I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

However, only Yuu Tenkuji is a sister-complex. As for Koichiro Yuuki, he's always thinking about how to get his sister a boyfriend so that she has some outlet to release her stress.

If Tenkuji Yuuna wasn't already taken, this guy would definitely have found a way to bring the two of them together.

"Phew... In that case, the next step is to buy tickets."

Tossing Koichiro Yuuki and his phone aside, Yuu Tenkuji sat in his computer chair, closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and let out a long sigh.

To be honest, he didn't know if doing this would even work...

He thought he knew Yukino Yukinoshita well enough, but he still often couldn't figure out what she was thinking.

Just like today's sudden loss of contact, it shocked Youyou for the entire morning, leaving him still somewhat confused and with many "whys" he wanted to ask her.

But one thing is certain: Yukinoshita Haruno, that cunning and calculating fellow, will not let him off so easily.

Therefore, she should wait somewhere for her to react and decide how the two of them should interact in the future.

This is just the beginning... for both her, who is looking forward to the future, and for him, who is already preparing for the end.

"I hope everything goes well."

Opening her eyes calmly, Yuu Tenkuji turned on her computer and prepared to book two tickets to Disneyland online.

The date, of course, is August 24th.

Dark clouds loomed overhead and the wind howled outside the window, but no heavy rain fell.

△

One day later.

August 21, at Yukishita's house.

Yukinoshita Saori walked into the living room with a letter in her hand and handed it to Yukinoshita Haruno, who was lounging on the sofa, sipping champagne.

“I have your letter… Yang Nai, it’s about time you stopped drinking, isn’t it? You’ve been drinking since yesterday.”

"It's okay, they're all low in alcohol, you can drink them like beverages."

Waving her hand, Yukinoshita Haruno put down her wine glass and took the letter: "It doesn't look like a bill. Who sent it to me?"

“It’s not written there. You’ll find out when you open it yourself.” Pressing her temples, Yukinoshita Saori sighed, her eyes gradually turning cold as she coldly looked down at her eldest daughter, who was sprawled on the sofa.

"Yang Nai, I only let you be so down these past two days because you said you and your boyfriend are facing a relationship crisis and you need to adjust your mood..."

"But by tomorrow at the latest, please pull yourself together. Either go and reconcile with him, or focus on your studies and work from now on and don't think about relationships for the time being... In short, I don't want to see my daughter drowning her sorrows in alcohol and wasting her time."

Although his tone was gentle and his words were tactful, the will conveyed in his eyes was like a knife held to Yang Nai's neck, leaving her no room for rebuttal.

But no sooner had she finished speaking than Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly stood up from the sofa.

Clutching the two amusement park tickets in his hand, his fingers trembled slightly with barely suppressed excitement, as if he were about to raise them and cheer at any moment.

"No need to wait until tomorrow."

Like the dark clouds that have been hanging over my face recently, broken by a ray of brilliant morning light.

Yukinoshita revealed a bright and reassuring smile that she had never seen before.

"My relationship problems are solved!"

Chapter 88 Just because of the fear of the coming of eternal night

A light rain was falling outside the window, while the air conditioner in the living room was running quietly, dispelling all the moisture and heat.

This typhoon came and went quickly; it should clear up in the next two or three days.

Turning her gaze away from the outside world, Mrs. Yukinoshita brewed herself a cup of black tea and sat down on the sofa to her left. Even in middle age, her still pert and full buttocks sank slowly into the soft leather.

Then, he looked at Yukinoshita.

"Then, could you please explain to me what you've been 'planning' since yesterday... no, since recently?"

The reason I used the word "plan" is because her daughter didn't actually look like she was heartbroken.

It started about three weeks ago, right?

On the days when she didn't have work, Yang Nai's expression when she came home was different from usual.

To describe it as springtime and blooming flowers might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it felt as if something was gradually melting her from the inside out, and her smile and eyes had changed—for Yukinoshita Saori, who was already a mother, she could naturally see through what such changes meant at a glance.

That's why she questioned her daughter at the resort, demanding she reveal her somewhat bizarre romantic experience.

However, starting from that day, her daughter's expression changed slightly.

Even though she remains cheerful and relaxed, and makes no attempt to hide her satisfaction with her daily dates, she will occasionally frown and look thoughtful; when she touches the rim of her glass, she will sometimes stare blankly into the distance, as if she is entangled in some problem and cannot extricate herself.

Because she had promised not to ask too many questions, Yukinoshita Saori always stood by and watched, leaving the young people's love troubles to them—that's what she said, but even when she rarely wanted to gossip or kindly offer advice to her daughter, Haruno would use the evasive tactics she had learned in social situations to brush her off, leaving her with no way to get involved.

I should have known better than to let her become so shrewd and worldly-wise. Mrs. Yukinoshita has been having this thought a lot lately.

Let's get back to the main topic.

When Yang Nai returned from her date the day before yesterday, even though she was still smiling, she seemed absent-minded, which made people a little worried.

As midnight approached, she sat quietly on the sofa, beer in hand, looking at her phone, her brow furrowed, appearing hesitant and unable to make a decision.

