I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

The electronic female voice shut him up, silencing his expectant gaze: "Subsequent functions will be unlocked after the next mission is completed. Please continue your efforts, host."

"Damn it, it's the same old trick." Clicking her tongue, Tenkuji Yu simply sat down on the ground, staring at the screen full of static, and tapped her fingers on the hard cement floor.

"If you can answer the questions, could you tell me where you're from, what your purpose is, and why you chose me?"

The classic three questions for system transmigrators—although I know they're meaningless, I'll go through the motions anyway.

"The information has been lost, and the system cannot respond."

"Hmm?" Yuu Tenkuji blinked in surprise, but before he could ask any further questions, the static on the screen suddenly disappeared, and a picture lit up instead.

The scene where he and Yukino Yukinoshita brushed past each other at that street corner.

Tenkuji Yu fell silent, her fists clenching unconsciously at her sides.

"Task settlement begins."

The system announced this on its own.

"Mission objective: Become Yukino Yukinoshita's rented boyfriend and fulfill her wishes."

"Mission complete."

"Rewards received: Money - 4784932 Japanese Yen".

Special - Level Up.

Status effects: Muscle control, sharp eyes, rapid digestion, food demon, emotion transmission, flash of inspiration, injury timeout, acceleration, ghost-like movement, high-speed resistance, rapid recovery.

Skills – Acting (Perfect)... Kissing Technique (Expert)... Learning (Proficient)...

"Usage period: 33 days".

"Settlement complete."

"Congratulations, host, you have received the reward: 'Jade of Sunlight'."

"The next target has not yet been selected. Please wait patiently for further instructions."

The system's voice finally stopped.

Then, the video on the screen began to play.

Scenes of them together flashed before my eyes like a slideshow.

"..."

Got it, is this meant to make him reminisce about the wonderful days he's had recently?

Haha, the system is really kind.

With a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, at this moment, Yuu Tenkuji felt an urge to shatter the screen with 1000% force.

Gazing at those bright, smiling faces, his clenched fist finally loosened slowly, turning into a barely audible sigh.

Like an old man flipping through a photo album and reminiscing about his youth, he sat cross-legged on the ground, letting the images flash by with his memories.

From the very first meeting.

—In front of the Hachiko statue in Shinjuku, McDonald and his friends talk, and look sad when they part.

Tenkuji Yu chuckled and said, "Really, who would talk to someone they've just met in that way?"

—The second meeting, the pleasant conversation in the car, and the six trials to improve the relationship.

Yuu Tenkuji said with a hint of helplessness, "So back then, you already had expectations of me as a 'hero'?"

—A date at the shopping mall, the first battle of a spicy food adventure, and the first kiss on stage.

Tenkuji Yuu slowly suppressed her smile and sighed, "What a grand first kiss... You probably fell completely in love with me around this time, right?"

—A shared umbrella in the rain, a spontaneous kiss from the animal hospital, and a promise to help her as much as possible.

Tenkuji Yu scratched his cheek: "Back then, I actually already liked you, didn't I? I just fooled myself with my acting skills."

—The spicy food journey was temporarily interrupted because of a message from her, a sentiment that spanned 131 kilometers.

Yuu Tenkuji lowered his gaze: "The reason for the past is very simple, I just didn't want you to feel lonely... Unfortunately, you probably don't think so, do you?"

—The honest confession of their feelings to each other, the capricious extension of the lease, and the departure without saying goodbye on that morning when the typhoon arrived.

Yuu Tenkuji sighed, "So in the end, did my perfect acting skills fool you? Or were you just unwilling to expose me anymore?"

—The meeting in front of the amusement park was a sweet and joyful date, with smiles as radiant as the Milky Way.

Tenkuji Yu smiled contentedly: "What I want to see, what I want to keep seeing like this, is the smile that comes from the bottom of your heart."

—Running away from reality, with the evening wind whistling in my face.

And her tender confession, which reached deep into my heart and was enough to melt away the snow.

"Yukino Yukinoshita, I love you too... Thank you for giving me such happy memories during this time."

Finally, Yukinoshita, who was waiting for him to return at the hotel, appeared on the screen.

