I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

The atmosphere then became tense and heavy again.

Chapter 159 When do you plan to help me regain my memories?

On the way back, Yuu Tenkuji explained the matter of Itoko to the two new members.

However, the deep impression they made at the beginning was not so easy to erase—according to Natsukawa Masuzu, before they entered this world and their memories were altered, they had met the system's avatar, the original Itoko.

That was by no means a friendly first meeting.

They were dragged before the silver-haired girl like dolls, and she warned them in a cold, emotionless voice:

"Don't cause trouble in this world. If you try to ruin my plans, I'll make your souls disappear completely."

No one dared to doubt whether she could really do such a thing, because the next moment, they fell unconscious without any resistance, and when they woke up, they were like helpless little animals.

That's why Natsukawa Masuzu remained hidden in the shadows in the previous game, unlike the others who immediately went to find Tenkuji Yu.

Of course, staying still all the time is not her style.

After observing the situation, Natsukawa Masuzu quickly decided to follow Kasumigaoka Utaha—this was the only one who hadn't turned into an animal and had entered the 'trial' before them, so there must be something special about her.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to bring them here using the laptop, and she wouldn't have had to endure the "treatment" of betraying the human race.

By secretly following Kasumigaoka Utaha, not only can she ensure her own safety, but she also has a chance to find a way out of the current predicament—if they are all wiped out by that girl because they got close to Yu, she is the last spark and the only hope to save Yu!

As long as she can do what others can't, even if the memories of their time together can never be relived, Natsukawa Masuzu can still become an important person to Tenkuji Yuu.

"No wonder I always felt like I was being watched, but I could never find the pervert who was following me... It was you all along."

Kasumigaoka Utaha recalled and commented on it in this way.

Regardless of whether it's distorted or not, the facts prove that Natsukawa Masamichi made the right bet.

On the night that Tenkuji Yu brought Kasumigaoka Utaha home, having transformed back into a white ferret and regained her memories, she prepared to continue tailing Kasumigaoka Utaha. However, she discovered that the lights in her target's room were not on. She climbed a tree to peek inside, but there was no one in the room.

Just as she was wondering whether to continue squatting there waiting for Kasumigaoka Utaha to return, the notebook that had brought them in miraculously passed through the window and landed directly on her mink face.

Then, "that person" residing in the notebook told her many things.

This included information about what to pass on to Yuuto Tenkuji and Utaha Kasumigaoka, the current situation of the others, and that Asuna Yuuki would be acting with her. It also granted her the ability to temporarily regain her human form.

After conveying these messages, the notebook vanished into thin air; and Natsukawa Masuzu had no other choice but to reunite with Yuuki Asuna first, and then there was the incident that Tenkuji Yu encountered.

“If Kasumigaoka Utaha from the other world hadn’t assured us that we wouldn’t be in any danger, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do what she said so readily.” Natsukawa Masuzu shrugged. “After all, the price of becoming human is that you have to disappear in a few minutes, and that feeling is terrifying to think about.”

If the canary on her shoulder hadn't yet recovered its memories from the previous timeline, it probably would have nodded along with her with a sense of empathy.

Let's get back to the main topic.

Of all those present, only Yukino Yukinoshita has never met Itoko, nor has she witnessed that terrifying aura that seems capable of dominating a world.

Although she had heard of her exploits, Yukinoshita Haruno looked the silver-haired girl up and down, and then glanced at the cat and bird, who both looked tense and nervous. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "Isn't there any need to be so afraid? He already said that we are all on the same side now. Does he think she would dare to do anything to us in front of him?"

As she spoke so casually, Yukinoshita Haruno even took a step forward and reached out to pat Itoko's head.

Her smooth silver hair was ruffled by his palm, and Itoko slightly raised her face, her deep, cold black eyes gazing at her.

"I can forgive you this time for You-ge's sake... but I might not be able to next time."

As if to confirm the truth of this statement, a kitchen knife flew out of the kitchen and silently embedded itself in the ground at the feet of the silver-haired girl.

