I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Even though she couldn't see his profile, his serious and focused expression still left Kasumigaoka Utaha standing there in a daze for a long time before she came to her senses.

My heart started beating faster for some reason, blood rushed to my face, and an unfamiliar heat gathered at my ears. A strange palpitation surged through my chest.

"Well--"

Realizing something was wrong with her, Kasumigaoka Utaha quickly shook her head, pressed her hand to her pounding chest, and bit her lip to calm herself down, trying not to have any lustful thoughts about a guy she had only known for a month.

Even though she didn't actually dislike him, she was impressed by his talent and didn't mind the smell in his room...

We should wait until the third volume becomes a bestseller before thinking about such things!

Taking a deep, silent breath, Kasumigaoka Utaha walked toward his back, trying to put aside the chaotic and complicated emotions that she was only now beginning to realize, and stared intently at the back of his head, her mind churning with mischievous ideas.

Without attracting his attention, the girl successfully stood behind him, seemingly having decided to play a prank on him. Her eyes gleamed green, and a rather awkward smile spread across her face as she silently chuckled and slowly raised her right foot.

Black stockings covered her small, rounded toes, the flesh color almost overflowing through the thin seams. The tautness of her calves, the plumpness of her thighs, and the cosmic space he could glimpse by turning his head—all of this unfolded slowly as she lifted her foot and approached Tenkuji Yu's back.

Her breathing became heavy without her realizing it, her heart filled with excitement as she anticipated his reaction.

Just as his slightly curled toes were about to slide down his straight back—

Ding Dong!

The doorbell rang downstairs, followed by a girl's sweet and lively voice that came through the window to the second floor.

"Senior! Let's write a novel together! Please open the door for your beloved little crab quickly!"

"Nayuta?"

Hearing the familiar voice of her junior colleague, Yuu Tenkuji paused her work and stood up in confusion: "Why are you here at this hour? I remember she was supposed to have a meeting with the editor today..."

He was only halfway through his questioning when he seemed to sense someone behind him unleashing their awakening power. He paused, then slowly turned around.

"Um... senior?"

The black-haired girl who had just gone to pick flowers was now standing with her arms crossed, a smile on her face, her heels tapping the floor impatiently, her cheeks twitching slightly as if in a spasm, and her eyes staring at him with a terrifying intensity.

"Hey, Yoyo-kun, so you brought other girls into your room besides me? So those glasses were just a disguise to hide your true nature?"

He spoke at an unprecedented speed, and unconsciously it carried a questioning tone.

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?"

Tenkuji Yu tilted her head inexplicably, a gesture that seemed to add fuel to the fire, causing her shapely heels to tap the floor faster, but the smile on the girl's face only became brighter.

"Nonsense? Do I look like a ghost? No, right? So what's your relationship with Nayuta Kana, Yuzha-kun?"

"No, do you want to hear what nonsense you just rambled on about..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's brow twitched, and she almost lost her forced smile.

—Forget it, I'm too lazy to talk to that straight guy!

"That's true, let's forget about it."

She said it so casually, as if she were a strong girl hiding all her grievances inside, her lowered eyelids flashing with loneliness, her body turned away from him.

Before Tenkuji Yu could ask her what kind of play she was acting in, the girl suddenly took a step with her long black-stockinged legs and naturally walked downstairs.

As she walked downstairs, she tugged at her clothes, messed up her hair, wet her lips, and even slapped her fair and delicate cheeks until they turned red.

Despite looking much more disheveled than before, as if she had been severely bullied by someone, she walked confidently toward the door.

"Coming! Please wait a moment, don't keep ringing the doorbell. Okay!"

Still lost in her novel's world, Tenkuji Yu stood at the door for a long time before hearing her slightly panting voice. Only then did she realize what this girl was up to, and her expression changed drastically.

"Damn it... Kasumigaoka Utaha, wait a minute!"

Her black hair flew in the wind.

She held onto the doorknob, turning her body halfway around on her toes.

