My love index is at its maximum.

Tazaki Tsukasa shifted his gaze and met Kuriyama Sakura's clear eyes, instantly realizing that she was testing Kikawa Yui.

The blonde girl clenched her fist: "I'm going too!"

So-and-so took the bait.

"We're both geniuses, so why is your performance so lackluster..." Tsukasa Tazaki couldn't help but think to himself.

Kuriyama Sakura chuckled softly, her cold eyes fixed on Tazaki Tsukasa: "It's been a long time since I've been to the beach. I'll go for a swim too."

Tsukasa Tazaki understood the meaning in her eyes, so he cleared his throat: "I'll go buy swimsuits first. Everyone, meet in front of the changing room at the bathhouse."

He turned and ran as soon as he finished speaking.

Just kidding, why not run here and wait to die?

How do you explain why Yui Kikkawa acted completely indifferent to him last night, but her attitude suddenly changed 180 degrees after they spent half a day alone together today?

Tazaki Tsukasa thought to himself.

Escaping may be shameful, but it's useful.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the scorching sun had subsided, and the warm sunset outlined the golden contours of the clouds. Amidst the brightness, the cries of seagulls could be heard.

Tsukasa Tazaki paced back and forth in front of the locker room, his feet still scorching hot on the sand.

While waiting, he made a video call to Kana Shimamoto.

The connection is established.

Kana Shimamoto greeted him with slightly narrowed eyes: "Tazaki-san... Hey, have you gotten to the point where you video chat with your teacher without clothes on?"

Tsukasa Tazaki lowered his phone camera and showed him his swim trunks.

"So it was by the sea."

Kana Shimamoto nodded and smiled gently: "Why didn't you go swimming? Why did you call me? Is something the matter?"

"I've made up my mind."

What have you decided?

"From now on, please call me Plumber No. 9527."

Kana Shimamoto rubbed her eyes. She wasn't wearing her glasses, so her vision was a little blurry, and she wondered if she had mistaken someone for someone else.

Tazaki Tsukasa stared silently at the scene in the video.

When Shimamoto Kana takes off her glasses, she loses some of her intellectual and dignified elegance, but gains a touch of charming and delicate beauty. The background is probably her home, with a soft brown Persian carpet on the floor.

There was a chair behind the camera, with her clothes neatly folded on it.

A skirt, a shirt, black stockings, and white lace lingerie; there was also an almond-colored handbag under the chair.

Kana Shimamoto took out her glasses, put them on, and looked at him with clear eyes: "Tell me, and see if I can help you."

"Does the teacher still remember Plato's 'The Feast'?"

"Slice it in two with one stroke!" A refined smile appeared on Shimamoto Kana's face. "Did Tazaki-san suddenly bring this up because he's made a decision to move forward?"

Tsukasa Tazaki gave a wry smile.

Kana Shimamoto gazed at him through the camera: "As punishment for humanity's complacency, God cleaved the ancient humans who didn't need their other half with a sword. As a result, in the process of searching for their lost other half, humanity became the new humans we know today, and human civilization has become more and more prosperous in the process. In the end, what drives human progress is still desire."

"Uh... I didn't mean to discuss such philosophical questions."

“But you’ve already had this thought, haven’t you?” Shimamoto Kana smiled serenely, her gaze penetrating as she said, “From the moment you and the three of them went to Oma-cho, you had already succumbed to this thought.”

Tsukasa Tazaki opened his mouth: "You know that too?"

"Please, I'm a life counselor. You should definitely report such unsafe behavior to me."

"Who reported to you?"

"Kuriyama-san."

“That guy…” Tsukasa Tazaki had a headache and weakly defended himself, “I was just maintaining normal social interactions, I didn’t mean for anything to happen.”

"Don't give me that. You men are all the same."

"Hey, that's indiscriminate attack!" Tsukasa Tazaki protested. "Besides, you yourself said that humans are social animals and that social interaction is just a normal psychological need."

Kana Shimamoto chuckled, a smug expression on her face as if she'd seen right through him: "If it's normal, why did you call me?"

"I just don't know how to maintain a normal distance."

Tazaki Tsukasa scratched his hair in frustration. "Take Ninomiya for example. I don't want to see her looking lost or sad. And then there are those two lunatics, Kuriyama Sakura and Kuriyama Yui. If no one helps them get out of this mess, they might really be all alone for the rest of their lives."

Kana Shimamoto adjusted her glasses, her tone becoming serious: "How to maintain appropriate distance is something you have to work on yourself. As your teacher, I won't encourage this kind of behavior, much less help you."

"Sigh, that's just you shirking responsibility!"

"what?"

"You were the one who persuaded me with those enchanting blue skies and beautiful lakes. Oh, now that I've been swayed by your words, you're just going to pack up and leave, aren't you?"

