I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

I'm taking the day off today, regarding the upcoming plot.

This story was originally intended to be a suspenseful exploration, with three different storylines unfolding simultaneously—the protagonist and the system, the protagonist and his ex-girlfriend, and the protagonist and Kasumigaoka. They continuously explore the truth in this world, and their feelings change, ultimately leading to different endings and tragic fates...

But I've found that I simply can't write something this complicated; I've been experiencing writer's block lately. Even if I could manage to write it, I'd probably have to take a huge detour to get to the end...

Honestly, even a melodramatic, cliché plot is better than courting disaster by starting something new. Wouldn't it have been easier to just help the senior write the novel from the beginning? Wouldn't a love triangle scenario be more satisfying than everyone losing their memories?

It's too late to realize this; what's done is done, it's rotten beyond repair, and there's no way to change it. So many foreshadowing elements have been planted, and they can't just disappear like that. It's as if everyone watched it for nothing, wasting so many cat coins.

Therefore, I plan to make two changes to the outline:

First, reduce the puzzle elements, simplify the plot, and stop with all the unnecessary complications. Let the senior student enter the scene and steal the man sooner.

Second, resolve the system issues as soon as possible and return to normalcy. I really want to write about those ordinary days when nothing major happens, when everyone just jokes around and spends various holidays together!

I did think about finishing this volume quickly and then giving up and starting to write slice-of-life stories like epilogues... No, I should say I cut the Gordian knot and sacrificed the small to save the big?

However, with only two hundred people watching, we still want to make the story as complete as possible.

That's all for now, everyone get some rest!

Chapter 99 The next one to disappear could very well be you.

"That's really aggressive..."

Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but shake his head, yet he could understand her attitude.

After all, it was my own choice.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with what he did yesterday; at most, it was just a bit too radical... If he had to say, the mistake was that he hadn't had a chance to turn his dislike into goodwill before he came to visit her.

But it doesn't matter. Even if the two have a bad relationship, Yuu Tenkuji still has a way to get the information he wants from her.

After giving him a threatening warning, Kasumigaoka Utaha picked up her phone from the bed and casually pressed a few buttons, seemingly waiting for his reply.

After Yuu Tenkuji spoke, she casually put her phone aside, and the 110 emergency number appeared on the screen, clearly meant for him to see.

"Don't worry, I came to you with good intentions... I guess it's for cooperation?"

Tenkuji Yu pursed his lips, ignoring her little gesture, and said casually and confidently, "If you are unhappy with my previous attitude and behavior, as long as it does not damage your dignity and morality, I can promise you one thing within my ability as compensation... Don't look down on me because I am younger than you. Apart from giving birth, there is basically nothing I cannot do."

"Oh, you're pretty arrogant."

The black-haired girl chuckled, her smooth feet dangling from beneath her shorts. Her toes, white and adorable like silkworms, curled gently, as if they were about to come close to him for him to taste, yet also seemed afraid he would bite them off, so she pulled them back.

"So, why did you choose to collaborate with me, a beautiful high school girl writer who only writes boring novels with 'fragmented plots, excessive sentimentality, incoherent meaning, and weak themes'?"

She narrowed her eyes, her mocking smile vanished, and a dangerous glint appeared in her beautiful, wine-red eyes: "If you said you came here to have my baby, I'd kick you out right now, you know?"

"Don't worry, I'm here to talk about serious matters. I don't want to do anything to you, nor do I want to argue with you."

Tenkuji Yu's tone was calm, and her dark brown eyes seemed to express her sincerity, quietly and cleanly reflecting the girl's slightly furrowed brows.

"Or rather, I came here seeking 'hope'... I'm currently facing some things I can't handle, and in this world, the only person most likely to help me is Kasumigaoka Utaha, which is you. That's why I took the liberty of checking your address and abruptly came here."

They actually took the initiative to show weakness?

Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Although there was no hint of humility in his tone, nor any apology for violating the girl's right to privacy, the fact that he said those words—let's just assume for now that he wasn't playing an April Fool's joke, but was seriously asking for her help.

That means he relinquished control, taking the position of "receiver" and granting her the power to "give".

This is a far cry from his inexplicable, arrogant, and annoying demeanor yesterday.

