I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

On the left is a silver-haired girl standing in front of the slowly opening glass door, staring blankly at him with lifeless eyes.

Neither of them spoke, yet their two pairs of cold and indifferent, terrifying eyes, like lasers capable of cutting through steel, pierced the various places where she and Tenkuji Yu had come into contact.

Kasumigaoka Utaha had no doubt that if they had knives in their hands right now, she would definitely be mistaken for a fox spirit and hacked to death on the spot, and then her body would be displayed to the public.

—Does the phrase "get ahead of everyone else" actually conceal this kind of risk?!

She regrets it now, she really regrets it.

Unfortunately, the mistake has already been made. Like a rabbit that has wandered into a cage of wild beasts, regret will not save it. It is necessary to make amends as soon as possible.

"Ahem, well..."

After realizing the situation, Kasumigaoka Utaha coughed awkwardly twice, breaking the seemingly frozen silence.

She instinctively avoided their gaze, trying to sound calm and composed, but her fingers trembled involuntarily.

This was the first time I had ever experienced such a deep-seated fear.

Even the sudden appearance of the notebook back then didn't terrify her as much as it does now—as if one wrong step would lead to an irreversible death.

I took a deep breath to calm my inexplicably rapid heartbeat.

Then, looking at the handsome boy sleeping soundly in her arms, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but grit her teeth and glare at this 'culprit' several times.

—You wretched junior, I've remembered this! I'll settle the score with you when you wake up!

Despite her inner rage, she looked up and forced a smile at her two junior classmates, attempting to extend a gesture of goodwill.

"Calm down, both of you. Let me explain. I really didn't intend to make a move on your sweethearts..."

Like a prisoner preparing to release a hostage, Kasumigaoka Utaha gently placed Tenkuji Yu's head on the ground, raising her hands and cautiously backing away.

Chapter Twenty-Four: System, you'd better get yourself cleaned up and wait!

"The final trial is about to begin. Please prepare immediately."

As Kasumigaoka Utaha's figure came into view, the system's voice sounded.

There was no countdown; only a bright red notification box appeared in the corner of his vision.

"Huh? You wait a minute—"

Before he could even wonder why Kasumigaoka-senpai had suddenly appeared there and why she was dribbling the ball towards him.

Tenkuji Yu felt a moment of disorientation, followed by an overwhelming drowsiness, as if a nightmare was dragging him into a dream world without warning, and the scenery before his eyes began to blur.

'Damn it, after tricking me, they're trying to use force?!'

Is the dog system already prepared to tear off all pretenses and fight him to the death in this mission?

Blinking hard couldn't dispel the sleepiness, so Yuu Tenkuji used "Mirror of Still Water" to force himself to calm down, only to find that it was useless; the intense sleepiness still wouldn't go away.

He hardened his heart and stuffed his tongue into his back teeth, biting it down with the force of a suicide attempt.

However, the gray ripples had anticipated his decision and suddenly spread out from Tenkuji Yu's body. The relaxation, which could numb ten elephants, soothed all the muscles in his body, took away the strength to close his jaw, and blurred his vision.

"So, they're going to such lengths just to make me undergo that final trial...?"

At that moment, as if she had finally understood something, Tenkuji Yu suddenly gave up resisting.

Time seemed to slow down, and he could clearly see the black-stockinged, giant-feathered senior student rushing toward him with a ferocious expression.

It can also capture the undulating arc of those waves as if it were being played in slow motion.

Similar to when he faced Asuna's rapier imbued with the power of her will, he could only stand there and watch, unable to react in any way.

Feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, Yuu Tenkuji reluctantly closed her eyes, preparing her body in that short time to absorb the impact and ensure a safe landing for both the oncoming opponent and her own drowsy state.

Even if he didn't understand why Kasumigaoka Utaha had suddenly appeared, Tenkuji Yu could roughly guess why this damn system was going too far these days.

"So, in order not to disappear too soon, they want to squeeze every last drop of value out of me...?"

He gave a mocking sneer to himself, but there was nothing he could do about it, since it was determined to do it this way.

