I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"How annoying! Why don't you go back to the bathroom, look in the mirror, and then try to chat me up? Don't think you're so great—"

Yuu Tenkuji: "..."

The cold winter wind swept through the dust and leaves between the two of them, but it couldn't dispel the sudden, awkward silence.

Chapter 173 She Shines Brightly in the Moonlight

The awkwardness lasted for a few seconds, ending as Natsukawa Masuzu took a deep breath to calm herself and managed a composed smile.

She gently curled a strand of silver hair from her chest, gazing at the empty space diagonally ahead, and said leisurely, "Oh, what a rare guest! Why aren't you going back with your family and friends? What brings you here to see me?"

The words had barely left her lips when Natsukawa Masuzu regretted them so much that she wanted to scream and scream in her head, stomping her feet inwardly as if she wanted to crush her past self from three seconds ago.

'Am I an idiot?! If you have a mouth, can't you just speak properly? Why do you have to keep being sarcastic and sarcastic?!'

Luckily, there was no tofu in front of her, otherwise she might have crashed into it and died.

The opportunity to reconcile is right in front of you. If you don't have the courage to take the initiative to find him, fine. But now you're speaking so sarcastically. Are you planning to give up on him completely?

No! No, I don't want this!

Even thinking about tearing up his photos when I get home is just a thought. Right now, all I can think about is him. How could I possibly do something so self-harming?

'Now all I can do is pray for a bolt of lightning to strike me back in time...!'

Natsukawa Masaki looked up at the sky with hopeful eyes, only to find that the thin dark clouds had just dispersed, and a bright silver light poured down to the ground. The gentle and quiet full moon seemed to brighten the whole night.

Her heart was filled with a chilling desolation, her eyes gradually dimmed, and she forced a smile, giving up as if she had given up.

"I just wanted to ask what you're doing here." Seeing her rapidly changing expression, Tenkuji Yu didn't seem to care too much and asked casually, "It's so late, aren't you planning to go home?"

"Of course, we have to go back..."

Tenkuji Yu pointed behind him: "Want to go together?"

"Huh?" Natsukawa Masuzu suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked at him in disbelief.

This was the first time she had truly faced herself since the beginning of the month.

Yuuka Tenkuji could see that her sapphire-like eyes were tinged with a crystalline hue by the moonlight, filled with a mixture of surprise and unease, like a little girl whose matches had been suddenly bought away.

"Why... I thought you already hated me..."

Yuu Tenkuji asked in confusion, "Hateful? What makes you say that?"

"Because, because I said those things!"

She became unusually flustered, her eyes darting around violently, like a child desperately trying to explain, stammering out words.

"Look, first he mocked you regardless of the occasion, and then he left on his own after saying that... Your sister clearly dislikes me, let alone you, who doesn't want to see me in the first place..."

"Calm down, your logic is all over the place." Waving her hand in front of her, Tenkuji Yu said helplessly, "First of all, the person who doesn't want to see you in the first place is my sister. Of course, saying those things in front of her will make her hate you even more... but I guess you probably don't care."

After all, Natsukawa Masuzu is a shameless person who dared to try to kiss Sora in front of him and still came to his house as a guest.

“Furthermore, I don’t think those words were sarcastic; they were just stating the facts in a slightly sharp tone.”

Yuu Tenkuji had not forgotten their conversation that morning.

"In the end, the fact that you and Yukinoshita were dating will be erased, and no one will remember that you cheated. Am I right?"

What might be insignificant to you is precisely the future we fear most.

She was speaking from her ex-girlfriend's perspective, posing this incisive question to herself—so even now, Yuu Tenkuji simply remained silent, without feeling the slightest bit annoyed by it.

Because Natsukawa Masaki was right, because I had indeed thought so before.

"Don't worry, I'm not so petty as to hate someone just because their inner thoughts are pointed out."

Tenkuji Yu sighed softly, looked down at her slightly dazed face, and said earnestly, "Although it's not quite an epiphany or a sudden realization, I still want to thank you for pointing out those things I've always been unwilling to face."

Even if the world changes and the fact that we once interacted no longer exists... as long as you still remember me, running away is the most irresponsible choice.

She avoids Yukinoshita's recognition, avoids Asuna Yuuki's pursuit, and avoids Masuzu Natsukawa's obsession.

After each mission, Yuu Tenkuji always wanted to simply leave without a trace, even if she remembered, even if she came looking for him, even if she followed him...

He was also trying to distance himself from them, wanting to give his all to a future that was bound to break down sooner or later, and then move on to the next stage where no one had to take responsibility.

Is that wrong? He doesn't think so.

Since there's no system causing trouble behind the scenes, running away from everything is the best option.

...But now, someone has told him.

Those futures were not severed, but rather became the past connected to the present.

No matter how much they tried to escape, those girlfriends harbored strong feelings and attempted to pierce their hearts again.

As a result, my previous ideas gradually began to waver.

If someone is waiting for you, then even just once, try turning back.

Even though it's not possible right now, Yuu Tenkuji is willing to make changes again for them.

He glanced back at the three people who had stopped and were waiting for him not far away, smiled with relief, and then turned his gaze back.

"So, Natsukawa. Don't worry so much. Just tell me what you want to say... In my memory, we had a good relationship. There's no way I'd leave you alone."