'It's still quite baffling, but it doesn't seem like he's talking nonsense... Oh no, I'm starting to wonder what he's trying to say.'

Thinking this, she slowly exhaled, her cold and hostile expression softening slightly.

Her shoulders unconsciously relaxed, her arms no longer crossed over her chest, and Kasumigaoka Utaha gently touched her smooth, lustrous hair. After a few seconds of hesitation, she spoke softly, her tone devoid of emotion:

"I don't have the habit of lending money to strangers."

Yumiao Tenkuji replied, "My savings are more than your royalties, and I can prove it to you anytime."

"Is there a girl you're interested in pursuing, and you need my help?"

"Hilarious! I need someone else's help to woo a girl?" Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud, looking disdainful.

Although he only had two girls in his memory, namely Iroha Isshiki and at the very least, Tachibana Kanade from a parallel world, for some reason, he had no doubt about his skills in picking up girls. It was the kind of strong confidence that came from the bottom of his heart after years of experience.

No matter how difficult or troublesome a beautiful girl is, as long as he gets serious, he can win her over even if she's an AI!

What truly defines a strategy master who can make you fall in love at first sight?! (Tactical lean back)

“I thought I was narcissistic enough, but I never expected that someone could be this shameless.” Shaking her head speechlessly, Kasumigaoka Utaha looked into his eyes and emphasized with a meaningful tone, “If you want my help, the price will be higher than you think.”

Yuu Tenkuji didn't continue to follow her lead, but responded firmly: "What you say is what you mean. Whether it's helping you promote your work to the world or helping you secretly deal with a certain enemy, give me time and I can find a way to do it—if you still want to bargain, then I can only apologize for your lack of intelligence."

"First, my work will become popular without your help. Second, you're currently my only enemy, so I'm really sorry."

Kasumigaoka Utaha said with a forced smile, then sighed heavily and rubbed her stiff cheeks: "Tsk, if this keeps going on, it'll never end... How about we each take a step back?"

"I'm planning to."

Just as the two reached a truce agreement, Kasumigaoka's mother knocked on the door and peeked in with a tray of tea and snacks.

"How was it? You didn't argue, did you?"

Tenkuji Yu immediately put on a perfect boyish smile and replied obediently and cheerfully, "It was just a small dispute. Senpai is very magnanimous and doesn't hold grudges against me for what happened in the past."

Kasumigaoka's mother put down the tray and smiled kindly and reassuringly: "That's good, that's good~ Arguing hurts feelings. If there are any problems between two people, they should put aside their emotions and communicate properly. Sooner or later, they will find a solution!"

Yuu Tenkuji nodded vigorously, praising sincerely, "Auntie is right. It seems that my senior's rational thinking and understanding are inherited from you. If I had heard your words earlier, I could have avoided many detours."

Kasumigaoka's mother beamed with joy, her crow's feet at the corners of her eyes practically flying off.

"Oh dear, it's not that exaggerated. You're really making a mistake, kid. Come here! This is a special yokan from the confectionery shop on the corner. They only make a limited quantity every day and you have to queue. Xiao Shi loves it. Try a piece."

"Thank you so much, Auntie!"

—Are you kidding me? I feel like throwing up!

Seeing Tenkuji Yu pretending to be a good boy, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had witnessed his true nature, almost couldn't help but feel nauseous. She turned her face away and took a deep breath, vaguely smelling a pleasant scent on him. She forced her breath to stop in her nostrils and almost suffocated herself.

'Aren't all high school boys supposed to smell bad? Why does this guy smell so good? Is he wearing perfume specifically designed to attract women?!'

While mentally ranting and raving, Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly stood up from the bed.

She had initially wanted to stop her mother from entertaining him, but remembering what she had just said, she forcefully suppressed the impulse and decided to avoid seeing him altogether.

At the same time, he snatched the remaining 90% of the yokan and pushed his mother out the door.

"Alright, alright, we still have important things to discuss. Mom, you can go back to your room and rest now."

"Wait, Little Poem—"

Before she could finish speaking, Kasumigaoka Utaha shut the door on her mother, who seemed hesitant and even reluctant to leave. Then she turned around and looked down at Tenkuji Yuu, who was slowly chewing on his yokan (sweet bean jelly), with a cold and disdainful gaze.

