I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

The moment the two learned each other's real names, a dark blue pop-up appeared, blocking Tenkuji Yu's view like a system panel.

However, this thing is much simpler than the system panel, with only one line of large text on it:

[Chapter 1, Encounter.]

Chapter 103 Your charm is just those long, black-stockinged legs.

"what is this?"

Yuu Tenkuji asked the question subconsciously, without expecting anyone to answer him.

He carefully examined the familiar system window, which he hadn't seen for over a year. For some reason, he felt it resembled the transition prompt in a game where one chapter ended and the next was about to begin...

That's right, it's a visual novel.

After pondering for a while, Tenkuji Yu tentatively concluded: "So Kasumigaoka Utaha presented the process of her meeting me in this world to us in the form of a TAVG? No, considering that there shouldn't be any options to choose from, is it a VNG?"

TAVG stands for text adventure game. The most common GAL games, such as "Memories Off" and "Women's Mountain", are of this type. Players can achieve different endings by making different choices.

VNG, on the other hand, is a visual novel game, which can be interpreted in two ways: one is an e-book with added music and dialogue, where players are not allowed to participate in the story through choices; the other is a text adventure game similar to Tsukihime, FSN, and Mahoutsukai no Yoru, where text fills the interface and is not limited to dialogue boxes.

As spirits without physical form who can only passively accelerate progress, what they are experiencing now is a fully immersive game experience similar to the VNG e-book – I remember the first version of "NERvGear" attempted to run this type of game, but it didn't have many users and was quickly eliminated.

After all, once you're fully immersed and can manipulate all sorts of things in the virtual world, players naturally prefer to do something themselves rather than stand by as indifferent bystanders.

"Wow, this is quite a complicated process... This chapter is about their first meeting, so the next chapter will be about them getting to know each other?"

Tenkuji Yu shook his head, shifting his gaze from the notification box that no longer contained any information, and looking at himself ahead.

It seemed as if time had jumped forward a little. The young man in the suit had already received his award certificate, and now the host on stage was giving his opening remarks for the writers' exchange meeting. Meanwhile, he returned to that corner and continued to enjoy the free buffet with a relaxed attitude, without any intention of greeting the other writers.

The total prize money for the paperback award is three million yen. This money will naturally not be put into his pocket as cash. In fact, the prize money was already transferred to his account a few days ago. On that day, the brother and sister went directly to the most expensive restaurant on the food delivery platform and ordered a bunch of dishes that they would not even dare to look at normally, like nouveau riche. They ate until they were stuffed. The refrigerator is still full of the leftovers from that time.

With capital, talent, and time, Yuu Tenkuji is currently enjoying the most pleasant and spirited moment of her life.

He doesn't intend to build a wider network of contacts, nor does he want to stand out at this writers' conference—focusing on writing better, more commercially successful works and conquering all readers with his words is what he should be doing now.

There are opponents all around, and the road to the top is full of challenges, but none of that matters.

Just use your talents... and your cheat codes, to defeat them.

After finishing the meal, Yuu Tenkuji will go straight home to finish writing the second volume of "Brother Dies, Sister Becomes a God" as soon as possible, and then discuss the illustrations with her illustrator.

Nothing else matters.

"Is this guy planning to become the kind of genius writer who has nothing but talent and whose life revolves solely around writing?"

For what felt like the umpteenth time, Yuu rolled her eyes, criticizing her own immaturity: "There are so many writers here who could exchange ideas and learn from each other's different writing styles and thoughts, yet you ignore this treasure and just sit there being self-important, treating the system like an all-powerful wish-granting machine... The system is ultimately an external thing. No matter how talented or gifted you are, you're just a beginner. Expanding your network across industries should be the best option, right?"

"Even if you don't want to get involved with so many female authors, with your status as a seventeen-year-old winner of the Best Original Book Award, you can still establish connections with editors-in-chief and industry professionals. As long as you build good relationships with everyone, wouldn't writing books be much smoother in the future...?"

So, a transmigrator who hasn't experienced any major ups and downs is no different from a delusional teenager...

After muttering to himself for a while, Yuu Tenkuji slapped his forehead hard—of course, without making a sound.

