I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Tenkuji Yu shrugged, too lazy to refute Yuki-onna's disdain.

Seemingly finding the scene before her quite amusing, Natsukawa Masaki slightly raised the corners of her mouth, her fingers lightly twirling strands of silver hair, naturally revealing a smile.

"There's nothing I can do. After all, only Tenkuji-kun can probably help me with this."

Chapter Eleven: What are you standing there for? Clap your hands! (26/27)

"Appreciate further details."

After thinking for a moment, Natsukawa Masuzu decided to use this sentence as her opening line: "Yukinoshita-san, you should understand what it feels like to be too popular, right?"

"Being harassed by self-righteous members of the opposite sex, being ostracized by same-sex individuals for doing nothing, and subjected to varying degrees of gossip and strange looks every day, with everyone's hormones raging and their brains racing, unable to think of anything other than 'who likes whom'... Heh, why don't you all just die? Wouldn't you be able to fall in love without any restraint in hell? Go strip naked and commit suicide for love, you bunch of love-struck fools!"

"Natsukawa-kun, your negative energy is overflowing, isn't it?" After she finished muttering to herself, Tenkuji Yu kindly reminded her.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Natsukawa Masaki coughed twice, his overly gloomy expression vanishing, replaced by a bright smile.

"However, since Tenkuji-kun trusts everyone so much, it shouldn't be a problem if my true nature is revealed a little bit, right?"

"I don't care." As she said this, Yukino Yukinoshita pressed her brow, closed her eyes slightly, and sighed, "But Tenkuji-kun, the people you know... are all quite unique, just like you."

Tenkuji Yu glanced at her sideways: "She's your classmate, don't try to shift the blame onto me."

Yui Yuigahama tugged at his sleeve, moved a chair next to him, and whispered, "Such a strong resentment... Does Natsukawa-san have some kind of trauma related to love?"

"Don't ask me, I only found out now that she hates being in a relationship to this extent."

Tenkuji Yuu looked up at Natsukawa Masaki and received a flirtatious wink from her.

Seeing this, Yui Yuigahama felt as if something she had been pursuing for a long time was suddenly being coveted by someone else. She involuntarily puffed out her cheeks and, not knowing where the courage came from, moved her fingers to his wrist.

"Yuhihama?"

She casually turned her face away, her ears turning red, but she made no attempt to distance herself.

Feeling the slight trembling of fingertips under the table, Yuu Tenkuji did not shake it off. After a soft sigh, he pretended not to notice and met the amused gaze of Masaki Natsukawa.

“I understand the feeling you’re describing.” Yukino Yukinoshita looked at Natsukawa Masuzu sitting in front of her, as if she had found a rare companion, and a smile appeared on her face. “That’s right, rather than being admired by others, it’s better to quietly climb upwards until you reach the top that no one can see…”

Natsukawa Masuzu interrupted her: "Sorry, I haven't thought that far ahead. It's fine to be fawned over, as long as it doesn't disgust me."

Yukino Yukinoshita opened her mouth: "...I see."

puff!

Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but laugh, and in doing so, he used the act of covering his mouth to break free from Yui Yuigahama's hand.

Yukino Yukinoshita glared at him, but when she looked back at Masuzu Natsukawa, the heat in her eyes subsided, and she said calmly, "So what? Your problem is that you're too popular?"

"To put it simply, not only do I get confessed to almost every day, but boys from other classes and older students also come to watch me like I'm a koala. There are even silly bets about who will date me. It's really not a good thing at all."

After listing a long list of complaints as if they were his own treasures, Natsukawa Masuzu sighed, "On the other hand, I'm really envious of Yukinoshita-san... I haven't seen anyone confess to you this month."

Before she could speak, Tenkuji Yu interrupted, suppressing a laugh: "Because everyone knows she's not someone to mess with, who would confess their love to an ice sculpture?"

"Tenkuji-kun, if you can't speak properly, could you please shut up or be reincarnated?"

Even though the setting sun outside the window was warm, the ice sculpture was still radiating coldness with all its might, until Yuu Tenkuji closed her mouth and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"...And then, Natsukawa-kun, that guy with the nasty personality and foul mouth was right about what he said earlier. It's precisely because I've shown a firm attitude of 'Don't confess to me, I'm not interested in dating' since I enrolled that I've been able to gradually distance myself from that circle, so that I'm no longer seen as a target or the subject of gossip."

Ignoring the person who was causing the disturbance, Yukino Yukinoshita gave her advice very seriously: "You are a transfer student. Without knowing you, shallow men will naturally confess to you with the idea of ​​trying. So as long as you clearly express your rejection and do not have any ambiguous interactions with anyone, over time you will reach a consensus with those around you that 'don't bother you,' and you will naturally stay away from the trouble of being too popular."

Natsukawa Masuzu's eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised. "They actually gave an opinion, and it even seems quite reasonable..."

“I never joke when it comes to serious matters.” Yukino Yukinoshita smiled slightly, tossing her long hair over her shoulder with a hint of pride. “As for reason, I naturally stand on the side of what is right.”

Yuu Tenkuji looked like he deeply agreed and started clapping: "Clap your hands! What are you standing there for, Yuihama? Clap your hands!"

"Huh? Oh..."

Yui Yuigahama looked bewildered and clapped along with Yuu Tenkuji in a daze.

The classroom echoed with the crisp sound of applause.

And so her once proud and bright little face returned to its previous gloomy and cold appearance.

"...Tenkuji-kun, you are about ten times more repulsive than usual today."

"I just wanted you to know that the right way isn't necessarily the same way." The applause stopped, and Tenkuji Yuu looked at Natsukawa Masuzu. "Natsukawa-san, have you decided to take her opinion into consideration?"

When Natsukawa Masaki met his gaze, for some reason, he felt like he was being used by him.