"You don't have some kind of weird XP, do you?"

If she had one, she'd kick him out right now!

Tenkuji Yu, however, calmly took a sip of hot tea, washing away the strong sweetness in his mouth: "It's you who's twisted, okay? Your mother only sees me as someone you're flirting with. It seems she's quite concerned about your love life. If I come a few more times, she'll probably just list me as a potential son-in-law, right?"

"You want to come a few more times?" Kasumigaoka Utaha smirked.

Yuu Tenkuji didn't intend to pay attention to her feelings. After drinking half a cup of tea, he first activated the "no eavesdropping" mode, then looked down at the door and whispered:

"Thank you for your hospitality. The tea was very good, but the yokan (sweet bean jelly) was a bit too sweet."

Before Kasumigaoka Utaha could understand his behavior, his expression shifted from casual to serious calm, and his sharp eyes, which exuded an invisible pressure, looked at the girl in front of the door.

"Without further ado, can you begin explaining my situation?"

"...What a strange person."

Kasumigaoka Utaha closed her eyes, sighed again, and sat back on the bed.

Her rounded breasts sculpted soft curves on the mattress. She crossed her legs, clasped her hands together and hooked them around her knees, leaned slightly forward as she looked at him, and spoke in a calm tone.

"Tell me about it, hopefully it's not something that will completely shatter my worldview."

For some reason, Kasumigaoka Utaha had this premonition.

What he said might completely overturn his view of the world.

△

About half an hour later.

"In summary, this world is a parallel world fabricated by the 'system,' at least that's how it is to me... We've both had our memories rewritten and are trapped here. We can't confirm how to leave yet, and we don't know what will happen if we stay in this world... But in the last two days, several people like you who I listed as subjects to be observed have mysteriously disappeared. Moreover, they disappeared in the way that other people's memories were rewritten and they completely forgot that person's existence."

With a solemn expression, Tenkuji Yu said in a deep voice, word by word, "Before things become irreversible, I hope to get a chance to change things from you, or at least find out why they disappeared."

“I chose you because you, in the ‘past’, trespassed into the trial that the system arranged for me and used a paper butterfly to transport me to this world. From my perspective, you are the culprit who caused all of this, and also an accomplice of the mastermind behind it all, which is why I approached you in that way.”

"I can't explain it in detail either. I guess I'll have to wait until you regain your memory to explain it to me."

At this point, Tenkuji Yu let out a soft breath and moistened her throat with the remaining tea in her cup: "...That's exactly it. Actually, I'm not sure whether you are a native of this world or an intruder who caused trouble and was brainwashed by the system. I also don't know if I can get anything from you."

"But the situation was urgent, and I didn't know when I would disappear along with them... I could only believe that I could keep walking straight to the end."

That concludes the explanation.

Tenkuji Yuu put down his teacup, looked helplessly at the girl in front of him whose expression was subtle and whose cheeks were twitching, and sighed as expected.

"It's hard to accept, isn't it..."

The reaction was obvious; what he said sounded like a made-up story, and only someone who was overly naive would believe it.

Yuya Tenkuji could only shrug and indicate that he had never been so honest before: "I promise I haven't told a single lie. It's not an April Fool's joke or a wild fantasy. It's something that actually happened to me... If I just wanted to make up a story to fool you and deliberately get closer to you, I wouldn't have bothered to come here and lower myself to ask you for help, would I?"

Someone as charming as me wouldn't use such roundabout methods to pursue girls; I could just go straight for them, wouldn't I?

To convince her, Yuu Tenkuji said everything she could, even going so far as to subtly criticize herself.

If even this doesn't convince her, then we'll have to resort to the last resort...

What evidence do you have?

Just as the dark thought popped into her head, Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly spoke up.

His face still wore that bizarre expression of utterly shattered worldview, but the tone of his question was inexplicably serious: "Even the smallest piece of evidence that proves this world isn't normal, if you have it, show it to me."

"evidence……"

Tenkuji Yu was stunned for a moment, his gaze not missing her thoughtful, ever-changing, composed eyes.