—If it weren't for Yuuki Tenkuji watching, the landing point would probably have been closer to Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Whoa~ This child is terrifying, threatening me with a kitchen knife!" Yukinoshita Haruno withdrew her hand in fear, but she was still smiling and not frightened at all.

Just as she was about to lean on Tenkuji Yu's shoulder and act coquettishly, Kasumigaoka Utaha unintentionally stepped in front of her, blocking the two of them, and grabbed his arm first.

"Alright, don't crowd in the entryway. Go inside and wash your hands or feet before eating... If you're not hungry, go and choose your own room to rest. My room and his room are the two closest to the stairs on the second floor, so don't choose the wrong one."

Without any attempt to conceal it, or perhaps intentionally to make them feel like the lady of the house, Kasumigaoka Utaha waved her hand in a natural and nonchalant tone, telling the group of "guests" to do whatever they wanted.

She then took Tenkuji Yu's hand and walked confidently toward the living room, muttering to herself in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "Oh dear, it feels like it's been ages since I've been back. We were having such a wonderful time living together just yesterday... Look, that sofa, I still remember the marks we left behind after all that lovemaking. Even Ito couldn't clean it all up, it was all over the place..."

"Spitting out black tea, huh?" Tenkuji Yu muttered helplessly, not daring to turn around and face the gaze behind him.

This is exactly what it means to have thorns in one's back.

Soon, Yukino Yukinoshita also took off her shoes and followed, looking around the interior of the apartment with great interest. However, there was not much of a smile in her eyes. It was as if she was secretly thinking about how to blow up this place. The occasional cold glint in her eyes was frightening.

Yukino stepped lightly into the entrance hall. Her feline pride... no, it was the pride and self-respect of Yukinoshita, the second young lady. She wouldn't allow herself to walk around someone out of fear, so she held her head high and walked past Itoko's feet without looking to the side.

As for the canary, it stayed on Yuu's shoulder the whole time and naturally followed him into the house.

The last one to enter was Natsukawa Masaki.

She glanced strangely at the shoe cabinet, where the silver-haired girl stood like a doll maid, looking obedient and quiet, seemingly not intending to pay attention to anyone—her temperament and atmosphere were completely different from when she first met her.

And it feels much more human-centered...

Who knows how terrifying this thing, which is even more exaggerated than a supercomputer, will become once it develops human intelligence?

"Never mind, it's not something I should worry about anyway."

Natsukawa Masuzu had long been prepared to go through fire and water with Tenkuji Yu. As long as she believed that he would always find a way and that he would not abandon her, nothing could frighten her.

Having regained her emotional support, she also shared a passionate kiss with him. Natsukawa Masaki's mindset was more positive and proactive than ever before, and she even felt a strange sense of "I will go even if there are thousands of people against me" echoing in her chest.

She also took off her shoes and, halfway into the living room, patted the silver-haired girl on the head.

"Short hair suits you very well. I personally think you look much better than his sister. Keep it up!"

Although she didn't know what kind of oil she wanted her to add, she just said it casually, and Natsukawa Masuzu quickly caught up with Tenkuji Yu's pace.

The silver-haired girl stood still, her gaze following the figure as she turned into the living room, a faint light flickering in her dark eyes.

"Judging from... Natsukawa Masaki, this person is someone I can get along with."

"I suggest bringing her into our camp to fight against Yukinoshita and the others... If that doesn't work, she can just become Yu-nii's sister."

After talking to herself for a while, she finally shook her head and walked into the living room, which was more lively than ever before and more lively than she had imagined.

The banquet has begun; now is the time to relax and enjoy the delicious food.

……

"There's cat food? Hehehe~ My dear little sister, would you like your big sister to feed you lunch?"

"Meow!"

Despite not having regained her memories, Yukinoshita Haruno is no different from before, chasing after the cat girl on the ground with a mischievous grin, determined to stuff cat food into her mouth.

"Bird feed too? Itoko is definitely planning to get revenge on you guys who haven't turned back into humans yet... Yuuki-kun, would you like me to add some yogurt in?"

