My love index is at its maximum.

I opened my eyes and stared intently at the fiery red clouds floating atop the building, watching them gradually fade as darkness fell.

As time passed, the lights on the stands of the playground came on, attracting a large swarm of unknown insects.

Satisfied, Yui Kikawa turned off the camera, and the two left the playground side by side, washing their hands at the nearest handwashing station. Afterwards, Yui Kikawa went back to the classroom to get her schoolbag, where Tsukasa Tazaki was waiting for her in front of the shoe locker.

After grabbing my backpack and turning off the lights, the classroom and hallway were completely dark.

Only the motion-sensor light will turn on in response to footsteps.

The blonde girl, carrying a bulging backpack, walked down the stairs and went to the shoe cabinet to change her shoes.

Tsukasa Tazaki leaned against the shoe cabinet and said, "I saw you smile when I was being chased by the track and field team."

"..." Qichuan Wei calmly opened the cabinet and took out the white sneakers inside.

"I was stunned for a second when I saw you smile, which is why I got caught. Otherwise, do you think those idiots could catch me?"

Take off your flat shoes and put them in the shoe cabinet.

Qichuan Wei slammed the shoe cabinet door shut with a little force, her eyes cold: "What do you want to say?"

"Smile more! Haven't you heard the saying, 'Girls who smile a lot are lucky'?"

"Have not heard."

"Now I've heard it."

"I've never heard of it either."

Under Tsukasa Tazaki's lingering gaze, Yui Kikawa tucked her small feet, encased in white stockings, into her sneakers.

The two left the school building.

The vending machine beside the school path emitted a cheap light that illuminated the fat orange lying on the ground.

A man and a woman walked towards this side.

The cat's ears twitched, and "Sardine" looked up.

It knew the man; he was a human it disliked.

It was the first time I'd met the woman.

"Meow~"

The chubby orange cat jumped out and acted cute in front of the blonde girl. The two walked around it and headed straight out of the school gate.

"Meow?"

As the night grew increasingly quiet, "Sardine" fell into deep doubt about her own charm.

As I walked down the slope in front of the school, it was as if a bucket of dye had been poured out; the sky had completely darkened.

Countless streetlights and neon lights, combined with the endless stream of car headlights, transformed Yotsuya into a sea of ​​light. Tokyoites, having finished their dinners, strolled leisurely through the streets and alleys. There were families, couples, and close friends.

Yui Kikawa led the way, while Tsukasa Tazaki followed behind, using his cell phone to ask Sachiko Tono for leave.

Tonight, Hoshino Hanami asked him to come over, so he had no choice but to reluctantly give up his wages for three hours.

After walking side by side for a while, Tsukasa Tazaki looked up and around as if waking from a dream: "Where is this?"

Kikawa Yui walked silently.

Tsukasa Tazaki learned from the roadside sign that they had arrived at Ochanomizu.

Leaving Yotsuya, head north through Ichigaya, turn right at Iidabashi, then pass through Jimbocho, and finally arrive at the present-day Ochanomizu...

"Kikawa-kun..." Tsukasa Tazaki asked, somewhat amused, "Where are you trying to take me after leading me on such a long detour?"

Having considered seven or eight ways to start the conversation along the way, Qichuan Wei stared at the taillights of a taxi parked on the side of the road: "I'm going home. Who took you on a roundabout trip?"

Where is the driver?

"It's none of your business if I want to take a walk home."

"I'm going back to be with my girlfriend now, goodbye."

After walking for a while with a blank expression, the blonde girl turned around, but Tsukasa Tazaki was nowhere to be found in the sea of ​​lights.

"Ugh……"

He let out a barely audible sigh.

Yui Kikawa put down her heavy schoolbag, which made it hard to breathe, and rested for a moment.

Shops, small hotels, and restaurants with tables set up on the sidewalk line one side of the sidewalk. Soft yellow light shines from the small windows of the blinds, and lingering songs drift from the cafes.

After listening for a while, she picked up her schoolbag and returned along the same route.

After walking down a long slope, turn a corner in front of the Ochanomizu Women's University gate.

Leaning against the lamppost, the boy who had disappeared ten minutes earlier stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at her. The soft light cast a golden glow on the fine hairs on his cheeks, making him quite handsome.

Qichuan was somewhat distracted.

"Don't forget, I lived in your house for ten years."

