I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

The two loners on campus quickly hit it off. Despite being in different grades, attending different classrooms, and joining different clubs, they were more like a couple in the throes of new love than anyone else. Whenever they had time, they would stick together, even if they didn't exchange a single word or just rested back to back.

Perhaps it was a wonderful twist of fate that brought them together in a one in seven billion chance.

Even though they're not lovers, they value each other more than lovers do.

In the relatively short time they spent together, they truly confirmed this from the bottom of their hearts.

Not long after, Yuu Tenkuji realized that he couldn't live without her and would rather stay single for life if he didn't date her, so he quickly confessed his feelings to her.

It was partly for the system that hadn't even been officially activated yet after she possessed the body, and partly to secure a spot in advance to prevent her, who seemed silly and naive, from being lured away by other bad men.

Although still clueless about love, Tachibana Kanade didn't give the polite rejection he feared. Instead, she tugged at his sleeve, slightly shy yet very happy, her usually calm and gentle tone rising noticeably with joy:

"From now on, we're lovers?"

"I'm your girlfriend... It's strange, just saying those words makes my heart race and my chest feel warm."

"Well then, Yu—please take care of me from now on!"

Every minute and every second since then has undoubtedly been the happiest and most precious time in Yuu Tenkuji's short life.

Her petite frame hides a stubborn refusal to admit defeat, and beneath her plain exterior lies a wealth of complex emotions; beneath the calm and elegant shell, one can only see a sentimental little girl.

Although she was intelligent, she was as clueless about human relationships as a middle school student, and he needed to explain the principles behind it slowly.

Although she liked cultivating plants, she simply couldn't move that big bag of fertilizer. After her arms ached so much that she couldn't exert any strength, she would innocently and aggrievedly blink her big, pale golden eyes at him, and then hug him as a thank you after he finished moving the fertilizer.

She likes playing the piano and loves music, but she doesn't like performing in front of others.

So occasionally, when no one was in the music room, she would play her own piano pieces and sing to him in her ethereal voice.

Standing amidst the glitz and glamour of the world, we play the music of nature.

—Her name is Tachibana Kanade.

She was Yuu Tenkuji's first girlfriend, and also the most important person in his world besides his sister.

The system acknowledged the relationship and, after a successful startup, began issuing tasks to him.

Those tasks were surprisingly simple, friendly, and had no side effects.

The "Girlfriend Training System" is, as the name suggests, about raising a girlfriend who is all-powerful and the more capable she is, the better.

As long as one of her skills improves, Yuu Tenkuji will receive various rewards and will also master all the skills his girlfriend knows.

Of course, besides having children.

With the help of the various resources and knowledge provided by the system, Tenkuji Yu and Tachibana Kanade made progress hand in hand in a leisurely manner.

There was no pressure to complete tasks or any deadlines to meet. It was like going abroad to learn a skill with someone else paying for it. The two of them simply studied what interested them and enjoyed the feeling of gradually becoming stronger in this peaceful daily life.

Time flows.

Their skills in music, performance, writing, programming, and learning have reached the highest level. They have shone brightly in school performances, but have rejected numerous invitations from prestigious schools, quietly and modestly preparing to study at Zongwu High School until graduation.

He also received a valuable reward called "Level up," and without hesitation, he transferred the right to upgrade any skill level, or even directly break through to the maximum level, to Tachibana Kanade, urging her to improve her cooking skills, which she could never seem to master, in this cheat-like way.

Yuu Tenkuji originally thought that this peaceful and tranquil time would last for a very, very long time.

Even after the system left him, their warm daily life would not fade at all—they would still play the piano and sing in the music room, still fall asleep in each other's arms on a warm afternoon, and still take photos of many sights they had never seen before, living in this world happier than anyone else.

...So even though I'm trying, and I keep trying.

He desperately tried to learn all knowledge related to medicine, forcing the system to give him all medical-related skills, in order to become the strongest doctor in the world as quickly as possible.

Even a mortal genius like Yuu Tenkuji is no match for the Grim Reaper's scythe.

On graduation day, just like in countless romance novels, he heard the news at school that her heart had stopped beating, but he could only kneel down helplessly, staring blankly at the gloomy sky, unable to even let out a heart-wrenching roar.

It was an intense pain that could evaporate tears, like a hole had been ripped through my chest, and the excessive sorrow had frozen into a numb glacier, where I could no longer feel the flow of blood.

The world and life collapsed completely in that instant, like a painting that had lost its color, leaving only a desolate black and white scene, with no meaning left to display.

—If a person is missing half of their heart, they can no longer be considered a human being; they are merely a walking corpse.

Since then, Tenkuji Yu has been in a daze, never leaving home or speaking again. He just sits on the balcony every day like an old man, holding the things left by Tachibana Kanade and staring blankly at the sky. Even Sora cannot bring him back to his former self.

As for the "Girlfriend Development System," he completely forgot about it after attending her funeral, when it gave him a task to find his next girlfriend. He pretended he had never encountered this piece of crap and ignored all the prompts and warnings.

