I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

As if her inner thoughts had been precisely guessed, the mature, short-haired woman was stunned for a moment, and her hands, which had been crossed over her chest, slowly fell to her sides.

Looking into his calm and confident eyes, the last bit of hesitation gradually turned into a warm feeling flowing through my heart, and an inexplicable sense of peace melted away all doubts and doubts.

It's not about giving up something, but about gaining something new.

So she smiled and said, "Okay! I'll go with you."

Tenkuji Yuya couldn't help but laugh: "It's simpler than I expected."

"You even know things I haven't told anyone. Either you can read minds, or there's a huge gap between us in terms of information. In this case, of course I'll choose to cooperate with you and eliminate as many unknowns as possible."

Yukinoshita gently curled the soft hair beside her cheek, and her casual words sounded like a calm analysis, clear and logical.

"Furthermore, even though it's our first meeting, we feel an unusual sense of familiarity with each other—Kasumigaoka-kun over there proves this point. What normal person would bite everyone like a mad dog? The other person is a teacher from their own school. How could someone who can get a self-study permit be so stupid? Just how blind must the reviewers be?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha's brows twitched slightly, but she ignored her as if she hadn't heard her. Her fingers, however, gently gripped and twisted someone's waist, venting her displeasure.

"Also, that cat came to me in a panic early this morning, as if it had something urgent to tell me... but now it's so well-behaved in your arms, and it doesn't meow randomly when it sees me. There must be some reason behind this that's not for outsiders to know, right?"

As she spoke, Yukinoshita smiled kindly at the black cat in his arms.

For some reason, the helplessness revealed in those dark blue cat eyes made her feel both close to and fond of it, and she wanted to tease it more.

Seemingly sensing the dangerous thoughts in her mind, the black cat turned its head away and snuggled closer to Tenkuji Yu's arm.

Yukinoshita shrugged and turned her gaze back to the boy in front of her.

"The most important point."

"What is it?" Tenkuji Yu asked cooperatively.

“My instincts won’t let me leave you. A voice deep inside me is saying that I need to get closer to you and learn more about you, even if it means being a little shameless.” She gently covered her chest with one hand, as if it held the world’s most precious treasure, being careful not to let the light she radiate attract attention.

The shadow swept across Yukino's lowered eyelids, but when the warm sun peeked out from behind the clouds, it once again filled the room with golden, fleeting light.

A ray of sunlight kissed her excessively pale face.

She looked up and, true to her name, gave him a warm and sunny smile.

"So, I'll go with you, and you'll take responsibility for me."

"Okay?"

Chapter 155 Isn't the sidewalk quite spacious?

Yukinoshita parked the car in the basement.

Before the school bell rang, this strange trio of three people and a cat quickly arrived at the underground parking garage, ready to head to Black Lily Academy to "pick someone up".

During the journey, Yuuto Tenkuji repeated everything he had told Yukino to Yukino no Hiyano without changing a single word.

With limited time, he could only pick out the key points to discuss.

"We used to be boyfriend and girlfriend. You were trapped in this fake world for some reason, and we who came to rescue you had our memories altered. In the previous timeline, we disappeared because of the rules before we could accomplish anything, and now we're starting over..."

Starting the engine, Yukino Yukinoshita drove the car out of the garage, muttering to herself thoughtfully as she slowly pressed down on the accelerator: "No wonder, this explains everything... As long as I regain my memories, I can get rid of that unpleasant ambiguity? It sounds pretty simple."

"This is not simple at all!" In the back seat, Kasumigaoka Utaha hugged Tenkuji Yu tightly, her face grim as she shouted, "And can you drive a little slower?! We're not going to run away from Black Lily Academy, are you planning to just take us to the next loop?!"

"Ah~ Your mournful cry is really nice to hear, Kasumigaoka-kun." Yukinoshita Haruno laughed happily, without slowing down at all, letting the silver sedan rush into the traffic on the main road like a phantom.

Shoved against the back of the chair by that damned push, Kasumigaoka Utaha could only grit her teeth in frustration: "That damn sadist..."

“And then, that cat is my little sister, Yukino, right?” Yukinoshita Haruno glanced in the rearview mirror, meeting those dark blue cat eyes. “I always felt like something was off about the fact that I was an only child… Turns out, I have a cute and well-behaved little sister, which makes me so happy~”

"..."

Yukino gave a human-like pout, showing disdain for that cheerful, older sister-like tone, and nestled comfortably in Tenkuji Yu's arms—she had gotten used to being held by him as a cat, and even felt a sense of natural security welling up inside her, almost to the point of begging him to rub her chin.

