I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

She gently brushed aside the stray hairs on her forehead with her fingers, and when she put them down, she had already regained her composure.

'In that case, removing Yukinoshita Haruno from the suspect list... seems unnecessary.'

Firstly, on her side, even though it was the first time she had spoken to her, there was a strange sense of familiarity between them. They understood each other's meaning without much explanation—even when she was 'attacked', Tenkuji Yuu was only surprised, not strange.

This had nothing to do with his initial impression of her as a female pervert. Just by looking into those deep, alluring wine-red eyes, he understood one thing—it was perfectly reasonable for this beautiful woman, around twenty years old, to genuinely want to touch him inappropriately or do all sorts of things that were unsuitable for children, and there was no need to feel any surprise.

God knows why he has this kind of perception.

Next is her feeling about herself, which goes without saying. Overall, it should be similar to her own – as if the two of them used to be very close, but they had forgotten each other's existence. When they met again, the image of the other person still remained in their hearts, and their emotions were therefore out of control.

Based on these facts alone, Yuu Tenkuji has reason to suspect that "Yukinoshita Haruno" is closely related to the reality he must find.

The clues that had been elusive for the past year, and the unprecedented restlessness, suddenly appeared at this moment... Regardless of the truth, it was worth his attention, and like Kasumigaoka Utaha, he continued to follow this school nurse.

Not to mention, the cat's origins might even be related to her.

'After turning into a cat, her first thought was to seek help from her family, which is why she rushed to her garage to look for her in such a panic… Thinking about it that way, that cat was originally supposed to be Yukino Yukino's family member, and was forgotten by Yukino Yukino because she turned into a cat?'

Turning his gaze away from the school nurse's face, Tenkuji casually looked out the window, his mind racing with analysis.

The above possibility is very high and can explain everything that has happened so far.

First, after discovering that she was no longer human, the little black cat anxiously went to her family for help, but returned empty-handed due to the language barrier. She could only follow them to the school, where she waited outside the infirmary for Yukinoshita Haruno, but did not know how to explain her situation to her.

Just then, it happened to run into him, who was resting in the infirmary—perhaps it recognized him, or perhaps he, it, and Yukinoshita Haruno had some kind of connection. It believed that its mind was sharp enough, intelligent enough to be almost supernatural, and that it was someone to whom it could place its hopes, so it deliberately opened the window to lure it out...

If there were no behind-the-scenes interference, Yuu Tenkuji believes that this is not far from the truth, though not entirely accurate.

Chapter Ninety-Five: The Strange Girl and the Cat

His fingers slid gently down the bridge of his nose, his loosely clenched fist resting against his chin. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping across the entire campus as if trying to penetrate the window.

'So the remaining question is, should I tell Yukino Yukinoshita that the cat is actually a person?'

'And what happened to that cat that was probably her former family's?'

The worst-case scenario is that after meeting him, they would be secretly executed by the underworld.

Because of its existence, he would pass this 'trial' at a speed that the underworld didn't want to see...

Concealing the severity in his expression, Tenkuji slowly exhaled.

"It seems necessary to test that android again when we get back."

……

As a result, the investigation into the cat made no progress until the school bell rang.

After glancing at the message Yukino Yukinoshita had sent not long ago, confirming that she had also not found any footprints of the cat, Yuu Tenkuji put away his phone and left the classroom amidst the farewells of the others.

—Yes, he exchanged contact information with the school nurse.

Despite sharing similar, strange feelings, they also had no recollection of each other whatsoever. Yet, they were both equally cautious—or, to put it more politely, shrewd and calculating; to put it bluntly, overthinking. Each of them kept some things hidden from the other and tried to pry out as much information as possible from the other.

Under these circumstances, the two tacitly decided to stay in touch, discuss things at a later time, and not rush things. Some things can only be seen in full when the time is right.

In the casual conversation that followed, at the cost of some harmless information, Yuuki Tenkuji learned a little about Yukino Yukinoshita.

To his surprise, this beautiful teacher was only twenty years old. Although she was still of college age, she had already completed the credits required for graduation and successfully obtained a high school teacher's qualification certificate. Apart from occasionally going to the university to make up for attendance, she spent the rest of her time working in Toyonosaki and slacking off, living a busy but relatively comfortable life.

