I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

However, his popularity remained undiminished, and every few days, suspicious love letters and suspicious chocolates would appear in his drawer.

If he were being targeted, he should have gotten used to it to the point of being indifferent by now.

"That's right... but something just feels off."

Yuu Tenkuji didn't know how to explain this inexplicable feeling in his heart, so he could only give a vague smile in response.

"Um……"

With her fingers placed against her soft lips, Isshiki Iroha pondered for a few seconds before a sudden flash of inspiration struck her, and she exclaimed:

"Ah! Is this what you said before, senior, like having another person who is very close to us, but now we don't know why we can't remember their existence at all?"

She paused for a moment, then tilted her head uncertainly: "It's that... weird feeling where you can't find the source?"

"It's like I've forgotten someone..."

Tenkuji Yu stood frozen in place, her mouth slightly agape, her feet unconsciously stopping as the scorching sun shone on the water, turning her skin from white to red.

Summer has arrived, and three months have passed since I came to this trial world.

Despite having gained nothing in the previous month, after officially dating Iroha Isshiki and obtaining new clues, Yuu Tenkuji found a goal to move forward and was full of confidence to quickly clear the game.

To regain one's memories, or perhaps to find one's girlfriend.

So, without telling Isshiki Hachiman, he secretly gathered a lot of information and also took the time to visit the girls he remembered having met. However, he found himself in the same predicament as at the beginning of the trial, hitting walls everywhere and making no progress.

At the same time, a strange sense of emptiness often overwhelms me, like having a missing hand but feeling deep down that it's normal. It's as if something in this part of my life is out of tune.

"It's probably not me overthinking it... Never mind, I'll analyze it more carefully when I get back."

As he started fetching water again, Tenkuji Yu sighed silently.

Taking advantage of the summer vacation, he went on a date with his girlfriend at the beach—he didn't want to let too many trivial matters ruin such a precious time.

Anyway, there's still a long time before graduation.

Chapter Sixty-One And so, a year passed.

Looking back from the end of time, it seems that without realizing it, I have come to regard this "trial world" in my dream as the real world.

Every minute and second spent here is like the height mark etched on the beam when I was a child. It's just a casually discarded memory, yet I can clearly recall every detail. It's so precious that it makes me smile with nostalgia.

Undoubtedly, that was all part of Yuu Tenkuji's life.

He met her in the spring, spent a month confirming his feelings for her, and confessed his love on a mountaintop amidst a spectacular display of fireworks.

In the summer, they went to the beach. The couple in the throes of new love were even more overwhelmed by the summer sun. The three-day, two-night trip brought their relationship to its peak. What impressed him most was the quality of the hotel beds and the excellent room service.

In the fall, she went to Karuizawa and bought a small villa there. Although she scolded her for wasting money, she enthusiastically bought a bunch of furniture to decorate the house. She even went to look up interior design information, trying to create a cozy "love nest"—but the bed and sofa were carefully selected by Yuu Tenkuji, the kind that are comfortable to lie on and especially durable.

We went to Hokkaido in winter, where we had snowball fights, built snowmen, and explored all the facilities at the ski resort. We also tried all kinds of high-end cuisine every day. Unfortunately, her thrifty and hardworking nature stopped us from buying a hot spring hotel. In the end, the two of us just randomly picked a high-end hot spring hotel to stay in and spent a warm winter day that was otherwise unremarkable, except for the fact that we did a lot of exercise.

They went to the shrine they had passed during the fireworks festival together for the New Year. Their wishes were the same: they wanted this kind of life to continue forever, and to be this loving until they grew old together.

Yuu Tenkuji didn't lie to her; from the moment they started dating, this was his truest feeling.

It has nothing to do with missions or reincarnation; it's simply because he holds love for someone at this very moment that he prays that their time together can last until the end of his life.

Because Iroha Isshiki is Yuu Tenkuji's girlfriend.

—And so time passed, and spring came again.

In late March, the early cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Even though they would soon wither, they still adorned the branches like fire, desperately burning the entire Tokyo.

Inside the student council president's private office.

Tenkuji Yu stood with his hands behind his back in front of the seemingly transparent floor-to-ceiling window, gazing intently at the bustling scene on the campus below.

Some people were taking photos with their friends while wearing graduation caps, while others were tapping their juniors on the shoulder with long black tubes, giving them some advice.

Some were overjoyed, while others wept bitterly; some felt relieved, while others were reluctant to part.

The school gate is where the most people gather. You can see many parents queuing up there, waiting to leave a memento for their children who have finally graduated from high school, a memento that they may never look back on in the future.

Yes, whether it's laughter or tears, it's all parting with a bittersweet feeling, isn't it?

They are like cherry blossoms that have finished blooming. After three years of vibrant blooming here, the petals fall and the leaves return to their roots, marking the official end of the high school students' youth.

However, this is not the end. After absorbing enough nutrients, they will bloom again in a new world, displaying petals of different colors, and become the protagonists of the next spring.

—Except for those who can't graduate.

"Has it finally arrived... graduation season?"

Yuu Tenkuji sighed softly, holding the white notebook she had brought with her, looking at the numbers counting down on it.

2:01:13.

That's right, just like the loose-leaf notebooks in Harry Potter, the countdown numbers move.

It is 2:58 PM now. That means that if he hasn't completed the trial by 5 PM, time will rewind to April 1st of last year, and everything will have to start all over again.

The notebook initially stated that the premise was "if no clues have been found yet," but after he successfully exposed the true nature of the system using his "girlfriend" as a key, the premise unknowingly changed to "if the trial has not yet been completed."

