I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

That's awesome! Absolutely the best!

Is this really a benefit I can enjoy?!

With an expression of being so moved that she was about to attain enlightenment, Natsukawa Masaki closed her eyes with a flushed face, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and twisted her body like a maggot, while her lower abdomen twitched and her whole body trembled as if she were being electrocuted.

"Best, most blessed..."

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Secret of the Snowflake Necklace

"What is that crazy woman doing now...?"

Kasugano Sora glanced disdainfully at Natsukawa Masuri, who was taking a deep breath at the door, and looked around. She found that only Yukinoshita Haruno was starting to search around purposefully, while Yukinoshita Yukino and Kasumigaoka Utaha were standing in the corner of the room looking around, seemingly with no intention of making any moves.

Kasumigaoka Utaha could understand, since according to her, apart from meeting Yu once during summer vacation, she didn't have any other major connections, let alone leave behind anything that indicated a close relationship... Even if there were, it probably wouldn't be in this room.

However, Yukino Yukinoshita is quite strange. Even if she has lost her memory, if she still likes her brother, she should be just like her sister, very interested in his room and invade his private space under the pretense of looking for something. Why is she standing there so calmly?

Kasugano Sora narrowed her eyes slightly, subtly scrutinizing the tall, straight-haired girl with long black hair who seemed to have lost some of her coldness and strength since their first meeting.

She was biting her lip slightly, watching Yukinoshita Haruno's back as she rummaged through drawers and cabinets. A hesitant expression appeared on her fair and beautiful profile, with a hint of struggle in her eyes, as if she didn't know whether she should reveal a certain secret, or if she was afraid that her treasure would be taken away if she did.

Her hands were lightly clenched in front of her chest. If she was religious, she probably found peace of mind by holding the cross.

After observing secretly for a short while, Kasugano Sora took the initiative to walk over.

"Aren't you going to go look for it? Until yesterday, you were Yu's girlfriend, so he would definitely treasure anything related to you that he could keep in his room. One of those things might be that key to entering the dream world."

"Ah, this, I..." Yukino turned around somewhat at a loss, opened her mouth slightly, and unconsciously tightened her grip on her chest.

She glanced at Kasugano Sora, then at her sister who was intently prying open his desk drawer with a wire, before finally turning her gaze back to him. She let out a sigh of relief, slumped her shoulders, and quickly regained her composure and peace.

"I'm sorry, even though you all say I was his girlfriend before, I can't remember anything now. I don't know about the days we spent together, or what we left for each other..."

She spoke softly, her head slightly lowered, like a little girl who had been abandoned by her parents in a foreign land and wanted to go home but couldn't find her way, revealing a sadness tinged with confusion.

"Hmm...that's why you were watching from the side."

Kasugano Sora suddenly realized, but then felt as if she was poking at someone's wound. She felt bad about continuing to upset her, so she nodded reassuringly and curled the ends of her hair, preparing to leave as if nothing had happened.

However, at this moment, Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly released her hand from her chest, gently gathered her long hair behind her back, and pulled out a necklace from under her stand-up collar sweater.

"Although there's no evidence, this necklace that inexplicably appeared on me must have been a gift from him..."

There probably aren't any other possibilities.

After seeing off her uninvited sister, Yukino didn't dwell on her negative emotions for long. She quickly cheered herself up and planned to go to the supermarket downstairs to buy some things and then relax on the sofa watching cat videos to clear her mind.

However, before going downstairs, she glanced at the howling wind outside the street scene. Perhaps influenced by some impulse, she took out the snowflake necklace that she had wrapped in a handkerchief, hung it around her neck, tucked it into her clothes, and went out the door.

So winter, which usually makes you shiver and your fingers turn red from the cold, is like a tamed wild cat, no longer having that menacing chill and sharp, piercing indifference.

A continuous warmth spread from the snowflakes, penetrating her chest and coursing through her blood, as if she were being tightly embraced by someone's broad chest, giving her a sense of ease that allowed her to walk upright even in the cold winter.

Yukino Yukinoshita was initially puzzled. It was just an ordinary jade necklace, not some new hand warmer or some other high-tech gadget, so how could it do such a magical thing?

However, under these even more miraculous circumstances, all those doubts seem to be easily resolved.

"This is..." Because she didn't want to touch the snowflakes that should still be warm from her chest, Kasugano Sora didn't ask her to take off the necklace, even though she was very curious. She just leaned closer and examined the necklace from all angles.

Then, in a certain tone, he said, "It was definitely him who gave it to me! Look, it's engraved with 'H&Y,' which should mean 'Haru & Yukino'... Yu really likes to do these little romantic things, just to make girls even more infatuated with him after they discover it without him noticing."

"H&Y?"

Yukino Yukinoshita was taken aback for a moment, then turned the snowflake over to face her, frowned in surprise, and squinted as she examined the snowflake of unknown material again.

"How is that possible? I checked very carefully, there's nothing there..."

"You didn't check the chain part, did you?" Kasugano Sora shrugged. No one in the world understood her brother's little tricks better than her. "Look carefully, it's engraved on the inside of the chain on the side where the jade is fastened... Yu, that guy, he really only knows how to use useless little tricks."

Or perhaps it's just a perverse sense of humor?

According to Kasugano Sora, Yukino Yukinoshita finally managed to see the English lettering, written in tiny characters, on the silver ring that connected to the snowflake.

『H&Y』.

Yuu and Yukino.

No evidence is needed, and no amount of doubt can change that; these three characters represent that meaning.

Yukino Yukinoshita held the three characters in her hands, staring at them intently without moving, her dark blue eyes seemingly containing only those three characters.

Despite being composed of such simple English sentences, it reads like a love story filled with promises and smiles, drawing the reader in and making them wonder what kind of complicated and poignant emotional journey Yuu and Yukino had gone through.

That must mean the ending wasn't good, but it's a memory that anyone can face in the future without regrets.

Without realizing it, a warm and reassuring smile appeared on her face.

"Yeah……"

"Tenkuji-kun, is this the 'key' you left for me?"

"Even if none of this had happened, even if you hadn't come to me to confront me, as long as I examined this necklace carefully, I would have discovered the secret hidden in these letters sooner or later..."

"As long as I still love you, then 'H&Y' will always be 'Yuu and Yukino'."

Yukino Yukinoshita gripped the necklace tightly, then carefully tucked it into her sweater, placing it in the center of her chest.

She slowly exhaled air from her lungs, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, her dark blue eyes seemingly curving into a smile before suddenly lifting, revealing a shimmering, clear lake-like expanse.

"Then there is no need to doubt that I am his girlfriend anymore."

As she spoke to herself, Yukino Yukinoshita turned her firm yet relaxed gaze to Kasugano Sora and said with a smile, "Thank you, Sora. Although my memories haven't returned yet, I already know what is very important to me, and I will no longer be confused or sad."

Somewhat stunned, Kasugano Sora suddenly relaxed, her demeanor gradually returning to normal. She replied dryly, "Ah? Oh, you're welcome... I was just saying it casually, I wasn't planning on helping you."

Was she being too talkative? She inexplicably felt a pang of regret.

Even so, I still have to thank you.

Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head, glanced at her older sister who had successfully opened the desk drawer and started rummaging through it from top to bottom, and then suddenly turned and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Kasugano Sora asked instinctively.

"I'm going to make a phone call, I'll be right back."

Just like an older sister-in-law treats her younger sister-in-law, Yukino Yukinoshita naturally patted her little head, paused, and then said:

"Xiao Qiong, I'd like to ask Yui to come over, is that alright?"

Upon hearing this, the one who reacted immediately was not Kasugano Sora, who was about to slap her hand away, but Natsukawa Masuzu, who had already finished 'breathing' at the door.

"You want to call Tuanzi-chan over? It's better not to do that."

Chapter Thirty-Four: Shameless!

"why?"

Yukino Yukinoshita's hand had just reached into her pocket to take out her phone when she froze in place because of those words.

As if that perverted behavior from just now had never happened, Natsukawa Masuzu casually brushed her long hair over her shoulder and said slowly, "Isn't this a very simple principle? First of all, Dango-chan's identity is different from ours. She is his official girlfriend, 'even without the mission forcing him, he still chose to date her,' you know?"

