I Really Don't Want a Girlfriend Anymore

Chapter 629: Want to Fall Asleep Listening to the Familiar Heartbeat

Leaning against his chest, smelling the aroma of his hair, listening to his gentle and melodious voice.

Yuu couldn't sink into that moment at all. On the contrary, he furrowed his brows somewhat awkwardly and said hesitantly:

"Even though you say that... I can't pursue a relationship with someone I have no emotional foundation with."

This was his more tactful way of speaking.

Toward the Kanade before him, Yuu only had gratitude and pity in his heart. There was no romantic feeling between man and woman. In a condition where he didn't remember anything, even though this girl was beautiful and kind-hearted like an angel, to him she was just a stranger he was talking to for the first time.

Listening to her heart's contents was fine, helping her was also no problem, but dating her like his past self and giving her what was called miraculous happiness...

Excuse me, Yuu could only say that was treatment exclusively for Iroha.

Nothing could shake his loyalty!

As a true man, he would only love one woman his entire life—no matter how many girls liked him, as long as this heart still belonged to that little devil underclassman, he would never betray her!

His conscience strengthened again. Time had also been long enough. Yuu, full of determination toward his girlfriend, put on a serious and firm expression. He prepared to break free from the silver-haired girl's embrace.

At that moment, he heard the girl softly ah, as if just realizing something. She explained with slight apology, "Sorry, I arbitrarily assumed that if we met again, we would surely like each other. I didn't mean to force you to date me in the future."

"If you really don't like me, at that time, please express your true feelings frankly."

(Although it will be sad, as long as I can know your true feelings, that me will surely be able to accept it, right?)

"Kanade..."

In momentary stillness, Yuu looked up. Between strands of hair, he saw her faint smile without a shadow of gloom.

The girl's expression was very relaxed. Such openness and relief, as if she were a centenarian predicting she would die peacefully in her sleep tomorrow. She looked very satisfied without regrets.

...Indeed.

After learning that Yuu already had a girlfriend, asking him to date her in the future, that indeed wasn't something Kanade would do.

At least, that didn't match Yuu's current impression of Kanade.

Realizing he had misunderstood her meaning, Yuu laughed awkwardly. Just as he was about to say something, Kanade suddenly brought her face close.

"Oh right, I forgot you haven't remembered the past yet... Although after some time, you should be able to regain your own memories, but this way is faster..."

While murmuring, her cool forehead touched his forehead. Long and curled eyelashes were right before his eyes.

Yuu hadn't had time to react, but his body unconsciously froze in place, unable to move as if petrified.

"T-this..."

As if a missing puzzle piece had been fitted, memories like water waves immediately flooded his mind. Those memories didn't just fill the void but also rewrote the reality he had believed was natural all along.

The third person who should have existed appeared in what he thought was experienced by only two people.

Joy and peace that only three people could have were added to the time he thought he spent only with two.

Before he dated Iroha, he had a very important underclassman.

That was clearly not an excessive color.

Because of her presence, the three of them could be closely connected, coloring each other's lives with more beautiful scenery.

Yuu vaguely remembered. In the student council room, she sat in the main chair, checking documents seriously. Meanwhile he himself supervised Iroha working from behind her.

The three of them occasionally chatted, occasionally complained about each other, occasionally sat, brewed tea, and ate snacks, chatting casually about anything, then went home together before night grew late.

This daily scenery that had become a habit, he thought could continue until graduation.

But, unexpectedly, the unexpected meeting at the fireworks festival was their last meeting.

From that moment on, the two of them not only never saw her figure again, but they even completely forgot her existence, enjoying their time together without caring about her...

That was his best friend.

That was the underclassman he cherished most.

To them both, Kanade had almost become the most important figure besides family. Yet after she disappeared, forget about the sudden feeling of loss appearing before graduation. Take for example when Yuu met her on the rooftop.

The memories they once shared together didn't surface at all. Yuu even spoke to her in such a strange and cold tone. Saying he had no emotional foundation...

Memories gradually returned to where they should be. Yuu's expression was very colorful, changing like neon lights. After that, he slowly forced a smile worse than crying at the girl who raised her face again, looking at him with slight worry.

"S-should I say long time no see? Kanade..."

"Mm, long time no see. Yuu-senpai." Understanding his awkwardness, Kanade nodded lightly. With a calm attitude not much changed from the past, she returned his smile.

Yuu rose from her embrace. After moving his bottom back to the edge of the piano bench, he gazed at her who acted as if nothing happened with a complex look for several moments, then sighed and lowered his head.

"...In short, I apologize!"

Kanade blinked. She looked somewhat confused.

"Yuu-senpai doesn't need to apologize to me. After all, I was the one who chose to disappear on my own."

Kanade thought for a moment. With both hands neatly placed on her knees, she faced him seriously and bowed slightly, "If you must apologize to me, I must apologize three times as much in return."

"Enough, enough! Don't force yourself on such useless things!"

Yuu hurriedly stopped her. He rubbed her smooth and soft head while laughing awkwardly. Incidentally he tucked her messy side hair behind her ear, revealing her beautiful, cute, and flawless side profile he knew.

"In that case, neither of us need to apologize to each other. It's all fate's fault. Just blame fate that didn't let us live ordinary days."

Kanade looked up slightly. She placed her hand on the back of Yuu's hand. She smiled with nostalgia and happiness, and nodded firmly.

"Mm, it's all fate's fault!"

If not for such chaotic fate, the story between them might have had regrets, might have had doubts, and might have separated and had cold wars for a while.

