I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Fine, whatever you want to do now, I'm not going to stop you anymore... It's better to watch your boyfriend fawn over other girls than to be hated and ostracized by him for being a bad guy."

Unable to say much about her feelings, Yuu Tenkuji could only assure her, "I will accept all your dissatisfaction. As long as you still love me, I will never hate you."

Yukino Yukinoshita waved her hand casually: "Let's forget about these superficial things. Don't misunderstand, I'm not being sarcastic, I just think it's unnecessary to care about this."

"After all, once you start, you'll start again, and once you start, you'll start again... During the period immediately after regaining my memories, I experienced all kinds of painful feelings."

"Right now it's just having multiple girlfriends and you want to expand your harem in front of me. It's nothing to Hino-chan, who's practically immune to all temptations now~"

"If it really wasn't a big deal, why would you be talking to me in such a sarcastic tone..."

"Is it a problem that I feel dissatisfied with the different treatment I receive compared to Yukino?"

"Of course, no problem."

Tenkuji Yu sighed and suddenly stepped forward to hug her.

Yukino didn't hug back, but just stood there like a statue, tilting her head in confusion: "What? I told you I don't need your comfort. A few complaints are fine, it's not a big deal."

"I'm not trying to comfort you; I'm using you to soothe my own guilt."

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Yuu Tenkuji gently stroked her back, his fingers brushing across her smooth short hair with a gentle touch that seemed to seep into her skin.

Yang Nai narrowed her eyes with an icy expression, seemingly wanting to say something to mock him, but her slightly open mouth gradually and uncontrollably softened into a light laugh as if she couldn't do anything about him.

"Sigh... It's unbelievable that you can casually utter such scumbag remarks. The little Youyou from before has really gone to a very far place."

“There’s nothing I can do about it. After all, the changes I’ve experienced are far more than you can imagine.” He slid his hand down to support her slender waist, rested his chin on her shoulder, and chuckled softly.

"I won't say 'sorry' to you. We're not officials who bow every day. Saying it is too insincere... Instead, I will do my best to be good to you. It doesn't matter how much dissatisfaction you have. Making you happy is the responsibility of a boyfriend."

"It sounds just like atonement," she remarked sarcastically.

Tenkuji Yu gave a bitter smile: "I wouldn't say that, but if I don't even dare to take responsibility for what I've done in the past, then I really am worse than scum."

"...Anyway, as I said, you have your principles and I have my ways of doing things. Don't worry that I'll hold a grudge over this. You're an adult, after all."

Yukinoshita closed her eyes, gradually relaxing all her strength, and nestled into his arms without resistance or pretense. In the embrace where she felt most at ease in the whole world, she rubbed her face against his chest.

Her voice was soft, but carried a much lighter laugh: "I wish you could hold on until the end, you scum of a bitch."

“A blessing, huh…” Yuu Tenkuji murmured, then suddenly licked her beautiful, fair neck.

"Mmm!"

Her sensitive areas were suddenly attacked, and moans and short gasps involuntarily escaped her lips.

She subconsciously bit her lip, and Yukinoshita Haruno stared at him in surprise, her limp body pressing weakly against his chest.

"Why did you ambush me? That's against the rules!"

The girlish embarrassment and anger lasted for less than a second before being replaced by a captivating and composed gaze once she realized her loss of composure.

"Well, if you really want to get intimate, I'm fine with doing it right here in the entryway, okay? But I'm just worried that Sora might object~"

Without responding to that, he suddenly smacked his lips twice, seemingly wanting more, and said:

"It smells like a lie."

"what?"

Yukino Yukinoshita was a little stunned, her mind still reeling. She felt her body getting hot and a tingling sensation coming from the wet marks left on her neck.

Yuu Tenkuji was the first to recover, and smiled at her: "It's nothing, but you can't fool me with your acting skills. You pretend to be indifferent on the surface, but you can't accept it at all. You want to exclude everyone else so you can have me all to yourself, right?"

"How did you know?" She froze slightly, blinking her eyes with a mix of panic and confusion.

"You can think of it as a substitute... or a special ability."

Like treating a child, Yuu Tenkuji patted the back of her head.

