I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

After checking into a high-class hotel with Yukino Yukinoshita, carrying the things she had bought, Yuu Tenkuji watched her walk into the bathroom.

She said she wanted to take a shower, and before closing the door, she asked him with a smile if he wanted to come in with her. But just as Tenkuji Yu was about to barge in, she closed the door with a slightly flushed face, and cheerful laughter came from behind the door.

He smiled, but shook his head and sighed softly.

"...Yono, thank you for liking the gift I gave you so much."

Tomorrow, I'll probably make you a new bracelet, right?

Yuu tossed her things onto the sofa, walked to her bag, rummaged through it briefly, and took out a wooden comb with a spring pattern.

Then, I looked out the hotel window.

"...Never mind, it'll disappear anyway. It's pointless."

Tenkuji Yuu calmed down and put the comb back in her bag.

After the bracelet broke unexpectedly, he had the idea of ​​throwing away another gift he had given her—he was surprised himself for having such a vengeful impulse.

Perhaps, he just wanted to vent.

Anyway, everything will end. No matter what I do, by tomorrow, Yukinoshita Haruno will remember nothing.

I won't be sad, I won't be angry, I won't be disappointed.

Even if you throw this wooden comb in front of her, it won't leave any ripples in her heart, right?

Neither happy nor painful memories will remain, except for oneself—but even so, one cannot drag her down with them.

Standing still, Yuu Tenkuji closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly back, as if she were being drenched in silent rain.

What emerged in the darkness was her bright, rosy smile just moments before she entered the bathroom.

—These were the beautiful things he once possessed.

But the moment he decided to turn and leave the room, he vanished like smoke.

△

Wrapped in a bath towel, her skin, fresh from the bath, was as white and supple as an egg, tinged with a vibrant blush.

Yukino looked at herself in the mirror, her hand on her chest, her heart pounding fast and hard, yet a joyful and smug smile crept across her face.

"Hmph, you mere seventeen-year-old virgin, watch how I make you feel like you're in a hellish state!"

When she's alone, she's less careful about what she says than usual, and recently she's been looking at some adult-only materials online...

Well, so the wording might be a little crude, please forgive me.

After checking her body again for anything unusual, confirming that her hair was smooth and neat, perfectly showcasing her feminine charm.

Taking a deep breath and preparing herself mentally, she strode out with her smooth, long legs, wearing only a bath towel, and pushed open the bathroom door with a smile.

"I'm all washed, don't stare... okay?"

The room was empty; supermarket plastic bags were on the sofa, and the bags showed signs of having been touched.

Yukino Yukinoshita paused for a moment, looked around, and found a note under her bag.

"I forgot to buy something, I'm going to the convenience store for a bit, I'll be right back."

"What is that?" Yang Nai frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly her eyes widened as she thought of something round. "He wouldn't... wait, I told him there's no way to do it today. And don't hotels usually have..."

She turned and walked to the head of the double bed, where she indeed found an untouched box of small umbrellas.

Confused, Yukino Yukino simply sat on the bed, crossed her fair and plump thighs, and called him.

The busy signal lasted for more than ten seconds, but the call was not connected.

For some reason, a nameless fear welled up in my heart, and my lips trembled involuntarily.

Like snow that has finally melted, it begins to freeze again without the sun's rays; despite being in summer, it exudes a chilling coldness like winter.

"Tsk..."

Biting her lip hard, Yukino put down her phone, closed her eyes, and regulated her breathing and emotions.

"I just went downstairs to buy something, it's nothing... You're not that fragile, Yukinoshita Haruno."

In order not to lose her composure as easily as she would when the bracelet broke, she tried to find excuses for herself and kept denying the vague thoughts that surfaced in her mind.

"Oh right, the comb!"

Suddenly opening her eyes, Yukino rushed to the bag in a panic. After confirming that the second gift he had given her—the wooden comb—was still intact inside, she collapsed to the ground, her legs feeling weak.

She pressed the wooden comb against her full chest, which was covered in cold sweat, and forced a bitter smile.

"Seriously, what am I doing..."

But after he left for a short while, she became as fragile as glass that would shatter at the slightest touch—where did that shrewd and capable businesswoman go?

Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head, regaining some strength. She sat back on the bed, letting the towel hang loosely, revealing her exposed skin. Leaning against the headboard, she murmured somewhat absentmindedly:

"Little Youyou, when are you coming back..."

How dare he leave me alone in my empty room! When he comes back, I'll definitely have to give him a good beating!

Thinking this, Yukinoshita Haruno finally showed a much more relaxed smile.

△

Tenkuji Yu left the hotel without looking back.

He looked up at the night sky, where a deep black curtain stretched out. Although there was no sign of rain, it gave people a heavy feeling that the whole world was about to be submerged by floods.

His phone was vibrating, but he ignored it and simply walked slowly toward the station while opening the system panel.

"Yukinoshita, your wish has been fulfilled."

"Congratulations, host, on completing the mission."

"Task rewards can be settled directly. Settlement will not be conducted until 6:8 AM on December 25th; the system will automatically begin the settlement process."

"Note: The settlement process is irreversible. Once you choose to enter the settlement, you cannot leave the settlement space until the world is corrected."

To avoid hesitation, he remained calm and whispered to the system:

"Task settlement".

"Confirm settlement of the current task?"

"confirm."

"Three seconds to go, we are about to enter the settlement area."

"Three, two..."

Tenkuji Yu turned to look at the hotel behind him, opened his mouth as if he had a lot to say but wanted to shout it out.

But because he choked up, he couldn't make a sound, and the countdown came to an end.

"one."

"Start settlement."

The moment these words flashed before Tenkuji Yu's eyes.

Time suddenly stopped flowing. The swaying shadows and the rustling leaves were all tinged with a deathly gray, except for the words "Start Settlement" which were shimmering with a soft light.

Tenkuji Yu's eyes widened, and before he could even think, his consciousness snapped shut, like a screen being powered off.

His world was plunged into darkness.

Chapter Ninety-Eight: My Last Memories with You (3/?)

"here it is……"

The moment consciousness returned, Yuu Tenkuji subconsciously opened her eyes, her wary gaze sweeping around her, but she couldn't help but freeze in place.

This is clearly not reality, nor is it any place I know.

...and it might not even be the world I live in.

"Another world?"

The unanswered question fell to the ground. He clenched his fist, and after confirming that he was not dreaming, he raised his eyes and observed his surroundings more carefully.

At first glance, he thought there was nothing in the world.

But that was just an illusion created by the desolate atmosphere surrounding him.

The gray ruins spread out like a chessboard before my eyes, and strange particles like debris floated in the air: the sky was dim and dark, its color even deeper than that of an overcast day, yet it was still some distance from night.

Like a city that has been rebuilt and then completely destroyed, stripped of all life, it stands there lifelessly.

And Yuu Tenkuji stood alone in this desolate and cold world, looking around all by himself.

"Just like how looking at snow for too long can cause snow blindness, staying in this place for too long will definitely cause depression."

He made this assessment decisively, breaking the oppressive and unbearable silence with his own words.

Looking down at her own attire, Yuu Tenkuji fell into thought.

"My clothes haven't changed, but my bag and the keys in my pocket are gone... Did they transfer my consciousness here? Or did they simply eliminate anything unnecessary, not wanting me to be naked..."

He muttered to himself, then tentatively called out, "System?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ground in front of him suddenly bulged up.

Yuu Tenkuji subconsciously took a step back. The next moment, a large LCD screen broke through the concrete ground, bringing with it the falling mud and bricks, and stood crookedly in front of him.

"What the hell..." Before Tenkuji Yu could finish speaking, her cheek twitched slightly, an electronic female voice came from the other side of the screen:

"This is the system space, which is independent of the timeline of all worlds. Only when the task is completed and the settlement is made can the host enter this space in the form of a spiritual body."

Sky Temple Yu was shocked and turned pale from morning till night.

"Damn it, this system can talk?!"

And they even used Onion Girl's voice source. Is it because they're afraid I'll lose my temper and kick the screen to pieces, so they're trying to appease me like this?

Snowflakes flashed across the black screen, and a cold yet pleasant electronic female voice immediately replied: "First mission completed. The system has acquired voice and basic response intelligence."

"I see. So you weren't pretending to be mute on purpose before?"

Yuu Tenkuji suppressed his surprise, pondered for a few seconds, and then asked seriously, "Can you become Miku? I don't have the habit of talking to screens."