Human dignity has not been abandoned. At least not yet.

Seeing that the little black cat ignored her, Yukino Yukinoshita was not discouraged. She flicked her tail and continued, "Let me sort things out. Right now, our long-term goal is to return to the real world safely, while our short-term goal is to find all our 'comrades,' and at the same time, those who should become human should become human, and those who should regain their memories should regain their memories."

Yu Tenkuji added, "The conspiracy is on our side, so we can try it with peace of mind. There won't be any more problems with accidentally disappearing."

Kasumigaoka Utaha seemed to suddenly remember something and lifted her head from his shoulder: "By the way, where's Itoko?"

Affected by her low profile, she only now realized that the silver-haired girl hadn't gotten on the bus with them.

"Itoko?" This name was not on the list of girlfriends he told Yukino Yukinoshita.

"They are the mastermind behind the consensus we reached. We'll discuss the details after you regain your memories, otherwise, even if we explain, it will take you a long time to understand."

"alright."

Yukino shrugged. The light turned yellow at the next intersection, and she used a nitro boost to speed across, then used an S-curve to swerve past the car in front.

This way of driving clearly violates traffic rules, and there is a 99% chance of a fatal accident. Please, children, never imitate this.

Yuu Tenkuji said to the girl with long, straight black hair beside him, "As for Itoko, I've told her to go home and prepare lunch."

"That's really thoughtful... But then again..."

To distract herself from the fear of driving at high speed, Kasumigaoka Utaha casually asked the driver in the front seat, "Even though you haven't regained your memory, you weren't surprised at all after learning that Yuu-kun had so many girlfriends... That's quite unexpected... So you've already accepted the fact that he has a harem?"

"Oh dear, how could that be?"

Slowing down slightly, Yukinoshita answered unhurriedly, "Although I don't know what I was thinking originally, now, seeing you and him all together, I'm almost going crazy with jealousy, aren't I? I'm just trying to hold back for the sake of the bigger picture."

She hummed a song, each word carrying a cheerful tone: "It's good enough that we didn't commit suicide by jumping into the sea, how could I possibly accept my boyfriend having a harem? You agree, right, Tenkuji-kun~"

Sky Temple Yuu didn't look to the side, and even though cold sweat was sliding down his face, he didn't wipe it away. He just calmly replied, "Yes, you've really worked hard. I hope you can keep it up."

"Hahahaha!" Like a mischievous child who had successfully pulled off a prank, Yukinoshita Haruno couldn't help but burst into laughter. She slapped the steering wheel a few times, then turned back just before the car crashed into the guardrail, saying cheerfully, "Don't worry about it, don't worry about it, it was about 30% a joke~"

"It's scary enough that 70% of them are serious!" Kasumigaoka Utaha exclaimed.

"By the way, if this is a virtual world, no matter what crime you commit, you won't be held accountable, right?" Yukinoshita Haruno said cheerfully. "The sidewalk looks pretty spacious, should we drive the car up there and try it out?"

"Enough, you crazy woman... Youyou, let's get out of the car and walk. We'd rather not ride in her car anymore!"

"Hahaha, you really thought I would do something like that? How interesting. It seems our relationship in the real world isn't that great after all~"

"It's not a matter of good or bad. Who in the back seat would be scared and immediately switch to another car if they heard a taxi driver say he wanted to kill someone for fun?"

“That makes sense. Then get off the bus. We’ll wait for you at Black Lily Academy.”

"Hehe... You choose. Do you want to get off the bus with me, or let her continue to torment us on the bus?"

"That's right, you choose one... Just so you know, I hold grudges a lot, you know? I won't do anything to you now, but after I regain my memories, hmph, you know what I mean~"

"..."

Feeling the care and attention from the beautiful women, Tenkuji Yu looked up at the scenery outside the window and stroked the head of the cat in her arms, only to be ruthlessly slapped away.

He silently lowered his hand, sharing his melancholy with the blue sky, his eyes filled with a sense of vicissitude.

"The future is fraught with difficulties..."

……

Not long after.

Thanks to Yukino's high-speed driving, the group quickly arrived at Kuroyuri Academy.

After all, it is a prestigious girls' school with strict management. No one can enter the campus without permission, whether it is a holiday or a weekday.

Yukinoshita parked the car in a nearby parking space. After getting out of the car, the group discussed their plan to enter the campus to find the person while drinking beverages in a convenience store near the school gate.

Chapter 156 Take this! The second bomb – Withering Heart-Piercing Attack!

"Isn't everyone saying this is a virtual world? Then there's no need to worry so much, just rush in and grab them, right?"

