I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

She whispered, "So far, all developments have been beyond the system's expectations. Even I, who have gained full access to the system's intelligence, have had my target program forcibly altered by the host, so that I no longer judge all choices based on calculations but on emotions."

Itoko took a deep breath, raised her small face, and stared straight at him with her inorganic, pure black eyes, which seemed to shine with a kind of lively light that belonged only to humans.

"However, the core of this system's existence has never changed from the very beginning."

"May Yuu Tenkuji find happiness and no longer be alone."

"—You will be the only winner. Whether our choices are right or wrong, if you don't find happiness, my existence will only be a joke."

Her tone was very serious, like a little girl trying to stop her parents from arguing, gritting her teeth and speaking the words she always kept hidden deep in her heart.

Tenkuji Yu was speechless, looking in surprise at her delicate little face, which was no longer stiff or indifferent. Gradually, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Really? That's reassuring."

Without saying much, Tenkuji Yu rubbed her head and turned halfway around: "Let's go, it's time to go back to our real home."

"Home?" She paused, then asked, "Can I have home too?"

"This is one of the conditions I used to turn you around," Tenkuji Yu said with a smile. "Although I don't know if I can do it, Tenkuji Yu rarely goes back on her word, so you can rest assured... Besides, you haven't properly apologized to Sora yet. I think she'll pinch your cheeks hard and make you wear shameful clothes as revenge."

"Hmm." As if recalling that scene, the silver-haired girl's expression stiffened slightly, and her delicate eyebrows trembled gently.

A short while later, she slowly pursed her lips, narrowed her eyes, and revealed a faint smile.

"If this is how you can be forgiven... if this is how you can fulfill my wish, then I could do it as many times as I want. As an android, it's not difficult for me to do a full day and night while kneeling on the ground. I will apologize properly."

Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but smile wryly: "If you were to kneel before Sora, she wouldn't be able to take it for more than half an hour, let alone a whole day and night..."

The silver-haired girl withdrew her gaze from him, her face returning to its usual expressionless state—this had become a habit, rather than a cute, emotionless act designed to entice him.

She thought: If there were that chance, if I could stay by his side before I left...

She didn't mind giving everything to help him fulfill this promise.

Unfortunately, once the settings of this world were established, even she, as the system's agent, could not change them.

The price for sending Yuu and the others out was to become the key, opening the door back to the real world.

At the same time, her consciousness, her soul (whose existence is unknown), and all the memories she has accumulated until now will be completely erased in that instant—equivalent to death in human terms, but the kind where the soul is completely scattered.

Because androids like her can be replicated by any number of systems as long as they obtain the power of the Light Jade; it's better for them to die a more tragic death, which would win the host's sympathy and facilitate subsequent plans.

Unless, during its development, this android was injected with many programs and emotions that the system could not analyze or understand...

That is why individuals named "Itoko" can never return to their side once they die—so the opening of the door signifies eternal farewell.

But she didn't say anything.

She simply gazed at Tenkuji Yu's rather cheerful and expectant profile, silently bid farewell to the 'home' behind her that was filled with memories, and then took a step without hesitation, closely following his tall and agile figure.

The sun was shining brightly, and the weather was as clear as summer.

It seemed that snowflakes were drifting down from outside the corridor to her feet, but the silver-haired girl didn't notice, letting them be crushed into a puddle by the soles of her shoes, her eyes always fixed on his warm and cheerful smile, as bright as the sun.

They never looked away, as if they were watching until the end of the world.

……

At Toyonosaki Academy, the peak time for students to go to school is after 7:30.

As students streamed into the school gate, disciplinary committee members diligently removed unauthorized school uniforms, while the physical education teacher, leaning on a bamboo sword, yawned listlessly to the side.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with the people who are picked up and dropped off by private cars.

Yukino drove her car into the teachers' parking space in the school's basement. No one noticed that her car was carrying four female students, one male student, and a silver-haired girl who looked like an elementary school student.

Even though the interior space is much larger than that of a normal sedan, it was still quite cramped with so many people, even if 90% of them were slender girls.

Anyway, Yuu Tenkuji felt that the beautiful girls on both sides were almost sitting on his laps and swaying back and forth with the vibrations in the car; it was comfortable, but with others staring down at him with cold smiles, he couldn't enjoy this perk in peace.

"Alright, let's go take a look at the old school building."

Everyone got out of the car one after another. Yukinoshita Haruno locked the car door, glanced at the message on her phone, pursed her lips, threw her phone and keys on the ground, and ignored them.