"Chirp!"

Natsukawa Masuzu's seemingly well-intentioned suggestion was immediately rejected by the little canary's cold, sharp gaze. The canary's expression, as if to say "If you keep talking, I'll peck seven stars out of your hand with my beak," left her with no choice but to reluctantly throw a box of bird feed into the trash can.

As for Kasumigaoka Utaha and Tenkuji Yu, they ate lunch quite normally, sitting side by side as before, casually chatting about the past.

Are you really the first person to come to me?

"Isn't that obvious?"

"Really? You didn't go to see other women along the way?"

"Does it count if I talk to the dean of academic affairs just to find you? If not, then no."

"Really? Really?"

"It's fake, it's fake."

"Can't you just follow the script? You clueless straight man... Fine, I'll believe you if you kiss me."

"Eat your food, stop fooling around."

"I'm not eating anymore, hmph! You don't care about me, all you think about is food! Go marry that glutton! Waaah~"

"Where did you learn this trick from..."

"Haha, the internet is truly full of wonders."

"Okay, I'll owe you that for now... But more importantly, there's something I forgot to tell you."

Tenkuji Yu's expression suddenly turned serious, as if he had hidden a diamond ring in her food or secretly prepared a surprise for her.

Kasumigaoka Utaha paused for a moment, then quickly put down her chopsticks and placed her hands obediently on her lap. She responded to him with the same serious attitude, without any joke, but her big eyes blinked expectantly: "What is it?"

"I don't think I've told you my thoughts on the book yet?" Tenkuji Yu chuckled, her tone gentle yet earnest. "The final volume of 'Love Metronome' is very good, I really like it... Thank you for writing that book, Kasumi Shiko-sensei."

"..."

The simple yet sincere evaluation seemed to contain his truest feelings in every word, and that weight fell on his heart, once again taking with him what was most important to her, and sinking into the deepest abyss.

Kasumigaoka Utaha stared blankly into his eyes, as if she had seen the most tender and beautiful warm yellow sunset at dusk in autumn, and was speechless and unable to think.

She gradually came to her senses.

"...Really? I'm glad you like it."

When faced with readers, Ms. Xia Shizi responded with a smile.

"I should be thanking you for staying with me until the very end."

When facing the person she likes, Kasumigaoka Utaha wipes away the tears from the corners of her eyes and flashes a bright smile.

The two gazed deeply into each other's eyes, their eyes filled with each other's image, as if they would never let the other leave their world.

Unconsciously, the distance drew closer, their breaths grew hotter, their slightly parted lips trembled slightly, and their long eyelashes slowly covered their intoxicated eyes—

"Wow! Confessing your love in front of everyone? Couples in the throes of new love are always so bold!"

With one hand propped on the table between the two, the mature woman with shoulder-length short hair smiled and tilted her head, looking back and forth at the two of them playfully, completely unconcerned that she had ruined the ambiguous atmosphere.

Kasumigaoka Utaha pulled herself back, her face flushed as she clicked her tongue, "That wretched third wheel! I should have told him to bring you back later..."

"That's really going too far. It's not like I didn't let you kiss, I just hoped you would consider the occasion."

Yukinoshita pouted her red lips innocently, and under Kasumigaoka Utaha's glare, she swayed slowly past Tenkuji Yuu, propped herself up on the table next to him, and stood very close to him.

Ignoring the guy's unpredictable behavior, Yuu Tenkuji was more interested in the beer in her other hand.

Where did it come from?

"Found it in the fridge, and it really has all sorts of things in there." Shaking the still-dampened can, Yukino Yukinoshita poked his forehead reproachfully, speaking in a teacher's tone, "A minor keeping beer and even high-alcohol-content liquor in the fridge of an apartment alone! As the school nurse, I can't just turn a blind eye... I've confiscated it! Don't come to me for it after class!"

Tenkuji Yu let her poke him, instinctively not disliking the skin-to-skin contact: "If you confiscate it, then confiscate it. Anyway, I don't like drinking."