I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Yes, it's been a long time, Yu-senpai." Understanding his awkwardness, Tachibana Kanade nodded gently and responded with a smile, her usual calm demeanor unchanged.

Tenkuji Yu sat up from her embrace, moved his bottom back to the very back of the piano bench, glanced at her nonchalantly for a few moments with a complicated look, sighed, and lowered his head.

"...In short, I'm sorry!"

Tachibana Kanade blinked, seemingly a little confused.

"Senior Yu has nothing to apologize for. After all, it was I who chose to disappear without permission."

She thought for a moment, placed her hands neatly on her knees, faced him solemnly, and bowed slightly: "If you insist on apologizing to me, I will have to apologize three times as much in return."

"Alright, alright, stop showing off in such a pointless place!"

Tenkuji Yu quickly stopped her, chuckling and laughing at the same time as he gently tucked her messy side hair behind her ear, revealing her delicate, cute, and flawless profile that he was familiar with.

"Alright, let's not apologize to each other. It's all fate's fault. Blame fate for not letting us have a peaceful life."

Tachibana Kanade tilted her head slightly, placed her palm on the back of his hand, smiled with a mixture of nostalgia and joy, and nodded vigorously.

"Yes, it's all fate's fault!"

If it weren't for this messy, dog-shit-like fate, the story between him, her, and her might have been filled with regrets, entanglements, or even a brief separation and cold war.

But no matter what, the three of them will surely reconcile and let that peaceful and happy daily life continue until the end, right?

Tenkuji Yu believed this so strongly, and he was willing to put in all his efforts for such a future.

...For some reason, recalling the solemn declaration of his devotion that he had just made, he suddenly felt a little guilty.

Indeed, he would never betray his girlfriend and do anything so fickle as to have an affair with someone else behind Iroha Isshiki's back.

But if the girlfriend agrees, and the three of them take their already close friendship to the next level, achieving both love and friendship, then even if they accidentally do the splits... it shouldn't be considered betrayal, right?

"No, no, no!"

Yuu Tenkuji quickly shook his head, banishing the thought that was shaking his beliefs and temporarily halting his ever-decreasing moral character.

This isn't a comic book or a novel. Where in the world would there be a silly girl who agrees to her boyfriend dating her best friend, and the three of them happily together?

Under Tachibana Kanade's puzzled gaze, Tenkuji Yu placed his hand on his chest, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

He attributed the sudden tightness in his chest to his conscience acting up.

To stop her mind from wandering, Yuu Tenkuji decided to shift her attention to something she had just discovered. After calming down, she spoke to Kanade Tachibana beside her:

"Lihua, can I ask you something?"

Tachibana Kanade tilted her head slightly, her calves unconsciously tucking under the chair: "If it's something I know, please ask."

“You know I’m currently undergoing a trial, right?” Seeing her nod, Yuu Tenkuji continued, “The system has given me the goal of ‘finding lost things.’ I originally thought it was to find memories of you, but even though you reminded me of the past, the system hasn’t notified me that the goal has been achieved.”

Ever since he exposed the system's true identity at the fireworks festival, he believed that the system's next goal was to "recover the memories of his ex-girlfriend with whom he had a relationship".

Although he didn't take this matter very seriously because he was in a relationship, he did try to find it seriously for a while—but he couldn't find any clues, so he started to take it easy and eventually gave up and focused on enjoying his intimate days with Isshiki Iroha.

However, this thought changed after her younger sister told her about Tachibana Kanade 'yesterday'.

Compared to the various systems and girlfriends in the video, Tachibana Kanade, who has always been by his side and trying to change his fate, is clearly more important.

The system update target did indeed begin before Tachibana Kanade disappeared from this world, but in a timeline much, much earlier, I had already met, interacted with, and parted ways with Tachibana Kanade, so it's only natural to have such doubts.

However, now...

Even though she already knew about the past and had retrieved all her memories of Tachibana Kanade, with almost nothing missing, she still couldn't hear the system's notification of a mission update.

In other words, "finding what is lost" does not represent Tachibana Kanade—was his initial conjecture still correct?

Unable to determine.

The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. If it weren't for the fact that Sora couldn't reveal any information related to the trial, Tenkuji Yu would have already asked her to just tell her the answer.

He disliked being kept in the dark, his memories like a nested doll, unable to see his original self, more than the pride of having to rely on his own strength to pass the trial.

"A trial objective?"

Kanade Tachibana paused for a moment, then sighed apologetically: "Although I don't seem to have the same limitations as Sora, the power in this body is already limited. The information I can get from the system is only the most basic stuff, and most of it is related to myself... I don't understand you in this timeline, and I don't know what your 'most important thing' is. I probably can't help you, I'm sorry."

Before Yuu Tenkuji could even feel disappointed, she seized upon the fleeting keyword and pressed, "The most important thing? Why are you so sure?"

Seemingly unable to understand why he would ask such a question, Tachibana Kanade tilted his head in confusion: "After all, if it weren't the most important thing, I wouldn't have made you forget it and then treat finding it as a trial, right?"

“Indeed…” As inspiration began to take shape, Tenkuji Yuu thoughtfully pinched his chin, his expression growing increasingly serious, trying to firmly grasp that subtle beginning.

Having had the experience of regaining his memories, unlike his previous state of being like a headless fly, he could feel himself getting closer and closer to the truth. He was just one crucial key away from unlocking the last lock blocking the door to his memories.