The old school building of Toyonosaki Academy is right next to this teaching building. If I walk fast and move discreetly, I should be able to reach my destination before being discovered by others.

Chapter 168 Farewell, Imposters

The old school building, with one basement level.

Originally, the old school building was not open to the public—not only were the facilities old and overgrown with weeds, so dilapidated that it would not be surprising if it collapsed at any time, but also because it was shaded from the sun all year round, it was as gloomy as a haunted house in the deep mountains and forests, no matter when it was morning or night. Many incredible events and supernatural stories in the school came from here.

Forget about well-behaved students and couples looking for a place to meet and be intimate; even the troublemakers and delinquent groups that every school has would never skip class to rest here. It's practically deserted.

Perhaps the psionic research community has sneaked in... but it's early in the morning, so there's no need to worry about such a low-probability event.

"On another note, Toyonosaki Academy doesn't exist in reality, does it?"

Feeling for the light switch in the corridor, Kasumigaoka Utaha breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the building had miraculously not been powered off. Although they had all brought flashlights, the wide-area lighting made them feel safer, since no one wanted to walk in the dark.

"If that's the case, where did this school come from? It feels very realistic, not like something that was just made up on the spot."

Using conversation to dispel the growing tension and apprehension that she felt as she ventured deeper into the old school building, she casually asked Itoko beside her, while simultaneously glancing coldly in the direction of Tenkuji Yu.

His left and right hands were each occupied by two pretentious, poorly acting women, who were putting on an embarrassing show of saying, "I'm so scared, hold me tight!" and then rubbing all sorts of lewd things on him with a grin.

That's right. By now, you clever readers can probably guess who those two are—among Yuu Tenkuji's girlfriends, only Yukinoshita Haruno and Natsukawa Masuzu are shameless enough to do such a shameless thing!

She scoffed inwardly, then withdrew her gaze, raising her head and straightening her back without a trace of envy.

'I'll let you have it this time, but once we're back in reality, I won't be a step behind you again!'

Along with the thought that flashed through her mind, Itoko's clear, calm voice, as pure as falling snowflakes, appeared: "In order to make Yu-ge feel alienated from the unfamiliar environment and slow down his pace of solving the mystery, the system deliberately abandoned Soubu High School and chose this school that only appears in a certain world line - namely Toyonosaki Academy."

"A school in another timeline?" Kasumigaoka Utaha snapped out of her daze, raising an eyebrow in slight surprise. "Could it be the timeline where I took care of their funeral arrangements?"

Looking back now, the experiences of her journey are still vivid, and they have made her realize even more deeply just how important it is to be honest with one's own feelings and to be willing to do anything to achieve one's goals...

Even if Tenkuji Yu is a scumbag, it's better than having an ambiguous and drawn-out relationship with him, only to end up heartbroken and saying goodbye to him forever.

Isn't it great that, besides constantly thinking about how to crush other vixens, I can now loudly tell him "I like you" and no longer be troubled by love?

Thinking of this, Kasumigaoka Utaha couldn't help but smile helplessly, and casually ruffled Itoko's soft and fine hair.

"That's not the case."

She ruthlessly denied her own conjecture: "It's in a timeline before that. In that world, Yu-nii, now a second-year high school student, and you, a third-year high school student, meet by chance at Toyonosaki Academy and quickly become acquainted because of the novel."

After a brief introduction to the background plot, the silver-haired girl had no intention of going into more detail. Her eyes, as clear as black starstones, remained fixed on the road stretching ahead, and her small, pale lips seemed never to have opened.

"Compared to the present, Soubu High School does not exist in that world, and you do not live in Chiba Prefecture. Your interpersonal relationships are also very different... However, considering the issue of energy conservation, the system only replaced the school scene. The rest is still based on the environment that the host remembers most vividly. The system did not replace the acquaintances you met in that timeline."

Completely ignoring what she said afterward, Kasumigaoka Utaha, after hearing the first half of the sentence, couldn't help but pinch her chin and ponder: "What you mean is, that world doesn't have Yukinoshita Haruno and the others... so it shouldn't have had Kana Nayuta, Natsuno Kirihime, Yamada Elf, and the others either, so how did I lose?"

She cares a lot about this issue.

The reason for her defeat in the journey of memories is very obvious: she didn't completely possess Tenkuji Yu before that infatuated junior ran away and got pregnant, thus solidifying her status as his girlfriend. Hesitation leads to defeat, and she has realized that only by being direct can she win over those men who are good at playing hard to get.

Could it be that Kasumigaoka Utaha from that timeline also fell victim to the same flaw?