However, as long as she could achieve her goal, the process didn't matter—she quickly dismissed the thought and shook her head in reply:

"It's a good suggestion, but it's too time-consuming, and I'm not like Yukinoshita, who's used to dealing with people with a cold face."

On ordinary days, Natsukawa Masuzu is a model student in the eyes of teachers and a quiet young lady in the eyes of students. She is not exactly the opposite of Yukino Yukinoshita, but they are still very different.

Perhaps it was because she was much more approachable than others that she was more popular among the boys than Yukino Yukinoshita, and she received so many confessions of love after only a month of being there.

Asking her to imitate Yukino Yukinoshita would be too time-consuming and would require changing her own way of dealing with people, which is far too troublesome.

"I didn't give anyone the cold shoulder..."

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned, just as she was about to clarify things for herself, but Natsukawa Masuzu spoke up again.

"I'm sorry for not saying this beforehand. Please blame Tenkuji-kun over there... Actually."

Her voice suddenly deepened, her head slightly lowered, and her tone carried a hint of the vicissitudes and composure of an elder brother.

"When the thought 'find a way to prevent future problems' came to mind, my action was already complete!"

After saying that, the girl smiled, seemingly very pleased with herself for cleverly using a meme.

And in fact...

Because only Tenkuji Yu could understand what she was saying, the other two were looking at her with puzzled expressions, and Tenkuji Yu felt embarrassed for her.

"You've already completed the operation? What does that mean?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

If the operation has already been completed, why would you need to request a service department to do so?

Chapter Twelve: What's fake can't become real! (27/27)

"That's not quite accurate. I was called here by someone to seek help from the 'Service Department' when the operation was about to be completed."

Natsukawa Masaki finished speaking with a smile.

Following her gaze, everyone looked at Tenkuji Yu.

“If no one else has any good suggestions that you can accept, I’ll grant your request.” He nodded, agreeing with her. “If they do, you won’t have to force yourself to do that kind of thing. Isn’t that much better than what you did before?”

Natsukawa Masaki sighed and honestly lowered her head: "Although I really don't want to admit it, you are right... I was inconsiderate before."

Even though her tone was sincere, Yuu Tenkuji could tell that she wasn't being honest and seemed to have no intention of reflecting on her actions.

"What are your requirements?" With a vague sense of unease, Yui Yuigahama asked tentatively.

On the other side, Yukino Yukinoshita, whose displeasure was practically written all over her face, slowly took a breath and spoke in an icy tone:

"So, you actually already agreed on the details of the commission, but you came to the Service Department to ask us for better advice?"

“That’s right, exactly.” Meeting that sharp gaze, Tenkuji Yu said frankly, “If you can offer better suggestions, then this is just an ordinary request.”

"Unfortunately, since you can't satisfy the client, I'll have to help her resolve her current predicament according to the pre-agreed terms... Choosing the best and eliminating the worst is the right approach, isn't it?"

"..."

Yukino Yukinoshita bit her lips until they turned white, clenching her fists on her knees, but she couldn't utter a word in rebuttal.

Rather than choosing the most correct option, the delegate chose the most suitable one...

Choosing the approach that best suits oneself and discarding the opinions of others who genuinely care but don't intend to adopt them is undoubtedly the right thing to do.

He blocked all avenues for rebuttal, and the decision to make all of this was not made by the two of them, but by the client—Natsukawa Masuzu.

Yukino Yukinoshita could only admit that if this request was considered a competition, she had already lost to Yuu Tenkuji, who had brought the referee into the arena.

Losing is losing, there's really nothing to care about—she's not the kind of person who has to succeed at everything, and although she rarely fails, she's never afraid of failure.

As long as we win it back next time, that's fine.

Yukino Yukinoshita's intelligence lies in her willingness to admit her mistakes and her ability to learn from them.

—But I'm really angry.

Seeing his face makes me angry, hearing his lecturing tone makes me angry, and being righteously and forcefully suppressed makes me angry!

Even though I kept telling myself not to argue with that kind of person, my resentment and anger were still bubbling up like lava, and my chest felt tight and swollen with anger.

Undoubtedly, Yukino Yukinoshita was extremely angry; her face was icy cold, and her voice was equally chilling.

"...Is that so? Then I'll leave it to you to handle."

After saying that, she lowered her head and opened the book again, seemingly too lazy to pay attention to them.

Although he looked like he was sulking, he at least managed to maintain his dignity as the head of the service club.

Tenkuji Yu shrugged, feeling little pleasure at achieving her goal, and turned to look at Yuigahama Yui.

"Her request was simple: she just wanted me to be her fake boyfriend and block those people's confessions."

Yui Yuigahama nodded: "I see, that's really simple..."

Then she slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly, exclaiming in disbelief, "Fake, fake, fake, fake, fake boyfriend?! No way! Absolutely not!"

She was so excited that her lips were trembling and her heels were pounding the ground anxiously.

Natsukawa Masaki tilted her head, hiding her smile, and asked with feigned confusion, "Why not? This... Yuihama-san?"

“Because…because…” Yui Yuigahama’s face flushed with panic as she racked her brains for an explanation, “They might actually fall in love! That’s right, that’s how it’s always portrayed on TV. Two people who are mistaken for boyfriend and girlfriend by chance end up falling in love with each other…”

Natsukawa Masuzu blinked: "That's perfect! Tenkuji-kun is a great investment; if we seize the opportunity now, we definitely won't lose out later~"

Yui Yuigahama's eyes widened even more: "W-Didn't you just say you hated romance?!"

"It's true that I hate it, so I lied."

Natsukawa Masaki's tone turned serious, and her innocent expression vanished instantly.

She stared at Yui Yuigahama, a faint flame flickering in her icy, transparent eyes.