My love index is at its maximum.

"I think she should be given some space now."

Tazaki Tsukasa gave a strange smile and reached out to hug Hoshino Hanami.

The sun shone directly on the earth, making the outlines of everything exceptionally clear. The riverbank slope was haphazardly dotted with baby's breath, hydrangeas, and some brightly colored wildflowers, while a flock of waterbirds flapped their vibrant wings and flew swiftly from right to left.

"You were really silly today."

Hoshino Hanami buried her face in Tazaki Tsukasa's neck, inhaling his unique scent deeply.

"You could have been a noble young master, but you gave it up so easily. You were so foolish..."

"Don't you like it?" Tsukasa Tazaki kissed her earlobe, then slid down her cheek to her neck and collarbone.

The warm summer breeze brushed against my cheeks, carrying the scent of unknown wildflowers.

"I love it, I love it so much." Hoshino Hanami squinted her eyes, feeling his love. Her soft body seemed to melt, and she nestled in his arms, unwilling to get up.

The two kissed deeply and embraced each other through the long summer day.

Chapter 129 Five people and one dog, enjoying themselves together.

As the sun began to set in the west, it lengthened the shadows of the trees.

When Tsukasa Tazaki opened his eyes, he saw that the sky had been dyed a brilliant crimson.

Looking down slightly, she saw Hoshino Hanami curled up in her arms, her sleeping face as peaceful as a baby's.

He reached out to stroke her delicate oval face and nibbled at her earlobe with his teeth.

"Mmm~!"

Hoshino Hanami nuzzled his face with her delicate nose, twisted her body, wrapped one arm around his waist, and let out a dissatisfied groan.

It was a peaceful sleep, like that of a locust in autumn, and she didn't want to wake up so soon.

The temperature, which had been high since noon, finally dropped considerably. A few rays of sunset shone through the birch trees, casting dappled light on the two people. Several birds flew past the bellies of the two horses as if they were running.

Tazaki casually plucked a stalk of reed, pinched off the top of the reed, and wrapped the bare stalk around the ring finger of her left hand. Then she picked it up and examined it closely in the sunlight.

Bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun, her slender, fair fingers shimmered with a delicate pink light. The ring, though a little plain, possessed a natural, ethereal quality that perfectly complemented her overall气质 (qi zhi - inherent quality/temperament).

"Isn't it pretty?" Tsukasa Tazaki patted her back gently.

Hoshino Hanami opened her eyes and spread her five fingers upwards.

Sunlight streamed through her fingers and into her eyes. She squinted instinctively and said lazily, "Beautiful."

After saying that, she sat up straight, smiled at Tsukasa Tazaki, and said with a serious expression, "There's something I need to confirm with you."

Tsukasa Tazaki held her hand tightly: "Ask away, I promise I'll tell you everything."

You said I was your first love, is that true?

"It's not just your first love." Tsukasa Tazaki stroked her hair, his eyes crinkling with laughter. "You were the first person I ever liked, the first hug, the first kiss, and all the firsts to come will be with you."

Hoshino Hanami tilted her head slightly and pressed her cheek against his palm: "Of all the words I've ever heard you say, this is the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"I think the penguins in Tokyo Bay are better."

“Haha…” Hoshino Hanami pinched his cheek and said with a smile, “Tokyo Bay penguins are the most playful sweet talk.”

The wind blew through the reeds, gently caressing her long hair; the leaves rustled; and in the distance, the calls of birds returning to their nests drifted over.

Tazaki Tsukasa stood up, brushed the grass clippings off his clothes, and reached out to help her up.

Hoshino Hanami pounced on him, waving the pampas grass ring on her left ring finger: "Work hard, Penguin-kun, I'll be waiting for you to graduate high school so you can give me the most beautiful ring in the world."

“Now is fine too.” Tsukasa Tazaki put his arm around her waist and whispered firmly in her ear.

"Not now!"

