My love index is at its maximum.

"I'm really worried about the future of Sakura's family." Kuriyama Sakura rubbed her temples helplessly and said to her younger sister in a tone of exasperation, "This quote is from 'The Great Gatsby,' and it's what Nick used to describe the protagonist, Gatsby. I've told you to study more, but you refuse. All you do is play around all day. How can your older sister be at ease with this immature personality?"

Hoshino Shika chuckled a few times and said without any embarrassment, "Then let my older sister take care of me forever."

Kuriyama Sakura: "..."

She wanted to say something, but couldn't quite put it into words. On a deeper level, she wanted to tell Hoshino Shikami that everyone is an independent individual when they come into this world, and no one can depend on anyone else forever.

But beneath her surface consciousness, she felt a faint sense of envy. To be able to live carefree under someone's meticulous protection is undoubtedly something to be envied.

This heartwarming feeling is exactly what Kuriyama Sakura lacks.

……

[Triggering Emotion: Dependence. The Hoshino Shikami Stock Index rose 50 points; current stock price: 51]

The system popped up a notification just as Tsukasa Tazaki walked into the kitchen.

With her back to him, Hoshino Hanami skillfully chopped the carrot into neat little pieces. Her movements were quite agile and beautiful. Although she was just chopping vegetables, she looked as elegant as a conductor leading a symphony.

Tsukasa Tazaki knew that he could no longer see her objectively. As soon as he got close to her, his eyes would automatically be covered by a thick "lover's filter," so much so that he was deeply captivated by her every smile and gesture.

Hoshino Hanami turned around and glanced at him, then asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Shikami?"

"It's alright, I made a secret agreement with her."

"What agreement?"

"About how to monopolize my older sister."

"Why are you acting like a child too?" Hoshino Hanami turned around, both amused and exasperated, and focused on preparing the ingredients.

Tsukasa Tazaki leaned against the door, his gaze scanning her back and forth.

Her long, black hair was tied in a loose ponytail, hanging down her back in a casual way. She was still wearing a tight-fitting equestrian outfit, and from behind, her waist was astonishingly slender. Despite eating so much, she seemed to be blessed by God, her waistline breathtakingly beautiful.

And there were her tight riding trousers, which accentuated her rounded and pert figure whenever she bent over and stuck out her buttocks.

Unable to resist, Tsukasa Tazaki hugged her from behind and asked softly, "Mrs. Tazaki, do you need any help?"

"Mrs. Tazaki?" Hoshino Hanami turned her head away from his embrace and pinched his nose with her wet fingertips: "Dream on, I won't let you succeed so quickly. Besides, it's still uncertain whether I will marry you or you will move in with us."

With his nose pinched, Tsukasa Tazaki replied in a muffled voice, "Whether it's Hanami Tazaki or Tsukasa Hoshino, I can accept either."

"Alright, you go outside and wait, don't bother me."

“No.” Tsukasa Tazaki hugged her waist and rubbed his face against her shoulder. “I want to watch you cook for me from the closest distance, like a wife preparing dinner for her husband when he comes home from get off work.”

"Alright then, but don't touch me inappropriately."

Hoshino Hanami remained silent, focusing on preparing the ingredients. She felt neither resistance nor embarrassment towards Tazaki Tsukasa's slightly lewd actions.

This has always been her personality; once she's decided on someone, she won't let go easily. Even if she regrets it later, she'll hold onto this moment of happiness tightly.

After cleaning all the ingredients, the two of them brought them out together and prepared to cook them in a large pot.

The way to eat Japanese shabu-shabu is similar to that of hot pot. A broth is used as a base, and then ingredients such as kelp and mushrooms are added to enhance the flavor. Once the broth is bubbling and boiling, you can start cooking.

Although my father-in-law is a complete culinary idiot, he still prepared a rather lavish spread of ingredients.

The table was covered with ingredients such as sirloin beef, salmon, black pork, carrots, cabbage, and tofu, with dipping sauces and beverages placed around the edges.

