I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Feeling like he was seeing another side of Yukino Yukinoshita, Yuu Soraji found it interesting, but he didn't forget the decision he had made not long ago.

As he took all the balls out of the bag and put them back on the table, he spoke to her in a relaxed and natural tone, as if chatting with a friend:

"Hey, have you never really lost since you were a kid?"

"Ok?"

As if gazing blankly into the empty distance, Yukinoshita Haruno shifted her gaze to him again, responding listlessly.

"It's not that we haven't done anything, it's that we've never lost at all."

"That's amazing?"

"Of course~" She swung her smooth legs under her athletic shorts and said in a flat tone, "Don't look at how badly I lost these two times. From childhood to adulthood, I've never gotten second place in any exam or competition."

"Let alone younger or peers, even those with more experience and practice than me, as long as I'm willing to spend more time studying, I can at least keep up, even if I can't surpass them."

As if recalling a bunch of trivial things, Yukinoshita Haruno shrugged and looked at him with feigned ease.

"So, this is the first time I've ever experienced such a huge sense of frustration."

"Finally, I can empathize with you. I'm crying, so this is what it feels like to be weak."

After hesitating for a moment, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but say it:

"You're really annoying."

“Same here~” Yukino Yukinoshita laughed twice, but there was little laughter in her eyes, only a calm indifference that she had long since accepted everything.

"I'm not stupid, I wouldn't say that in front of other people."

"Geniuses may be envied, ostracized, and persecuted, but at most, they are just incapable of controlling others with their own abilities."

"So, I won't rely on my talent and outstanding beauty to stand smugly at the top, okay?"

"—Such a person will be blown away by the strong wind sooner or later, and his body will be smashed to pieces."

One moment she proudly raises her chin, the next she lowers her eyes in deep contemplation; her expressions are as varied and captivating as a changing face, leaving the viewer breathless.

Finally, Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her lips and concluded with a sneer:

"A person who doesn't even understand this principle is only at that level at best."

Yuu Tenkuji knew who she was talking about; it was that classmate he had never met—Yukino Yukinoshita.

Yukinoshita seems to have a deep obsession with her younger sister, as she frequently brings up her in normal conversations, and it's usually not in a good way.

It's like venting some emotion that one dares not express.

For Yukino Yukinoshita, Yuu Tenkuji is a rented boyfriend—a stranger with whom she has no further contact after a week if she doesn't renew the contract. Only then can she freely show him her annoying side and the side that constantly criticizes her sister.

Their relationship is a lie that can end at any time, and everything built upon it can be wiped out the moment the lie ends.

This is why the sun shines so brightly under the snow.

"Um……"

As if drawn by something, Tenkuji Yu scrutinized her profile.

Mature and radiant, refined and beautiful.

Just like the heavy snow that buried Hachimanpo in winter, which was never completely melted in that season.

Even when the sun shines brightly, beneath that thin layer of snowmelt, there is only a layer of unattractive gray-black road, laid out year after year.

—This may be the second time he has glimpsed some truth beneath the snow.

Driven by a certain inner impulse, Yuu Tenkuji asked this question:

"Miss Yang, is your purpose in finding a 'rent-a-boyfriend' really just to enjoy a free relationship?"

"Huh?"

Yukino Yukinoshita stood there, stunned, looking at him in astonishment.

After a long while, she slowly raised her slender chin, pursed her lips slightly, and gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling.

Well...

With a drawn-out tone, Yukino Yukino suddenly turned her head, her eyes like two black fish falling into a pool from a height, lying motionless at the bottom of the whites of her eyes.

She stared quietly at Tenkuuji Yu, a faint smile playing on her lips, and spoke in a sweet and lovely voice:

"If not, what will you do, my dear boyfriend?"

"If only I had known this would happen," sighed Tenkuji Yu.

"Could you please not answer questions with questions?...Never mind, though."

He suddenly raised his cue stick, aimed it at the white ball that was already in place, bent down, and didn't look back at her.

"If you're not in a rush for the next match, finish the rest of the time. You did borrow an hour, after all."

