by the driver, who was focused on driving, and the cat plush toy hanging on the rearview mirror.

……

After seeing off the two troublemakers, Yuu Tenkuji turned and exchanged glances with the girls, both of them revealing a knowing, relaxed smile.

What did you say to your mother?

"Promises for the future, and a promise to make you happy forever."

"So, it's time for Xiaoyou's best sweet talk again?"

"What kind of talk is that? Can you call it sweet talk to your mother-in-law? It's called strategic communication."

"Yu, aren't you starting to smell like a scumbag more and more like yourself..."

"You're mistaken. No one is purer than me."

"A lie, indeed."

The group was having a great time chatting and were about to walk back to the teaching building, which was surrounded by a festive atmosphere, shoulder to shoulder.

Mrs. Yuihama, her hand pressed against her smooth cheek, tilted her head slightly, her narrowed eyes showing a hint of trouble, yet she spoke to them in a low, melancholic tone:

“Gentlemen, there’s still a mother-in-law here who hasn’t left… I don’t think this kind of differential treatment is very good.”

Chapter 168 The Witch's Divination

Mrs. Yuihama only complained a little, unlike Mrs. Yukinoshita who grabbed Yuutokuji and gave him a lecture.

She seemed unwilling to comment further on her daughter's love life, and as if nothing had happened that day, she followed Tenkuji Yu and the others back to the lively cultural festival.

They did their thing, but Yuu Tenkuji still had things to do.

After telling Yukino Yukinoshita and the others, he went straight to Class 3-A on the third floor, where there was indeed a fortune-telling stall.

Several mysterious little tents were set up with black curtains, and the entire classroom was decorated in a pretentious and childish style. The female students who came and went wore pointed wizard hats and witch costumes that accentuated their figures. However, there were more female tourists and couples than single men like him.

Tenkuji Yu walked over naturally, and when a senior student came up to greet him, he asked directly, "Excuse me, is Kasumigaoka Utaha-senpai here?"

“Kasumigaoka?” The gray-haired senior, dressed as a witch, pulled down the brim of her hat and tilted her head, looking thoughtful. “Hmm… Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen her. She said she could come and cover for us at any time and asked us to save a stall for her… What a capricious person.”

Someone passing by overheard this and kindly replied, "Elena, Kasumigaoka has already left early."

The gray-haired girl's bright, glassy eyes widened instantly: "Left early?! Damn it, if she can leave early, what am I still doing here..."

"For the sake of that crystal ball you smashed. Stop complaining and hurry up and get some work done!" After teasing her for a bit, the senior student who was passing by went on to do her own thing.

"Tsk—" The gray-haired girl clicked her tongue in annoyance, staring back at the direction of Tenkuji Yu with dead fish eyes, exuding a listless and lethargic aura. "Hey, did you hear that? She's already gone back. Do you need to see her? If so, leave a message for 500 yen."

Yuu Tenkuji's lips twitched: "Are the phonographs here inlaid with gold...?"

"Hmph, with such a cute girl like me relaying your message, what more could you want? Five hundred yen is already a bargain for you!"

She first patted her flat chest with pride, then glanced at his bow tie, as if she had found an opportunity, and slowly revealed a sinister smile like that of a Tibetan fox.

"Oh, you're a junior? Very well, I've helped you so much already. Considering this country's unique senior-junior culture, charging you an extra 1,000 yen for consultation shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"..."

"Huh? Junior, what's with that expression? This isn't robbery, you know. Why would an honest, upright, and beautiful witch like me rob ordinary people? I'm just asking for a reasonable reward, a reasonable one!"

"I haven't said anything yet, why are you in such a hurry to defend yourself?"

Does a girl who is so beautiful on the outside but so despicable on the inside really exist?

Yuu Tenkuji stared silently at the gray-haired girl's delicate and adorable features for a few seconds, then turned and left without hesitation.

"Thank you for your help, senior. Since Kasumigaoka-senpai isn't here, I'll head back now."

"Eh?! Wait, wait a minute!" Sure enough, a pair of small hands immediately patted my shoulder hard... the force was so strong that it didn't seem like a normal girl's at all.

However, Yuu Tenkuji didn't care about that and continued to walk out of the classroom with a blank expression, dragging the girl behind him forward.

"Wow, such powerful strength?! Does such a monster even exist in this world... Ahhh, junior, wait a minute! I'll forgo the 1000 yen and just charge you 500 yen for the divination! 500 will do! This witch will personally perform a divination for you, it's definitely worth the price. If all else fails, consider it a donation to the witch traveler who has wandered into another world!"

Tenkuji slowly stopped, turning back with a strange expression: "A witch traveler who has wandered into another world?"

"That's right, that's my setup for today!"

The gray-haired girl immediately broke into a smile, proudly puffing out her chest—a posture typical of a middle school student—as if trying to highlight the six-pointed star badge hanging above her.

"Completely different from others, who could be this beautiful young woman who has such a strong sense of identity and dedication to her new role, and who is as resolute and poignant as a plum blossom blooming in winter? — That's right, it's me!"

"Ah...yes, yes, I understand. Please lead the way."

Speechless, Yuu Tenkuji turned her gaze away uninterestedly, too lazy to chat with this overly lively senior anymore.

He had certainly seen the sign at the entrance that read "Fortune telling, 200 yen per session," but considering how quickly and efficiently the other person answered his questions, he decided to consider the 500 yen as a good deed... As the old saying goes, since he was already here...

And so, Yuu Tenkuji followed the cheerful witch into the classroom of Class 3-A.

There were about eight small spaces used for divination, all of which were completely covered by black curtains, and the soundproofing seemed to be quite good.

Ancient and mysterious music flowed in the air. Almost no one spoke loudly in the classroom. The hushed whispers and the way people bowed their heads to each other made it look more like a cult base than a divination place... There was also a blood-dripping magic circle painted on the wall, which made it even more like one.

Turning her gaze away from the observation, Tenkuji Yuu went into one of the small cubicles, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

A short while later, a rustling sound came from the other side. A witch, who had deliberately pulled her hat brim low, leaned in, sat behind the crystal ball, and spoke to him in a deliberately low voice:

"Sir, is there anything you'd like to know?"

Ignoring the long gray braid under her hat, Yuu Tenkuji said without hesitation, "It's probably about your love life."

This is the only thing he cares about but cannot control.

"Love... such youthful troubles." After sighing, the witch placed her hand on the crystal ball, her fair little hand waving around like she was making a Rasengan, while muttering something mysteriously.

"Let me think, the magic of divination... gurgle gurgle, moo ho moo... Ha! The future, come forth!"

Yuu Tenkuji, watching from the opposite side, was utterly exasperated.

Did these people even receive any professional training? If they're going to put on a show, at least make it look convincing...

Under his expectant gaze, the gray-haired witch fell into a brief silence after a soft shout.

She withdrew her hand from the still transparent, cheap crystal ball. She didn't know what she saw, but she could feel a pair of slightly complicated eyes peering out from under her pointed hat, scrutinizing her face with an ambiguous expression.