For the sake of this mysterious status, Yuu even looked up the meaning of Injury Time.
In a soccer match, whether it's a foul or an injured player leaving the field for treatment, the referee doesn't stop the clock. Instead, this dead time is accumulated and added to the end of the regular period—this period is called Injury Time.
The meaning was fairly easy to grasp, but as a skill status akin to Rejuvenate or Muscle Control... Without the system's explanation and unable to test it himself, Yuu truly had no idea what it could do.
"Whatever, the system doesn't allow me to use it anyway, so let's just pretend it doesn't exist for now."
Resignedly making this decision, Yuu closed the panel, then picked up his phone and checked his chat history.
The café where he worked part-time was nearly done with renovations, and they had sent a message asking about his work schedule after school started. He wondered whether to submit his resignation.
After all, Haruno had given him so much that Yuu no longer needed to save up from his part-time job. Wouldn't it be better to use that money and the free time from the job for something more valuable and profitable?
A part-time worker couldn't achieve great success unless he earned a barista license and competed in a world barista championship.
Meanwhile, Chizuru, who had once asked for his contact and said she wanted to discuss acting, hadn't proactively reached out again since sending a greeting sticker.
After the family dinner, Kouichirou also sent a message.
He mentioned the Yukinoshita family's passive stance on matchmaking after lunch, subtly expressing relief and congratulations, then indirectly asked if Yuu had superpowers or if his Stand ability was related to erasing existence—questions that made one very reluctant to reply.
Lastly, there was Haruno.
After they agreed on plans for tomorrow's meeting, their conversation ended with mutual goodnight messages, not overly affectionate due to everything that happened today.
"Also, since the shift in mentality came from my side, maybe she still feels a bit weird?"
Yuu sighed, lying on his bed with his head propped up, staring at the ceiling and sinking into thought.
Today's events, from his perspective, could be summarized like this:
Forced to attend a family meeting → Wanted to see her rental boyfriend, so sent him a message → Rental boyfriend actually came, yay, so happy → After talking with her mom, decided she wanted to turn the fake relationship into a real one → They teased each other, but when she brought it up, her boyfriend seemed reluctant → Had a long talk in a booth, where he said he liked her and was willing to make it real but wanted to delay for a while, staying a rental boyfriend until then.
"Ugh…"
After reconstructing the events from her perspective, Yuu also felt he was a bit strange, even a little like a jerk.
Not explaining what he was worried about, saying they could date but not being firm—it was like stringing her along. No wonder Haruno's attitude turned cold and indifferent after they parted.
"But it's really hard for me to explain…"
Scratching his head in frustration, Yuu realized that after genuinely seeing Haruno as a girlfriend, he suddenly felt awkward. He could no longer handle situations as smoothly as before and cared too much about everything related to her.
Was love really a debuff?
Something that lowered one's IQ and turned them into a child—Haruno had already fallen for it, and he didn't seem to escape it either.
Overthinking was making him annoyed, so Yuu decided to stop dwelling on it. He got up, started reading and exercising as usual, then used Rejuvenate to dry the sweat from his body.
Lying in bed while browsing his phone, he looked up gift-giving taboos and found that combs were indeed inappropriate gifts—because in Japanese, the word for comb (kushi) sounds like cruelty and death. Giving one to someone could easily be interpreted as a hidden message wishing suffering and death.
How lucky that when Haruno received the gift, she didn't slap him but quickly understood Yuu didn't know gift-giving customs, just giving what he saw, and casually accepted it…
(I need to apologize tomorrow.)
With that thought, Yuu closed the search interface, planned tomorrow's date schedule, and waited for sleepiness to overtake his consciousness.
Soon, the last light in the room went out, blending with the darkness of the night outside the window.
No stars or moon shone; the early August night breeze stirred the curtains, even feeling a bit eerie.
Yet in his dreams, he smiled calmly, relieved, and content.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
August 5, Monday.
The same pickup spot, the same red brick wall and graffiti, two people with the same relationship.
No passionate hugs or kisses upon meeting, just a friendly, natural greeting. Then Haruno drove toward the indoor ski arena in the city center.
To ski in summer, this was the only option unless climbing Mount Fuji.
They talked about many things in the car, including Sora's reaction to the girlfriend, an apology for the comb gift, and Kouichirou's sister, said to be very beautiful, gentle, polite, and quiet, perfect for political matchmaking.
While chatting, they arrived at the indoor ski arena.
Unlike the scorching heat outside, even the ticket counter area felt so cold it made one shiver, with a chill spreading from the arena inside.
