I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

I really don't want to have a girlfriend anymore. (Author: A Passing-by Middle School Teenager)

"Hello, have you ever been in a romantic relationship?"

"Of course not." Tenkuji Yu shook his head. "I've never had a girlfriend. If you don't believe me, ask my system. I'll admit defeat if anyone has any memories of being my girlfriend."

"Then who are they...?"

Tenkuji Yu turned his head and saw Yukino Yukinoshita, Asuna Yuuki, Masuzu Natsukawa, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Utaha Kasumigaoka walking over, all with expressions that said they wanted to settle scores with him.

"Little Youyou, I've remembered that you left me at the hotel without my permission."

"Yu-kun, I've said it before—I won't forget, I'll definitely remember you, and I'll never forgive you!"

"Ayu, lovers can be hit by three pages of Euler... Are you ready?"

"Tenkuji-kun, until I propose breaking up, we will still be boyfriend and girlfriend."

"The female lead has amnesia, the male lead leaves... I don't like this kind of clichéd, stomach-churning plot, Yoyo-kun."

"...Something's not right with you."

Tenkuji Yu appears calm on the surface, but is inwardly panicked and preparing to escape.

"System, you damn well better come out here and explain yourself!"

"Meow."

(The description is subject to change; please refer to the content for the most accurate information.)

(Keywords: harem, You thought he was your boyfriend? No, I was here first!)

Chapter One: The Belated System

"Hello, please take a look..."

Under the scorching July sun, Yuu Tenkuji was handing out flyers for a newly opened barbecue restaurant nearby, sweating profusely but still smiling broadly.

Unfortunately, when it comes to handing out flyers, it's not about how friendly you smile or how disheveled you look; it's about how well you can distribute the flyers.

On the streets of Tokyo, people walked past him, oblivious to his bowing posture; the leaflets were extended and retracted, like a wooden sword constantly swung into empty air, yet the slightest breeze couldn't stir up any coolness.

Only a small number of good people, and a few who are genuinely interested in barbecue, or just want to take the flyers home to fold and play with, will pick up a few.

Knowing this all along, Tenkuji Yuzakura did not complain or feel indignant. He simply repeated the same actions, making the smile on his face stiffen into a mask, and diligently completed the job.

Two hours passed, a bottle of water was finished, but half a stack of flyers remained in his hand.

"Phew... If I were even less shameless and dressed in women's clothes to hand out flyers, I don't believe I wouldn't be able to get these things out!"

While muttering that he would never do such a thing, Yuu Tenkuji wiped his sweat, went to the convenience store next door and bought a bottle of ice water. He gulped down half of the bottle while enjoying the air conditioning inside, trying to relieve the burning pain in his throat.

If we don't rest soon, we'll get heatstroke.

Yuu Tenkuji planned to drink the remaining half bottle of water slowly during the rest of her workday. She then put the cap back on, rested for a while, and then walked out of the convenience store again, passing through heaven and entering hell once more.

Temporary workers are not prohibited from taking breaks, but if they take too long of breaks, they will be watched by supervisors and may even have their already low hourly wages reduced.

Fortunately, he wasn't required to hand out all the flyers, just to complete a set number of hours—otherwise, he probably would have had to stand there until tomorrow.

4:30 PM.

The clouds happened to cast a shadow, and the weather was finally a little cooler than the afternoon heat.

Yuu Tenkuji received his wages for the day from the overseer. After tax, it was four thousand yen, enough for one person to live on for two or three days if he was frugal.

Unfortunately, he has a younger sister to support, so this hourly wage is just a drop in the bucket.

However, its advantage lies in the ability to receive the cash on the same day.

"It's better than nothing, I suppose."

After putting the banknotes into her purse, Yuu Tenkuji sighed softly.

If the coffee shop where he usually works hadn't been under renovation, he wouldn't have needed to come out and take on extra work; he almost got sunburned to a crisp under the scorching sun.

To make a living, those who lack ability always have to make some compromises.

Although the family's money was enough for the time being, he didn't want to touch the last bit of money that he and his sister had saved for unnecessary expenses. There was no other way; he couldn't write novels, he couldn't draw comics, and he had no capital for investments, so he could only come here to work.

Watching the carefree high school students laughing and joking by, Yuu Tenkuji simply pursed his lips, then headed towards the station with the flyers he hadn't finished handing out.

He boarded the tram and, after a half-hour journey, returned to his residential area, far from the neon lights.

The clean streets were peaceful and serene, and the rustling of green leaves was clear and pleasant.

There weren't many pedestrians around, and occasionally a bicycle would leisurely pass by, its tires rolling away amidst the exaggerated laughter of variety shows, disappearing in a flash on the convex lens at the street corner.

The monotony of day after day can give one the feeling of slowly walking towards death—but Yuu Tenkuji doesn't seem to feel much about it.

He just wanted to live an easy life and incidentally support his lazy little sister, that's all.

"Ok?"

He suddenly stopped, looking somewhat surprised.

There was a cardboard box under the streetlight. It wasn't there yesterday.

Just like a scene that has appeared in many comics, the cardboard box has the words "Please adopt me" written on it. Inside the box is a small blanket, a metal bowl filled with water, and a gray-spotted kitten that looks very listless.

Seemingly exhausted from being exposed to the sun, yet unable to climb out of the cardboard box to find a shady spot, the kitten lay in the corner of the box, its limbs weakly forming a "ko" shape.

Yuu Tenkuji looked around and, unfortunately, there was nowhere nearby to find shade.

If he moves the cardboard box to a more distant place and happens to be seen by the neighborhood gossips, then the news of him releasing the kitten will probably spread throughout the entire town by tomorrow.

He can't bring her home to raise... mainly because he can't afford it. Raising a little sister is already exhausting enough for him, and he can't ruin their lives because of a moment of affection.

It's even less likely that they would call the environmental protection team to come and take it away; that would only lead to its premature euthanasia.

In this land, people generally have an indifferent attitude towards stray animals, and there is more than just one stray cat in front of you—Tenkuji Yu, who stops and ponders in distress because of this, is actually an anomaly.

Ignoring it would be the smartest choice, but Yuu Tenkuji glanced at the flyers in her hand, then folded the stack of flyers into the shape of a roof and draped them over the cardboard box, creating a shadow.

He doesn't have many strengths, but he's good with his hands, and the remaining flyers are just enough to piece together a decent-looking roof.

It should provide some shade from the sun.

"Meow, you must live on strongly until you find a new owner."

He whispered something to the kitten that listlessly raised its eyes, and then Yuu Tenkuji stood up, his sweatshirt already soaked with sweat.

The clouds dispersed, and the sunlight became a little stronger—playing origami under the sun wasn't a good idea, and my mouth started to feel dry again.

Without any hesitation, Yuu Tenkuji left the street lamp with the cardboard box and headed home.

The barley tea in the fridge must still be there, right?

Thinking of this, my steps couldn't help but be filled with a little more anticipation.

As they reached the corner, Yuu Tenkuji brushed past a woman.

The other person seemed to be wearing perfume; a fresh and delicate fragrance wafted past my nose.

He didn't look at her face, only that she had shoulder-length black hair, her clothes were probably some kind of designer brand, and she walked with the air of a powerful businesswoman.

Determined and confident, she handles any difficulty with ease.

"Hmph, hmph~"

As the gentle breeze blew by, she hummed a song softly, the lazy and pleasant melody as clear as snow melting in the sunlight.

Subconsciously, Yuu Tenkuji turned around and glanced at the other person's back.

'It must be very pretty.'

Thinking this, but having no intention of striking up a conversation with the other person, he quickly looked away and walked toward the two-story detached house not far away.

……

"Boyfriend system binding in progress... Binding complete."

"Host: Yuu Tenkuji"

"Target: Yukino Yukinoshita".

"Instructions: Please go to the Hachiko statue in Shibuya Station Plaza at 2 PM on July 24th to meet the target and start the mission."

"After the mission is started, the host will 'reasonably' become the target boyfriend, and rewards will be provided based on the host's performance during the process."

"Once the target develops feelings for the host and genuinely considers the host as her boyfriend, the mission will end, and the next target will be arranged according to the host's interpersonal relationships."

"After the mission is over, the memories of being the boyfriend will be erased from the target's mind. What happened will not disappear, but will be replaced with a reasonable explanation."

"Warning: This task will not change the affinity between the target and the host. Please make your own efforts to build a good relationship with the target."

……

Yuu Tenkuji, who had just touched the doorknob, froze on the spot when he saw the line of words that appeared in front of him.

Chapter Two: My Family Has a Younger Sister Named Qiong

Since her parents passed away, this house has been the most valuable asset in Yuu Tenkuji's possession.

Of course, selling it might make a fortune and allow him to live a luxurious life for a while—but Yuu Tenkuji isn't that foolish.

Putting aside the issue of short-sightedness, the importance of family is clearly far greater than money.

Moreover, although his family was in a tight financial situation, they were not so poor that they needed to sell their assets.

Yuu Tenkuji is used to planning for the future, which is why he always feels that his family is short of money and he has to work hard to make ends meet... Even though his sister is a shut-in and has no intention of going to school, Yuu Tenkuji is already saving up for her high school and even college tuition.

He wouldn't dare relax unless there were several million in the accounts.

"Could this thing have suddenly appeared so that I wouldn't have to go and live off a rich woman...?"

After studying it and figuring out what this so-called system was all about, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Simply put, it's the "rent-a-lover" concept that's been popular lately, right?

Pretending to be a boyfriend for some purpose, only the platform has changed from the internet to a mysterious system, and the reward has changed from money to something else?

Since the system wouldn't answer his questions and the mission hadn't started yet, he could only draw these conclusions from the limited information available, and the rest was all a mystery to him.