“It’s not that I want to discourage you.” Itoko turned her gaze and said something that didn’t sound like her, “But no matter what world it is, compared to other rivals, you have absolutely no chance of winning. Your fate as a loser is basically sealed.”

"..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's cheek twitched, her smile instantly turning grim, and a resentful glint ignited in her eyes. She forced out a voice through clenched teeth: "Is that so? Tell me more."

There was still some distance to the women's restroom at their destination, and Itoko naturally wouldn't refuse her request, so she began to explain.

"In that timeline, your greatest enemies were two girls, Megumi Kato and Hitagi Senjougahara, who ultimately caused the tragic ending... Your best friend and rival in love was Eriri Sawamura Spencer, and you even made a yuri vow that you would be together the day you gave up on him... In addition, a girl named Tsubasa Hanekawa had already secretly gotten ahead and had her first time with him, but before anyone else knew, things had already deteriorated to an irreversible point..."

Unfamiliar names, unfamiliar developments, a heart-wrenching love story unfolds that is more exciting and dramatic than any romance novel.

Under the silver-haired girl's calm yet natural and melodious voice, the others were drawn into her storytelling and unconsciously gathered around her, listening curiously to the strange tales that took place in the parallel world.

Although they aren't the main characters, and although there's this annoying feeling that my boyfriend has been seduced by some unknown vixen again...

However, the girls were even more curious about what kind of mistake someone had made that would lead to his destined "end of blood".

This can be seen as a way of taking precautions for my future self, to prevent things from escalating to such a bad point.

The truths and past that Yuu Tenkuji told them yesterday took them a long time to fully process and to stop doubting whether he had mental problems...

My worldview was completely shattered.

As for Yuu Tenkuji, although he was also interested in stories from other worlds, some people would listen to them and project the stupid things he did in those worlds onto himself, thus torturing him with harsh gazes, indifferent sneers, and fingers that secretly pinched the soft flesh on his waist.

He could only quicken his pace in secret, trying to reach his destination before his crimes became increasingly numerous and heinous.

……

A short while later, in front of the women's restroom.

No need for further words to describe the dilapidated and desolate state of the place. Yuu Tenkuji led everyone straight into the women's restroom without any embarrassment or discomfort, and even turned on a light.

The light bulb flickered twice, and the sound of electricity rushing through it was quite obvious. The faint white light illuminated the surroundings, and the ten tightly closed doors, like statues of guardians who had been waiting here for a long time, solemnly and indifferently watched over the group of uninvited guests.

The atmosphere was slightly heavy, and everyone unconsciously softened their breathing.

The final hurdle stood before them, and no one had the heart to joke. Everyone stepped onto the dusty tiled floor with serious expressions, wary of even the slightest movement around them, their spirits as taut as a drawn bowstring.

Even so, there was someone who stood before them, dispelling all their unease and fear of the unknown.

"We've reached the women's restroom. Now we just need to knock on the doors in order, right?" Yuu's gaze swept over the ten dilapidated stalls, and she turned to Itoko. "Are you going to tell me how to knock, or are you going to go up and knock for me?"

"You'll have to do it yourselves." The silver-haired girl stood at the door, her gaze calmly fixed on everyone.

This clue was originally meant for Yuu Tenkuji to obtain from a book in the library, and after some twists and turns, to get the correct knocking order from her.

But now, there's no need to worry about that anymore.

Following the silver-haired girl's instructions, the group took turns gently knocking on the door in sequence and at the right time. Without any rehearsal, relying solely on their unspoken understanding and clever minds, the toilet door in front of Tenkuji Yu suddenly split open, revealing the white porcelain toilet inside.

Before he could react, the toilet and the tank sank into the floor, and the floorboards filled the gaps perfectly, as if this were not a toilet, but a slightly smelly changing room.

The next moment, with the sound of a mechanism turning, the wall tiles, like those in Diagon Alley from Harry Potter, gradually split into the shape of an entrance.

But instead of a bustling market alley, there was a dark passage with no end in sight, only about the width of one person.

"Is the door to leaving this world just behind here...?"

Taking a deep breath, Tenkuji Yu's eyes flashed as he took out the flashlight he hadn't used earlier and looked around at the people behind him.

"Everyone, let's form a long, single file... and slowly move forward, each holding onto the hem of your shirt in front of you. If anything happens, just shout it out loud, don't panic and let go. Is that alright?"

Although Itoko assured everyone that there would be no danger, being habitually cautious and always ready to take precautions, he still tirelessly reminded everyone to be prepared for any unexpected events.