I Really Don’t Want a Girlfriend Anymore

Inside the car on the way home, Yuu suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, the results of that 'trial'…"

"Hm? I thought you didn't care."

At a red light, Haruno pressed the brake.

Yuu glanced at her with narrowed eyes. "If I didn't ask, were you planning to just brush it off?"

"Hehe~"

Haruno admitted casually, without a hint of shame.

She suddenly shifted the gear to neutral and pulled the handbrake at the red light.

"Well, though I often lie, I always keep my promises. So…"

She slowly turned, looking at him with a mysterious smile.

Her eyes twinkled like stars, shimmering with an unclear light.

…Yuu felt a giant red 'DANGER' sign appear above his head.

"So, what are you trying to say?"

"Isn't it obvious? The reward for passing all the 'trials'—I'll give it to you now."

Her smooth, fair arm rested by the gearshift, and Haruno leaned her upper body forward, her mature and enchanting face quickly closing in.

"Wait—"

Yuu reflexively pulled back, the tip of his nose brushing against a strand of fresh-scented hair, so close he could feel the warmth of her breath.

(Damn it, this woman isn't just teasing—she's serious!)

"Calm down, we're in a car!"

"Hehe, doesn't that make it more exciting?"

"Exciting, my foot! Don't you read the rules? Rent-a-boyfriends aren't allowed overly intimate physical contact!"

"So what? I've already traded my first kiss—loosening up a bit won't hurt, right?"

"What kind of logic is that?! And if it's your first kiss, you should—"

Before Yuu could finish, Haruno pressed his shoulder and planted a lip mark on the side of his cheek.

Yuu barely had time to feel the moist softness of her lips before Haruno pulled back slightly, leaning toward his ear and chuckling:

"Great hero… no, little pervert, this is your reward."

Yuu: "…"

The red light ended. Haruno returned to her seat, adjusting the slightly crooked seatbelt across her chest. She released the handbrake, shifted the gear, and as she floored the gas pedal, the car shot through the green light with wild ferocity, like an AE86 charging up a mountain.

Snapping out of his stiffness, Yuu's cheek twitched slightly as he glanced at the woman driving with focus.

Whether it was his imagination or not, her fair, soft face seemed faintly flushed.

In the end, he could only sigh in resignation.

"I shouldn't have brought that up."

Taking a tissue from his bag, using his phone's selfie mode as a mirror, Yuu grudgingly wiped the lipstick mark off his face, muttering:

"Sora, your brother's no longer pure…"

The car swerved left and right as if laughing.

Yuu's expression changed drastically, his hands gripping the car door tightly.

"Please, please drive properly! Or let me out—I'll take a taxi home!"

Haruno laughed heartily.

"Hahaha, who told you to make me laugh on purpose~"

The deep sunset under the distant sky painted the road like a golden sea. The dark blue sedan sped across it, riding the waves under the twilight glow.

When the mood settled, it was a scene as beautiful as poetry and painting.

Unfortunately, beside him, a young woman let out a loud laugh, nearly as noisy as the engine, from her seemingly refined mouth, shattering all peace and beauty.

Life is tough, Yuu sighed again.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

He didn't let Haruno drive him to his doorstep. Yuu got out of the car at the alley near his house.

Leaning lazily against the steering wheel, Haruno looked at him from inside the car.

"If I have time, I'll come find you again. Remember to stay in touch."

"You've paid me, so I don't have the option to refuse, right?"

"Don't say it so reluctantly~"

Yuu thought for a moment, then said, "I might be meeting friends soon. If you want to go out, let me know a day in advance so I can arrange my schedule."

"Eh~ Yuu-chan, who's more important, friends or your girlfriend?" Haruno pouted playfully, her eyes full of mischievous smiles.

Yuu immediately gave a gentle smile. "Of course my girlfriend, Haruno."

"Ugh, so gross!" Her expression shifted dramatically, and Haruno crossed her arms as if chilled. "Forget I said that."

"Go home safely." Rolling his eyes, Yuu was too lazy to indulge her. After placing the doll on the seat, he prepared to leave.

"What's this?"

Haruno picked up the panda doll, inspecting it for a moment, then said with slight confusion, "This… a panda doll? For me?"

Yuu said casually, "Yeah, from the event."

Thanks to his abilities, Yuu earned plenty of event tickets today. Besides the chips Sora wanted, he also exchanged for other items—this doll was one of them, supposedly a Disneyland mascot.

"Heh~ How thoughtful."

Haruno sighed, but it wasn't clear if she was satisfied or not.

She held the doll, glancing at him with a faint smile.

"Though I'm not really into this panda, since you thought of me, I'll reluctantly accept it~"

"If you don't want it, give it back. I can give it to my sister."

"Wow, siscon, so gross~"

Yuu's brows shot up, and he reached to snatch the doll back.

Haruno quickly closed the car window. After waving at him from inside while chuckling, she sped off.

Yuu watched the exhaust fade into the distance, the corners of his lips slightly curling.

"Such a difficult woman."

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Inside the car, Haruno glanced at the passenger seat, where the panda doll was securely fastened by the seatbelt.

"Weird taste."

She commented bluntly, but her face showed an unhidden, pleased smile.

With one hand on the wheel and the other pulling out her phone, Haruno snapped a photo of the "passenger" in the front seat.

Then she sent it to her younger sister—Yukinoshita Yukino.

{Took a little guest out for a stroll today. Jealous?~}

After confirming Yukino read the message instantly, Haruno switched her phone to silent mode, tossed it in front of the doll, and left the screen on without further attention.

"Hmhm~"

Gazing at the beautiful twilight sky darkening, she unconsciously hummed a cheerful melody again.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Yuu stood in front of his house.

His hand had just touched the doorknob when a sudden sense of danger surged in his mind, making him pause.

"No, I can't just go in like this…"

Yuu's face grew serious.

Thinking back, he'd had plenty of intimate contact with Haruno today, and that dirty adult had even "bitten" his cheek.

Though he'd wiped off the lipstick mark in the car, if he went home like this, his sister would inevitably find clues…

No, with Sora's sharpness, as keen as a bloodhound, she'd definitely detect the scent of a mature woman's perfume on him!

After all, when Haruno hugged his arm, her scent practically seeped into him.

"I need to find a place to wash up and erase all traces."

Instinctively, Yuu had the same thought as a cheating husband.

Not because he feared Sora getting jealous or furious, but because he was afraid she'd think he was being stolen by some evil woman outside, then sneak into his room at night to tie him up for some "game."

Tragically, that wasn't impossible…

After all, having seen plenty of weird things online, she was no longer the pure, wide-eyed Sora calling him "Onii-chan."

Which pure little sister would ask, "Is Onii-chan selling himself outside?"

In this regard, Yuu didn't dare underestimate Sora, which is why he had to be cautious.

But now another problem arose—

"How do I cover the scent on my body in a short time?"

And for this, Yuu quickly found an answer.