If it were someone?

Arriving at an empty corner, he let go of Horikita's hand.

"Ask away, I'll tell you everything."

Horikita nodded and said:

"Why did you make me make friends with them?"

"To improve your social skills. At your current level, you're not even as good as a middle schooler."

Horikita nodded awkwardly: "And then?"

"Socializing is a practical course. If you don't experiment, reading all the books in the world is just empty talk."

"Oh."

"Are you unhappy?"

"It's not that... If you want me to do this, I can try, it's just..."

Horikita looked up at him:

"Do you really want me to get along with others? Won't you be jealous?"

"...Sigh, I really have no secrets from you."

Bai Ye nodded helplessly, "Of course I'll be annoyed. My wish is to make Suzune my own possession."

Hearing him speak so bluntly, Horikita glared at him in shame and annoyance. Just as she was about to punch his shoulder to hide her inner shyness, Bai Ye grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

Those gentle words were whispered into her ear:

"It's more convenient to talk like this."

"You... let go... someone might come."

Horikita struggled slightly, her earlobes turning bright red.

Bai Ye continued: "But compared to my own needs, I want to see you happy more. That is my happiness."

He knew that true love was not about taking, but giving. Only by watching the person one likes be happy can one feel true happiness.

However, achieving that is almost impossible; everyone has selfish motives, and he was no exception.

Just like some parents who love their children, they also harbor thoughts of dominance and control.

The two do not conflict.

Romance is ultimately selfish, while great love is selfless.

"Of course, I don't mean for you to give them your true heart. I still hope you only show your most authentic side to me alone."

Horikita's eyes were a bit dazed: "Is it really okay to do this... wouldn't that be equivalent to using them?"

Bai Ye sighed slightly:

"How do you know they genuinely want to be friends with you and don't have any selfish motives of their own?"

"...Then forget it, I don't want to play mind games with them."

"If you don't do it, you'll never understand, just like earlier." He said, "You could have just ignored Sudo, so why did you have to open your mouth and call him an idiot?"

"Isn't he an idiot?"

"He is an idiot."

"See, even you think so."

"Of course I know he's an idiot. Not just you and me, the whole class knows. But why don't they say it?"

"Afraid he'll hit someone?"

"Exactly." It had to be said that Horikita had a grasp of the situation, she was just a bit too rigid.

Bai Ye added: "There are so many idiots on the street, are you going to point every single one of them out? There's no need to say things that don't need to be said. Just like how you're an idiot—have I ever said that to you before?"

"You actually called me an idiot?" Horikita immediately pinched his soft flesh, her eyes glaring daggers at him.

Bai Ye endured it immediately, and looking at Horikita's faintly angry, pretty face, he unexpectedly found it quite cute.

Is this what they mean by beauty is in the eye of the beholder?

I'm hopeless, just find a place to bury me.

"...Did I say that?"

"You did, I heard it clearly just now."

"Alright... actually, I think a silly Suzune is quite cute."

"Ha? What are you saying?" Horikita pinched his hand even harder, a look of shame and annoyance appearing once again.

"Suzune, do you like dogs?"

"Who are you calling a dog!?" Horikita pulled at his collar, "Do you believe I'll actually bite you to death?"

"Go ahead and bite, I won't fight back."

Horikita stared at him for a few seconds, lowered her head, and really bit down.

Hiss—

Bai Ye drew in a sharp breath.

Just as he was about to cry out, the bitten area suddenly felt a cool, licking sensation.

A soft, smooth, and slippery sensation glided across his skin.

He quickly realized what it was.

He couldn't help but wrap his arms around Horikita's waist, his other hand resting on the back of her head to give her more room to move.

After a long while, the young girl seemed tired; she leaned her head against his shoulder and looked up slightly.

Meeting those bright, beautiful eyes, her flushed, charming face was tinged with a rosy hue, her small mouth slightly parted as she exhaled.

"So beautiful..." he said, placing his hand over that lovely face.

Under his gentle caress, the girl let out a dreamlike "mm-hmm" sound.

After a moment of tenderness, Horikita, waking from her haze, straightened her clothes and lowered her head with a hint of shyness:

"I will go and talk to them, but I don't know what to say yet... Could you come with me..."

"If I'm there, it will be completely different... How about this, I'll have a girl help you. You know her—it's Wang Meiyu, who sits in front of you."

"Her?" Horikita looked up, staring at him. "What is your relationship with her?"

"A younger sister... uh, actually, she's my ex-girlfriend."

"Ex... So you've had a girlfriend before. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"To be honest, she was the first person I ever dated, and we only went out for one day. We didn't even kiss. You can just think of her as my little sister."

"Little sister..." Horikita seemed to be pondering something. "There was also an older sister last time... and Kushida even called you 'Daddy.' Are you here to find your long-lost family?"

"That thing with Kushida was just an accident... Anyway, rest assured, you are my girlfriend now, and I won't have any non-platonic relationships with them."

"Why do you say it like you're going to break up with me in the future?"

"Uh... what if, I mean, what if it were true?" he probed.

Even though he spoke in a joking tone, Horikita frowned slightly and lowered her head to think:

"I haven't thought about such things. I don't know."

"Why not try to think about it?" He was saying this now to prepare Horikita so she wouldn't be too heartbroken later.

However, he found that his own heart hurt even more.

It wasn't because of the breakup itself—he knew he wouldn't let go of Horikita—but he didn't want to see her sad.

He finally understood: this system was essentially here to torture him, simply because it didn't like the look of him.

If the system could speak, it would surely retort indignantly: I am clearly here to help you build a harem. Without me, would you even be dating a girl in this lifetime?

Yet, he was destined to never understand the system's good intentions.

One could only say he was blessed but didn't know it.

Horikita was sometimes very serious; hearing his words, she actually thought about it carefully and then said:

"If that really happened, I don't think I would ever trust anyone else again for the rest of my life."

"..."

"But I believe in you." Horikita looked at him, her cool, clear eyes blooming with a hint of tenderness. "You like me, and I like you."

"You won't abandon me. You swore it."

"So..."

The girl leaned close to his ear, pursed her lips, and with trembling lips, gave him a light kiss on the cheek:

"...I'll wait for you to come and marry me."

After saying that, she covered her face and hurried away from his side.

"..."

His heart began to ache.