Tenkuji Yuu didn't bother to investigate why the system was going to such lengths. After all, nearly a year had passed, and he was still stuck on the progress of the fireworks festival, unable to make any progress.

Call it indulging in frivolous pursuits or being overly sentimental...

Since falling in love with Iroha Isshiki, Yuu Tenkuji has taken a negative attitude toward the idea of ​​"finding his ex-girlfriend" and rarely tries to seriously recall anything.

He just looked forward to tomorrow every day, looking forward to the sweet moments with his girlfriend.

Knowing when all this will end makes me cherish every moment I spend with her more than ever before.

"Thinking about it this way, I really have let down Sora..."

He turned his gaze away from the window, pressed his finger to the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but give a bitter smile.

Although the system ensured that the flow of time was different on both sides before entering the trial, the year that passed in the dream might not even have passed an hour in reality.

But even if it's just for a minute, the fact that I'm asleep would make the real-life Sora very worried, right?

Getting so caught up in love that he disregarded his sister's feelings... This was something that the former Yuu Tenkuji would never have done under any circumstances.

"Love makes people stupid, that's really true."

Yuu Tenkuji shook his head self-deprecatingly, left the glass window, and pulled out a high-end leather office chair to sit down.

This used to be his territory, but after he stepped down in his third year to prepare for the entrance exams, he handed it over to the next student council president, Iroha Isshiki.

Yes, rounding it up, it's still his.

Not to mention the student council, with his vast network of connections, he basically controlled the entire school. Moving up to the third year only transformed him from a figurehead to a behind-the-scenes manipulator, making it easier for him to consolidate his power. He was practically the underground emperor of Soubu High School.

He did this not for any other reason than to allow his girlfriend to enjoy a carefree campus life during this short year, to enjoy the power of the student council president without the troubles of being the student council president, so that she could be more at ease being intimate with him.

He manipulated the student council president's vote behind the scenes, and he also carefully selected the other members of the student council—this office was reserved for the student council president, while ordinary student council members worked in other offices.

As for why it's divided into two separate rooms... don't get me wrong, it's not so that you and your girlfriend can have an affair while you're working, is it?

Even if there is a secret cubicle in this office with a sofa bed inside, it is only for the chairman to rest well when he is tired from work. No one is doing anything unknown in there!

"Sigh, the battlefield really is everywhere..."

Gently stroking the smooth solid wood tabletop, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but sigh, a slightly lewd smile creeping across his face.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Yuu Tenkuji quickly wiped the smile from his lips, leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands together, and revealed a composure and seriousness reminiscent of Commander Ikari.

"Please come in."

"Sigh~ I knew you were here, senior."

The person who pushed open the door to the student council president's office was a cute girl with long hair reaching her waist.

A year has passed, and her carefully maintained flaxen hair flows gracefully behind her. Although she still looks youthful and sweet, she exudes a more mature and capable aura. Her face, lightly made up, is more radiant and glowing than before, and her eyes radiate confidence and gentleness.

With a weary sigh, Issei Yu closed the door behind her.

"Honestly, the graduation ceremony is more troublesome than I imagined... Fortunately, there aren't many things that the student council president has to handle, so the rest can be left to the other members."

Tenkuji Yu's expression fell, and he said to her speechlessly, "You really are blatantly lazy."

"Hehe!" She cutely tapped her head, sticking out her little pink tongue. "Ugh, wasn't it all taught to me by my senior?"

"Don't blame me, I'm very serious and responsible."

As he recalled how skillful and sweet the girl's tongue was, Tenkuji Yu waved to her: "Are you all right now? Come over and recharge."

Not only him, but Iroha Isshiki, who had only had time alone with her senior since morning, specifically came over to "recharge" with him.

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl came running over, her skirt fluttering in the air, and jumped into his arms as if she couldn't wait.

"Hey!"

Tenkuji Yuu caught her steadily and let her sit sideways on his lap, adjusting her into a position where she could easily lean against his chest.

Surrounded by the familiar scent, the flaxen-haired girl smiled softly, her hands naturally wrapping around his neck. Her arched eyebrows and eyes were filled with deep affection for him, as if she wanted to stay here forever, lazy and content.

Then, with a mischievous grin, she said, "Although it can recharge, you can't let your animalistic instincts run wild and do naughty things to people here, okay? Everyone at school hasn't left yet~"

"As long as you don't provoke me, I won't do anything." Yuu Tenkuji rolled her eyes, indicating that her willpower wasn't that weak.

Before she could reply, he slowly tightened his arms, lowered his head, and buried his face in the warm, soft mouth of the bear, as if wringing out a rag, using a force that wouldn't hurt her as he absorbed the girl's fragrance.

Isshiki Hatake was stunned. Her breath seeped through her clothes, causing a strange, itchy sensation on her skin.

She subconsciously stroked the back of his head with her palm, like a mother soothing a crying baby, and asked with some confusion, "Senior, what's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, Yuu Tenkuji said softly, "This is fine... This is enough for now."

"..."

Gradually, her slender, lovely fingers disappeared into his hair. Iroha took the initiative to hug him tightly, allowing him to hear her own heartbeat and letting her body temperature mingle with his once again.

"It's alright, senior."

The girl brushed a strand of flaxen hair from the corner of her mouth and smiled gently, saying, "Even if we're separated now, we'll see each other again soon... Tokyo University isn't far from Chiba, didn't you buy a house there? I'll go stay with you there this weekend~"

"That's right..."

Sky Temple Yuu lowered her head and sighed silently.

With his outstanding academic record that dominated all of Japan, he could get into almost any university, both domestic and international, except for those with gender restrictions. He just randomly filled in the University of Tokyo, since he wouldn't be able to wait until the start of university anyway.