I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"What's wrong? Is it a bad result?" Tenkuji Yu asked casually, rolling his eyes.

"No, it can't be called bad..." The gray-haired girl coughed twice, her eyes darting left and right as if she was trying to come up with an explanation. "How should I put it... your future is full of uncertainty. Even if it looks like a road full of thorns, on the other hand, as long as you cut through the thorns, won't it become a smooth road?! That's right, that's it!"

"..." Surprised, Yuu Tenkuji stared blankly at her, her chin tilted back, speaking eloquently.

Just as the gray-haired girl cautiously glanced away from the corner of her eye, seemingly surprised yet relieved by his reaction, and was about to continue her fabrication...

He suddenly smiled and nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, it's the same principle as when a person is killed."

"That's right, that's why I said... wait, isn't that obvious!?"

"You know that much." With a sigh, Yuu Tenkuji stood up and placed a 500-yen coin on the table. "Thank you for your answer, Elena-senpai. I'll give it a five-star rating. Goodbye."

"What? Your dismissive attitude is contemptible!" The gray-haired girl pouted indignantly, pulled out a toy-like magic wand from her sleeve, pointed it at his back, but in the end, as if she had given up on giving him an Avada Kedavra curse, she slapped it down next to the 500 yen note in a huff.

"Although it goes against my principles... never mind, young man over there! For the sake of this five hundred yen, I'll give you one last piece of advice!"

Tenkuji Yu didn't turn around, but slowed down her movements as she lifted the curtain and walked away.

The gray-haired girl said earnestly, "Nothing is absolutely right. Don't be afraid of change. Your life belongs only to you, not to anyone else."

Yuu Tenkuji slumped his shoulders in exasperation: "Is it still just this kind of motivational platitudes?"

She wrinkled her nose: "Just listen to me! This is the Gray Witch's advice!"

"That's quite a simple nickname... I understand, thank you for your advice."

Tenkuji Yu waved his hand, lifted the curtain, and stepped out of the dim and mysterious divination space.

……

Back with the group who were still strolling around the festival, Yukino Yukinoshita quickly wiped the cotton candy residue from her mouth and asked him with concern:

"So? Did they say anything?"

Tenkuji Yu shook his head, while pointing with his finger to indicate that there was still some on the corner of her mouth: "I heard she left school early, it feels like she's fleeing to avoid punishment... but I can't be sure, I can only ask her after she comes to school, and in the meantime I'll ask someone to keep an eye on her."

"I see..." As she spoke, she subconsciously stuck out her tongue and licked the corner of her lips, then noticed that he was staring at her lips with a strange look on his face, as if he really wanted to taste the cotton candy.

"Ahem." The aloof girl turned her face away nonchalantly, her snow-white skin blushing silently. She used the remaining cotton candy to block his view. "We didn't get any information from Kasumigaoka-senpai... So we'll have to ask Yuuki-kun next, right?"

Yuu Tenkuji withdrew her gaze: "Well, by the time the cultural festival is over, she should have rested enough."

Kasugano Sora listened quietly beside him, her fingers tugging at the hem of his clothes. Her small, childlike face was expressionless, but her eyes seemed thoughtful, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

At this moment, Yui Yuigahama returned to the three of them with Mrs. Yuigahama, the two of them holding freshly baked pancakes.

"Ah, Xiaoyou, welcome back~" She greeted him with a smile, handing him a savory pancake. "I bought yours too... So, is everything settled?"

"I'm still completely confused." After repeating what she had said to Yukino, Yu took a bite of the thin pancake, the hot and fragrant taste filling her mouth. "We're having a club meeting later, and we'll be discussing some important things."

"Something important?" Yui Yuigahama tilted her head slightly, frowned and pondered for a moment, then quickly relaxed her expression. "Well, it should be related to the power outage in the club building, right?"

She currently only knows two pieces of information: Yuuki Asuna is a former online friend of Tenkuji Yu, and the two happened to have a fight in the Virtual Research Club; Kasumigaoka-senpai knows Yuuki and her behavior is very suspicious, so she is very likely the culprit who caused the power outage in the club building.