But anyway, the three of them would surely reconcile, and let that ordinary and happy daily life continue until the end, right?

Yuu firmly believed that. He was also willing to exert all effort for such a future.

...For some reason, recalling the declaration of loyalty he had just made with certainty, he suddenly felt guilty.

Indeed, he would never betray his girlfriend, do two-timing, and cheat behind Iroha's back.

But if his girlfriend agreed, letting their relationship that was already very close as best friends advance further, reaping love and friendship, then even if he accidentally did a split... that shouldn't be considered betrayal.

"No, it can't!"

Yuu immediately shook his head. He dismissed those thoughts that shook his conviction from his mind, temporarily stopping the decline of his loyalty value.

This wasn't manga or a novel. In this world, where was there a foolish girl who agreed her boyfriend also dated her best friend, and the three of them lived happily together?

In the midst of Kanade's confused gaze, Yuu held his chest, took a deep breath, then slowly released it.

The momentary shortness of breath, he defined as his conscience working.

To not keep thinking improper thoughts, Yuu decided to shift his attention to something he had just discovered. After calming down, he said to Kanade beside him:

"Kanade, may I ask you something?"

Kanade tilted her head slightly. Her small feet unconsciously pulled in under the chair, "If it's something I know, please ask."

"You know I'm undergoing a trial, right?" Seeing her nod, Yuu continued, "The system gave me the goal of rediscovering what was lost now. I initially thought it was to rediscover memories about you. But even though you made me remember the past, the system didn't tell me my goal was achieved."

Since he exposed the system's disguise at the fireworks festival, he thought the next goal given by the system was to rediscover memories about the ex-girlfriend he once dated.

Although he didn't think too much about it because he already had a girlfriend, he had seriously searched for a while—but because he found no clues whatsoever, he began to be inconsistent, and finally gave up, focusing on enjoying intimate time with Iroha.

However, this thinking changed yesterday after his sister told him about Kanade.

Compared to the different systems and different girlfriends in those videos, Kanade who always accompanied him and tried to change his fate was clearly far more important.

The system's goal update indeed started before Kanade disappeared from this world. But in world lines far longer than that, Yuu had already met, dated, and separated from Kanade. It was natural for such suspicion to arise.

But now.

Although he already knew the past and regained all his memories about Kanade without anything missing, he still didn't hear the task update notification from the system.

Meaning, rediscovering what was lost didn't mean Kanade—was his initial guess correct?

Yuu couldn't be sure.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt uncomfortable. If only Sora didn't have limitations on leaking any information related to the trial, Yuu would have already asked her to directly tell him the answer.

Compared to the pride of having to complete the trial with his own strength, he hated more this feeling of being lied to, with his memories like matryoshka dolls, unable to see his earliest self.

"Trial goal?"

Kanade fell silent for a moment, but only sighed regretfully, "Although I seem not to have limitations like Sora, the power I have in this body isn't much anymore. The information I can get from the system is only the most basic things, and mostly related to me... I also don't understand you in this world line. I don't know what's most important to you. It seems I can't help you, sorry."

Before Yuu could feel disappointed, he immediately pursued that fleeting keyword, "Most important thing? Why can you be so sure?"

As if not understanding why Yuu asked that, Kanade tilted her head in confusion, "After all, if it's not the most important, there's no way the system deliberately made you forget it, then made it a trial to rediscover it, right?"

"Right..." An idea slowly formed. Yuu pinched his chin while thinking hard. His expression became increasingly serious. He worked hard to firmly grasp that small clue.

Because he already had experience regaining memories once, different from his past condition like a headless fly, he could feel he was getting closer to the truth. Just lacking one most important key to unlock the last lock blocking the gate of memories.

Let's think in more detail, based on existing clues.

(First, assume the system really wants me to rediscover memories about a girlfriend. Could she, like the past Kanade, not exist in this world at all, so I keep being unable to find her?)

(Second, this ex-girlfriend is very important to me, so the system made her a trial to rediscover... Well, thinking about it, that's natural. If she weren't important to me, I wouldn't have dated her.)

(But, looking from another angle, if she's really important to me, it's impossible I didn't leave any items or records related to her... This is different from Kanade's disappearance. Even if it's just a comb, ring, or even a strand of ex-girlfriend's hair. If I didn't even leave such a small clue for myself, then the so-called trial is just pure difficulty, and the system has no intention at all of letting me pass.)

Yuu's eyes slowly brightened. He couldn't hold back from curving his lips. He looked like someone who had been stuck in a game for a long time but succeeded in making his own strategy. His expression became increasingly bright, radiating brilliant confidence.

Seeing him like that, Kanade initially wanted to try helping him a little, however small, using her remaining scarce power and Sora's Light Orb in her chest.

But now, it seemed that wasn't necessary anymore... A true observer doesn't speak. Toward him who was trying to solve the mystery with his own power, interfering would only be considered insensitive. She wasn't so naive as not to understand the rules of the game.

So, she no longer worried. She looked down at the tips of her feet that had already begun to become transparent. Her heart was calm. She asked casually, "Yuu-senpai, is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"Hmm? There isn't anymore."

Coming to his senses from complex thoughts, Yuu looked at her.

Seeing him display the bookworm expression he rarely showed, Kanade couldn't hold back a smile while covering her mouth. Her eyebrows also curved gently.

"In that case, may I ask one thing of you?"

This time it was Yuu's turn to look confused, "What?"

Kanade gazed into his eyes sincerely. Her expression natural, "May I lean against your chest?"

For the last time, she wanted to fall asleep listening to that familiar heartbeat.