Mrs. Yukinoshita, who was going upstairs to go to bed, said this to her:

"Hold on tight to what you want. That's the motto of the Yukinoshita family. If you hesitate for too long, it will leave you sooner or later."

That's right.

Although she didn't know what was troubling her daughter, Mrs. Yukinoshita still gave her a dose of "poisonous chicken soup" (a metaphor for being overly critical or nauseating), trying her best to fulfill her responsibilities as a mother.

As for family precepts? Of course, they were just made up on the spot.

The Yukinoshita family isn't some ancient, long-standing family, so how could they possibly have such rigid ideas?

Judging from her reaction yesterday, she did take his words to heart—from hesitation to absent-mindedness, she became like a prisoner awaiting judgment, using alcohol to drown her anxiety.

This is the main reason why Mrs. Yukinoshita tolerated her two days of depression.

...After all, it seems like I'm the one who caused this.

"Now that the problem is solved, there shouldn't be any problem with telling my mom what happened, right?"

With a demure gesture, Mrs. Yukinoshita placed the teacup to her lips and peered through the white steam of the black tea at her daughter, who was happily examining the two tickets.

Upon hearing this, as if she had picked up her long-lost childlike innocence, Yang Nai looked over with a beaming smile.

"Hmm~ It's not really anything worth mentioning, but if you really want to know—"

"Quickly, speak!"

Before she could finish drawing out the last syllable, Mrs. Yukinoshita cut her off with a gentle smile: "You should know who has been taking care of you these past two days, right? So, stop beating around the bush with me."

"Well……"

That sharp gaze and icy tone instantly froze Yukino back to her usual self. Her smile faded, and she slumped her shoulders, responding helplessly:

"Yes~"

She took a sip of champagne, exhaled slowly, and began to explain.

"The story is simple—I terminated the rental boyfriend contract early yesterday morning, deleted all his contact information, and even blacklisted Yuki, completely cutting off all contact with him."

Mrs. Yukinoshita sipped her black tea, lowered her gaze thoughtfully, and then spoke: "You want to turn the tide and force him to make a decision?"

"That's right, this is a dangerous method that could easily cause me to lose my first love~"

As she said this, Yang Nai's expression was quite relaxed.

“If what he said that day was just a delaying tactic and not that he really wanted to be with me, he would have taken this opportunity to cut ties with me and we would never have anything to do with each other again—after all, it was my initiative, and even if he regretted it later, he, as the victim, would not have to take any responsibility.”

Her slender fingers gently swirled the wine glass, her lips, full and glossy with a slight upturn, as she slowly continued:

"If he truly has feelings for me, but is unable to be with me for some reason, then if I test him in this way, he will inevitably react as follows:"

First, he knew I couldn't wait any longer and needed him to make a further statement, rather than continuing this agonizing lie.

Secondly, even if the number is deleted or the chat software is blacklisted, he will still try to contact me and arrange to meet in a place as soon as possible to discuss the details.

During our last call, I gave him two hints—August 24th, the amusement park.

I believe he understands, and I believe he knows why I did this on purpose.

So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the amusement park on August 24th will be the place where our relationship truly takes the next step.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Nai downed the rest of the champagne in one gulp and slammed the glass down with a "plop."

A faint blush rose to her cheeks. She turned her gaze away and smiled at her mother with a boastful expression, saying, "That's it! That's my whole 'plan,' what do you think?"

"..."

Mrs. Yukinoshita pursed her lips and fell silent, her eyes slightly lowered as if she were pondering those words repeatedly.

After a long while, she slowly placed the teacup on the table, sighed softly, and spoke:

"That's terrible."

"Right~" Yang Nai hummed happily, adjusting her position on the sofa.

Shaking her head with a sense of unease, Mrs. Yukinoshita pressed her fingers to her brow, trying to clear her mind.

"...Putting aside the details of the plan, if you're afraid, why didn't you cut off all contact in the first place? Why didn't you just communicate with him properly? You've been worried and scared for two days because of this. What, are you the kind of person who gets excited about this kind of torment?"

What kind of mother would criticize her daughter like that... Yang Nai couldn't help but chuckle bitterly.

"There's no other way; this is the only way to show my determination. Giving in to him leaves me with no room for maneuver."

She suddenly thought of something, turned her head to look at the rain scene outside the window, and gently curved her eyebrows.

"And, I also learned something else along the way..."

I deleted all his contact information, but I can't delete the part of myself that can't forget him.

This incident gave Yukinoshita Haruno a deeper understanding of how important her rented boyfriend was to her.

"Those two tickets were a gift from him, weren't they? That means your plan did indeed succeed." Looking at her composed daughter, Mrs. Yukinoshita sighed again and calmly asked:

"So, what happens after that?"

"If he becomes disgusted with you because of this test, or if he invites you to the amusement park to break up with you in person... no, to put it more seriously, how can you be sure he won't use this to make you fall completely in love with him, play with you until he's done, and then find a way to get rid of you?"

“The worse the plan, the more likely it is to cause bad consequences. Don’t tell me you haven’t considered these things.”