Unlike the awkwardness when they first met at the apartment, Tenkuji Yu met Natsukawa Masuzu's gaze with ease.

She fell silent for a long time, her clear, moonlit eyes flickered, and she opened her mouth slightly as if she wanted to say something, but then pursed her lips with a sob.

Taking a light breath, Natsukawa Masaki suddenly turned around, facing him with her smooth, straight silver hair, and haphazardly wiped her face with her arm.

"...Aren't you afraid they'll get angry if you say these things?"

"I'm not confessing my feelings to you," Yuu Tenkuji said, shrugging.

"If I told you I like you and want to be with you, how would you respond?"

With a mixture of helplessness and seriousness, Yuu Tenkuji said, "I'm sorry, I already have someone else I like... At least for now, I can't accept any other girls besides them."

Of course, this also includes boys... well, I don't think I need to add that.

"Ha, is this a declaration of becoming a future scumbag?"

She couldn't help but chuckle, but her trembling voice gradually became lighter: "Sure enough, love is a pile of dog shit, and all men are scum who like to cheat."

“Perhaps.” Tenkuji Yuuya laughed, saying meaningfully, “Anyway, nobody knows what the future holds.”

Perhaps he will fall in love with all his ex-girlfriends again, become hopelessly infatuated with them, and from then on, he will be charming to all sides, fickle and indecisive, becoming an unrestrained harem master.

Or perhaps, he would reject everyone for Yui Yuigahama and completely sever all ties with them, focusing solely on his girlfriend who would never leave him, becoming a devoted and exemplary man.

It's also possible that he'll simply...

"I get it, that's it, right?"

Suddenly, her long hair, flying in the air, resembled a silver river cascading down under the moon.

Natsukawa Masuzu suddenly turned around, a confident and nonchalant smile playing on her lips. Ignoring her reddened eyes, she looked straight at Tenkuji Yu.

The gloomy and dejected atmosphere had long since vanished, and she seemed to have come back to life, shining with a unique radiance in the moonlight.

"What?" This time it was Tenkuji Yu's turn to be stunned.

The next moment, she suddenly put one hand on her hip and pulled open the collar of her uniform with the other, brazenly revealing her snow-white skin and cleavage, while simultaneously striking a rather peculiar pose with her waist and legs moving in unison.

Then, as if no one else was around, he spoke loudly:

"Yu, Kono Natsukawa Masui—has a dream!"

Under the clear night sky, she shouted this with a refreshed expression and a tone filled with inexplicable excitement.

“…Haha.” Tenkuuji Yu could already guess what her lines were going to be, and couldn’t help but rub her forehead and sigh with a wry smile.

Sure enough, her next sentence was—

"I'll make sure you can't live without me sooner or later."

"Since dating causes so much trouble, why not skip over those toxic relationships and just make you mine directly? Wouldn't that solve all the problems?"

Like a liberal arts student who has solved an Olympiad math problem, Natsukawa Masuzu, striking a Giorno pose, spoke smugly, completely ignoring the fact that three people nearby had heard her voice and their expressions changed drastically as they walked over with dark faces.

Yuuto Tenkuji pressed his temples and sighed with some distress, "So, that Masuzu who hates romance is back again. I thought the past had changed you a bit..."

She shook her head and said, "Yes, things have changed. Natsukawa Masuzu, who never liked anyone before, has become Natsukawa Masuzu who only likes you."

"That would be an honor... um?"

The moment she realized something was wrong, Tenkuji Yu's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the blushing woman in front of her.

"Your tone... could it be that you've regained your memories?!"

"Well—" Natsukawa Masaki blinked, then suddenly grinned mischievously, playfully putting her hands behind her back, and leaned close to him, her voice alluring as she whispered in his ear:

"It's hard to say, why don't you take a guess? There's a prize if you guess right!"

"Never mind then, I won't guess." Yuu Tenkuji decisively stepped back.

"Eh? What a heartless guy!" She pouted in dissatisfaction, but the flush on her face deepened, and her unusual breathing seemed to become more pronounced.

Then, with a shudder, as if suppressing some kind of impulse, Natsukawa Masaki hugged her chest tightly and bent over, making a slightly bitter sound in her throat.

"Well--!"

"W-What's wrong?" Sudden stomach pain? Or a heart attack?

Before Tenkuji Yu could even finish her astonishment, she heard Yu sigh contentedly, cross her arms, and wriggle around like a maggot: "Oh dear, even someone as aloof as Yu still gets aroused by my body~ Oh no, I think I've awakened some awful interest, hehehe~"

"..."

With his lip muscles twitching, Tenkuji Yu took a few steps back, pulled his sister who had just arrived in front of him, and hid behind her with an ugly expression.

Damn it, I never imagined this guy could be this twisted... Although I seem to be the culprit, who knew her personality was even more warped than I thought!

"It's not perverted, it's the Golden Spirit!" As if seeing through his thoughts, Natsukawa Masuzu corrected him with a serious expression, "The hymn to humanity is the hymn to courage, and it was JOJO who gave me the courage to keep going!"

"Do you think Araki-sensei would be happy to hear that..."

"Of course, because JO loves all people, regardless of their social status, gender, or wealth."

She paused, then added, "It doesn't distinguish between normal and abnormal."

"You actually know you're not normal?!"