I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Don't worry, although you are very cute and have nice legs, I have absolutely no interest in the helipad and will not attack you."

"..."

Outside the window, autumn rain pattered down, while inside, winter snow fell thick and fast, causing the room temperature to drop several degrees out of nowhere.

If she had a gun, Yukino Yukinoshita would definitely shove the muzzle into his mouth and force him to apologize for the insults he made in eighteen languages.

Unfortunately, no.

So I could only imagine the panda rice ball in the lunchbox as him, and then take a vicious bite.

His lower body was chewed up like that.

△

Between bickering and eating, time flew by, and the afternoon classes were about to begin.

After the two tidied up the clubroom and locked the door, they walked silently toward the classroom when Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly spoke:

"Tenkuji-kun, can I ask you a question?"

"Please ask," Yuu Tenkuji replied casually.

Yukinoshita fell silent for a moment.

"At the last autumn performance, was that really... the first time you met my sister?"

His steps faltered involuntarily.

"...Why are you asking this?"

Yuu Tenkuji suppressed his surprise and tilted his head in confusion.

“Because my sister… no, it’s nothing.” Shaking her head, Yukinoshita seemed to be worried about something, and became unusually vague. “It’s just that there are some things that bother me… If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. It’s not important.”

“There’s nothing wrong with saying it…” Yuu Tenkuji thought for a moment and answered cautiously, “As for Ms. Haruno, it was indeed the first time we met when she came to the Service Club for the Autumn Show, and we haven’t seen each other since then.”

Chapter Thirty-Five: Scholars, the Soul of Reading, Those Who Read Are Superior!

Undoubtedly, these are all true statements and facts.

"I understand, thank you for your answer." Brushing her long hair aside, the girl turned and walked towards Class J. "I'm going to class now. See you after school."

"I might not go to the club room."

"Oh, that's wonderful."

"Could you be a little more subtle about your joy, Minister?"

"Sorry, no."

The snow woman smiled faintly, her gentle demeanor tinged with a hint of mischief.

This is probably what makes Yukino Yukinoshita so adorable.

Yuu Tenkuji shook his head and walked towards Class B's classroom, pondering the topic from earlier.

"Is there some new development on Haruno's side...?"

Could it be as Father Pucci said, that the attraction between people is like "gravity," and that even if the timeline is remade, his entangled fate with them will not disappear?

"...No, it has nothing to do with fate. It's just that the damn system didn't handle the aftermath properly, right? No matter how you look at it, it's the system's fault."

system:"?"

△

After school, Yuu Tenkuji was called over by Shizuka Hiratsuka.

Seeing that he showed no surprise whatsoever, Hiratsuka Shizuka covered her head and sighed.

"I really want to shove your head up your ass..."

"Please don't say such terrible things to students the moment you meet them, okay?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't just talk the talk; she even clenched her fists, looking like she was about to take action immediately.

"I think you just don't understand."

"Don't understand what?"

"Can you understand the pain of watching videos of your students kissing and cuddling with girls at a teachers' meeting?"

Tenkuji Yu's expression became subtle as he fell silent, then he apologized sincerely, "...Well, I'm very sorry for causing you trouble, teacher."

Hiratsuka Shizuka laughed heartily.

That smile was devoid of emotion; it could only be described as cruel.

"The killing intent I've accumulated right now is almost enough to unleash Shinra Tensei and let all the teachers and students experience my pain."

"At the very least, I could easily unleash the Flame Killing Black Dragon Wave on you—young man, would you like to try it now?"

Anyone who says such things is either delusional or insane. Yuu Tenkuji decided to pretend he didn't hear it and continue to resolve all conflicts with love and peace.

"I'll treat you to a meal another day, teacher. All you can eat is ramen."

"How did you know I like ramen... never mind, it's not important."

With a long sigh, Hiratsuka Shizuka dropped her deliberately scareful expression and poked his chest in an annoyed tone: "In short, you better tone it down a bit lately!"

"It's your business if you want to be intimate with your girlfriend, but you'd better watch out for the 'eyes' around. Also, hurry up and sort out her family relationships..."

At this point, she couldn't help but gasp: "To be honest, this is the first time I've ever encountered a parent who reported a surveillance video to the school. And to make matters worse, the other party has some connection with the chairman of the board. If it weren't for your achievements in that performance, the school would not have let it go so easily and let us, the homeroom teacher, handle it ourselves."

"I understand, I understand, I will follow the leader's instructions." Tenkuji Yu nodded obediently.

