I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

I want to be lovers, to be together every day, and to do the things that lovers do.

"Iroha Isshiki, I love you."

Holding the girl in his arms tightly, as if making a definitive statement about this fact, Yuu Tenkuji spoke softly with a calm expression.

"Please be my girlfriend."

next second.

A cold, electronic voice echoed in his mind, and that incredibly familiar feeling made Yuu Tenkuji unable to help but let out a bitter smile with mixed feelings.

They're back, they're all back... Maybe I shouldn't be so emotional?

"Congratulations, host, on successfully finding a clue."

"The objective has been initiated: to correct what is wrong."

"Task prompt: None."

……

Meanwhile, at the Sky Temple family.

In Yu's bedroom, the white notebook on the table turned its pages slowly without any wind, revealing words on the pristine white pages that matched the sound.

Kasugano Sora, who was in her room, seemed to sense something. After a slight pause, she snapped her fingers.

So the female high school writer, who was diligently writing at her desk to pass the time during her confinement, suddenly collapsed, her beautiful face pressed against the keyboard, and she fell into a deep sleep without realizing it.

Luckily, I didn't switch to the English input method, otherwise when she woke up, she would probably scream at a bunch of messy characters again.

After hypnotizing Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kasugano Sora left her room and went into her brother's bedroom next door to check the contents of her notebook.

"Has the first step already been taken...?"

She murmured softly, her pale fingertips lightly tracing the neat black characters, her expression subtle: "So, he's already dating one or both of Tachibana Kanade and Isshiki Iroha, right?"

If it were my past self, I would definitely be jealous and throw a tantrum, seeing my brother as a scumbag and feeling like I had been betrayed.

However, now, she—a being named 'Kasugano Sora'—only hopes that this can be the opportunity to change everything.

Then, let him, who could never find happiness, create the most perfect ending through his own efforts!

"So, don't worry, Yu."

With a slight smile, the silver-haired girl closed her notebook, turned, and left his room.

Only a fleeting, delicate fragrance remains, along with those gentle yet resolute words.

"One day, we will meet again in a world free of sorrow."

……

The fireworks have faded, and the stars and moon have lost their light.

At nine o'clock in the evening, the announcement that the fireworks display had officially ended was already playing from the foot of the mountain, and the crowd on the mountain, tired after the excitement, leisurely and comfortably left the observation deck.

As for the players in the grove, whether they go to the hotel to continue their all-night battle or go home to rest and recuperate, that's something only they know.

"Let's go down the mountain."

"Ah."

They watched a fireworks display, became a couple, and hugged for an hour.

Although they didn't do anything intimate, the two, whose hearts were filled with warmth, had no more attachment to the fireworks display. They dusted off the dirt on their bottoms, got up, and prepared to return to the foot of the mountain.

Because there will be many more times and opportunities in the future to look up at the same night sky with your loved one and enjoy the warmth of each other's skin.

Hand in hand, the two returned from the forest path to the bustling stone road, completely merging into the line of couples preparing to go home after their joyful time, their mindset different from before.

At least Iroha Isshiki was very happy about being out of single life. Her steps were inexplicably light, and she was humming a little tune. Occasionally, she would blush and laugh silly, as if she was thinking of something, just like a lovesick girl who was still dreaming.

In this situation, Yuu Tenkuji really couldn't bear to dampen her spirits, but some things still needed to be said... He didn't like hiding important things from important people, and he also wanted to know what she was really thinking.

So, after activating the "walls don't hear" mode, Tenkuji Yu turned to her and said, "I have a question for you."

"Huh? What is it, darling~"

Using a deliberately coquettish tone, Iroha gently nuzzled his arm, her happiness barely concealed on her lips: "If it's time to go home, my house has a curfew of 10 PM, right? So unfortunately, considering the last train, we can't go anywhere else to play. I'll have to ask you to be a gentleman and take me home~"

"That's not what I wanted to ask."

Yuu Tenkuji didn't intend to make the atmosphere too dull, so after affectionately patting her head, he casually asked, "Although it's a bit late to ask... even if I'm going abroad to study for a while after graduation and it's hard for us to see each other again, would you still be willing to date me?"

This is not reality, but a trial within a dream.

According to the system, if the trial is not passed before graduation, the world will be completely remade, and everything will start over again.

By then, the memory of him and her confessing their feelings for each other during the fireworks festival on the mountain will probably only exist in his memory.

Even if he completes the trial before graduation and leaves this dream world, will Isshiki Hatake in reality still remember everything that has happened so far?

Given the nature of this garbage system, it probably won't go so smoothly.

If that's the case, then for the "Iroha Isshiki" before him, this relationship will come to an end no later than next spring.

She may never know anything, nor experience the pain of separation. She spends every day thinking about where to go and what to do with him the next day, letting this year of her life end in happiness and ignorance.

Therefore, the question asked by Yuu Tenkuji is completely unnecessary and just stirring up trouble, and may even make her lover feel insecure about the future.

...But he still asked.

If the day of parting comes eventually, Yuu Tenkuji hopes that Iroha Isshiki will say goodbye to him with a smile.

This is his selfishness, and his selfishness is a problem.

"...Senior, are you going to study abroad?"

She stopped humming, and even her happy and contented mood seemed to freeze. Iroha stared blankly at him, the light in her eyes no longer so bright.

