I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"So, thank you, Tenkuji-kun."

Yukino Yukinoshita smiled contentedly.

A clear and melodious voice gently touched the heart of Yuuki Tenkuji under the snowy night.

"This is the first time I've realized that Christmas is such a heartwarming holiday."

……

Floor-to-ceiling windows separate the warm and cold worlds.

The two stepped outside, leaned against the balcony railing, and gazed at the deep, snow-covered sky.

At first, they stood side by side, but Yuu Tenkuji was worried that she would get cold since she hadn't finished absorbing the "Life Elixir," so he went to the living room to get a coat and hugged her from behind, making sure the coat covered both of their bodies.

They embraced each other, one in front of the other, letting the snow fall on their shoulders. Their exhaled white smoke intertwined and disappeared into the boundless snowy night.

Chapter 187 The Vow Frozen in Snow, Unable to Be Conveyed

The snow fell in abundance, adorning Tokyo's dazzling nightscape.

Although it's not quite a snow-covered wonderland yet, and can't really be called a "white Christmas," if the snow continues like this, we might wake up tomorrow morning and see a truly white Christmas just by opening our windows.

The snow drifted in from outside the railing, fine and soft, gradually accumulating on the coats covering the two people.

"If we stand here all night, someone will probably be able to see a Yeti from over there tomorrow."

With a smile, Yuu Tenkuji pointed to the apartment building across the street.

Although the distance was a bit far, those with eyesight not as good as his probably couldn't see anything clearly.

"You can be the Yeti yourself. I'll go inside in a bit. Don't worry, I'll remember to shovel the snow for you."

He shook his head and sighed. The girl in his arms curled up her slender shoulders and nestled her warm, soft body into his embrace like a spoiled kitten.

Inhaling his scent and enveloped in his warmth, Yukino Yukinoshita exhaled comfortably, gently squinting her eyes. The snowy city scene before her seemed to flicker with the warm glow of a fireplace, captivating and enchanting.

Of course, one must ignore the anchor that's pressing down on one's back—if one cares too much, the warm and romantic atmosphere at this moment will be wasted.

On Tenkuji Yu's side, he noticed that the beautifully shaped peach was slightly tense, as if she was a little nervous.

Although she didn't say anything, as a gentleman, he still had to defend himself: "If I don't react when I hold my girlfriend's perfect figure in my arms, pressing her tightly against me without leaving any gap, I'll have to go get checked out."

"I'm not blaming you, just don't move around too much." Without turning around, she rolled her eyes at the air helplessly and placed his arm on her lower abdomen. "It's really annoying to have such a lewd boyfriend."

"I told you it was a normal reaction, all men are this lewd..." Tenkuji Yu muttered in dissatisfaction at first, then paused for a moment, and inexplicably grinned mischievously, "You still dare to say that? I didn't expect you to put my hand on your chest on your own initiative, I didn't even know—"

That's my lower abdomen.

Yukino Yukinoshita's voice was as cold as snow that had just fallen from the clouds.

Tenkuji Yu quickly fell silent, then, sensing the tense atmosphere, he coughed twice to ease the tension: "...Well, mainly it's because I didn't use enough force. You wouldn't know what such a soft touch is like unless you grab it a couple of times."

"Tenkuji-kun..."

Her soft palm gently rested on the back of his hand, her neatly trimmed nails gradually sinking into his flesh.

"If you say another word of nonsense, I'll throw you down the stairs. This position is perfect for my over-the-shoulder throw."

With an extremely strong survival instinct, Tenkuji Yu immediately put on a serious expression: "Yes, your Highness!"

—Even with the sturdy support bar, you can't possibly drop me!

Unable to voice her inner grievances, Yuu Tenkuji raised her gaze to the rather unattractive nighttime snowscape, her eyes and tone belying a calm indifference.

He simply held the girl tightly, occasionally exhaling to blow away the drifting snowflakes, trying his best to protect her soft, beautiful hair from being stained by the dirty snow water.

He was afraid she would be cold, but her body temperature was higher than his, and she didn't care about the biting wind and snow hitting her face. In the end, he was the only one busy doing nothing, fighting alone against the bone-chilling white Christmas night.

Seemingly sensing that he was different from her and unable to calmly enjoy the scenery, Yukino Yukinoshita tilted her head slightly, but her forehead was pressed down by his chin, so her expression could not be seen.

Even so, she still asked gently, "What are you afraid of?"

"what?"

"What you're afraid of has nothing to do with the 'mission'."

As she lowered her head, her tone became more certain, as if she had already guessed what he was thinking. She smiled faintly and said, "Tell me. It's not a 'secret' that the gods forbid, but the troubles in your heart, those things you can say but don't want to say."

"...You know I don't want to talk about it, so why are you making me talk about it?" Tenkuji Yu smiled bitterly, like a pitiful boyfriend being asked to do something by his girlfriend.

"I want to share your pain, even if I can't do anything but listen to you."

Yukino Yukinoshita took his hand from his lower abdomen and intertwined her fingers with his, tightly holding the hand that was much larger than her own.

Then she turned around, pressed her forehead against his chest, and whispered, "...At least let me do more of what a girlfriend should do now."

"..."

Yuu Tenkuji lowered her head silently, buried her face in the long hair behind her neck, and sighed deeply.

"How cunning! I never expected my Yukino to turn out like this."

—Wouldn't this statement prevent him from continuing to act tough?

Yukino Yukinoshita was not ashamed but proud, and said with a calm and proud smile: "Even if I am perfect and flawless, and can be called God's most perfect creation on earth, from a biological point of view, I am just an ordinary girl... And ordinary girls will naturally become cunning when they fall in love."