Hiratsuka Shizuka grinned disdainfully: "You slippery brat... Anyway, I'm not capable of dealing with you. You'd better mind your own business. I'll cover for you unless it's a big deal, on the condition that your midterm grades don't drop, okay?"

Yuu Tenkuji naturally had no objections, and then asked, "Is there a reward for being the top student in the whole school?"

Surprised, Hiratsuka Shizuka blurted out, "First? You want to pin Yukinoshita down?"

The image of those slender, straight, long legs under the snow involuntarily flashed into her mind. Tenkuji Yu quickly shook her head away from the image and looked speechlessly at the older female teacher.

"Teacher, watch your words. If Yukinoshita hears this, she'll go ballistic."

"Ahem... My apology." Hiratsuka Shizuka coughed twice, her face slightly flushed, and quickly changed the subject, becoming serious. "The school will give you the first place reward, of course I won't. I can't exactly treat you to ramen, can I? Giving you a few ramen coupons is fine though."

"Never mind then, I was just saying it casually," Tenkuji Yu said. "I'll get as high a score as I can, you don't need to worry about that, because I'm a genius."

"Oh, you're quite confident." Hiratsuka Shizuka raised an eyebrow and smiled, crossing her legs under her suit trousers and looking him up and down. "After spending almost a month in the Service Club, you seem to have been changed quite a bit by Yukinoshita."

"You mean the thickness of one's skin?" Tenkuuji Yu's eyes widened, as if she had finally found the source of the urban legend, and she said with a sudden realization, "No wonder I felt that I was becoming more and more shameless lately, it was all her fault?"

That wretched Snow Woman, she's really caused a lot of harm!

Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but clap her hands and burst into laughter, bending over with uncontrollable joy.

"I thought you two would be like oil and water, but it turns out you get along quite well!"

"We both have emotional intelligence, so we naturally won't cause trouble for each other for no reason. At most, we'll just have a few words of argument when we're bored."

“And those guys with twisted personalities…” A smile crept across Tenkuji Yu’s lips, “I was already used to dealing with them long before summer vacation.”

"Habit?" Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at him, seemingly thinking of something but not intending to ask. She simply leaned back in her chair and chuckled.

"Indeed, having you join the Service Department was one of my smartest choices."

Yuu Tenkuji kindly pointed out, "Teacher, your skin is almost as thick as Yukino's."

"Don't talk nonsense, I call this confidence. Look at Yukino, she's always saying how cute she is, that's bordering on narcissism, something we can't even dream of..."

Before he could finish speaking, a highly recognizable, pleasant voice came from the side.

"Teacher, is there something you need?"

"Eek!" Hiratsuka Shizuka froze, mechanically turning her head slowly.

Only when she saw Yukino Yukinoshita tilt her head slightly and look at her with pure confusion did she feel relieved and breathe a sigh of relief, looking like she had survived a disaster.

Before Hiratsuka Shizuka could answer, Tenkuji Yu, on the other side, raised his hand like a good student and said loudly:

"Minister, we've been secretly talking badly about you!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka: "???"

Yukinoshita Yukino: "..."

As if there was nothing she could do about him, the girl gave him a dismissive look, then walked past the two of them with her documents in her arms and left the teachers' office.

Before she left, you could still hear her sigh so plaintively:

"How pathetic, am I the only smart person left in the Service Department...?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka and Tenkuji Yu exchanged glances, and after a long while, they suddenly spoke at the same time:

"Did you hear that? She's calling you stupid!"

They quickly remembered that there was a fourth person in the Service Department, and nodded again, smiling knowingly.

"I get it, she was talking about Yuihama!"

The two clever people gave each other a high five, and the classroom office was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

△

A few days later, on a weekend before the midterm exams.

To help her friend cram for her exams, Yuu Tenkuji went to a family restaurant in the city called "Wagnaria".

The flagship store is said to be in Hokkaido, and now a branch has been opened in Tokyo, so it is quite well-known. The most liked Google review is "The feeling of danger is addictive", and it is frequented by many people on weekdays and weekends.

Natsukawa Masaki did not come along.

Upon hearing that there was a man among her companions, she abandoned her plan to travel with them and decided that she should stay home and watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure instead—a fact that made Yuu Tenkuji feel fortunate.

Because he invited not only Totsuka Saika, but also Yuigahama Yui...

If Natsukawa Masuzu comes along too, Yuihama probably won't be able to concentrate on her studies, and it will be another chaotic scene of wasting study time.

How can romantic love compare to the great cause of learning?

Scholars, those with a scholarly spirit, are all superior beings!

We should learn quietly, and then amaze everyone!