I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

This person looks like a rich young lady, and may not know the money-saving way to combine items at fast food restaurants—or more likely, she doesn't care about saving a little money and orders whatever she feels like, just doing whatever she wants.

Compared to her, Tenkuji Yu had a completely poor person's mentality, and was even thinking about saving money for others, which is why she subconsciously said something.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly fell silent, staring at him with a very strange look.

"..."

"Is there...is there something you need?"

Yuu Tenkuji felt somewhat uncomfortable, and even almost couldn't maintain the polite smile on her face.

She was so close that the warmth of her hands, her soft breath, and the fragrance of her hair all wafted over, as if she had long been accustomed to maintaining such a distance from others.

There wasn't much ambiguity, yet it was enough to make his heart race and his blood boil because of this small bit of sweetness.

"It's just a system task. I'm going to be a ruthless money-making machine..." Yuu Tenkuji silently repeated this sentence to himself, trying to calm the restlessness of his adolescence.

At the same time, he recognized her as the woman who had brushed past him yesterday.

What a small world!

"...Oh, so that's how it is."

After staring at him for a long time, Yukino Yukinoshita sighed inexplicably, as if she had realized some sad truth.

Before Tenkuji Yu could even ask a question, the waitress spoke up with a troubled expression:

"Excuse me, would you like to pay together or separately?"

The two turned their gazes over and spoke naturally:

"Together." "Separate."

"..."

A brief silence fell over the room.

Then, realizing he had said the wrong thing, Tenkuji Yu casually took out his wallet.

"Sorry, it's for both of us. For internal use only."

To clarify beforehand, he is not ignorant of social etiquette.

He was just not used to the identity of a "rented boyfriend" yet, so he answered instinctively—after all, apart from his sister, he always splits the bill when eating out with others, regardless of gender.

That won't do.

To be a good boyfriend and get the system's rewards, you must quickly assume the role of the boyfriend.

Although I don't know if the mission will fail, or if there will be any penalties if it fails—for example, if Yukino Yukino doesn't want him to be her rented boyfriend, the system will deduct money from his account.

Even without punishment, having already come to keep the appointment, Yuu Tenkuji would not easily give up on this mission.

"So the total after tax is 1452 yen. Do you offer points cards?"

"Yes, thank you for your help."

As Yu calmly took out the banknotes and points card from her wallet, it felt as if she could hear her heart bleeding.

Nearly 1,500 yuan would have been enough for him and Qiong to have a hearty meal at a ramen shop... but now he's just using it to buy 'snacks,' and the recipient is a woman he's only known for less than ten minutes.

Do people who are successful in real life really spend so much on dating?

Fortunately, the system exists, otherwise his mentality would have collapsed even more.

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward of 250 yen."

—Yuu Tenkuji still didn't understand how this number was derived.

Adding it all up with what came before, he has already earned 800 yen from Yukinoshita Haruno; it's a bit little, but he'll recoup his investment sooner or later, so consider it an investment.

After receiving her number from the waiter, Yuu Tenkuji stepped aside to wait for her meal, a mix of emotions welling up inside her.

He had to retract his previous idea.

Being a good boyfriend might be more difficult than he imagines.

Especially when it comes to expenses... The thought of spending money on other women allows my sister to eat better, have more fun, and not have to think about grabbing discounted ingredients when buying groceries, and not have to sacrifice time with my sister to work hard.

He suddenly realized that he was not suited to have a girlfriend at all.

Because no other woman is as important as Qiong.

“Anosa”.

A mature and cheerful female voice sounded beside me.

Yuuki Tenkuji immediately put aside his chaotic thoughts, revealed what he considered to be his most perfect smile, and turned to look at Yukino Yukinoshita.

"Excuse me, what's wrong?"

"Tenkuji-kun, have you never been in a relationship before?"

"……what?"

Perhaps it was the coldness of the voice that caused his thoughts to freeze for a moment, and he reflexively asked a question.

