I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Come in and save me? What happened to be captured by the system?

With these two questions flashing through her mind, Yuu Tenkuji didn't pause and continued to ask, "What happened with losing Eien? If I remember correctly, there shouldn't have been a timeline where I dated Senpai, so you're not referring to me, are you?"

"You even know about this kind of thing..." Kasumigaoka Utaha muttered with slight surprise, then smiled meaningfully, "No, it's you. At least in my timeline, we used to be a very close couple."

"You died unexpectedly because you cheated on me before we even broke up, huh?"

"..."

For some reason, Yuu Tenkuji sensed deep resentment and anger in those words.

He had no idea what his counterparts in each timeline had done, nor did he want to take responsibility for it, so he simply ignored it as if he hadn't heard anything.

"If I'm not mistaken, Kanade... Tachibana Kanade's one-tenth of the power of the light orb should have been given to you, right?"

But when she got to this point, she didn't immediately give a reply like she had before.

"If we really want to start from the beginning, the power of the laptop couldn't have lasted that long... Why don't I let you experience it for yourself?"

With a mysterious smile, the humanoid ball of light floated to the two of them and gently nudged them.

As the light began to surge, even though there was no sense of any reaction force, the scenery around them suddenly rushed backward, as if the two were moving forward in a tunnel at a speed comparable to that of a tram, and in the blink of an eye they arrived at the end of the dark tunnel.

"The whole story, everything you want to know, is behind that... So, move forward."

Her gentle voice echoed in their ears, but before Kasumigaoka Utaha could frown, put aside the shocking facts, and question her, the ball of light mercilessly kicked her wonderfully soft buttocks, sending her flying into the end of the tunnel.

"Go inside."

"What?!"

The incredulous shouts were swallowed up by the invisible vortex before they could even finish.

"After all this nonsense, I'm really useless in this timeline."

The humanoid ball of light sneered, casually retracting its foot, its fingers seemingly tidying its hair.

Tenkuji floated in place, glanced at the spot where the disheveled figure of a certain black-stockinged beauty had disappeared, and then looked subtly towards the humanoid ball of light... in the direction of twenty-year-old Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Is there something you want to talk to me about in private?"

To prevent her from kicking him in the backside, he preemptively asked questions and was prepared to jump into the vortex at any time.

"A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated"—this is a quote from Osamu Dazai. A man's buttocks are as precious as his knees.

Even if he didn't, the reason why Yuu Tenkuji hasn't jumped in yet isn't because he wants to be kicked by Utaha Kasumigaoka (20), but because he wants to hear her motivation for doing it "deliberately".

As expected, Kasumigaoka Utaha said in a voice clearly tinged with laughter, "You guessed it, Yuu-kun... never mind, I'll just call you junior."

"After all, the you in this world is not my Youyou-kun."

As soon as she finished speaking, the lingering affection, nostalgia, and tenderness from not long ago vanished, and her tone returned to calm, carrying just the right amount of friendly distance, as one would when speaking to a client.

"This wisp of consciousness will disappear after you go inside."

"If there's something I only want to say to you, now is the only time."

Tenkuji Yu raised an eyebrow, his expression calm as he looked directly at her: "So, what do you want to say?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha (20) fell silent for a moment.

Then, the light surrounding her gradually dissipated, and a mature and aloof woman appeared before him.

Her waist-length black hair had been shortened to her neck, and her equally exquisite features had clearly matured considerably. Her dark red eyes, however, were like fine wine that had been aged, more mysterious and profound than when she was young, gazing at him with calm composure.

Her figure has only improved, and compared to the youthful vitality of a girl, she now resembles a ripe fruit. The bright red dress accentuates her perfect curves, further highlighting the unchanging presence of her long, black-stockinged legs.

Even though they weren't the kind of sheer, low-denier black stockings, you could still feel the fleshiness of your feet through them. The beautiful leg lines, tightly covered by nylon, were as beautiful as flawless black jade, making you want to press your face against them and rub them hard, yet you were also ashamed and lowered your head for fear of desecrating them.

This was a charm that Yuu Tenkuji couldn't sense in Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had been kicked in—a charm that could be described as witchy.

"Junior, since you know that ghost lady named Tachibana Kanade, you should also know what her power of light orbs can do, right?"

Concealing the amazement in her eyes, Tenkuji Yu nodded: "Even if it's only 10%, it can trigger a miracle that changes the world."

"That's why I was created."

She stretched out her fair and slender hand, and a black-covered notebook appeared out of thin air.

"To make Kasumigaoka Utaha of this world happy, so that she is no longer that innocent fool who couldn't forget someone even in death, who had nothing but her career, and who died in despair... Everything I did was set up to achieve this goal."

"So, your target is me?" After a moment's thought, Tenkuji Yu suddenly realized, "In order to bring me and you in this world together, you appeared next to Kasumigaoka Utaha in the real world and guided her to invade the trial to find me?"

"You could say that, but it's not entirely like that." She smiled mysteriously, and after saying something seemingly pointless, looked into Tenkuji Yu's eyes. "Even if I crave the happiness of being with you, I still have my pride."

"I want to be with you naturally, I want you to fall in love with me uncontrollably, I want you to confess to me first and refuse to let go of me like you would with anyone else, and to be as stubborn as a child to grow old with me... Sigh, these futures that require mutual love are, from my perspective, already so hopeless that it's like getting pregnant even with a condom during the safe period."

