I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Why not just stay home, eat snacks, enjoy the air conditioning, and watch the broadcast?

Most importantly, she had imagined everything that would happen tonight, and her anticipation had already swelled to the point of being uncontrollable. How could she allow herself to be intimate with her senior while there was an adorable Totoro acting as a third wheel?

So despite her anger, Isshiki Hatake didn't plan to go back and settle accounts with the boss—after all, they weren't the ones who got ripped off, and as long as they made up for their costs and their seniors didn't mind, that was enough.

"Weakening guns and applying iron powder are just small business tactics. If they don't do them, they'll lose more money than other vendors, there's no way around it. People who insist on taking down large targets at these kinds of stalls aren't really worth pitying; in fact, this tactic to stimulate consumption is quite effective..."

As the night breeze blew, Yuu Tenkuji's bangs fluttered slightly, and she explained to Iroha Isshiki with a relaxed expression, "It's not that I want to speak up for that old man, but thinking about it carefully, there's really nothing to be angry about, and there's no need to interfere with his business... Just let him know that there are always people more capable than him, and then take back what he's owed."

"So that means this matter is over?" Iroha sighed, her indignant expression instantly changing as she threw all her negative emotions to the back of her mind and smiled mischievously again. "Senpai, after all that preaching... you actually enjoyed it too, didn't you?"

"Enjoy what?"

"The feeling of being stared at dumbfounded by the boss and the others! I never expected that just firing a gun would actually make my senior show off so cool~"

"What they think doesn't matter." Shrugging, Tenkuji Yu said indifferently, "Like someone said, what's the point of being cool if you don't have cute junior girls looking at you with admiring eyes? It's just like casting pearls before swine."

Deeply moved, Isshiki stared at him blankly, her moist eyes blinking only after a long while. Her soft, small lips parted slightly, as if she were about to utter the deepest emotions hidden in her heart.

"Senior, stop with the empty boasting. People are tired of hearing it."

Tenkuji Yu looked up and took a deep breath—that spicy and cold voice always gets to me.

When people get used to being respected and treated with courtesy, they can unknowingly become masochistic... Is this the principle of things turning into their opposites when they reach their extreme?

I understand. This opens the door to a new world.

Tenkuji Yu shook his head and smiled helplessly at Isshiki Iroha, "Isn't it better to be frank? Why do you always have to be so tsundere?"

"No, I genuinely think so. Could you please stop being so narcissistic?"

She glanced at him disdainfully, then gently placed her hands behind her back. Yi Se Yu slowly stepped into her wooden clogs, letting the evening breeze gently caress the soft strands of hair at her temples.

"On another note... actually, I haven't known much about my senior's affairs all along."

"Is that so?" Yuu Tenkuji admired her crescent-shaped profile. The girl's cuteness was undeniable, and she was pleasing to the eye from any angle.

"Yeah. All I know is that he's very popular, and his personality is generally gentle, but he has a lot of weird tastes and is a bit of a chauvinist..." She lowered her head and started counting on her fingers, "He's handsome and incredibly capable, seemingly knowing everything. Not only was he the top student in the entire senior year mock exam, but he's also the national kendo champion. And at this age, he's still a virgin monster who often peeks at me and Kanade with covetous eyes..."

"Hey, hey, hey, you're getting more and more ridiculous!"

Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly, and raised his hand to flick her forehead as punishment.

Since changing into the summer uniform, he had indeed stolen many glances at the girl's smooth thighs and the view peeking through the thin uniform.

But when faced with that silver-haired junior who seemed like an angel fallen to earth, he always maintained a fatherly tenderness. Even when he occasionally caught her unaware of her natural beauty, he would immediately turn his head away and remind her with a proper and calm attitude.

So you could call him a pervert or a virgin monster, it doesn't matter—but the claim that he coveted Tachibana Kanade is pure slander.

"I'm outta here!"

She quickly covered her head to dodge his attack. Iroha Isshiki opened her bright, lively brown eyes wide and lectured her seriously: "Girls feel things differently than you do! Senpai, you'd better be more mindful of how you appear to others."

"Only you would look at me like that, right?" Yuu Tenkuji rolled her eyes, too lazy to argue with her.

"I haven't finished speaking yet."

Suddenly stopping in her tracks, Isshiki Yu turned to face him.

People passed by, their swaying shadows intertwined, but the two of them stopped in an open space and gazed at each other.

As you walk halfway up the mountain, the stalls gradually thin out, and looking down, you see a lively scene of firelight, a world apart from the increasingly quiet and peaceful mountain. Even your restless mood settles down without you even realizing it.

The lantern's light still connected the road, illuminating the faint blush on the girl's cheeks, her eyes shining with a gentle yet earnest light.

"I want to know more about my seniors."

She said it without hesitation, her smile unwavering, her clear and melodious voice ringing out in the night sky like the first chime of a summer wind chime.

"I want to know more about my senior's life, including where he learned his shooting skills and what he usually worries about."

"..." Tenkuji Yu met her gaze but did not answer immediately.

Seemingly unable to remain calm under his gaze for long, Isshiki raised her arm, subconsciously scratched her face lightly, and chuckled shyly, "Is this not okay?"

"I didn't say no." But that wasn't a direct answer.

Tenkuji Yu took a step towards her, and only after his steps and shadow were parallel to hers did he thoughtfully stroke his chin and say, "Let me think, why is your shooting skill so amazing..."

Should I tell her that I obtained the expert-level "shooting" skill from the system and later upgraded it to the perfect level?

