I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

That's how it happened.

In order not to miss any key points and cause Tenkuji Yu to make the wrong judgment after hearing the story, Kasumigaoka Utaha told him everything that happened at that time in great detail.

Even though her face still burned with shame, Kasumigaoka Utaha casually repeated the words left by her other self on the note without missing a single detail.

"I have a question I'm really curious about..." Before Yuu Tenkuji finished thinking, she took the initiative to ask him in order to distract him, "What exactly is the method to restore them?"

Yuu Tenkuji stroked his chin: "Recovery... I guess it means turning from an animal into a human, right? As for recovering memories, I don't even know myself."

Relying on his thick skin, he calmly recounted the story of the "fox girl"—let alone kissing a fox, even if he were to actually kiss Natsukawa Masuzu in the street, there was nothing to be ashamed of.

That's his girlfriend! Although he hadn't thought about anything related to her yet, Yuu Tenkuji had already made that decision in his heart.

"A kiss can restore her?" Kasumigaoka Utaha tilted her head in confusion. "She's not lying to you, is she? After all, Asuna Yuuki on my side turned back on her own... Could it be that Masuzu Natsukawa can also turn back on her own, but she's just deliberately making you kiss her?"

"Maybe. But besides that, Masuzu didn't tell me any other way to turn them back into humans. It's impossible that she would lie to me about this as well as Asuna, right? My intuition tells me that she's not that kind of person."

Yuu Tenkuji shrugged, stood up from his chair, and stretched vigorously: "Well, let's just assume it's true for now~ Once the next loop starts, we'll be able to directly determine whether the 'kiss' method actually works or not."

“That’s true.” Despite saying that, Kasumigaoka Utaha still scratched her head inexplicably with annoyance and sighed heavily. “On another note, why do you call them by their names so casually? You’ve never even seen Yuuki Asuna’s face before, but you act like you’re very familiar with her.”

"Don't worry about such a small thing. She's my girlfriend, after all."

"You clearly can't remember anything?"

Is this resentment because he hasn't gotten over teasing her yet, or is it because he's jealous of his "girlfriends"?

Yuu Tenkuji didn't think much of it, simply waved his hand casually, and walked towards the door.

"Alright, let's go downstairs."

"It's time to hold a meeting with our new partners who have officially joined us to decide on our next course of action—Shiyu."

Kasumigaoka Utaha got off the bed, tidying her slightly messy, cascading black hair as she snorted and followed his back with light steps.

"It's just a title. Don't think you can manipulate me like that, you scumbag Yu-kun."

"You're overthinking it, Miss Shiyu."

Speaking of which, "Zha Youjun" sounds like the name of some kind of amusement park mascot...

If I ever have the money to build an amusement park, I might as well name its mascot "Zha You-kun," just like "Bunta-kun" or "Mofulu."

Lost in thought, Yuuki Tenkuji walked downstairs to the brightly lit living room.

Chapter 136 Brother You, No! (X)

I was busy all morning, and it felt like a long time had passed, but actually the school had only just started the bell for class.

The morning light still filled the well-lit living room, making the tables and chairs seem to shimmer under the golden starlight, and the slow, warm atmosphere made people drowsy.

The girl, who looked quite young, sat obediently on the sofa. Her long, silver hair, which reached her waist and hips, was scattered irregularly. Her gaze was unfocused and fixed on the distance. Her expression revealed nothing of her thoughts. She looked like a life-sized, exquisite doll that had been abandoned in a corner of the world.

Hearing footsteps, she slowly turned her head.

"Awaited."

Tenkuji Yu walked around the sofa, where three cups of tea were placed on the glass coffee table, still slowly steaming.

"The next step is to discuss how to deal with me, and what the future course of action will be?"

Without any pleasantries, Itoko went straight to the point—her expression and tone were completely flat, perhaps revealing her true self without any pretense.

It lacks the vividness of something hastily changing in an attempt to seduce them, yet one can glimpse a sliver of humanity beneath its artificial, rigid performance.

"You've already finished dealing with it, haven't you? There's nothing to discuss." Yuu Tenkuji asked curiously, and under her silent gaze, he sat down in the seat diagonally opposite her. "We only have one enemy, and that is the system itself that wants to take away the power of the Light Orb—what does that have to do with you, Itoko?"

"...The host's most common sophistry." Whether it was an illusion or not, the corners of his usually calm lips seemed to curve upwards slightly. "Understood. From now on, I will use the host's way of thinking as the rule of judgment and establish a cooperative relationship."