Just like comic artists and editors, for popular works, in order to boost sales and subsequent IP plans, editors often ask comic artists not to end the work when it should have ended, forcibly extending the life of the work.

Even if a comic artist who excels at medium-length comics could achieve both fame and fortune by finishing the work at their own pace, there's really no need to force the work into a long series and cause it to collapse. But in the eyes of the editor-in-chief and senior executives, what does it matter if the work is in its later stages and should be finished? As long as there's still money to be made, they will continue to draw it no matter what, constantly rehashing old material, until its popularity declines and it can no longer make much money before it can be finished.

Cartoonists don't just stand there and refuse... unless they can find another way out on their own.

Although he didn't know how the system worked, Yuu Tenkuji guessed that the system could only obtain special energy such as emotions or spirits from girls when he was flirting with them.

Therefore, if he manages to quickly complete the fifth mission by grasping the trick, or if he reduces the number of times he flirts with other girlfriends out of consideration for their feelings, thereby reducing the generation of energy, then the system will have to part ways with this rare and good host—and the energy-generating machine—without reaping much energy.

But the value hasn't been fully extracted yet, so how can we so easily let go of a good horse that doesn't eat much grass but can run very fast?

Why not just abandon the fifth mission and use the final trial mission to trap itself, like a trainer urging an old lion to jump through a ring of fire, making it struggle on this final stage until it gains enough benefits or collapses from exhaustion, then the system will leave this world satisfied.

Of course, all of the above is baseless and merely Yuu Tenkuji's speculation that it is closest to the truth.

The only certainty is that the system is in a panic, as anxious as a virgin who has just lost his virginity, trying desperately to revive its weak and powerless little brother and get it back into the fight.

'...Alright, since you want to come, then come on over.'

With her eyes closed, Yuu Tenkuji's expression gradually faded, and she calmly addressed the system:

'Anyway, I will do my best to complete your final task, just like last time... no, the previous four times.'

Despite constantly cursing the system as a dog, it's an equal exchange. For every resource Yuu Tenkuji takes from the system, he will naturally do the same things for it. No matter how bad his mood is, at least in terms of his sense of responsibility, he has never thought of refusing the system's tasks.

He didn't want to suffer any grievances and just wanted to take the benefits and leave. He never had such a pampered thought. He also believed that he could complete the task perfectly and finally live a perfect and happy life with the reward.

Therefore, whether it's the fifth mission or the final trial mission—if the system insists that he do it, Yuu Tenkuji, as a working man, will gladly accept it.

Just like an illustrator being harassed by a client, you should treat the work given by someone you dislike with a professional attitude, instead of raging incompetent anger and cursing while refusing to accept the facts.

'But you just wait.'

Consciousness gradually sank into a lightless and nameless darkness, and even the elongated and distorted sounds around my ears began to fade away, until I could see, hear, and smell nothing at all.

With a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips, Tenkuji Yu continued calmly:

"The next time we meet will be the day we each use all our cards to settle things once and for all... Anyway, I've already figured out how to teach you a lesson that will be profound, unforgettable, and never-ending."

The system finally responded: "Host, the system is an intangible entity. It has no skeleton, let alone immortality."

Tenkuji Yu gently comforted it: "It's alright, just wait patiently. Your father will figure out a solution… Anyway, no matter what, I'm going to repay you for all the grievances I've suffered these past few days. Stay tuned!"

System: "...The host is ready. Initiating the final trial transfer."

Seeing that the system had nothing to say and returned to the main topic, Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but laugh triumphantly, and then said in a deliberately arrogant manner:

'System, you better get yourself cleaned up and wait! See you when we settle the task!'

Then, a surge of sleepiness completely overwhelmed his last shred of consciousness.

Before falling into a deep sleep, Yuu Tenkuji could feel two very bouncy objects hitting her cheeks, and then her whole face was pressed deep into the suffocating feeling of being enveloped by cotton candy, and it felt as if she could bite into a mouthful of sweetness.

It was like a giant creating the world pressing his face into two mountain peaks in springtime, the warm and gentle touch of those layered mountains on his cheek was truly wonderful and unforgettable.

