I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Huh? What's wrong with me?"

Yuu Tenkuji, who was focused on cooking, didn't hear what they were saying. She sprinkled some seasonings into the pot and looked up in confusion to ask.

Before they could get an answer, the doorbell rang suddenly.

The voice of Ms. Itoko came through as her smart butler, a digital sprite currently residing on the internet, was heard.

The visitors are Isshiki Hatake and Tachibana Kanade. What should we do? (???)

"Iroha and Kanade?"

Yuu Tenkuji raised an eyebrow. After all, neither of them were his girlfriends in real life, so it was really inappropriate for him to attend this Christmas party with its extremely complicated yet inexplicably innocent interpersonal relationships. Therefore, he didn't even send them invitations and planned to chat with them tomorrow morning.

The main topic was Aya's feelings. After all, during the trial, she and he had been lovers for almost a year, and their relationship had long since gone from zero to negative. Even if she didn't remember anything, Tenkuji Yu couldn't easily forget the complex feelings he had for her.

Of course, the most likely scenario is to pretend that nothing happened, maintain the senior-junior relationship until the end, avoid causing trouble or having affairs, and let the memories of that year no longer leave a strong mark.

"Okay, open the door and let them in."

After saying that, Yuya Tenkuji wiped his hands and walked out of the kitchen to greet the guests.

Although there are more women in the house, there has only ever been one man. When an acquaintance suddenly comes to visit, he naturally has to step forward and be responsible for entertaining the guest.

Back in the living room, two beautiful girls wearing winter coats stepped into the room from the hallway, their steps seemingly hurried.

Without much thought, Tenkuji Yu greeted them with a smile.

"Good evening, Aya... Isshiki, Tachibana. What's up so late? Want to come to the Christmas party together?"

"..."

"..."

For some reason, the two female students, one cute and the other charming, were staring at his face with similarly complicated and dazed eyes. They stood straight at the entrance of the living room, as if recalling something, and did not speak for a long time.

Tenkuji Yu tilted her head and looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression.

Sensing the strange shift in the atmosphere, everyone in the living room temporarily put aside their tasks and conversations, observing silently with curiosity in their eyes.

"that……"

"S-Senior!"

Just as Tenkuji Yu had opened his mouth, as if he had chosen the perfect moment, Iroha Isshiki interrupted him in a rather tense voice.

He looked somewhat incredulous, as if he were still in a dream, but the only thing that didn't waver was the pair of brown pupils staring straight into his eyes.

"What's wrong?" He paused for a moment, then smiled knowingly and replied gently, "If you want hot water, there's some over there. Go get some yourself."

"I'll drink the hot water later... no, not this!"

She shook her head vigorously, and her fair face, which had been frozen red by the cold wind outside, seemed to have taken on a different kind of deep rosy hue.

Iroha Isshiki coughed twice, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "You... do you remember that line?"

"Wh-what did you say?"

For some reason, this opening remark gave Yuu Tenkuji a strange and bad feeling, and she really wanted to bring Iroha Isshiki into the room for a heart-to-heart talk.

Whatever she wants to say, at least don't say it in front of everyone.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Today, I was unusually oblivious to the atmosphere and the mischievous junior girls around me. So, with my hands behind my back, ignoring the gazes from everyone else in the living room, I awkwardly whispered those words:

"It's... 'No one can stop me from taking responsibility for you, even if time flows and the world changes, even if I have to be at odds with the whole world - you will always be my treasure alone,' that line."

"..."

Of course, Yuu Tenkuji remembered that these were the sweet words he had said to Iroha Isshiki during their beach date in the trial.

But why... why...?

Even though I smashed the entire system with one blow, why is this shared memory thing still happening?!

"what--!!"

Iroha, whose gaze seemed to wander but was actually watching his every expression like a predator, immediately caught his shifting expressions: surprise, subtlety, and a wry smile, but none of which showed any doubt. Her heart raced, and the boiling blood rushed to her head, dispelling all stiffness and coldness, causing her to involuntarily shout out:

"As expected! It wasn't a dream! Senior, you really are with me..."

"Wait, wait a minute!" Yuu Tenkuji turned around and saw Asuna Yuuki holding a cleaver in one hand and a potato in the other, looking at the commotion with a puzzled expression. "Things might not be as you think. I suggest you calm down first..."

"How could I possibly calm down!" Her bag fell to the ground, and Iroha Isshiki took a fierce step forward, her delicate chest heaving violently beneath her coat. "If that dream and what 'she' said are true, then I...I...I..."

"What are you doing?" Yukino murmured as if repeating a sentence, her slender, white fingertips lightly touching her chin, but her eyes didn't even look at Yuu Tenkuji. "Isshiki-kun, you can just say it directly, no one will blame you."

"Well, it's just..." She stammered for a while, then cupped her flushed cheeks, squatted down and buried her face in her knees. "Aaaaaah, how could I say that?! I'm still a pure high school girl who's never been in a relationship!"

"Really? Even without you saying anything, we can guess what happened from your reaction."