It's understandable that he didn't think of anything deeper... After all, Mrs. Yuihama is still here, and it's not convenient for Yuu to talk to her too much, nor does he have the same tacit understanding with Yukino that allows them to communicate with just their eyes.

That's why I plan to lay those things out in a club meeting after the cultural festival ends.

Yuu Tenkuji is best at telling the truth; he's even gotten used to wanting to be honest about everything, no matter how bad it is.

After all, there's not much he can do now except tell the truth.

"A club meeting?" Mrs. Yuihama blinked her gentle, kind eyes, a blue eyebrow-flavored biscuit dangling from her mouth, and said somewhat indistinctly, "It looks interesting, Mom. Can I join too?"

"Mom, don't get involved in this young people's fun." Yui Yuigahama said something that hurt the feelings of a middle-aged woman, while looking at Yuu Tenkuji with a questioning expression.

After all, she'll most likely be going home with her mother. She can't very well leave her mother out in the cold in the hallway during a meeting, can she? If she can attend, it's naturally better for them to attend together.

Tenkuji Yu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head at her and apologized to Mrs. Yuigahama:

"I'm sorry, this includes more than just our private matters; the fewer people who know, the better."

Yuigahama Yui paused for a moment, then quickly realized something: "Could it be...that thing that's closely related to us?!"

The way she forcefully changed her words made Mrs. Yuihama narrow her eyes slightly, her deep gaze sweeping back and forth over their somewhat stiff expressions.

However, whether she couldn't see anything or kept her discovery to herself, Mrs. Yuihama didn't press the matter. Instead, she smiled gently again and patted Tenkuji Yu's thick chest muscles twice.

"It's alright. Just like Yui said, it's better for me, a middle-aged person, to stay out of your business, as I might get in the way."

"I didn't mean anything by it..."

Yui Yuigahama muttered under her breath, while secretly glancing at Yuu Tenkuji with a surprised and puzzled look.

"I'm sorry, I really don't think you're in my way at all, and Mrs. Nao doesn't look like a middle-aged person at all."

After explaining with a wry smile, Yuu Tenkuji sincerely praised, "If your hairstyle were a little younger, no one would doubt that you're a 25-year-old older sister. I think everyone we've met along the way thinks the same way."

"Oh dear, that's true... Being called Yui's older sister all the time is really a bit of a hassle for a full-time housewife~" Mrs. Yui smiled broadly, patted his broad shoulder twice, and then let out a soft breath.

"Alright, enough with the pleasantries."

His tone suddenly became serious.

She opened her smiling eyes, and her attitude suddenly became serious. Her clear, bright eyes reflected Tenkuji Yu's face, and her gaze was fixed on him with an almost tangible intensity.

"Don't worry, I'll be home cooking soon. You can stay out as late as you like, just remember to let your family know you're safe."

"However, before that... little brother Yu, can you promise me one thing?"

Chapter 169 Their Own Night Festival

Before we knew it, the sun had set.

The bright orb gradually disappeared into the deep orange sea in the distance, and the thin clouds were dyed golden, like layers of freshly baked crispy pancakes.

Inside Soubu High School, the flames that had been burning all day did not cool down or go out as the sky darkened.

In the courtyard, a bonfire was gradually lit, and the prelude to the Night Festival slowly unfolded.

The students, reflecting on the day's events, cleaned up their stalls and the accumulated trash. Everywhere, one could see the weariness and satisfaction after the day's fun, and the bond between classmates seemed to have strengthened considerably. Their laughter and playfulness remained undiminished in the twilight outside the window.

On a large table made up of several desks in the center, there was a high-calorie combination of pizza and fried chicken that Ms. Hiratsuka had prepared as a treat for her students. She herself was sitting by the window with a plate of food and a bottle of Ichiban Shibori beer, drinking and enjoying herself like a corporate slave going to an izakaya to drown her sorrows after get off work. She successfully created a vacuum around herself that the students dared not approach.

"Hey, are you guys going to dance later?"

"Of course! Who wouldn't go to the once-a-year bonfire dance party?"

"It's not like you can find someone to dance for you..."

"You can create opportunities by dancing folk dances; several couples successfully paired up this way last year..."

Many people were talking about the bonfire dance later that day, who would ask whom to dance, and who was planning to secretly confess their feelings to whom, and so on.

