My love index is at its maximum.

[Tazaki: What do you know?]

[Ninomiya: We're very close friends, that's why we share these little secrets, right?]

[Kuriyama: Excuse me, but we're not close at all.]

[Tazaki: I'm not even friends with the person who almost killed me!]

[Kuriyama: I was just stating an objective fact; the problem lies with you.]

[Tazaki: The tea's all gone!]

[Kuriyama: I'll consider telling people about you two hugging each other.]

[Tazaki: What I meant was that we've run out of tea leaves in the activity room. Could you please have the department head replenish them so I can brew you a cup every day?]

[Ninomiya: I don't understand, Sakura, what do you mean by "hugged"?]

[Tazaki: My phone's out of battery, let's chat next time.]

He switched out of the group chat and clicked on the unread messages displayed on Shimamoto Kana's profile picture.

[Shimamoto: What a beautiful painting! Who painted it?]

[Tazaki: Kuriyama-san. 】

[Shimamoto: It's almost exactly the scene I imagined! The boy is you, and the girl is her. You two are truly a match made in heaven.]

[Tazaki: I already have a girlfriend, so please be careful what you say, Shimamoto-sensei.]

[Shimamoto: Is it Hoshino-sensei?]

[Tazaki: That's right.]

[Shimamoto: You really did end up with an older woman after all (headache.jpg)]

[Shimamoto: Does having a girlfriend mean I don't need to give out any perks anymore?]

[Tazaki: You're dreaming! Don't forget I have dirt on you.]

[Shimamoto: Threatening the teacher and forcing her to humiliatingly offer herself to him—Tazaki-san is truly wicked.]

[Tazaki: I just wanted to see some fan service, who said I wanted your body?! !!!]

[Shimamoto: Really don't want it?]

[Tazaki: Please don't test me with such ambiguous words.]

[Shimamoto: Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to handle it, right?]

[Tazaki: My phone's out of battery, let's chat next time.]

Putting down his phone, Tsukasa Tazaki placed his hand on Hanami Hoshino's back and closed his eyes drowsily. Time seemed to flow slowly through their bodies, with waves representing the ebb and flow of their emotions rising and falling from time to time.

Kana Shimamoto's flower is difficult to pluck, while the shopkeeper's is much easier to pluck, but even if you do pluck it, you can't take it home...

After thinking it over and over but still having no clue, I simply closed my heart and waited for the tide to recede.

The river returned to calm, and tranquility and warmth returned once more. He held Hoshino Hanami in his arms and fell asleep again.

Around 4 PM, the two sisters woke up one after the other. The group returned to the villa and chatted for half an hour. Just after 5 PM, they got into the G-Wagon and headed back to Tokyo.

……

As dusk fell, the racecourse turned on its lights.

Kikawa Yui lay down as if she were completely exhausted, and the wooden recliner made a dry creaking sound.

The air was thick with the scent of dusk, and the afterglow of the setting sun hung in the sky like an oil painting. The wind was much stronger than during the day, and the birch forest stretched low and flat as if compressed, with low hills lined up behind the trees, pointing towards the sky.

She recalled the hazy feelings the boy had once harbored, and an indescribable restlessness enveloped her heart.

"They've already left, what are you standing here for?" Kurisu glanced at her daughter, biting her straw and blowing bubbles into her cup.

The glass contained orange juice, the liquid being the same color as the sunset.

Kikawa Yui shook her head and remained silent.

The mother and daughter lay side by side, listening to the rustling of the reeds swaying in the wind.

Kurisu poured out the orange juice from her glass, then took out beer from the freezer and refilled it; the liquid was still the same color as the sunset. Yui tilted her head, quietly watching the foam dissipate at the rim of the glass.

Mother asked, "Want to have a drink together?"

"Don't drink."

"They've left, do you want to go after them?"

"Don't chase."

"Why can't you learn from me? If you were as proactive as your mother, you might be pregnant by now."

Kikawa Yui, still staring at the beer in her glass, shook her head again: "I don't like him."

"Who asked you to like him?" Kurisu shook her head a few times and poured herself a drink. "You have to remember one thing: he is yours, the husband your family has chosen for you. Even if you don't like him, you have to take him back."

"boring."

"Come on, where's your pride?" The mother sat up halfway, chugging down beer as she shouted, "Where's your pride in always striving for perfection in everything you do, from childhood to adulthood?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"You might as well think of this as a test for you, something that slipped through your fingers, and you have to snatch it back with your own hands. That's difficult, isn't it? Yes, it's very difficult. But even knowing how difficult it is, you will grit your teeth and do it yourself. That's my daughter, that's the real Yui Kichikawa!"

Kikawa Yui didn't speak, but just stared at the darkening sky, lost in thought.

"And Xiao Si has become quite outstanding lately, hasn't he?" Qi Chuan Li finished her beer, put the glass aside, and stared at her daughter: "You two were always close when you were little, it's just that you were a bit angry with his performance after he entered junior high school. Now that he's become just like you, isn't this a perfect way to fulfill the promise he made to you back then?"