Hoshino Hanami gestured with her hands to show their heights and snorted with a rather disdainful tone: "You're only about two centimeters taller than me now. If I were wearing high heels, you'd have to stand on tiptoe to kiss me."

"I think this is fine..."

"No, I want you to grow so tall that I have to stand on tiptoe to kiss you. That would be more romantic."

"No problem... I'll try to grow to 175cm by this time next year."

The two walked along the tree-lined path, leading their horses through a thicket of camellias. It was sunset, a clear summer evening, and everything around them was bathed in tranquil sunlight, so quiet that it was pleasant to be around.

Through the gaps in the mixed grove, one can see the ridges of the trees and hills. The ridges shimmer with the faint glow of the setting sun, as if an artisan had gilded them with a layer of light.

Immersed in the lingering afterglow of summer, he and she kissed in the corner of their eyes.

When it got completely dark, the two returned to their small villa. The father-in-law, who had been walking the dog all day, had volunteered to prepare dinner—he couldn't cook at all, but he wanted to enjoy the atmosphere of the family having dinner together, so he bought a bunch of ingredients to cook a hot pot meal.

Moreover... the vegetables hadn't been washed, the meat hadn't been cut, and the pot had just been taken out.

Hoshino Hanami glanced at the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa waiting for food and said helplessly, "I'll go prepare dinner. Dad, go find Shikami."

The father-in-law shrank back and answered in a low voice, "Lu Jian is in the room."

"Go and call her down for dinner."

“It’s not that I didn’t want to call her…” Hoshino Takeo quickly pulled “Navy” over and placed him between himself and his eldest daughter, explaining cautiously, “I don’t know who made her angry, she hasn’t spoken to me all day.”

The Border Collie turned its head and barked at Tsukasa Tazaki.

Hoshino Hanami, both amused and exasperated, kicked Tazaki Tsukasa: "Go and call your sister down for dinner."

His demeanor had the air of a head of the household.

Tsukasa Tazaki went up to the second floor and ran into Sakura Kuriyama in the corridor.

She had just finished showering; her hair was still damp, and you could faintly smell the scent of shampoo. She wore a pristine white dress, her slender neck glowing with a faint rosy hue under the light, a result of the hot water she had just washed.

Tsukasa Tazaki greeted him with a smile, "The teacher is preparing dinner, it will be ready to eat soon."

Kuriyama Sakura crossed her arms, a wary look on her pretty face: "I will submit your observation report truthfully tomorrow."

"Uh... what does 'submit truthfully' mean?"

"That is, all my subjective evaluation of you."

Tazaki Tsukasa scratched his head, then asked guiltily, "Will it affect the relationship between husband and wife?"

Kuriyama nodded honestly.

"Please, have mercy!"

Without hesitation, Tsukasa Tazaki conceded defeat, clasped his hands together, and said sincerely, "I'd rather tear down ten temples than break up one marriage."

"And the lemon tea this semester..."

"I'll make it!"

Kuriyama Sakura nodded in satisfaction.

For now, the most gratifying achievement for her is being able to make Tsukasa Tazaki back down.

“Oh, right…” Tsukasa Tazaki remembered something and stared at her curiously: “Are you being wary of me?”

Kuriyama Sakura avoided his gaze, forcing herself to remain calm: "That's not true."

"Could it be that I'm too charming, and you're afraid you won't be able to control your feelings?"

"You're dreaming." Kuriyama Sakura rested her chin on her hand, turning around fiercely. "I hate scumbags the most!"

She looks as cute as a fluffy kitten right now, with her small tiger teeth peeking out from under her beautifully shaped cherry-colored mouth, flashing with a stubborn, cold light.

Tazaki Tsukasa smiled smugly, pushed open Hoshino Hanami's door, and walked towards his sister, who lay lifeless on the bed. Kuriyama Sakura leaned against the doorframe, her cool eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions that were difficult to unravel.