Yuu Tenkuji didn't participate, nor did he plan to stay for dinner. After helping to pack up his things, he prepared to head to the Service Club to meet his sister.

However, as soon as he stepped out of the classroom, he ran into Totsuka Saika, who had just gone to the restroom to change out of her princess costume.

"Yu, aren't you going to the after-night festival?" Totsuka Saika asked curiously as she watched him pick up his schoolbag.

"I can't help it, my sister is still waiting for me." Tenkuji Yu shrugged. He wasn't interested in dancing around a bonfire or showing affection in front of everyone. He just planned to have dinner with his sister and girlfriends at the Service Club, and then send them home.

"I probably won't be going back to the classroom anymore. If anyone asks me, could you answer for me?"

"Sure... but I thought that given Yuihama's personality, she would want to dance a bonfire dance with you."

As Totsuka Saika said this, she glanced at the scene inside the classroom.

At the table and chairs behind, Yui Yuigahama was still chatting with Yumiko Miura and the others, her hands tidying up slowly as if she were slacking off, seemingly having no intention of leaving with Yuu Tenkuji at all.

Tenkuji Yu shrugged and said, "I can go with her anytime she wants. Anyway, the after-night festival will continue until 9 p.m., so there's no rush."

"Well, that makes sense."

Totsuka Saika nodded in agreement, waved goodbye to Tenkuji Yu, and then turned and went into the classroom.

He took out his phone and sent Yui a message to go to the clubroom first. Then he walked alone along the colorful, bustling second-floor corridor toward the special building.

The grove was shrouded in the cold night, with only a few streetlights arranged in a regular pattern, stretching out a deathly quiet road that grew quieter the further it went.

My phone received a message from Yui saying "Understood~", and the screen suddenly lit up, standing out in the darkness.

Although the two were recognized as a couple in their class, she actually spent more time with her friends at school. She and Yuu Tenkuji would occasionally chat, have lunch together, and walk home together. They didn't seem like a couple at all, but rather like a pair of good friends of the opposite sex.

Their relationship is completely different from other couples. Yui is often asked questions such as whether they are in a fake relationship or a platonic one, or whether she has gynophobia.

...So no one could possibly imagine that he was pulled into the shadows of the stairwell by Yui Yuigahama and kissed very passionately for several minutes.

Touching his lips, Yuu Tenkuji suddenly thought of Mrs. Yuihama.

...No, of course I don't mean that Mrs. Yuihama did anything to his lips either.

Instead, the words Mrs. Hihama had said to him back then came back to mind.

"If you truly love her, you should only make her cry three times in your life at most... Otherwise, please leave her responsibly and don't face the future with pity."

Yuu Tenkuji understood the meaning of those words and could feel Mrs. Yuihama's care and love for her daughter. He readily agreed, sincerely wanting her to feel at ease entrusting Yui to him.

However, walking alone on the quiet and deserted path, he couldn't help but ask himself again, pondering why Mrs. Yuihama had specifically said those words to him.

Did he see through something about himself, or did he simply want to protect his daughter?

Is it a warning, or a plea?

"To be honest, just counting this mission alone, I've made Yui cry twice already..."

The first time was in an alley when he confessed to her that he would cheat on her in the future. The second time was after he asked Yukinoshita to become his girlfriend, and she took a day off and cried at home.

In other words, if he makes Yui cry again, he should responsibly break up with her.

"What a joke..." Tenkuji Yu shrugged, muttering to himself dismissively, "Let alone from now on, I have no reason to make her cry anymore... Even if I do, it has nothing to do with pity, but because I like her."

Because you like someone, you're willing to hurt them.

Sympathy will lead him away, responsibility will lead him to leave—that's what he did before… but things are different now.

He likes Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita.

That's why I was able to muster the courage to extend that kind of happiness into the future, even if it hurt them.

—If he likes Yukino Yukinoshita, he might confess to her again, even if the current mission is not yet over.

—If he liked Asuna Yuuki, he might have been so moved by her catching up that he couldn't help but shed tears.

—If he liked Natsukawa Masuzu, he might feel sorry for her persistence and protect her despite her outward strength and inner vulnerability, no matter how difficult it might be.