I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"You're speaking too soon." Kasumigaoka Utaha shook her head, licking the sauce off her lips, and said calmly, "Don't forget, only you, the 'protagonist,' have the privilege of being immune from death, while I, like your four girlfriends, could be turned into an animal at any time and then disappear from everyone's memory."

"It's too early to feel at ease until we've figured out the rules of this escape room game."

"……really."

Tenkuji Yu fell silent, chewing on the simple yet delicious food, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

At this moment, the silver-haired girl calmly spoke: "The information is correct. If Kasumigaoka Utaha touches any taboo or does anything that violates the rules, she will be immediately banished from this world and locked in a dark space where there is nothing, to maintain her consciousness until brother clears the game."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's face suddenly turned ugly, and she almost dropped her chopsticks.

Her vivid imagination had led her to simulate that scene, which resulted in her getting goosebumps all over her body and feeling a wave of nausea rising in her throat.

It won't kill anyone, but it'll drive people crazy, right...?

This damn dog system!

"but."

As Kasumigaoka Utaha cursed inwardly, the silver-haired girl paused slightly, blinking her large eyes as she scanned the expressions of the two people at the dining table.

Tenkuji Yu raised an eyebrow in surprise.

I don't know when it started, but the unfathomable, indifferent darkness in the girl's eyes completely disappeared.

Instead, there is a deep, bright, warm, and clear ink color, like the starry sky.

Although it may sound narcissistic to say this—his eyes do seem somewhat similar.

"You still need to figure out the rules yourselves; the 'behind-the-scenes' won't give you any hints. But there is a way to completely guarantee Kasumigaoka Utaha's safety."

Unaware of the girl's subtle change, Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned forward eagerly and asked, "What method?"

The silver-haired girl tilted her head slightly, her face still expressionless, but the corners of her slightly pursed lips curved up unintentionally.

"I will take you with me in all my actions, and I will protect you."

Chapter 126: I was so nervous writing about a fat guy that I felt like the censors were to blame.

"You'll protect me?"

With wide eyes, Kasumigaoka Utaha subconsciously pressed her hand on the table and stood up, looking at the silver-haired girl in front of her in astonishment: "Are you kidding me? You just want to stay by our side, monitor our every move, and then find an opportunity to interfere, right?"

She heard it clearly: the android had mentioned earlier that "as long as it's in a public area, the black screen can know everything."

In other words, the system can't find out what they're doing in private areas like rooms—they're inexplicably very privacy-conscious, which is undoubtedly a good thing for them.

For example, the android in front of them clearly knew nothing about the notebook and the journey of memories; perhaps it was because it didn't care, or perhaps it was because it was deliberately avoiding the question, but it didn't ask about the source of their information, as if it wanted to pretend that it had everything under control.

This, in turn, revealed a flaw.

Although it's unclear why the system, despite being the 'Creator,' still has blind spots in this world, it does allow them to do important things behind the system's back and discuss crucial issues beyond clearing the game. Kasumigaoka Utaha guesses that this is why the silver-haired girl emphasized that they are not enemies and is now even planning to use protecting herself as an excuse to closely monitor them.

She couldn't help but sneer, looking down confidently at the android sitting calmly in the chair.

—I've seen right through you, do you think your plan can still be carried out smoothly?

Even with the power to create miracles, this system isn't very intelligent. It acts straightforwardly, without any deceit or scheming, and anyone with a little thought can easily find its flaws...

That's right, there's really no need to feel uneasy or afraid about it.

With the combined strength of the two of them, let alone clearing this broken escape game, they might even be able to go deep into the system and kick over its main body a few days later!

“Yes, I suggest you do that,” the silver-haired girl persisted, “I can stop you before you break the rules and make sure you don’t get swallowed up by them…”

"No matter what you say, it's useless. I'm not easily scared." Kasumigaoka Utaha stood up straight, crossed her arms, and said arrogantly, "If you're so capable, how about letting me be devoured once? After all, what kind of rule-breaking behavior can you commit in this kind of escape room game? Is it leaving Tokyo without permission, or blowing up the school and finding the gate?"

The silver-haired girl narrowed her eyes slightly, a dangerous glint flashing in her dark pupils.

Before she could even speak, Tenkuji Yu suddenly looked puzzled, her ears twitching slightly as if she had heard something.

Something fell to the ground...

Before the two had reached a conclusion in their "argument," he bent under the dining table and looked in the direction from which the pin-like sound was coming.

Kasumigaoka Utaha only realized something was wrong when his upper body disappeared in front of the table.

"Wait, I think I just..."

The drawstring underwear came undone for some unknown reason.

She subconsciously touched her buttocks, and sure enough, there was nothing underneath the long skirt; the expected feel of fabric was nowhere to be seen.

Thinking back carefully, when I stood up and glared at the silver-haired girl, I did feel something slip between my legs...

"..."

Her neck was stiff like a rusty machine. Kasumigaoka Utaha slowly looked at him, whose back was the only part of her face visible. Her eyes trembled violently twice, but she dared not move her body, especially her feet. The feeling of the fabric draped over her feet was very clear, for fear that if she moved, something more important would disappear.

...No, it has already disappeared.

"I thought it was something else."

Not long after, Yuu Tenkuji finished looking at the scenery under the table, and after confirming what had fallen, she straightened up and looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha with a natural expression.

"Senior, your underwear fell down."

