I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"And what is the best choice right now...?"

After a long silence, I finally made a decision.

With her eyes slightly closed, Yuu Tenkuji inhaled the cold air deeply into her lungs, freezing her superfluous thoughts for the time being.

Then, he addressed the girl who was silently waiting for a reply, speaking more earnestly than usual:

"I……"

Chapter 114 Thus, the date that belonged only to [Kasumigaoka Utaha] was about to begin.

As a romance novelist, even without any romantic experience, Kasumigaoka Utaha researched a lot about dating and simulated it in her mind countless times before she could write down the sweet and romantic scenes on a date.

In other words, this was her first time dating a man—as a girlfriend with whom she only had a relationship but no romantic feelings.

Isn't that strange?

She felt the same way. Why was she forced onto this path by fate? Why did she have to act so intimately with unfamiliar men?

If it weren't for the punishment, Kasumigaoka Utaha would have turned and left long ago. Who cares about memories? Her pure girlish heart wouldn't allow herself to be toyed with like this!

...But gradually, as the morning date passed, my thoughts inexplicably began to change.

"I'm quite happy."

This was the thought that came to mind as I stepped off the coffee cup.

"If I don't get caught, I can just enjoy the feeling of dating my 'boyfriend'... Even though the person is this troublesome guy, I don't hate him to the point of feeling physically disgusted. I can even use this experience for my writing when I get back... Yes, I'll just consider it research material!"

This idea came to me when I was leaving the carousel.

"This is really interesting... It's completely different from coming to the amusement park alone. Just having a companion makes the experience so much better."

After getting off the roller coaster, she couldn't help but think this while going to the restroom—was it the difference in the number of people or the difference in the companions?

As for the number of people, I've been to amusement parks with my parents before, but I don't remember it being as fun as it is now.

Is that a problem with companionship?

If it were with the other boys in the class... well, just thinking about it makes me feel disgusted.

If I came with Ms. Machida, we probably wouldn't have played for long before we started discussing the novel. In the end, we would both be so engrossed in our work that we wouldn't have been able to enjoy the amusement park at all.

Of course, there are other factors that might be bothering you—for example, this is something that happened in your memory, and all you have to deal with is the boy in front of you, so you can temporarily detach yourself from your work and hobbies; or you suddenly become someone else's girlfriend, and the relationship is forced to get much closer, but at least you don't have to worry about anything else, you just have to act according to the script.

This might be the only date she'll ever have in her life.

It's unique and unrepeatable... Whether it's good or not is another matter, but it's certainly memorable.

Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't dislike this feeling, but she also knew that it ultimately belonged to someone else.

Just like playing a game in a virtual world, no matter how many virtual treasures she acquires, once she logs out of the borrowed account, everything will be completely unrelated to her.

So she was also wondering why she wanted to experience this feeling herself?

Thinking and thinking, before I knew it, we had lunch together, experienced the drop tower and the haunted house, and he dragged me to the arcade to continue our date.

While constantly outwitting him and testing his reactions without revealing herself, she once again became addicted to the joy of challenging him to various games, enjoying that carefree and relaxed feeling.

Just like she was an ordinary girl, being dragged around by an equally ordinary boy to see interesting things she had never experienced before.

Despite always losing to him, Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't annoyed, just a little helpless—this straight man, apart from his face and occasional gentleness and thoughtfulness that could make people's hearts flutter, was full of flaws in a girl's eyes!

Hypocritical, scheming, arrogant, egotistical, condescending...

How did I become so infatuated with him that I became his fake girlfriend and then planned to make him my real girlfriend?

Kasumigaoka Utaha was completely baffled, but instead of trying to find the answer, she subtly avoided the question...

Because she had a strange premonition.

The moment you understand the 'reason for liking', you'll embark on the path of your annoying adult self—that is, truly falling in love with Yuu Tenkuji.

And this was only the second day after she met this junior!

"It seems I'm too influenced by the lingering goodwill towards this body..."

Where he couldn't see, she rubbed her temples in distress.

It wasn't even a love-at-first-sight scenario, so for her to fall for a man so quickly, doesn't that just mean she's a promiscuous woman?

Kasumigaoka Utaha is determined to reject such a label being attached to her.

So she told herself it was time to take action.

Stop getting caught up in the game of pretending to be his girlfriend and going on dates with him; first, confirm Yu's feelings.

"Of course, I like you the most."

—As expected, they were already mutually attracted in this world, and had long since crossed the line between fake lovers and real lovers. Now they had no intention of continuing the charade.

Next, probe his thoughts on the current relationship to avoid affecting the success rate of confessing later.

"If I really wanted to break up, I wouldn't have enjoyed this date so much."