"That's more like it. Since I said I'd take you with me, trust me to the end." Tenkuji Yu picked up his teacup and took a small sip. "...It's alright, but not as good as mine."

Itoko closed her eyes slightly and whispered, "The only state I can't replicate is 'emotional transmission'... Whether it's acting, cooking, or tea, the host can add special effects through 'emotional transmission,' something the system simply cannot do."

“So I’ve never doubted that I can beat up a system that’s useless except for its strength.” Tenkuji Yu glanced at her. “By the way, since you’re planning to continue living as Itoko, stop calling me ‘host’ all the time.”

I only recently gave her the title that only she currently uses.

"Yu-nii," Itoko called out obediently, then asked, "Yu-nii's database has material called 'Jie-nii, don't want it.' If I change the way you address him from 'older brother' to 'Yu-nii,' do I need to play the role of Ah-wei?"

"No, and nobody wants to hear the Japanese version of 'Brother Jie, don't' either." Tenkuji Yu awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth and gestured towards Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was sitting next to him. "Also, don't talk about the things in my database when other people are around, it's easy to cause misunderstandings."

"I don't think I have any misunderstandings about you." Kasumigaoka Utaha held her teacup, lazily crossing her legs. "I've known about your sister complex and loli complex for a long time. Explaining is just covering up, and covering up means it's true. I advise you not to waste your breath... Anyway, if you really make a move on Itoko and make her call you Yu-ge in bed, I will definitely tell all your girlfriends about it."

Tenkuji Yu rolled her eyes, completely unfazed: "Don't worry, if I really get that desperate, you'll be the first one I make my move on, and you won't even be able to file a complaint."

"What, you want to turn me into a pet that obeys your every command?" she said with disgust, but she squinted comfortably amidst the swirling tea smoke. "You appear to be a gentleman on the surface, but your heart is so twisted... I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

"This is terrifying. Should I buy a chastity belt to ensure my safety?"

Tenkuji Yu's eyes twitched slightly as he looked at her arrogant and fearless demeanor speechlessly.

He knew perfectly well why this guy dared to provoke him so boldly, even though they were supposed to live together for several more days.

It probably only had about 40% to do with so-called trust. The remaining 60% was because he not only had four girlfriends to acknowledge, but he had also vaguely revealed to her his intention to "not cause any more trouble."

So this guy, taking advantage of the fact that he only dared to talk and not to fight, went further and further, becoming more and more unrestrained and willful...

Seeing herself being teased but only able to restrain herself from pounce on him, perhaps that will become a source of happiness for her in the future?

Tenkuji Yu took a light breath, looked away from her, and decided to ignore her voice for the time being.

"Itoko, now that you've revealed your identity, is there any information you have left to tell us?"

Itoko shook her head: "I've said everything I need to say before. I have to abide by the rules of the game that I set... With the help of Asuna Yuuki and the person behind them, you shouldn't need my help to quickly pass through this world."

"You don't know who that person is, yet you're so sure?"

"Being able to use cheat programs in the world I created means that person has roughly figured out the rules and workings of this world, and will not be restricted by the rules I set for myself. It would be an easy thing for them to lead you through the game."

“That’s true…” Yuu Tenkuji didn’t explain further. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “That person told us to gather everyone else before investigating Toyonosaki Academy. What dangers will we encounter if we don’t do that?”

"Wait a minute." She put down her teacup, her brow furrowing with concern, before she could finish speaking. "Are you sure you can tell Itoko about this? Didn't she say..."

"Don't worry, leave it to me." Tenkuji Yu waved her hand slightly, her eyes still fixed on the silver-haired girl's fair and delicate face.

Itoko looked him in the eyes and said frankly, "It's not dangerous, but it will trigger the cycle of reincarnation ahead of schedule."

"What do you mean?" Both of them became serious.

“I can’t explain it in detail, but if you find that door in Toyosaki Academy before you get the first key, this world will start to reset.” The girl described in a detached tone, “The winter snow will fall directly, the world will start to collapse from the edge, and you will return to the timeline of seven days ago as your physical strength and memories gradually decline… Kasumigaoka Utaha’s memories will be reset, while Yu will retain a faint impression, and so on until you open the door with the key.”

That's probably what the end of the world would look like, right?

As she vividly described the scene of the world coming to an end in her monotone voice, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but hug her arms, which were covered in goosebumps. The fact that she was like an NPC, unknowingly starting a fake life again made her feel nauseous, and her face turned ugly.