Under the warm yellow light, steam rose as five people and a dog sat around the table enjoying their meal.

The seating arrangement was as follows: Hoshino Takeo sat in the main seat, with his eldest daughter and son-in-law to his left, and his youngest daughter and Kuriyama Sakura to his right. "Navy" sat opposite him.

“You three high school students can’t drink alcohol,” Hoshino Hanami said, pouring each of them a glass of juice. Then she poured two glasses of sake, one of which was given to Hoshino Takeo.

Hoshino Shika picked up a slice of beef, dipped it in the broth a few times, then lightly dipped it in sauce before placing it in her older sister's bowl: "Sister, quickly eat this made by your younger sister... Tazaki Tsukasa, you're asking for it!"

"Delicious." Tsukasa Tazaki chewed on the tender beef, slurping his lips because it was so hot.

"Can you two just shut up for a second?" Hoshino Hanami glared at the two of them seriously, the words of reprimand about to come out of her mouth, but she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She was very happy today, so even if she was faking it, she couldn't appear serious.

"Lu Jian, try the meat your father cooked for you."

Hoshino Takeo, who always doted on his youngest daughter, immediately became very attentive, picking up a piece of beef, rolling it in the egg white bowl, cooking it, and then handing it to Shikami.

"Thank you, Dad!" Hoshino Shika said, her mouth covered in oil from eating.

Sakura Kuriyama leisurely cooked the ingredients in the pot. Takeo Hoshino looked at her and said, "Sakura, you need to hurry up, otherwise..."

At this point, he glanced meaningfully at his eldest daughter.

He certainly didn't dare to say what the rest of the words were.

Kuriyama Sakura was amused by his appearance and said what he hadn't said: "Otherwise, they would all end up in Hanami-neechan's belly, right?"

"Sakura, you're so disloyal! Uncle treated you so well, and you actually hurt me!"

"Dad, how about we have a little sparring session after we've eaten?"

Hoshino Takeo immediately shut up, bent down to cook a few pieces of meat, and then used his chopsticks to feed the obediently sitting "naval officer".

“Uncle…” Kuriyama Sakura ate a piece of tofu and looked up at Hoshino Takeo: “I’ve always been interested in your family’s rules. Could you tell me about them?”

Hoshino Takeo: "..."

What are you saying? Doesn't the president of the company have any dignity?

Tazaki Tsukasa became interested and looked at him: "Father-in-law, please tell me, I'd like to know too."

"Dad, tell them," Hoshino Hanami said to her father, her mouth full.

"Well..." Hoshino Takeo chuckled sheepishly, took a big gulp, and said nostalgically, "When Hanami was little, Sakura and I used to argue a lot. Whenever we argued, Sakura would throw things, and I would call her wasteful. We were really struggling financially back then, and we couldn't afford to throw things around. So Sakura suggested that we shouldn't throw things around when we argued anymore, but instead find something sturdy and beat it up to vent our anger. I thought it made a lot of sense, so I agreed."

"Dad, did you find something sturdy later?" Hoshino Shikami asked, holding up a glass of juice and staring intently at her father. She had never suffered since birth, so she was curious about how her parents and older sister had lived before she was born.

"You know what, after searching high and low, we actually found something sturdy." Hoshino Takeo wiped the sweat from his forehead and said somewhat awkwardly, "Every time Sakura and I argue, Sakura takes it out on that thing, and since then, we haven't broken anything in our house."

"Thank you for your hard work." Tsukasa Tazaki raised his juice and toasted his father-in-law.

"It's no trouble at all." Hoshino Takeo raised his glass to his son-in-law and said with emotion, "That thing really feels great. Sakura always feels like she wants more."

Hoshino Shikami asked curiously, "What is it? Show it to me."

Kuriyama Sakura took a sip of juice and looked at her younger sister with the same care one would give someone with intellectual disabilities.

“That thing…” Hoshino Takeo looked left and right, then right again, and finally grinned and pointed to his own nose: “It’s your dad.”

