I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

With the phone pressed to her ear, Kasumigaoka Utaha gave him a cold laugh, her eyes filled with contempt and mockery.

"..."

Yu's eyes twitched slightly. It was as if he heard the voice of "FBI, Open the door!" ringing out nearby—though only the Japanese Public Security Bureau would appear.

He rubbed his forehead, looking utterly exhausted, too lazy even to roll his eyes.

"That's enough joking around. If you keep going, you won't even be able to sleep in the guest room tonight."

"You're willing to let me sleep on the sofa?" Kasumigaoka Utaha slowly put down her phone, which wasn't even turned on, raised an eyebrow, and glared at him questioningly.

Yuu Tenkuji turned and entered the room, leaving behind only one sentence: "If you don't want to sleep on the sofa, you can either sleep with me, sleep with the android created by the system, or sleep in the toilet. Choose one of the three."

"Stop talking, let's get down to business."

With a serene and natural expression, Kasumigaoka Utaha casually strode into the house with her luggage.

The warm, orange light faded away as the door closed in the corridor.

The motion-sensor lights suddenly went out, and outside the empty house, only a thick darkness was spreading in the cold, dark corners.

Chapter 125 I'll Protect You

Even though it wasn't dinner time yet, when Yuu Tenkuji led Utaha Kasumigaoka into the living room, she saw a delicious-looking five-dish-and-soup meal already laid out on the table, with steam rising from it, clearly freshly prepared.

What surprised him was not only that—three sets of bowls and chopsticks were arranged in pairs, with his blue set and the android's silver set side by side, and directly opposite them were black bowls and chopsticks that he had never seen before.

What this means is self-evident.

"You knew she would come?"

Tenkuji Yu looked down at the short, silver-haired girl and pulled Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was hiding behind him and clinging to his clothes, aside.

This guy was so arrogant before, but as soon as the door closed, he turned into a chick in front of an eagle, using himself as a shield and being wary of the android in front of him.

"No information can escape the eyes of 'Black Screen' in any public area."

The silver-haired girl didn't care about Kasumigaoka Utaha's attitude at all, and walked to her seat while speaking in a calm tone.

Instead of immediately pulling out a chair and sitting down, he quietly watched Tenkuji Yu, standing upright like a doll.

"Whatever you want to do is fine, 'The Black Box' will not interfere in any way, so please rest assured."

"This world was originally created so that my brother could be reborn, regain his memories, and create a new destiny. Your goals do not conflict with the 'dark secret,' so you don't need to be hostile towards us."

Yuu Tenkuji pouted: "That's a nice way to put it."

Seeing what she meant, he called Kasumigaoka Utaha over and then walked to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

The silver-haired girl then took her seat, and now the only one standing was Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was still holding her suitcase and not moving.

Her gaze sharpened as she gripped the luggage handle tightly, staring sternly at the expressionless silver-haired girl. She asked in a low voice, "You mean, 'the curtain' isn't our enemy, is that right?"

You could tell she was a little nervous, but she was forcing herself to muster up her courage so as not to show any weakness.

The android, who looked no different from an ordinary elementary school student, nodded slightly.

That's right.

Kasumigaoka Utaha stepped forward, pressing him aggressively, "Even if we successfully leave here and make the Black Curtain—that is, the system on Yuu-kun—disappear, it won't resist?"

"..."

For some reason, the silver-haired girl fell silent.

She opened her dark, obsidian-like eyes, slowly turned her head, and fixed her gaze completely on Kasumigaoka Utaha's face.

His eyes were like black holes, devoid of any color or light, as if they were about to suck her soul in at any moment.

—Did I hit the nail on the head?

I wanted to say that, but no sound came out of my throat.

Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but take a step back, a nameless fear rising from the bottom of her heart. Even biting her lips until they turned white couldn't stop the trembling between her teeth. Her blood gradually turned cold, and her heart felt like it was being slowly frozen.

It felt as if I was standing on a piece of driftwood, surrounded by deep, dark, bottomless seawater. If I moved even a finger, the driftwood would overturn instantly, plunging me into an endless, suffocating space.