There was a couple's ticket discount, so they held hands to enter. After changing into rented ski clothes and boots, they quickly rushed into the winter-like cold of the ski arena and played in the snow like kids.
First was throwing snowballs—
After Haruno threw a few, she realized not only was Yuu always on target, but his movements were also extraordinarily agile. She immediately hugged her head, crouched, and declared a truce.
While brushing off the white snow clinging to her body and hair, she scolded Yuu:
"Guys like you who recklessly throw snowballs at girls have no gentleness at all—it's a miracle you even have a girlfriend!... Ugh, damn it, snow got into my bra."
Yuu could only give a wry smile, lowering his head to admit fault.
Next was making snowmen—
The snow in the indoor arena was slightly different from natural snow, only good for making soccer-ball-sized snowmen at best; anything larger required professional tools.
They spent half an hour crafting a pair of shoulder-to-shoulder snowmen, looking like a loving couple, then took photos with wide smiles.
As they pondered how to bring their hard-earned creations home, some kids ran by playing, causing the snowman couple to explode on the spot and naturally collapse.
"Forget it. Just a bunch of kids—don't let them ruin the mood."
For the record, it was Yuu who flashed a menacing smile at the kids, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to take revenge.
Haruno had to hold him back, telling him to calm down and not actually start trouble over a pair of tiny snowmen.
Couples could also try snow tubing together—sliding down a snow slope while sitting on a snow tube.
Haruno sat in front, Yuu behind, his legs straddling her body, arms wrapping around her slender, toned waist, his head resting on her shoulder, gently breathing near her ear.
While adjusting their seating, Haruno suddenly said in surprise: "Eh? Something hard's touching me."
Yuu replied with a calm expression: "Don't lie. These ski clothes are so thick, there's no way you felt anything."
Haruno smiled, unrelenting: "So, you're really hard?"
Yuu didn't back down: "Not that easy. But your ears are red, huh? Turns out that's your sensitive spot."
Whispering to each other, they slid down the snow slope. With their excellent physical abilities, they naturally didn't get hurt and stopped steadily.
Yuu also gained the Skiing (Proficient Level) skill, but the larger ski slope was under repair, so he couldn't try standing skiing, only sliding on a snowboard while seated, and he quickly got bored.
Just then, artificial snow began falling from the ceiling.
White snowflakes swirled in the air under the control of fans, as if stepping into a snowy wonderland. Visitors unconsciously paused their activities, looking up, captivated by the curtain of falling snow.
After taking a few photos, Yuu stood upright like the others, letting the snow fall on his face, melting into cold droplets.
"Hey, Yuu-chan."
His girlfriend's soft voice sounded beside him.
Yuu turned, smiling gently: "What's up?"
Her cheeks slightly flushed, Haruno smiled sincerely and happily: "In a place this beautiful, let's hug to commemorate it!"
"Eh?" Yuu was startled, only realizing something was off when Haruno spread her arms wide, hopped slightly, and hugged him.
"Yay!"
"Wait, that's dangerous…"
Yuu hurriedly hugged her back, supporting her weight, letting her arms cross behind his neck.
Before he could finish, he heard Haruno's sly whisper in his ear—
"Gotcha, Yuu-chan."
"What?!"
Yuu's eyes widened, then he froze in place, his face slowly paling.
Because a moment later, Haruno stuffed a snowball in her hand into his ski clothes and rubbed it in hard twice.
"Sorry, I'm not used to being bullied without fighting back~"
Nimblely slipping out of his embrace, Haruno gleefully watched Yuu jump around, shivering as he shook snow out of his clothes.
Then she quickly turned, flashing a cunning smile like a fox that stole a chicken, clearly preparing to flee:
"I'm going to the bathroom for a bit—don't chase me~"
"YUKINOSHITA! HARUNO! Stop right there!"
Seeing her exit the battlefield with a bright but mischievous smile, Yuu shivered with cold, angry yet laughing as he gritted his teeth, perfectly embodying a handsome man who was mad, trembling, and freezing.
Haruno might escape the nun but not the convent. Yuu decided that later, in the car on the way back, he'd teach her a lesson with his Proficient kissing technique!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In short.
On the first day of Yuu's changed mentality, they had a thoroughly enjoyable date.
And he thought, at least until the day everything ended arrived, they could be like this, like an ordinary couple, experiencing countless daily romantic comedies filled with happiness and warmth.
This was Yuu's first love, so he cherished it deeply.
Precisely because he cherished it, he always overlooked something more important—
Time doesn't slow down just because it suddenly gains meaning.
And so, two weeks later.