I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

My mind went blank, and I was about to plop myself into the lake, getting soaked and incurring my mother's wrath, when a shout suddenly came from the lakeside—

"Stand still!"

Incredibly, the sound entered directly into his heart and then echoed continuously within his body.

Filled with anxiety, seriousness, and solemnity, it was as if someone more important than one's mother was shouting and pleading for one to stand up straight.

An unknown force surged forth, instantly reviving stagnant, resigned thoughts, and causing stiff, out-of-control muscles to react abruptly.

—We can't let him down!

The moment the idea popped into her head, Asuna Yuuki's action was complete.

His abdominal muscles tensed up suddenly, forcibly turning his back to the side; out of the corner of his eye, he saw the lake water that he had made murky.

The water wasn't deep, about half an arm's length!

"drink!"

Unconsciously letting out a low shout, she quickly plunged her right hand into the lake water, then pushed off the bottom with her five fingers, her lithe body drawing an arc, like a turtle bouncing in place, forcefully bouncing herself back.

The long horse's tail swept across the water's surface, startling a trail of water droplets.

The whole process took less than three seconds. The girl finished her last dance by standing at attention.

"Huh, huh..."

Looking at the scenery that had been straightened and the lake that was gradually returning to calm, Asuna Yuuki's mouth was slightly open and she was breathing softly.

She blinked, the panic in her eyes still lingering, as if she had just woken from a nightmare.

"...What was that just now?"

Despite her mind still being half blank, Asuna Yuuki subconsciously turned her head toward the direction from which the sound was coming from the lakeside.

...The grass was still green, butterflies occasionally fluttered by, and there was no one on the shore.

She looked around again, and despite her excellent eyesight, she couldn't find anything amiss; everything seemed just as normal as before she went down to the lake.

"...Is it just my imagination?"

Shaking her head, Asuna Yuuki dismissed the idea—it couldn't be a misperception.

The sound I just heard is still echoing in my mind, the impression is so clear that I probably won't forget it anytime soon.

Water droplets dripped down my arm.

She looked down at her reflection in the lake, and couldn't help but chuckle at her own unconsciously standing straight, truly "standing properly."

'It feels like I'm under a spell.'

Thinking this, he frowned, still puzzled:

"So, what exactly happened...?"

Can anyone explain this?

Chapter 75 Things You Can Know by Combing Your Hair

"It's actually very simple. It's just combining 'acting skills' and 'vocal skills,' and then using 'emotional transmission' to amplify the effect."

Talking to himself, Yuu Tenkuji recalled the feeling from just now.

Speaking up to help the girl was just a subconscious reaction. Even he himself didn't know why he chose to do it at that time, or why the combination skill he used just happened to save the girl from falling into the water.

He didn't intend to delve into the reasons; he'd just consider it a flash of inspiration, a stroke of luck. There are just so many coincidences in the world.

Yu Tenkuji is equally unafraid of failure. Regardless of whether her shout is successful or not, she will not be targeted by the other party as long as she is in a state of "complete harmony".

What concerned him most was that the combination of these two skills and one state was just like a power often seen in comics and novels—

"Word magic".

The emotions conveyed through "acting" are the bullets, "ventriloquism" is the barrel, and "emotional transmission" is the trigger.

The combination of these three elements, when launched as a "verbal bomb," can potentially affect the mind and body of others without their knowledge or warning.

"Wow, this is so surreal..."

Rationality pieced together the situation to arrive at a conclusion, but emotion left Tenkuji Yu in disbelief.

So it really is urban superpowers? "Even a Brother-Obsessed Soldier King Wants to Be a Rented Boyfriend"?

But thinking about it carefully, the state of "having no presence" cannot be explained by science. Using art style to define the scope of the system's abilities is just asking for trouble, right?

Calming her turbulent emotions, Yuu Tenkuji placed her hand on her forehead and tapped her brow.

In short, let's draw a conclusion first.

"Congratulations, host, you have acquired the combo skill: Word Bullet."

Well, the system didn't give him any hints, so he created one himself.

"Effect: Injecting feigned emotions into speech can influence the other person's mind and body without their knowledge, and can even achieve some incredible results. (Insufficient sample size, mostly speculative)"

For example: Before a girl falls, feign anxiety and worry, using the phrase "Stand still" as a verbal attack to force her to react quickly and regain her balance with the agility of a gymnast, standing still obediently.

That makes things much clearer.