"Even the teddy bear you gave me couldn't prevent this from happening?"

“There’s nothing I can do, because it’s a trigger-based rule.” Itoko lowered her head slightly, as if to express her apology. “So before this happens, I’ll remind you to find the key first, and then go explore Toyosaki Academy.”

Yuu Tenkuji added, "As for what the key is, you won't tell us, right?"

Itoko didn't reply, but simply nodded slightly in agreement.

"Besides Toyonosaki Academy, if we want to explore further places, will we trigger similar rules?"

“You can’t go too far. If you go beyond the designated area, you’ll be teleported back directly. Don’t worry about that.” Itoko paused slightly before continuing, “However, the only place with the items is Toyonosaki Academy. You don’t need to waste your time going anywhere else.”

"It's alright, that's good news." Yuu Tenkuji tapped his knee and made a tentative conclusion. "There are still four days before the start of the next loop. During this time, we'll conserve our energy. Whether we go out to play or sleep at home for several days is fine. We'll start taking action after the loop ends, and we need to make sure that we can clear the game directly next loop."

"Just start setting it up? That doesn't make sense." Kasumigaoka Utaha looked back and forth between the two and couldn't help but ask, "What about the key? What about our memories? And Itoko, you should be able to preserve my memories, right? I don't want to experience that inexplicable amnesia again."

Itoko lowered her head in shame and answered softly, "I will try my best... According to the rules, after reincarnation, everyone's memories will be completely reset except for Yu-ge's, who will retain a faint impression. This is also the basis for my previous belief that Yu-ge would get stuck in the first few playthroughs."

"As expected, the key is on them." Yuu Tenkuji seized on the flaw in this statement and decisively stepped into the conversation, stating confidently, "My being stuck is due to their influence—to put it another way, if they keep having their memories reset like this, I'll never be able to get the key to moving forward, right?"

Itoko fell silent again, but it was clearly another tacit agreement.

Yuu Tenkuji nodded in satisfaction before turning his gaze to Utaha Kasumigaoka and explaining, "Now that they have all disappeared from this world, even if they left anything behind, it should have been completely erased by the system. Trying to infiltrate their house and find out anything would be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack."

"Whether it's the key to the gate or our memories, they are all inextricably linked to them. As long as they don't come back, whatever we do will be counterproductive and we're very likely to get nothing. There's really no need to rush into this hot pot."

Kasumigaoka Utaha pondered for a long time: "So that's why you plan to slack off for now and deal with it all at once when the second playthrough starts..."

She understood what was being said, but she still had questions.

"Are you planning to do absolutely nothing during this three-day 'holiday'?"

"I'll still gather intelligence, of course, but I don't plan to go back to class. I'll probably just find something to do to pass the time."

Yuu Tenkuji shrugged indifferently. Now that he had the mastermind behind the scenes as his partner and roughly understood the conditions for clearing this world, he no longer had the sense of danger he initially felt that he had to leave immediately.

Before the next cycle begins, he temporarily puts his current goal aside and plans to spend these three days leisurely and as he pleases.

—Perhaps this mindset will remind him of a certain girlfriend.

"That was such a sudden turn of events..."

Recalling the solemnity and tension of yesterday, and seeing the relaxed and happy smile on his face, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but sigh and shake her head, relaxing all her strength and leaning back in her chair. For some reason, she suddenly felt a little tired.

However, perhaps influenced by him, she stared absently at the spotless ceiling and began to think about something.

Assuming the system gives them a three-day holiday, what should they do with those three days...?

Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced furtively at the handsome young man, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she had silently made a decision, a strange light flashing in her eyes.

"That's pretty much it for the rest of the operation. The main thing is to be adaptable and respond to whatever comes your way. I'll let you know if there's anything else that needs to be added."

Yuu Tenkuji clapped his hands, announcing the end of the meeting: "What was our goal? Does anyone remember? Say it out loud!"

"..."

No one answered, and no one complained.

Kasumigaoka Utaha is deep in thought about something.

Itoko stared at him blankly, seemingly not understanding what he was saying at all.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.

Yuu Tenkuji could only slap his forehead and slump his shoulders listlessly: "Not even a 'No cavities!'? Am I too old... Anyway, let's get back to the point."

He got up from the sofa, the tea in his cup already empty. Itoko got up to make him some more tea, but he stopped her with a gesture.

"I'll go back to my room to rest later."

Tenkuji Yu glanced at Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had come to her senses and was looking up at herself.