"...Why do you have to use such a delicate example?" Yuu Tenkuji was speechless for a moment, then quickly changed the subject, "Even so, because of your pride, you don't want to force us to be together?"

"I will use every means at my disposal, but when it comes to feelings, they really do need to develop naturally to be truly profound."

Kasumigaoka Utaha (20) spread her hands and smiled frankly: "I also hate the feeling of having my fate decided by others, so after you finish what you need to do, what kind of relationship will it become is up to you."

"If the two of you can love each other and have a football team together, that would be wonderful. But if, after everything is over, you still can't stand each other, then the remaining power of the Light Orb will grant me in this world the powerful ability to grant many wishes—"

Even without you, her future won't be completely bleak.

Tenkuji Yuu slowly exhaled: "Is that so... I'm glad you made such a wise decision. Forcing two people who don't like each other to be together will only make everyone unhappy."

Kasumigaoka Utaha (20) said proudly, "Of course. Don't underestimate Kasumigaoka Utaha's intelligence and determination, junior."

"Who did you learn this narcissistic attitude from?"

"Of course it's Tenkuuji Yura~ the man who once ○○●● me."

"...Same name, what a coincidence."

"Yes, what a coincidence."

They both laughed at the same time.

Is that all you wanted to say?

"Next, please take the time to appreciate Kasumigaoka Utaha's strengths. I look forward to the moment you fall in love with her."

Yuu Tenkuji shrugged: "Sorry, I have a girlfriend."

For some reason, Kasumigaoka Utaha (20)'s lips twitched, and the way she was trying so hard to suppress her laughter gave off a nasty feeling of waiting to see a good show.

"I know. Even if you don't know what I know now, you'll know everything soon enough."

"Aha?"

Before Tenkuji Yu could express his doubts, the mature black-haired woman, who resembled Yukinoshita Haruno, suddenly took a step forward and pushed him backward with her increasingly transparent hand.

An irresistible pull gripped his body tightly and quickly enveloped his consciousness in a deep black net.

"You just..."

Couldn't you wait until they'd finished speaking before seeing them off?!

Watching the boy she hadn't seen in so long being swallowed by the vortex, his mouth agape but unable to make a sound, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but smile. A mix of reluctance and anticipation flickered in her eyes, then vanished with a relieved smile.

"You are not you, and I am not me. So, that's enough."

"To see you full of energy again, even if I disappear completely, it would be worth it... what a load of rubbish."

I want to hug you until the very last moment.

I want to possess you until the very last moment.

It seems that I will find happiness in you, just as I have experienced before, and that happiness will last until the end of my life.

"However, the delusion of building castles in the air will never come true."

She murmured to herself in the quiet, empty tunnel.

She raised her almost transparent hand, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and stared at the vortex with bright yet calm red eyes, as if she were gazing upon him in the past, present, and future.

"You must make sure everything ends smoothly, Yoyo-kun."

"May you have great success in your military endeavors."

She turned around with a smile, her skirt fluttering quietly. As the light shards drifted down like scattered snowflakes, her figure quickly became transparent.

Finally, it disappeared completely into the dazzling tunnel, leaving no trace.

Even that soft sigh was instantly swallowed up by the deathly silence that followed the landing.

"I'm a high school girl, so please don't be blind enough to let that guy go..."

"If you don't manage to force yourself on me and make it a done deal, then Kasumigaoka Utaha from every timeline will come after you..."

Loss of support.

Before long, the tunnel began to collapse, and the surroundings returned to a void of darkness.

Chapter 102 The First Chapter of the Encounter

This is a season when cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

In early April, like other high schools, Toyonosaki Academy was crowded with young men and women who had just returned from vacation or were new to school. A hundred expressions and a hundred thoughts flowed into the campus, like a riot of colors blooming on the branches.

Yuu Tenkuji is one of them.

Wearing thick-rimmed glasses, he concealed his good looks under his disguise, inconspicuously weaving through the crowd without causing a ripple.

"At least the entrance ceremony will still have to happen..."

He whispered this to himself as he found his new class from the bulletin board. Like an assassin lurking in the shadows, he subconsciously slipped into the blind spot of others' sight and arrived at the new classroom like a ghost.

He chose a seat towards the back, but not at the very end. Naturally, no former classmates came to greet him along the way—at least no one was close enough to greet him.

After confirming that she was still just as inconspicuous, Yuu Tenkuji brushed aside her bangs, which she hadn't cut in a long time. Her deep, black-and-white eyes, framed by glasses, suddenly lit up, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, her smile quite excited.

"The news of the award should be coming soon, right?"

He took out the flip phone he had been clutching tightly from his pocket, looked at the time on it and saw it was eight o'clock. As expected, an email notification popped up silently right on time.

With a mix of nervousness and trepidation, he opened the email, and the very first line immediately drew his attention.

Shinazugawa Bunko:

Congratulations to the author "Yuan Zhi Qiong"! Your submission, "When My Brother Died Hundreds of Times, My Sister Decided to Become a God," has won the Light Novel Grand Prize at this online literature platform...

Yuu Tenkuji skipped over the award instructions and other miscellaneous tasks, and after confirming that he had indeed won this year's Shinazugawa Bunko writing prize, he couldn't help but clench his fist and shout in a low voice: