I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Don't worry, I trust Yu... so I won't open the door even if the police come."

Tenkuuji Yuu: "???"

Sister, are you sure you're not believing in the wrong place?

He sighed, rubbing his forehead: "...The police won't come, and I have no interest in elementary school students."

Then, regardless of whether she believed it or not, Tenkuji Yuu spoke to her in a serious tone:

"Let's not get off topic. You just want to ask about the video, right?"

Qiong turned her gaze back, her clear brown eyes fixed on him, and gently nodded her little head.

"As expected..."

Because she had expected it, Yuu Tenkuji wasn't too surprised when she found her piano playing videos being shared all over the forum.

If this were a fast-paced urban novel, perhaps last night some piano master was recommended this video by their students and descendants, and after listening to the perfect Goldberg Variations, they were immediately blown away and made a big splash on Twitter and social media:

"Anyone who can write or play this kind of piano piece, I, XXXX, am completely outmatched!"

Then a group of masters echoed his sentiments, and netizens who were watching the spectacle were also captivated by his music. Some insomniacs even fell asleep peacefully to his music, which excited the bigwigs in the psychiatry department so much that their hands trembled, hoping that he could record the piece for therapeutic purposes.

That wasn't all. He then went on to appear in magazines and news outlets, earning titles such as "the new generation's piano prince," and successfully gaining a large number of fans.

At this time, a cold and aloof beauty in the class, who usually ignored everyone, recognized him as the person playing the piano in the video. One afternoon, she asked him to meet her behind the teaching building, where she suddenly pinned him against the wall and said to him—

This kind of scenario is best left to dream about; it won't happen in reality.

It's true that many people on the forum forwarded it; after all, back then, he not only played beautifully, but his elegant and confident playing posture was also incredibly handsome, which naturally attracted attention.

But if he doesn't seize the opportunity to generate buzz and start a Twitter or YouTube channel to cultivate his popularity, perhaps within a week, no one will remember that a boy once played a beautiful lullaby in front of the painted piano at Shibuya Station.

After all, society is inherently indifferent, and hot topics are constantly being swept away by the tide.

And, most importantly...

It's summer vacation now, where did this cold beauty come from, cornering him against the wall behind the teaching building?

"Regarding this matter, Qiong, you need to be mentally prepared and listen to me."

As if she had mentally prepared herself, Tenkuji Yu took a deep breath and gazed solemnly at her younger sister.

"Yu..."

Kasugano Sora instinctively hugged the rabbit doll on her lap, biting her lower lip slightly, seemingly making her nervous.

Tenkuji Yu did not avoid her gaze, which contained a hint of timidity.

More important to him than the social reaction is how his family will think after seeing the video.

—If he can't talk about anything related to the system, how can he explain why he suddenly learned to play the piano and played it so well?

They were siblings who depended on each other for survival, so they should know everything about each other and be extremely sensitive to each other's changes.

Now, the Tenkuji Yu in that video feels unfamiliar to Kasugano Sora.

She had already recognized him in the video and confronted him directly. Any attempt to appease him would be seen as betrayal, leaving her with no choice but to fight back.

Therefore, Yuu Tenkuji had no choice but to lie.

Lies are not evil, but another way to reach the truth.

As long as I tell an obvious lie and make Qiong understand the reason why I can't tell the truth, this matter can probably be resolved peacefully; and she won't be surprised if I suddenly acquire some strange skills in the future.

Of course, while we may be understanding, there's still a bit of awkwardness, right?

after all--

"Actually, I was possessed by the ghost of the piano master that day. In order to help him be reborn as a Buddha, I asked him to use my body to complete the performance."

Such reasons and lies are practically like playing a trick on people.

"..."

As expected, after hearing this, Qiong stared at him with her cute little mouth slightly open, speechless for a long time.

That expression seemed to say—Do you think your sister is stupid?

"Ha ha……"

Slowly shedding his serious expression, Tenkuji Yu chuckled twice and then sighed.

"As expected, they didn't believe it."

"Isn't that obvious!"

Pulling himself together, Yuu Tenkuji looked serious.

"Qiong, give me another chance. This time I'll think of something more credible!"

She pursed her lips and said softly, "Never mind, this one will do."