Hoshino Shikami was stunned for a long time, her eyes slightly red: "Shikami is unhappy because she can't see her mother beating her father."

Hoshino Takeo stretched out his hand and pointed at his prospective son-in-law: "Look, your mother was ten years older than me back then. If you want to see, just have your sister beat this kid up."

Tsukasa Tazaki: "..."

My husband is so unkind; all my sympathy for him was for nothing.

“Sister…” Hoshino Shikami looked at her sister with teary eyes, “Could you help Shikami and beat up Tazaki Tsukasa for your little sister to see!”

"If he makes me angry, I'll beat him up." Hoshino Hanami nodded, both amused and annoyed, then cleared her throat: "Eat up, or don't blame me for not leaving any for you."

As Kuriyama Sakura ate her food, she muttered to herself, "An enviable family."

"Wang."

The Border Collie stared at her and barked, then picked up a large piece of meat and wagged its tail excitedly.

"good."

Kuriyama Sakura reached out and stroked its head, her cool eyes gradually softening.

After finishing her meal, she returned to her room, changed into her pajamas, and lay down on the soft, large bed.

I tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.

The moonlight shone softly on her, and she reached out several times, trying to grasp the light in her palm.

But in the end, it was all in vain.

Ugh……

He let out a long sigh.

Just as I pulled the blanket over my head, trying to force myself to sleep, I heard a thud outside the door, like someone falling to the ground.

Kuriyama Sakura rolled out of bed, pushed open the door, and looked out into the hallway.

In the dim light filtering through the crack in the door, Tsukasa Tazaki collapsed in front of Hanami Hoshino's door, awkwardly saying to her, "Uh... would you believe me if I said I just got drunk from drinking juice and went into the wrong room?"

Kuriyama Sakura chuckled and cursed, "Shameless scoundrel, goodnight~!"

Chapter 130 I want to roll around on a slope covered with camellias

The next day, the sky was clear and blue, with large patches of pure white cumulus clouds stretching like mountain peaks to the other side of the horizon.

On the dam covered with camellias, a Border Collie excitedly chased after several wild birds. Ants occasionally leaped up from the grass, and a white-painted women's bicycle struggled to climb the hilltop in the morning light.

Besides the scents of sunshine and flowers, the breeze also carried the soaring voice of Tsukasa Tazaki.

Let's go!

Riding on the back of a silver dragon

Crossing the vortex of clouds and rain

Click.

The Silver Dragon, overburdened, broke down less than a meter from the top of the hill.

"That's lame!" Hoshino Hanami, carrying her easel, jumped off the back seat, walked to the top of the hill, turned around and said with a smile, "Young man, never give up. Try to rush up here in one go next time."

"It should have worked this time," Tsukasa Tazaki muttered, fiddling with the bicycle chain as he thought to himself. The so-called "Silver Dragon" was such a misnomer. This kind of failure at crucial moments should have led to it being renamed "Tokiomi Tohsaka."

Yes, it's all Tokiomi's fault.

Kuriyama Sakura pushed another cart up and set up her easel under a shady spot with a good view. She then took out her tools, including frames, canvases, brushes, and paints. Hoshino Shikami followed behind, carrying a basket of food and a cooler.

Below the dam lies a small artificial lake formed by the dammed river, surrounded by lush aquatic plants where ducks dart about and fish occasionally leap from the surface. Along the shore, several anglers sit quietly at equal intervals, silently casting their lines into the water. Beside the lake is a horse riding arena, where, under the slightly sultry summer sun, a blonde girl rides her horse over obstacle courses.

Tsukasa Tazaki glanced at it a few times, then turned back and picked up his paintbrush.

What should I paint...? He gazed thoughtfully at the lake, a gentle breeze rippling its surface. A man who appeared to be a staff member rowed a small yellow duck-shaped kayak, scattering feed among the water plants to feed the ducks.

"The ducks are so cute, can you see them?" Hoshino Hanami asked beside him, her paintbrush motionless on the paper.