I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Tenkuji Yu shook her head, her expression utterly calm, her tone composed and rational, yet tears, devoid of any sadness, still streamed down her cheeks, as if her uncontrollable emotions had finally erupted.

He seemed somewhat frustrated: "I feel extremely remorseful for forgetting you and not being able to think of you right away—that's what my body's instincts are telling me. I'm sorry, Haruno."

“There are many things you need to apologize to me for, but not now.” Gently kissing away the two lines of tears, Yukinoshita held his cheeks firmly in her hands, gazing into his eyes with gentle yet solemn eyes. “I forgot you for so long, and you never blamed me. That means that for us, a temporary separation is not important. What matters is who finds whom first.”

Isn't that so? She smiled happily, pressed his head against her chest, hugged his upper body soothingly, and gently rocked him like she was taking care of a child.

"Besides, seeing you shed tears for me is such a precious moment. Even if you still don't remember me now, I think it's all worth it."

Yukino Yukinoshita ran her fingers through Tenkuji Yu's hair, casually playing with his strands, her eyes filled with a familiar tenderness and affection.

Tenkuji Yu leaned against her soft chest. Although he couldn't see her expression, he could feel the warmth from her fingertips—a woman who loved him dearly had returned.

That made him feel dizzy, and just listening to her heartbeat, he felt as if all the happiness in the world was gathered around him.

Fingertips traced tear tracks on her cheeks from her hair. Yukino sighed softly, her breath warm against his ear: "I really want to take a picture of you right now, but unfortunately I can't save it to the real world... Well, I'll just keep this rare CG in my mind. At least it can become a treasure that belongs only to me."

"Just don't tell anyone else." Yuu Tenkuji didn't expect to cry while kissing, which added a stain to his noble male dignity. Of course, he didn't want it to be widely spread. "It's not about losing face, it's mainly that I don't want everyone to worry."

"Oh right, I'll take it seriously~" Yang teased him, her fingertips gently tracing the angles of his face, as if trying to memorize his features with her body. "Speaking of which, isn't the idea that a kiss can restore memories a bit too simplistic?"

"What's so easy about it?" Yuu Tenkuji said irritably, inhaling her fragrance. "Seven days is a time limit. It's normally difficult to develop a relationship with the right person to the point of kissing within those seven days, right? Not to mention people like us. Who would kiss a stranger for no reason?"

If it weren't for Itoko's defection, Kasumigaoka Utaha's assistance, and Yukinoshita Haruno's deep affection for him that couldn't be blocked by the walls of memory, Tenkuji Yuu couldn't imagine how he could develop a kissing relationship with the "school nurse" within seven days.

Tenkuji Yuu and Yukinoshita Haruno are not easy people. In fact, they are even more troublesome and difficult to deal with than normal people. If you want to restore memories through kissing, under normal circumstances, it might take more than ten cycles to do so.

Luck and sincerity are both indispensable for Yukino Yukinoshita to successfully regain her memories on the first day of her second playthrough.

“That’s true, just as we are.” Yukinoshita Haruno nodded, glanced at the door where the knocking and shouting were getting louder and louder, and then turned back as if she hadn’t seen anything.

"By the way, you probably haven't remembered me yet, have you? Only the woman can regain her memory after a kiss. It's amazing that it came up with such a torturous setting."

"After all, its goal is to drive me to the brink of mental collapse so that it can take advantage of my vulnerability." Yuu Tenkuji sighed helplessly. "Anyway, I already know that I like you. I like you so much that this feeling doesn't need memories; it can stay in my heart forever and will never disappear."

"It's okay, I'll find you again if you disappear, and I'll make you more and more dependent on me!"

After making such a domineering declaration, Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly cupped his face in her hands, her palms still holding the warmth that had lingered on his chest. Their two pairs of similarly bright and gentle black eyes met.

She only removed her mask in front of him, and only in front of him, in that fragile, delicate voice, trembling slightly, did she speak softly:

"So, I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting... I'm back, little Youyou."

After a long silence, Yuu Tenkuji smiled helplessly and said, "All I can say is, welcome back, right?"

Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head seriously: "No, you still have something to say."

"what?"

"I love you."

A husky yet sweet voice entered my ears, like the seductive song of sirens to their crew.

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman lowered her head again, feeling a sense of security and dependence from their long-awaited reunion, and became entangled with him once more.

More thirsty, more in-depth.

The two fell onto the soft bed, like a thunderbolt igniting a fire, a raging flame meeting dry tinder—a slender, fair wrist was firmly pressed down by a warm, large hand, while long, shapely legs wrapped tightly around his waist, and an unrestricted wrestling battle was about to unfold…

Just then, a sharp shout rang out from outside the door:

"Someone's tried to escape! Itoko, open the door!"

The moment the mysterious force pried open the lock, the two girls rushed into the room with a clear objective—they first pushed aside the woman on the bed, then together carried the boy out of bed, protecting him like knights guarding a princess, and glaring indignantly at Yukinoshita, whose face was flushed and clothes were disheveled.

...Just don't look at those two hands that are secretly touching his abs.