When asked why she did this, she was vague, only saying that she used a lot of connections and privileges. Otherwise, no matter how talented she was, the school would not have admitted a female college student who had just come of age, let alone given her a formal teaching position.

Yuu Tenkuji sensed something strange and wanted to press for details, but the other party was also very cautious, keeping his curiosity in suspense like a wicked woman tempting a determined young boy to make a mistake, trying to lead him step by step into the abyss called "Yukinoshita Haruno".

Of course, this might just be his overthinking—he always felt that this guy was becoming more and more interested in him, his smile was gradually becoming more aggressive, and he wished he could lock himself in a room with only the two of them and talk all night long.

If this is how it is on the very first day of formal speaking, what will happen if it continues for a long time?

Boys really need to take care of themselves when they're out and about...

"Strange, have they already left?"

When she opened the door to the infirmary, she intended to tell her about her plans for tomorrow, but she found the infirmary completely empty. Everything was neatly arranged, and the chairs were leaned against the desk as if no one had ever sat in them.

Frowning slightly, putting aside the worst possible thought for the moment, Yuu sent her a text message. Then, looking around the corridor, he randomly picked a passing teacher and asked about Yukinoshita's whereabouts.

"Yukinoshita-sensei? She's already off work."

The teacher who was randomly selected was taken aback at first, then showed a hint of admiration: "Because she was specially admitted, her get off work hours are different from ours. She comes in later and leaves earlier... Although I envy her, it's probably because she's still studying, right? After all, geniuses have to be a little different."

"I see."

Yuu Tenkuji didn't bother to ask whether this treatment was reasonable. After casually thanking the teacher, he went straight to the computer lab, borrowed a computer with practiced ease, and hacked into the school's surveillance system once again.

The footage shows that Yukino Yukinoshita did indeed leave the infirmary shortly before heading to the parking lot to drive away from the school.

"Is everything alright...? By the way, they're leaving work so casually, they didn't even close the door."

Even while complaining, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

After noting down the license plate of the black luxury car and checking Yukino Yukinoshita's address, he shut down his computer, finished up this mess that no one could catch, and left the school as if nothing had happened.

However, even after he arrived at his current residence, which was the door of that luxury apartment building, Yukinoshita Haruno still hadn't sent a reply, not even a read receipt.

As her expression and the sky darkened, Yuu Tenkuji considered whether to make a call, but after careful consideration, she decided to put the idea aside for the time being.

"Given the unknown circumstances, we can't be sure what the consequences of making a call will be... Should we just keep an eye on the messages and go to the school again tomorrow to check on the situation?"

Of course, there's also the option of going directly to her house to check on her safety in person—for this reason, Yuzai Tenkuji specifically checked the address of this school nurse, just in case.

However, this is too reckless and foolish.

Given his personality, unless the situation becomes truly dire or he has a bad feeling, he would not abandon unnecessary caution and choose to do this regardless of everything.

As for now, it's probably not time for that yet.

"Forget about the cat, the mastermind behind this shouldn't be so heartless as to make a grown person disappear just because they're talking to me, right?"

With a forced smile, Yuu Tenkuji chuckled dryly, sincerely hoping that the behind-the-scenes manipulation wasn't some kind of yandere-like twisted character.

He took out his access card and was about to swipe it when his eyes involuntarily drifted toward the flowerbeds on both sides.

I didn't see the cat that was scared away by the android yesterday, and the canary from this morning has disappeared.

"That's really weird."

He shook his head, pondered deeply, swiped his access card, and entered the luxury apartment.

There was another person waiting in front of the elevator, wearing the female uniform of Toyonosaki High School. Her long, fine, and shiny hair, as white as lead powder, hung down her back. She was slender and had a dignified demeanor. Her icy back view alone exuded the elegant temperament of a Yamato Nadeshiko.

"What a coincidence? There's someone at our school who lives in the same apartment as me..."

So many things have happened that Tenkuji Yu is becoming increasingly paranoid, always feeling that every coincidence is deliberately arranged by someone.

With countless thoughts swirling in his mind, he casually stood beside the girl, pretending to look up at the slowly decreasing numbers on the elevator, while actually observing her appearance out of the corner of his eye.

