My love index is at its maximum.

Chapter 131 Time will eventually pass, whether happy or unhappy.

"Thump!"

A breeze blew across the lake, sometimes narrow, sometimes wide. A sound came from outside the shade of the trees, as if something had fallen to the ground; before I could turn to look, the muffled sound quickly faded into the azure sky.

Tazaki Tsukasa didn't dare to look back. Hoshino Hanami was holding his shoulders with both hands, looking at him with a slight smile. The smile was somewhat ambiguous, and beneath that ambiguity lay a dangerous edge, like the tip of an iceberg.

"The wind is picking up," Kuriyama Sakura said softly, rising from the shade of the trees. She straightened her easel, scraping away the bits of grass stuck to it with her palette knife, and continued her earlier statement: "We must try to live on."

Tsukasa Tazaki: "..."

She's gloating... Hey, she's definitely gloating!!!

“Say something, my penguin.” Hoshino Hanami grabbed Tazaki Tsukasa’s shoulder and shook him, revealing a meaningful smile: “Is what the observation report said true?”

"Uh, please let me explain."

"I've been listening the whole time, but you just won't explain it to them clearly!"

Hoshino Hanami deliberately spoke in a sweet, girlish voice, the kind that was soft and adorable, untouched by the ravages of time, like a kitten that made you want to hold it in your arms and caress it.

But Tsukasa Tazaki broke out in a cold sweat as he listened.

Kana Shimamoto is indeed the person who most appeals to his sexual fetishes, and her personality is exactly his ideal type. It's impossible for him not to have feelings for her. But if he were to tell Hoshino Hanami the whole truth, he would definitely get a good beating from her, and might even have to endure a period of cold war.

Are you lying?

That's a good solution.

Anyway, there was no interaction between him and Shimamoto Kana that went beyond friendship. As long as he was willing to clarify the relationship and explain properly, Hoshino Hanami is not an unreasonable person and would definitely not hold a grudge.

Can……

Tazaki Tsukasa didn't want to hide this from her, especially since the two had only recently started dating and were currently in the throes of new love.

While he was thinking, Hoshino Hanami showed no signs of anxiety or anger, only smiling and staring at him. Sunlight struggled to filter through the dense branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

"Hoo~!"

Taking a deep breath, Tsukasa Tazaki slowly said, "I do quite like Shimamoto-sensei."

"Hmm?" Hoshino Hana heard the sound of dissatisfaction coming from her nose, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on his shoulder.

"Ouch...that hurts."

Hoshino Hanami released her grip and changed to a posture of crossing her arms over her chest.

When it was Tazaki Tsukasa's turn, he put his hands on her shoulders and said affectionately, "I've always liked older sisters with gentle personalities, as you know. But it's just the kind of liking that's purely admiration, like when I see a beautiful flower and I like it a lot, and I want to pick it and put it in a vase."

Hoshino Hanami extended her right hand, her slender index finger pointing at his brow: "You even want to take the flower home, how can I feel at ease?"

"The love I have for flowers is completely different from the love I have for you." Tsukasa Tazaki racked his brains to quickly extract the words from his mind, trying to come up with an explanation that was both romantic and sincere.

“What’s the difference?” Hoshino Hanami’s index finger slid down from his brow along the bridge of his nose and quickly pressed against Tazaki Tsukasa’s lips. She whispered, “If you explain it well, I won’t hold it against you.”

“My love for you is like my love for the wind and the sea.” Tsukasa Tazaki held her hands in his, rubbing them against his lips. “I can take flowers home, that’s all. But flowers are beautiful, they wither after you pick them and you have to throw them away. I can’t take the wind and the sea home, but I can accompany them through the last years of my life.”

Hoshino Hanami asked with great interest, "You like the wind, you like the sea, and no matter how much you like them, you can't bring them home. What would you do to be with them?"

“I’d also like to hear what you would do.” Kuriyama Sakura returned to the shade of the tree and looked at him with a slight smile.