"Don't worry, I can't read minds or guess all your thoughts... Right now, I just want to know if you're forcing yourself."

Thanks to the first function of the "lie detector," which is passive, although he could tell that Yukino Yukinoshita was full of lies, he didn't know what she was really thinking or what he should do to put her at ease.

Fortunately, there is a second function that can be used proactively—by licking her skin when she is lying, you can find out what she is most trying to hide.

As it turns out, the system's rewards have never been wrong. He realized that beneath Yukino's nonchalant and composed expression lay the beginnings of a yandere mentality.

Although he felt apologetic for reading other people's thoughts without permission, Yuu Tenkuji would not abandon it. At most, he would reduce the number of times he used it out of respect. As long as it was within the legal scope, he would use all the available conditions. That's how he always did things.

Thanks to this, he is now able to respond in a timely manner.

"Since I haven't notified anyone yet, let's just postpone it for a day."

Gently increasing the distance between them, Yuu Tenkuji looked into her bright yet deep ruby ​​eyes and said calmly and decisively.

"Today I don't care about anyone else. I'll turn off my phone, and I'll put aside everything else, from sharing intelligence to trying to recover my memories. Nothing is more important than you right in front of me—"

So, Haruno, can I have all of your time all to myself this Christmas?

Chapter 11 is not without clues.

Meanwhile, luxury apartments.

After returning to her apartment from school, Yukino Yukinoshita tried to distract herself by doing something else, but she remained absent-minded and unable to calm down.

When I sit on the sofa reading, his image always involuntarily appears between the lines. Even if I put down the book and close my eyes to rest for a while, it's as if I can smell his scent lingering in the lonely and quiet living room, on the sofa, in every corner of the living room, deeply and tenderly intertwined with me.

That might be the illusion created by his embrace.

So Yukino Yukinoshita took another shower, trying to wash away the smell, but for some reason, when she rubbed the shower gel on her body, her heart raced and her fingers felt like an electric current was flowing through her sensitive skin. It was as if someone had gently and wonderfully rubbed every part of her body in the bathroom not long ago, leaving a mark that would be hard to erase in a short time.

Her image immediately popped into his mind, but then Yukino Yukinoshita blushed and shook her head away—what did this have to do with him!

Putting aside the fact that she would never have any intimate contact with him, he is her best friend's boyfriend. Even just having such thoughts is no different from betraying her!

"This is puberty syndrome... Even if I really like him, I would never have any inappropriate thoughts..."

Attributing these wild thoughts to hormonal imbalance, the pure love warrior, Yukino Yukinoshita, resolutely turned the hot water into cold water and took a rare cold shower, forcibly cooling her reddened skin back to its snow-white state.

She knew that doing this would make her feel very uncomfortable, and given her constitution, she might even catch a cold.

But recuperating from a cold at home alone is better than struggling in a love triangle... At least the former won't go against Yukino Yukinoshita's beliefs, and won't make her feel like she's become a completely different version of herself.

However, as she washed, she was surprised to find that the cold water did not cause her much discomfort, nor did it involve the process of gritting her teeth and shivering as she had expected; although she could clearly feel that the water was cold, it was like taking a warm bath, and her body's reaction was so mild that she felt as if she were in a dream.

"I think I'd better take another nap..."

Normally, unless she has a cold, fever, or is feeling unwell, she would never do something as lazy as sleeping in.

However, she couldn't concentrate on reading a single word during her morning reading on the holidays, and she wasn't in the mood to watch cat videos online. With little entertainment to pass the time, she could only lie in bed, close her eyes, and clear her mind to regulate her emotions.

Yukino Yukinoshita walked out of the shower room, rubbing her forehead. She sighed softly, never expecting her first day of winter break to be so terrible.

She returned to her bedroom, sat down at her vanity, and began to blow-dry her hair. Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt that something about her seemed different, and her thoughts drifted and became chaotic with the flowing strands of hair.

Were the things he said to himself sincere?

His sincerity was undeniable, which was why she felt flustered and anxious to escape the warm, throbbing sound of his heartbeat.

'What exactly is he trying to say to me? Why is he so different from the person I remember? He gives off a very unfamiliar feeling.'

