I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Is this guy a sadist?

While inwardly complaining, Tenkuji Yu met her gaze and smiled, saying:

"What if one day I really fall in love with you, and we have a serious relationship? How about that?"

"..."

She was speechless for a long time, then looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Even if it's a joke, please don't make such a terrible joke, okay?"

"What if you're not joking?"

"That would be even worse. I would have to consider breaking up with you now, transferring to another school to start a new life, and finding someone who would never like me as my second fake boyfriend."

Faced with her unyielding attitude, Yuu Tenkuji went a step further and asked:

"What if we end up falling in love with each other? Don't rush to object; this is just a hypothetical scenario—do you really want to leave the person, thing, or situation you've fallen for, no matter what?"

"I……"

It wasn't exactly a question, but it silenced Natsukawa Masuzu.

The two walked quietly down the street, through the shopping district, and into an exceptionally quiet residential area.

As she passed through the park where the laughter had faded into the distance, a sigh finally escaped from between her cherry-colored lips.

"...I don't know, don't ask me."

"Someone like me, who can only survive by lying, doesn't have the luxury of thinking about such things."

Yuu Tenkuji nodded, seemingly unsurprised by her answer.

"Okay, then pretend I didn't say that."

"Tsk, I really don't understand what you're thinking... Oh well, this is what makes it interesting."

Frustrated, she gathered her long hair together, let out a heavy sigh, and then smiled with relief again, unconsciously tightening her grip on his hand.

"To be honest, seeing you chatting happily with those younger people made me very uncomfortable, and the way you seemed to be longing for someone while playing the piano also made me very unhappy... even more unhappy than with Yui-chan that time."

"You're jealous."

"Yes, I'm jealous."

Hmm? So honest?

Tenkuji Yu looked at her in surprise, but saw a mischievous smile in her crescent-shaped eyes.

"So, how are you going to make it up to me? Let me make it clear beforehand, a mere cake won't be enough for me, okay?"

From the shopping street to the upscale residential area, it can be reached in ten minutes without taking the tram.

Standing beneath a luxury apartment building, Natsukawa Masaki looked up at him, a seductive smile curving her lips.

Her fair and delicate face was flushed with a rosy glow, as if it had been sunburned by the setting sun.

"If your girlfriend gets jealous, how far would you go for her? I'm really interested in that, Ayu."

I don't know if it's true or false.

The silver-haired, blue-eyed girl stood in the evening breeze, released his hand, and smiled more brightly than the entire sunset.

"If you can, tell me about your 'ex-girlfriend' while you're at it—if the answer satisfies me, I might give you a reward, depending on the situation."

Smooth, taut thighs, a gently swaying skirt, and above that, the absolute territory.

As if anticipating a reaction, Natsukawa Masuzu watched his expression.

"...Then I won't be polite?"

Tenkuji Yuuya laughed and, without hesitation, reached out and lifted her chin.

This is the optimal solution.

Natsukawa Masaki narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he had realized something, and let out a cold laugh.

"Such practiced movements... You weren't lying to me about your first kiss last time, were you?"

Yuu Tenkuji remained unfazed: "I was the original rented boyfriend. It's less about deception and more about acting, isn't it?"

She continued indignantly, accusingly, "So, you stole my first kiss, you innocent seventeen-year-old girl? How despicable! You're more filthy than a frog's piss!"

That's enough! Just how much does this guy love frog pee?!

Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but twitch her cheek slightly.

"How dare you say such a thing... You were the one who forcibly kissed me back then, just to make a joke, okay?"

"But you can't deny that you lied to me, can you?" Her expression changed again, and Natsukawa Masaki smiled seductively, looking like she had succeeded in her evil scheme.

"Hehehe, I'll write this crime down in my notebook later. Once I collect ten, Ayu will become my pet dog."

"What is something even worse than the Death Note?"

Yuu Tenkuji initially thought this was just her habitual banter, that even in this kind of atmosphere, she could still joke around without a care in the world.

Upon closer inspection, however, he noticed that Natsukawa Masuzu would occasionally slip away from his gaze, swallowing frequently, her blush lingering on her face, and fidgeting with the hem of her skirt with her hands hanging uneasily at her sides.

This is clearly a sign of nervousness.