"They're all girlfriends, and I don't think there's any need to exclude Yui."

Looking directly into Natsukawa Masuzu's slightly disdainful gaze, Yukino answered with great determination and decisiveness.

Despite still feeling somewhat worried and uneasy about whether Yui Yuigahama had truly accepted her relationship with Yuu Tenkuji, Yukino Yukinoshita was more concerned about her best friend, who was actually dating him, being kept in the dark and left to wait for everything to end without knowing anything, than about her own feelings.

Her boyfriend has fallen into a coma for no apparent reason, was forcibly kissed in a car, and now several women who have feelings for him have broken into his room... What might happen next is even more outrageous, but Yui is not by his side and can neither stop it nor help him in any way.

Yukino felt a tightness in her chest just imagining the shock and helplessness she felt after learning the truth, and she really didn't want her best friend to experience the same discomfort.

Therefore, she said emphatically, word by word: "I don't know what the past is like in your memories, but to me, Tenkuji-kun and Yui are a couple with a very good relationship and a close bond. We must inform Tenkuji-kun of what we are doing now and what he is going through as soon as possible."

"Or do you have some reason why you absolutely must keep this a secret from her?"

"puff!"

Despite being glared at with such righteous indignation by Yukino Yukinoshita, Natsukawa Masuzu couldn't help but laugh. Like a villain mocking the protagonist's naive thoughts before a major battle, she chuckled a few times, then crossed her arms and said leisurely:

"That's true. Just like you can't hide cancer from your family, if something unexpected really happens one day, the harm to those who are kept in the dark will be even more severe, right?"

Yukino frowned: "Could you please stop using such metaphors..."

Natsukawa Masaki seemed not to hear him and continued talking to himself.

"I know you think the reason I don't want Yui to come is simply to exclude her, the official girlfriend, so that we, the nameless and ineffective 'mission targets,' can continue to act recklessly, right?"

Yukino's eyes twitched slightly: "To be honest, I didn't consider that aspect... So that's what you were thinking?"

"...I think that's what you would think."

After a moment of awkwardness from his calculating expression, Natsukawa Masaki coughed twice, then quickly regained his composure.

"Let me make this clear first: as long as Ayu can wake up safely, I don't care if you have to lock the two of them in the same room and wake him up with some kind of indescribable activity, let alone have Tuanzi-chan come over to host the event."

"I don't care!" Kasugano Sora, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, interjected with displeasure.

"Don't worry about it, it's impossible anyway." The little princess's opinion couldn't be ignored, so Natsukawa Masuzu said to her reassuringly, and then looked at Yukino Yukinoshita.

She suddenly stepped forward, her tone becoming aggressive.

"Here we go again, do you think Dango-chan isn't my good friend? While you two were upstairs celebrating Christmas Eve and your shouts of fierce fighting echoed throughout the entire apartment building, we were downstairs comforting our wounded hearts with JOJO!"

"Tuanzi even went upstairs to deliver Christmas presents to you, and her eyes were red when she came back. How dare you say you care about her more than I do?! How shameless!"

Despite her stern and righteous rebuke, her slightly twitching lips gave the impression that she was suppressing a laugh.

Kasugano Sora, who was watching from the sidelines, curled her lip indifferently, completely unconcerned whether her brother had actually made a move on the black-haired, flat-chested girl.

After all, Natsukawa Masuzu's words have no credibility whatsoever. Just by looking at her expression, you can tell that she's probably just spouting nonsense to tease others.

Although the suspicion that Yu did something last night has not disappeared, unless he admits it himself, Kasugano Sora, as his sister who is always willing to trust him, will never be swayed by other people's words!

"W-What did you say..."

On the other side, Yukino was too shocked to notice the strange expression on Masuzu's face, and simply took a step back in astonishment.

His trembling pupils seemed to recall something, shrinking to pinpoints in disbelief, and his dry lips murmured in a daze:

"So did I really...do that kind of thing with him...? I woke up this morning and found I wasn't wearing anything, and that was because of him..."

Even though Yukino's murmurs were very faint, Kasugano Sora and Natsukawa Masuzu could quickly pick up the key words.

"Waking up in the morning..."