I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

...Of course, even with room to deal damage, she wouldn't be able to achieve a godlike status in one fell swoop with her remaining power.

The only option is to let the notebook containing the split spirit guide Kasumigaoka Utaha and gradually deepen her impression of Tenkuji Yuu—she knows her own personality, and forcing the issue would only backfire if she tries to bring the two of them together.

The most important thing is to create opportunities.

That's why she imitated the system on Yuu Tenkuji's body and gave Kasumigaoka Utaha a task; although she designed a reward and punishment mechanism, the only reward was her own writing skills, which was equivalent to giving Kasumigaoka Utaha the writing skills she would have as an adult in advance. The "seamless (one-time)" was just copying Yuu Tenkuji's stuff with the power of the light orb. Since it was not the original, it would not give her a permanent status.

As for the punishment—that is, the talk of "an irreversible future"—it's all a lie. She has no ability to foresee the future at all; she just made it sound mysterious to fool Kasumigaoka Utaha into doing her best to complete the mission.

To be honest, she didn't know if the future would be ruined. If she didn't quickly establish a close connection with Yuu Tenkuji, she would definitely face the fate of being a loser in this world, and she might also have to watch him die for various inexplicable reasons before graduation.

It was in order to change these things that she joyfully accepted the power of miracles from the angel, hiding in the shadows and spending that long time alone.

Drawing on the experience gained from countless failures, she seized the opportunity presented by the fact that "Tenkuji Yuu will fall into a coma after starting the trial." She quickly issued a mission to summon Kasumigaoka Utaha and forced her to infiltrate his circle of girlfriends, trying every means to squeeze her into the scene—whether she could become the female lead was still uncertain, but at least she had to become an important supporting character first, and not just leisurely observe from the sidelines in such a crucial plot!

The plan was going relatively smoothly, but getting Kasumigaoka Utaha into the trial, without interference from others, to share joys and sorrows with Tenkuji Yu, cultivate a revolutionary bond, and eventually become his fifth girlfriend was no easy feat.

First, how to exclude girlfriends who are equally eager to save their husbands.

Secondly, how to avoid being forbidden by Kasugano Sora—in the trial space, she is no different from a god, and there is no way for Kasumigaoka Utaha from the outside world to sneak in, let alone naturally appear next to Tenkuji Yu.

The first point is relatively easy to handle. Since it is known that whether or not one can enter the trial space is up to Kasugano Sora, then through the guidance and planning of the mission, and by using the power of the light orb, we can make our real-life sisters and girlfriends spontaneously become bait to "knock on the door" and attract Kasugano Sora's attention.

At that time, he would be able to use the back door he had set up in advance to secretly send Kasumigaoka Utaha into the trial space.

Having painstakingly created a stage unique to Kasumigaoka Utaha, she now faces the most difficult hurdle—Kasugano Sora's interception.

Honestly, she couldn't think of any way to overcome this obstacle. If she didn't confront it head-on, she would miss the opportunity; if she did, she would fall into a trap. She was at her wit's end.

Having no other choice, she had to take a gamble.

First, without any resistance, Kasumigaoka Utaha was "confined" by Kasugano Sora.

The notebook contains power from the same source as the system, so Kasugano Sora cannot sense its existence using her administrator powers; and with her vigilance and wit, Kasumigaoka Utaha will definitely hide the notebook that guided her in and try her best to find a way to break through the current predicament.

Next, it comes down to luck and wisdom.

She didn't want to use the little power her original body had left to help Kasumigaoka Utaha until the very last moment, and the things her split spirit could do were very limited—unless Kasumigaoka Utaha took over the management of the notebook and learned to use the power of her split spirit.

Fortunately, she made the right bet.

With the help of her girlfriends and her own secret guidance, Kasumigaoka Utaha successfully learned the basic methods of using the power of the Light Orb and sent the consciousness of the four girls in reality into the trial space.

This was still a feint, a decoy tactic. She wasn't so kind as to let them reunite and be affectionate, ultimately creating a situation where Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't squeeze in at all—her original plan was to send those girls to a very, very far place and let them find their own way over, creating a time difference.