As she lowered her hand from her forehead, Yuu Tenkuji gently exhaled.

His initial surprise subsided, leaving him feeling neither sad nor happy, only somewhat helpless.

"Is this system just giving me these lewd skills and statuses because it knows I'm not a pervert?"

For example, the Transparent Room, the Campus Series, etc... If he had impure intentions, he might have already embarked on that path of no return through the system.

At that time, Yuu Tenkuji will probably make his move on Kasugano Sora, his dearest little sister, first.

Turn her into a sunny girl who loves going out, stops eating junk food like potato chips every day, and then shouts "Onii-chan~" to herself with an innocent and cute expression!

This is how real hypnosis should be used.jpg

"It's a pity that even though my lips have been defiled by someone, my heart remains pure."

She quickly put the matter out of her mind and left the artificial lake. Amidst the vast mountain scenery, she was once again at a loss as to where to go.

"That guy Yang Nai, he said he'd contact me later, but how late is it exactly?" He couldn't help but complain as he glanced at his phone.

Having waited for more than half an hour, if she didn't give a definite answer soon, Yuu Tenkuji planned to go home early to avoid making Sora worry too much at home.

After pondering for a moment, Yuu Tenkuji decided to head back and see what she was doing.

He was completely at ease with the manor; to him, it was like a public bus—he could get on and off whenever he wanted.

He had only been walking towards the three-story building for a short while when he received a message from Yukinoshita:

"Haha, it's finally over! I'm free to move around until lunchtime. Go wait for me at the shopping street on the west side of the resort; no one should spot us there. We can have a secret date!"

Sky Temple replied with a clear image, and while recalling the park map, it muttered with a sigh:

"What do you mean by secretly dating... I'm a rented boyfriend, not a mistress."

Not only did he send her a surprise, but he also had to risk being discovered by her parents to have a secret rendezvous with her...

Forget renting a boyfriend, even Pinru wouldn't dare to do that!

This task is damn hard.

Despite complaining in my heart, my body still honestly walked towards the shopping street several kilometers away.

Yuu Tenkuji thought to herself, "Is it true that one is influenced by one's company?"

Being with her has made me somewhat distorted.

△

Around 11 a.m.

The blazing sun radiates heat across the clear sky, while the refreshing mountain breeze carries away the summer heat.

It's perfect weather for a date.

Because it had just opened and was a membership-based business, there weren't many customers in the shopping street. Most of the shop assistants were sitting idly at their stalls, only standing up when someone passed by, and saying with a big smile, "Welcome!"

Then, as tourists walk past without even glancing at it, it lies dry and lifeless on the counter, like a sunflower stripped of its moisture.

"Excuse me, I need to pay the bill."

"Okay, the total is..."

After paying the bill, the shop assistant in the handicraft shop returned to standby mode, staring blankly ahead.

But after a while, she suddenly blinked and stood up with a look of surprise.

"Wait, was there a customer just now?!"

Feeling a bit dazed, the clerk quickly checked the billing records and found that someone had indeed bought a wooden comb and a hairband not long ago, and a receipt had been issued.

She didn't know if she had been daydreaming too much, or if the customer's actions were too natural, like going to her boyfriend's house for the night. She paid the bill without feeling anything, and didn't even remember whether the other person was male or female.

"Hmm, that won't do... I'd better pull myself together at work!"

The shop assistant patted her cheeks and regained her enthusiasm for work.

On a whim, Yuu Tenkuji bought two small items from a handicraft shop and is now leisurely waiting for Yukino Yukinoshita to come over on a bench under a parasol.

He took out an ice-blue hand-braided headband from the paper bag, squinted at it in the sunlight, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

"A winter-style hair tie would suit Sora very well!"

Since I've taken such a long trip, how could I not bring back a gift for my sister?

Although she might prefer local potato chips and wouldn't care about things like headbands at all...

But if she dared to show any disgust at the gifts her brother had carefully given her, Yuu Tenkuji would confiscate her potato chips.

So I'm not worried that she won't like it; it's just a token of my affection.

He put away the hairband and instead took out a handmade wooden comb with a cherry blossom pattern, full of springtime charm.

His fingers traced the pattern delicately, his brow furrowed slightly, and a hint of hesitation flickered in his eyes.

"While it's not unusual for someone to rent a boyfriend to give as a gift to a client... giving a women's comb shouldn't seem strange, right?"

She just thought this comb suited her, so she bought it without thinking... Tsk, she should have done more research before choosing it.