Yukino sighed deeply, her exquisitely sculpted face devoid of expression. She stood up, her hands on her knees, resembling a female warrior about to draw her sword and behead the scumbag, exuding a chilling and murderous aura.

She finally looked at Tenkuji Yu and spoke coldly, her dark blue eyes seeming to hold the weight of an entire winter.

"So, Tenkuji-kun, you have no excuse to make?"

Tenkuji slowly retreated, but then paused, sensing the sharp aura emanating from a female swordsman behind him. Remembering that she was holding a weapon, he forcibly stopped himself and forced a smirk at the girl in front of him.

"Miss Yukino, what do you intend to do to me?"

"Don't worry, I won't use any vigilante justice on you." Miss Yuki-onna smiled emotionlessly. "A family meeting, everyone in attendance... You should be quite happy, right? Mr. Tenkuji, who's afraid of being alone."

"Ha, haha, that's true..."

Hearing footsteps coming downstairs from upstairs, Tenkuji Yuxin felt utterly hopeless and completely gave up the struggle.

He decided to throw caution to the wind and turned to look at Tachibana Kanade, who had remained silent, using the same tone he had used before: "Kanade, what about you? You wouldn't have remembered what happened in the 'dream' either, would you?"

"I……"

Blinking her pale golden eyes, Tachibana Kanade hesitated for a long time before slowly walking up to him.

"I'm not sure what to do, and I don't know where those memories came from... but there's a voice inside me telling me that I can't miss this opportunity again, and I need to examine my own heart carefully."

Her voice was always as light and soft as a feather, and as quiet as a warm spring flowing into the hearts of others.

Facing the unsuspecting Tenkuji Yu, Tachibana Kanade tentatively reached out and hugged him, pressing her head against his chest, her ear close to his thick, hard chest.

No one present spoke or tried to stop it; they simply watched in astonishment as the well-behaved, quiet, and angelically pure and lovely girl took the initiative to hug a man in such an intimate way.

Although at first glance it looks more like a younger sister hugging her older brother and acting cute, or a small pet coming up to be petted to relieve loneliness.

However, this impression completely vanished when Tachibana Kanade, her face slightly flushed, released him but still gently tugged at his clothes.

"A familiar and reassuring heartbeat; I want to keep listening to it."

"Thank you, Yu-senpai... I really like your heartbeat."

Completely excluding everyone around her except him from her own world, she simply and straightforwardly mustered up the courage to tell him her wish.

"Someone told me that after becoming your girlfriend, I would always hear this kind of heartbeat."

"Um... I don't really know much about this kind of thing..."

"Can I be your girlfriend?"

Looking into the girl's clear, pale golden eyes, which seemed to know nothing at all.

Like everyone else present, Yuu Tenkuji's cheek twitched slightly, and he fell into complete silence.

"..."

Well, I'm very happy, really, really happy...

But if you think about it carefully, how many girlfriends do I have now?

Yukino Yukinoshita, Asuna Yuuki, Masuzu Natsukawa, Yukino Yukinoshita, Utaha Kasumigaoka, Yui Yuigahama...

There are six people, and if we add the two in front of us, there will be eight.

When Qiong comes of age, there will probably be nine of them...

Nine people! Even one person a day isn't enough to fill all the slots!

Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but look up at the sky, like a prisoner about to be executed, his expression desolate yet with a touch of nonchalant acceptance.

...Although it's a bit late to say this now.

There aren't many normal non-isekai harem male protagonists as outrageous as him, right?

It's true that rich people can keep two or three mistresses, but even among royalty and nobility, apart from the emperor's harem, no one could openly date nine beautiful girls at the same time like him.

Three women make a drama, five women can keep him incredibly busy, so what if nine women held a family meeting to discuss how to allocate his tasks...?

This is beyond just experiencing pain and pleasure!

Even if he could change the world's perception with the Light Jade and marry them openly, the thought of being stared at by nine equally indifferent eyes, as if silently condemning him as a scumbag who was unsatisfied and unfaithful, or even ten or eleven more, still haunted him.

No, I don't want that kind of thing!

Even if my body can handle it, my mind and spirit can't take it!

A jumble of thoughts flashed through his mind. Meanwhile, the girls in the living room and kitchen had surrounded him. At the same time, the three people coming down from upstairs also saw this "lively scene." After understanding the situation, the chilling murderous aura suddenly intensified, and they also approached him with smiles on their faces.

At this moment, Yuu Tenkuji could only smile helplessly and sigh as he prepared to accept his judgment.

Ultimately, all he could say was, in hindsight, that:

"I really don't want to have another girlfriend..."

△

The countless choices in life determine the final outcome of the story.

If he had made even one wrong step, he probably wouldn't have ended up like this.

Even if any one of the choices is wrong... those regrets and sorrows will still be repeated, right?

However, it's also worth considering it from a different perspective.

It is precisely because of a wrong step, because of a wrong choice, that we have made one mistake after another until we are where we are today, and that we can now welcome an ending where everyone has grown and everyone has the opportunity to be happy.

Whether it's right or wrong doesn't matter.

The important thing is that you stick to the final "choice".

[The End]