After all, she still had to outwit her boyfriend who was prone to infidelity and didn't like to tell the truth—she added this last sentence.

Yuu Tenkuji kissed her forehead, touched: "Darling, I love your shameless personality."

Feeling a sharp pinch on his waist, he quickly steered the conversation back on track.

What did you just ask me?

"I'm asking you, what are you afraid of?" she said irritably, releasing her grip on his soft flesh and naturally wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Let me think about it..."

After a moment of deep thought, Tenkuji slowly raised his gaze, looking at the lonely falling snowflakes, and softly spoke:

"I guess what I'm most afraid of is getting my relationship back together."

Yukino Yukinoshita was not surprised by this answer.

"Sister, Yuuki-kun, Natsukawa-kun..."

She murmured, her tone calmer than she had imagined: "Tenkuji-kun, are you afraid of falling in love with those you used to date, just like you're afraid they'll regain their memories and try to rekindle their romances?"

Yuu Tenkuji nodded, her fingers unconsciously playing with her long hair.

"It's alright if it's just Yang Nai. I have so many emotional debts to repay now. If our feelings were to be restored someday, with my indecisive yet stubborn and honest personality, wouldn't I be responsible for all of you?"

"I didn't see you being very honest." Yukino slapped away his fingers that were touching her from her hair to her collarbone.

Gently stroking her black hair, Yuu Tenkuji chuckled self-deprecatingly: "To give you an example, when a child goes to a candy store, of course they want to pack up all the candies they like and take them home—but if they actually do that, both the shopkeeper and their parents will give them a good scolding for being so ignorant, right?"

"That's the problem... I won't let anyone have the candy I want. Even if it costs me all my savings, I'll bring it all home and enjoy it."

Because his affection for them has always been the kind of affection he wants to grow old with—that is, a "serious relationship with marriage as the goal."

Therefore, if he regains those lost feelings, Yuu Tenkuji will no longer be able to resist Yukino Yukinoshita's persistence...

He could no longer tolerate the strange distance between Yuuki Asuna and him...

He could no longer ignore the figure of Natsukawa Masuzu waiting for him to turn around...

He will shoulder all the memories and feelings of love, and win back all three girlfriends to his side, doing everything he can to make them happy—not to mention, he also has two other girlfriends now: Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama.

Putting aside whether he, a mere ordinary high school student, has the ability to juggle five relationships, and also putting aside how the parents of the four parties would feel if they knew about this, not to mention that the system hasn't been shut down yet and they don't even know what type of mission their last task will be...

Whether doing this is good for them or not is what Tenkuji Yu cares about most.

“You may not be happy with me. So why not use the power of the ‘gods’ to go through a short period of pain, then leave me completely, forget me, and go after yourselves to pursue the happiness that belongs to you, a happiness that will never disappear or be changed.”

Tenkuji Yu said calmly, "For me, the best outcome is that you never regain your memories. Because that way, I, who no longer like you, will no longer stubbornly shoulder this responsibility."

Then you can say goodbye to them as a matter of course and be an irresponsible coward with a clear conscience.

As soon as she finished speaking, Yukino Yukinoshita pushed him away slightly and then gently slapped him across the face.

There was no pain whatsoever; if anything, it was just a stroking motion with a sound.

But it seemed to have stunned Tenkuji Yu on the ground, causing him to widen his eyes in astonishment as he stared at her with her watery gaze and complex expression.

"Yukino..."

"I'm sorry, although I could roughly guess what you were thinking, I still couldn't help but feel angry after actually hearing it."

Saying this without any apology, Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath, and her melodious and soft voice suddenly took on its usual unassailable, sharp edge of justice.

"First of all, although as your girlfriend I don't really want to say this..."

However, Tenkuji-kun, you're not a child, and we're not candy—as a talented and accomplished young entrepreneur, even if you bought the entire candy store and ate different flavors of candy every day of the week, as long as you demonstrate the corresponding strength, who could possibly teach you a lesson?

"Therefore, there is absolutely no need for you to give this example, and worrying about this is utter nonsense!"

She analyzed the situation calmly and rationally, but her tone was inexplicably heavy, as if she were somewhat unwilling.

Yuu Tenkuji could understand—she was able to share her boyfriend with Yui because she felt guilty and had no complaints about being the one who came later.

But how could Yukino Yukinoshita generously share her boyfriend with others, especially her own older sister?

After all, in her memory, the only person who came first was Yui Yuigahama; and the only two women who had always been by her side were the two of them. The others were like "transfer students," outsiders who had come between the three of them.

Even so, Yukino Yukinoshita had no intention of retracting her previous statement. She continued to gaze intently into Yuu Tenkuji's eyes, speaking her mind from the bottom of her heart.

"And then, what gives you the right to decide our happiness based on your own imagination?"

She suddenly took a step forward and pushed Tenkuji Yu backward.

"What right do you have to presume that your love for us and our love for you in the future means everyone is destined to get hurt?"

She moved forward again, shoving the defenseless Tenkuji Yu against the French windows, then reached out and pulled down his collar.

"And why are you able to use this as an excuse to draw a dividing line between us, and ultimately try to distance yourself from us with self-pity and self-indulgence?"

Tenkuji Yu lowered his head, his eyes filled with helplessness and seriousness, as if he wanted to persuade her with grand principles: "It's not imagination, but like a formulaic derivation, it's something that is destined to happen in the future..."

"lie!"

Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly raised her voice, her eyebrows furrowed, her teeth clenched, and a fiery red flush rose on her fair cheeks.

For the first time since returning home, she felt genuinely angry at Yuu Tenkuji, so angry that her voice trembled involuntarily.

"You think you can fool me with an excuse that even you don't believe?!"