In her room, alone, a bath towel was draped haphazardly over her body as the girl leaned against the headboard, gazing up at the ceiling.

She seemed to have remembered someone important. Even though her eyes were filled with unease, her smile remained bright and cheerful, as if he were a constant presence on every sunny day.

Separated by a screen, it felt like an entire world.

Tenkuji Yu met her gaze, his previously calm and gentle expression cracking, and his voice could no longer maintain its composure.

After a long while, his cheeks finally twitched stiffly.

He slowly forced an awkward smile and said, his voice trembling slightly:

"I'm sorry, I lied... I'm so sorry, Haruno."

But this is just too good.

It may sound selfish to say this, but it's really great.

—Even at the very end, you still had my favorite smile on your face.

Chapter 99: Are Lies Sunshine or Snow? (4/?)

The pain in her heart was quite intense. Tenkuji Yu bit her lip hard, frowned, and tilted her head back to face the gray sky that looked like it was about to rain.

The raindrops ultimately did not slide down her face.

He held back, because he had promised to be her hero—and heroes don't shed tears.

"Timeline complete."

"Mission execution period: July 24 to August 25."

"All contacts made with the target during this period will be recovered by the system. The rest will have their development trajectory altered in a reasonable way to ensure that the results that have already occurred remain unchanged, and no related memories will be retained except for the host."

"After the recycling is complete, the system will automatically send the host back to the real world."

The screen darkened and disappeared, replaced by lines of cold text, read aloud by an emotionless system voice.

"..."

After a long silence, Yuu Tenkuji suddenly took a deep breath and slowly lowered his head.

"System, I have a few questions."

"Recovery progress is paused. Host, please ask a question," the system replied.

He propped himself up on his knees and slowly stood up.

His eyes were a little red, but no tears welled up. His gaze, a mixture of loneliness and determination, was fixed on the screen in front of him.

"Even if I have someone I like now, once the mission starts, do I still have to become the boyfriend of the next target?"

System: "Confirmed. This is roughly how the system executes its tasks, and it has nothing to do with the host's will."

What will be the punishment if I don't take your mission into account?

System: "It depends on the host's attitude and course of action. If there is no progress in the mission for more than ten days, time will rewind to before the mission started and repeat continuously until it is completed."

"Finally, how can I completely end these missions? Or rather, how can I get rid of you?"

System: "By collecting five 'Light Orbs,' the host can make any wish."

After hearing this, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but laugh mockingly.

"In other words, I have to be the boyfriend of four more people, and be forgotten by four more people, before I can finally end this inexplicable part-time job?"

"The reward is very generous—but system, you really don't treat me like a human being."

No matter how extraordinary his experiences may be, when it comes to relationships, Yuu Tenkuji is ultimately just an ordinary virgin.

She's never been in a relationship, so she's a far cry from being a scumbag; she values ​​relationships and is a pure-blooded warrior of love.

Such people wouldn't even go to the red-light district.

However, even though he still loves Yukino Yukinoshita and has all the memories of their time together, he is now ordered by the system to become a stranger to her and flirt with the next girl, doing things that boyfriends and girlfriends would do.

Isn't this a classic case of forcing a good woman into prostitution?

There will always be another one after the first; the more you like her, the greater the pain will be.

But pain can't solve anything. If you want to move forward, you can only try to forget the pain, get used to the pain, until you become numb to emotions and turn into a heartless task-completion machine.

By then, his heart would probably be pretty much broken.

"So... why did you choose someone like me who is absolutely unsuitable to be a 'rent-a-boyfriend'?"

Tenkuji Yu's voice was hoarse, her accusations powerless and filled with resentment.

"..."

The system did not answer; it remained silent in this desolate world.

He knew that no matter how much he cursed or lamented, it would be to no avail—the system had given him many abilities, but it had not given him the ability to rebel against the system.

With her eyes slightly closed and heavy breathing, Yuu Tenkuji spoke softly, "After the retrieval is complete, will Haruno forget me?"

"Confirmed. In the modified world, the target has lost its reason to know the host, and naturally they are like strangers."

"Can't be restored?"

"There is no way to restore it except by using 'Radiant Jade'."