"Forget it, I shouldn't care what this gloomy guy with bangs and glasses is trying to do."

However, while he was complaining, someone approached the gloomy-looking man with bangs and glasses that he was talking about.

"You must be the grand prize winner this time, Yosuga no Sora-sensei?"

He struck up a conversation in a similar manner to Kasumigaoka Utaha. The newcomer was a cute girl in a kimono with a herringbone hairstyle. Her gaze was fixed on him, and her expression was as solemn as if she were challenging an enemy general on the battlefield.

Yuu Tenkuji remembered that this was the female author he had mentioned before, named Senju Muramasa.

Besides, there was a giant silver-haired cat—a petite girl with the pen name Kanayuta—who timidly approached, her eyes filled with anticipation and nervousness.

"Um, excuse me, did you submit any web novels to a website three years ago? Like, the kind where you wrote a few chapters and then stopped..."

As if these two were a signal, more and more female authors approached them.

Some were hostile, some were intrigued, and others stared at him like predators, revealing alluring, wicked smiles from outside the crowd.

— Surrounded by tigers.

Even though he was just a ghost, seeing so many female authors with ill intentions surrounding him, each of them looking as if they wanted to devour the gloomy boy alive, Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine, a terrifying sense that his life was about to end.

He suddenly remembered what Kasumigaoka Utaha (20) had said in the tunnel.

"You died unexpectedly because you cheated on me before we even broke up."

"No, no way..."

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Yuu Tenkuji's pupils constricted: "Could it be that the person 'I' am having an affair with is one of these female authors?"

As for what kind of accident might happen during the affair, or even lead to his death...

Yuu Tenkuji had reason to suspect that the adult version of Kasumigaoka Utaha was definitely hiding something very crucial from him—for example, who exactly caused that accident?

Before he could even begin to imagine the suspenseful murder mystery, the world before him suddenly turned black and white, and time, characters, and everything else were frozen into an uncolored CG image.

The scene perfectly captures the moment when Yuu Tenkuji is dealing with the uninvited girls with a puzzled expression, while Kasumigaoka Utaha, holding a wine glass, silently observes him from outside the crowd, a scene with flawless composition.

Tenkuji Yu paused for a moment before raising his hand to check if he could move.

"After the first chapter ends... is it a 'sequel' that serves as a bridge between what came before and what's to come?"

It's really starting to resemble a game more and more...

As she was thinking this, a light blue notification window popped up again, and Tenkuji Yu glanced at it with an unfazed expression.

[Would you like to start Chapter 2?]

I naturally chose "yes," the notification window disappeared, and the surrounding black and white scenery distorted like a vortex, quickly turning into a pure black space with nothing in it.

Standing there in the boundless void, Yuu Tenkuji calmly waited for the cutscene to end, but then she saw something strange diagonally in front of her, where Kasumigaoka Utaha had been standing...

Oh, it's not something strange.

It was Kasumigaoka Utaha, who, like him, became a spirit behind him.

"Junior?"

Noticing his gaze, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was calmly looking around as if observing her surroundings, quickly turned her head. She was first stunned, then her eyes widened in surprise, or rather, delight, and she instinctively walked towards him.

However, there is no ground, so even if you take a step, you don't feel like you are moving on the floor – you can move, but you are floating.

"Senior, are you doing alright over there?"

Tenkuji Yu raised his hand to greet her and was surprised to find that this senior not only had a good mindset, but also adapted to unfamiliar situations beyond the average person's level. She quickly got used to the technique of moving using the spirit mode behind her.

“If you think this experience is good, then I have nothing to say.” Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn’t help but twitch her cheeks when she mentioned this, and sighed as if she didn’t want to recall it. “Well, we probably had similar experiences, right? I hope I’m not the one who was treated differently.”

Yuu Tenkuji nodded: "It should be about the same, right? Except for the fact that you kicked your own butt."

"If you can't speak properly, you can shut up." Kasumigaoka Utaha was too lazy to complain and simply recounted the situation she had encountered after entering.

Although she is also a spirit, she adopts the perspective of the female protagonist—starting from the day her novel won an award, her replies received many positive reviews, and she proudly called herself her "profession".

