I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Yuu Tenkuji honestly raised his hands, sighing in surrender: "I did come here to argue with you, after all, it's the fastest way to start a conversation with you... It seems I still have to use a more normal way to start a conversation. Sorry, I'll remember next time."

Her chest suddenly swelled, and Kasumigaoka Utaha took a deep breath, staring at him in disbelief.

How can there be such a shameless and stubborn person!

"Don't look at me like that, I mean you no harm..." Seeing that the other person was completely focused on her, Tenkuji Yu smiled slightly and suddenly asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha instinctively sneered and replied, "Who? Some celebrity's illegitimate son or the female CEO's kept man? Could it be the editor-in-chief's son trying to take advantage of you?"

With a slight frown, Yuu Tenkuji continued, "Then you probably don't know Kasugano Sora either, right?"

"So what if you don't know them? What's the point of asking these questions?" Seemingly finally realizing something was wrong, Kasumigaoka Utaha temporarily suppressed her arrogance and replied with a furrowed brow, "If you're looking for someone, please turn left and go to the police station next door. If you're trying to start a fight this way, I just want to say that Earth isn't suitable for you, and you'd be better off going back to Mars."

"It doesn't seem like an act." Ignoring her words, Tenkuji Yu lowered her head and pondered for a few seconds before suddenly standing up. "In that case, I have nothing more to say to you for now. Farewell."

"Huh?" Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at him, mouth agape, completely bewildered. "Are you crazy? You came all this way just to provoke me and ask this?"

"Sorry, I'm a bit paranoid." As she put the book back on the light novel shelf, Tenkuji Yu said casually, "When people are angry, confused, or surprised, their inner thoughts will unconsciously show. Especially for some cunning people, ordinary probing and reading micro-expressions won't make them give themselves away—so you have to pretend to be crazy yourself before they do to get more credible information."

"You say I'm scheming?" Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't quite understand what those seemingly reasonable words were saying. She only knew that this guy was incredibly troublesome and that she was a scheming woman.

"Precisely because I didn't know, I was preparing for the worst from the very beginning."

Tenkuji Yu turned around and looked directly into her eyes: "Perhaps this really has nothing to do with you, or maybe you've just forgotten a lot like me... In any case, if you ever encounter anything strange, or if you remember anything related to me, you can come to me anytime."

Regardless of whether "she in this world" is on the opposing side, considering that the subordinates sent by the mastermind are still working as maids in his own home, and this seemingly innocent senior doesn't pose much of a threat to him, he still decided to plant a side plot first, which might bring him unexpected help in the future.

To conquer this unfamiliar world, one must be prepared and take precautions. Following a set plan step by step would take an indefinite amount of time, so it's necessary to occasionally make bold attempts—such as contacting the only person in this world whose name you've ever heard of.

"I'm Yuu Tenkuji from Class 2-F. My LINE ID is haru0127. I won't tell you my address; you can easily find it if you're really capable."

Yuu Tenkuji waved his hand and turned to walk down the stairs: "By the way, I haven't read the first two volumes of your book, but judging from the content of this third volume alone... if the sales are good, the light novel industry is pretty much doomed."

"you……"

Snapping out of her daze, Kasumigaoka Utaha gritted her teeth and quickly took off after him.

However, when they reached the stairwell, they did not see him coming down the stairs.

"This guy... he goes down the stairs that fast?!"

Did he jump or slide? Was it necessary to run so fast just to avoid being stopped by himself?

"I rarely come to the library, and I actually run into this kind of lunatic..."

With an unpleasant click of her tongue, Kasumigaoka Utaha returned to her seat with a gloomy expression. She felt a tightness in her chest that she couldn't release, so she took out her phone from her bag.

I quickly searched for the ID haru0127, but instead of adding him as a friend, I sent him a message saying, "Please never appear in front of me again, you perverted harasser and stalker." Then, the moment I confirmed that he had read it, I blocked him.

"Hmph, I'll make you angry!"

With a forced smile, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally felt a little better. She put her phone back in her bag, glanced at the book she was only halfway through reading on the table, and her expression gradually became complicated.