It wasn't until several months later, when the system forcibly blocked his view of the sky with a warning pop-up, that he finally looked at the other person in the face after a long time.

"Given that the host has completely abandoned the mission, this system will leave before its energy is depleted and search for a new host."

"Warning: The current host will die immediately after leaving the host's body."

You have ten seconds to make a decision.

"Shall we begin our mission by finding a new girlfriend? 10, 9, 8..."

Looking at the countdown numbers on the bright red pop-up window, Yuu Tenkuji simply tugged at the corners of his dry, cracked lips and let out a cold, scoffing laugh.

"Fuck you, you damn system."

Then he picked up his phone and sent a voice message to his sister, who seemed to be cooking porridge for him in the kitchen.

"Qiong, I'm sorry, I will always love you."

But when the angel left the mortal world, she also took the hearts of mortals with her to heaven—only in the presence of her, in the presence of Tenkuji Yu, was he a complete person, and only then could he find the meaning of struggling to live.

"...1. The system is beginning to disconnect. Please prepare for death."

Leisurely waiting for the countdown to stop, looking at the warning words, Tenkuji Yuu calmly closed his eyes, and for the first time since graduation, a relaxed smile appeared on his lips.

"Damn system, do you want me to attend your funeral? Enough with the nonsense, just come and kill me if you want."

The afternoon sun was strong, and the lush greenery was peaceful and serene.

The warmth seeped into my cold muscles, and my always empty chest seemed to have gained some warmth.

He closed his eyes, and saw white light condense into her form, opening her arms to him from the distant horizon.

Is it an illusion, or paradise?

At this point, none of that matters anymore.

"I hope that I can meet you, my beloved, even after I die."

Yuu Tenkuji prayed in this way, and in the next instant, he completely lost consciousness.

The body, its life force fading, slumped weakly against the chair back. Sunlight melted at the corners of its mouth, and a seemingly expectant smile appeared on its face.

……

What he didn't know was that Tachibana Kanade had been by his side the whole time, watching helplessly as his life came to an end, her hands only able to pass through his lifeless body, unable to convey her wish that he would live well.

"Why... I was the one who abandoned you, why are you torturing yourself like this... I just want you to live for me, I don't want to see you die..."

I am sorry.

sorry……

I'm sorry, it's all my fault...

Countless cries of sorrow and countless apologies scattered ethereally across the floor, unheard even by the leaves and the sunlight.

After an unknown amount of time, she wiped her cheeks, which were now transparent with tears, and looked at his ashen face. She bit her lower lip tightly, and her eyes gradually became resolute.

"It absolutely cannot end like this..."

The ghostly girl stretched out her transparent hand, tentatively reaching through the box in his arms—

It contained her most precious belongings, including the ring and jewelry he gave her, the first photo booth pictures they took together, and the receipt from their first time at a love hotel.

and also……

A crystal-clear bead, as if formed from condensed light.

"It's all my fault... so I'll change Yu's future!!!"

The moment this firm thought arose, my fingers felt, for the first time, touching a real object.

Before Tachibana Kanade could even feel her surprise, just as the bead was about to become transparent, she shouted out loud, just as Tenkuji Yu had taught her before:

"Level up!"

—The object is myself!

The delicate shout, which no one could hear, fell heavily, and invisible ripples spread out suddenly, as if they only stopped at the edge of the world.

Intense light pierced through the clenched palm, then quickly enveloped the ghost girl's transparent body, gradually forming a pure white sphere that emitted a warm glow, as if a cocoon had formed.

The ball of light lingered on the man's cold cheek, then, as if making a decision, it suddenly flew swiftly into the distant and vast sky, disappearing from sight in no time.

balcony.

A feather of light seemed to fall from the boy's stiff palm.

He lay alone in the afternoon sun, looking as if he had lost his life, or as if he were simply taking a nap, his smile serene as if he were having a sweet dream.

The shadows of the trees swayed, and the light disappeared.

The faint, ethereal music carried his soul to a boundless distance.

……

Inside the science classroom.

"..."

Yuu Tenkuji stared at the gradually darkening projection screen and fell into a long silence.

As if she could read his mind, Kasugano Sora sighed and said, "Don't worry, there's no ending theme or credits. These things all happened on the very first timeline... At most, we just added some editing and special effects, right? After all, dry memories are just too painful to look at."

Was it you who did the post-production work...?

Yuu Tenkuji had something to say but couldn't get it out; his expression was almost contorted with complexity.

Kasugano Sora wasn't surprised by his reaction. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Oh, right, there's a little bit of the story after that, but I didn't edit it out... Do you want to hear it?"

"……what?"

"After you died, I didn't commit suicide immediately in that timeline. Instead, I used the money my family had left to buy a burial plot and asked someone to bury me with your body. Finally, before the oxygen in the coffin ran out, I took poison and committed suicide... I won't go into the specifics, although it was quite interesting."

"..."

Sister, I don't find it interesting at all.

And is it really necessary to specifically mention such creepy things? Where did you learn this perverse sense of humor from?!