Let's think about it again, based on the existing clues.

'First, assuming the system really wants me to regain the memories of a certain girlfriend, could she, like Tachibana Kanade before, simply not exist in this world, which is why I haven't been able to find her?'

'Secondly, this ex-girlfriend is very important to me, which is why the system treats finding her as a trial... Well, thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. If she weren't important to me, I wouldn't have dated her in the first place.'

'But thinking about it from another perspective, if she were truly important to me, I couldn't possibly leave behind nothing related to her... This is different from Tachibana Kanade's disappearance. Even just a comb, a ring, or even a strand of hair from my ex-girlfriend would be helpful. If she doesn't even leave me this small clue, then this so-called trial is just pure harassment, and she has no intention of letting me pass.'

As her eyes gradually brightened, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth, as if she had been stuck in a game for a long time but had created a strategy on her own. Her expression became more and more radiant, exuding a confident glow.

Looking at him like this, Tachibana Kanade originally wanted to use her remaining strength, along with the "Sky Jewel" placed on his chest, to try to help him with a small favor.

However, it seems unnecessary to do so now... A true gentleman observes the game without speaking. To interfere when he tries to solve the puzzle on his own is simply a lack of understanding. She is not so naive as to not understand the underlying principles.

No longer worried, she looked down at her toes, which had become transparent, and asked casually, "Senior Yu, is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"Hmm? That's all, right?"

Coming back to his senses from his complex thoughts, Tenkuji Yu looked at her.

Seeing him in that rare bookish look, Tachibana Kanade couldn't help but cover his mouth with a smile, his eyebrows curving gently.

"Then, can I ask you for a favor?"

This time, Tenkuuji Yu looked puzzled: "What?"

Tachibana Kanade looked directly into his eyes and said naturally:

Can I lean against your chest?

In the end, she wanted to fall asleep to the sound of a familiar heartbeat.

Chapter 77 Could this be a secret code to heaven?

Tenkuji Yu looked at her in surprise, only to be met with a gentle and serene smile.

"...It is possible."

He hesitated only for a moment, then quickly and readily agreed.

Since he hadn't refused before, now that he had regained his memories, he naturally wouldn't disagree with this small request.

Isn't it normal for a younger female student to want to act cute towards you?

What? You mean you already have a girlfriend, isn't it a bit inappropriate to let your junior act like this?

Tsk tsk tsk, a bunch of filthy-minded guys!

Only you guys would misinterpret the pure senior-junior relationship. Believe it or not, even if Isshiki Iroha saw them hugging, as long as you explain properly, she won't see it as cheating.

Sky Temple Yuwen has a clear conscience, and a sense of righteousness arises from his heart!

Since there was no reason to refuse, he openly spread his arms, gesturing for Tachibana Kanade, who was sitting by the piano chair, to come closer.

"Thank you."

No one knew what he was thinking, but Tachibana Kanade floated to his side like a feather until they could feel the warmth of each other's skin.

Her hands were neatly placed on her thighs, her legs under her uniform skirt gently pressed against him, and her upper body leaned towards his arm, snuggling up to him in a relaxed manner, like a swallow returning to its nest.

Then he stopped moving and closed his eyes, seemingly content.

"Is that all?" Yuu Tenkuji asked instinctively.

"That's good." Tachibana Kanade nodded, her soft silver hair brushing against his chest. At such close range, all sorts of pleasant fragrances rushed into his nostrils.

Yuu Tenkuji didn't say much, he just patted her head and then gently put his hand on her other shoulder.

"Whatever makes you happy."

The air fell silent naturally.

Even holding her like this, I didn't feel any romantic atmosphere.

My heart didn't race, and I didn't have any wild thoughts; I felt incredibly calm.

Tenkuji Yu relaxed his unconsciously tense body, leaning back slightly to make the girl more comfortable, and lazily closed his eyes as well.

It doesn't matter what her purpose is, and I can't be bothered to think about when she'll leave...

Just at this moment, just in this world of solitude.

As a senior, he was simply offering his support to the junior who had worked so hard on her own for so long.

The morning light streamed through the glass, draping the two of them in a golden blanket.

Time seemed to stand still. In this infinitely spreading warmth, consciousness gradually sank into a sea of ​​drowsiness, making one subconsciously forget the rhythm of breathing, only hearing two overlapping heartbeats pounding in the chest.

Yuu Tenkuji opened his eyes somewhat dazedly and saw a butterfly flapping its wings and flying towards him on the path paved with the morning light.

He unconsciously released the girl's shoulder and slowly reached out his hand towards the butterfly, wanting it to land on his fingertips.

"After I leave, 'Tachibana Kanade' will wake up again in bed."

With her finger frozen in mid-air, Tenkuji Yu's gaze suddenly snapped back to reality, and she looked in surprise at the head on her chest.

"what?"

"Perhaps my father, mother, and Ayaha, who is worried about where I am going, will find it strange? At that time, I will have to ask you, Yu-senpai, to help me explain."

"..."

Seemingly sensing something, Yuu Tenkuji suddenly fell silent.

Ignoring his reaction, Tachibana Kanade simply pressed her ear against his heart, breathed a sigh of relief, and revealed a rare, radiant smile where he couldn't see her.

"Yu, it's so wonderful to have met you!"

"And then, goodbye forever."

"I really want to eat your Mapo Tofu again, the one you made for me..."