She had read the third volume of "Love Metronome" countless times—as the most negatively received volume in the series, she had held countless meetings with her editor to discuss the issues and received a lot of negative feedback from readers.

After receiving a notification from the editorial department that the second volume would be canceled if it didn't improve, she was distraught and came to the library for the first time in a long time to look for books, hoping to gain some inspiration. However, she couldn't find the book she wanted, but she saw the newly published third volume on the shelf and, on a whim, took it down and flipped through it again.

Halfway through, I still don't think it's as bad as others say. Criticism from readers should be accepted humbly, but if the author genuinely feels there's nothing wrong with it, then forcibly changing it will only make both sides uncomfortable.

"The plot is fragmented, overly sentimental, fails to convey its meaning, and has a weak theme..."

Recalling that guy's comments, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but grit her teeth and slam her hand on the table: "I shouldn't have let him leave so easily! He didn't even read the first two volumes before making such a judgment. This kind of person can't be considered a reader at all. Why should I be swayed by his opinion!"

She put the book back on the shelf, picked up her bag, and stormed downstairs. Her menacing demeanor made even the librarian hesitant to ask her to quiet her footsteps.

Kasumigaoka Utaha decided to go home right now and start writing. She was determined to write a story that would move those clueless readers—and that crazy troll from earlier—to tears, proving that Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't as bad as they said!

As for his "strange things" and "memories about him," she ignored them all as nonsense—after all, who would care about what someone they've just met says, especially something so inexplicable?

Looking back now, the way he approached me might actually have been the quickest and easiest way to achieve his goal...

"You say others are cunning, but this guy's cunning is unfathomable, isn't it?"

With a disdainful purse, Kasumigaoka Utaha looked around but couldn't spot anyone in the empty campus outside the library.

Then he added to himself, "And he's as good at running away as a mouse."

With her ink-black hair tossed aside, banishing that annoying figure from her mind, the girl walked with much lighter steps, like a crow soaring across a clear sky, and soon left Toyonosaki Academy.

Unbeknownst to her, a simple notebook with a black cover had quietly appeared in her schoolbag, blending seamlessly with the various documents inside...

△

Using the "silent steps" of an android maid, Yuu Tenkuji quickly left the library. Instead of going back to class, she went to the infirmary.

He found this to be a great place to think things through—there was a bed to lie on, air conditioning, curtains to create private space, and he could even see the female teacher's black-stockinged thighs, much better than a rooftop pavilion or anything like that.

Now that he has self-study permission, as long as there are no other sick students and as long as he doesn't use it for anything other than rest, the school will turn a blind eye and not interfere excessively with his privileged status.

As for why I didn't go straight home... a place without family can't be called a home; it can only be called a place to rest.

Since he was taking a break anyway, he certainly didn't need to go back and stay with that emotionless, white-haired loli, enjoying the feeling of being constantly monitored by a dark secret, or as if the FBI was about to knock on the door at any moment.

"Hello, sorry to bother you."

Knock on the door, but no one answered, so Yuu Tenkuji pushed the door open and went in.

The door wasn't locked, and there was no one inside. There was only a note on the table that read, "Going out, will be back soon."

Although I missed the chance to greet the female sex worker, it saved me the trouble of explaining myself.

Yuu Tenkuji left a note in the blank space below the note: "I am a student with permission to study on my own. I am using the bed by the window to rest. I apologize for disturbing you." Then he walked towards the window.

As he opened the window, he suddenly remembered something.

"Why were the windows open at that time?"

The air conditioning was on just like it is now, and the window wasn't open when I came in.

Why did I encounter the cat sitting on the windowsill before leaving the infirmary, and then naturally follow it and jump out of the window?

Who opened the window and led all of this to happen?

...It's not that his subconscious was manipulated into doing things he wouldn't normally do, but rather that once he realized that "perhaps someone deliberately opened the window so that Yuu Tenkuji and the cat could meet," he couldn't help but feel that it couldn't be a coincidence.

"This is really..."

Tenkuji Yu opened the window, breathing in the fresh air blowing in from outside, a helpless yet pleasant smile appearing on his lips.

"It seems there's one more person I need to contact."