Chapter 162 Come here, I'll allow you to kiss my sister in front of me (laughs)

Yukino sat cross-legged on the bed, propping her chin up with her hands, watching with great interest their protective actions, and naturally not missing the two sneaky hands that were pretending to be doing something but actually doing something else.

Sensing that the two seemed to have formed a front against her, she didn't intend to say anything more. Instead, she focused her gaze on Kasumigaoka Utaha and spoke leisurely with a smile:

"I remember someone~ Before coming in, she kept saying she wouldn't like him, had no interest in him, and hated scumbags who were always surrounded by women~ But now, oh, she seems to want to merge with him, right? Could you please check Kasumigaoka Utaha's status?"

"Don't be sarcastic towards me." Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned and clicked her tongue. She had expected this girl to act like this after regaining her memories. She only regretted not getting intimate with Tenkuji Yuuto in front of Yukinoshita Haruno earlier and getting revenge on her in advance.

"So-called love is a process of going from dislike to indifference, and from indifference to liking—we spent a long time together in places you didn't know, and it's not surprising that we had a child after being together so closely day and night, let alone falling in love with each other."

Yukinoshita, unusually, did not retort. Instead, she spread her hands and smiled with a hint of helplessness: "Well, that's true. If anyone is to blame, it's us for not being able to keep an eye on him, giving him the opportunity to cheat on her with another person... After experiencing such inexplicable events, even I find it difficult to view someone like Yuuyu with a normal mindset."

She sighed, her fingers digging into her soft hair as she scratched at it in frustration.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was somewhat surprised, but the tense expression on her face softened. She released the hand that had been holding Tenkuji Yu in a show of defiance and said earnestly to Yukinoshita Haruno, "If we're really going to talk about it, we should both understand each other's position and feelings... As fellow 'victims' who were tricked by this guy, instead of turning against each other and killing each other because of him, why don't we sit down and have a good talk, and discuss what's to come together? Don't you think that's the most mature way to deal with this?"

Through her alternate timeline, Kasumigaoka Utaha deeply understands that as a newcomer, her advantages are relatively weak, and she could easily fall into a losing position if she is not careful.

Even though someone made a promise to me, if his harem gets into trouble and his girlfriends start fighting each other, I'm likely to be the first one to be eliminated. At that point, forget about having his complete love all to myself; I'd be lucky if I didn't end up like the CEO of Bilibili, completely exhausted from losing.

She must proceed with extreme caution and tread carefully to win this battle.

Therefore, he would use words to ease the hostility around him, try his best to win over his companions and divide his enemies, and always plan to create the fruits that would lay the foundation for his invincibility until the end of his love affair—marriage and children.

The girl's love life is not yet successful; she still needs to work hard.

Such a meticulous plan, which requires her to compromise, would never have been conceived by Kasumigaoka Utaha in the past. If she had written it down, she would have scoffed at it and arrogantly torn it to shreds.

However, now that things have come to this, she doesn't think there's anything wrong with doing so. She simply calmly and rationally assesses her own position and needs, and then takes action to obtain what she wants.

Girls in the throes of new love aren't necessarily stupid; some actually become smarter because of it—and Kasumigaoka Utaha believes that everyone around her is one of those smart people.

Now that everyone present has regained their memories, it's time to move on to the next stage.

Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at Natsukawa Masuzu beside her and received a nonchalant look that said, "Whatever, we'll each do our own thing."

'She's really a maverick... but not a threat. She's kind of like me in some ways.'

The only one who should be taken seriously is Yukinoshita, who is cunning and always has the upper hand.

So she turned back and met his eyes again.

"If you have no objections, would you mind if I stayed for dinner after we return to reality?"

"Let's get back to reality then. I'm also very interested in the story between you two." Even if she ignored someone's opinion and agreed on his behalf, it wouldn't be a problem. Yukinoshita Haruno didn't make plans for him on her own, but casually glossed over the matter, "Besides you, he shouldn't have been flirting with any other girls, right?"

"..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly fell silent, pursing her lips and turning her gaze into the distance, as if she was pretending to be nonchalant, but she also looked like she was about to burst out laughing, trying her best not to look in the direction of Tenkuji Yu.

Yukino Yukinoshita immediately understood something. She turned to look at the boy who had been pulled off the bed and was just being affectionate with her. Her eyebrows twitched, and the corners of her mouth slowly turned up like a scimitar, revealing a kind and gentle bright smile.

"Wow, that's really something! Little Youyou, I'm not saying this to be mean, but you're really something!"

These few brief, seemingly joking words exuded a chilling murderous aura that could utterly darken the entire room.

"Wait!" Yuu Tenkuji broke out in a cold sweat and quickly looked around. He realized that everyone else was just watching the show, and now only he could save himself.

But he'd rather wrestle with dinosaurs in the Cretaceous than be stared at by that icy, chilling gaze of the alluring woman in front of him...

"First of all, I still haven't regained my memories—before meeting you all, I didn't even know I had so many girlfriends," he said righteously. "If the system hadn't taken over my memories and separated me from you all, I wouldn't have fallen for other people so easily... If you really knew me, you would understand how principled and persistent I am."

