My love index is at its maximum.

Kuriyama Sakura looked at him with a "hehehe~" laugh, her eyes full of mockery, but her face was still very cute.

The fragrance filled the air, and the girl looked as beautiful as a dream.

For the first time, Tsukasa Tazaki thought that if he were truly a naive fifteen-year-old boy, he would definitely fall in love with her without hesitation. But conversely, if he were really just a fifteen-year-old boy, he probably wouldn't be able to understand what she was thinking, and therefore would never be accepted by her heart.

In conclusion: Life is truly full of regrets.

Why is he so interesting?

Confusing.

"Sigh, Tazaki-san." Kuriyama Sakura rested her chin on her hand and asked with interest, "You don't have some kind of high school sophomore syndrome, do you?"

Tsukasa Tazaki vehemently objected: "That's not true!"

Kuriyama Sakura shook her head and said definitively, "She thinks being aloof is cool, and she constantly uses internet slang like 'If you take it seriously, you lose.' When a bestselling author is mentioned, she says, 'I prefer his works before he became famous.' She looks down on popular things and is obsessed with niche things. Not only that, she often pretends to be detached from worldly affairs and spouts some inexplicable道理 (principles/truths)."

"mistake!"

Tsukasa Tazaki sat up straight and retorted seriously, "I don't think being aloof is cool, nor do I say that being serious means you lose. While I do prefer Keigo Higashino's works before he became famous, I also like popular things, such as EVA, Oregairu, and Kamen Rider. Besides, I haven't seen through the illusions of the world. Rather than me, you are the one who has!"

“Me neither.” Kuriyama Sakura gave a self-deprecating laugh, her gaze drifting to the faded curtains. “I’m conspicuous in appearance and come from a prominent family. But all I know how to do is read books and I can’t talk to people. How should I put it… well, in most people’s eyes, I’m just a mentally twisted, arrogant girl.”

"Most people are right, aren't you a mentally twisted, arrogant girl?"

Kuriyama Sakura took a deep breath: "You want to die, don't you?"

This time, the sound was like a watermelon that had been frozen for twenty hours in a freezer at minus twenty degrees Celsius.

Tsukasa Tazaki shrank back and continued, "A bleak life is as dark, damp, and narrow as a sewer."

Kuriyama Sakura grabbed a pillow and threw it at his face. "If you can't talk, get out!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the pillow."

Tazaki Tsukasa chuckled contentedly, tucking the pillow behind her head. Turning her head to look at the bed, she noticed that Kuriyama Sakura's cheeks seemed slightly puffed out.

"So cute."

He smiled and said, "You're beautiful, capable, and talented, and most importantly, you have great legs. Why should you care what those ugly girls think of you? At worst, I'll be your plumber and help you unclog your drains."

"You're the one who's in the sewer."

Kuriyama Sakura said irritably, then added in a low voice, "And there's no need to deliberately emphasize how good your legs are!"

"Could you stick your legs out from under the covers so I can see them?"

"Mr. Tazaki, would you like me to call the police or your girlfriend now?"

"Go to sleep, go to sleep."

Tsukasa Tazaki closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Kuriyama Sakura chuckled, seemingly quite pleased with his reaction.

I turned off the bedside lamp, and the room fell into darkness.

Summer nights are deep and boundless, yet they stir up emotions. One's mood is like lying on the seabed counting schools of fish, with no idea how many there are before one can finish counting them all.

Chapter 153 Kikawa-kun, please call me Dad from now on.

The alarm rang at six o'clock.

Tazaki Tsukasa rubbed his eyes, turned off his phone alarm, and groped his way up from the board.

As dawn broke, the room was only dimly lit enough to make out the outlines of objects. Kuriyama Sakura lay on the bed like a sleeping beauty, her delicate lips pressed into a straight line, her small chin resembling a perfectly shaped cape, its angle impeccable.

"Ah~!"

Tazaki Tsukasa yawned and pushed open the door, intending to go back to his room to wash up.

As Qichuan Yui happened to be passing by, she stopped and politely greeted him, "Good morning."

"Okay~" Tsukasa Tazaki rubbed his waist, looking very tired.

"Did you have a good time last night?"

Tsukasa Tazaki pulled up his pants: "So-so."

It's really not very good; sleeping on the floor is definitely not a comfortable thing.

Yui Kikawa walked down the stairs expressionlessly.

Wearing a white mini skirt, white polo shirt, and white tennis shoes, her hair was still tied in a single ponytail, looking like she was going out for a morning run.

"Wait, I'll go too."

Tazaki Tsukasa shouted and quickly ran back to his room, brushing his teeth and washing his face in two minutes.

As she ran down the stairs, Yui Kichikawa had just finished eating a croissant and drinking a carton of milk and was running towards the door.

"I said wait..."

Tazaki Tsukasa hurriedly drank the milk that Sugikawa Yui had left for him, grabbed a piece of bread, and caught up with her.