"Heh~ I'm not waiting for you! You idiot!"

He stuck out his tongue and made a face at Tenkuji Yu, who was rushing downstairs in twos and threes.

It's like a gardenia playfully blooming, waving its bright petals at the bees that come running.

Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled with her eyes narrowed, feeling inexplicably relaxed and happy, with no trace of confusion or hesitation left.

If you're jealous, you should openly express your jealousy; if you're angry, you should tell him that you're very unhappy.

If it's someone she likes, she can probably understand why she played such a prank, right? It's because she's started to care about his existence.

Not daring to look at Tenkuji Yu's expression any longer, the girl turned around, tossed her long hair that had fallen over her shoulder, and looked at the door panel with a fierce and confident fighting spirit.

'I won't lose to that mere loli, silver-haired giant cat junior!'

Fueled by a possessiveness that had only just been ignited today, the girl named Kasumigaoka Utaha opened the door in disheveled clothes, meeting the gaze of the petite girl with a bright smile outside.

"Sorry, we don't accept sales pitches. May I ask what brings you here?"

"..."

As for the scene where the silver-haired girl's smile freezes, then she rushes into the room and starts crying and making a scene at the innocent Yu, and then formally declares war on Kasumigaoka Utaha, the ghost behind her will not be able to see it.

Because at the moment she realized she had fallen for Yuu Tenkuji while feeling jealous, the world before her eyes froze into a gray CG mode. Everyone except her stood still, their expressions lifelike, yet like faded memories, devoid of all luster.

...Wait a minute, she doesn't seem to be an exception in this respect either.

"Even if there's a saying that a person's IQ drops to that of a three-year-old when in love, to pull such a low-level prank that only a typical loser would do... She's not me. This Kasumigaoka Utaha is definitely a different person from me. Even if we're on different timelines, I couldn't possibly be this stupid..."

Muttering through gritted teeth, Kasumigaoka Utaha awkwardly and shamefully covered her cheeks, her semi-transparent body twisting and turning, seemingly having already lost the strength and will to resist, almost to the point of crouching down and covering her head in defense.

"I get it, this chapter was deliberately written to torture me, right?" Suddenly, Kasumigaoka Utaha realized, raising her contorted face. "What do you mean by 'forming a bond'? Falling in love with someone so easily, who forms a bond like that?!"

Very well, I, Kasumigaoka Utaha, will remember this debt, from the other world of me...

No, Yuu Tenkuji, you just wait!

Chapter 106 The Spectator Becomes the Actor

Chapter Two, A Bond Formed.

As the window slowly disappeared, Yuu Tenkuji watched the black and white CG gradually merge into pure black that couldn't let in any light, the scene from just now still replaying in his mind.

Unlike the first chapter, this flashback didn't fast-forward. Everything happened within a short hour, and for more than half an hour, the two were so engrossed in the text that they had no time to pay attention to each other.

Although it seemed somewhat disjointed, by considering the context, Yuu Tenkuji could somewhat understand the direction of their changing relationship.

In short, they met at the awards ceremony and formed a bond through discussing the novel.

The so-called "connection" likely refers to Kasumigaoka Utaha's formal falling for Tenkuji Yuu, which is equivalent to the "development" in the structure of introduction, development, transition, and conclusion.

"However, I don't think I'm considering Kasumigaoka Utaha as a romantic interest yet, right?"

"So forget about inviting girls to his room alone, he doesn't even care about blatant advances or advances, and he actually prefers that white-haired junior named Kanayuta..."

Tenkuji Yuu stroked his chin and pondered for a long time, suddenly feeling a little sorry for Kasumigaoka Utaha.

No wonder she vehemently denied the term "loser" in her notebook. After all, she was the one who came first, but someone else beat her to it—what a painful experience!

The claim that the two were once boyfriend and girlfriend seems like just a way to create suspense now, doesn't it?