As a result, although the person was sent out, Kasumigaoka Utaha was unable to leave due to Kasugano Sora's timely blockade; fortunately, a cooperation agreement was finally reached, so she was not trapped in the small room any longer.

In this situation, just being able to join the group is considered a victory.

However, misfortune was yet to come.

Even though she was already on the same side as the trial administrator, first the note containing the girlfriend group's consciousness was intercepted by the system, and then Kasumigaoka Utaha herself was captured by the system...

She really wanted to complain to Kasugano Sora: "How can you be such a good administrator? You let the system do whatever it wants to you in your own territory, and you act all high and mighty when you lock someone in the bedroom!"

Fortunately, when Kasumigaoka Utaha was captured, she was still holding the notebook firmly in her hand; otherwise, everything would have truly been up to fate.

After that, Kasumigaoka Utaha's memories were altered by the system, and she used the connection between her main body and her split spirit to analyze this world, while also laying the groundwork for Tenkuji Yu's actions to come and find out the truth, so that the two of them could successfully meet up and form a team to escape this world.

Although many unexpected things happened, overall, I guess I've achieved my goal... right?

Now that there's a stage and an opportunity, the script for the loser taking the lead role can finally begin.

She felt gratified and hopeful about this.

Furthermore, having hidden within the system for so long, and being able to obtain information from both her main body and her split spirit, she naturally knows a great deal.

For example, Kasugano Sora once said that she doesn't have much time to suppress the system.

However, during the time she left the central control room due to an emergency, the system had already taken control of four light orbs, which in turn trapped her in the trial, rendering her unable to move, and created a new 'trial world'.

The reason is unclear for now, but it's definitely not a good thing.

For example, the system's will to survive is not as weak as she claims—this world is the best proof of that.

It's obvious that the system's consciousness is plotting something big. The little foxes struggling to survive don't have the time to set traps. In the worst-case scenario, they will have to face someone with godlike power and a calculator-like mind on someone else's home turf, with the goal of annihilating their enemies who have taken over the real world.

Just thinking about it makes me feel hopeless.

For example, if she hadn't been hindered, she would already know how to leave this world... Unfortunately, things probably won't go that smoothly.

For example, she secretly stole some information from the backend about the current situation of her girlfriend group and how to save them while the system was busy with other things. She doesn't need to worry about them being stuck in this world forever.

So now, before the clone's power completely dissipates, she needs to tell them all this information and help them regain their original memories...

Then, let the two people whose relationship has improved join hands to uncover the system's conspiracy, defeat powerful enemies, and fall in love with each other through the touching act of redemption!

So what if the opponent is the system—I want both fish and bear's paw, love and victory!

With such confidence, Kasumigaoka Utaha left them her final words, smiling as she watched the two bicker in a harmonious scene.

It was as if she had returned to many years ago, when she and that person had been arguing freely about the plot of a novel in a clean and tidy room.

The irretrievable time, the pain etched into the soul—all of that is in the past.

Placing her hopes on the future, praying that they can move forward in a straight line, and fantasizing that she too can obtain lasting happiness—that is what she should be doing now.

Then, Kasumigaoka Utaha closed her eyes, but vaguely saw a scene where memories faded and hopes shone brightly.

She paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"This last time, I bet right."

Follow them on their journey through memories, trying to witness firsthand another possibility of the past.

The last bit of consciousness that was separated, with a satisfied sense of accomplishment, disappeared into the boundless darkness.

△

"That's how it happened. I've told you everything I know. Even if there are questions, I can't answer them. Think about it yourselves."

The "Voice of Heaven" continued to broadcast, ignoring the two translucent figures in mid-air with their slightly open mouths that could not be closed, letting their thoughts become a tangled mess, and they did not come back to their senses for a long time.

"Next, we will show you how to regain your memories and escape from this world."

Chapter 121 The Road Forward Unfolds Slowly

In Kasumigaoka Utaha's bedroom.