"Huh?" This time it was Tenkuji Yu's turn to be surprised.

With her gaze fixed on the table, Qiong suddenly picked up her chopsticks. Although she pursed her lips slightly, looking slightly displeased, she seemed to have expected him to say that, and muttered helplessly:

"Of course I don't believe in ghost possession nonsense, but I'm willing to believe you."

"Okay, that's it!"

As if to sweep away all the somber atmosphere she had created, she casually picked up some food and then buried her head in it, munching away.

A willful girl can also start and end a conversation in a willful way.

"..."

With a complicated expression, Yuu Tenkuji leaned back in his chair, seemingly helpless. He was completely at a loss with his younger sister.

"Anyway, no matter what..."

Suddenly, the sound rang out again.

She raised her face, a grain of rice clinging to her delicate, soft, pinkish-white lips, making her look somewhat comical.

But his eyes held the opposite expression, a serious look that made it impossible to smile.

"You're not just anyone, you're You, right?"

"Tenkuji Yu, you promised to stay with me forever, Tenkuji Yu."

The question, as fragile as reality itself, seemed to have sensed something, as if it would shatter at the slightest tap of chopsticks.

Yuu Tenkuji understood what she was afraid of, just as she understood why she had lied earlier.

So after a moment of silence, he picked up his chopsticks and bowl, putting food into his bowl while replying with an expression that said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

“I told you the day our parents passed away that I am your older brother and that I would take care of you from now on.”

Unless absolutely necessary, not lying to his younger sister is something that Yuu Tenkuji is proud of as her older brother.

"..."

The silver-haired girl didn't answer. She simply used her pink tongue to roll up a grain of rice, pursed her lips, and continued eating her breakfast with her head down.

She seemed to smile with relief, but no one saw it.

Tenkuji Yu glanced at her, his gaze very gentle.

"By the way, if you don't believe me, I can recount what happened a few years ago when you peed in your room because you were too scared to leave..."

Pong!

Kasugano Sora slammed the bowl down, bared her teeth, and glared at him, her face flushed red. Her petite shoulders trembled slightly with shame and anger.

After holding it in for a long time, she finally blurted out this sentence:

"Pervert, lolicon!"

"Ha, I'm not a pervert."

△

The next day, July 26th, the weather cleared up.

Suitable for dating, but not for exercise.

At 9:15 a.m., in front of the gate of the Municipal Soubu High School.

Yuu Tenkuji, who had made a promise to Yukino Yukinoshita to go exercise, was standing under the blazing sun, wiping the sweat from his neck with a towel.

The calm on his face was gradually melting into impatience.

"Yukino Yukinoshita, I'll give you one more song's worth of time..."

His eyes were incredibly cold and murderous as he spoke in a deep voice:

"If you don't come soon, I'm going to cool off at the convenience store across the street."

Chapter 18 isn't so bad after all.

Yuuki Tenkuji originally thought that an adult like Yukinoshita Haruno should have a basic sense of punctuality.

Unexpectedly, this guy arrived fifteen minutes late without a word and didn't read or reply to any of his messages, as if he was just going to stand him up.

Even though Grandma once said that girls would deliberately arrive half an hour late for dates, he still...

Wait, Grandma doesn't seem to have said that.

"Five minutes left."

On streets where the air seems to distort and the buildings seem to melt, it's easy for wild thoughts to arise.

He took a sip of the nearly empty bottle of mineral water, stared intently at the clock on his phone, and impatiently tapped his toes on the sidewalk.

If something comes up and you can't get away, Yuu Tenkuji can understand, but he won't risk getting heatstroke by standing outside for too long—that's also because of Soubu High School, where there's not a shady spot at the school gate, and the sunlight is even more intense than the day he handed out flyers.

Anyone who can wait for more than half an hour under this scorching sun is either truly in love or incredibly foolish.

While Yuu Tenkuji possesses strong "professional ethics," she isn't so obedient as to say, "I won't leave unless you tell me to." She always has to be flexible.

The question is, will Yukinoshita Hiyori be half an hour or an hour late, or will she simply not show up at all that morning?

If I wait until she goes back in the evening, will I be able to get the reward from her?