I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Are all the students at Miss's school so polite? They're practically devils of politeness, making her feel so uncomfortable...

"Here's my phone number. If they come, please have them call me."

Taking out the note that Tenkuji Yu had written beforehand, Kasumigaoka Utaha prepared to turn and leave.

The person at the school gate did not report the discovery, and the two of them had not yet entered the classroom—but that does not mean they were not at school.

To avoid an accidental brush past, Tenkuji Yuzai took this extra precaution, so thoughtful that Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but mutter to herself:

"This guy seems to have a knack for 'chasing' girls..."

Physical pursuit is still pursuit; isn't she helping him track down his 'girlfriend' right now?

Thinking of this, Kasumigaoka Utaha subconsciously raised his hand and pressed the Bluetooth earphone in his hair, and his faint breathing suddenly became clear.

It possessed the light-hearted heat of a boy, and the weathered magnetism of a mature man—who knows why those few breaths could evoke so many adjectives in her mind.

Kasumigaoka Utaha released her grip as if she'd been electrocuted, quickly said goodbye to the female student who seemed somewhat regretful for some reason, pursed her cherry lips, and hurried towards the restroom, locking the door in the last stall.

Sitting on the toilet, she calmly regulated her breathing, which was inexplicably rapid, and after completely clearing her mind of distractions, she pressed the earphones again and spoke softly, her tone unwavering:

"Yuki Asuna usually arrives early, but she's a little late today for some reason... Natsukawa Masuzu might not see her until just before class starts."

"I understand," Tenkuji Yu said. "I haven't run into anyone yet... Go check the fencing club first, and if you still can't find them, then come and wait for Natsukawa Masaki at the school gate."

"Won't you do a thorough search? Like checking every single toilet or something?"

"We already have the information that 'Yuki Asuna is acting strangely, and Natsukawa Masuzu is habitually late, and neither of them has arrived at school.' Do you really want me to risk being gossiped about and suspected by others by making you walk around the entire campus? I'm not that inhumane."

Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but laugh.

"Good boy/girl, Yuu-chan~"

Yuu Tenkuji felt a chill run down his spine: "Don't be so mushy! I won't stop you if you want to tour the whole campus, just remember to call out if you step into any traps, Itoko will come to your rescue anyway."

"Hahaha, the tsundere has retired from the meta~" Kasumigaoka Utaha hummed happily, ignoring his attempt to retaliate, and got up to open the door to the cubicle. "Then I'll go check out the fencing club now."

There was no one else in the restroom, and nothing scary was blocking the door. She was about to give her a quick and decisive knockout while she was distracted chatting with someone.

Kasumigaoka Utaha left the restroom without washing her hands and walked quickly toward the club building.

I overheard his conversation with Itoko halfway through.

"Could you go to the Yuuki family and check on the situation?"

"According to the unwritten rules, Itoko cannot provide any substantial help to her brother."

"In other words, going to the Yuki family to check on the situation was helpful to me."

"..."

"So, if we go to visit her, will we encounter any danger?"

"No. However, trespassing is illegal, so please don't do it."

"So, breaking the law is the same as breaking the rules?"

"..."

"I think I understand now. I can get the information I want from you through this turtle soup method, right? I should have thought of that sooner..."

"This behavior constitutes cheating. If it continues, Itoko will be dealt with behind closed doors."

"Tsk, alright. If you have any information to share, remember to tell us, Itoko."

"Understood, elder brother."

Going against the flow of people entering the classroom, Kasumigaoka Utaha touched the side of her hair and breathed a sigh of relief.

Having someone as clever as him, who is also somewhat humane, to rely on is undoubtedly a great thing.

Regardless of whether his personality is bad or not, Yuu Tenkuji gives people a very reliable feeling.

It was as if no matter how dark the night, there was always a beam of light that could illuminate what lay ahead and dispel the shadows swaying behind.

"There's nothing to be afraid of anymore, because I'm not alone..."

Thinking of this famous "Flag" line, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but smile wryly and shake her head.

She's safe now, isn't she?

I could hear his voice in the earphones, and he had a teddy bear in his breast pocket. How could he have encountered an accident...?

No matter how many flags she sets, Kasumigaoka Utaha firmly believes that this is why she can walk so easily and freely on the unfamiliar school grounds toward the club building she has never been to before.

She quickened her pace, eager to meet him at the school gate as soon as she was sure he wasn't in the club.

……

School gate.

As the number of people entering and leaving the school gates increased and then decreased.

Yuu Tenkuji glanced at the time and couldn't help but frown.

"Why is it so slow..."

Chapter 131 I've missed you so much, Ayou!

Even though she could still hear his breathing through the earpiece, she hadn't received any news of Kasumigaoka Utaha's arrival at the fencing club for a long time.

When doubts arose in her mind, Tenkuji Yu asked directly, "Have you arrived yet? If anything unexpected happens, quickly say the pre-arranged code, and I'll come in to find you right away."

They hadn't set any pre-arranged signals; this was just a test to gauge the reaction on the other end of the headset.

However, after waiting for two or three seconds, he received no response other than the rather regular breathing of a young girl and the ever-present background noise of the school.

Yuu Tenkuji immediately put away his phone and turned to the silver-haired girl, asking, "That guy got into trouble. Didn't the amulet you gave him warn me?"

She shook her head blankly.

"No, the vital signs are still normal... wait a minute."