The pose is the same as that of a certain Rei Ayanami who wishes to remain anonymous.

The temperature in the seaside town on a June morning is quite comfortable.

A gentle sea breeze blew, causing the blonde girl's short skirt to sway back and forth.

Tsukasa Tazaki followed behind her, and the two of them went for a morning run along the seawall.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the dark sea was tinged with silvery-gray. Starting from the east, the bright morning light gradually dispelled the darkness, like pulling a tablecloth away.

Fishermen returning to port would occasionally pass by the two carrying the fish they had caught the night before.

When running alone, Tsukasa Tazaki would wear headphones and listen to music while running.

Today, two people were running together, which was no different from running alone. He was also wearing headphones, but he didn't turn them on. Instead, he stared at the blonde girl's white legs and was thinking about something.

If it were me two months ago, I definitely wouldn't have been able to keep up with her.

In the early stages of his training, he couldn't run very long distances. Twenty minutes, at most thirty minutes, would be enough for him to run a few laps around the artificial lake in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden before his heart would pound and he would feel like he was suffocating.

Now, after persisting in running for a period of time, my body has actively accepted running as a sport.

Correspondingly, the distance gradually increases, the breathing rhythm becomes stable, and the heart rate settles down.

The feeling of progress is quite pleasant, especially when the person being compared is a genius and beautiful girl.

It's a pity her expression was so lacking, otherwise Tsukasa Tazaki really wanted to run ahead of her, turn around and grin, saying, "Didn't expect that, did you?"

Although doing this is a bit childish...

But it felt so good!

Half an hour later, the sun had fully risen.

The new sunlight bathed the world, and two white birds glided from the hillside toward the sea.

After running to the end of the seawall, the two turned off the seaside road, ran out of the town, and entered an uphill section.

Tazaki Tsukasa maintained a steady pace, running steadily behind her.

My physical condition is still very good, and I still have a lot of energy left, having used about 70%.

The narrow road slowly climbs, with a cliff on one side and the sea on the other. Waves lap against the base of the mountain, splashing spray edged with dazzling white.

She ran at the same pace for an hour, her rhythm perfectly steady, her skirt swaying gracefully from side to side, her shapely calves gleaming delicately in the sunlight.

I really want to cut it off with scissors and pin it to the wall of my memory with thumbtacks.

wrong……

Tazaki Tsukasa quickly shook his head, banishing the strange thought from his mind.

After running past a village halfway up the mountain, I saw several elderly people sitting under the shade of trees in front of their houses, chatting idly while amusedly watching the running teenagers with their eyes, as if reminiscing about their own youth.

After crossing a mountain pass, the sea breeze began to pick up.

The road turned from an uphill climb into an undulating mountain path, and from here, a sudden wave of fatigue washed over me. My throat became incredibly thirsty, and I longed for an ice-cold Ramune soda.

This guy...aren't you tired?

Qichuan Wei muttered something to herself, gritted her teeth, and continued running forward.

It was just past eight in the morning, and the temperature was already incredibly hot. The sky was a vast, clear blue, with seabirds circling above the bay, searching for fish and shrimp. Only a few oddly shaped clouds clung to the sky, offering no shade whatsoever.

This guy...aren't you tired?

Tazaki Tsukasa muttered something to himself, gritted his teeth, and continued running forward.

The sky was a brilliant blue, as beautiful as an oil painting, but the sun was so intense it hurt my skin. Sweat stung my eyes, and I wanted to wipe them, but my hands and face were covered in salt, and wiping them would only make the pain worse.

“Kikawa-kun…” Tsukasa Tazaki caught up, panting, “Look at the clouds over there.”

Following the direction he pointed, Qichuan Yui looked and saw a beautifully shaped cloud that looked like a puppy.

Tsukasa Tazaki asked, "Does she look like Eriri?"

The blonde girl sped up without expression, leaving him behind.

"Kikawa-kun..."

Tsukasa Tazaki caught up with her again, "I think that after one night of fermentation, my feelings for Kuriyama have changed... no, they've been elevated."

The blonde girl sped up again, leaving the disgusting sound behind.

"Hey, listen to me..."

"Before yesterday, Kuriyama and I were just ordinary male and female classmates."

"But after last night, the relationship has changed."

"I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it..." Qichuan Wei gritted her teeth and continued to speed up, large beads of sweat rolling down her beautiful cheeks.

Tazaki Tsukasa scurried up to her half a step ahead like a mangy dog, turned around and gave a strained smile: "Her and I have evolved from ordinary classmates into a pair of middle-aged brothers preparing to dig up ancient tombs and make a fortune together. That's a deep bond, isn't it?"

"..."

The blonde girl couldn't help but smile.

A smile that's only 0.5 centimeters long.

Just like a gecko's tail, the smile is discarded the moment the owner senses danger.