Tsukasa Tazaki gritted his teeth and cursed, "Don't you have any sense of responsibility as an educator?"

"You're shameless..." Shimamoto Kana's face showed a look of being both amused and exasperated. "Alright, alright, Tazaki-san, do your best. At worst, I'll take you in after everyone has abandoned you."

"At that time, you may only be able to keep my ashes."

"That's fine, the teacher will pay respects to you every year."

"Ms. Shimamoto, I hate you from this day forward. Don't expect me to forgive you until I get back to school!"

"Then I can rest assured, I won't be targeted by a little pervert. Wait, isn't tomorrow Monday?"

Tsukasa Tazaki hung up the phone, leaving her to reflect on her mistakes alone.

"Hey, kiki."

A perpetually energetic voice sounded behind him, and he turned around to look.

Shiori Ninomiya wore a pale yellow ruffled swimsuit, her figure was well-proportioned and beautiful, her fair thighs were perfectly rounded, and with her signature lively smile, she looked just like the cover girl of some beach volleyball game that tricks you into spending money.

From the side, Qichuan was wearing a white bikini, her breasts full and firm. As the gaze traveled downwards, her abs were beautiful and captivating. Her collarbone, legs, buttocks, and all the skin bathed in the sunset shone as brightly as her blonde hair.

The slight abrasion on her knee looked rather conspicuous, which made Tsukasa Tazaki a little worried that the seawater might irritate the wound after she went into the sea.

Qichuan Wei glanced down and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing."

He looked away.

Then, Kuriyama Sakura slowly came into view.

Chapter 157 Seaside Bathing Beach

Sakura Kuriyama was wearing a black skirt-style swimsuit, and her overall look was... well...

To say it's flat as a panorama would be an exaggeration; to say it's hilly would be a bit of a stretch; to say it's majestic peaks... bullshit, that's completely irrelevant.

After thinking for a moment, Tsukasa Tazaki came up with an adjective—"There's still some if you squeeze it in."

But her legs are really beautiful.

The ruffled skirt was so short it reached just above the thighs, barely covering part of the body, while the rest was completely exposed to Tsukasa Tazaki's eyes.

Her thighs were rounded and firm, so white that the blue veins were visible; her calves were slender and graceful, as delicate and smooth as snow lotus roots; her ankles and soles were so beautiful that they resembled exquisitely crafted crystal ornaments, delicate and translucent.

I'm really worried that if she walks too much, it will ruin the beauty of her legs.

Kuriyama Sakura slapped him in annoyance: "If you keep looking, your eyeballs will pop out."

A warm palm pressed against his cheek, and his head tilted slightly.

Tazaki Tsukasa walked towards the sea, completely satisfied.

A glint of admiration flashed in Yui Kikawa's eyes.

This guy... looks thin when he's dressed, but once he takes his clothes off, his muscles are quite firm and defined. Although he doesn't have eight-pack abs or anything like that, his well-proportioned abs are quite aesthetically pleasing.

Is your body already that healthy? No wonder you managed to get heatstroke from running around.

The blonde girl shook her head wistfully and followed.

Shiori Ninomiya, who was one step ahead of her, had already run all the way to Tsukasa Tazaki's side.

"Kiki, you seem to be in a very good mood today."

"Is there?"

"Of course, I've been keeping an eye on you."

"Then I'll have it."

Will it always be like this?

"Hmm... Shiori-chan is so cute, if I say no, will I get eaten by a shark while swimming?"

Yes, you will.

The little cutie nodded vigorously, saying with absolute certainty, "Anyone who bullies Shiori-chan will be eaten by a shark!"

"How terrifying..." Tsukasa Tazaki said, emphasizing her words as if she had made up her mind: "I'll come back to bully Shiori-chan when I can beat a shark!"

Arriving at the seaside, we stepped into the clear, transparent water.

Tsukasa Tazaki took a deep breath and leaped into the air.

As your skin feels the warmth of the water, your body feels lighter. In a daze, you might feel like you've become a special being, and a warm, contented feeling wells up inside you.

Even now, he still has many problems that are difficult to solve.

It floated to the surface and let out a long breath.

There weren't many people in this bath area. After searching for a while, Tsukasa Tazaki quickly found Yui Kikawa's location.

He quietly swam up behind the blonde girl.

"Hoo~!"

Unaware of the danger, Yui surfaced for air. Cool water droplets slid down her shoulder blades, shimmering in the sunlight. Moving the gaze down her shoulder blades, one could vaguely see the shallow grooves of her spine extending to her waist beneath the surface of the sea.

"Hey, Kikawa-kun."

As Yui Kikawa turned around, a splash of seawater directly hit her face.