With grass clippings still stuck to his hair and clothes, Hoshino Shikami limped over to his sister, made a fist gesture, and shouted excitedly, "Sister, let's beat him up!"

Tsukasa Tazaki, standing at the center of the three women's gazes, chuckled softly: "I love the wind, so I can fall from ten thousand meters high, embraced by it until the moment before I'm shattered to pieces. I love the sea, so I can sink alone to the dark depths, experiencing the ebb and flow of the tides, loving you in solitude."

Hoshino Hanami stared at him intently, saying nothing. Tazaki Tsukasa could clearly see his own reflection in her eyes. Her younger sister bit her hand, looking pleadingly at Kuriyama Sakura.

Sakura, quickly refute him...

I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do...

After a brief exchange of glances, Kuriyama Sakura shook her head, turned around, and leaned against the tree trunk to continue reading.

A gentle breeze rustled the camellias, releasing a faint fragrance, while glimmering specks of light danced on the faces of the four people like marbles.

Hoshino Hanami was very happy.

Before today, she had been worried. Although she was confident in her charm, her personality, which was completely different from gentleness, made her somewhat hesitant.

My personality has been like this since I was a child, and I can't change it in a short time.

What if someone gets involved...?

After hearing Tsukasa Tazaki's words, Hanami Hoshino felt a sense of relief, as if all her worries had vanished.

Having escaped unscathed, Tsukasa Tazaki breathed a sigh of relief and held her hands: "Is the teacher still angry?"

Hoshino Hanami's smile vanished, replaced by a fierce glare: "I'll let you off the hook for now, but I'm warning you, I can't stop you from liking flowers, but if you dare to bring any home, I'll break your legs first!"

"No...no problem." A fine layer of cold sweat seeped out on Tsukasa Tazaki's back.

"Speak louder."

"no problem!"

"Hmm, I'm fairly satisfied." Hoshino Hanami nodded, a smile returning to her face. "Next, I have something to announce to you."

Tazaki Tsukasa immediately straightened her back: "Please speak, elder sister."

"I gave Sakura the request. The goal of the request was to find a contract boyfriend so that I could get away with it at my father's birthday party."

"What?" Tsukasa Tazaki's eyes widened, feigning surprise.

"Now I announce..." Hoshino Hanami cleared her throat, then said loudly, "On the 16th of this month, my official boyfriend will become my contract boyfriend and help me put on a show in front of my grandmother. Are you ready?"

"Always be prepared!"

"If you can't satisfy Grandma, you'll be in for a beating."

"Don't worry." Tsukasa Tazaki smiled and reached out to pull her into his arms. Hanami Hoshino adjusted her position, leaning against him and rubbing her cheek against his neck: "Let's take a nap together, and then go back to Tokyo."

"Wait a minute..." Hoshino Shika, who was a bit slow to react, suddenly spoke up, biting her thumb and asking her sister, "Didn't you say you'd beat him up if he made you angry? Sister, you can't forget what you said..."

Hoshino Hanami turned to look at her younger sister: "I'm not angry, why did you hit him?"

"Sister, you're being unfair. He's made you angry so many times, and you keep saying you'll beat him up, but you always end up protecting him. If it were Lu Jian, he would have been scolded by you countless times."

Feeling increasingly wronged, Hoshino Shika pouted and rolled on the ground while shouting, "Sister, you're just being unfair!"

Is it biased?

Hoshino Hanami pursed her lips, pondering the possibility of her sister's accusation.

Tsukasa Tazaki lowered his head and rubbed against her forehead and cheek.

"Ugh...it itches." Hoshino Hanami hummed comfortably, slowly closing her eyes and readily admitting, "He's your brother-in-law, of course I have to be a little biased. Besides, he's much more sensible than you, so I don't need to lecture him."

"...Some of the Shikami are still alive, but she is actually dead."

