My love index is at its maximum.

Even so, Tsukasa Tazaki still keenly caught that fleeting smile and pointed it out directly: "You smiled."

Under his unwavering gaze, Yui Kichikawa quickened her pace uncomfortably.

She wasn't sure if she had laughed, nor did she want to find out.

We agreed to treat him like a stranger!

"Kikawa-kun..."

Tsukasa Tazaki pestered him again, "What do you think about when you're running?"

Qichuan Wei glanced at him with an extremely cold look, then turned back and continued running.

In his clear blue eyes, the meaning of "Don't bother me" was quite obvious.

Looking at her distorted running posture, Tsukasa Tazaki knew that her energy was almost completely exhausted, and she was now just fighting against herself with her last breath.

trouble……

He didn't want to admit defeat in front of her, so he had no choice but to continue using harassment tactics.

"You don't actually think about anything, do you? That would be so lame. Haruki Murakami wrote down his thoughts on running and published them as a book."

"But with your brain, I doubt you have that kind of thinking."

"Okay, I'll give you a direction, and you can think in that direction from now on."

"You, Yui Kichikawa, want to have a whimsical romance. Saying sweet nothings to him every day, inviting him to your house for oden, taking a walk together in slippers in the middle of the night after a rain, sitting on the roadside drinking iced soda. When he's not looking, leaning against him and asking if he loves you, and if he says yes, you ask again, until he kisses you. How about that, isn't that a pretty good experience for someone like you who's never been in a relationship?"

Qichuan ran silently.

Her breathing became erratic, and the muscles in her legs began to stiffen. She desperately wanted water… but she knew that if she stopped drinking now, she probably wouldn't be able to move another step.

Don't think about it, don't think about it...

I repeatedly told myself not to think about what Tsukasa Tazaki said, and gritted my teeth to keep moving forward.

After running downhill for a while, the scenery suddenly changed.

To the left is a beach, waves crashing against the sand. There aren't many tourists yet; only a few surfers in simple wetsuits sit on the beach smoking. To the right is a small village, with villagers setting up various stalls along the road. There's an air gun shooting range, an inflatable pool for catching goldfish, food stalls selling takoyaki and fried noodles, and even stalls selling swimsuits and swim rings…

Someone pulled the trigger, and the balloon burst.

It was nearly nine o'clock in the morning. Tsukasa Tazaki had been running behind the blonde girl for more than two hours, completing the entire marathon.

Why does a morning run seem to have turned into a competition?

In an attempt to win, he even resorted to despicable tactics like verbal harassment to try and distract Yui Kikawa, but unfortunately, he failed.

Forget it...

I really can't run anymore.

Tsukasa Tazaki wanted to stop and buy a bottle of Ramune soda from a roadside stall, and take a big, satisfying sip.

Let her go on her own, let her strive to build perfection in her own little world.

Why bother with all that?

He simply knew that the effort was extraordinary.

I just know she always wears neat, clean white underwear, carries a Prada handbag, sprays herself with a Cologne perfume that smells like a vineyard in the morning, speaks simply and doesn't ask unnecessary questions, and has practiced her smile in front of the mirror countless times but has never shown it to anyone.

Running out of the village, farmland stretched to the right, and white smoke from burning dry grass rose almost straight into the sky. A large black dog lay deep in thought under the shade of a tree, seemingly melting from the heat. Seeing someone running towards it, it weakly barked in greeting.

The boy and girl ran straight over.

Tsukasa Tazaki was too tired to even greet the dog.

As if to distract himself from his physical exhaustion, he stared blankly at the blonde girl's back, his mind wandering to all sorts of random thoughts.

After talking with Kana Shimamoto, he gradually figured out where his special feelings for Yui Kikawa came from.

In those ten years of memories, he watched as an observer watch her grow from a five-year-old girl into the beautiful young woman who embodies pride and nobility.

Even a dog can develop feelings after ten years of looking at it, let alone a beautiful young girl.

The only thing that moved Tsukasa Tazaki was the existence of Yui Kikawa herself.

Of course, we can't conclude that it's simply a matter of liking someone.

In contrast, it's more about the feelings of elders towards younger generations, like... an uncle watching his niece grow up.