The two held hands in front of the laptop, their shoulders close together, their movements intimate yet tinged with awkwardness.

If Kasumigaoka Utaha's mother were to push open the door at this moment, she would probably be too terrified to speak, rather than confused.

After all, with vacant eyes and a blank expression, they looked like empty shells with their souls ripped out—that's what they looked like now.

Time and space seemed to stand still in this bedroom, a deathly silence enveloped the surroundings, and even the faintest breath could not cause a ripple.

It's frozen in time, like a photograph.

However, this strange phenomenon only lasted for about ten seconds.

With an involuntary twitch of their eyelids, both of their eyes regained their sparkle, and their faces quickly came to life, abruptly transforming from dolls back into emotionally expressive humans.

With a heavy breath, they reflexively looked around, their slightly furrowed brows showing a hint of wariness, and then paused for a moment when their eyes met.

"...You're back?"

"It seems so."

They exchanged a few words in a coded manner, then looked at each other's clasped hands in unison, before releasing each other and looking away as if nothing had happened.

Yuu Tenkuji picked up the notebook from the ground, his gaze sweeping over the words on it, and he couldn't help but sigh:

"It was truly an incredible trip."

"Yes...who knew a notebook could hold so many stories?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha also sighed, stood up to stretch, and glanced at the time.

Even though only about ten seconds had passed, my joints felt stiff as if I had been sitting for hours, and my mind felt like I was in another world.

"Although we sped up the process at times, it still feels like a year or two has passed..."

She muttered to herself, glancing furtively at the boy sitting in the center of the room.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was certain that it was because her mind was affected by that memory that she no longer disliked him as much as before, and she didn't even feel disgusted as if a cockroach had crawled into her room when she saw him there.

If we were to use the female protagonist's progress in the book as an analogy, at this stage, she is essentially unlocking the main storyline while simultaneously unfolding her personal side quests. All she needs is a huge motivation to make her admit that this fluttering feeling is what we call love, and then she'll be instantly won over.

Thinking of this, Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned.

—Could it be that her adult self's plan has really succeeded? She has already developed feelings for that guy and is gradually falling into the deep pit of that scumbag harem.

My feelings were somewhat complicated, but I wasn't as quick to deny or get angry as I had before.

She just secretly scoffed – knowing there are tigers in the mountains, yet still venturing into the tiger's den, isn't that just being a fool?

Love may make people stupid, but simply having a crush on someone will not affect her basic judgment about relationships.

"I admit I don't dislike him, but I'm still a long way from liking him."

This distance will not shorten until one's views on love are distorted.

For this reason, Kasumigaoka Utaha is more inclined to believe that she has made a partner with whom she has shared hardships.

Regardless of his character and integrity, there's at least one thing she won't forget—

After the "Voice of Heaven" told them how to restore their memories and conquer the world, the dark space suddenly trembled and shook.

Like thin ice being struck, eggshell-shaped cracks can be vaguely seen appearing in the boundless darkness.

It shattered silently and vanished without a trace.

Is this a cutscene showing the world collapsing and the "Voice of Heaven" preparing to send them out?

Both of them couldn't help but make this guess, but they weren't too panicked. Even if the world were collapsing before their eyes, they knew there was nothing they could do, and even escaping was a pipe dream.

Since panicking won't help anyway, we might as well just wait to die peacefully... We also believe that Kasumigaoka Utaha, once she's an adult, won't do anything too outrageous to them.

However, as the darkness shattered and irregular breaches gradually appeared on the broken world wall, a black dragon, accompanied by flying gray fragments, flew towards them with its sharp teeth bared in a ferocious expression.

Tenkuji Yu still stood in front of the stunned girl, his profile showing no fear or bravado, only natural calm.

Although it was all for naught, it was just a show of bravado. In the end, the two were still swallowed by the black dragon, and their consciousness disappeared as if they were asleep. When they opened their eyes, they were in their own room.

However, based on this subconscious action, it's hard for the already fixed impression that Tenkuji Yu has in Kasumigaoka Utaha's mind to fall.