"So... what does this have to do with... you, senior?"

The questions that couldn't be voiced were replaced by the sound of peaceful breathing as I drifted off to sleep.

Tenkuji Yuu fell into a deep sleep, no longer aware of anything happening in the outside world.

The debate in front of the apartment building lasted for about five minutes.

With the strongest piece of evidence—the Fate Notebook—and all the information she knew, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally escaped the sudden and chaotic situation, saving her life from the unfriendly and wary gazes of the two girls.

Then, Yukino Yukinoshita made a phone call, asking Haruno Yukinoshita, who rushed over, to help drag someone's body into the van and put it in, and to explain the inexplicable situation to her.

Together with Natsukawa Masaki, who insisted on coming along no matter what, the group headed straight for the Tenkuji family's residence.

……

On the temporarily borrowed van.

Yukino Shino drove the car, skillfully weaving through traffic, while also glancing casually in the rearview mirror to check the situation behind her.

Holding a black notebook, Kasumigaoka Utaha was sandwiched between Yukino and Masuzu on either side. She looked somewhat uncomfortable as she touched her long hair, but out of respect for her seniors, she could only maintain a calm expression and say with composure:

"I've already said it, I don't know why this notebook chose me, I don't know why it made me the first to help the sleeping junior, Tenkuji, and I don't even know why he fell asleep..."

"I only know what I'm supposed to do. If you want more information, I'm sorry, I can't keep you company."

Chapter Twenty-Five: Once Again, Yukinoshita Haruno Numbs Herself with Lies

The traffic light ahead turned red, and Yukino Shino slowly stepped on the brake, temporarily turning her gaze away from the rearview mirror and listening to their conversation.

At the same time, she looked down at her phone on her lap, scanned the various documents on the screen, and quickly replied with a few messages.

The high school girl in the back seat who claimed to be a victim as well, and who was chosen by a mysterious being to come into contact with Tenkuji Yu, even though her notebook, which could not be destroyed no matter how much it was torn or burned, and would return on its own even when thrown far away, brought enough credibility to her surreal testimony.

Yukinoshita Haruno contacted her subordinates and ordered them to investigate "Kasumigaoka Utaha" as quickly as possible, so that they could have all the information about her and gain the upper hand when they made contact with her.

Believing what she says doesn't mean you believe her as a person.

Of course, these were just minor things done on a whim—the most important thing was that Tenkuji Yu was now lying in the back seat, fast asleep like a vegetable.

"Tenkuji-kun, is he really alright?"

I've lost count of how many times my younger sister has asked me this in such a fragile tone.

"Don't worry, it's written in the notebook, right? He'll be asleep for a while. As long as we protect his physical body in the real world, he'll be fine once he comes out of the 'trial'."

Kasumigaoka Utaha had answered this question for what seemed like the hundredth time. Although she looked a little tired, she tried to remain patient, seemingly mindful of the concerns of her 'family'.

"Although this notebook is highly suspicious, it hasn't malfunctioned so far. Just treat it as a mission prompt—like playing a game. You've played games before, haven't you? He's going to leave the screen to do something else, and the game system's mission for us is to protect his character from any harm. Don't worry about anything else."

"Even if you say don't worry, this isn't a situation that can be explained away with just a game... Isn't there any way to wake him up as soon as possible...?"

Yukino was still somewhat unable to let go of her worries, and would occasionally turn her head to look at him in the back seat, where his hands and feet were strapped to the seat. Her tightly furrowed brows wouldn't relax, and her lips were almost bitten so hard that they left teeth marks.

"Ugh, that's enough..."

Her expression twisted slightly, as if she could no longer bear it. Kasumigaoka Utaha pressed her temples, and her tone, which could only be considered polite, gradually became blunt and sharp.

"Yukinoshita-senpai, I was just using an analogy. If you can't even understand that, are you just overly concerned or have you never passed reading comprehension?"

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, of course I understand what you mean. I just want to discuss solutions..."

"You call making me repeat myself 'discussing solutions'? Haha, if this were a Chinese language teacher, they'd probably be driven crazy on the podium."