Yuu Tenkuji nodded silently, offering no further explanation. He simply gripped her cold little hand tighter, which only plunged the air into a frozen silence.

A gentle night breeze blew as the two walked quietly down the mountain. The stalls along the road were already being packed up, and the tourists scattered like birds and beasts. The lively festival atmosphere seemed like yesterday's news, and it had fallen to the bottom.

The wooden clogs trod lightly on the road, and the cool breeze blowing from the riverbank cooled her originally rosy cheeks to the color of snow.

"I won't say anything selfish like asking you not to study abroad for my sake."

After a long silence, Isshiki Iroha let out a heavy breath. Her heavy and calm expression made her look somewhat serious, and she tightened her cheeks so as not to worry him.

Even if I try my best to catch up with my senior, we'll still be separated for at least a year, right?

In fact, she didn't even have a chance to catch up. Next spring would be the end of it all.

Seeing that Tenkuji Yu's expression was also not very bright, Iroha Isshiki chuckled and playfully shook his arm: "Feeling guilty? That's right, you're already talking about breaking up when you've only just started dating. Senpai is such a terrible person!"

Before he could answer, the flaxen-haired girl continued frankly, "However, having known all along that you are this kind of person, yet still falling for you involuntarily, I don't think I have any right to complain, do I?"

"How could that be? Of course you have..."

Just as Tenkuji Yu was about to deny her statement, Isshiki Hachiman pulled down the mask on his face, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips.

The lips felt the cool touch of plastic, but the girl's soft, warm body conveyed the still-light heartbeat.

"Senior, this is my answer."

Their lips parted, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, lazily resting her chin on his shoulder, the scent of his collar lingering in her nostrils.

And she whispered, "No matter how far apart we are, you'll always be my boyfriend, okay?"

"So no matter where I chase you, I'll make you take responsibility for me... That's the kind of troublesome girl Ayaha is."

Isshiki Iroha released him, took a few steps back, and stared into his eyes behind the mask. Her bright and cunning eyes suddenly curved into a pair of cute crescent moons, and a bright smile bloomed on her face.

"So, as long as you don't break up with me, it's okay if we have to separate temporarily~ I'll be waiting for you until the day you apologize to me!"

"And then, philandering is forbidden!"

Her voice was like warm sunshine, dispelling all the gloom.

Responding to his girlfriend's gaze, Yuu Tenkuji took a deep breath and nodded vigorously with a smile: "Of course! Do I look like a scumbag who would cheat on his girlfriend with multiple women?"

"Hmph, that's hard to say~"

Looking him up and down with a questioning gaze, who was once her senior and was now her boyfriend, Iroha forced herself to ignore the strange feeling in her heart, chuckled twice, and prepared to rush over and hug his arm again.

She will never forget everything that happened tonight, nor will she forget the happy and content feeling she has at this moment—even if it was just a dream, she will etch this beautiful dream into her mind and make it a part of her life.

Thinking this, Isshiki Hatake saw a figure behind Tenkuji Yu that she thought would never appear here.

"Huh? How could this be..."

All movements would be confined to the spot, and she instinctively covered her mouth, suppressing the gasp that was about to escape her throat.

Ignoring Yuu Tenkuji's puzzled expression, Iroha Isshiki only stared wide-eyed in disbelief as she met the gaze of the silver-haired, calm-looking girl.

My heart, which was pounding rapidly just a second ago, now seems to have been paralyzed, and I feel a suffocating sensation that makes it hard to breathe.

"Why is Kanade here...?"

Chapter Fifty-Six: The Words Left by the Angels on That Day

Following Iroha Isshiki's gaze, Tenkuji Yuu looked behind him.

Wearing a light blue kimono adorned with feather patterns, her long silver hair fluttering gently in the evening breeze, her delicate and lovely face remaining largely unchanged, exuding an inorganic, doll-like quality, stood on the sidewalk not far away.

She seemed to have just finished visiting the temple fair; she was holding a bowl of fried noodles in her hand, the noodles drizzled with bright red sauce, interspersed with tofu whites and green scallions…

Yuu Tenkuji was completely stunned.

There are actually people selling Mapo Tofu fried noodles?! It would be understandable if it were a Chinese restaurant, but at temple fair stalls like this, most of the fried noodles are just soy sauce or miso, right?

Could it be that Tachibana Kanade bribed the merchants to specially introduce new dishes...?

"S-Senior, what should we do?"

Before Yuu Tenkuji could even begin to indulge in his own thoughts, Iroha Isshiki nervously tugged at his sleeve. As the girl slowly approached them, she whispered in a flustered voice, "I'm not ready to tell Kanade about our relationship yet..."

The sound of wooden clogs on the ground was like a death knell. Her heart beat faster and faster as her best friend approached. All sorts of bad thoughts took root and sprouted in her mind like weeds, making Isshiki increasingly afraid to face what was going to happen. She even had the idea of ​​dragging her senior away and running away.

After all... even though Kanade has never expressed her feelings, she has never seemed to have any desire to be in a relationship.

But as an outsider, Iroha Isshiki was able to see some clues, being her closest friend and the one she spent the most time with.

When Tachibana Kanade is with Tenkuji Yuu, his expressions become more lively and vivid. His gaze always follows him involuntarily, and all the topics they talk about with the opposite sex are about him. He also has unconditional trust in him.