The younger sister stopped rolling around and lay motionless on the tablecloth, her voice revealing a sense of utter despair and defeat.

Around 1 p.m., both sisters fell asleep, but one was comfortably nestled in her lover's arms, enjoying the sweetness, while the other could only lie on the ground, feeling the hardness of the earth.

Kuriyama Sakura was still leaning against the birch tree trunk, kneeling and reading. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would rustle through the grass, softly lifting the strands of hair by her ear.

"Pfft."

The easel was blown away by the wind once again.

When Tsukasa Tazaki opened his eyes, the sky that greeted him was a breathtakingly blue, as if every breath he took would dye his lungs blue.

Hoshino Hanami was fast asleep on his chest, a few strands of her hair damp with sweat, clinging tightly to her smooth forehead like seaweed.

Tazaki Tsukasa slowly stretched his neck, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings. Under the scorching sun, the reeds and camellias on the dam had lost the vibrant, lively appearance they usually displayed during the rainy season, appearing listless and drooping.

At the equestrian training ground by the lake, Yui Kikawa continued her tireless training. Her blond hair reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight, so bright that Tsukasa Tozaki could only bear it for three seconds before rubbing his eyes and looking away.

I glanced at my watch; it was 2 PM.

Kuriyama Sakura closed the book and waved her phone at him. Then she immediately turned her head. Tazaki Tsukasa's eyes were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. When he was awake, they were clear and bright; when he was confused, they were hazy and affectionate. No matter when she looked at them, she had the illusion that she wanted to stare into his eyes for a lifetime.

Tazaki Tsukasa opened his phone and saw many unread messages in the group chat for the three of them: Ninomiya, Kuriyama, and Tazaki.

Scrolling up, I saw mostly discussions between two girls surrounding the "Knights on the March" illustration. The cute girl was a staunch Kiki supporter, and all her comments were praising him. The flat-screen girl's attitude was ambiguous; she would occasionally offer a compliment, but would quickly follow up with three sarcastic remarks.

For example, when he picked up his phone, the little cutie had just sent a message saying, "Sakura, don't you think this painting has a lot of King Arthur's style?", and Kuriyama Sakura immediately added, "Knights are not only the King of Knights, but also Don Quixote."

Tsukasa Tazaki, holding his phone in one hand, joined the two in their discussion.

[Tazaki: King Arthur couldn't have been a boy!]

[Kuriyama: So, you're more like Don Quixote.]

[Ninomiya: Wait, I haven't read this book. What kind of person is Don Quixote?]

[Tazaki: A knight with a high sense of responsibility and honor.]

[Kuriyama: Fallacy. 】

[Tasaki: Well, a madman who's moved himself to tears, he causes chaos wherever he goes, and almost everyone who runs into him suffers a disaster.]

[Kuriyama: However, his high moral principles, fearless spirit, and heroic actions are indeed commendable.]

[Ninomiya: Let me interject... Sakura, are you trying to praise Kiki or insult her?]

[Kuriyama: Absolutely neutral.]

[Ninomiya: I don't understand you two.]

[Tazaki: I don't understand her either.]

[Ninomiya: Kiki, could you bring back some local specialties from Chiba Prefecture for me?]

[Tazaki: Sorry, I can't bring it.]

[Ninomiya: Why?]

[Tazaki: Chiba Prefecture's specialty is the Yukinoshita mother and her two daughters, and I simply can't bring them back to Tokyo. Besides, even if I could, I'd keep them hidden at home; there's no way I'd give them to you.]

[Ninomiya: Kiki, with her aloof persona, would actually say something like that to me? (Surprised.jpg)]

[Kuriyama: He also said that Asuka is his wife.]

[Ninomiya: He mentioned before that Kamen Riders exist in this world. So Kiki has this youthful side too.]

[Tazaki: ...You guys just need to keep this to yourselves; there's no need to bring it up.]

[Ninomiya: I get it! (Smirking.jpg)]