The room was dark and quiet. Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a soft, silvery glow on the furniture. Hoshino Shikami lay asleep on her side, the lovely, forlorn girl seemingly frozen in time, her body motionless.

Tazaki Tsukasa walked to the bedside and sat down, reaching out to stroke her head like he was stroking a "navy".

He fully understood his sister-in-law's awkward feelings. She lost her mother at a young age and grew up under her older sister's care. Having been deeply dependent on her sister since childhood, it was only natural that she would become a sister-obsessed person as an adult.

Regarding the bond between the two sisters, Tsukasa Tazaki didn't feel he could interfere, or rather, he didn't feel he should. He not only didn't object to the younger sister's infatuation with the older sister, but he could even extend some of his love for the older sister to the younger sister.

Of course... I'm referring to the love between family members.

Her little head was being rubbed, and Hoshino Shika slowly opened her eyes. After seeing who it was by the moonlight, she snorted and gritted her teeth, saying, "I don't want to see you."

"Why?" Tsukasa Tazaki ruffled her hair and asked, "We're family, we should love each other."

Hoshino Shikami slapped his hand away: "Who wants to be part of your family! You cunning bastard, you stole my sister while I wasn't looking, I hate you so much."

"Hanamika is going to marry me, that's an unchangeable fact."

"I'm going to change things! So what if we kissed? I kissed my sister before you did!" Hoshino Shikami sat up angrily and shouted fiercely, "One day, I'll drive you away from my sister!"

Kuriyama Sakura, standing at the door, rolled her eyes, thinking disdainfully to herself, "With my sister's IQ, she's definitely out of luck. Maybe before long, she'll wash herself clean, unwittingly giving herself away, ultimately letting this scumbag and his sister both have their cake and eat it too."

"How about this, let's compete fairly."

Tazaki Tsukasa flicked his sister's smooth forehead with his finger and then said, "You can use tricks, but don't drag irrelevant people into it. Just the two of us, let's have a fair and square duel and see who can win my heart."

Hoshino Shikami thumped his chest and roared fearlessly, "You're going to lose!"

"Haha... Shikami is so cute." Tsukasa Tazaki genuinely thought she was adorable, and a dazzling smile involuntarily bloomed on his face.

Like a night-blooming cereus blooming in the darkness, or a spark flickering in the night sky, its fleeting beauty is breathtaking.

Hoshino Shikami, still half-asleep, bit her right thumb. Even after Tazaki Tsukasa walked out of the room, she still couldn't figure out how to describe that smile she didn't understand, but which deeply shocked her.

Kuriyama Sakura rubbed her forehead, sighed as if in pain, and called out to her, "Stop spacing out, come out and eat."

"Uh... Oh, okay."

Hoshino Shikami snapped out of her daze and looked at Kuriyama Sakura somewhat bewildered: "He just smiled at me..."

Kuriyama Sakura leaned weakly against the doorframe: "So?"

His tone was filled with a strong sense of frustration, as if he thought, "This person is hopeless."

"How strange..." Hoshino Shikami bit her hand and asked a question in a certain tone: "He seems to have become more handsome?"

"Stop being infatuated, that's your brother-in-law."

"I'm not being a fangirl." Hoshino Shikami jumped off the bed, ran to Kuriyama Sakura's side, grabbed her arm and shook it vigorously: "He has a pretty good smile, but I don't know how to describe it. Sakura, can you help me think of something?"

Kuriyama Sakura lowered her eyelids and pondered for a moment before replying, "This kind of smile is extremely rare, carrying an extremely reassuring feeling. You might only encounter it four or five times in your entire life. This fleeting smile makes you feel as if you are facing an entire eternal world. In that instant, the smile focuses on you, showing you an irresistible favoritism."

“Favoritism…” Hoshino Shika blinked, a thoughtful expression on her face. After automatically conjuring up a long, sweet scene in her mind, she excitedly said to Kuriyama Sakura, “As expected of Sakura, you’re so smart. You could come up with such a romantic adjective in such a short time.”