—Great, you're just one step away from success.

Unfortunately, although I enjoyed the short time we spent together and have many pleasant memories of the date...

But you are not you, and I am not me.

Even the most beautiful things are like dreams and bubbles, easily bursting if you reach out to touch them.

...Unless, like me.

He is not you, and I am not her—the ones looking at each other's smiles now are just you and me.

My heart was racing, and bold, unfounded guesses were running rampant in my mind. My impulsive nature instantly took over my thinking.

So, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't resist starting to experiment.

…………

.........

From this moment on, treat me as your real girlfriend and take my hand.

It's not that I like him, but I want to know—how would I react if we became a real couple?

In return, I will treat you as my real boyfriend and genuinely like you.

It's not that I like him, but I want to know—if I really fall in love with him, will I be able to experience the sweet feeling of love?

Our relationship was a facade, wasn't it? From beginning to end, we were never truly together.

Perhaps he doesn't understand? This isn't referring to those two fake lovers, but rather to these two soulmates who only share suffering... If he really encountered the same situation as himself, then Kasumigaoka Utaha has to say, this guy's acting skills are indeed far superior to hers.

On this memorable first anniversary, can't I just have a sweet dream?

It was indeed a dream, but whether it was beautiful or not is hard to say.

After all, until the very end, who can know if it will be a happy ending?

Kasumigaoka Utaha doesn't crave the ambiguity and warmth that arises during a date between a man and a woman, nor does she have the urge to stay with him forever.

Asking these questions serves two purposes: firstly, it's to do some research for my task, to lay the groundwork for a successful confession, and to force him to think about these things.

On the other hand, she also wanted to know—

"If you are you and I am me... would our feelings during a date be different?"

Pursuing emotions.

Driven by an irrepressible curiosity about love.

In pursuit of that inexplicable complexity.

Utaha Kasumigaoka subconsciously forgot the restriction of "not letting anyone notice anything amiss," and presumptuously assumed that the person in front of her, Yuu Tenkuji, was the one she had recently met, and promptly asked him out on a date.

—For a date that belongs only to her.

It has absolutely nothing to do with predetermined fate, inexplicable memories, or various settings given by others, nor with any of these messy things.

From the moment when Yuu Tenkuji took her hand again, and from the moment when the tenderness and helplessness in his eyes gradually peeled away, revealing his flaws.

Despite the short journey and the unexpected turn of events.

This will be Kasumigaoka Utaha's first date.

Chapter 115 I Don't Understand the Feelings of You Quick-Gunners

The evening glow was like fire, and fiery clouds spread across the horizon.

As evening approached, the amusement park's hustle and bustle did not subside; instead, it became even more joyful and unrestrained, as if it wanted to greet the night with laughter and screams.

The gradually lit decorative lights cast a warm glow on the ginkgo trees, and the dreamlike light diffused the chaotic crowd.

The crowds in front of the Ferris wheel were even more intense, with a long queue stretching almost to the entrance of the amusement park.

After all, the fireworks show is coming up soon. If you can ride the Ferris wheel and be level with the sky during the fireworks, you'll probably get to witness a beautiful sight that's hard to see on ordinary days.

The couples in the queue, the boys and girls who have unrequited love for each other, and the friends who are ambiguous with each other—most of them came to queue an hour or two early with this in mind. Some even accidentally arrived early and kept giving up their seats to the people behind them, while they themselves were stuck there, planning to wait until the fireworks show started before boarding the cabin.

Of course, these people were quickly persuaded by the staff to go up, and told that if they didn't want to go now, they should go to other facilities. If everyone did what they did, then why not just open a special time slot for watching fireworks and sell more expensive tickets to let people go up?

Yuu Tenkuji's calculations were perfect.

Around 5:50 p.m., the two arrived at the front of the line and, with the help of the staff, prepared to board the Ferris wheel.

"Please be careful of the gap in the middle. After entering the cabin, please do not walk around or shake it intentionally. Vigorous exercise is also prohibited. If you leave obvious dirt or garbage, we will ask you for the corresponding cleaning fee later."

The staff member looked numb. When they saw them walking hand in hand, he warned them a few words in a calm tone as if he had given up, and then opened the cabin door that slowly turned down.

Yuuki Tenkuji let Kasumigaoka Utaha go up first, and before going in herself, she asked a staff member in a low voice with some curiosity, "Do people really do that kind of thing up there?"

The staff member rolled his dim, lifeless eyes and nodded to him without any emotion: "Yes, quite a few."

"It only took ten minutes or so to go around in one circle?"

"Isn't ten minutes enough for two or three times?"

"Yeah, I don't understand how you quick-draw gunners feel."

"?"