The first thing that catches the eye is not the humble spirit that matches her slender figure, but the simple yet lovely thin red ribbons tied around her temples.

This unremarkable hair accessory caused Tenkuji Yu's pupils to shrink suddenly, his eyes revealing undisguised astonishment, and he almost couldn't help but openly observe her.

"No...it can't be another coincidence, can it..."

Because it was a distinctive feature, he remembered it very clearly.

—The thin ribbon tied to the cat's ears is exactly the same as the one in the girl's hair!

Chapter 96 [Yukikinoshita Yukino]

With a ding-dong, the elevator doors slowly opened, and the girl stepped in first. After pressing the button for the eleventh floor, she grabbed her schoolbag and retreated to a corner, looking calmly ahead.

Tenkuji Yu followed closely behind, pressed the tenth floor button and then the close button. He then turned to look at the mirror behind him, pretending to tidy his appearance, but actually secretly observing the girl's appearance through the reflection.

She has exquisite features, red lips and white teeth, snow-white skin, and long, flowing hair. In short, she is a beautiful girl who is breathtakingly beautiful and as exquisite as a painting.

Clear, piercing dark blue eyes, slightly pursed cherry blossom-colored lips, slender, straight legs like jade shoots, delicate pink fingertips and almost transparent backs of hands, and a faint, elegant fragrance wafting into the nose...

Before I knew it, I was completely absorbed in watching it.

"No! She's just pretty, why..."

Sensing the strangeness within her body, Tenkuji Yu suddenly woke up, staring blankly at herself in the mirror, with a lingering sense of disbelief in her eyes.

Just like that afternoon, it felt as if my heart was suddenly racing, and my chest was enveloped by a burning, suffocating sensation.

He doesn't think it's love at first sight, because for him, looks are secondary; personality is what matters most to him when he cares about someone.

To him, the beautiful girl who hadn't even spoken a word was no different from a delicate doll in a shop window. He might admire her, but he would never be captivated by her.

It was precisely because of this confidence that when Yukino Yukinoshita developed these feelings for him in the infirmary, Tenkuji Yu concluded that she was related to his "reality" and was very likely his forgotten ex-girlfriend.

Even the top-notch, alluring school nurse was like that, so how could he possibly be so easily captivated by the looks of this... normally developed high school girl?

So perhaps there's only one answer left—

"This guy, is he also related to my 'reality'?! Could it be that he's still..."

As if sensing something shocking, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but gasp. After confirming that the girl in the corner of the elevator hadn't seen through his outward composure, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Leaving that topic aside for now, he re-examined the ribbon that matched the cat's design, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another detail.

The black cat's bravado and pride, and the girl's cold calmness, exuded completely different temperaments—even when he thought back, although it was their first meeting, he could feel that the cat had a kind and trusting attitude towards him, which was the opposite of the girl in front of him who stared straight ahead indifferently and treated him as if he didn't exist.

Even so, those clear and dignified dark blue eyes were as if they were carved from the same mold, unique in this world, bright and beautiful.

To be honest, Yuu Tenkuji felt like she was going crazy—comparing cats and people, and even bringing up things like temperament and eyes, making such baseless guesses.

"But I've experienced even more outrageous and magical things... What's a little cat turning into a human and a human turning into a cat compared to that?"

He murmured to himself as he watched the elevator numbers above gradually rise; in five more floors, he would reach his tenth-floor apartment.

Without much hesitation, Yuu Tenkuji quickly composed himself and, this time, openly looked at the girl's expressionless profile, striking up a conversation in a familiar manner:

"You're a resident here too, right? I don't think I've ever run into you before."

The silence in the elevator was suddenly broken. The black-haired girl's slender shoulders trembled slightly, as if she had been startled and caught off guard.

But that reaction vanished in an instant. She slowly turned her gaze, and whether out of embarrassment or anger, the icy chill in her eyes was frightening, completely unlike the reaction one would expect from someone meeting for the first time.

"Is that so? Well, it seems my luck has run out... Tenkuji-kun, who has been secretly watching women for a long time before choosing to start a conversation with a terrible topic."

Her voice, like the chill emanating from her pretty face, was filled with an icy coldness and mockery that seemed to be trying to freeze him.

"Huh...?"