Suddenly she closed her eyes, placed her hands on her ears like earphones, as if listening to something. After a while, she spoke again, her expression slightly somber: "The black screen couldn't detect her presence, so she must have entered some closed room... like the fencing club's classroom."

Tenkuji Yu frowned: "How do you explain the earphones? It's not just a simple loss of signal or disconnection; it's like they're trying to fool me, deliberately disguising the sound from the other end..."

“So it was man-made.” Itoko lowered her hand, her bright black eyes suddenly becoming empty. She tilted her head slightly, as if communicating with a god from another world, and murmured softly, “The only ones who can do this now… Kasugano Sora, denial. Tachibana Kanade, denial. Yukinoshita Haruno, denial. Yukinoshita Yukino, denial.”

Yuu Tenkuji temporarily suppressed his urge to immediately search for Kasumigaoka Utaha, and focused his gaze to carefully observe her sudden and strange behavior.

If she truly intended to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, break free from the system's control, and stand with them, she probably wouldn't have made this kind of "hunting down a criminal" plan...

"Preliminary deduction is that Yuuki Asuna and Natsukawa Masuzu, for unknown reasons, took Kasumigaoka Utaha away without the knowledge of their brother and Itoko."

Not long after, the silver-haired girl made a conclusion in a cool voice, and a calm light with little emotion returned to her eyes: "If they did it, the chances of Kasumigaoka Utaha getting into trouble are extremely low. We can basically stop worrying."

"Why do you say that?" Not expecting to see any change in her expression, Tenkuji Yu pressed on, as if to argue, "Their memories shouldn't have returned yet, right? Could it be that the system secretly implanted false memories, making them see Kasumigaoka Utaha, or even 'us,' as enemies, and that's why they secretly kidnapped her?"

“The Dark Curtain won’t interfere like that.” The silver-haired girl met his eyes without flinching. “Itoko explained its attitude before: to ensure that my brother passes the trial as smoothly as possible, it will not do anything beyond the rules.”

She stated firmly, "Because it is not human, it will not scheme against you like humans do."

Tenkuji Yu stared intently at her: "Perhaps, it evolved in a life-or-death situation?"

The silver-haired girl paused, her usually unchanging expression finally showing a brief moment of hesitation and helplessness.

Finally, she lowered her head gently, her voice no longer so clear and calm, but rather a mixture of emotions settling in the quiet air.

"...It hasn't evolved to that point yet."

"I see."

From this answer, Yuu Tenkuji understood a lot.

Instead of confronting her directly, he looked around and softened his interrogative tone: "You can't pinpoint Kasumigaoka Utaha's location right now, can you?"

"Yes." Nodding, she also put away her much more human expression, standing quietly and obediently behind him like a doll, giving a very brief answer.

"Then let's go directly to the club to find her."

After saying that, Tenkuji Yu prepared to leave and climb over the wall to enter the Black Lily Academy.

He wasn't worried about whether the silver-haired girl could keep up. Even if the school wall was three or four meters high, she, like him, should have the ability to climb over it with her bare hands.

Before he could even get into a running start position, a sound suddenly came from the bushes beside the sidewalk.

Yuu Tenkuji subconsciously turned his head to look, and saw a black shadow dart out from it. With a speed that was difficult for the human eye to catch, the four short legs suddenly exerted force and slammed into his crotch like a rocket!

"There are assassins!"

Even though the figure was so fast that it seemed to leave a trail of afterimages, Tenkuji Yu's reaction was still quick. Almost reflexively, he took a step back to create distance and stretched out his hands to block the opponent's slightly open mouth in front of his crotch, successfully blocking the attack.

After confirming that he was safe and sound, he first breathed a sigh of relief, then narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the furry "little murderer" in his hand.

"This is... a fox?"

Moreover, it's a silver fox with a very beautiful coat, like a snow fairy.

Why would this rare animal hide in the grass by the sidewalk, and as if it harbored a deep grudge against him, target his manhood the moment it appeared?

A question flashed through her mind. Looking at the sharp canine teeth less than five centimeters away from her second brother, Yuu Tenkuji seemed to realize something at that moment and broke out in a cold sweat.

"If it gets firmly bitten, even I'd be in big trouble..."

Muscle control can't control the hardness of that area when it's dormant; it'll likely get bitten into at least two holes...

He rubbed the silver fox's body vigorously, as if to vent his lingering fear. Surprisingly, the fox did not resist. Instead, it obediently stayed in his hands, wagging its tail and whimpering pitifully.

Yuu Tenkuji's heart softened instinctively, and he readily forgave the fox for attacking his manhood. Instead, he lifted the fox in front of him, looking it up and down, carefully examining this rare sight of a fox.

"It's so beautiful..."

He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Although they were the eyes of a wild beast, they were as icy blue and mysterious as gems unearthed from the deep sea, yet they also possessed a vivid, human-like quality.

Putting aside its fur color, just those pure and beautiful eyes alone would make this fox incredibly valuable; it would be a high-class pet that wealthy ladies would fight over...

and many more.

Yuu Tenkuji suddenly realized—an animal as intelligent as a human, appearing so abruptly before him, and with such a clear purpose in mind—could this feeling of déjà vu be…?

A flash of inspiration struck, and a photo and name of a young girl gradually overlapped with the silver-furred, blue-eyed fox before him.

He couldn't help but widen his eyes and blurt out, "You are... Natsukawa Masaki?!"

The moment those words left his mouth, the silver fox narrowed his eyes and revealed a very human-like smile.