"……I know."

Ignoring her deep voice, Tenkuji Yu chuckled and reminded her, "It's better to tie these drawstring underwear tighter. Although I've never worn them, if they fell down while walking on the street, it would definitely be more embarrassing than it is now, right?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha's face grew increasingly dark: "...You don't need to tell me."

Yuu Tenkuji nodded, her face full of concern: "Then pick it up and put it on. Don't worry, I won't bend down to peek. You should be able to sit down and put on your underwear, right? If you really can't, you can go to the guest room to change your clothes now."

"..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha was certain: this guy was taking the opportunity to tease her, and he was using this tone on purpose so as not to be seen as a sexual harasser!

Damn it, if I hadn't changed my pantyhose into knee-high socks before leaving the house, this wouldn't have happened...

A feeling of shyness burned in her chest, her face flushed uncontrollably, and her heart beat twice as fast for no reason—she had to convince herself that this was nothing to be ashamed of!

Taking a deep breath, Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled sweetly, but there was a hint of gritted teeth in her expression: "Is it pretty?"

He was taken aback for a moment, but still replied, "Pretty good, very mature."

"It has nothing to do with men's aesthetics. I just really like this style, so I bought a few sets of these lace lingerie online." She snorted coldly as she casually picked up the small piece of black fabric from the ground and put it on right in front of him.

Of course, because of the skirt, all that could be seen was her hands reaching inside the skirt and fiddling with it, and occasionally a glimpse of her fair and smooth skin—that alone was enough to be arousing.

The more something is concealed, the more it evokes a man's instinct and desire to uncover everything.

Fortunately, Yuu Tenkuji had enough self-control. After staring blankly for a while, she quickly and naturally shifted her gaze to the dishes on the table, rather than the beautiful girl who looked so appetizing.

"Well, this is just a small perk, consider it as rent for living here."

As her trembling fingers gradually regained their balance, Kasumigaoka Utaha slowly exhaled, and after confirming that the rope was properly tied and would not easily come loose again, she looked at him with little emotion in her eyes.

"I don't care if you want to use what you just saw as a side dish, but please don't take my underwear to do dirty things without my permission."

"I'm not that thirsty!" Yuu Tenkuji put down his chopsticks and complained loudly.

The silver-haired girl chimed in, "With me here, brother, there's no need for you to release your sexual desires through objects or fantasies. Your worries are unnecessary."

"This has nothing to do with you, please be quiet."

"Okay." The silver-haired girl continued eating with her head down.

"That's what I say, but when I take a shower later, I'll probably see you sneaking into the changing room to sniff things, right?" Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed, gently touching her cheek with her hand. "Living with a teenage boy is such a hassle. Not only do I have to worry about night attacks, but I also have to protect my underwear at all times."

"Don't worry, I have no interest in you sexually."

“That’s right, my brother’s preference is…”

"Shut up."

"Ok."

"I'll just trust you for now. After all, the most important thing between partners is trust."

Kasumigaoka Utaha spread her hands out as if feigning helplessness, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.

After a few casual words of small talk, the feeling of embarrassment in my chest had disappeared. Looking at his somewhat impatient appearance, I even felt like I was an idiot for being shy just now.

Why should I care about what others think when they treat me like dirt?

Even if you stood naked in front of this guy, it would probably be like posing in front of a statue, not eliciting any reaction, right?

He is indeed a physiologically normal male, evidenced by his habit of peeking at his own legs—but at the same time, his self-control and rationality are exceptionally strong. Whether it was the intimate contact on the Ferris wheel or the fact that nothing happened during the few days he lived with that loli maid, everything proved that this guy was the most troublesome yet most reassuring type.

A man whose rationality always outweighs his animalistic instincts, whose upper body completely controls his lower body, and who would never make a mistake unless it was someone he liked.

Perhaps the Tenkuji Yuu of the other world harbored the same deep affection for that junior, which led to the series of tragedies that followed?

Didn't you see at the beginning of Chapter Two, when the two were writing the novel together in a room, he also kept his eyes straight ahead and had no intention of harming Kasumigaoka Utaha from that world?

Kasumigaoka Utaha felt she had pretty much figured out Tenkuji Yu's personality.

In short, he's a light novel male protagonist who has good principles and a mature personality, right?

He can smile and take any seduction or suggestive scene in stride, looking at any beautiful girl with indifference, even taking pride in his self-control and mocking those girls who show him their beauty and sexiness.

Thinking about it this way, while it's reassuring, it's still a little infuriating...

Kasumigaoka shook her head, dismissing the unnecessary thoughts, and sat back down in her chair.

After figuring everything out, she no longer felt embarrassed about her underwear falling on the floor. The last bit of concern about living together disappeared, and she felt much more relaxed and at ease.

"Let's get back to the main topic."

"It was you who steered the conversation astray..."

"No, you were the one who reminded me that my underwear had fallen down, weren't you? We were just having a tense discussion about 'bodyguards' a moment ago. Do you want me to let it fall down again so you'll remember?"

"No, no need, you're right..."

"Then shut up and listen to me."

Pointing her chopsticks at Tenkuji Yu, she received a speechless response from him, as if he were admitting defeat.

Her sideburns brushed against her fair, rosy cheeks. Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at him, squinted her eyes, and smiled contentedly.

……

The dinner, with its subtly ambiguous atmosphere, ended just as subtly.