No, wait a minute.

What would it mean if I kissed her?

Has the relationship soured?

Tazaki Tsukasa thought to himself, "I really am evil."

But it's quite interesting, so let it continue to change until it becomes as solid as a father's love.

A sea breeze caressed my face as I stared intently ahead, my golden ponytail swaying in the wind.

Tsukasa Tazaki ran with difficulty to the blonde girl, turned his head and said, "Kikawa-san, please call me Dad from now on."

Yui Kawakawa shook her head.

It wasn't a refusal; after all, she hadn't even heard what Tsukasa Tazaki was saying. At that moment, she felt weak in her limbs, dizzy, unable to concentrate, had blurred vision, tinnitus, and was uncoordinated.

These are signs of heatstroke. Qichuan Yui knows that she must find a shady place to replenish her fluids and electrolytes, or she will faint.

The speed gradually slowed down, bodily functions gradually disappeared, and consciousness began to dissipate.

"what happened to you?"

Tsukasa Tazaki's voice had just rang out.

The blonde girl stumbled and fell to her knees on the gravel-strewn seaside road.

Chapter 154 The Golden Retriever is such a proud and arrogant person.

Tsukasa Tazaki quickly ran over and helped Yui Kikawa up.

"What's wrong with you?"

"fine."

The blonde girl pushed him away and staggered forward.

She had only taken a few steps when the world spun before her eyes, and her face flushed, she was about to collapse to the ground again. But before her body completely gave way, Tsukasa Tazaki caught her from the side: "What are you doing..."

His tone was a bit fierce.

Kikawa Yui weakly pushed against his chest: "Let go of me... I can walk by myself."

Tazaki Tsukasa immediately berated him, "Why the hell are you leaving?"

"I'm fine..."

"If you keep talking nonsense, believe me I'll throw you into the sea and let you soak in the seawater!"

The blonde girl shrank her neck, unusually docile.

Tazaki Tsukasa reached out and checked her pulse; it was incredibly fast, and her skin was burning hot.

I got heatstroke while jogging in the morning...

Looking up, there was a gas station two kilometers away. A man picked up the blonde girl in a princess carry and ran over.

After running two steps, Tsukasa Tazaki's legs buckled, and the two of them almost fell to the ground.

I almost forgot... my physical strength has already reached its limit.

Tazaki Tsukasa barely managed to steady himself and activated the system.

[Tono Sachiko stock current price: 250]

[Holding shares in Sachiko Tono: 6555]

Are all units to be sold?

[Sachiko Tono's shares have been sold off, with funds received: 1638750]

Having acquired a large sum of usable funds from the clearance sale, Tsukasa Tazaki opened the online store interface.

[Stamina: 100000]

[Do you confirm the purchase?]

[Selected items purchased, cost: 100000]

【Ding】

【Stamina 6→7】

Current available funds: 1538750

The tank, which was almost empty, was refilled with a little fuel—not much, but enough to last until we reached the gas station.

Tsukasa Tazaki took a deep breath, picked up the blonde girl, and ran along the seaside road with even, quick steps toward the gas station.

Flocks of white seagulls circled endlessly above the highway.

The bright sunlight shone directly on her face, and Kikawa Yui couldn't help but turn her head, burying her stinging eyes in the shadow of his chest.

After a while, I could faintly hear voices talking.

"Young man, what's wrong?"

"We have heatstroke. Do you have a car? Please take us to the nearest hospital."

"The nearest hospital is 40 kilometers away. Let me see... Thankfully, it's just mild heatstroke. Come into the rest room quickly."

As her consciousness grew increasingly blurred, Yui Kirikawa was unable to speak and could only completely relinquish control of her body.

Tazaki Tsukasa placed her on the small bed in the gas station staff break room, unbuttoned two buttons on her polo shirt, and took off her tennis shoes. Looking at her little feet in light yellow boat socks, he thought for a moment, then took those off too.

My toes curled up weakly, and the sweat smelled slightly sour.

The gas station attendant brought over an electric fan, along with clean towels, gauze, cotton swabs, and medical alcohol.

"You know what to do, right?"

"know."