Unlike Tenkuji Yu, her personality and life trajectory have not changed much. The only difference from her memory is that this year's Shinazugawa Bunko Award has an extra Grand Prize winner—it was originally vacant, and there was no so-called writer exchange meeting.

Utaha Kasumigaoka of this world became curious about the grand prize winner. Before the book was even released, she bought a copy through an insider channel, ready to see what kind of content could possibly win such a grand prize with such a terrible title.

As soon as I started reading, I was moved to tears and laughter throughout the story. I became completely engrossed in it, eager to read the next volume and find out how the brother and sister, who were destined for a bad ending, would change their fate. Completely powerless to resist, I became a devoted fan of "Yosuga no Sora".

She had mentally prepared herself for the awards ceremony and mustered up a lot of courage before approaching him with that awkward and strange attitude. Later, she stood there watching, wanting to discuss the book's content and the subsequent plot with him, but she was blocked by the crowd and didn't do so.

Just like a girl who successfully chases after her idol, except that on the path of creation, she has already presumptuously regarded him as her biggest rival.

"I have to make this clear first, the 'she' in this world is not me, and you are not you." After explaining her own situation, Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her arms and said seriously, "So please don't project any feelings she has for you in this world onto me... Even if the novel you wrote is indeed a masterpiece, I will not cling to you or even fall in love with you because of it."

Yuu Tenkuji spread his hands: "I know without you telling me. We're just watching something that happened between two people who know each other very well. What's important is understanding what happened in the process. Their feelings are none of our business."

"Yes, I'm glad you understand."

Kasumigaoka Utaha let out a soft breath, lowered her arms from behind her elbows, and as if she had thought of something, she teased him with a light laugh, "By the way, how does it feel to be surrounded by a group of beautiful female writers? Did you have the illusion for a moment that you were the protagonist of a bishoujo game?"

Tenkuji Yuu wasn't so easily provoked; she retorted with a similar smile and playful tone:

"You're over there. How does it feel to successfully meet your idol? Do you need me to give you another autograph?"

"...Tsk, that's why straight men are so boring."

Kasumigaoka Utaha was speechless and quickly gave up on chatting with this clueless guy, getting straight to the point.

"You also chose to start Chapter Two, right? Now that you've agreed, how much longer is she going to make us stay in this godforsaken place? Can't she just be more decisive?"

Even as an adult, the girl still openly complained, making no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction with that kick.

"You should ask yourself that, Kasumigaoka-senpai."

Yuu Tenkuji casually remarked, pointing to the ground beneath her feet, which were beginning to turn transparent, amidst the other person's grim expression as if they had swallowed a fly: "Don't worry, this is probably a resting space for us to talk and exchange information. Once we're done talking, it will automatically teleport us to the next chapter."

Kasumigaoka Utaha gave a mocking snort: "Or perhaps, she's spying on us from behind and reacting in real time."

"Perhaps." Yuu Tenkuji didn't care about such a trivial matter.

After a long silence, she suddenly asked, "Did you two speak privately after I came in?"

"Yes, but I won't tell you." Tenkuji paused, then added reassuringly, "It's just a private matter, it has nothing to do with you, don't worry."

You just said she is me, so her private affairs are the same as my private affairs.

Rolling her eyes inwardly, Kasumigaoka Utaha shrugged indifferently.

"That's good."

Anyway, he won't tell you even if you ask, and worrying too much will only cause you trouble.

She glanced at her body, which had become transparent from her feet to her waist, exhaled the last bit of air from her lungs, waved her hand, turned around, and said casually, "See you during the break in the next chapter, junior."

"I hope this kind of farewell won't be repeated too many times."

"Yeah, otherwise it would just be a trash game."

Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but smile. Her hair fluttered, revealing a quiet and gentle profile, which was then obscured by her long, ink-black hair.

Even Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but change his expression and feel a ripple in his heart as he gazed at that appearance.

"...Senior, I suddenly realized something."

Just as she was about to close her eyes and wait to leave, upon hearing his words, Kasumigaoka Utaha turned around at a 45-degree angle, her fingers lightly pressing her temples, her bright and gentle red jade eyes looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"what's up?"

Yuu Tenkuji lowered his gaze to look at the other person's lower body, which was now completely devoid of anything—not to mention clothes, even bones were absent.