Yukino Yukinoshita, sucking on a popsicle, said this in a joking tone.

Gently swirling the bitter, brown liquid in her glass, Kasumigaoka Utaha snorted coldly, not missing the chance to taunt her: "And then you were chased around by the police, with no time to find the way out of this world? If that's all that matters, then Yuu-kun and I wouldn't have needed to wait for you in the infirmary!"

Yuu Tenkuji munched on a spicy snack—a kind of treat you'd never find in a normal Japanese convenience store, yet his beloved system god had somehow managed to stock it in this world. The nostalgic taste was bringing his hazy memories back to life. He mumbled something under his breath as he looked through the window at the entrance to Black Lily Academy:

“Forcibly arresting people is definitely not an option. There are many rules in this world that we don’t know about. Even if we are with the ‘game developers,’ it doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want like we have cheat codes. It’s best to follow the rules… Besides, it’s impossible for them to lower their guard and get along with us before they regain their memories, right?”

He drank a bottle of water to clear his throat and wiped the red grease from the corner of his mouth: "The only way is to send someone in and lure the target out, just like we did in the last time."

As everyone knows, anglers can catch anything except fish, including pretty girls.

Although the last fishing trip was a failure, it wasn't a complete failure—after all, who would have thought that the fish would jump right into my face as soon as the hook was cast?

So the question now is, in this playthrough, when will the guy in the notebook help them? If it's not now, or if "she" really disappeared completely in the last playthrough, then who should be sent into Black Lily Academy to persuade the two beautiful girls they've just met to willingly skip class and go home with him?

Just looking at the last sentence, the difficulty level is extraordinary.

Thinking about it that way, Yukinoshita Haruno is really quite a twisted character...

Despite not having regained her memories, she was able to cooperate with them and act together so readily, and she adapted to the current situation very quickly.

Yuu Tenkuji subconsciously looked at the mature young woman who had taken off her white coat, and she seemed to be very sensitive to gazes, quickly turning her head away in the direction of his gaze.

After blinking in surprise, the cheerful and gentle older sister smiled, propped her chin up, pouted her moist, full lips, and gave him a "mua~" sound from afar.

Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her head, expressionlessly avoiding their gazes, staring blankly at Tenkuji Yuu, a cold smile slowly curving her lips: "Then how about you go in dressed as a woman, Yuu-kun? Last time I was running around for you, this time it's my turn to direct you from the outside."

Tenkuji Yu chuckled twice, looked up at the sky and said, "Let's forget about it. What kind of behavior is it for a man to dress as a woman? If this were in a novel, readers would definitely not be happy to see such a macho protagonist wearing women's clothes. We can't write such a landmine plot."

"Really?" Yukinoshita Haruno, never one to shy away from a good show, added fuel to the fire, "I think with your fair skin and pretty features, you could definitely become a very beautiful girl with a little makeup~"

“There’s no need for that.” Tenkuji Yu firmly changed the subject. “There’s no time to prepare the Black Lily Academy uniform and ID for Shiho this time, but Haruno has the status of a teacher at the neighboring school. If we can come up with a reason, we should be able to sneak in for about half an hour. During that time, we can deal with those two people and then leave – that would be the ideal situation.”

“The most ideal also means the most difficult…” Yukinoshita Haruno lowered her head, flipping through the information Tenkuji Yu gave her, her brows furrowed in thought.

The information was divided into two parts: one electronically printed and the other handwritten on a notepad—the reason for this difference was that there was currently no information about Asuna Yuuki online.

In Canary's state, apart from a few others, no one would remember the existence of Yuuki Asuna, so naturally there would be no way to check her household registration or school records.

Judging from Yukino Yukinoshita's condition, it's likely that they won't be able to see Asuna Yuuki, who has returned to human form, until after school.

This might also mean that, so far, the consciousness in the notebook hasn't come looking for them—something that Yuu Tenkuji only realized after the last playthrough.

Because of the interference of another Kasumigaoka Utaha, Yuuki Asuna, who should have become a canary, and Natsukawa Masuzu, who should have gone to school as a normal high school student, met them in the opposite way, shattering their original assumptions about the rules.

Normally, things should be like this—during the day, we only have information on Natsukawa Masuzu, while information on Yuuki Asuna needs to be provided by Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Canary is likely to be active near the Black Lily Academy. Just like Yukino went to Soubu High to look for someone, she might also be observing Natsukawa Masuzu."

"Once we find the canary, Asuna Yuuki, who retains her memories, should obediently go with them... The problem is, how do we bring Masuzu Natsukawa home?"