From her own perspective, this girl has virtually no hope of winning against that white-haired junior who seems even more proactive than her, unless something unexpected happens that shakes her own sensibilities, or she reveals an even cuter personality than she does now.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look forward to the following chapters—if the adult version of Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't completely lying, and that intimate and familiar attitude wasn't faked, then perhaps he in this world really had a relationship with her.

If that's the case, then what happened in between?

With Kasumigaoka Utaha's pathetic approach to romance, can she really steal 'her' attention from the version's answer—the white-haired loli?

"Wait a minute, I've never admitted that XP is a white-haired loli!"

After making a self-amusing comment, as her translucent toes landed in the boundless darkness, Kasumigaoka Utaha's spirit appeared not far in front of her.

"How was the memory this time?"

The moment their eyes met, Yuu Tenkuji asked her for her thoughts first.

He didn't intend to provoke or tease her; he simply wanted to discuss their thoughts with her, just like before.

As he expected, the beautiful girl with long legs in black stockings opposite him had a gloomy expression, as if she was wondering where to start dividing him into seventeen parts.

"How was it? Not good at all! Anyway, those kinds of people have nothing to do with me; they're just other people who look similar to me and have the same name! To be honest, this isn't just a terrible viewing experience..."

Seemingly forced to recall what had just happened, her expression became slightly distorted, her fists clenched, and her fair and translucent cheeks inexplicably flushed, giving the impression that she was already feeling unbearably ashamed, yet was still forcibly enduring it.

"I didn't say she was you."

In response to her overreaction, Tenkuji Yu simply shrugged and said nonchalantly, "The process is very simple. After that meeting, the two of them got involved because of the novel and gradually developed into good friends in the same industry who encouraged and supported each other. They also had a certain level of trust in each other."

He knew when to joke and when to soothe her. His conversational tone was just right to calm her easily agitated mood, making her unconsciously follow his calm and composed attitude.

The use of the word "they" and the avoidance of the main point in describing the scene just now were both deliberate actions taken into consideration.

Seemingly sensing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha gradually calmed down, gave him a deep look, and then sighed as she spoke:

"...Although the progress feels a bit fast, this development is still reasonable."

Yuu Tenkuji pondered for a moment: "Hmm...a month is long enough, isn't it? After all, it's just the initial attraction."

"Don't I know what kind of personality I have?"

Miss Kasumigaoka, whose mood changes faster than flipping through a book, rolled her eyes at him with a beautiful expression, crossed her arms, and calmly explained, "I haven't been interested in any man for seventeen years, how could I possibly be captivated by someone like you in just one month? Either there was some kind of heroic rescue scene, or there was some misunderstanding, and I accidentally fell for him under various coincidences."

"Can't it just be because I'm too charming..."

"Charm? You?" She made a gesture of pushing up her glasses, giving a polite yet sarcastic smile. "Sorry, I don't have any problem with your outfit, but I really can't see any charm in you... Hmm, is it okay if you're just someone who attracts attention and is popular with younger girls?"

Tenkuji Yu gave a subtle twitch of his lips: "...Just to be on the safe side, let me confirm that the people we're talking about are the 'Tenkuji Yu' and 'Kasumigaoka Utaha' from our memories, right?"

"Of course, we're talking about other people's business."

The two exchanged a glance, chuckled dryly, and turned their heads away in tacit agreement.

Yuu Tenkuji thought to himself that he had only offended her that time at the library. This woman was too petty, still holding a grudge and targeting him at every turn. She was really difficult to get along with. In comparison, Kasumigaoka from his memories was much more likable, at least her last smile was very cute.

Kasumigaoka Utaha thought that her current predicament, and even the possibility of her disappearing at any moment, was all caused by this seemingly harmless guy in front of her who had actually harmed countless girls. In comparison, the Tenkuji in her memories was much more pleasing to the eye; at least he wrote good novels and didn't say anything annoying!

Each of them had such thoughts, so naturally they wouldn't have any good feelings towards the other.

After exchanging only a few words, her body began to turn transparent again, and she jumped out of the pale blue window as promised.

Chapter Three: Farewell.