"We'll see."

Kikawa Yui put her hands behind her head and slowly closed her eyes.

I want to become a good adult and share the burden with you... The little boy's tender voice echoed in my ears. I wanted to confirm his expression again, but my body was already exhausted, and the indescribable emotions dissipated on their own without finding a home.

She breathed a sigh of relief, put down her empty mind, and listened drowsily to the sound of the wind blowing through the birch forest, and sleepiness quietly crept in.

It's perfectly fine to take a nap here...

The thought had barely formed when consciousness was plunged into darkness.

Chapter 132 The meaning of the ATF club's existence, could it be that it's meant to become your harem club?

The day after returning from the horse farm, on Tuesday, June 8th, Tokyo was once again shrouded in continuous rainy weather, lasting until Thursday, with the total amount of sunshine not exceeding five hours.

On June 11, a Friday, Tsukasa Tazaki got up very early.

It was still drizzling outside the window, and none of the clothes that had been drying for several days had come to a dry finish.

I need to buy a dryer right away...

After a quick wash, Tsukasa Tazaki opened YouTube on his phone, randomly played an Italian program, and did sit-ups while summarizing his stock market gains for the week.

On Monday, he sold all 2292 shares of teacher stock he held at a price of 550 per share, for a total of 1260600 in available funds.

Next, I spent 70000 to buy 1000 shares of Kasuga Sakura stock, and then I went for a walk around the entrance of Class D classroom.

[Triggering emotion: Admiration. The Ninomiya Shiori stock index is up 50 points; current stock price is 170.]

[Triggering emotion: Admiration. The Kasuga Sakura stock index is up 50 points, current stock price 120.]

I cleared out my entire position in Chunrixiang Miao stock, netting a profit of 50000. Including the 400 I had left, my total available funds are 1311000. The boss's current stock price is 200 per share, so I bought all of them, adding a total of 6555 shares to my position.

When he returned to the convenience store that evening, the owner trembled the moment she saw him; her heart melted.

[Triggering emotion: Lust. The Tono Sachiko stock index is up 50 points; current stock price is 250.]

Widows are truly terrifying...

When he got home that evening, Tsukasa Tazaki took his second Qi and Blood Medicine pill, and his stamina rose to 6 points on Wednesday.

With 6 points of stamina and master-level mixed martial arts skills, taking down a kid with one punch is no problem.

On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, he went to Xiaoying's family's gym for swimming training and successfully improved his swimming skills to a professional level. This level of swimming skill allowed him to swim the 100-meter freestyle in 49.89 seconds, only 3 seconds slower than the world record of 46.91 seconds.

The underwater breath-holding time also reached an astonishing 18 minutes, six minutes less than the Guinness World Record of 24 minutes and 3 seconds.

Meanwhile, Tsukasa Tazaki also read "The Stars of Humanity" twice carefully and lent it to Shiori Ninomiya on Wednesday. No, it should be said that he gave it to her, because he didn't intend to ask for it back.

"Fatta di baci salati accarezzati dal sole, abbracci bagnati refrigeranti..."

(A slightly salty kiss touched by sunlight, a cool and moist embrace)

A sentence in Italian came through the phone, which Tsukasa Tazaki read aloud, ending his morning exercise session.

I took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and started making breakfast.

Cook some thin noodles, drain and set aside. Also, slice some ham, mince some garlic, and shred some chili.

Heat olive oil in a pan, sauté minced garlic and chili strips until fragrant, then add ham slices and sauté until crispy and fragrant. Next, pour in the cooked thin noodles, and sprinkle with finely chopped cilantro before serving.

Finally, make a light and refreshing tomato and cheese salad for a healthy and delicious breakfast.

When it comes to eating, Tsukasa Tazaki always adheres to the principle of being healthy when it's appropriate to be healthy, and when it's not appropriate to be healthy, he indulges in a big meal in accordance with his physiological needs.

Don't bother calculating calories. As long as you grasp the feeling of choosing the right foods and eating in moderation, you don't need to worry about numbers—this is what Hoshino Hanami told him.

Although her so-called "moderate" is no different from overeating and overdrinking if applied to ordinary people.

After breakfast, I went out, my clothes were damp, and I could already feel the rain even before I stepped out the door.

Tsukasa Tazaki opened his umbrella and walked towards Shinjuku Station.

The rain was pattering softly.

The hydrangeas planted on the street absorbed the rainwater and bloomed beautifully.

"Yotsuya, we've arrived at Yotsuya!"

Passengers transferring, please board and alight in an orderly manner.

Tsukasa Tazaki stepped out of Yotsuya Station, listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the transparent umbrella as he walked through the misty, damp air.

The mixed-use building in front of the station was washed clean by the rain, its reflection shimmering on the puddles on the road. Stepping on it, the building crumbled.

On a rainy day, why not skip class and go get a coffee...

The thought flashed through his mind, but was immediately rejected by Tsukasa Tazaki.