Faced with a lion, or an even more powerful being, Kasumigaoka Utaha had never felt the human will to survive and the fear of danger so clearly.

"Since it's not our enemy, can I assume that the system is acting as a neutral administrator, overseeing our conquest of this world?"

Just then, Yu's voice suddenly rang out.

He reached out and blocked the silver-haired girl's gaze, drawing her attention to him. He said naturally, "Our actions will not be hindered in any way, and the system believes I will be able to leave this place sooner or later, which is why it doesn't intend to give me any hints... As for those misunderstandings we had about 'possibly the work of a conspiracy,' aren't they all just due to the rules of this world's game?"

That's right.

The silver-haired girl spoke softly, got up to serve him and herself rice, but did not reach for the bowls and chopsticks on the opposite seat.

—Even she, who's like a robot, can sulk? Just because Kasumigaoka Utaha revealed the truth about the system?

Yuu Tenkuji was puzzled, and secretly gestured with his eyes for Kasumigaoka Utaha to sit down at the dining table and talk about things while eating. They couldn't just stand there for four days, could they?

After hesitating for a long time, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally sighed, ruffled her hair, and took heavy steps to sit down in the seat opposite her.

She put her suitcase aside, thinking that since it was Yuu Tenkuji's house anyway, she didn't pay too much attention to ladylike manners and politeness. She served herself a large bowl of white rice.

"You have quite an appetite," Yuu Tenkuji said, her eyes twitching as she made a comment that was both funny and exasperating.

"Is that not allowed?" Kasumigaoka Utaha hummed twice, her face even paler than before. "I'm usually full after eating a piece of bread, but today I feel like I haven't eaten in years, and I really want to eat more."

"Indeed, now that you mention it, I'm a little hungry too."

Tenkuji Yu rubbed his stomach and picked up his bowl and chopsticks first. The silver-haired girl next to him followed suit. Only now did he realize that when eating, this girl would wait for him to make a move before she would follow.

She possessed a maid-like deference, yet there was a sense that her imitation was too clumsy.

"Let's start eating. Ask us while we eat if you need anything."

Like the head of a household, Yuu Tenkuji made this announcement, and the somewhat somber dinner began.

With a sigh of resignation, Kasumigaoka Utaha hesitated for a moment before picking up a piece of fried pork rib and placing it on her rice, examining it closely.

Even if they didn't say anything, she could tell that this food was made by that "undercover henchman" on the other side, and she had a feeling that she would die instantly from poisoning if she put it in her mouth...

But the hunger was real, especially after focusing on the table. The dishes were so colorful and appealing that they were enough to make one's mouth water. Not to mention the constantly wafting aroma of crispy fried food. Just looking at and smelling them made one's mouth water uncontrollably.

She swallowed, glanced furtively at Tenkuji Yu who was nonchalantly picking at his food, and only after confirming that he wasn't showing any displeasure did she make up her mind. She slowly opened her moist, pink mouth and took in the fried pork rib that was big enough to fill her small mouth.

Kazu.

The moment the still-warm pastry touched my tongue, a surge of saliva welled up again. My throat instinctively twitched, and as if by a chain reaction, my teeth involuntarily clenched, impatiently tearing open the crispy, glossy crust. Before I could even react, the tender, scalding hot meat juices gushed out, instantly filling my unprepared mouth...

(The following two hundred words are omitted, describing an excessive meal.)

"...It's delicious."

She covered her mouth with her little hand and gently exhaled warm breath.

Kasumigaoka Utaha spoke softly, seemingly incredulous and unwilling to accept it.

"I reckon my cooking is the most delicious in the world, and hers is second only to mine," Yuu Tenkuji said casually. "We both have perfect cooking skills. To be specific, when we get serious, we can make dishes that glow and make people's clothes explode, right?"

"It's not a comic book, how could it be so exaggerated—" She chuckled and was halfway through her rant when she suddenly felt something, her eyes widened as she reached for her waist.

I don't know when, but the drawstring on my underwear came undone by itself...

Do dishes really exist that can make someone's clothes explode?!

"What's wrong?" Tenkuji Yu asked, puzzled.