The prime suspect is the school nurse who seems intent on harming herself—from her, we can probably find out the cat's whereabouts and origins, thus unlocking more 'clues' or 'settings' about this world.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should be able to obtain a different amount of information than from the previous fruitless conversation, which is undoubtedly exhilarating.

"Now, let's wait for the school nurse to come."

Yuuki Tenkuji glanced out the window twice, and after not seeing any trace of the cat, he closed the window and walked to the school nurse's desk.

Her nameplate was displayed on it, and this was the first time Tenkuji Yu had ever heard of this teacher's name.

【Yunoshita Yono】.

I'm taking leave today.

I was exhausted after a long day of fun, and my head hurts so much that I can't concentrate. I'll update earlier tomorrow.

However, since no one is urging me to update, and even the earlier bursts of updates didn't get much readership, I'm no longer under pressure to update... I'll just slowly finish this book while also writing the new one.

It's a bit late, but I still wish everyone a happy National Day!

I hope the novels you read won't have a bunch of chapters taken down every now and then (facepalm)

Chapter Ninety-Two: The Infirmary, the Female Teacher

While waiting for someone, Tenkuji Yuu didn't rest. He lay down on the bed in the infirmary and pondered the information he had obtained after his contact with Kasumigaoka Utaha.

First of all, without a doubt, she knows nothing in this world; she's just an ordinary passerby.

Not to mention "reality," she had completely forgotten what had happened in the trial space; now she simply lived an ordinary life in this world as a high school girl writer, her writing was mediocre, her personality was not very friendly, and she was someone she would never associate with unless necessary.

For the time being, I probably won't be able to get any information from her—but who knows what the future holds.

She was the one who sent that paper butterfly. Even if it wasn't a conspiracy, Kasumigaoka Utaha would definitely be connected to it. Maybe even this amnesia was something she did on purpose to deceive herself.

"Perhaps it's related to the fact that Sora and Iroha aren't in this world?"

Making unanswerable guesses, Tenkuji Yu quickly put Kasumigaoka Utaha out of her mind.

Although I wanted to clear the game as soon as possible, I still had to take the long-term approach. Some things can't be rushed... I'll leave my senior sister for now and observe her. The important things right now are those animals that turned from humans, and the health care teacher who has become a mystery.

About five minutes had passed, right? While Yuu Tenkuji was still lying in bed thinking, the sound of a door opening came from outside the curtains.

He suddenly opened his eyes, focused intently, and used his keen hearing to mentally simulate the scene outside—

The health room teacher, with her alluring figure and graceful posture, stepped into the room in her high heels, but instead of taking another step, she stopped and breathed softly, seemingly observing her surroundings.

Tenkuji Yu raised an eyebrow: 'So vigilant? Even though you haven't seen the note, you noticed someone went into the infirmary and immediately chose not to make any rash moves, ensuring an escape route…'

Would an ordinary school nurse be so vigilant in her familiar workplace, in a school where outsiders rarely intrude?

Whether it's a personality issue or a background issue, it only makes this female teacher more suspicious.

Yuu Tenkuji continued to listen to the sounds outside.

After observing for a few seconds, she casually stepped into the room, but instead of checking the note on the desk first, she walked straight towards the bed by the window—where he was resting.

He was taken aback, surprised: 'They knew I was here so quickly? Did they see my shoes on the ground? But even so, they shouldn't have walked straight towards the students who were resting...'

Without time to think, hearing the footsteps getting closer, Tenkuji Yu silently slipped under the covers, pretending to be just an ordinary student resting.

While it's time to confront them, without understanding the other party's background and intentions, lying low and observing the situation is the best option at present.

Since I don't know much about this world yet, maintaining the facade of an ordinary student is also very important.

So, following her footsteps, I stood outside the curtain. The railing beside the bed was pulled open a crack, and she seemed to peek inside.

"The one from yesterday... is actually resting."

Muttering to herself as if she didn't want to disturb him, the female teacher stepped back from in front of the curtain and quietly returned to her desk.

On the bed, the boy, whose breathing was even and whose sleeping face was incredibly peaceful, slowly opened one eye and looked at the curtain with a slight frown.

'That's it? Am I overthinking it?'