Given Tenkuji's personality, he would never recklessly confess when he knows he can't accept it... So, is the reason related to something he wants to tell me as soon as possible?

Besides, in my memory, he had never had any intimate interactions with me. Could it be that he fell in love with me through our growing rapport, just like I did?

If that's the case, why didn't he show any signs of anything amiss? And how could he so naturally date Yui, showing affection for her every day in the clubroom and in front of her?

That's true from a rational perspective, but from an emotional perspective...

Even though her memories were filled with his image, why was it only this morning, when Tenkuji Yu suddenly hugged her and his eyes were so gentle that they seemed unfamiliar, that she felt the most familiar with him and the feeling of excitement far exceeded any time in the past?

Compared to his present self, his past self seems almost unreal, giving people an extremely surreal feeling.

"Is it just my imagination...?"

Slowly putting down the hairdryer, Yukino Yukinoshita frowned deeply, her palm gently pressed against her left chest, as if confirming the emotions that floated within, emotions that could never be calmed down.

The more I think about it now, the stranger it all seems.

Rather, from the moment she was drawn by a strange impulse early in the morning and insisted on walking to the clubroom at school to study, even though the train had stopped, Yukino Yukinoshita felt as if she were enveloped in a fog, with everything around her feeling unreal and ethereal.

the most important is……

She suddenly remembered something, pulled open the drawer under the dressing table, and inside was a necklace carefully wrapped in a handkerchief.

Hanging from the gleaming silver chain is a crystal-clear, pure white snowflake, with a deep blue gemstone embedded in its center, shimmering with flawless brilliance.

Both the materials and the craftsmanship appear to be of high price, and the texture is as warm and smooth as jade. It seems to radiate a faint warmth at all times, which is completely inconsistent with its snowflake-like appearance, giving people a sense of warmth.

But Yukino Yukinoshita swore that she had never seen this necklace, which should have been the grand finale at a jewelry auction, let alone that it was hanging around her neck, pressed tightly against her naked skin when she woke up that morning.

The second strange thing is here.

Having no habit of sleeping naked and no memory of taking off her pajamas last night, she found herself curled up naked in the quilt, wearing only this necklace. When she woke up and realized this, Yukino Yukinoshita just sat on the bed, hugging the quilt, in a daze. After a while, filled with confusion and fear, she began to check the doors, windows, and her body.

Naturally, with all the doors and windows locked, not a single mosquito could get in. The floor, bed, and blankets all bore her marks. She felt no pain anywhere on her body, and the pajamas she should have been wearing were neatly arranged in the closet, as if she hadn't worn them since the night before.

Unable to find any clues to explain the current situation, Yukino even began to suspect that some mischievous fairy might have drifted into her bedroom through a vent or something similar, stripped herself naked, and given her this necklace as compensation, just to see her panicked expression when she woke up.

Of course, this conjecture was too unrealistic, and in the end, she tried to comfort herself by attributing it to sleepwalking.

As for the necklace, since she couldn't think of a reasonable explanation no matter how hard she tried, she took it off and put it in a drawer out of caution, planning to ask her mother to help her identify it when she got home.

"Wait, so it's not that there are no clues at all..."

Chapter Twelve: The Smoke of War Rekindled?

The moment she realized this, her slightly confused and troubled eyes suddenly lit up.

Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly stood up from in front of the dressing table, raised her right hand high, and examined the necklace with a stern look.

At this moment, logic and emotion connect, listing countless possibilities at an almost overclocked speed.

—As Sherlock Holmes once said, first eliminate all impossible conclusions, and the rest, however bizarre or unbelievable, must be irrefutable facts.

First, even if someone is sleepwalking, it's impossible for them to sleepwalk to the point of going out in the middle of the night to pick up such an expensive necklace and bring it home.

Therefore, this necklace must have been a gift from someone else, or perhaps the person even put it on you personally—but simply forgot.

Secondly, even though it was winter break, she was inexplicably driven to go to Soubu High School, where she met the person she liked. Was all of this just a coincidence?

If it wasn't a coincidence, could it be that I had actually arranged to meet him there long ago—but simply forgot?