"Eh—so suddenly?" A fleeting doubt crossed Yukinoshita Haruno complained with a hint of disdain.

"I wanted to keep chatting with Xiaoyouyou... Besides, your skills are so good, playing with you is such a bad gaming experience for me~"

Pong!

No sooner had the words been spoken than, like fireworks bursting, fifteen colored balls scattered in all directions, one of which happened to be in front of each of the six holes, yet none of them fell.

Calmly putting away his cue, Yuu Tenkuji stood to the side, a kind smile on his lips, and said amiably to Yukinoshita:

"Want a better gaming experience? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

If it comes to being infuriating, he wouldn't lose to this female college student.

"..."

Gazing at him, Yukinoshita Haruno's expression remained blank for a moment.

The high temperature outside seemed to pour in, evaporating all the cool air around them.

But soon, she broke into a bright smile.

With a force that seemed to snap it in two, Yukinoshita Haruno picked up the golf club that was lying to the side and slowly walked toward Tenkuji Yuu.

"How annoying~ Since you've put it that way, I'll reluctantly accept this low-level provocation this time!"

The instant she stopped beside him, she uttered a sentence in a voice both sweet and fierce, barely audible to him:

"You brat, don't underestimate adults."

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward: ... Japanese Yen."

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward: Extreme Rage (state) once."

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

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward: a slight increase in physical constitution (resilience)."

Chapter Twenty-Five: Matryoshka Dolls Under the Snow

The two played a total of ten games of this pure game of bat and ball.

The record is five wins and five losses, very evenly matched.

Aside from the initial match where Yukinoshita Haruno unleashed her full power, making no mistakes and clearing the table in one shot, demonstrating the consequences of underestimating others, they then tried various other variations, including the eight-ball, nine-ball, and designated ball games—

For Yuu Tenkuji, these were all just games of fun not worth taking seriously. He could win them all if he wanted to, but there was no need to.

"Do you think I'd be happy if you deliberately manipulated the outcome to this extent?"

As they left the billiards area, Yukinoshita Haruno rubbed her aching arms and deliberately gave him a cold look.

Yuu Tenkuji didn't mind. Unlike shooting games where only results mattered, he found playing pool with pretty young women quite enjoyable.

...Although he prefers younger women, it doesn't mean he dislikes older women.

After all, beautiful things are beautiful.

"You won't get any benefits even if you try your best, just have fun."

"What?! You were just playing around with me?!"

With trembling lips, Yukino Yukinoshita put on a shocked expression, placed her hand on the corner of her eye, and began to fake cry.

"How could I be so serious? I wanted to show you my skills, but you just wanted to play around... Waaah~"

She touched the corner of her eye with one hand and made a rubbing motion with the other.

"Don't make those weird movements!"

Yang Nai immediately stopped pretending to cry and, like a little girl who had caught a fish, grinned mischievously at him:

"If your mind is full of strange thoughts, why would you find this action strange?"

That's too old-fashioned.

It seems that older women are more likely to make lewd jokes and flirt with younger men, leaving Yuu Tenkuji speechless.

"That's what you say, but you clearly had a lot of fun yourself... Could it all have been an act?"

"No, it's true."

She frankly admitted that she followed beside Yuu Tenkuji with her hands behind her back and a light, graceful gait.

Her black ponytail draped over her fair neck, a thin layer of sweat clinging to a few strands, giving her a unique charm.

"Play without restraint, without calculating when to stop, and without having to smile and think 'How boring!' at the end..."

Yeah, I haven't felt this way in a long time.

Yukino turned her head, her cheerful smile as bright as her name, as if overflowing with sunshine.

"No, but! I won't thank you, okay? I'll just feel—"

"Wow, they actually managed to hire world champion-level shooters and billiards players. Even if they get mentally and physically bruised from being thoroughly defeated, the money wasn't wasted!"

She twisted her rosy lips and gave a smug chuckle.

Those bright, cunning eyes were openly observing his reaction.

Tenkuji Yu closed the system panel, his expression unchanged, and responded sincerely and enthusiastically:

"That's wonderful, dear! If you're satisfied, please give us a five-star review!"