—Isn't a kiss just the contact of the mucous membranes of lips touching? Why is this guy so nervous now, like a girl about to experience her first kiss?

Of course, Yuu Tenkuji didn't ask that question aloud. Instead, the expression on his face melted into a helpless smile, and before she could react, he lowered his head and kissed those two soft and moist lips.

The temperature was higher than I expected, and it felt stiffer and more unnatural than anything I had experienced before.

"Congratulations, host, you have received the reward: Horsemanship (Master Level)."

"Congratulations, host, you have received the reward: Kissing Skills (Expert Level). (Current quantity: 2)"

"..."

Natsukawa Masaki opened her eyes slightly, stared blankly at him who was so close to her for three or four seconds, and then closed her eyes with an air of complete ease.

Then, she stood there like a wooden sculpture, letting her lips touch and her breath clash against each other, her hair and ears turning a deep red.

While she had her eyes closed, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but smile—

Back then, even if it was their first kiss, those two would take the initiative to respond in some way.

As it turns out, when Natsukawa Masato isn't making jokes, he gets so nervous during kisses that he just stands there and lets her kiss him, almost like he's going to clash his teeth with hers...

That's quite an unexpectedly youthful side of him.

Thinking this with amusement, he placed his hands on her slender shoulders, gently massaging and relaxing her subconsciously tense shoulder blades.

Just as Yuu Tenkuji was about to unleash his "expert" kissing skills, letting this girl who wanted to appear calm and collected experience what a real kiss was like.

A sound suddenly came from afar.

"I didn't expect Ryo to be so bold as to kiss a man in public... If Dad saw this, he would definitely give you a good scolding."

That was a clear, youthful girl's voice.

Natsukawa Masaki suddenly opened her eyes, ignoring the transparent thread that stretched and broke in mid-air, and turned to look behind her.

In a hoarse voice that Tenkuji Yu had never heard before, she murmured in disbelief:

"Mana... what are you doing here?"

△

at the same time.

"My sister is coming again... Can't she just stay at university or at home instead of bothering me at my apartment?"

As she took the elevator downstairs, Yukino Yukinoshita tugged at her coat collar and sighed with a troubled expression.

"It was so hard to finally be independent from home, it's really...sigh."

The card was swiped to open the door, and the dazzling glow of the sunset filled the world, but the shadow of the sunset could no longer be seen in the distance.

The night sky was tinged with a thin, inky darkness, and a bright, round moon hung high above, yet to release its dreamlike radiance.

Yukino looked around but didn't see the familiar figure, so she walked towards the street outside the apartment.

Although it would be more comfortable to wait for her at the apartment, Yukino Yukinoshita decided to take the initiative to avoid her older sister using words like "lazy" to describe her again.

Before she could find Yukino Yukinoshita, she spotted two figures not far away that shouldn't have been there.

"Tenkuji-kun? Natsukawa-kun?"

Yukino Yukinoshita stared wide-eyed, her steps instinctively halting in place.

Before I could even figure out what was going on, I caught a glimpse of familiar shoulder-length curly hair behind a telephone pole not far away.

"...Sister?" She opened her mouth slightly in surprise.

It was just going downstairs to pick someone up, but it feels...

It feels like I've stepped into a world that has nothing to do with me.

Chapter Thirty: Such a Heartless Man (Part Two)

Is it so strange that I'm here?

The petite girl with blonde twin ponytails stood with one hand on her hip, watching the two people's flushed faces with great interest, her gaze focused on Natsukawa Masuzu's expression.

"Liang isn't the only one who transferred to this city. It's not unusual for someone to run into you while taking a walk, isn't it?"

Although I did come here specifically to see you~

As she chuckled, a clear malice flickered in the girl's eyes.

Natsukawa Masaki's expression tightened, and he no longer had his usual ease. Instead, he arched his body as if facing a venomous snake, his natural enemy.

"What's up?"

The girl named Mana gently tossed her blonde hair and said calmly, "I just wanted to come see your boyfriend... I remember it's called Soubu High School, right? You've caused quite a stir at that school, about you and him."

"...So what?"

"You know better than I do, right?" After saying that, Mana stopped looking at Masuzu and instead cast a glance at Tenkuji Yu.

As she approached, she scrutinized him with the same look she would give a product.