"N-nothing." With a slight blush, Kasumigaoka Utaha subtly adjusted her posture, suppressing the urge to tie her underwear in front of him, and said nonchalantly, "Although it's a little annoying that a robot's cooking is so delicious, it doesn't matter. We shouldn't focus on such trivial matters."

The silver-haired girl stopped eating and stared intently at her with her deep, dark eyes.

"I am not a robot, but a cyborg created by the system."

Tenkuji Yu glanced at her sideways, sensing a hint of... displeasure creeping onto her usually expressionless face.

"Anyway, he's not a normal human." Kasumigaoka Utaha had learned her lesson. This time, she didn't meet her gaze. Instead, she slowly picked up another plate of stir-fried vegetables and said calmly, "The system's responsibility for you is to take care of his daily life like a maid, right? I'm sorry for treating you like an enemy before. I'll be staying here for the next few days, so please take care of me."

"There's nothing I need to instruct you on. It's up to my brother to decide who moves in. I obey all his orders and will only be responsible for his affairs."

The silver-haired girl paused, then added casually, "I'll prepare your portion of the meal because I think it will make a good impression on my brother... If not, I'll still prepare the usual two portions for you in the future."

Kasumigaoka Utaha, however, was unfazed by this subtle threat. Instead, she paused, looking at Kasumigaoka with a puzzled expression: "Improve his image? Why would you do that? Are you trying to win him over?"

"This is prohibited."

After saying that, the silver-haired girl picked up her bowl and chopsticks, lowered her eyes and ignored her, continuing to eat her meal in small bites.

Kasumigaoka Utaha pouted, turned her gaze to Tenkuji Yu, and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you think? Logically speaking, managers shouldn't need to cultivate goodwill with contestants, right? Besides, she's both a maid and an older brother, it feels like she was sent specifically to seduce you."

“That’s what I thought at first too.” After swallowing her food, Tenkuji Yu waved her chopsticks. “But after spending these three days together, apart from cooking for me, cleaning the house, and deliberately bending over without wearing a bra, she hasn’t done anything else… If that’s considered seduction, then this system’s level of innocence is probably about the same as that of an elementary school boy, right? That would be too embarrassing.”

"..." The silver-haired girl did not speak.

But out of their sight, she silently bit off the tip of the chopsticks, and as she took them out of her mouth, the tip regenerated in the dim light.

"Hmm... never mind, let's not talk about this for now." Kasumigaoka Utaha thought for a moment and quickly put this not-so-important issue out of her mind.

She took a bite of the other equally delicious dishes, pursed her glossy lips, and frowned thoughtfully: "There are two problems now. First, if she wasn't lying to us and the system isn't our enemy, then why did it go to all this trouble to create a world and make several people lose their memories and disappear? Was it just to play a trick on us?"

"It can't possibly be helping you grow and complete the remaining tasks, right? Wouldn't that contradict its original intention of turning the tables on your sister?"

Without any attempt to conceal or avoid the situation, she began analyzing intelligence right in front of the silver-haired girl, seemingly not intending to treat her as a human being.

Perhaps they were venting their resentment towards the system on the androids?

Tenkuji Yu sighed, but had no intention of speaking up for the little maid who had served him diligently for three days.

Even if she says she's not a robot, and all her emotions and words are faked and designed to give off an inhuman feeling, it's still hard for Tenkuji Yu to treat her as one of their own, or even as a pet.

Furthermore, he understood perfectly the meaning behind Kasumigaoka Utaha's words.

"Those who offer unsolicited favors are either up to no good or are thieves."

'Unwilling to disappear, he stole the power of the Light Jade, trapping us in this world that cycles every seven days. Yet he claims to believe he can conquer this world and kindly sent a maid to serve him, allowing him to do whatever he pleases.'

Even if it wasn't a honey trap, the system is definitely plotting something behind the scenes. We can't let our guard down with it and her like this!

Tenkuji Yu and Kasumigaoka Utaha exchanged glances for a few seconds, tacitly conveying their thoughts.

He said, "I know what you mean, but there's no use thinking about it too much. Let's just focus on finding the exit... At least for now, we can search around boldly and without worrying about any unavoidable accidents like 'divine punishment'."