This sounds like an excuse, but it is an undeniable fact.

At the very beginning of the trial, Yuu Tenkuji did not intend to date Iroha Isshiki. He only decided to respond to her feelings in order to solve the mystery and because he felt that as a single man, he did not need to worry so much about having a girlfriend.

As for their relationship blossoming into a deep and inseparable couple, that was a natural progression. Until he forcefully kissed Kasumigaoka Utaha that morning, Tenkuji Yu could even proudly call himself a "good boyfriend with exceptional self-control who would never be unfaithful."

Every case must take into account the current context and actual circumstances.

As it turns out, he was very fickle when he should have been, and very devoted when he should have been. In a subjective sense, he did not betray his lover—even if he kissed Shiyu and the others, that happened after leaving the trial, and it's uncertain whether Ayayu in the current trial world remembers him.

Using such profound principles, coupled with a sincere and aggrieved attitude, Yuu Tenkuji explained for a long time to the older sister who sat on the bed with her elbows crossed and whose smile was chilling.

The two people, the cat, and the bird not far away couldn't help but show expressions of disdain.

"What a mess..."

"Where's the backbone of the harem male lead? He's already such a coward before even regaining his memories. I can't even imagine how low his status will be in the family in the future..."

"Meow……"

"Chirp..."

Only after Yuuki Tenkuji finished saying what he needed to say and stood before her like a prisoner awaiting trial did Yukino Shino lower her hands from her chest, exhale deeply, and lower her beautiful, delicate profile as she fell into deep thought.

"Iroha Isshiki... She's just an insignificant minor character in reality, yet she's gotten so much ahead of us in this world and even monopolized Yu-Yu's time for a whole year..."

It's both enviable and frustrating.

Aside from Yuu Tenkuji, almost everyone present subconsciously had this thought.

After sorting out the situation, Yukinoshita Haruno lifted one eyelid, already a little annoyed: "Besides her? I remember her name is Tachibana Kanade, right? Your other junior, the one who looks small, silly and cute, you didn't make a move on her, did you?"

"No..." Hundreds of time loops, the separation in the piano classroom—these memories resurfaced in Tenkuji Yu's mind, causing him to hesitate and carefully choose his words. "Right? I certainly didn't date Kanade, but I can't say we only had a pure senior-junior relationship. It's a bit complicated to explain..."

"Alright, you don't need to explain anymore."

Yukino raised her hand to stop him, pressed her temples as if in pain, and let out a heavy sigh as she muttered a faint, resentful murmur.

"This damn fate, this damn system, this damn amnesia... If it weren't for all these twists and turns, I would have been living a sweet and happy life with Xiaoyouyou from that day on..."

"There's nothing we can do about it."

Despite feeling just as uncomfortable as she did, Natsukawa Masuzu couldn't help but gloat as she watched Yukinoshita Haruno—the one who was so far ahead of them—wear a mask of pain. She sincerely thanked the fate and system that forced Tenkuji Yuuka to be so fickle, giving them the opportunity to compete with her on the same stage.

"Relax, Ms. Haruno. The so-called love and being loved is a process of constantly getting hurt and then healing." Saying these insincere words that even she herself couldn't be bothered to listen to, Natsukawa Masuzu clasped her hands together and winked in feigned kindness, suggesting, "Or do you want to be like a mature adult, abandon this unsuitable love, and bloom your own wonderful life on another track?"

“Natsukawa Masuzu, I remember everything you did while my memory was still intact.” Yukinoshita Haruno rubbed her face, then suddenly smiled and said to Natsukawa Masuzu in the same friendly tone, “I like making friends and rarely hold grudges because there’s no need—but usually, those who dare to be disrespectful to me don’t end up well. Do you want to try it for yourself?”

"Ugh, what are you talking about? I don't understand." Natsukawa Masuzu fiddled with the silver hair on her cheek, casually shifting her gaze, looking as if it was none of her business.

Yukinoshita was too lazy to deal with this annoying guy who was like a flea. She suppressed her complicated emotions, took a few deep breaths, and glared at Yuuto Tenkuji with annoyance: "I'll settle the score with you when we get back to reality. You'd better figure out how to handle Isshiki and the others' situation before then, otherwise..."

His gaze slowly descended, lingering for a few seconds on the area described as "sexual excess leads to disaster, so cut off for permanent cure." Yukinoshita Haruno revealed a cold, emotionless smile, his silence conveying a thousand words.

"I see."

Despite being so serious and earnest about the matter of being promoted to Grand Eunuch, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but laugh out loud while answering, a pleasant smile playing on his lips.

"What are you laughing at?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked curiously, speaking on behalf of the others who looked puzzled.

"I just thought of something interesting, don't worry about it." Quickly composing herself, Tenkuji Yu shook her head, not uttering the thought that had just popped into her head.

"I have a feeling that this is what a harem is about to take shape. He really likes this atmosphere where everyone who likes him is by his side." Just like how men always have a few unspeakable, sordid fantasies in their hearts, he certainly couldn't let them know these things.

"Never mind, compared to this."