Tsukasa Tazaki walked towards her, smiling, and said, "If you go east from Yotsuya and pass through the Imperial Palace, you'll reach your house. But if you go north to Ichibashi, you'll have to take a long detour. You can't fool me with that, so how are you going to explain this?"

Kikawa Yui bit her lower lip and stubbornly shook her head.

Tsukasa Tazaki held out his hand: "Give me your schoolbag."

After a slight hesitation, she handed over her schoolbag.

Tsukasa Tazaki turned around and walked towards the Imperial Palace. The blonde girl followed behind him, her hands empty, her steps becoming much lighter.

We walked silently south, along the moat of the Imperial Palace, until we were halfway there. Then, an uphill road appeared on our left, lined with apricot trees on both sides. A sign that read "Private Property" stood at the entrance.

At the top of the slope stands a grand, antique-style house.

Tazaki glanced over there, then handed the backpack back to the blonde girl: "That's all for now, see you tomorrow."

"Won't you come in and sit for a while?"

Kikawa Yui's eyes flickered for two seconds before dimming: "Never mind what I said."

"I really admire you..." Tsukasa Tazaki said. "If I were watching you chat with another boy today, I definitely wouldn't be able to hold back. Don't laugh, I'm just that petty."

Yui Kikawa shrugged.

Although she rarely expresses her emotions, her hidden sharpness, pride, and noble temperament are immediately apparent.

"Don't look so indifferent. I know what you're thinking." Tsukasa Tazaki shrugged, mimicking her. "Just say you want me to go for a walk with you. I won't refuse."

"Oh."

"Oh."

"funny!"

"funny!"

Tazaki stopped parroting and said seriously, "You are the person I know best in this world, but that doesn't mean I'll always have the patience to read your face. I've made myself clear, and it's up to you to choose. Just tell me your answer clearly this weekend."

Qichuan Wei hugged her schoolbag with both hands, and snorted slightly as if she hesitated.

"I went with my girlfriend."

Tsukasa Tazaki hailed a taxi, leaned out of the window, and left his last words: "Let me remind you, if we were to become strangers, I would not hesitate to do so."

The vehicle disappeared around the corner.

Kikawa Yui stood under the streetlight for a long time, lost in thought, before turning around and walking up the slope.

Chapter 163 Hoshino Hanami is someone that high school girls can't even dream of!

I took a taxi to Shibuya at 8 p.m.

Just as he got out of the taxi, Tsukasa Tazaki, who was about to buy a bouquet of flowers, took a deep sniff and smelled the aroma of stir-fried garlic wafting from under the overpass ahead. Looking up, he saw a Chinese restaurant.

The aroma of food wafted into his nostrils. Feeling a bit hungry since he hadn't eaten dinner, he went inside and tried ordering in Chinese.

The boss then said in Japanese that he was Korean...

What about the cook?

The boss said he was the cook.

Tazaki Tsukasa thought to himself, "Since I'm already here, I can't go out on an empty stomach." So he negotiated and spent 10,000 yen to get the chance to work in the kitchen.

I stir-fried beef noodles.

You can sit in the dining area, eat, and gaze at the brightly lit neon signs outside the window.

A look of enjoyment appeared on his face, like... a taste from his memory.

At this time last year, his greatest satisfaction in a day was sitting at a roadside food stall after get off work, ordering a plate of stir-fried beef noodles and a bottle of ice-cold beer.

I wonder if that stray black cat downstairs from the rented apartment has been adopted...

The time for remembrance has come to an end.

After leaving the Chinese restaurant, Tsukasa Tazaki found a flower shop that was still open among the colorfully decorated shops in Harajuku.

What do you need?

The female shop owner was in her late twenties, and her appearance clearly indicated that she ran a flower shop.

"Buy a bouquet of flowers for your girlfriend."

"The roses are ready. What color do you want?"

Tsukasa Tazaki thought for a moment and shook his head: "My girlfriend's temperament doesn't match that of roses."

The female shop owner glanced at him and recommended, "Tulips, you can choose red tulips to express your love for your girlfriend, or you can choose feather tulips to express your tender feelings for her."

“It’s already been delivered.” Tsukasa Tazaki looked around and pointed to a bunch of blue-purple flowers: “This is it. Please wrap it up for me.”

The female shop manager wrapped the bouquet in blue paper and handed it to him with both hands: "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's ok."

"It's rare to see a man choose this kind of flower for his girlfriend," the female shop manager smiled. "I'm sure your girlfriend will be touched."

“Indeed, last time I just took a picture and sent it to her, and I received 500 million yen in my account.”