To his astonishment, Yukinoshita touched her smooth chin, and a pair of bright and charming black eyes looked over with great interest.

"Or perhaps you rarely interact with girls? You're what's known as a 'straight man'?"

"..."

Tenkuji Yu fell silent, her smile becoming slightly stiff.

As if pressing her advantage, or as if trying to shatter his facade, Yukinoshita Haruno narrowed her eyes and smiled at him cheerfully:

"Although this is my first time renting a boyfriend, your performance... is clearly subpar."

She pointed her finger at his lips, but didn't actually touch them; instead, she curved her finger upwards into a slight smile.

"An unprofessional fake smile."

Her fingertips lifted, then her eyes, “the look in your eyes when you force yourself to be interested in things you’re not interested in.” Her gaze then slid to his bag, “and the reluctance you try to hide when paying… By the way, every time I run into you, you try to keep your distance, right?”

"I can feel it. Or rather, you're making it too obvious."

Standing in front of Yuu Tenkuji.

With her arms crossed and her most uninhibited smile, she brought all these observations into the sunlight, forcing him to confront his own flaws.

"Tsk tsk, you've already made me want to give you a one-star review in less than ten minutes..."

“Kukaiji-kun, from the perspective of a customer who pays for happiness, you are not very suitable for this industry.”

"No, rather, you don't actually want to be a 'rent-a-boyfriend' at all, do you?"

The question, which hit the bullseye, completely wiped the smile off Tenkuji Yu's face, and he frowned slightly as he met her gaze.

Despite the somber and heavy atmosphere, Yukinoshita Haruno still smiled happily.

It's not an illusion.

Those smiling eyes revealed the cold, predatory gaze of a predator eyeing its prey.

"I'm really curious about your reasons for doing this."

The words fell.

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward of 5000 yen."

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward: Makeup Skills (Expert Level) once."

Chapter Six: I'm actually worth 30,000?!

The atmosphere inside the store felt like it had been divided into two worlds, with only a heavy and oppressive silence around me.

Fortunately, fast food restaurants don't have long preparation time.

Before Yuu Tenkuji could figure out how to react, the screen above the counter displayed the number on his number plate.

"Ah, the food is ready. Let's go get it!"

Shifting away from his aggressive gaze, Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes lit up, and she pushed his shoulder to get the food.

As if nothing had happened, she picked up the tray full of food and walked briskly toward the empty seat, humming the song she had heard yesterday.

Yuzuru Tenkuji carried two drinks, and since he didn't know what expression to make, he simply followed behind her without any expression.

A few minutes later, he had to correct his previous thoughts.

—Yukino Yukinoshita is far more than just an "easy-going person".

She knew he wanted to create distance, yet she deliberately touched his shoulder.

The interrogation typically revealed the facts, but then the conversation shifted away as if the interrogation didn't care about them at all.

Like being shrouded in mist, not a single piece of information could be gleaned from her smile.

Only the system, indirectly, reflected her feelings—

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward of 1500 yen."

Another notification popped up.

Does this mean she's actually quite happy right now? Is it because she treated everyone?

What about those two lines from before?

She hadn't done anything a boyfriend should do, yet the reward was so generous—a Higuchi Ichiyo banknote (with a 5,000 yen note) was thrown right in her face, and she was even given a skill she couldn't use...

Tenkuji Yu is becoming increasingly confused.

Whether it was Yukino's thoughts or the tasks given by this broken system, they were all more complicated than he had ever imagined before.

Why can't everyone be as innocent and adorable as Sora?

"call……"

He slowly exhaled, calming himself down, and walked to the seat that Yukino Yukino had randomly chosen, sitting down opposite her.

In just a few seconds, his mindset had already changed—just like how he originally thought he was just going to hand over a quest to an NPC, but ended up having to face the final boss, which made him more cautious.

"Don't be so nervous~ I was just saying, I won't do anything to you." Yukinoshita Haruno smiled easily, and as soon as she sat down, her manicured fingers eagerly picked up a French fry.

"I prefer to have honest conversations, what about you?"