Putting aside whether she wants to believe it or not, this is a long story... It might not be finished in a single fireworks display; we'll need to find a place to rest and talk about it later.

Amused by her own increasingly lewd thoughts, Yuu Tenkuji sighed with a touch of melancholy, but then paused for a moment, momentarily stunned.

'Wait, on another note…'

'I remember very clearly, the "shooting" achievement was a reward I received in my first achievement event for helping a young lady deal with the harassment of her suitors...'

What's causing this feeling of unease?

That's what his memory told him, but the sensation in his palm seemed to be more complex.

Yuu Tenkuji subconsciously raised his hand, stretched his arm forward, and assumed a perfectly standard ten-meter air rifle shooting posture.

"Senior? What's wrong?"

Despite Iroha Isshiki's strange expression as she approached him, waving her little hand in front of his stunned face.

Yuu Tenkuji remained unresponsive, seemingly lost in some incomprehensible memory, relying solely on her physical movements.

'Speaking of which, where was the first time I adopted this gun-gripping posture...?'

Training grounds? Game booths? Or during a firefight with yakuza organizations?

No, none of those are true...

He kept checking his memory, even though he could find the answers to all his questions there. But for some reason, he couldn't calmly let go of his doubts and declare the answers complete.

There must be some important clue that I accidentally overlooked; I have to find it...

He trusted his intuition.

'This is one of the challenges the trials have given me...'

The moment those words appeared in my mind.

—Wait, a trial?

He suddenly opened his eyes wide, staring ahead stiffly, as if an electric current had paralyzed all his nerves.

In just a moment, a black-and-white image with noise flashed out like a broken videotape.

—He held an air pistol, stood next to someone, and crushed them with skills far superior to theirs.

After that, he also said to himself:

"The reward for completing all the 'trials' is now yours... my great hero."

—What kind of trial was that?

—And what is the reward?

—What is the story behind the great hero?

Countless questions sprang up like mushrooms after rain, taking deep root in Tenkuji Yu's heart.

But now, he only wants to know one thing—

That one...

Who exactly is she?

△

After that, Tenkuji Yuu comforted Isshiki Hachi, who was concerned about him, and continued walking towards the mountain shrine.

Although the girl was worried that something might have gone wrong with his brain and that there wouldn't be enough time to treat it, she was prepared to cancel all her plans for the day and instead accompany him to see a doctor.

However, feeling that it wasn't that serious, Tenkuji Yu politely declined her suggestion, diverting her attention with other topics, and planned to sort out her memories properly after returning home.

As for now, it's his date with Iroha Isshiki.

As long as he is present, no matter what happens, he cannot let the girl beside him show a lonely smile—this is Yuu Tenkuji's chivalry.

The further you go towards the top of the mountain, the fewer stalls remain, and it's no longer as lively as it was at the beginning.

Yuu Tenkuji was much more active than before, playing more festival games such as darts and ping-pong ball throwing, and naturally scored high points, winning the prize she wanted amidst Iroha Isshiki's cheers.

Of course, they also bought a few more snacks to fill their stomachs. The two of them were used to feeding each other, but they would still often get burned by the takoyaki or okonomiyaki that the other handed them, and then they couldn't help but smile when they glared at each other.

Passing by a mask stall, Iroha Isshiki bought two masks and forced him to wear them with her—masks featuring Sailor Moon and Kamen Rider. Although they looked a bit odd hanging on the side of their hair, their top-notch looks and delicate features meant that the strange decorations didn't diminish their charm much.

And so, the two of them left the area of ​​the festival and arrived at the shrine located on the mountaintop.

Side by side, they climbed the stone steps, passed through the ancient mountain gate, and the two masked men exchanged a glance, then smiled and continued on their way.

"There's still some time before the fireworks display, let's go in and pay our respects."

It seemed that a Bon dance had just ended. In the distance, people could be seen packing up their things in the venue. Two or three staff members were leaning against the railing, chatting loudly with beer in their hands. This was very different from the tourists who had come to worship or were looking for a place to sit while waiting for the fireworks display to begin.

Overall, the environment is quite peaceful.

"There will probably be even more people here during the New Year," Iroha Isshiki sighed softly.

"Want to come along?" Tenkuji Yu asked bluntly. "When visiting shrines during the New Year, we wear kimonos, not yukatas."

Isshiki Hatake narrowed her eyes and smiled slyly: "Oh, you're interested in my kimono?"

Yuu Tenkuji corrected her seriously: "To be precise, she's interested in Isshiki Hatake when he's wearing a kimono."

Her teasing expression froze slightly, and Iroha turned her face away nonchalantly, keeping a distance from him.

"...Please, senior, don't be so proactive. People won't know how to respond."

He then took a deep breath and looked ahead at the worship hall, which seemed to blend into the darkness. Only the flickering light from the beams danced in his slightly dimmed brown eyes.

"Okay, let's do it together!"

She spoke softly, yet with the firmness of a vow. But it quickly turned into a low murmur, as if she were talking to herself:

"I'll have to invite Kanade along too... I didn't tell her anything today before coming on a date with my senior, to be honest, I feel a little guilty..."

"There's no need to feel guilty. Even among friends, there are many things you want to say or don't want to say."

Tenkuji Yu touched her slightly lowered head, and after the couple in front of the line left, he walked to the donation box in the worship hall.

"If she has any complaints, just tell her that I kidnapped you... after all, it's the truth."